Hey Clay Travis: St. Clair Hospital Wrapping Babies in Terrible Towels

There's a great story on the Chartiers Valley Patch website today about what's happening at St. Clair Hospital, where the staff is wrapping newborns in Terrible Towels and Steeler knit hats. It's just another example of what this yellow piece of cloth means in unifying the people of this region, and even to a sometimes-cynical person like myself, I think it's pretty cool. Of course, there's another side to the Terrible Towel coin, as we've seen this week.

As you know by now, Fanhouse's Clay Travis wrote a desperate attention-grab of a story ripping the Towel this week in a story that's been linked from coast to coast and eventually resulting in an interview with WTAE. That's where Travis proceeded to pile on and question the actual value of the Towel's charity effects on the city. Good times:

"The proceeds is a good thing. I don't know anyone who has an issue with money going to charity," Travis said. "Now, is it that substantial an amount of charity? I mean, every year, they give less to charity than they pay the worst Steeler football player, so it's not like this is some multimillion-dollar-every-year industry that's changing the face of Pittsburgh. I mean, it's a little bit of money. It's better than not anything. But it's not like it's a seismic difference in the overall scope of the city."

When Ingram noted that the towel has generated more than $3 million for charity, Travis responded, "Over 15 years, though. What is that -- $200,000 a year? I'm just saying they pay the worst Steeler over $300,000 a year, so the worst player on the Steeler football team makes more money than the Terrible Towel has ever given back to the city."

The Terrible Towel is something that's near and dear to the hearts of Pittsburghers. They take towels with them on vacation around the globe, they take them to war, they take them to space, they make music videos about them, they wrap babies in them, they wave them after they win first star in an NHL game. Anytime you crack the invisible barrier that makes something so meaningful and personal to so many people from a region, yeah, they're going to be defensive when you "disrespect" it. 

Is it silly to give so much emotional value to a towel? Not really, because it's more about the symbol than the cloth. Why is that so difficult to comprehend? By insulting the towel, you're insulting Pittsburgh, whether the offending party realizes it or not. Pittsburghers are a proud group of people with a very limited tolerance for cheap shots at their town. Apparently that's lost on Clay Travis. And TJ Houshmandzadeh. And Keith Bulluck. And so on and so on. But it will never be lost on me, and I'll always be proud to say I'm a Pittsburgher, whether they like it or not.

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TITANS STILL OBSESSED WITH TERRIBLE TOWEL

The last we heard from the Tennessee Titans, LB Keith Bulluck was gleefully showing off a Terrible Towel that he received shortly after the Super Bowl from a Steeler fan who graduated from the Boise State school of rubbing in a victory.

This week, noted scholar and future Hall of Famer LenDale White continued to exhibit the focus that makes the Titans perennial candidates for Most Disappointing Team as he addressed the Steelers' hallowed piece of yellow cloth and its presence at Thursday night's NFL opener between the Titans and Steelers:

"If it happens to be there, I'm gonna stomp all over that," White said Sunday, according to Terry McCormick of the Nashville City Paper. "If there is a towel in the stands, I will stomp on it. I don't care who gets mad. . . . If they throw a towel at me, I'm going to kick it and stomp on it. If you don't want your towels [stomped], keep them out of my face."

I'm no historian, but I don't happen to remember anybody specifically waving a towel in White's face last year. But my favorite part is when he says (my emphasis) "If there is a towel in the stands..."

Yeah, I'm guessing there might be one or two on Thursday night. But seriously, if Steeler fans don't want to see the Towel desecrated, the solution is simple: keep the Titans out of the end zone and out of the win column.

Lendale vows to stomp on a towel [PFT]

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KEITH BULLUCK VS. THE STEELERS, ROUND TWO

Everyone remembers this incident from last year's 31-14 Titans victory over the Steelers in week 16. It was an ugly moment in Steeler history, to say the least. On a 1-10 scale, Yinzer outrage was a solid 19. To quote the great Dr. Peter Venkman, "Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together... mass hysteria."

What happened next was karmic retribution for lead Towel-stomper Keith Bulluck and the Titans. Tennessee would go on to implode in their only playoff game, a three-turnover beauty against Bert Flacco and Baltimore, the very team that would eventually fall to the Steelers in the AFC Championship. Pittsburgh would then get a few all-time-great plays in the Super Bowl and win their sixth title. As for Bulluck, his story ended the way you'd expect: getting hate mail from Steeler fans a little more than a week later.

In this video, taped last Friday, Bulluck revealed a note that he received in February, that read like this:

“On behalf of Steelers Nation, we would like to present you with our new Terrible Towel. Hang this up in your locker room.

Sincerely, the Black and Gold

P.S.: I hope you enjoyed the Super Bowl.”

I'll be totally honest with you...I love the Steelers more than most things in life, and after winning the Super Bowl, sending a note and a towel to Keith Bulluck was absolutely nowhere on my radar. Then again, I could never get so angry that I'd dump garbage on Tommy Maddox's lawn, so maybe I'm not as devoted to the cause as some others.

Regardless, Bulluck has been holding onto his souvenir for, oh, four months now, which sets a nice backdrop for this year's Thursday-night Week One opener: Tennessee at Pittsburgh. Odds are that Bulluck will see quite a few towels and hear even more profane insults on that night.

Bulluck said he will not stomp on any more towels, but he mused that he may try to bury it a la the Red Sox fans burying a David Ortiz jersey in Yankee Stadium. So let's backtrack...he's going to bury a Terrible Towel...in Heinz Field? That doesn't entirely make sense, but let's not forget, he plays on a team that's employed the likes of Pacman Jones, Vince Young, and Albert Haynesworth. Not making sense is a way of life in Tennessee.

Note to Keith: if Terrible Towels are in your head the entire offseason, it's probably not a good sign. But we are looking forward to seeing you on September 10. Sincerely, the Black and Gold.

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