New Steelers Chris Rainey, Sean Spence & Alameda Ta ‘Amu Better Than Jan Stenerud

The Collectors’ Showcase of America is hosting a Show at the Dulles Expo Center in Chantilly this Friday through Sunday featuring over 50 current and former professional athletes including Hank Aaron and Pittsburgh Steeler legends Jack Butler, Dermonti Dawson, Jack Lambert, Greg Lloyd and Andy Russell. The top five Steeler picks from the 2012 draft, David DeCastro, Mike Adams, Chris Rainey, Sean Spence and Alameda Ta ‘Amu will also be in attendance. Actually, by my unofficial count, there will be more current or former Pittsburgh Steelers at the Chantilly show than current or former Washington Redskins players which seems odd considering Chantilly is located in the DC metropolitan area.

Anyway, the players make some good money during this show through signing footballs, pictures and any other memorabilia you can find. For example, it costs you $110 for NFL Hall of Famer John Riggins to sign your football and $25 each for each of the aforementioned Steelers draft picks. Meanwhile, it only costs you $20 to get an autographed football from Jan Stenerud. Although Stenerud is a kicker, he is a four-time Pro Bowler and was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 1991.

In other words, he’s pretty good and has much better credentials than the five new Steelers who haven’t even attended their first training camp yet. While I hope all five turn into NFL Hall of Fame players for their careers on the Steelers, that seems unlikely. Therefore, why does it cost more for an Alameda Ta ‘Amu autograph than one from Jan Stenerud? (This must be the first sentence in history to include Alameda Ta ‘Amu and Jan Stenerud together!)

Referrals and More Referrals

I haven’t done this in a while, but here are real searches generally from Google and Yahoo that real people used to find and visit Sean’s Ramblings.

Songs about Ben Roethlisberger
I believe that Bonnie Tyler’s song Hero was written about Big Ben.

I met my baby in a porta john line lyrics
Perhaps this is another song about Roethlisberger?

Websites that will let me watch Spring Break Shark Attack for free
If only there was such a thing.

Jay Caufield bobble head
If only there was such a thing.

Dara Torres legs
She has two of them. (Of course, the obvious response is that she’s got legs, she knows how to use them).

Mario Lemieux hair transplant
I don’t know about that, but perhaps you could ask his housemate, Sidney Crosby, about this.

Greg Lloyd Wegmans
I think there’s a great chance that Greg Lloyd will watch a Steelers game at Wegmans if you paid him $7000!

naked Erica Blasberg
You’re not going to find that here. However, I’ll be happy to provide a clothed picture of Erica for you.



Richard Ruccolo shirtless
You’re not going to find that here either. However, I’ll provide a clothed picture of Richard for you (although I’m not as happy about this one; he’s no Ryan Reynolds).



random hamburger in Verizon commercial
I hate it when random hamburgers show up in Verizon commercials. Random hamburgers in Viagra commercials make much more sense.

Why is Eric Roberts in music videos?
I think the better question is this: why is Eric Roberts not in every music video?

I hate fantasy football
I’ve been there many times, and I want to let you know that it’s OK. Everyone has good weeks and bad weeks in fantasy football, unless you’re my brother, and then you mostly have bad weeks (especially this season). Stick with it and maybe one day, you can win your league (I’ve only written this for a decade or so).

Cutting nails in public
Amazingly, there was a whole Q&A about this on Yahoo. The short answer is this: don’t do it especially on a bus.

Have a great weekend!

Greg Lloyd Redux

You may remember the ebay auction several months ago where you could bid on the opportunity to have former Pittsburgh Steeler great Greg Lloyd come to your home to watch the Steelers-Browns game with you and a group of friends. Since the game took place this past Sunday, I thought I would contact of Josh Korb of Steel-Town Memorabilia, the person who posted this auction, to see the results.

I'm curious as to how the idea to have Greg Lloyd watch the Steelers-Browns game at someone's house was created. Was this your idea?

It was mine. I first thought of the idea after seeing that Peyton Manning direct tv add for NFL Sunday season ticket which got me thinking. Then after watching one of the Penguins playoffs game they showed Sidney Crosby hand delivering someones season tickets and knocking on there door. I saw the excitment on there face's thought what a great idea. I just put 2 and 2 together.

Was Greg Lloyd easily willing to participate?

Yes that was easy. I have been working with Greg for years. He thought it was a great idea. He even told me a story about a similar experience back from his playing days. It was a spend the day with Greg type deal and the family had him in a back room and just pop out into the kitchen for this kids birthday. He said little guy allmost had a heart attack right there.

I'll take a little credit for posting the ebay auction on my blog (thanks to the DC Steeler Nation group) and then it got picked all over the place by sites such as Yahoo, Deadspin and The Burgh Blog. What kind of response did you and the auction receive?

Just for the record we are not part of dc steeler nation. I don’t approve of the nasty language they post on the internet. (Sean's note: I think Josh may be thinking of a different website.) The auction didn’t get noticed for 2 days then one morining I get into the office with the phone ringing off the hook, all voice mails full etc. It was nothing but radio stations calling for interviews about the auction. I ended up doing 17 total interviews including Mike & Mike, Pittsburgh ESPN, Fox Sports. It hit just about any sports football blog on the net and also the major providers like ESPN, Yahoo sports, AOL sports. I was also featured in ESPN the magazine in a interview about the auction. With all the extra traffic into my ebay store there was a few extra 1000's in sales during a week or so. I think Jim Rome put this over the top with a 30 miniute rant about the auction.



So I guess the big question is this: Where did Greg Lloyd watch the Steelers-Browns game this past Sunday?

He watched it at his home. I was able to sell the auction however the buyer wanted him for a different game later this season. I’m going to have him back up on ebay to auction him off for the next browns game 12/28/08 (pending the ok from #95)

What was the winning bid to have Greg Lloyd watch the game at someone's house? Are you willing to let us know the location (city or state) of the winner?

It sold for 7 grand. (Sean's note: WOW!) Buyer asked to remain private with all the media attention.

What is Greg Lloyd up to these days? He was definitely a fan favorite when he played in Pittsburgh, so I'm sure a lot of people are wondering what he's doing now.

He is doing great. He is married with a beautiful family living right outside of Atlanta, GA where he owns his own Taekwondo school where he teachs kids and adults. He is a 19 year 3 degree black belt. He is now known as "Master Lloyd". When he is not with the family or teaching you can most likely find Greg up in a tree stand hunting or on the golf course. That pretty sums up the 4 things that are major parts of his post football life. A lot of people wonder about Greg taking in account his "just plain nasty" style of football he played. You can aruge he is the most feared linebacker in Steeler history right there with Lambert with his brutal & ever imtimadating style of play. Combine that with the legal issues he had shortly after football it made a lot of fans wonder what kind of person he is. I can say without doubt Greg is nothing like that man they watched on Sunday. He is a very laid back person really in tune to the martial arts lifestyle living a very clam and peaceful life now. Some of his former teamates that we helped reconnect with him through apperences tell him thats not the same guy I played football with. Greg took the game so seriously that I don’t think he was able to turn a switch on & off at game time. Even the local long time media guys I talk to in Pittsburgh tell me stories about how they hated to interview Greg after the Steelers lost, not that he was a jerk but they were afriad of him. That football player image he created on the field seem to follow him around no matter what he was doing. Like his shirt said "he wasn't hired for his dispostion"



Do you have any other unique or interesting auctions or events at this time?

Well were going to be auctioning off other former Steeler players in the future. Probably just Levon Kirkland will be the only one this season due to limited time however I’m going to have a full lineup of guys for next season. Also will be doing same style concept but replacing football game with shooting a round of golf with a former Steeler. We arrange or can just about anything within reason. I love to hear new ideas so if anybody has any let me know.

We do have a big event setup in Pittsburgh for the Steelers bye weekend at Monroeville Mall 10/11 called return to the burgh. (Sean's note: I spent hours in my teenage years at Monroeville Mall.) Proceeds benifit Super Bowl XL champion Willie Williams foundation that helps kids. Our event we wanted to bring back some of the fan favorites to Pittsburgh that have disappeared over the years. Some of the names attending include Barry Foster, Bam Morris, Erric Pegram, Tim Lester, Brentson Buckner, Lee Flowers, John Jackson, Norm Johnson, Neil O’Donnell, Rick Moser, J.T. Thomas, John Banasazk and top pick Rashard Mendenhall. (Sean's note: Mendenhall certainly disappeared from the Steelers offense last week.)


You can find out more about Josh's items for sale at Steel-Town Memorabilia and his ebay store.

Greg Lloyd Will Watch the Steelers-Browns Game at Your House

As part of the DC Steeler Nation listserv, I received an e-mail on Wednesday with the following offer, which is currently listed on eBay:

THIS IS A ONCE IN A LIFETIME CHANCE THAT YOU WILL NEVER FORGET!!! GREG LLOYD WILL COME TO YOUR HOUSE TO WATCH THE STEELERS DESTROY THE BROWNS SEPTEMBER 14TH 2008!!! PLEASE READ ALL THE DETAILS BELOW OR CALL US AT 864-517-7799 WITH ANY QUESTIONS.



WHERE AT: YOUR HOUSE ANYWHERE IN THE UNITED STATES. IT DOESNT MATTER WHAT STATE YOUR IN JUST AS LONG AS ITS IN THE UNITED STATES. THEY DONT CALL IT "STEELER NATION" FOR NO REASON! WE ARE EVERYWHERE!! HERE WE GO STEELERS HERE WE GO!!

Does that mean that Toronto or Montreal is out even though they are much closer to where Lloyd lives (I believe near Atlanta according to a recent PSAMP post) then say Walla Walla, Washington?

WHEN: 8:15 PM KICKOFF STEELERS VS BROWNS SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL

Please stop with the CAPS!

DETAILS:

GREG LLOYD WILL COME TO YOUR HOUSE TO WATCH THE ENTIRE GAME WITH YOU AND YOUR FRIENDS. ITS A SIMPLE AS THAT. WE MAKE ALL THE ARRANGMENTS FOR GREG TO ARRIVE IN YOUR CITY AND TO YOUR HOUSE. JUST LIKE THE DIRECT TV NFL SUNDAY SEASON TICKET COMMERICAL WITH PEYTON MANNING SHOWING UP IN SOME GUYS LIVING ROOM, THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN FOR YOU.IT WOULD MAKE A GREAT GIFT IDEA FOR YOUR HUSBAND, KIDS OR A CLOSE FRIEND. WANNA IMPRESS YOUR BOSS?? INVITE HIM OVER TOO?

Yes, just like Peyton Manning on the commercial.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q: SO WHAT IS INCLUDED IN THIS WHOLE DEAL??

A: GREG LLOYD WILL COME TO YOUR HOUSE FOR THE GAME. HE WILL BE THERE BY KICKOFF AND LEAVE WHEN THE GAME IS OVER.YOU WILL ALSO RECIVE A GREG LLOYD FAN PACKAGE THAT WILL INCLUDE A AUTHENTIC JERSEY, 2 16x20 PHOTOS, 2 8x10 PHOTOS AND A MINI HELMET ALL SIGNED BY YOURS TRULEY GREG LLOYD.

I have never claimed to be a master of the English language, but it’s OK to use spell-check. Recive? Truley?

Q: HOW MANY PEOPLE CAN I INVITE? IS THERE A LIMIT?

A:YOU MAY HAVE UP TO 25 PEOPLE THERE.THE LESS AMOUNT OF PEOPLE YOU HAVE THERE THE BETTER FOR YOU BECAUSE YOU WILL GET A BETTER EXPERIENCE WITH A SMALLER AMOUNT OF PEOPLE THERE.YOU ONLY WANT TO INVITE YOUR CLOSEST FRIENDS AND DONT WANT TO RISK SOME STRANGER MESSING UP THIS WHOLE THING. GREG LOVES TO TALK AND WHO ELSE HAS BETTER "WAR" STORIES THEN GREG WHEN IT COMES TO STEELERS FOOTBALL AND THE STEELERS BROWNS RIVALY

James Harrison may have better stories about the time he tackled the Browns fan. Bill Cowher and Joey Porter probably have some good tales too.



Q: WILL GREG BE BRINGING ANYBODY WITH HIM?

A: YES GREG WILL HAVE ONE OR 2 PEOPLE WITH HIM

Any chance he’ll bring fellow linebacker Jerry Olsavsky. What’s Joel Steed up to these days? Does he accompany Greg on these visits?

Q: WILL YOU BE SUPPLYING FOOD FOR THIS OR BEVERAGES?

A: NO THAT IS YOUR CHOICE IF YOU WANT FOOD, SNACKS ETC YOU WILL NEED TO SUPPLY THAT YOURSELF.

If you want food? You better have food if you’re going to have a party of 25 people plus Greg Lloyd and possibly Jerry Olsavsky and/or Joel Steed.

Q: ARE WE ALLOWED TO DRINK ALCOHOL?

A: YES HOWEVER WE ASK THIS IF YOU DO DRINK ADULT BEVERAGES THAT EVERYONE THERE STAYS SOBBER. WE WILL NOT TOLERATE DRUNKEN BEHAVIOR.THAT IS WHY YOU SHOULD KEEP THE AMOUNT OF PEOPLE YOU BRING AT A LIMITED AMOUNT AND DO NOT ALLOW FRIENDS TO BRING FRIENDS ETC ETC. IF GREG LLOYD FEELS UNCOMFORTABLE AT ANY TIME HE MAY GET UP AND LEAVE AND THERE WILL BE NO REFUNDS GIVEN.WE SIMPLY ASK THAT YOU BEEN RESPECTFUL AT ALL TIMES.

C’mon Greg. If Ben Roethlisberger came to the party, there would definitely be many adult beverages.



Q: I WANT TO DO THIS IN A SUPRISE WAY FOR A GIFT TO MY HUSBAND, KIDS, FRIEND ETC. CAN YOU MAKE THIS A SUPRISE OR SOME TYPE OF SPECIAL REQUEST

A: SURE WE CAN. YOU WANT US TO SNEAK HIM IN THE BACK DOOR? HAVE HIM RING YOUR DOORBELL AND YOUR HUSBAND GO TO THE DOOR HAVING NO CLUE GREG IS COMING? WE CAN HANDLE ALL THE LITTLE DETAILS TO MAKE THIS A TRUE ONCE IN A LIFETIME EXPERIENCE

This is my favorite part. To quote Jon on of the DC Steeler Nation:

Husband: "Honey, there's a very large man outside on our patio that looks like he could rip our hearts out and feed them to his children."

Wife: "It's ok dear, I won him in an online auction."

You can “Buy It Now” to have Greg Lloyd sit on your couch for the low price of $10,000. Otherwise, make your best offer. The auction expires in 28 days, so get your bid in quickly!