Kids Book Predicts Steelers-Patriots Game

Back in November, I traveled to Portland and made sure to visit Powell's Books the "largest used and new bookstore in the world." While trying to find Ron Lippock's Steelers Takeaways among the approximately 1 million books in stock, I stumbled upon Here We Go Steelers, Here We Go and bought it for the sake of a future blog post (and to read to my kids, but mostly for blog content). What I didn't realize is that this predicts the outcome of Sunday's Steelers-New England Patriots AFC Championship game.

Before we see the pictures below, I think it's fair to point out several inaccuracies. First, the game in the book takes place at Heinz Field which makes perfect sense for a children's book about the Steelers. In addition, most of the uniform numbers don't match up with current players. So with that, let's witness what will happen on Sunday.

Coach Mike Tomlin, arguably the greatest cheerleader in this country's history, leads the team in a rousing edition of Give Me An S, Give me a T, etc. so that the entire team spells the word Steelers. Antonio Brown is front and center this time to get a better camera angle for Facebook Live.

In the spirit of the referee's message of good sportsmanship, Patriots running back LeGarrette Blount and Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell decide to get high together right at midfield.

The role of James Harrison in this picture is being played by Anthony Chickillo. After the sack, Jim Nantz will refer to James Harrison as "ageless." (And yes, that is my cat Ziggy's tail next to the book.)

After last week's struggles in the red zone, the Steelers decided to hand the ball to Le'Veon Bell (being played by Fitzgerald Toussaint in the book) for a touchdown on a 4th and goal. Smart call!

Chris Boswell has been terrific this season, so why wouldn't he (and not the pictured Jeff Reed or Landry Jones) kick the game-winning field goal?

Celebration time! I'm sure Julian Edelman will be all smiles shaking hands after the game since that's how his team is run." Meanwhile, Steely McBeam is out haunting people in the parking lot.

So there you go. The Steelers will win on Sunday with a late field goal. Enjoy the game (even though you already know the result)!

Sunday Links

With this post, I'm now a third of the way through National Blog Posting Month ("NaBloPoMo"). I hope that you're enjoying reading my posts on a daily basis. Here are some other links for you to check out.

I'm not the only Pittsburgh blogger participating in NaBloPoMo. [NaBloPoMo Pittsburgh Tumblr]

Congrats to Emily on her big news and announcement. [Emily Levenson]

Jeff Reed is on Twitter! [That's Church]

I found this video amusing.



h/t Deadspin

This Russian Steelers fan is just looking for love...in a Nate Washington jersey. [PSAMP]

Here's some fun Hollywood stuff. George Clooney is a year older than Wilford Brimley was when Cocoon was released. [Vulture]

Great piece by Tim Williams about how to become a professional blogger. [Pirates Prospects]

The end of Josh's Yaris. [Ngewo's World]

If you're looking for a travel agent, please contact my friend Paul. (Paul really is my friend and is someone I have known for years.) [Cusker Vacation Connection]

Finally, since I posted a cat video above, here is a fun dog video.



h/t Smart Bitches, Trashy Books

Random Ramblings

If you missed Alyssa Milano at the Penguins game last night, she will be at the Steelers Sideline Store at South Hills Village today from 1-2pm. Steelers Maurkice Pouncey and Emmanuel Sanders will be signing autographs at the same store from 3-5pm. I guess everyone will eat at the food court between 2-3. [Alyssa.com & Steelers.com]



Ithaca College is seeking a mascot [Ithaca College]

Congratulations to Ithaca (the city not the college) for being named one of "America's Foodiest Towns" by Bon Appétit magazine. [Ithaca Journal]

If you're looking to buy some cool and unique T-shirts, I recommend contacting Doug [Get Fresh Designs]

The Pittsburgh Steelers released kicker Jeff Reed earlier this week. I’m not going to provide an editorial or pile on, but check out this quote from Tuesday’s Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

"I'm not one to make excuses," Reed said. "I'll take the credit for the miss. It was a great snap, a great hold, great protection. It's kind of hard when you plant your foot and the hole -- a piece of ground moves where the ball's under the holder. I almost missed the ball completely.

"I'm not going to make excuses. If you've played any kind of sports in your life, you realize that what we play on is not very good turf. It happens."
Um, isn’t that making excuses? You know, I’m not one to make excuses either. I missed the bus this week. My alarm didn’t go off, and then I couldn’t find my shoes. There weren’t matching socks anywhere. How can there be seemingly hundreds of socks in my drawer but not one pair of matching brown socks? Anyway, Ziggy was also very friendly and wanted to play. Plus, the bus arrived early. I’m not going to make excuses though.

Finally, don't forget to enter my new contest by Monday at 10pm where you can win a $75 gift certificate to use at any of the 200+ CSN Stores websites. All you need to do is post a comment on the "Brand New Contest" post.

NFL 101 Workshop for Women

The Jacksonville Jaguars have a really good offer. For only $30, you can attend a NFL 101 Workshop for Women course (assuming that you are a woman) and get a ticket to a Jags game as well as several other gifts.



I feel like there is a Jeff Reed joke that can be made here.

Personally, I'd want to go to the Maggiano's location. I would hope that the $30 also goes towards Maggiano's food.

More information about the Workshop for Women event is available on the PRI Productions website. PRI Productions also has all of your Bar/Bat Mitzvah needs!

Steelers Season In Review

I've written and rewritten parts of this post several times. I'm trying to balance the disappointment of not making the playoffs after coming off of a Super Bowl Championship with the fact that the organization is still one of the best in football. I'm sure many of you don't see that today, but living in the DC area, it's easy to see that the Steelers are in significantly better shape than the Washington Redskins and many other teams in the NFL (ex. Detroit Lions, St. Louis Rams).

Before I share my thoughts, let's look back at the 2009-2010 predictions by drinkyourmilkshake of Behind the Steel Curtain; Phil of Phil's Occasional Musings; Michael Rizzo of Rizzo Sports (and the Rizzo Sports Blog); Messiah, Marc & Gobo of White Nerdy Wonks; Donald of Steelers Today; Steve of Steve Is Alive; Rob of The Bluey Blog; and me.

1. Number of sacks James Harrison will have this season.
Steve predicted 12 for James and that Woodley would lead the team with 15.5. Messiah also believed that Harrison would have 12 sacks. The actual amount was 10 with Woodley leading the team with 13.5 sacks.

2. Limas Sweed's numbers (catches, yards & touchdowns).
The actual amount was 1 catch for 5 yards and 0 touchdowns. We all expected significantly more except for Rob who predicted "no more than 10 catches, 1 TD and 150 yards."

3. Stefan Logan: Reminds me of Antwaan Randle El as a Steeler; Greatest returner in team history; or Another Allen Rossum?

Well, Logan didn't have any touchdowns but he set the Steelers record for most kick-off return yards. Logan wasn't anything special returning punts and was often replaced by Mewelde Moore when a fair catch was probable. Overall, though, he was a solid returner and improved his special teams coverage as the year progressed.

Messiah - I'd say he's not quite Twaan, but certainly better than Colclough.
Donald - I predict that Logan will become the greatest 5'7" returner in team history.

Points for both Messiah & Donald!

4. Will Jeff Reed be arrested during the season?
Rob - Once, for drunk and disorderly conduct.

During the season, Reed was cited by police for disorderly conduct and public intoxication.

5. Who will lead the team in touchdowns scored?
Rob - Rashard Mendenhall. Mendenhall led the team with 8 touchdowns followed by Hines Ward, Heath Miller and Mike Wallace with 6 each. I need to take Rob with me to Vegas the next time I go!

6. Season prediction (please include the team record) + Any other thoughts/predictions:
All of us predicted division champs and playoffs. I think Phil's prediction was the closest though. 11-5. It's extraordinarily difficult to repeat as Super Bowl champions. I think we're going to have another good year and win the division but lose a close-game heartbreaker in the playoffs. Maybe that's just what I'm used to as a fan. Despite our success, I wouldn't know what to do with myself if I didn't have something to complain about when it comes to the Steelers.

Phil, that brings us to today. There were certainly positives to the season such as the pending stardom of LaMarr Woodley, the thought that Rashard Mendenhall can be a #1 running back and the fact that Mike Wallace may be the offensive rookie of the year. Unfortunately, there were more negatives. The kick return coverage was among the worst in NFL history and the defense rarely made stops when needed. The secondary struggled, particularly in the fourth quarter, though I wonder how much of this was related to Troy Polamalu's absence. Taking away one of the best players in football certainly impacts the rest of the team and especially the secondary. I'm a big fan of Tyrone Carter playing spot duty or in specific packages. Unfortunately, he was exposed playing nearly every down. It also didn't help that rookies Ryan Mundy (I know he's not really a rookie, but he never left the practice squad in 2008) and Joe Burnett were playing significant minutes and that another rookie Keenan Lewis couldn't get on the field.

Now here's the positive to all of this. The Steelers have had a history of getting little production out of players in their first season only to see great improvements during their second season. It happened with Mendenhall, Polamalu, Woodley, and Lawrence Timmons. If we get similar growth out of players like Mundy, Burnett, Lewis, Ziggy Hood, and tackle Ramon Foster along with a healthy Polamalu and Aaron Smith, I think the team will be in good shape coming into next season.

There are a few other items that should be addressed. I know that a lot of people think offensive coordinator Bruce Arians should go. I'm not so sure. The Steelers finished 7th in the league in total yards with better numbers than playoff teams such as Indianapolis, San Diego, Philadelphia and Baltimore. While we may miss the days of giving the ball to Jerome Bettis 25 times a game and watching him run for over 100 yards, the NFL is now a passing league and that's where the team excels. Unfortunately, the team isn't able to close games like we did in seasons past. To have Bettis run out the clock in the fourth quarter when everyone knows that the team is going to run. However, I don't think you can pin this on Arians. The team, and in this case I'm referring to the personnel department, hasn't adequately addressed the offensive line over the past few years.



Bottom line: Perhaps this was Super Bowl Hangover Part II. It's certainly possible that the team overlooked Kansas City, Oakland and Cleveland. They may not have said it, but I'm sure that the players came into those games knowing they were the better team and believed that they would win just by showing up. That won't happen next year. I also believe that having Polamalu and Smith healthy would have translated into at least one more win. One more win would have got the team into the playoffs.

Finally, not everything is bad in the world. The Steelers have won two Super Bowl Championships over the last 5 seasons. How many teams would dream of having even one?

Ziggy Leads Steelers to Victory

Although LaMarr Woodley, Ben Roethlisberger and Jeff Reed were the most valuable players in the Steelers' 23-20 victory over the Baltimore Ravens (along with Derrick Mason dropping a TD pass and some dumb penalties by the Ravens), 2009 first-round draft pick Ziggy Hood played his best game as a pro. Statistically, Hood had two tackles, one a sack and the other a tackle for a loss, and a fumble recovery.*

Here's what Coach Mike Tomlin had to say about Ziggy's performance (courtesy of Steelers Depot):

Question: Talk about Ziggy Hood.
Mike Tomlin: He made a few plays for us. A young guy kind of taking advantage of opportunities. Of course, he was afforded more of an opportunity because of what Brett Keisel’s been going through. He made a few timely plays for us. He’s a quality young player, he’s going to be a good player, not soon enough for us, not soon enough for him but we’re seeing strides week in and week out. We’re excited about what he could be. He helped us today which is good.

In honor of Hood's solid game, please join me in saying, Hooray for Ziggy!





If you thought I've been waiting eight months to write this post, you would be correct!


* Can someone explain why Hood was credited with a fumble recovery instead of an interception? Woodley knocked the ball off of Flacco's hand, the ball bounced off a Ravens' lineman and Hood caught it with the ball never touching the ground.


Finally, I have a dream to have 50 followers on Twitter. (I'm currently at 38.) Please click here if you'd like to follow me.

Steelers-Vikings Random Thoughts

You can find a full recap on Sunday's Pittsburgh Steelers-Minnesota Vikings football game anywhere on the internet. However, I'm here to provide my thoughts on items you probably won't find elsewhere. (Please note that I made some of these observations on Twitter yesterday.) I apologize if this looks like a Peter King or Larry King column.

* Who made a worse attempt at a tackle: Jeff Reed on Percy Harvin’s kick-off return or Brett Favre on Keyaron Fox’s interception return?


(Favre's tackle attempt looked worse live and on video than in this picture.)

* The Steelers are not going to win many games where David Johnson has more receiving yards than Hines Ward.

* I miss the Alcoa fantastic finishes commercials.

* How was Casey Hampton offsides twice? Isn't the ball directly in front of him?

* I was really impressed with Vikings’ WR Sidney Rice.

* Miller Lite asks what greatness tastes like. I think it probably tastes like chicken.

* Did Ziggy Hood play?

* I was surprised that Mewelde Moore played instead of Willie Parker after Mendenhall’s fumble.

* Watching the Packers-Vikings game a few weeks ago, DE Jared Allen was the most dominant player on the field with 4.5 sacks and a forced fumble. Against the Steelers, he had only 1.5 tackles and no sacks.


Finally, congratulations to Lara M. on winning the Sean's Ramblings First Contest. Lara's prediction that Ben Roethlisberger would throw for 210 yards was the closest of any other entry, though in actuality, not very close as he threw for only 175 yards. I'm sure that she is happy that we were not playing with Price Is Right rules.

Thanks again to the orientalwatchsite, a website of affordable Men's Watches by Orient Japan, for providing this great prize. (Please visit their website.)


Photo by Peter Diana / Post-Gazette

Beware Pittsburgh

Bad news for the people of Pittsburgh especially everyone in attendance at Sunday's Steelers-Vikings game including the players. According to The Weather Channel's weekend/sporting events forecast, Pittsburgh can expect Widespread Flu on Sunday.



No word on whether the flu will impact Jeff Reed's Sunday night activities! (It's so easy to make a joke at Jeff Reed's expense, but his behavior is not funny.)


Thanks to Cotter for helping me with this screen shot.

h/t Seth


P.S. Don't forget to enter Sean's Ramblings First Contest to win a very nice watch.

Sean's Ramblings First Contest: Win a Free Watch

About two weeks ago, I shared my skepticism about a contest where I would give away a free watch. I figured that either the company that sells Men's Watches wouldn't live up to their end of the bargain or that the watch wouldn't be worth giving away. I was wrong on both counts. The watch is nicer than I expected and the company really came through.



What's interesting is that I couldn't find this specific model on an American website. Instead, this Japanese website (translated to English) is selling the watch for 9,980 yen, which converts to $110. Yes, I am giving away a $110 watch!

So here's how this contest works. In the comments section below, predict the number of passing yards Pittsburgh QB Ben Roethlisberger will have against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. As a tie-breaker, please predict Rashard Mendenhall's rushing yards against the Vikings.



One entry per person and anonymous entries will be disqualified. The winner must reside in the United States (or at least provide an American address where I can send the watch). All entries must be received by Sunday at 12:55 PM Eastern time. I'm sure that there are other details I should add, but I can't think of anything. Basically, my decisions are final, and I have the right to postpone the contest if something unusual happens like Roethlisberger getting suspended for the game for knocking out Jeff Reed. I'll announce the winner on Monday and that person will have a certain amount of time to provide me with their address.

Please make sure to visit this Men's Watches website to learn more about Orient Watches.

Steelers-Bears Recap

I’m still trying to figure out how the Steelers lost on Sunday. The offensive line played much better than week one as Roethlisberger was sacked only twice (once because he held on to the ball too long) and the team rushed for 105 yards on 22 carries (4.8 yards per carry). The defense held the Bears’ Matt Forte, one of the best running backs in the league, to 62 total yards and Devin Hester had only 21 yards receiving and did little on special teams. So how did the team lose? I didn’t wear my Louis Lipps jersey or have my Terrible Towel with me. My bad. Wearing my Heinz pickle watch wasn’t enough, but I won’t let it happen again.

On the serious side, the Steelers played okay, but not good enough to win. As I mentioned, the running game and line were fine and Roethlisberger played good enough to win. However, he did throw an interception and the receivers (Santonio Holmes comes to mind) dropped several passes. Defensively, I mentioned the positives above, but the team only had one sack and did not force any turnovers. Plus, Jay Cutler was solid completing 27 of 38 passes for 236 yards, 2 touchdowns and no picks. Although the team went three and out on their first two series, the Bears ended up going 7 of 14 on third down conversions. The special teams was the big negative though. Mr. Automatic Jeff Reed missed both field goal attempts and Stefan Logan fumbled at the end of the game. Plus, Ike Taylor and Patrick Bailey had costly penalties on kick returns putting the Steelers in poor starting field position.

Back to the non-serious side.

* Where can I get a pair of Estrada sunglasses?



* When Bears' Jeffrey Knox made his first catch, I thought the announcer referred to the WR as Cox. Cox was covered by William Gay on the play. The inner-immature-7th grader in me chuckled.

* Afalava: Best last name ever. Sepulveda is a close second (he had another good game).

* During the telecast, there was an advertisement for free fantasy football on NFL.com. However, the text stated except in California and Puerto Rico. So if you live in CA or PR, do you have to pay to play fantasy football on NFL.com? If so, wouldn't you just try a free league on Yahoo or ESPN? Can someone explain how this works?

Big picture: The Steelers are 1-1 and a game behind the Ravens in the division. This loss is not going to make or break the season. It was a road game against an NFC team, so there are no concerns about the conference tie-breaks. Next week's game against the 1-1 Bengals is much more important.

2009-2010 Steelers Predictions

The NFL season (finally) officially begins tonight when the defending Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers face the Tennessee Titans. As a preview of the 2009-2010 season, I decided to ask some of my favorite Steeler fan bloggers their predictions for the season. Unfortunately, they did not reply. Instead, here are the predictions from other folks! (A little humor for you!)

Before we begin, here are your fine panels of experts:

* drinkyourmilkshake of Behind the Steel Curtain
* Phil of Phil's Occasional Musings
* Michael Rizzo of Rizzo Sports (and the Rizzo Sports Blog)
* Messiah of White Nerdy Wonks
* Donald of Steelers Today
* Marc of White Nerdy Wonks
* Steve of Steve Is Alive
* Gobo of White Nerdy Works
* Sean of Sean's Ramblings (That's me!)
* Rob of The Bluey Blog

1. Number of sacks James Harrison will have this season.

DYM - 16, also the number of babies he will eat this season.
Phil - 15, though a few of them might be questionable when the QB falls down and covers his head as Silverback speeds toward him.
Michael - 17, He'll battle with Timmons of the team lead.
Messiah - He and Woodley will flip-flop on who is able to get to the QB more often. Let's go with 12 sacks for Harrison.
Donald - If the refs continue to let offensive linemen hold Harrison on every play, he'll have 18 sacks. If they don't allow him to be held, he'll have 79 sacks.
Marc - 19.5
Steve - 12 for James. Woodley leads the team with 15.5 this year!
Gobo - 12.5
Sean - 14
Rob - 23, breaking Michael Strahan's record.

2. Limas Sweed's numbers (catches, yards & touchdowns).

DYM - 25 catches, 400 yards, 5 touchdowns.
Phil - 45, 750, 7
Michael - 52 / 10 - He'll be the favorite receiver near the End Zone
Messiah - Limas will have a year reminiscent of Nate Washington two years ago. 30 catches, 450 yards, 5 TDs.
Donald - As longs as it's more than last year, I'll be happy. Ummmmm, except drops. I want to see less of those.
Marc - 30, 350, 2
Steve - 34 grabs. 765 yards 4 TD's. I think that is fair?!?!
Gobo - 45 catches, 625 yards, 5 TD
Sean - 35 catches, 475 yards, 4 TDs. Solid numbers for a 4th receiver (I'm considering Heath as #3).
Rob - Do you mean butterfingers? No more than 10 catches, 1 TD and 150 yards. Yeah, I'm serious.



3. Stefan Logan: Reminds me of Antwaan Randle El as a Steeler; Greatest returner in team history; or Another Allen Rossum? (Sean's note: This was a poorly formed question as I was only referring to Logan as a returner)

DYM - Better than Randle-El, easily gets in the end-zone at least three times this season.
Phil - I hope he's another Antwaan Randle-El. We're going to need a guy like that to compete in the new "all-Wildcat, all the time" NFL of 2009.
Michael - He'll be good.
Messiah - Too early to tell. I'd say he's not quite Twaan, but certainly better than Colclough.
Donald - I predict that Logan will become the greatest 5'7" returner in team history.
Marc - El, yeah
Steve - I think he will be in the middle. Randle El was one of a kind and contributed more on offense than Logan will (or is expected to). However, I do expect MANY game changing plays from the pint sized CFL star.
Gobo - Better than Rossum, not quite Randle-El because he can’t QB. I’ll go with 2 return TDs this year, with another 6 called back for holding.
Sean - I love any professional athlete that is the same height as me! He'll be solid and will finish 3rd in the AFC in average punting return yards with 2 TDs.
Rob - He's the real deal and will finally make us forget Randle El.

4. Will Jeff Reed be arrested during the season?

DYM - Perhaps if Chris Hanson starts "To Catch a Predator" back up.
Phil - Only by drunken, curvaceous women in Strip District bars.
Michael - Arrested - NO, he plays for the Steelers, which means people will go out of their way not to arrest him. He has a much better chance of being a honorary Allegheny County Sheriff, or being named ambassador to Luxembourg.
Messiah - Depends on how well the ball boys keep the towel dispenser stocked in the clubhouse
Donald - No. However, he will get several under-aged girls pregnant and secretly pay for them to have abortions.
Marc - No, during the off season
Steve - Only if Sheetz is out of paper towels again.......
Gobo - No, but shortly thereafter.
Sean - Some civil lawsuits, but no arrests.
Rob - Once, for drunk and disorderly conduct.



5. Who will lead the team in touchdowns scored?

DYM - Santonio Holmes
Phil - Santonio Holmes
Michael - Parker
Messiah - Willie Parker
Donald - Hines Ward. Or Willie Parker. Or Rashard Mendenhall. Or Santonio Holmes. Or Heath Miller. Or Frank Summers. Or.......Ummm, how many guesses do I get?
Marc - Holmes
Steve - William Parker. I guarantee a BIG season for # 39.
Gobo - Holmes
Sean - Fast Willie Parker with 10 TDs. I should have drafted him in one of my fantasy leagues!
Rob - Rashard Mendenhall

6. Season prediction (please include the team record) + Any other thoughts/predictions:

DYM - The Steelers will be awesome, #1 defense, top 10 offense, and another SB run. 13-3 record.

Phil - 11-5, AFC North champions. It's extraordinarily difficult to repeat as Super Bowl champions. I think we're going to have another good year and win the division but lose a close-game heartbreaker in the playoffs. Maybe that's just what I'm used to as a fan. Despite our success, I wouldn't know what to do with myself if I didn't have something to complain about when it comes to the Steelers.

Michael - 15-1 - The Steelers have a great chance to go undefeated. The Steelers should win another Super Bowl, if they get by Tennessee on Thursday, their only stumbling block to an undefeated season might be the Detroit [game].

Messiah - Willie Parker has a return to 2006 greatness, starts all 16 games, finishes in the top 3 in rushing, and will actually make people sad when he leaves after the season. Steelers lose to the Ravens at least once, go 12-4 (losses to Titans, Vikings, Ravens, Dolphins in meaningless last week), but win division due to Ravens' tougher schedule. Will get playoff bye, but facing Colts and Pats in back-to-back weeks could prove too tough, when the regular season schedule was relatively conflict-free.

Donald - 13-3. AFC North champs. AFC champs. Super Bowl champs.

Marc - 12-4 with some distance in the playoffs. Plus, Browns go 0&16

Steve - Take a look at the schedule again - there is no reason why the Steelers can't repeat as AFC North Champions. They play the entire AFC West (Chiefs, Raiders, Broncos, and Chargers), the Lions, and the Browns twice - that is 7 wins right there, with the Chargers being the toughest game. I honestly truly believe (fan bias aside) the Steelers will go 13-3 and return to the Super Bowl. "Big Play" Willie Gay is going to have a breakout season and will lead the team in INT's.

Gobo - 12-4, win AFC North, #2 seed, have to go to Foxboro for the AFC Championship game. I’m not predicting that game because I’m afraid to predict a win, but
It’s too depressing to predict a loss. If they make it to the SB, they win. Lawrence Timmons will have at least 10 sacks and turnovers (INT or FF) combined.

Sean - 12-4 and another division title. I don't want to make any predictions about the playoffs since I may need to do a similar post in January! In addition, instead of the Summer of George, this will be the Fall of Sepulveda!

Rob - 12-4. Steelers beat the Cowboys in Super Bowl XLIV

Feel free to add your own predictions in the comments section.


I also asked these questions to The Restaurant Refugee, and though he declined to make specific predictions, he shared this amazing story from a trip to training camp and meeting Mean Joe Greene.



As a native Washingtonian, it is frequently assumed that I am a fan of the hometown squad*. I take particular pride in resolving this misconception by stating “I am a Pittsburgh Steeler fan by birth and the grace of God.” My father was born in Pittsburgh and the first thing he taught me about football was “you love the Steelers… this is a football.”

As children, my sister and I went to training camps to see our heroes up close. One day my sister had to use the restroom as the practice was breaking. I got to meet Mean Joe Greene, and got him to autograph my jersey. My sister got a wait for the bathroom. Of course, I teased her about her poorly timed bladder and my good fortune. She wrote MJG a letter explaining what happened. He replied with a personal and hand-written note which read:

Nina,
Thanks for being my number one fan. I am sorry that I didn’t get to meet you on your last visit. I hope these tickets** make up for it. I’ll see you in the stands.
Best Wishes,
Mean Joe Greene

As if this incredibly gracious gesture weren’t enough, Mr. Greene had his letter laminated onto a piece of wood with an autographed picture. It hung in my sister’s room until she bought her own place where it hangs prominently in her living room. I’m not sure where my jersey is.

Regarding this season, my best guess is that the Steelers get back to the playoffs with a first round bye. Beyond that, I have no predictions. I am comforted by the fact that neither the Cowboys nor the Niners are going to get anywhere near a sixth ring this year. We got six and the rest of the league can suck it until somebody else gets there too.

* I cannot believe that in the year 2009 we have a team in the NFL that still bears a name as patently racist and clearly offensive as the moniker of the Washington franchise.

** Tickets were to a game lost to the Bengals but who cares it was still an incredible thing to have done – and yes, we all got to meet him afterwards.


Finally, there will be a live blog here of tonight's Steelers-Titans game. Feel free to add your thoughts while watching the game. Go Steelers!

Brand New Referrals

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

Jeff Reed inventing females at Slippery Rock University
You thought Jeff Reed was just a kicker for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He’s also a mad scientist during the off-season.

Michelle Trachtenberg Satan
You saw Ice Princess, didn’t you?

how many oscars did Aretha Franklin win?
Two. One for Blues Brothers and one for Blues Brothers 2000.



I'm concerned that my song has a secret girlfriend
Concerned? I’d be freaked out if my song had a secret (or any) girlfriend!

Did Ivanka Trump attend a Seder on Passover?
I do not divulge who attends my Seders.

Hank Williams Jr shirtless pics
This is disturbing.

I want to read book now
I’m not going to stop you.

How many times has Antonio Holmes been MVP of the game in the super bowls?
I’ll go with zero.

What do I do when the bathroom is occupied and I really have to go?
Who wants to answer this one?

Benny Distefano is he married
Who wants to answer this one?

can year old unopened box of matzoh be used
Sure. Matzoh can be an excellent fill-in for plywood.


(Yes, I included this search only to post this Ziggy picture again!)

Harrison interception return was not a touchdown his head touched the group and the ball did not brake the plain of the goal line
Apparently, you need to visit Sean's Ramblings for a full explanation.

joke about lady in bathroom stall on cell phone
Did she walk into a bar?

my name is luck i live on the second floor lyrics
I remember this song slightly differently

noooooooooooo!
Yesssssssssssssss!


Have a great weekend!

Steelers-Patriots Recap

I’m going to do things a little different for this week’s Steelers recap. If you’re looking for detailed analysis about how the Pittsburgh held New England to 10 points and the Patriots offense to 1 of 13 on third down conversions or the punting abilities of Mitch Berger, go somewhere else. May I recommend the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Instead, I want to point out the following real and fictional New England Patriots players who contributed to the Steelers win.

The turning point of the game occurred part-way through the third quarter. Leading 13-10 after a Jeff Reed field goal, Matthew "AC" Slater fumbled the kick-off, and the ball was recovered by Keyaron Fox. Two plays later, Ben Roethlisberger hit Hines Ward for an 11-yard touchdown.



Maybe this wasn’t noticed by everyone, but Sam "Clay" Aiken had two special teams holding penalties for New England. After another Reed field goal to give the Steelers a 23-10 lead, the Patriots returned the kick-off to midfield. However, Aiken’s holding penalty brought the ball back about 15 yards. Without the penalty, the Patriots would have been in field goal range after Ryan Clark’s unnecessary roughness penalty three plays later.



The Steelers sacked Matt Cassel five times forcing two fumbles. Offensive tackle Matt "Judith" Light deserves some of the blame for this as James Harrison beat Light on at least one sack/fumble.



Plus, who can forget the dropped passes by Randy "Kate" Moss, especially one in the end zone near the end of the first half?



Overall, the Patriots clearly missed Tom "Marsha" Brady.



By the way, it was nice to see former Mexican President Vicente Fox score a defensive touchdown for the Broncos against the Jets. I was wondering what happened to Fox since he left office. (Wahoo J deserves credit for this one.)



Yes, this may be the dumbest post I have ever written.

2007 Steelers Predictions

Welcome to the start of the NFL season! The Colts defeated the Saints last night and the first full slate of games begins on Sunday. With the new season, I thought I would share my predictions for the 2007 Pittsburgh Steelers.

- The team will finish 10-6 and earn a Wild Card playoff spot. They will win the first playoff game but lose in the second round.

- Clark Haggans will lead the team in sacks. Ike Taylor will lead the team in interceptions.

- Ben Roethlisberger will have more touchdowns than interceptions. He will also not be involved in a motorcycle accident or have an appendectomy this year.

- Mike Tomlin will not publicly kiss any players. He will also spit considerably less than his predecessor.

- Nate Washington will have at least six touchdowns.

- Chris Gardocki will not have a punt blocked this season (or any other season).

- At some point during the season, there will be some type of incriminating picture of kicker Jeff Reed at a bar.

- Fast Willie Parker will have another 200-yard game rushing.

- I will end up watching Steelers games in at least four states: Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and possibly New Mexico and Washington DC.

Feel free to leave your own predictions about the Steelers season, and we’ll check back in four months to see how we did.