The Nation: August 2006

Saturday, August 12, 2006

Bungles Add "Jerk Line"!

You have to watch this You Tube video and read the article to believe this. This is actually kind of funny since I have absolutely no desire to go Cincy to see our boys play at Paul Brown Stadium. I just have two questions for Bungles front office. (1) Do they have plans to add another special line if fans see the Bungles breaking the law in the community(it could possibly be 381-BUST), and (2) are they going to add a third line if football fans see bad play on the field? You know, football "Bungles-Style"!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P98MKeJGbno

Calling fans on bad behavior
Bengals create policy to report problems in stands

CINCINNATI (AP) -- The Cincinnati Bengals are giving fans a way to deal with belligerent jerks who spoil the game for everybody else.
Starting with Sunday's preseason opener with the Washington Redskins, obnoxious behavior in the stands could prompt a cell phone call to the jerk patrol.

A call to 381-JERK will alert security to check out the complaint on camera, then in person if action is warranted.
Fans using too much foul language will get a warning. Those who continue could be ejected and have their season tickets and personal seat licenses taken away. More serious offenses could lead to arrest.
"We're not going to be the curse police. You need to understand you're coming to an NFL football game," said Bob Bedinghaus, the Bengals' director of development for Paul Brown Stadium. "On the other hand, we want to make sure that we're paying attention to those folks who are going over the line."
There are 38 video cameras in the stadium, and more than 500 security personnel at each game, he said.
"We have more than enough cameras to zoom in on every position in the seating bowl -- close enough that we can clearly get photographic images of the people sitting there," Bedinghaus said.
Fans have complained to team officials that beer is increasing the problem with misbehavior in the stands.
"They were complaints (of) excessive drunkenness. People that were kind of falling down drunk," Bedinghaus said. "And there were some fights last year. Whenever you put 65,000 people together, you're always going to have some fights. But there were a few more than normal."
Jeanie Dittrich of West Chester, a season ticket holder, said she was offended by drunken fans when she took her 12-year-old son, Austin, to a playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. A woman kept spilling beer on her, and a man next to her son was swearing and helped start a fight.
"We told him beforehand, 'You might see some drunk people, you might hear some ... swearing,"' Dittrich said. "But at the game, I thought, 'Oh, my gosh, I'm going to mar my son for the rest of his life by having him come to this game.' It was so bad."
Season ticket holders will be notified about the hot line this week, as well as the consequences of bad behavior. The team will show a video promoting the hot line at home games.
NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said Tuesday that about a half dozen teams have something similar. The Philadelphia Eagles pioneered the concept about two years ago.
"We will continue to monitor the use of these hot lines," McCarthy said. "We are always trying to improve the experience of other fans and if it works, then we certainly would provide information on best practices for other clubs."
Bedinghaus said the Bengals expect some prank calls.
"If you get 6,000 people calling this line -- 'Hey, (Steelers quarterback) Ben Roethlisberger is a jerk' -- then it becomes less effective," he said. "The thing to remember is we have caller ID on this line. So if you're crank calling, we are going to be able to ID who you are."
It's not just unruly fans the Bengals have to worry about. Five of their players have gotten in trouble with the law in the past three months.
Guard Eric Steinbach appeared in court in suburban northern Kentucky on Tuesday to enter a not guilty plea to a charge of boating under the influence.
Wide receiver Chris Henry has been arrested four times since December, and is to go on trial later this month in Orlando, Fla., on a gun charge.
Two draft picks, defensive end Frostee Rucker and linebacker A.J. Nicholson, got arrested even before signing contracts -- Rucker was accused of spousal battery, and Nicholson was accused of burglary and grand theft.
Cincinnati police used a stun gun on third-year defensive tackle Matthias Askew last month and charged him with resisting arrest.
Middle linebacker Odell Thurman, while not charged with breaking any law, has been suspended for the first four games of the regular season for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy.

Rooney First To Greet The New Commish!

Rooney first to greet the new commissioner
Thursday, August 10, 2006By Gerry Dulac, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Roger Goodell found out he was the new NFL commissioner when Dan Rooney came to his hotel room. And he knew before the chairman of the Steelers even said a word.
"He saw me smiling," Rooney said. "He knew when he saw me smiling."
It was Rooney, chairman of the committee responsible for finding Pete Rozelle's replacement in 1989, who phoned Paul Tagliabue to tell him he had been named the league's new commissioner 17 years ago.
And he got to do it again Tuesday afternoon in Chicago, only this time he merely had to go upstairs in the hotel to tell Goodell, a 1981 Washington & Jefferson College graduate.
Rooney also got to be the person to deliver the news to Goodell's wife, Jane, and he did it by calling her on the phone and saying, "Hello, Mrs. Commissioner."
"She was just thrilled," Rooney said.
Rooney and his son, Art II, the team president, were back in Latrobe last night to watch the Steelers' final night practice of training camp, one day after Goodell was elected on the fifth ballot to become the league's commissioner.
By comparison, Tagliabue wasn't elected until the 12th ballot in 1989. It took 23 ballots before Rozelle was appointed in 1960.
"I would say I was surprised we did it in five ballots," Rooney said. "But I wasn't surprised it was quick."
Goodell, the league's chief development officer and the person responsible for hatching NFL Network, was selected from among five finalists. He is expected to take over day-to-day duties of the league around Sept. 1.
Rooney said Goodell was not hired merely because of his extensive background in the league or because his appointment would ensure a smooth transition when Tagliabue departs.
"I got up and talked and I said, 'Hey, I'm not for Roger Goodell for any of these reasons except one -- he is the best commissioner we can get,' " Rooney said.
"That's what it is. It isn't because he can do the labor or because he can do the NFL Network. He did it all."
Goodell has been with the NFL since 1982 when he began as an intern. He rose through the ranks until he was named chief operating officer in 2001, assisting Tagliabue with stadium expansion and construction and brokering the league's labor agreement with the players union.
"Only in America," Rooney said.

Need To Get Your Sugar Fix?

Rookie kicker Mark Brubaker had a new friend at camp
Wednesday, August 9, 2006

By Teresa VarleySteelers.com

Training camp is a time for the team to focus on football. It's the key time to prepare for the upcoming season. It's about practice, meetings, playbooks and the like.
But, despite the fact that camp is a serious approach to the season, there is still time for some fun. And the specialists on the team, kicker Jeff Reed, punter Chris Gardocki and long snapper Greg Warren are well aware of that.
After arriving at St. Vincent for camp, Reed and Warren headed to the local K-Mart in Latrobe to pick up some things that they needed for their room. They picked up a little something extra and had some fun with it the first week of camp.
"We went down the candy aisle and Greg said we should get one of those piñatas and put it in our room and load it with candy one week at a time and when we are done with camp just beat the heck out of it," said Reed. "We got Dora the Explorer to be funny. As we were checking out I said we should get the rookie kicker to carry it to all of the meetings and meals and everything."
So, shortly after rookie kicker Mark Brubaker arrived and got settled in to his room, Reed and Warren told him to come up to their room.
"I went up and they said I had to carry around the Dora the Explore piñata," said Brubaker. "I was supposed to take it in to meetings but I wasn't allowed to do that because it would be a distraction. I had to carry it to every meal, every workout; every time I was out and about I had to carry that thing around."
Brubaker was a good sport about it, carrying Dora around campus for the first week of practice without complaint, despite strange looks and comments from his teammates.
"He did well," said Gardocki. "He sang to it one night at dinner. He rocked it to sleep. But he is done with it now."
Each rookie had to sing in the cafeteria for the veterans, and when it was Brubaker's turn, Dora was in the spotlight as well.
"I had to sing Rock-A-Bye Dora up on the wall in the cafeteria in front of the whole team, so that was kind of embarrassing," said Brubaker. "But it was not that bad. Being a kicker you have to deal with pressure. If you can't be yourself in front of your teammates, who can you be yourself in front of?"
Right now Dora is hanging on the side of a chalkboard near the team's locker room. Brubaker doesn't have to carry it anymore, but he does still think about her.
"I will probably miss her a little bit," said Brubaker with a laugh. "She has become my friend. Every time I went out the door it was like, whoa, where is Dora at?
"I had to always keep an eye on her. I didn't know if they took her from me what else those guys would come up with. They are characters."
The guys do have plans for Dora, though, for the rest of camp
"We are going to fill her with candy now," said Brubaker. "The last day of camp we are going to take our frustrations out on her and see what happens."

Dog Days Of Summer III

Dog Days Of Summer II

Dog Days Of Summer I

The Steelers Nation Extends To...

Steelers country extends to pub in Ireland

By Brad BumstedTRIBUNE-REVIEWSaturday, August 12, 2006

NORTH BELFAST, Northern Ireland - There's a wee bit of Steelers mania in this northern Irish city scarred by decades of violence.
Decorated with black and gold memorabilia, the Pittsburgh Bar and Restaurant sits deep in the Ardoyne, a heavily Catholic electoral ward on the front line of the conflict known locally as the "troubles."
Tension lingers between nationalists who tend to be Catholic and unionists who are predominately Protestant. But here in Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom, all is well in this pub, where the theme is over-the-top Steelers.
A "Men of Steel" poster greets patrons as they enter. Glass-enclosed turf from Three Rivers Stadium in the shape of a shamrock adorns a wall facing the bar and a replica of the Lombardi Trophy for the Steelers' Super Bowl XL victory sits behind it, with a Steelers' banner flying overhead. The pub's general manager, Sean Murphy, proudly holds a football signed by Steelers owner Dan Rooney.

On trips to Ireland, Rooney became friends with Father Myles Kavanagh, a well-known Belfast priest who heads the Flax Trust, the development trust that owns the Pittsburgh Bar.
Responding to inquiries via e-mail, Rooney said Kavanagh has visited Pittsburgh to see the Steelers play and has attended Steelers road games. Kavanagh and his assistant, Sister Mary Turley, came up with the idea of the Pittsburgh bar theme, Rooney said.
Rooney, a co-founder of the American Ireland Fund, said he has visited the bar a few times, and has provided "Steelers stuff."
The bar features a "Dan Rooney Lounge," which is used for special events, Murphy said.
Murphy never has been to Pittsburgh and doesn't know a lot about American football. Still, the night of the Steelers' Super Bowl victory in February was special at the Pittsburgh Bar. Murphy got a big-screen TV for the event.
"We were all here. We had a party here that night," said pub patron Tommy Duffin, 45, an electrical contractor. "This place was just packed. It was half-six (6:30) in the morning when we left."

Brad Bumsted can be reached at bbumsted@tribweb.com or (717) 787-1405

Will You Be My Roomie?

Roommates not always a perfect fit

By Joe RutterTRIBUNE-REVIEWSunday, August 6, 2006

Quarterback Charlie Batch reported to Steelers training camp and, much to his surprise, immediately got demoted.
Not to third string on the depth chart. To second string on linebacker Larry Foote's roommate list.
After bunking with Foote for the past three training camps, Batch discovered he'd been displaced in favor of linebacker James Harrison.
"He kicked me out," said Batch, who now rooms with running back Willie Parker.

Asked for his version, Foote said his former roomie has the story backward.
"Charlie Batch is lying," he said. "He's trying to make my character look bad. He's lying, he's lying, he's lying."
It's Foote's contention that Batch jilted him. He said Batch tried, but failed, to secure a single room in the dorms at St. Vincent College's Rooney Hall.
"Now, he's trying to blame it on me," Foote said, shaking his head. "Charlie bought the TV, the cable box with all the channels, and his girlfriend brings brownies and blueberry muffins.
"Why would I want to get rid of him? He was the perfect roommate."
The search for the perfect roommate at training camp cannot be underestimated.
Grown men, some with millions of dollars in the bank and mansions to call home, must leave their lavish lifestyles behind and check their egos at the dorm during the four weeks they spend in Latrobe.
Unless a Steelers player has enough tenure, such as 16-year vet Chris Gardocki, to qualify for his own room, he must double up in the campus dormitory. Much like a typical college dorm, the rooms have twin beds, a dresser, desk, closet and little else in the way of opulence.
"The rooms are awfully small," said former Steelers offensive lineman Craig Wolfley. "They were built for guys half your size and half your weight."
Players can rent bigger beds -- at the expense of reducing what little free space exists in the room. Tackle Marvel Smith spent his first six training camps squeezing his 6-foot-5, 321-pound frame onto a twin bed because "that's what part of being in camp is all about."
This year, he upgraded to a bigger model.
"I feel like I'm getting older, so I had to get that queen-sized bed."
Players must supply their own television, refrigerator and stereo. Not that they should complain about that.
"At least they have air conditioning," said Wolfey, who didn't enjoy such luxury when he trained at St. Vincent from 1980-89. "When I played, the room was like a sauna."
In those days, players were housed at St. Bonaventure Hall, which sits on the adjoining hillside from the newer Rooney Hall.
"When you're the young buck, they'd put you in the front of the hall and it just heated the place up during the day," Wolfley said. "We also had no cable TV, so you had to find your own entertainment, like playing pranks on each other."
These days, the rooms are wired for cable and have an Ethernet port for Internet access.
"These guys have it so much better," Wolfey said. "They have therapeutic mattresses, they bring in plasma screen TVs, and they've got snacks in the building. When I was here, if you wanted a snack, you had to run out to Wendy's and get back before curfew."
Housing project
The coaching staff determines room assignments. Rookies usually are paired with other rookies or players with limited NFL experience. An exception is first-round draft pick Santonio Holmes, whose offseason brushes with the law led the Steelers to place him with veteran wide receiver Quincy Morgan.
Teammates often are matched based on the positions they play. That way, they can study the same pages of the playbook together. Players also can request roommates. Sometimes, a perfect match is found. Wide receiver Hines Ward and cornerback Deshea Townsend are rooming together for the ninth consecutive camp.
"This year, they tried to give us our own rooms," Townsend said. "We just said, nah, let's keep the tradition going. We didn't want to change it up."
Ward considers himself fortunate to be paired with Townsend for so long. Products of the Southeastern Conference in college, Ward and Townsend were familiar with each other upon attending their first minicamp in 1998. A friendship was formed, and they asked to be roommates that summer.
"We've been in Room 302 ever since," Ward said. "I couldn't imagine living with anybody else. If Deshea wasn't here, I'd probably have my own room. He and I are just natural together."
Wolfley spent each of his 10 training camps rooming with fellow offensive lineman Tunch Ilkin. They remain best friends 26 years after first setting foot at St. Vincent, yet they had to overcome a rocky start.
"Tunch sucked the paint off the wall in camp," Wolfley said. "The first night, I remember sitting up late and trying to get some sleep and he's just snoring away. All of a sudden he sits up, rips off a couple of sentences in Turkish, then lays back down again.
"You think I slept that night? I'm thinking I'm rooming with a homicidal maniac."
Often, Steelers players have to ride the roommate carousel before hitting the jackpot. Guard Alan Faneca went through a handful of roommates, then found a match with quarterback Tommy Maddox. With Maddox gone, Faneca is by himself in a self-proclaimed "suite" that abuts Gardocki's room.
"You have to feel each other out, see how it's going, whether you have things in common," Faneca said. "It's like getting a new roommate in college."
Batch, who has a sinus condition, prefers a roommate who doesn't blast the air conditioning.
"When he likes it cold, I have to wait for him to fall asleep and then turn down the AC a bit, so I can enjoy the heat," he said.
When Gardocki was the punter in Indianapolis, he lived with kickers Cary Blanchard and Mike Vanderjagt. When he joined Cleveland in 1999, Gardocki didn't have a roommate because the Browns housed their players in a hotel.
He lost those spoils in 2004 when he joined the Steelers. Gardocki was paired with long snapper Mike Schneck for two summers. This camp, with Schneck in Buffalo, Gardocki was solo again.
"I've been pretty fortunate," he said. "I've always had good roommates."
Good vs. bad
What makes a good roommate?
"Somebody you get along with and can hang out with when you're not around football," Faneca said. "It helps if you like playing video games or watch the same TV shows. You spend a lot of time with your roommate, and it helps a lot if you get along."
Deciphering a bad roommate typically boils down to two things:
• Does he play the TV too loud at night?
• Does he, in Wolfley's words, suck the paint off the walls?
"The worst thing is rooming with somebody who snores," Smith said. "In camp, everybody is tired from the hot days, and you're going to snore a little bit, but you don't want to snore too much."
Smith outed guard Kendall Simmons, his second-year camp roommate, as an excessive snorer.
"I try to get to sleep before he does," Smith said.
A few years ago, Faneca had a problem with some early-rising rookies who lived in an adjoining room.
"They took showers early in the morning, and the showers in this place hum through the cinder block walls," he said. "I had to set them straight."
Privacy, of lack thereof, can be an issue, one that goes beyond sharing a bathroom.
"When you make phone calls to your family or want to be alone, that's when it's nice to have your own room," Gardocki said.
For the players who live together, changing roommates can be a risky proposition. Just ask Foote, who may be regretting having Harrison as Batch's replacement.
Harrison, after all, is known for his nasty disposition.
"He's too hyper, he wants to fight and wrestle all night," Foote said. "I'd put him in his place, but he's bigger than me and stronger than me."

Joe Rutter can be reached at jrutter@tribweb.com.