At long last, we've reached the end of the NFL (and the Steelers') season. It's been an exciting ride packed with highs, lows, touchdowns, turnovers, stretchers, towels, and Renegade. In this week's podcast, Dave and I break down the final Steeler game of 2008-09, predicting what the components of a Steeler or Cardinal victory would be. And yes, I finally reveal my official "prediction" for the outcome (as if you had to guess).
"Here is a Terrible Towel Photo from Asadabad, Afghanistan (located 5 miles from the Pakistan Border). In the photo are MAJ John Stitch and myself (MAJ Kevin Coates). We will be watching the Super Bowl at 3:30AM Monday morning on AFN." -- MAJ Kevin Coates
"This is Mike Logan. Saw him doing events and activities just like everybody else. Of course I'm the only Steelers fan in the joint to recognize this backup safety from far away first. Then you see his Super Bowl 40 ring. Nice guy and his girl was funny cracking jokes and what not. When I got home I realized I shouldve asked him to let me wear the ring in a photo." -- John G.
"Here's a picture of the now-infamous Steeler bar-owner in Rome holding up the Steeler Nation flag in front of St. Peter's Basilica." -- Andrew V., East Lansing, MI
In honor of a Super Bowl story from years gone by...from Steve B., Pittsburgh
Ben and Kurt's milk ad, from the finest Ben site on the net, Big Ben News VIDEO
The inevitable Terrible Towel Shamwow parody. Nicely done, but missing the obvious touch of Vince's headset!
"Much has been made of the many Steeler players and coaches who have gone from Pgh to Phoenix. The only player I am aware of who has gone the other direction is Mitch Berger. That may be part of a grand conspiracy to infiltrate the Steelers, or perhaps Mitch is the secret weapon. During the vast amount of free time that NFL punters have hanging around practice Mitch was studying the Cards defense, and as the photo below shows he does know how to hold a ball in preparation for throwing. The fake punt against the Chargers was all a set up. In the Super Bowl the Steelers will show that fake punt run, the one that dives into the pile for a 2 yard loss, but then bust out the real fake which involves Mitch with a pass/run option. Checkmate. Just don’t go Garo Yepremian." -- Art C.
--Andrew Johnston grew up in DuBois and has since been exiled to Philadelphia. Here's his story of "Growing up Yinzer" and rooting the Steelers on in a land of Eagles fans. Good stuff. [Phillyist]
--Celebrities give their annual Super Bowl picks. I was wondering who Maya Angelou was rooting for. [ABC News]
That's the latest word from Coach Mike Tomlin at his final press conference before SB43 today, which is good news, ESPN reports aside.
Of course, the more intriguing part of the Trib story was the fact that their photo caption referred to Hines Ward as "Heinz", which was probably a mistake unless Mike Tomlin was talking about either his love of ketchup or his fondness for the Steelers' stadium.
Quick - someone tell Hines that the Pittsburgh newspaper doesn't know how to spell his name ...it will be the last "they didn't respect me" bit of motivation he could use before suiting up for SB43.
"Not sure if caught any of the Gonzaga/St. Mary's game on ESPN2 but there appears to be a Terrible Towel waving in the Gonzaga Student Section. Sorry I cant come up with proof of it but maybe another reader can help with that. Just wanted to let you know." -- Brian K.
Friday, 12:30 PM:
"Saw this at a Gonzaga game on ESPN last night and caught the screen shot from the news reports later. Check out the lower left hand corner in the student section.
And for the record, Gonzaga is located near Spokane, WA. We are everywhere." -- Chris S., Seattle
What's crazier: the fact that a guy noticed a Terrible Towel in a late-night WCC basketball game, or the fact that I didn't even bother asking if anybody had a screen shot, because I just knew someone else would come through with a pic given a little time?
Someone was asking a few weeks ago about the whereabouts of Tank Carter, infamous brother of Steeler safety Tyrone Carter. In case you've forgotten, Tank gained a level of notoriety for failing to report on time for his prison sentence, opting instead to attend Super Bowl XL and party with Snoop Dogg. It's become one of the more classic stories of Steeler lore.
As a result of his need to par-tay, Tank had 4 1/2 years added to what would've been a six-month sentence for driving with a revoked license. But he got to party with Snoop!
So people are wondering what Tank plans on doing for the big game, given that we haven't heard from him in a while. Well, the PG's Colin Dunlap did his due diligence to get the whole story on Tank's Super Bowl plans, and I'll spoil it only by telling you that Snoop's probably not going to be partying with Tank where he's at this year.
"Below is my daughter, Natalie, born today (1-29-09)" --Ed H., Morgantown, PA (yes, there is a Morgantown in PA)
"My best friend lives (and works) in Rome. He just married a Roman girl. The Friday before the Sunday wedding we all went out on the town in full Steelers gear. We went to a Steelers bar at one point right by the Vatican. There are more photos from it, but I linked to my favorite one. I’m the one in the old school Rod Woodson jersey (that is autographed by Rod and Justin Strelczyk)." -- Maxwell D.
From Joe W., Pittsburgh
From Bob F., Florida
From Eric Poole, Lawrence, KS (formerly of Ligonier, PA)
VIDEO
KDKA Radio Talks to Steelers Fan and Space Station Commander Mike Fincke
QUESTION OF THE DAY
--"It seems that a lot of people are bringing up some dirt on the Steelers going into this week's Super Bowl (like ESPN running a two year old story about the HGH doctor in a shameless attempt to rile the new "Steeler hater" demographic). How come nobody has brought this up? I hate to do it to Larry, because I love the guy, but if it's fair to take shots at the Steelers since they're in the spotlight, shouldn't the same go for our opponent's golden boy receiver?
PS: I remember how when certain teams would start winning a lot of championships, the general public would start to turn on them and find reasons to discredit them. I remember with the Cowboys it was because they were all criminals, with the Pats it was Spygate, with the Yankees it was because they just bought the team every year (which I still subscribe to BTW).
Now, with the Steelers on the verge of possibly 2 titles in three years, I am seeing it start to happen to us. It feels kind of good to be on the other side of it for once!!" -- John M., Florida
This week's random e-mailer prize from the Mondesi Mystery Box is Jon V. of Clairton. He'll be receiving this simply unreal and huge 16x20 photo of Hines Ward leading the charge, courtesy of The Steel City Auctions Gallery:
NEXT WEEK'S PRIZE
Reader J.B. created a Terrible ShamWow! (limited edition of 2: one for him, one for us) - that's actually silk screened. He offered it as a prize for a lucky reader next week. So keep the pics, video, links, and emails coming and you'll be automatically entered.
Going to the Super Bowl? Already there? As you've probably noticed, this site takes very kindly to user-submitted photos and first-person experiences. So if you plan on going to the game or any of the related events, feel free to share your pics or stories should the mood strike you.
And to pass the time until we get some reader pics, be sure to check out the Twitter page for 102.5 WDVE, which has been in Tampa since Tuesday. It's filled with photos and commentary from the week's events, including updates such as "Larry Richert is wearing Mom jeans...and pulling it off. One smooth sonofabitch."
The guys have had an interesting week, interviewing everyone from Lynn Swann to Brady Quinn on Radio Row. So check out their running diary and view all the pics, like this one of Jim Krenn with Jim Kelly...two Western Pennsylvania legends:
Despite the utter surplus of Steeler/Super Bowl news, other sports continue on in Pittsburgh. A brief update of the recent happenings:
--The Pens came back from the All-Star break with a nice 6-2 win over the Rangers last night. Kris Letang and Petr Sykora led the way with two goals each, and Sidney Crosby added a spectacular goal and two assists. It was a nice (and important) win to start the second half.
--Here's a formula for opponents of the Pitt Panthers: get DeJuan Blair in foul trouble, and you'll have a much better shot at winning. It happened against Louisville, and it happened again last night, as the big guy was limited to 23 minutes in a 67-57 loss against Villanova in Philly. Of course, it didn't help that Pitt had 17 turnovers, zero threes in the second half, and one field goal in the final five minutes.
--LB Shane Gordon of Weston (FL) Cypress Bay phoned the Wannstache and picked Pitt over Auburn, Tennessee, South Florida, Kansas, Louisville and South Carolina. So that's something to take a Pitt fan's mind off of the Villanova game. Here's what they're getting:
--OF Eric Hinske, who hit 247 with 20 home runs and 60 RBIs in 381 at-bats for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2008, is close to becoming a Pirate. The Buccos also signed Paul Maholm to a three-year deal. As you could guess, I'm beyond excited.
That's right, fellow Yinzers....if the Steelers win SB43, there will be no parade, according to city sources. Let that marinate for a while. The reasons cited are budget concerns and safety, because some out-of-control Steeler fans apparently had little respect for crowd control measures at the last parade. Imagine that.
So in a town where the Mayor is enough of a fan to change his last name to Steelerstahl, we're supposed to believe that A. The city doesn't have enough money in the budget (despite all the extra revenue/tax dollars generated by the Super Bowl run) and B. Nothing could be improved upon the crowd-control problems experienced at the last parade?
Sorry, I don't think Steeler fans are going to buy it. And don't let word of this get to Phoenix. I doubt they'll be sympathetic. Besides, word of parade planning before the game never seems to work out for those talking about it. So let us never speak of it again.
Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato says that the city will have a celebration if the Steelers win, but does not know if it will be in the form of a rally, parade, or another type of event. [PG]
"Saw everyone's been sending in their Terrible Towel pics, and wanted to share a pic of my tattoo. What the heck will I do should we win on Sunday?!?" -- Jon V., Clairton
"As you know, there are Steeler bars EVERYWHERE, including St. Paul, Minnesota. During every game, McGovern's in St. Paul becomes awash in black and gold and if you didn't know you were in Minnesota, you'd swear you were at any of the 7,000 bars on the South Side. I've attached a couple of pictures taken during the AFC championship game, when 300+ showed up to root on the Stillers"-- John N. in Minnesota
VIDEO
The Pens/Steelers "Renegade Remix" video that played at Mellon Arena on AFCC Sunday
QUESTIONS THAT NEED ANSWERED AND OTHER STUFF TO PONDER
--"I was wondering if you could ask MondesisHouse.com readers to recommend a local place to watch the game on Sunday. Me and my brother are coming in from Columbus just for the game and staying in Green Tree. We are originally from New Brighton and I went to Pitt, so I know alot of the areas and bars, just don't know the ones with the best views etc. Anyway, if you can find a way to put it out there that would be great." -- Jason, Columbus OH
--"What are the chances the officials try to make up for what was considered by most Steelers haters, a badly officiated SB XL, where most calls went in favor of the Steelers?
I keep thinking that this game will come down to a controversial call, or calls that helps win it for the Cardinals and everyone will say we had it coming.
Plus, I keep having these bad dreams about the Steelers losing this game. Either it's Ben imploding, the secondary getting torched, or James rushing for 200 yards...mostly the later for some reason. As opposed to the Seahawks game and Super Bowl's X, XIII and XIV, I'm not getting a confident feeling about this one. Maybe it has something to do with Hines Ward and him coming back not 100%, the same way Woodson did in SB XXX. I'm also seeing a 27-13 final score with the Cards winning.
I just hope my visions of doom are proven wrong." -- Steve B., Pittsburgh
--"I believe if the Steelers win this Sunday, and Ben plays well (over 225myds., 2 TD's, maybe just one turnover) that he is a HOF after just 5 seasons. My friends, steeler fans included, say he needs more time. He would have more victories than any other QB during their first 5 seasons (playoffs included), 2 super bowl rings, a pro bowl, a 13-0 rookie record that will NEVER be broken, different head coaches, different OC's, and solid stats.
Even ESPN seems to agree with me:
"As crazy as it sounds, Roethlisberger could be playing for a spot in Canton on Sunday in Tampa. For context, consider that only one retired quarterback who won two Super Bowls -- the Raiders' Jim Plunkett -- is not in the Pro Football Hall of Fame; Tom Brady, who has won three, presumably will be enshrined five years after he retires." -Greg Garber, espn.com
Again, this is only if the Steelers win Sunday." -- Sean from Greensboro, NC
--Archie McNally is known as the "greatest Pittsburgh Steeler fan ever," because of his daring exploits during the 1979 AFC Championship game when — using a suit of his own construction — he attempted to fly to heaven to visit his dead father. [Atom]
"You may or may not have seen a Youtube video of the the Phoenix mayor stomping on the Terrible Towel along with the Arizona Cardinal's mascot. Last night in a fit of rage I wrote the mayor an email. The following is my email and the response sent to me on behalf of the mayor":
Mayor Gordon,
I recently saw a video of you disgracing the Terrible Towel along side a man dressed in a cardinal outfit at a rally celebrating your Arizona Cardinals' impressive run to the Super Bowl. I had assumed such displays would be unbecoming for a man elected to public office in the fine City of Phoenix, but perhaps dignity no longer remains a universally held virtue. The history of the Terrible Towel, in addition to serving as a rallying cry for the Steelers and City of Pittsburgh shares a great significance to the proud residents of Western Pennsylvania. The Terrible Towel was conceived by treasured Pittsburgh broadcaster and acclaimed sportswriter, the late Myron Cope. Cope originally devised the towel as a gimmick to support the Steelers in their successful 1975 run to the Super Bowl. What seperates the 'Terrible Towel' from other towels waved at sporting events is while other teams' towels are graced with corporate logos and disperesed to fans without charge in stadiums, Steelers fans happily purchase their own and proudly wave them at Heinz field.
In addition to symbolizing our city's unshakable fervor for their Pittsburgh Steelers, the Terrible Towel carries and even greater significance. In 1996 Myron Cope donated the trademark of the Terrible Towel to the Allegheny Valley School. Since Cope made this generous act of philanthropy the royaltees of each towel sold (including the very towel you distastfully mocked) benifit those facing intellectual and developmental disabilities. In total, $2.5 million dollars have been raised for those with special needs thanks to the great generosity of Myron Cope and the steadfast devotion of Pittsburgh Steelers fans.
Symbols serve a fundamental representation of greater significance. The Terrible Towel symbolizes the great tradition, passion and generosity of Western PA. Your tactless desecration of the Terrible Towel symbolizes a great deal about you as well, Mr. Mayor.
Sincerely, Adam Novak
And the response from Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon: A Statement from Mayor Phil Gordon
January 27, 2009 (Phoenix) -- "Several fans of the Pittsburgh Steelers have expressed their disappointment in the way their 'Terrible Towel' was used during our airport send-off for the Arizona Cardinals. Our intention was to stir up the local crowd and generate the excitement and enthusiasm you would expect for a Super Bowl-bound team.
"At no time did anyone intend, in any way, to offend the Steelers organization and their many fans, supporters and traditions. I sincerely apologize to them all and hope and expect we can all enjoy a tremendous football game on Sunday as we continue to work together for the betterment of both our communities."
There is no fashion statement as regional as the Pittsburgh Mustache. And after a simple posting last week of a Bill Cowher/Alby Oxenreiter 'stache-shot circa 1996, it was suggested that I gather together some of the more famous hairy upper lips in the city's sporting history for a gallery and debate over which is the best (even though we all know it's the Wannstache).
So without further adieu, I present to you "Pittsburgh's Finest Sports Staches". Feel free to add your own nominees in the comments section and we can update the post with pics as needed. Enjoy at your own risk.
