Sean's Steelers-Vikings Preview

If you've read my blog long enough, you know that I like to point out absurd and fun (at least to me) information about sporting events. Therefore, if you're looking for the keys to this Sunday's Steelers-Vikings or a breakdown of Steelers rookie Shamarko Thomas' positioning, you'll have to go somewhere else. I'm also sorry if this post doesn't help you with your NFL picks this weekend. Anyway, here are my thoughts on the game:

- The Steelers leave Pittsburgh tonight and arrive in London on Friday morning. Meanwhile, the Vikings landed in London on Tuesday. Doesn't it seem like the Steelers should have left earlier to get acclimated to the time change and new city? For the Olympics, did Usain Bolt arrive in London two days before his race? I think not (though I have no idea when he actually got there).

- Someone needs to make sure Big Ben visits Big Ben and shares pictures of this.

- Do you think the British will know that the Terrible Towel is associated with the Steelers? As I wrote recently, you wouldn't know by this Terrible Towel.

- Serious question: Do people in London care about this game? I'm not talking about Americans living in England or Europe but your regular British citizen. I'm guessing that two 0-3 teams aren't helping walk-up ticket sales.

- Perhaps as a way to get more Londoners excited for the game, Gene Simmons of Kiss and his reality show Family Jewels is performing the National Anthem. Personally, I think the NFL should have gotten performers that represent Minnesota and Pittsburgh. Prince and Christina Aguilera would be fine.

- Remember Giant Jason Taylor from the 2007 NFL game in London? For this year, I hope they have a Giant Christian Ponder that has a matching rib injury like the non-giant Christian Ponder.

- Let's say that you're a rookie free agent in Steelers or Vikings training camp in August. Do the teams require you to get a passport in case you make the team and will travel to London? Who pays for the passport?

- Meanwhile, the Steelers signed center Fernando Velasco just a few weeks ago. Did the team make sure that he had a passport so he could play in London before they signed him?

- I assume that someone from the Associated Press (AP) will cover the game and write about Adrian Peterson (also AP) in the story. I wonder if United Press International wishes that there was a successful football player named Upton Paul Iglesias with the nickname UPI.

- I hope Troy Polamalu has a chance to freak out people at London's Madame Tussauds.



- I feel like Brett Keisel and his beard could become stars in London. Of course, people might think that he's one of the Duck Dynasty family.

Enjoy the game!

Why Is There A Vikings Logo On The Terrible Towel?

The Terrible Towel is a sacred item for a Pittsburgh Steelers fan. It is a symbol of being a Steelers fan, and it is extremely powerful and intimidating seeing tens of thousands of people waving these towels at Heinz Field. More importantly, sales of the Terrible Towel benefit the adults and children with intellectual and developmental disabilities at the Allegheny Valley School. ABC News did a great feature about the Terrible Towel several years ago. (Update: The video is gone, but the article still remains online.)

Over the years, there have been multiple variations of the towel including a pink Terrible Towel for breast cancer awareness and a towel showing logos from the 6 Super Bowl Championships. I've never had an issue with any of these towels because they are often commemorative and sales benefit a good cause. That changed yesterday when I received this e-mail from the Steelers selling a special Terrible Towel for the London game against the Minnesota Vikings.

So why is there a logo of an NFL team other than the Steelers on the Terrible Towel? The towel is about the Steelers and should not include the Vikings logo. If you want to include something to honor the game being played in London, show a picture of Big Ben (not Roethlisberger), Wembley Stadium or even Prince George of Cambridge with or without his parents William and Kate.

Apparently, this is not even the first occurrence of an opposing team's logo appearing on the Terrible Towel this season. From the Steelers store, there was a Titans logo for this past weekend's game. Commemorating a game in London is one thing since the Steelers have never played there, but a towel for the first game of the 2013 season is ridiculous.

---

I fully realize that this post is trivial particularly on this day of remembrance. (Most of you probably feel that all my posts are trivial regardless of the day.) Please take some time today to remember the victims of 9/11 and to thank the first responders everywhere.