"Pittsburgh's Black and Gold"

"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN???"

2011-06-02T12:50:00.003-04:00

Dear Readers of Pittsburgh's Black and Gold,

First of all, I can't thank you enough for all the emails asking what happened to me. It's good knowing that you are appreciated not to mention, missed!

About nine months ago, I began working on my second book. This story is the tale of my exploits on the golf course and it is entitled,

"LIFE is an Unplayable Lie".

Being as last June marked the 25th anniversary of my "winning" the title of "America's Worst Avid Golfer", I thought that now was as appropriate a time as any to compose a tell-all biography documenting the unbelievable 2 1/2 decades that followed.

I tried to juggle my book writing and blog writing, but the further I got into my book, the more difficult it got. Then, in February, I was contacted by "Golf Channel" as they invited me to go back down to the TPC Sawgrass to have another go-around at the legendary 17th hole.

If I may jog your memory, this is the famous hole where I lost 27 balls en route to shooting a 66 on that one hole, thus cementing the life-long title that I now possess.

My wife and I traveled back to Ponte Vedra for a few short days and the result was the video that is available here entitled "Remembering Angelo". My producer for this shoot was a young man by the name of Dominic Dastoli who did an amazing job coordinating the entire event. Dominic later commented to me that he felt that this video represented the "best work of his career". I'll let you be the judge of that.

Not only did Dominic secure the use of the TPC course, he also managed to have a PGA official, the TPC's official starter, as well as legendary former commissioner, Deane Beman on hand to participate as well!

Needless to say, I was blown away by the folks at the TPC and the video was shown by "Golf Channel" as a part of their week-long coverage of the Players Championship.

It was totally an unbelievable coincidence that at the same time that I was writing a book, that the final chapter would land on me courtesy of Dominic and the folks at "Golf Channel".

When I came back from Florida, as you can imagine, I became completely immersed in and obsessed with completing my book which at that time was about halfway finished. Meanwhile, as I pounded away nonstop at my keyboard, consumed with completing it, I was unable to keep up not only with sports, but composing my sports blog as well.

As I write this, my book is now about 80% complete. The stretch run will involve more writing but the lion's share of the work will involve the task of copy reading, editing and polishing the entire manuscript. After I've finished doing that, I'll do one final pass-through to insure that "no stone has been left unturned".

Trust me, after spending eight hours a day writing a book, you're too burned-out to compose a story for your blog which can take anywhere from 45 minutes to two hours depending on the story.

So what I'm trying to say is that I apologize for not posting and I hope that once I've completed my book that I'll be able to get back into covering Pittsburgh sports as I always have. In the meantime, I hope you get to watch the video that shows how I managed to get what I called, "The biggest penalty in the history of golf." Also, below I'm going to give you an excerpt from chapter one of...

"Life is an Unplayable Lie".

I'll greatly appreciate your comments!

                                           ---Angelo Spagnolo "66"

CHAPTER ONE.

I Never Knew My Real Name Was
         "Charlie Brown"

_________________________________

"Are you crazy? Do you want people to think that I’m making a joke out of this? No way. There’s no way that I’m putting across that path. I’m going to get on that green the way this hole was designed to be played."
________________________________________________________

That was a conversation I was having with my caddy, over 25 years ago. I had already lost about a dozen golf balls into the lake surrounding the dreaded 17th hole at the TPC Sawgrass course in Ponte Vedra, Florida. My caddy at Sawgrass was a young, part-time real estate agent named Paul Karahalios. God bless him, he thought it would be more fortuitous for me to putt my way down a packed sand cart path near the waterline and then out along a snaking path that made its way out to the green. This was about the most absurd idea that I had ever heard in my life and there was no way that I was going to do it. No way!!!…. What I didn’t know at the time was that it wasn’t even my caddy's idea! More on that later...

Have you ever become involved in something and later found yourself asking, "How in God’s name did I ever get myself into this?" That was me all during the years 1984 and 1985. It was during this time when I unwittingly was laying the groundwork for establishing a worldwide reputation for myself as the worst player in the recorded history of golf…the worst on the planet…the worst golfer who ever picked up a club, yes, the worst who ever lived!

"How do you do this," you ask? "It ain’t easy," we often will say here in Southwestern Pennsylvania.

What I’m going to attempt to do in this story is try to explain how all of this came about and the craziness that it became. But as is the case with any good story, I have to first take you back, back, back; All the way back to my days as a young boy growing up in Pittsburgh (sound of harps in background).

I was a pretty happy kid growing up. I was the oldest of three children with a younger sister, Mary, and a little brother, Frank. My parents were hard-working, good people who loved each other and their children very much. We lived in a middle-class neighborhood and we kids all went to Nativity of our Lord Catholic grade school, so religion was always a big part of everything year ‘round.

My earliest sports activities were playing in pickup baseball games and of course, playing little league for four years. I loved baseball as a boy and I played nearly every day. I always had my glove on the handlebars of my bike just in case a game broke out. You would have thought that I would have improved after playing so much, but unfortunately, I didn’t. That should have been an early clue of things to come for me later. Even though I wasn’t some uncoordinated person who was always falling down the steps or something, at an early age I had already displayed a striking inability at playing sports. Any sports.

Normally, when we played pickup games there would only be ten or twelve of us total, so we would have "ghost" fielders. If, say, the fielding team called a "ghost" for left field and the other team hit a ball there, well too bad, you were automatically out. In my case, I was the kid who was always chosen last during the per-game ritual of picking teams. This was because: I couldn’t catch fly balls, I didn’t throw that great and, oh yeah, I couldn’t hit. Other than the fact that I didn’t have blazing speed either, I was great.In reality,I should have been a ghost player.

This was very frustrating because I really loved baseball, but I also really stunk. We used to play on a field that we called "The Coal Mines". This was because that’s basically what it was, an old strip mine where they had basically cut off the top of a hill. This place had only a backstop, no benches, no dugouts and no fences. If you hit a ball over someone’s head, well forget it, you’d be chasing it forever. So being able to hit was a major consideration in these games.

If you ever had to slide at this field, a tremendous cloud of dust would be kicked up and your clothes would be covered in black coal dust. The players would wear this as a badge of honor, viewing themselves as being a gritty player. My mother, on the other hand, would become infuriated at what I was doing to my clothes. She’d often say, "And don’t be going to that coal mine." But with every guy waiting outside my house for me to finish practicing my accordion, well, I had already suffered enough of a humiliation for one day already.

Like a rebel without a cause, I went anyway and tried not to slide. Most of the time there was no problem because I didn’t get on base that often anyway!

My love of baseball continued into organized baseball. In the "minor leagues" I played on the "Pirates". I seldom got a hit, but one day I lucked-out and made contact. I actually hit a double. I didn’t know it at the time, but that would be my career highlight. But most of the time I was an "automatic out". More often than not I was usually looking at simply striking out. My hand-eye coordination was awful, just as it is trying to hitt a stationary golf ball! Naturally, I began "riding the pines" as players do when they stink.

One day we were playing on a field that had benches but no dugout or fences to protect anyone. We were small kids, ten years old, so no one should have been in imminent danger...well one would have thought, anyway. One of my teammates, a righty, was late on a swing. I was sitting on the bench along the first base line, not paying enough attention, when he made solid, albeit late, contact. The result was a hard line drive that hit me directly in my forehead. Since I only had my baseball cap on at the time, the result was the biggest "hit" of my baseball career. I was briefly knocked out.

When I "came to" a short time later, I had a massive welt on my forehead. My firs dubious athletic performance was now history. It was then that the league put in the "Spagnolo Rule": All players at this field not in the game had to wear a batting helmet. My teammates just loved me for that.

The minor league Pirates, just as has been the case for the last 18 years with their modern day brethren in Major League Baseball, were a pretty bad team. However the next year when it came time to move up to the "majors" in our league, I was unbelievably drafted by the best team, the Yankees. They obviously must have been lucky at drafting, because they didn’t much of a scouting department if they drafted me.

This team was loaded with solid players: Good hitters, dominant pitchers and slick fielders. My contribution was usually one or two innings in left field. Since there were more right-handed batters and odds were that they wouldn’t "get around" on the ball against our pitchers, there were less chances that I’d have to be called on to field a fly ball, unless a rare left-handed batter came to the plate. Hence the reason for "hiding" me in left field.

I can vividly remember playing against the "Pirates" in our major leagues. Unlike their minor league counterparts, this team was really good. In a playoff game in later innings, we had runners on second and third with two outs when it came time for my trip to the plate. I was determined that I wasn’t going to strike out and let our team down. I may not have been good, but I was determined, a trait that would rear up its ugly head throughout my sports and business career.

The kid on the mound, Tom Austin, was a hard-throwing, extremely intimidating pitcher. I dug in at the plate and before the first ball was even thrown, the umpire called time out and said, "Son, would you get back off that plate, you’re inside of the batter’s box!!!"

I stepped away, then stepped back in and took a nasty fastball for a called strike one.I knew I could never hit this kid, not in my wildest imagination.The second pitch came in seemingly faster than the first one and I took my patented "rusty gate" swing that produced only a "strike two" call from the ump. There was only one more strike and I wasn’t going to cost us this game I guarantee that.

I dug in again and it was another fastball but this time over the inside corner. I leaned in and took a terrible blow to my upper arm. This kid was the hardest thrower in our league and I got a nasty-looking black and blue mark, complete with the stitches of the ball branded into my arm. But more importantly, I had "taken one for the team." Fighting off tears, I proudly went out to first base while trying to conceal my agony. Meanwhile, our dugout was wild with excitement. We had bases loaded and a chance to win because I had allowed myself to be hit. The next batter, our leadoff man hit a game winning single. I almost felt like I had done it myself. At least I had kept the inning alive! It was a small victory for me, but our team went on to win the league championship. Not because of anything I did, mind you, but because I had allowed a real hitter to get to the plate. But at least I was on a winner. It meant a lot to me.
I began wondering that perhaps baseball just wasn’t the right sport for me though. Maybe I’d have better luck playing football? At least I wouldn’t have to swing at fastballs.....
TO BE CONTINUED....

MELLON ARENA TRIBUTE AWESOME WORK OF CARNEGIE RESIDENT

2011-03-10T10:50:00.002-05:00

As a longtime Pittsburgh sports bloggger, fortunately I get a lot of interesting things sent to me. I received a video from Chris Benson of Carnegie who has a video website called "Benstonium". His video, "Defending Our Home" is of such a high caliber that you are absolutely guaranteed to enjoy it.

ABOVE: The iconic superstructure of the Civic Arena.

BELOW: The Arena as seen from 10,000 feet.

I have seen so many phenomenal videos over the past several months that I can't help but wonder if other cities have videographers to our standard level producing highlight films as good as ours' or if this is simply another Pittsburgh sports phenomenom?

Whatever the case, special thanks to Chris Benson for sending it to us and be absolutely sure, Penguins fans, to check out this video!

ANOTHER GREAT PITTSBURGH COACH GETS HIS JUST REWARD

2011-03-09T21:47:00.000-05:00

ABOVE: Dan Bylsma gets into the spirit of the NHL Winter Classic.

What is it about the City of Pittsburgh? This town has been fortunate to have many of the best coaches in America in several sports over the past forty years. Today, another great young coach found out that he is receiving a three year contract extension. That man, Dan Bylsma is already the winningest coach, percentage-wise, in Penguins history.

By extending Bylsma's contract, he is already assured, excepting for some type of a Mike Haywood-style calamity, of being the longest tenured coach for the Flightless Birds. That, in itself, is amazing as hockey coaches get changed with the same type of frequency that people do spring cleaning. In fact, of all the major sports, hockey coaches seem to have the shortest leash of them all.

ABOVE: Ray Shero (right) shakes hands with someone he obviously looks up to.

But Ray Shero, surely the shrewdest g.m. in hockey, certainly knows something good when he sees it. Bylsma is a cerebral coach who communicates well with both his boss and his players. Witness the horrible blizzard of injuries that have plagued the Penguins during the last few months. Working together, Shero has brought in a cadre of players to replace the injured. These new Penguins came both by trades and call-ups from Wilkes Barre-Scranton's Baby Penguins. It has been amazing to witness how within relatively brief periods of time, each new component has come on to become another productive piece in the Pens lineup.

It's also exciting to think about how a James Neal or Alexi Kovalev will mesh with Sid or Gino if and when those superstars return. So instead of the players mailing-in the balance of the season, incredibly this team, largely through goal tending and defense has managed to keep scoring points, to the degree where they now trail first place Philadelphia by just two points.

People have talked about how, while the Penguins will make the playoffs, they probably won't survive a round or two. Last Saturday, in a game that resembled a playoff game if this writer ever saw one, the Penguins managed to win an extremely tough game, in overtime again, against the big,bad, Boston Bruins.

The Penguins were really taking it to the Bruins and would have won in regulation had it not been for a goal scored while the B's had their goalie pulled. Still, they managed to prevail, 3-2 in overtime. Last night they managed to throttle a very hot Buffalo team 3-1 at home.

These players have bought into Bylsma's system, lock, stock and barrel. As a result, with each passing game, they're gaining more and more chemistry with each other. There have been very few occasions where any team has had to fight through as many injuries as this year's edition of the Penguins. Maybe they took a lesson from Mike Tomlin's bunch this year. They had a lot of injuries too, but they overcame them and went on to make it as far as the SuperBowl. Tomlin is now regarded as one of the greatest coaches in the NFL. If Dan Bylsma can get the Pens to the Stanley Cup Finals using glue, masking tape and rubber bands, he too will then be regarded as one of the top coaches in the NHL. He will have also helped the Pens' bottom line immensely which can't be understated in importance as well.

Yes, the Penguins are very fortunate to have a man like Dan Bylsma. They're also extremely fortunate to have a judge of talent and coaching ability like Ray Shero too. He truly is the best general manager in the game.

TRIPLE CROWN HOPES NOW DEAD. HOW ABOUT TWO CROWNS? ONE CROWN? NO CROWNS? NO!!!!!!

2011-02-17T10:38:00.002-05:00

ABOVE: What looked like potentially the greatest-ever of seasons in Pittsburgh history could degrade into a period of heavy drinking to cushion the pain.

In the mercurial world of sports, it is an ever-changing landscape fraught with land mines everywhere. Despite these dangers, we had every reason to believe, back in December, that we could potentially have been looking at a most-rare Triple Crown season in Pittsburgh this year.

Back then, the Steelers were chopping wood, destroying the Browns and Panthers. Meanwhile, the Penguins, were riding a tsunami that was created by Sidney Crosby as he was playing the best hockey of his already-prodigious career. The Pens were featured on HBO as they approached playing the Winter Classic on New Years Day in Pittsburgh, certainly one of the largest events ever held in the city. Yes, things were certainly looking as good as they've ever been.

ABOVE: The rarely-awarded Triple Crown Trophy.

Meanwhile, over in Oakland, the Pitt Panthers continued to dominate Big East opponents led by sharpshooter, Ashton Gibbs. Pitt touched the number one spot briefly, but for the most part, they've settled into the #4 slot nationally, certainly nothing to sneeze at and most likely they'll be a number one seed in the NCAA Tournament.

ABOVE: It would have been a phenomenal story for the "City of Champions", but alas and alack, not this year.

Once January rolled around though, things started to unravel. The first victim was the Penguins. After Sid suffered two major hits starting off with a blatant cheap shot in the Winter Classic, he was soon to be lost for Lord-knows-how-long with a major concussion, if not worse. Will Crosby be back this year? Probably, but don't be shocked if it doesn't happen.

Once Crosby was injured, it set into motion an avalanche of injuries including such notables as Evgeni Malkin (out for the year), Chris Kunitz, Mark Letestu, and others. In fact at one point, the Pens had to bring up four players on one day from Wilkes Barre and two of them are now hurt! In addition to injuries, the Pens also lost Matt Cooke and Eric Goddard to suspensions. In the now-historic Islanders clash, they finished the game with about three players on the bench!

Escaping with an overtime 3-2 win against the badly-slumping Colorado Avalanche last night, the Pens have now won two of their last six games. They've hardly thrown in the towel, but this team has suffered such upheaval and loss of scoring talent, that barring the return of Sidney Crosby, they would seem to have little chance to make a deep run in the playoffs, being realistic about it.

Meanwhile, after stirring conquests over the Ravens and Jets, the Steelers did the unthinkable, losing for the second time in the SuperBowl in a performance that was definitely not one of their best on the "big stage".

So there's definitely no triple crown and a double crown now has heavy odds against happening too. So what about a single crown?

This very possibly could be Pitt's year. A week or so ago, Ashton Gibbs, at 16.4 points-per-game Pitt's leading scorer, sprained his MCL and hasn't seen the court since. So what has Pitt done in Gibbs' absence? They just beat WVU and Villanova on the road and last night dispatched a game South Florida team 67-55. Not only did they defeat the hoopleheads in their insane asylum, they also beat #10 Villanova in their bandbox on-campus facility where they had only won 46 in a row. While Gibbs continues to rehab, the Panthers keep rolling on. Their tremendous depth is right now paying major dividends for them as they allow Gibbs the proper time to rehab his injury.

ABOVE: Somebody won this baseball tournament. Notice that we haven't mentioned the Pirates in this championship conversation.

This Panther team seems to be one of the most mentally tough and "unrattleable" units in memory. But the NCAA's are a place where dreams can be dashed with one mediocre performance as we well know.

We've already lost one golden opportunity and the second one is flickering. Don't ask me why, but this might be the year when Pitt claims its first national title in basketball. Maybe since it would be such a big deal it would be more appropriate to be a "stand alone" championship for the city?

Nah. Let's Go Pens!

ABOVE: Pittsburghers may have to "break out the heavy stuff" if the Pens and Panthers falter as well.

NEW ABBREVIATION FOR GREED APPROVED BY WEBSTER'S DICTIONARY: "N.F.L."

2011-02-14T09:35:00.000-05:00

ABOVE: The famous, soon-to-be-slaughtered, goose.

While the citizens are still reeling from the news that our country is currently pondering another $1.4 trillion deficit, along comes the N.F.L., literally bathing in money, awash in so much profit that it boggles the mind...and it's still not enough.

Yes the N.F.L. is planning on locking out its players as the end of the current labor agreement, March 3rd, moves ever closer. But is it easy to have any sympathy for any of these characters on either side of the table? Come on man!!!

First of all, the players, by any measuring stick available on the planet earth, are among the highest-compensated people in the world. It's actually funny sometimes hearing the players say things during a contract holdout like, "I have to put bread on my table." Was that bread on the table or were they planning on buying the entire bread plant? Maybe it was the entire county where the plant was located? Maybe they were looking to buy the entire notion, the concept if you will, of bread itself! Most recently it's even funnier seeing these multi-multi-multi millionaires falling all over each other to have surgeries before their health benefits run out! Good Lord! Could you imagine what would happen if a guy who has $50,000,000. in the bank had to pay $10,000 for a surgery? Why he'd be down to having $49,990,000 in there!!! Then what? How could he continue to live? Yes, these guys are truly delusional.

Then there are the owners. They are, by far, the most power-crazed group of people in this country, led by their high priest of avarice, Grand Poobah, Jerry Jones. Jones is the guy who just got done spending more money on a stadium than many countries have for a national budget. Yet his greed, and the greed of the league was so great, that they were even moved to install temporary seats for the SuperBowl so they could shoehorn even more people inside. Of course we also know that the jumbo screens, mounted outside of the stadium for the poor slobs who couldn't afford $5,000 tickets to get in, were not free to watch, as is the case with "Mario's T.V." located outside Penguins playoff games. Hey, why not hit 'em for a couple hundred? Right?

These guys will squeeze a buffalo nickel until it squeals. I'm glad they're now facing a class action suit for their illegal and unsafe seating. Do you know that they even placed some of the Dallas season ticket holders into folding chairs so that they could raise their attendance figures even higher? That's Dallas' own season ticket holders!!!

Oh there are no limits to their con games. Take for example that purist, Roger Goodell telling reporters that, "I have fans telling me all the time that they want an 18 game season." No Roger, what they're saying is that they don't want to pay full price for an exhibition game that means nothing where the veterans are playing to preserve their career when they're playing at all.

It is shameful that this league forces their season ticket holders to pay for this charade masking as football. Even that paragon of common sense, Major League Baseball, doesn't force their season ticket holders to underwrite their practice games. While true, the Pirates play their exhibition games in Florida, they're not expecting fans who attend games there to pay regular season prices. That would be a double insult, after all.

Yes, while our country continues to slide into a financial abyss and normal, everyday people have less and less money to really put actual bread on their table, it would be interesting to see the N.F.L., that bastion of freedom, liberty, apple pie and jet flyovers to proclaim that the owners want to really help the country they claim to love so much. In an unprecedented move, they would donate XXX,XXX,XXX million dollars annually to help fund job initiation programs for everyday people and help underwrite new businesses where manufacturing would be reestablished in this country instead of having to phone China for everything.

ABOVE: Our delusional government spends $450,000 to fly over a closed stadium at SuperBowl XLV for a five second appearance on television. No wonder we're in the shape that we're in!

The players, for their part, would agree to the new rookie salary scale, while the owners would agree to drop the exhibition games as a requirement for season ticket packages. In Pittsburgh, I'm sure that with a fireworks show or an appearance by Three Dog Night they'd still pack the place. If the Pirates can manage that, I'm sure the Steelers could. The players would then keep a status quo on the number of "live" games they'd have to play and the season ticket holders would even save a few bucks. Even better, people who can never get into a Steeler game would finally have a chance to do so...even if it was an exhibition. But the fireworks and Three Dog Night will make it all worthwhile!

ABOVE: The influence and popularity of Three Dog Night continues to be undeniable.

From the standpoint of supplying health benefits for retired veterans, the league would agree to provide matching funds from each new player contract at a negotiated figure. Whatever the player's union wants to pay, the owners will match it. This would create a pool of funds that each retired player would be entitled to request aid from if now physically and financially unable to provide for himself.

Yes there are all kinds of creative ideas that both sides could be proposed if they were really interested in doing good things for the game, their fans and their country. Unfortunately, these people on both sides are driven only by one word: greed. With that being the case, don't be shocked to see a full house for all Pitt games this season. That might be the only place to get your dose of live football this year.

PITT MEATGRINDER KEEPS ON GRINDING UP BIG EAST FOES

2011-02-09T12:07:00.006-05:00

The Pitt Panthers had to struggle the other night against their arch-nemesis, the West Virginia Mountain Kin, but even without their leading scorer, three point maven Ashton Gibbs (46% for the season beyond the arc), the Panthers (now 22-2) were able to win in Motown, a difficult place to play indeed, by a 71-66 score. Gibbs, the team's leading scorer at 16.3 p.p.g. is suffering from a strained MCL. He says he's not in pain, but he feels as though his knee is going to buckle when he tries to cut.

ABOVE: Travon Woodall, Ashton Gibbs and Gary McGhee celebrate another Pitt victory.

Gibbs is expected to be out 1-2 weeks. Along with his amazing 3 point touch, he is also averaging 89% from the free throw line. This is a player, obviously, whom you want to have on the floor and healthy during the upcoming Big East and NCAA tournaments.

Gary McGhee was once again a force to be reckoned with and if I've ever seen a player who is the perfect example of what the University of Pittsburgh's "Jamie Dixon School of Basketball" can do for a young man's basketball career, he is it.

ABOVE: A chistled Gary McGhee brings a physical style of play in an early-season conquest over UConn.

When he first arrived on the scene, McGhee was a rumbling, stumbling, bumbling, fouling machine. It was amazing how he could come into a game and immediately start piling up fouls and creating turnovers. His clumsiness was astounding for a division one athlete.

Today, McGhee is one lean, mean rebounding machine and the clumsiness is gone. He's a terrific rebounder, makes great outlet passes, runs the floor well, plays agressive defense and even scores with respectable frequency (22 minutes p.g., 7.3 points and 8.2 rebounds). What school wouldn't want a player like Gary McGhee on their team?

In short, Pitt would definitely not be 22-2 and ranked #4 in the country without one Mr. Gary Magee. This leads to another obvious question: How does Dixon do it? He consistently takes less than stellar talents and molds them into some of the finest players in the country. The Dixon way is the unselfish way. Anyone wanting minutes on this team had better plan on playing suffocating defense as well as a team-first style of offense. His players also become physical specimens during what must be relentless practices (they're always closed to the public).

ABOVE: Pitt players Ashton Gibbs, Gary McGhee, Tyrell Biggs and Gilbert Brown chill out before a game.

Right now we are watching the gradual transformation of one of Dixon's most highly-touted recruits in recent years, Dante Taylor. Taylor came with all of the McDonald's accolades attached to him when he arrived at Pitt, but he quickly showed that raw talent or not, he was far from ready for the level of play that his teammates had already been exposed to at Pitt. While he is not as bad as Magee was during his first two seasons, he is still well below the game that Magee has honed for himself today. Taylor also seems to have a chippy attitude at times during games. An example of this came during the recent WVU game where he "accidentally" walked into referee Tim Higgins in a circumstance that easily could have and in reality should have been called a technical foul. I'm sure this attitude hasn't eluded the scrutiny of Jamie Dixon either. It's just another rough edge that Dixon will have to "sand off" Taylor's game. Such is the life of a successful college coach.

Meanwhile the Pitt basketball machine just keeps on grinding up opponents methodically. With a two game lead in the Big East and an upcoming game against Villanova, everything's looking rosy for the "Dixon Basketball School". Hopefully Ashton Gibbs will be back soon, but in his absence, Travon Woodall will be getting more minutes than usual, a reward for a great team player and #6 man. He deserves them and he's more than capable. That's the Jamie Dixon way.

UPCOMING PITT SCHEDULE

02/12/11 at Villanova Villanova, Pa./The Pavilion 9:00 p.m. ET
02/16/11 vs. South Florida Petersen Events Center 7:00 p.m. ET
02/19/11 at St. John's N.Y./Madison Square Garden 12:00 p.m. ET
02/24/11 vs. West Virginia Petersen Events Center 9:00 p.m. ET
02/27/11 at Louisville Louisville, Ky./KFC Yum! Center 2:00 p.m. ET
03/02/11 at South Florida Tampa, Fla./Sun Dome 9:00 p.m. ET
03/05/11 vs. Villanova Petersen Events Center 4:00 p.m. ET

STEELERS SUFFER SECOND-EVER SUPERBOWL DISASTER

2011-02-07T12:57:00.001-05:00

ABOVE: As seen from outer space, today a gigantic black hole is sucking the life out of the entire Pittsburgh area into "God knows where".

Just as every other Steeler fan who watched SuperBowl XLCDII2 or whatever the hell number it was, today we all have one thing in mind: Escaping the gigantic black hole that now threatens to destroy all of us.

As Steeler fans we don't accept losing easily. To describe it even more succinctly, losing for us is tantamount to a complete disaster, to be avoided at any cost. But I must admit that for as confident as I had felt prior to this game, that confidence came leaking out as though there was a two foot hole in a hot air balloon during that awful "Aguilera Anthem" that we all had to endure. The sight of seeing seasoned veteran, Hines Ward, hyperventilating was a little more than I could take. I was half expecting him to keel over. This was the time that was supposed to be our advantage! Our guys had been there before! Was this a sign that subconsciously the Steelers were already fearing the worst? Methinks so.

You already know what happened in this game, I'm not going to bore you with another blow-by-blow-by-blow recap, but I'm basically going to take a different approach to this story through actual pictures that were not cleared by the NFL. As everyone in the free world already knows, we basically beat ourselves, much the same as Neil O'Donnell did in SperBowl XXX with two interceptions and a killing fumble. These plays can best be described through the photos below.

ABOVE: Ben Roethlisberger's arm is hit as he throws to Mike Wallace. We all know what happened next: Pick six.

ABOVE: Ben forces a pass to Mike Wallace in tight coverage. After this second interception, four plays later the black & gold found themselves down 21-3

If there's one thing that was reinforced during this game though, it's that the Steelers never quit, no matter how deep of a hole they may dig for themselves. Another image that was further reinforced is that Pittsburgh fans have unquenchable thirsts, especially on the South Side at the many fine establishments there...

ABOVE: Trailing 21-10 at the half, Steeler fans stepped up their drinking by hijacking a beer truck in the hopes that their collective inebriated state would somehow transfer itself to Aaron Rodgers. In theory a fun idea, but it didn't work. This is the aftermath of that beer orgy.

As I said earlier, the Steelers are not quitters. In the second half they came out smoking and stuffed the Packers, following it up with a Rashard Mendenhall ten yard touchdown run. However, for Mendenhall, who had become a solid ball carrier this year, he chose a most inopportune time to have the most disastrous play of his career.

The Steelers had stopped the Packers yet again and their momentum was threatening to take them all the way back into the lead. It was turning into a comeback of historic proportions. On second and two and just after an eight yard run, the third quarter ended. The Steelers had the ball on the Green Bay 40 with a full head of momentum. The first play of the quarter, unfortunately, was not good. That last sentence could best be described as an "understatement".

ABOVE: Rashard Mendenhall's fumble was the turning point in this game. It was enough to send many despondent fans over the side of the Westinghouse Bridge.

BELOW: Casualties were not confined to human beings. A television, set up for Pittsburgh Zoo workers was unfortunately observed by this pacyderm. The end result was not pretty.

While the Steelers then fell behind 28-17 on a Rodgers pass to Jennings, to their credit, these guys weren't about to go quietly into the night. Mike Wallace would score on a 25 yard touchdown pass, capped by a two point conversion scored by Antwaan Randle-El on a "wishbone-type" option play.

Amazingly, the Steelers were now only down by a field goal. They were now starting to resemble this guy:

ABOVE: Yes, it's the "T-1000" from "Terminator 2". Try as Arnold would, he just couldn't kill this guy.

On the very next possession, the Steelers defense, in a position to get the ball back, had Aaron Rodgers just where they wanted him. With the ball on his own 25 and facing a third and ten, Rodgers, the eventual MVP, did what MVPs do:

ABOVE: Heartbroken again, this time by a 30 yard completion to Grant Jennings, Aaron Rodgers sliced the Steelers secondary up for another big gain. The man is truly ruthless.

To their stubborn credit...again....the Steelers managed to force the Packers to successfully kick a 23 yard field goal, leaving them with a six point lead, 31-25, and a full two minutes to work for Big Ben. These two teams had been considered so close, was it possible that the Steelers could pull out another amazing finish and win by a single point?

There were three reasons why this ultimately would not happen. The Steelers had squandered two timeouts earlier in the half. This in itself comprised two cardinal sins for a SuperBowl game. Then there was Keyaron Fox. His bonehead personal foul penalty on the ensuing kickoff was completely unacceptable, especially for a team captain. Fox took this same unnecessary roughness penalty in another game earlier this season. With the SuperBowl on the line, it is inconceivable that a shove could have really been worth it to him at that moment.

ABOVE: Keyaron Fox demonstrates another personality flaw in an earlier game this season, celebrating over a helpless Carolina Panther.

So after Fox's idiocy, the Steelers now had to start at their 12 yard line. A pass to Heath Miller moved it to the 25. Hines then caught a pass for four yards followed by a throwaway and then two incompletions to Mike Wallace...and that was the ballgame, as they say.

Mike Tomlin, obviously very hot over this loss and more abrupt than normal was nonetheless gracious to the Packers in defeat. "Usually when you lose it's because of penalties and turnovers...But we're not about making excuses...ever. Our hat is off to the Green Bay Packers. They made enough plays today, we didn't."

For Pittsburgh fans their only option today is to register for disaster assistance while dealing at the same time with a classic case of football withdrawl. It's not going to be fun living in Pittsburgh until the draft. Maybe, if we can get some offensive line help and a couple defensive backs, we'll be able to look forward to next season. But with Evgeni Malkin out for the year and Sidney Crosby dealing with a concussion in Nova Scotia, it might be a long winter. We may have to pin all of our winter hopes on the Pitt basketball Panthers. Maybe Pitt can reverse their NCAA fortunes this time...

ABOVE: Thanks to some quick thinking by the mayor, Pittsburgh today opened an office of "Disaster Recovery".

SO WHO'S PLAYING THEIR LAST GAME IN DALLAS?

2011-02-05T21:09:00.000-05:00

ABOVE: Charlie Batch picked a bad year to have to declare bankruptcy as this more than likely will be his final season as Ben's backup. Batch suffered massive losses when his property development plans flamed out along with the economy.

The Pittsburgh Steelers will be one of the last two teams playing their final game of the NFL season tomorrow night and once again they have a very strong possibility of having the final pick in the 2011 draft. But here's an interesting question that hasn't been discussed much since, of course, the main focus has been completely on the SuperBowl: Who won't be on the 45 man roster next season (if there is a season)? I thought it would be interesting, though, to speculate now, in advance of the SuperBowl, so that you might be able to glimpse a few of these athletes during what might be their final Steeler game.

What I've done is list all of the current active and practice squad Steelers and mark them with two different symbols. Those who I feel will most definitely be gone, I've marked with an "X". Those who are "on the bubble" will be marked with an "*". Of course it's just speculation, but it's part of the year-around fascination with the NFL.

ABOVE: Antwaan Randle-El has become a master of the fair catch in a comeback season that has been largely forgettable.

Overall, I have 16 players who could go "either way" and three that I would be very surprised to see wearing the black & gold next season. More than likely though, I would expect to see seven to ten new Steelers making the final roster next year. This is an aging, heavily-veteran team, however the aging vets are amazing pure athletes. Of that group if any were to not make it back next season, that would probably be Aaron Smith. He's just been breaking down too frequently the last few campaigns.

ABOVE: It would be a great story if hard-luck wideout, Limas Sweed, could pull a miracle comeback, but that ship may have already sailed, unfortunately.

Guys like James Farrior and Hines Ward will more than likely be back. Their competitive fires still burn very brightly and I believe that both have at least one more season if not more left. Flozell Adams has been rock solid this season, but who knows, after 14 years and if the Steelers win the SuperBowl, he could just decide to go out on a high note.

But if your last name happens to be "Batch", "Sweed" or "Randle-El" you may want to start checking the "help wanted" ads.

Pittsburgh Steelers 2010 Final Roster

No Name              Pos      Stat.      Ht.   Wt   Birth.          Exp     College
71   Adams, Flozell T        ACT      6'7"   338 5/18/1975    13   Mich. State     *
26   Allen, Will       DB     ACT      6'1"   200 6/17/1982     7   Ohio State      *
16 Batch, Charlie   QB      ACT      6'2"   216 12/5/1974    13    East. Mich.     X
81   Battle, Arnaz   WR     ACT       6'1" 208  2/22/1980    8     Notre Dame    *
84   Brown, Antonio WR    ACT     5'10"  186   7/10/1988    0     Cent. Mich.
28   Butler, Crezdon DB      ACT     6'1"   191   5/26/1987    0     Clemson
25 Clark, Ryan      FS       ACT     5'11"  205  10/12/1979   9 LSU
74 Colon, Willie      T       RES      6'3"   315   4/9/1983      5 Hofstra
10   Dixon, Dennis   QB      RES      6'3"   209 1/11/1985    3     Oregon
27 Dwyer, Jonathan RB    ACT     5'11"  229   7/26/1989    0     Georgia Tech
93 Eason, Nick        DE    ACT     6'3"    305   5/29/1980    8    Clemson         *
79   Essex, Trai         G     ACT     6'5"   324    12/5/1982    6   Northwestern   *
51   Farrior, James   ILB    ACT     6'2"   243    1/6/1975   14    Virginia
50   Foote, Larry       LB      ACT     6'1"    239   6/12/1980    9     Michigan         *
73   Foster, Ramon    G       ACT     6'6"    325    1/7/1986     2   Tennessee
57   Fox, Keyaron    ILB    ACT      6'3"    235   1/24/1982    7    Georgia Tech
22   Gay, William     CB     ACT      5'10"  190    1/1/1985     4    Louisville
98   Hampton, Casey NT    ACT        6'1"   325    9/3/1977    10   Texas
37   Harris, Tuff        DB     RES       6'0"   198    1/23/1983   3   Montana
92   Harrison, James OLB   ACT      6'0"   242    5/4/1978     7    Kent St.
76   Hoke,Chris          NT    ACT      6'2"   305    4/6/1976     9    Brigham Young
96 Hood, Ziggy       DE     ACT       6'3"   300     2/16/1987   2   Missouri
85 Johnson, David   TE      ACT      6'2"    260    8/26/1987   2   Arkansas State
13 Kapinos, Jeremy P      ACT      6'1"    233    8/23/1984   2   Penn State      *
99   Keisel, Brett       DE   ACT      6'5"    285    9/19/1978    9   Brigham Young
68   Kemoeatu, Chris G      ACT      6'3"    344     1/4/1983    6   Utah
4 Leftwich, Byron    QB    ACT       6'5"    250    1/14/1980    8   Marshall
64  Legursky, Doug     G     ACT      6'1"    315      6/9/1986    2   Marshall
23 Lewis, Keenan     CB     ACT       6'0"    208     5/17/1986   2   Oregon State
37 Madison, Anthony DB    ACT      5'9"    180     10/8/1981   5   Alabama
20 McFadden, Bryant CB   ACT       6'0"   190     11/21/1981 6   Fla. State     *
69 McLendon, Steve DT    ACT       6'4"    280     1/3/1986    1   Troy              *
34 Mendenhall, Rash.RB     ACT      5'10"  225     6/19/1987   3   Illinois
83 Miller, Heath        TE     ACT      6'5"    256    10/22/1982 6    Virginia
21 Moore, Mewelde    RB    ACT      5'11"  209     7/24/1982    7 Tulane          *
29 Mundy, Ryan         SS    ACT       6'1"    209     2/11/1985    2   West Virginia
43 Polamalu, Troy      SS   ACT       5'10"   207     4/19/1981   8   USC
53 Pouncey, Maurkice   C    ACT       6'4"    304     7/24/1989    0   Florida
82 Randle El, Antwaan WR ACT       5'10"  185     8/17/1979    9   Indiana        X
33 Redman, Isaac       RB   ACT       6'0"    230     11/10/1984 1   Bowie State
7 Roethlisberger, BenQB ACT       6'5"    241     3/2/1982     7   Miami (Ohio)
88 Sanders, Emmanuel WR ACT      5'11"   180    3/17/1987     0 SMU
61 Scott, Chris              T ACT       6'4"    319     8/4/1987     0   Tennessee   *
72 Scott, Jonathan        OT ACT      6'6"     318    1/10/1983    4   Texas
9   Sepulveda, Daniel     P   RES       6'3"    230     1/12/1984    4   Baylor          *
91 Smith, Aaron            DE ACT      6'5"     298     4/19/1976   12 N. Colorado *
89 Spaeth, Matt            TE   ACT     6'7"    270    11/24/1983   4   Minnesota    *
78 Starks, Max               T RES      6'8"     345     1/10/1982    7   Florida         *
6   Suisham, Shaun         K ACT     6'0"     200    12/29/1981   5 Bowling Green
80 Sweed, Limas          WR RES      6'4"     220    12/25/1984   3   Texas           X
55 Sylvester, Stevenso LB    ACT     6'2"     231     7/18/1988    0   Utah
24 Taylor, Ike                CB ACT     6'2"     195     5/5/1980      8   Louisiana-Laf.
94 Timmons, Lawrence ILB  ACT     6'1"     234    5/14/1986    4   Florida State
17 Wallace, Mike          WR ACT     6'0"     199     8/1/1986      2   Mississippi
86 Ward, Hines          WR  ACT     6'0"     205     3/8/1976     13  Georgia
60 Warren, Greg            LS    ACT     6'3"    252    10/18/1981   6   UNC
56 Woodley, LaMarr      OLB  ACT     6'2"    265     11/3/1984    4   Michigan
97 Worilds,   Jason        LB    ACT     6'1"    262       3/3/1988   0 Virginia Tech
Abbreviations
ACT = Active
RES = Injured reserve
NON = Non football related injured reserve
SUS = Suspended
PUP = Physically unable to perform
UDF = Unsigned draft pick
EXE = Exempt

PITTSBURGH, THE CITY OF CHAMPIONS, AND DON'T YOU EVER FORGET IT!!!

2011-02-04T20:01:00.003-05:00

Before our fans dive head first into another "ring game" I thought it would be great to look back and reflect on the greatness that we've been priviliged to see around here for, oh, about 40 years. During that time, the Steelers have already won six SuperBowls, the Penguins three Stanley Cups and the Pirates, amazingly, two World Series. That's 11 championships or one every 3 1/2 years! If the Steelers win on Sunday, that number will climb to 12 titles or one every three years four months! Should the Pens also win the cup this year, 13 titles would translate into one championship every three years one month. If Pitt would pull off a miracle in the NCAAs, then we're talking 14 championships or one every two years and ten months! This is insanity, but potentially it could happen which would make 2010-2011 the most championships ever in one year for this city. The most in one year until now was two in 1979 when the Steelers and Pirates did it and two in 2008 with the Steelers and Penguins doing it.

A videographer by the name of "Toxic Sunset" has done another amazing job, this time producing a video titled, "City of Champions". "Toxic Sunset" is the same person who created the incredibly-stirring "Unstoppable" that is displayed at the top of our right hand column. This guy(?) (presumably) has tremendous talent and could be working for NFL films. I guarantee you'll love what he does with the Steelers and Penguins (sorry, no Pirates highlights in this one).

LEFT: The constant reminder that you should cherish every moment that we are now experiencing. Who among the Pirates fans of 1979 would have ever dreamed that it would be 31 years and still counting between championships (if there ever is another one again).

STEELER FAN VIDEOS FLOODING THE INTERNET

2011-02-04T13:03:00.001-05:00

I've been receiving tons of email lately that contain humorous videos produced by Steeler fans. This first one, though, really takes the cake. It's been done as a c.g.i. (computer generated image) complete with computer-generated voices. With a Green Bay Packer fan sporting an outfit complete with a head of broccoli on his shirt, he gets into a spirited debate with a Steeler fan. Yes there are a few profanities, just to warn you, but it is very funny.

ABOVE: Broccoli in cheese sauce. If this is all there was to eat on a desert island, I would surely die of starvation. Yet it is the dish of choice for Packer fans. To see how this epic confrontation is decided between a Steeler and Packer fan click here! The video was produced by David Schultz and his production company is named "Xtranormal".

Then there's this full scale Hollywood production that details 24 hours in the life of a Steeler fan. It came to me under the heading "Steelers destiny video". Naturally, my curiosity got the better of me. So if you really want to see what a day is like for a Steeler fan before the SuperBowl, click here on 24/7 Chief Andres: A Yinzer's Road to SuperBowl XLV. This video is so high quality that even a multitude of profanities are bleeped out. So I give it a PG rating.

ABOVE: A typical Yinzer being interviewed in New Orleans prior to the Steelers losing there this year. I believe doing the interviewing is either Channel 11's Rich Walsh or this guy,

ABOVE: Separated at birth, Rich Walsh's older brother, "Baywatch's own David Hasselhoff. We've sent notice to Rich about the discovery.

Last, but certainly not least, I came upon this typical Steeler fan video where shots to the head are glorified by the opponent erupting into flames after being "jacked-up" by the Steeler. It's really funny, especially if you like seeing players being concussed (which of course all Steeler fans secretly do).

ABOVE: If only players really would combust into flames after getting "jacked up". I should talk to Raja Goodell about this idea. Then again, maybe not! So if you're in the mood for some good old Steelers violence, click here for Steeler Killer Hits! Brought to you by "BenDaFranchise Entertainment"

BEN'S ENTITLED TO A LIFE, BUT IT'LL NEVER BE THE SAME AGAIN

2011-02-03T22:25:00.001-05:00

"CLEARING MY DESK"
Editorial commentary by Angelo Spagnolo, Publisher

Okay, it's a given that Big Ben has screwed up plenty during the last few off seasons. If he wasn't wrecking his motorcycle, he was having train wrecks of other varieties. For his much-publicized brushes with the law, Roethlisberger became a pariah and was nearly shipped out a 'la Santonio Holmes. In fact, it was almost miraculous that he wasn't traded since his problems were far greater than those of Santonio Holmes. Some may argue that he's a great quarterback, the rarest of the rare commodities in the NFL. Others who focus on racial inequalities may argue that Ben, in addition to being a quarterback was also the "right color". While I personally don't prescribe to this theory, there aren't many Steelers who have screwed-up to half of the degree that Big Ben has who are still on the team.

He served a league suspension that was reduced from six games to four and has been a model citizen since his return. Despite my dislike of Roger Goodell, especially his most-recent attempts to make additional headlines for himself, I still feel that he may have unwittingly saved Roethlisberger's career from...Ben Roethlisberger.

Call it immaturity, call it being in love with yourself, call it having too much money, call it whatever you will, Roethlisberger had clearly lost his compass. His career was on the verge of an implosion.

Now comes word that Ben was out with the guys last night, treating his linemen to dinner and then drinks at a piano bar. There's no harm in that, right? Absolutely not. But in this era of instantaneous news reporting, Ben has to realize that he is now, unfortunately, a marked man. No matter how innocent this man's activities may be, like O.J. Simpson, another athlete who beat a rap for a crime that most Americans felt he had committed, Big Ben is viewed unfortunately in much the same way. Unfortunately, he's viewed by many as a rapist who plies his intended victims with liquor and who so far has eluded prosecution because of who he is, not necessarily because he's innocent. Just the way O.J. was followed around golf courses, supermarkets, fast food restaurants and laundromats, Ben Roethlisberger will be condemned to a life of having people looking through shrubs and turning on cell phone cameras in piano bars because of his past actions.

Sure, Ben did nothing wrong last night, but for as long as he is the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback, he will be sentenced to a life of being scrutinized under an electron microscope. For this reason, Ben should have taken the high road and taken the guys out for a great steak dinner, a few glasses of wine and called it a night. I'm sure that everyone would have understood and then the denizens at TMZ could have focused on some other victim. But until Ben finally learns this basic principle, expect these kinds of stories to continue, no matter how innocent the activities may have been.

People may justifiably cry "foul", but the next person who can get that picture of Big Ben doing something awkward or worse, being drunk with a woman, will be able to cash in big on that picture. The bottom-feeders know this and they won't be going away anytime soon.

NOSTRADAMUS SEES A "LARGE CLOCK TOWER" LOOMING BIG AT SUPERBOWL XLV

2011-02-03T11:24:00.006-05:00

ABOVE: Several workers, dressed appropriately in black & gold, work at polishing the public persona of "Big Ben".

Every once in a great while, when there are extremely important games involving our beloved Black & Gold adorned sports teams, we will go to the very great expense of bringing in the one, the only, Michel de Nostradamus to give us his take on the crucial, upcoming match. In this case, it's "The Big Game", "The Grand Enchilada", "The Bowl that is Super" or the game known only by those who have paid the NFL to use its name...The "SuperBowl".

Ever since we have begun using the services of Nostradamus a few years ago, he has established a perfect record in predicting the fortunes of our local teams...even going so far as to name "A young man by the name of 'Antonio'" as being the hero in the AFC Championship game.

As soon as the Steelers dispatched the Jets to the trash heap of the NFL vanquished with Antonio Brown's clutch third down catch, we sent an email to Nostradamus asking him for another prediction interview (paid of course). Naturally, he took the obvious opportunity to tell us that he "knew" we would be calling. He promised to get back to us and remarkably, four days before the game, we already have had that interview (Last week he waited until three hours before gametime).

So without further adieu and in deep gratitude for all of his prior great information, here now is our predictions interview with the amazing Michel de Nostradamus with his SuperBowl pronostications.

"P.B. & G.": So how do you see the Steelers doing in the "big game"?

Nostradamus: I see Hines Ward taking all of the money, especially James Farrior's.

"P.B. & G.": James Farrior's money?? What are you talking about?

Nostradamus: The big card game on Friday night. Tomlin told Hines to cool it on the strip bars, so the guys are having a big card game on Friday night instead.

"P.B. & G.": Brother! I'm talking about the SuperBowl game on Sunday night. I need predictions about that game!

Nostradamus: You know that you must be more specific with me. I'm looking at thousands of years of history you know.

"P.B. & G.": Okay, you make a good point. Let me rephrase my original question. What is your prediction regarding the outcome of SuperBowl XLV on Sunday, February 6th beginning at 6:30 p.m. being played at the Cowboys stadium in Dallas between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers. There, was that specific enough?

Nostradamus: Yes, very good. You're learning. It will be a titanic struggle, but those proclaiming to be men who slaughter meat whose fans, ironically, are partial to only dairy products will be in for an extreme disappointment. The defensive portion of the Pittsburgh unit will be particularly incensed due to the fact that they have achieved "underdog" status in this battle despite their unparalled success since...oh... 1974.

Also, there is a fellow who carries an odd-shaped object that I believe is covered with the hide of a sow, of all things, who will play a pivotal role. I believe his name is Rishad.

"P.B. & G.": Are you sure you're not talking about Rashard Mendenhall?

Nostradamus: Are you forgetting that I once referred to Hitler as Hister? I have a problem with names, okay?

"P.B. & G.": So go ahead, you were saying that Mendenhall will be a key?

Nostradamus: No, I said Rishad, if you will stop interrupting. Rishad will be big, the defense will be big, especially the one with the flowing locks. But the biggest one of all will be the one referred to as the "Large Clock". Yes the large clock will toll mournfully for the meat men of the bay, but that same bell will play a song that will be music to the ears all those who love him despite his human foibles.

"P.B. & G.": What type of a score do you foresee?

Nostradamus: I see the team from the three rivers inflicting great pain and injury as well as exerting their will over their green-adorned opposition. Yes, they ironically will be "green with envy" as the great silver prize, awarded by a man who perceives himself to be a king, is presented to representatives originally from Ireland as well as the large clock tower and his friends. In the end the vanquished will have scored just 13 points whilst the clock tower and his sow carrier will emerge with 24. This margin of victory will cause a great weeping and gnashing of teeth to all supporters of dairy products everywhere. Yay their supporters will rue this day for years to come whilst the legend of the men who each year are forged seemingly from molten metal will continue to grow.

"P.B. & G.": Thanks Nostradamus! Wow. That's a relief!!! I was really worried about this one! Now I can watch this game Sunday and really enjoy it!!!

NEED TO GET FIRED UP? THIS WILL HELP!!!

2011-02-01T14:20:00.000-05:00

ABOVE: So why are we featuring a picture of the infamous Rowdy Roddy Piper? Read on dear readers!

Sometimes the buildup to the SuperBowl gets on my nerves, such as when the NFL bullies people who have the audacity to even breathe the sacred word...SuperBowl...out loud. There, I did it. SuperBowl, SuperBowl, SuperBowl, SuperBowl for good measure.

I am sick and tired of hearing the SuperBowl being referred to as "The Big Game" or even, "The Bowl that is Super" because people are afraid of being sued by the NFL. Can you imagine that a football league could become so powerful that they could intimidate a whole country into not using a word?

You drive down streets and see bars and restaurants with signs that read, "Watch the Big Game here Sunday Night". So, is it the Penguins they're talking about? Maybe Pitt's basketball team is playing? The Pirates aren't playing so it certainly can't be them. No, of course we know it's the SuperBowl they're referring to.

I don't know, maybe I'm mistaken, but I don't remember when the Pens were in the Stanley Cup seeing signs that read, "Watch the Cup which Lord Stanley originated here tonight". Even in my youth when the Pirates were still relevant, I never saw a banner that said, "We have twenty screens for you to watch The Biggest Series in the World." Or even this year we might see, "Eat our hot wings and watch Pitt play in the Madness which March has now become."

How ridiculous.

Yes, I guess what I'm saying is that the NFL suits do nothing but get on my nerves with their heavy-handed attempts at controlling everybody and everything. But while I still need charged-up for the Steelers seventh SuperBowl win, I decided to do something a little different this time. That's when this guy, Jim Shearer, came in pretty handy.

ABOVE: Jim Shearer produces a weekly Steelers video entitled "YLDS" (Yinz Luv Da Stillers" If you click on this link you'll see his outstanding "Bowl that is Super" production including his band's punk rock version of a new Steeler fight song at the end of the video which is truly awesome. While that song was great, it also led me to view this Pittsburgher's other music video about the legendary Rowdy Roddy Piper. This song is so perfect for such a dynamic character as Piper that you truly owe it to yourself to view these 2:49 seconds of absolute mayhem. It will also, coincidentally, get you primed for the 60 minutes of "organized mayhem" coming up this Sunday night! The song is appropriately titled, "My Man's Rowdy Roddy Piper".

ABOVE: The mutitalented Jim Shearer (far right) with his "Deck of Jack" band mates. He produces the penultimate Steeler fan highlight video each week and is the lead singer for "Deck of Jack" too! No wonder Pittsburgh's so great...it's because of multitaskers like these guys!!!!

PACKERS SHOULD BEWARE OF DREADED # "857"

2011-01-28T21:37:00.003-05:00

ABOVE: The sun sets recently over Lake Michigan near Green Bay Wisconsin. The Steelers by this time are in the Packers' heads for sure. So is the number, 857.

Two weeks ago, the New York Jets defeated their arch-rival, the New England Patriots in a much-anticipated game for both teams. The Jets, as was very evident the following week, had experienced a "football high". They were doing cartwheels, doing flips, pretending they were Jets flying around the field. In short, they were celebrating the biggest victory they'd had in probably 42 years. But that was the problem. The Jets, unfortunately for them, were deliriously celebrating a crushing victory over their hated rival, the Patriots. They had forgotten that there were bigger fish to fry ahead if they wanted to win their first SuperBowl since number III. The veteran Steelers promptly handed them their heads.

ABOVE: "Surviving the World"- Lesson #857

The Steelers conversely dispatched their own nemesis, the Baltimore Ravens, and performed no cartwheels. This team knows what the big prize is. The Ravens were handled and now they can fade away. There was no need to get delirious.

Fast forward to last Sunday. The Steelers were certainly happy to have won the AFC Championship and they very properly accepted their trophy. But make no mistake about it, the Lamar Hunt Trophy is nice to have, but no one keeps track of how many Hunt Trophies you've won.

ABOVE: The old USS King County proudly displays her #857.

The Steelers have a single mindset that they will claim their seventh Lombardi Trophy. For the 19 players on this team who already own one ring and the 10 who have managed to win two, they have an unquenchable thirst to do it again. They know that they are beginning to approach the same legendary status that the team of the 70s managed, winning four SuperBowls in six years. They want that legendary feeling attached to their names too.

ABOVE: "Herbie's" famous California license plate. "So where are we going with this," you ask? Read on...

Last week meanwhile, the Packers edged out their rivals, the offensively-challenged Chicago Bears who needed a third string quarterback to even make it a game. To be kind, the Packers and their all-world quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, did not look like world beaters on this day, but they won...just like the Steelers.

I like the Packers. They're one of my favorite NFL teams. I really like Aaron Rodgers too. However, as I see it, the Packers are a year early to claim SuperBowl XLV. They'll lose to the Steelers but more than likely win it all next year (when the Steelers go into their post-SuperBowl funk). See, they're really not focused enough on the Steelers. They're still busy relishing that big win over their hated rivals, the Bears in Chicago no less and they're just thrilled to now be in the SuperBowl.

The thrill of being in the SuperBowl plus the gigantic difference in experience on this big of a stage should be just enough to give the nod to the Steelers and have them cart home another piece of Tomlin "hardware". Look for the Steelers to "go for the jugular" early and often when the jitters are at their highest level. In fact, if they win the toss, I expect them to take the ball and not defer as they many times do.

Pittsburgh getting 2 1/2? You've got to be kidding. That's like having a license to print money! In fact, I'm going to remortgage my house! Only kidding. The last time I bet on a football game Dick LeBeau was still playing!

Oh, and by the way, the Steelers have been to seven prior SuperBowls and won six of them. That's an .857 percentage!!! They don't go to the SuperBowl to lose, that's for sure and the one they did lose remains one of the greatest conundrums in SuperBowl history. Why go if you're not planning to win, right? The Steelers are a confident, talented, very veteran bunch. Will they be excited before the game? Sure. Will they be paralyzed in fear of making a mistake? No. That's why I'm confident that they'll bring home number 7 in grand style. Green Bay, however, with experience under their belts and the hunger to finally cash in, should be a favorite for SuperBowl XLVI.

ABOVE: The famous Dunlop KT 857. With as popular as this number is, how can the Steelers lose?

HERE'S A HIGHLIGHT FILM TO "WET YOUR WHISTLE" FOR SUPERBOWL XLV

2011-01-27T13:34:00.001-05:00

ABOVE: The legendary, late, John Facenda was the man with the deep resonating voice who for years was the narrator of N.F.L. Films. His voice was oftentimes referred to as, "The voice of God". Following the 1979 season, Ed Sabol came up with one of the best highlight videos of all time entitled "A Cut Above" that celebrated the Steelers fourth SuperBowl victory. The video is divided into several "chunks". Just click on each subsequent number to see the entire thing. It's certainly well worth watching for old Steeler fans to "remember when" and for young Steeler fans to get a much-needed history lesson regarding their Steeler ancestors! There's also great footage of Myron Cope and Jack Fleming the Steelers announcing team 32 years ago. Facenda's opening comment is one of the most memorable ever: "There are 27 teams in pro football and then there are the Pittsburgh Steelers" Another great line was, "It's been suggested that Pittsburgh's second unit could win the Central Division...Pittsburgh's first unit does."

Enjoy!!!

STEELERS, HARRISON : UNSTOPPABLE

2011-01-25T15:01:00.001-05:00

ABOVE: It's Tuesday, you're still enjoying Sunday's AFC Championship game. But right now you could really go for a good fix of some hard-hitting Steelers action. If so just click here for one of THE BEST Steeler videos ever made. Crack open a beer, turn up your speakers and be prepared to be swept to Pittsburgh Steelers nirvana land. It's titled "Pittsburgh Steelers: Unstoppable." You won't get an argument out of me, that's for sure!

(S)ANTONIO FULFILLS NOSTRADAMUS PROPHECY, STEELERS GO "ROPE-A-DOPE" IN SECOND HALF, SURVIVE 24-19

2011-01-24T12:25:00.004-05:00

In a contest very reminiscent of the recent Pitt-Syracuse basketball game where the Panthers unexpectedly ran out to a 19-0 lead against the third-ranked Orange, only to see them storm back to a 19-17 score; The Pittsburgh Steelers surprisingly displayed smash-mouth football at its' very finest, running out to a 24-0 lead and only allowing a single field goal just before the half. But in the back of your mind you knew it would be a harbinger of things to come. This game was far from over.

The New York Jets didn't get this far by not being resilient. In fact, if there is a message to be learned here, resiliency is the very essence of what it takes to be an NFL champion. The Steelers clearly own the patent on resiliency as evidenced again last night and this entire season. Can anything stop these guys?

Taking on a team that had just defeated both the Colts and Patriots in convincing fashion, the Steelers started off with one of the most suffocating offensive drives to start off a game ever seen. The Steelers used up nine minutes of the first quarter by going right at the teeth of the Jets defense...and winning. During the course of this withering drive, their quarterback, certainly no Jake Cutler (who took himself out of his championship game earlier in the day) sustained a nasty knee to the thigh, a very painful injury. Limping badly, he continued on. His pro bowl rookie center, Maurkice Pouncey, then suffered a game ending high ankle sprain. The resilient Steelers continued on with Doug "Bronco" Lagursky gamely taking his place.

The first half was filled with typical Big Ben plays: Crucial first down throws, skillful scampers at the most opportune times as well as another defensive touchdown, this time caused by Ike Taylor nearly taking off quarterback Mark Sanchez' arm and the resultant fumble being scooped up and run in almost matter-of-factly by cornerback William Gay. His "acting like he's been there before" after scoring was epic in my eyes. In fact, it was downright refreshing. It said, "This was not about me, it's about my team."

But mostly it was Rashard Mendenhall left, Rashard Mendenhall right, Rashard Mendenhall up-the-middle. Mendenhall has rushed for more yards in a single game before, but never for this many (121) and with such devastating results on such a big stage. Guaranteed a lot more national "experts" know who Rashard Mendenhall is today. Yes, they are all very learned, we know that.

ABOVE: SuperBowl XLV will be played in Dallas at the new "House that Jerry Built." Ever willing to squeeze every last penny out of America, the N.F.L. will have large screens outside of the stadium for loyal fans who cannot get a ticket. The difference between Mario's T.V. and these Shylocks? The NFL is going to charge $200 to enjoy this privilige. They're all heart!

But clearly though, for all of their dash and bravado, the Jets looked like a team that had left most of their game on the field last week in Foxboro. Their win against the Patriots was subconsciously, their SuperBowl. By contrast there were no head flips and cartwheels last week when Steelers defeated their arch-nemesis, the Ravens. For that matter, there weren't even gymnastics on display last night after the Steelers hung on after gamely doing a 30 minute "rope-a-dope" in the second half.

After the Jets and Sanchez had gamely come back to make it a 24-19 score including a second safety against the Steelers in one season (surely some kind of a record) it all came down to possessing the ball. It was now "Antonio Brown time".

The rookie Brown competed all season simply "to get a hat" each week against fellow rookie receiver Emmanuel Sanders. For most of the year Sanders was leading in that derby but as the year has worn on, Brown has become more and more of a factor. In fact, his clutch play has become downright scary.

Last week he connected on that mammoth hookup that sent the Ravens flying back to Capistrano. This week when it came down to crunch time again, Brown once again was in the forefront.

The Steelers were leading 24-10 after three quarters, but you just knew what was coming...The Jets proceeded on an epic drive of their own, moving the ball all the way to the Steeler one yard line where the Steeler defense showed the depth of their resolve, stopping a largely ineffective LaDanian Tomlinson at the three inch line. Unfortunately, the dreaded "safety" reared its ugly head once again when Big Ben did not handle the next snap making the score 24-12. The Jets were coming now in a big way. They once again had regained their momentum. By the three minute mark, Sanchez connected to Jerricho Cotchery for a score making it 24-19. The Jets now had three minutes to get the ball back and score a touchdown... not an impossibility by any stretch of the imagination.

They elected to kick the ball low and squib style to the awaiting Antonio Brown. He scooped up the ball cleanly and in stride and cut up the left sideline taking the ball all the way to the Pittsburgh 40 and helping field position immensely. After a big first down catch by Heath Miller, the Steelers elected to run the ball twice. By this time the Jets had now burned all of their timeouts and passed the two minute warning.

Facing a third and six, commentator Phil Simms remarked that the Steelers should, "Run the ball here and not risk stopping the clock", sort of a "Don't try to win the game here, just try not to lose it" philosophy. To be completely truthful, this writer instinctively felt a pass to the ever-dependable Hines Ward coming at this moment. After all, he's done it a million times. This was contrary even to the words that had been stated earlier in the day by Nostradamus right here in "Pittsburgh's Black and Gold"!!! "Look for a young lad named 'Antonio' to dash the hopes of the invaders,". So as he said, it would be Brown who would come through again. "Don't you even read your own blog," you ask?

In retrospect, truer words were never prognosticated.

Ben then proceeded into one of his epic "Ben plays" where he this time rolled to his right and while pressured, threw to a diving and rolling...you guessed it, Antonio Brown.

All that was left was for Ben to kneel down twice while Rex Ryan was busy breaking his expensive Motorola headset. The Steelers finished ahead 24-19. But remember, style points don't count in either AFC Championships or hand grenades. They count for even less with a Lombardi Trophy on the line. This is why Ben Roethlisberger never gets respect from NFL fans. His stats aren't always the greatest, but guess what, he wins!!! The Steelers aren't in business to win fantasy football leagues, they're in it to win reality league championships. Fans on a national level forget this important fact. Steeler fans thankfully don't. That's also why the Steelers aren't ashamed of that cupboard full of Lombardi trophies either!

So this tale of two halves ended with the Steelers front office planning another trip to the SuperBowl, The Rooneys and Mike Tomlin politely accepting the Lamar Hunt Trophy "hardware" as Tomlin calls it, and the Steeler fans celebrating with a lusty version of, "I've got a feeeling, Pittsburgh's goin' to the SuperBowl again....."I've got a feeeling, Pittsburgh's goin' to the SuperBowl again.....Yes, it certainly is a good feeling. As sports fans living in "America's Most Livable City", we are certainly living a charmed existence and best of all, we know it! Let's enjoy it for awhile. There's time before we have to start worrying about the Packers, a confrontation between two resilient teams and the league's two most ardent fan groups. Tickets for this one will be in tremendous demand and at all-time high prices. It will no doubt be the most-watched SuperBowl in history.

I guess "P.B. & G." will be faced with paying Nostradamus for another prediction. This guy's really expensive, but good.

Photo by Allison Viron Photography

ABOVE: Caught up in Steeler fever this past Saturday night, Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury dons a Steeler helmet and terrible towel. You have to love how all of the athletes in different sports pull for their fellow "Black & Gold" brothers. The Steelers are frequent visitors to Pens games.

NOSTRADAMUS FINALLY MAKES HIS PICK(S)

2011-01-23T14:56:00.003-05:00

Having a guy on staff who is constantly under pressure from the "History Channel" to produce more and more "end of the world" shows doesn't make it easy for us to get him to find time to make a prediction for us. Since he works on a "per prediction basis", and he keeps raising his costs, it's become very expensive for us to keep him on board. But we only give you the best here at "P.B.&G.", so sit back and get your preview of tonight's game.

"P.B.& G.": So which team's defense will be more effective in this game?

NOSTRADAMUS: I can answer that, but I'll have to charge you additional if I do. Your contract states that I will "provide you with the result of the Pittsburgh Steelers-New York Jets game.

"P.B.& G.": But don't you have to already know that in order to make your prediction?

NOSTRADAMUS: Sure I do. So what, you want me to give these away for free?

"P.B.& G.": Never mind. The fans have heard all of that until they're now blue in the face anyway. So let's get down to brass tacks. Who do you think will win this game?

NOSTRADAMUS: I predict: The team that scores one more point than the other will win this game.

"P.B. & G.": Hey, we paid way too much money to get a garbage answer like that!

NOSTRADAMUS: Alright, alright, settle down. I was just fulfilling another prophecy that I made just last week that said, "And the editor was furious. His wallet literally burned in apprehension."

"P.B.&G.": C'mon, get on with it, it's almost kickoff!

NOSTRADAMUS: Boy, I can tell that you're uptight over this game! Settle down!! Here's your quatrain: The men of the many rivers will prevail again. The suffocation will be difficult for the faint-hearted to watch. Expect a 20-9 score. Oh, and look for a young lad named "Antonio" to dash the hopes of the invaders. (There, I threw that one in at no additional charge).

ENJOY THE GAME...HERE WE GO STEELERS, HERE WE GO!!!!!!

ADOLF HITLER'S PITTSBURGH STEELER "BUNKER MENTALITY"

2011-01-22T11:07:00.001-05:00

ABOVE: Actor David Bamber's portrayal of Adolf Hitler discussing the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Jets is "spot on".

A great fellow blogger, "D.J." from the Mon Valley, sent this "adaptation video" to me from the recent World War II movie, "Valkyrie". It was so hilarious that I just had to put it up. In it, Hitler's words are mistranslated into battle strategy regarding the Steelers-Jets game. Yes, this is the lunacy of playoff fever that we've become used to here in Pittsburgh just about every other year it seems. Lucky us!!! Thanks D.J.!!!

THE REASON IT'S BEEN 42 YEARS SINCE JETS WON A SUPERBOWL

2011-01-21T13:37:00.000-05:00

ABOVE: Commissioner Pete Rozelle can explain to you why the Jets were so bad for so long. He was there to witness it in person! Just check out this link!

STEELERS VS JETS INVOKES BAD MEMORIES FROM DAYS OF YORE

2011-01-19T17:01:00.001-05:00

ABOVE: Yes, it truly has been a long time since the New York Jets have had anything to cheer about (now 42 years). Let's hope that the Steelers remember full well that the Jets beat them at home earlier this season!

On the heels of a fantastic comeback win against the hated and despised Ravens last week and with, lo and behold, an unimaginable Jets victory over the "invincible" Patriots in Foxboro, we now find Pittsburgh, fortunately, being the location of yet another AFC Championship game. Of course we all know that this game has never been a "lock" for the Black & Gold.

Although it would have been nicer to have not had such a terrible first half last week, we'll instead try to keep as a long-lasting memory, the incredible second half that the Steelers came up with to enter this final step before as yet another SuperBowl.

Speaking of long-lasting memories, since the "high-flying" Jets are now coming to town, I'd like to share with you a Jets-Steelers story from a long time ago...

The year was 1979, 32 years ago, and I was publishing a Pittsburgh sports tabloid named...you guessed it, "Pittsburgh's Black & Gold". The Steelers had just come off of their fourth championship at the end of the prior season and were now the most storied team in NFL history. That following summer, the Steelers were still going through the interminably-long six game exhibition season when I noticed that they had an exhibition game scheduled for the then "brand-new" Meadowlands Stadium in New Jersey. In retrospect, I guess one way that you know that you're getting old is when you see stadiums that you saw built being torn down for new replacements. Out with the old, in with the new, right?

ABOVE: The thirty-year-old "junky" original Meadowlands Stadium (right) sits next to the then as-yet-unfinished New Meadowlands Stadium a couple years ago.

Anyway, my news editor, Ben Mount, contacted Joe Gordon of the Steelers and put in a request for two media passes. Joe, as usual, came through for us and when Ben went down to the stadium to pick them up, he was given two regular seats on close to the 50 yard line. Joe explained that the New York media had had so many requests for credentials that the Jets' press box was full. If we were to attend, the best they could do would be two tickets on the 50 in the first level of the stadium.

Sure, I would have preferred sitting in the press box, but they were at least taking care of us. The game was being played on a Saturday night and in order to save a considerable amount of money, I decided that Ben and I would make the drive to New Jersey.

At this time we were dealing with a major gas-shortage problem. Rationing became the rule of the day and depending on whether you had and "odd" or "even" number to start your license number would determine if it was your "day" to get gas. Since I had an even number and it was my day to be able to get gas, I filled up prior to leaving. I would get gas after the game, I reasoned, before the trip back home.

As we left Saturday morning, the trip east was thankfully, uneventful...until we got to the Meadowlands exit. Then it became utter massive gridlock, some of the worst I've ever seen. In fact, it was so bad that after initially being very early for the game, we barely made it to our seats by kickoff.

The Jets had a horrific team. Everybody knew this game was going to be a first-class blowout and true enough, soon the rout was on. The Steelers were "laying the lumber" big time in this game as there were many incredible defensive hits that took place. Then, after halftime, the real game started...

I have never seen anything remotely as bad as what took place in that stadium that night. Whether it was alcohol-induced or because their team was being shellacked by the Steelers, this crowd suddenly became very ugly. One after another fights were breaking out all over this stadium. At various moments, when there was nothing going-on on the field, you would hear a small roar and when you would look around, invariably you would see two guys throwing punches at each other.

ABOVE: Take it from me, if you ever find yourself in this situation, you'll agree that it is not the place to be.

The way that the stadium police responded was almost laughable. They would allow the two combatants to first beat themselves silly, then they would arrive en masse: ten to twenty officers with billy clubs and beat the daylights out of them. In one notable confrontation, I saw a phalanx of officers toss one ever-feisty combatant down a flight of concrete steps into the awaiting arms of some batons awaiting below. Amazing as it may sound, the fights in the stands became more interesting to watch than the Steeler rookies who were now on the field in this blowout game.

"Fortunately we're sitting in the good seats," I said to Ben. There's no riffraff in these seats". Wrong.

ABOVE: Your travel tip: Beware of hot dog vendors in New York area stadiums.

Just after we had watched the mop-up procedure of the guy who had made an unplanned trip down the steps inside Meadowlands Stadium, I saw a hot dog vendor walking down the steps in our section. Since we were sitting on the end of a row, it was very easy to conduct my transaction. The vendor put down his heavy metal steam cabinet and while he was getting our hot dogs, I noticed a few people lining up behind him in order to get their hot dog. It was then that I started hearing the complaints: "Hey sit down." "Hey idiot, I can't see." Then, "Hey, why don't you shut the hell up!" Then came the obligatory, "Hey why don't you come over here and try to shut me up?"

Before I knew it, I was smack dab in the middle of one of these stadium "bar fights". I ducked down in my seat as the punches were being thrown all around me. It seemed that they were coming from three or four different directions. After the militia came in and restored order, I said to Ben, "Let's get out of here. We'll beat the traffic and get in line to get gas. This game is over anyway and it's only an exhibition game. I don't need to get killed over it." He heartily agreed and we beat a path to the already-gridlocked parking lot.

It was already now after ten p.m. and it took us well over an hour to get out of the once-again gridlocked stadium area. We had about 40 minutes to still get gas and the first station I saw, I got into a very, very long line. Every five minutes or so you would move forward about 15 or 20 feet. I kept looking at my watch as the line crawled forward. By the time I got to the pumps it was now, incredibly, 12:15 a.m. . I kept hoping that no one would notice that I now had the wrong numbered license plate.

ABOVE: A typical late 70's gas station line. What a nightmare this was!

As I pulled up to the pump, the attendant came back to my window and said, "Sorry buddy, but you have the wrong number."

I responded back, "I've been in this line since 11:20. My number was good then."

He said, "See that car over there? That's an unmarked car. That guy in there is just waiting for me to give you gas."

I said, "I'm an out-of-state traveler, your state has a reciprocal agreement with Pennsylvania to give gas to out-of state travelers."

He answered, "New York has that agreement, New Jersey does not. All that I can do is sell you one gallon of gas."

Needless to say, I was really steamed over this. I paid for my gallon of gas and took off, worrying about how I was going to get home. As I got onto the Pennsylvania Turnpike I became fixated on the gas gauge. When would I run out of gas? Would I be in the middle of nowhere when it happened?

ABOVE: Something you don't want to have staring at you for three hours.

I stopped at a station on the turnpike at around 1:30 a.m. and got the same, "No gas, you've got the wrong plate" from the attendant. This time I couldn't even use the "out-of-state" line, because I no longer was! Interestingly, I saw another unmarked car parked not too far from the pumps with an officer inside. I managed to get one more gallon of gas and I was then sent on my way.

As you would expect, this did nothing to move the needle on the gas gauge, and I went back to driving under this same incredible stress. Finally, about an hour later at 2:30 in the morning, I pulled into another station, our car literally running on gas fumes by now and drove right up to the gas pump. As you can imagine, traffic on the road had really thinned-out to a trickle. The attendant began filling up my car and never said a word about my plate. There weren't even any cops around either. Thank God for bad employees!

So whenever I think about the New York Jets, I invariably recall that awful night where I unwittingly got in the middle of a stadium brawl and spent the next several hours dealing with the gas crisis of the 70's. Let's hope Sunday's game will help to develop a newer and more pleasant set of memories.

Oh, by the way, when I got home, I learned that on the local telecast that Sam Nover had said that, "The fights in the stands were better than the game on the field."... I can certainly vouch for that, depending on where you were sitting of course!

LEFT: Former Channel 11 sports anchor and occasional Steeler broadcaster, Sam Nover. He knew a good fight when he saw one!

STEELER FOOTBALL REACHES ACTUAL RELIGION STATUS

2011-01-13T10:02:00.001-05:00

ABOVE: We've always known that Steelers football is our passion, but imagine the excitement when we learned this week that Steelers football is now an official religion! Does that then make Ben a"patron saint"? We don't know, but one thing is for sure. Like our masthead says, "Pittsburgh: A hard-drinkin' town with an all Pittsburgh sports problem!"

THE BRILLIANCE OF ATHLETES REVEALED FOR THE FIRST TIME

2011-01-12T14:13:00.000-05:00

Special thanks to reader "A.C" from the North Hills for forwarding the "intellectual material" for this story...

So why is it that some athletes can't hold down a regular "normal-type" job outside of their sport? There will be no doubt in your mind after reading this.

1. Chicago Cubs outfielder Andre Dawson on being a role model:

"I wan' all dem kids to do what I do, to look up to me. I wan' all dem kids to copulate me."

2. New Orleans Saint RB George Rogers when asked about the upcoming season:

"I want to rush for 1,000 or 1,500 yards, whichever comes first."

3. And, upon hearing Joe Jacoby of the 'Skins say:

"I'd run over my own mother to win the Super Bowl,"

Replied Matt Millen of the Raiders:

"To win, I'd run over Joe's Mom, too."

4. Torrin Polk, University of Houston receiver, on his coach, John Jenkins:

"He treats us like men. He lets us wear earrings.."

5. Football commentator and former player Joe Theismann:

"Nobody in football should be called a genius. A genius is a guy like Norman Einstein."

6. Senior basketball player at the University of Pittsburgh (name not disclosed to protect the innocent).

"I'm going to graduate on time, no matter how long it takes."

Now that's admirable!

7. Bill Peterson, a Florida State football coach:

"You guys line up alphabetically by height."

And then,

"You guys pair up in groups of three, and then line up in a circle."

8. Boxing promoter Dan Duva on Mike Tyson going to prison:

"Why would anyone expect him to come out smarter? He went to "prison" for three years...not Princeton.

9. Stu Grimson, Chicago Blackhawks left wing, explaining why he keeps a color photo of himself above his locker:

"That's so when I forget how to spell my name, I can still find my clothes."

10. Lou Duva, veteran boxing trainer, on the Spartan training regimen of his heavyweight, Andrew Golota:

"He's a guy who gets up at six o'clock in the morning, regardless of what time it is."

11. Chuck Nevitt , North Carolina State basketball player, explaining to

Coach Jim Valvano why he appeared nervous at practice:

"My sister's expecting a baby, and I don't know if I'm going to be an uncle or an aunt."

(I wonder if his IQ ever hits room temperature in January)

12. Frank Layden , Utah Jazz president, on a former player of his (and my personal favorite by the way):

"I asked him, 'Son, what is it with you? Is it ignorance or apathy?'

He said, 'Coach, I don't know and I don't care.'

13. Shelby Metcalf, basketball coach at Texas A&M, recounting what he told a player who received four "F"s and one "D":

"Son, it looks to me like you're spending too much time on one subject."

14. In the immortal words of N.C. State great Charles Shackelford:

"I can go to my left or I can go to my right. I am amphibious."

15. Amarillo High School and Houston Oiler coach Bum Phillips when asked by Bob Costas why he takes his wife on all the road trips, Phillips responded:

"Because she is too ugly to kiss good-bye."

Ouch!

ABOVE: Happy couple Debbie and O.A. "Bum" Phillips.

PEDERSON, NORDENBERG IGNORE REGIONAL SENTIMENT; TODD GRAHAM, "MOST HATED MAN IN HOUSTON", PITT'S NEW COACH

2011-01-11T16:11:00.014-05:00

"CLEARING MY DESK"

Hard-hitting Pittsburgh sports commentary by Angelo Spagnolo

Steve Pederson and Mark Nordenberg managed to out-do even themselves.

By ignoring the overwhelming sentiment of Southwestern Pennsylvania football fans, in lieu of hiring Penn State's Tom Bradley, they opted instead for Texas native, Todd Graham, an upwardly-mobile coach who most-recently coached at Tulsa University. This could first be called a "mystery", but to be kind, I prefer to describe it as Pitt hiring a "carpetbagger" to now lead their football program.

LEFT: "Mr. Arrogance", Pitt A.D. Steve Pederson.

RIGHT: Pitt "Head honcho" Mark A. Nordenberg. Don't dare try to tell him who to hire!

By deciding against hiring a man of extreme loyalty and integrity, Pederson and Nordenberg demonstrated that their knowledge of history is very flimsy, as is also once again, their own flawed vetting process.

ABOVE: Pitt gave Bradley two interviews, feigning interest in order to shut up their fans. Bringing in Todd Graham didn't satisfy the many who wanted Bradley for Pitt. Was it a slap at Joe Paterno and Penn State? It sure looks like it (not that JoePa doesn't deserve it by the way).

Before I go on, let me first say that in researching this story that I first found that Graham has compiled a very impressive mark during his five years as a head coach. His overall record, including three of four minor bowl wins, is 46-24 (.657%). During his four years at Tulsa and one year at Rice, he had three first place finishes, one second and one third place in Conference USA. Certainly not bad and much more impressive overall than Mike Haywood's record at Miami of Ohio.

ABOVE: Graham commanded $2 million for himself and $2 million total for his nine assistants, an average of $222,000 per man. This means that Pitt will have over $5.3 million per year tied up in coaching payroll for the next three years (counting Dave Wannstedt's salary through 2014).

So what caused Todd Graham to gain the distinction of being called "The most hated man in Houston" you ask?

Graham had been an assistant at Tulsa and took the head coaching position at Rice. After going to Rice (located, by the way, in Houston) Graham had the most successful season for that school since 1960. He turned a 1-10 program into a 7-5 second place finish and a New Orleans Bowl appearance in his first year. Pretty impressive stuff! In fact, the school was so impressed that it then committed to spending $5 million to upgrade Rice Stadium and offered Graham a very significant salary increase after just one season. However, with a better salary dangled in front of him by his former school, Tulsa, Graham took the money and ran, infuriating Rice University and their fans.

Graham was so reviled for his disloyalty that the next year the Rice Band put on a home halftime show titled "Todd Graham's Inferno" that depicted the stages of hell where Graham best belonged, complete with scoreboard photos and an announcer explaining the various hell levels. The show was so "inflammatory" that Tulsa actually filed a complaint with Conference USA...over a band show! This is the type of person that Pitt is getting. So be prepared to be heartbroken again, Panther fans.

ABOVE: This is the actual "Gates of Hell" image that was used as a visual during the Rice Band's halftime show celebrating Graham's return in 2007. My sentiments for Pitt exactly. BELOW: Another image that the Rice Band used to describe their intense affection for Graham.

West Virginia's newly-hired "Coach-In-Waiting", Dana Holgorsen, (another joke waiting for a future column) had a major run-in with Graham who apparently was guilty of "stretching the rules" (also known in some circles as cheating).

During a game against Houston (where Holgorsen was then coaching), there were instances where multiple players were accused of feigning serious injuries only to reappear later in the same game. Holgorsen was so incensed that after the game he accused Graham of cheating and creating timeouts. While this past animosity is admittedly a great foundation for added hatred between Pitt and West Virginia, to me this isn't the sort of thing that you like your new coach to have on his (non)resume. Neither is having no loyalty towards whoever happens to be his current employer either.

On November 11, 2009, the "Houston Chronicle's" Steve Campbell wrote:

..."Either Graham has no regard for his players' safety (for putting them back in after supposed serious injuries) or he was coaching them to fake injuries. Which one was it Tulsa fans?"

I wonder if Pitt's crack vetting process unearthed these facts? Ah, that would fall under the heading of "doubtful".

Amazingly, Pederson and Nordenberg were so enamored with Graham that they agreed to pay him more than they're now paying Jamie Dixon! Dixon,who just signed a new contract last year, is reportedly making between $1.6 and $1.8 million. Graham will earn $2 million in his first year before winning a single game for Pitt. How is this right or even fair to one of the best basketball coaches in the country? While Dixon need not apply for food stamps, these types of clumsy decisions tend to create unnecessary discord nevertheless. Graham reportedly turned down $1.6 million the last go-around before Pederson hired Mike Haywood on the cheap.

Would it have cost $2 million to get Tom Bradley? Doubtful. Would Bradley leave with the first offer that came his way? Just ask Joe Paterno, he'll tell you. Would Bradley ever be called "The most hated coach in Pittsburgh"? Never. Do you think that Phil Stewart, Dana Holgorsen or any other Big East coach would ever be so incensed that they'd call Bradley a cheater? Impossible. The man has a reputation a mile long and is one of the most highly-respected coaches in the country.

So why isn't Bradley the new Pitt coach? Simple, there are two reasons: First, Nordenberg doesn't want to create the impression for one instant that regional sentiment or even worse, boosters, will make Pitt's decisions for him. Second, Pederson wants to play his contrarian role to the hilt and prefers taking more chances with yet another man with skeletons in his closet instead. Yes, his ego really is that big. That's why his alma mater, Nebraska, ran him out of the state.

Todd Graham (just like Mike Haywood very possibly could have) may win a lot of games at Pitt. But this isn't all about just wins and losses. In the same way that Haywood blew up in Pitt's face because of past and present domestic violence issues, Graham will no doubt leave at the first sniff of more money elsewhere, say to the prestigious SEC. Three years, in retrospect, may be a long time for him to stay at Pitt, especially if he has any early success whatsoever. By hiring Graham, Pitt has created an image as a "stepping stone" job, not a destination. In Tom Bradley they had a man of the highest integrity who, like Dave Wannstedt, would have stayed there until they carted him off the field on a stretcher or unless he proved that he couldn't win. He also would have never embarassed the university with his personal conduct either.

While Dave Wannstedt was a great guy and a wonderful representative of Pitt, he showed that he couldn't take the team to the next level. He was given plenty of time to get it right but had exhausted his chances. Never for a moment did I ever feel though that he would leave Pitt for another job or embarass the university...but you still have to win.

I've always been big on continuity and integrity, much like the Steelers are. What I'm not big on are woman beaters and opportunistic-carpetbaggers. The Steelers, well known as being probably the best-ever at hiring coaches in the modern football era, highly-recommended Tom Bradley to Pitt. "So what do they know" the good folks at Pitt say to one another? As for me? I just shake my head. How could they screw up such a slam dunk? Ego, pure and simple.

Today at his press conference, in response to a reporter's question about how loyal he would be to his new job, since most of his coaching has taken place in the southwest. Graham stated that, "As you move forward... my goal was to have a BCS job, coach in major bowl games and compete for a national title at one of the finest schools in the country. Just watch, you'll see."

Write that last sentence down, because like all good snake oil salesmen, Graham talks a great game. If LSU, Alabama or any SEC school called him tomorrow though, he'd be packed up to move by sunset. You can take that to the bank.

Historians like to tell history students that, "We study the past for our use in the future". Apparently neither Nordenberg nor Pederson ever gets over to the Pitt History Department or they never would have passed on Bradley, ever, or ignored Graham's past.

Graham may very possibly do well at Pitt and that's the irony. The better he does, the shorter his coaching tenure there will be. So Pitt fans shouldn't expect him to be hanging around very long.

That counts for a lot where I come from. Apparently it was down the list of priorities for the people who made this decision. Brace yourself for another coaching search inside of three years.

DID ROETHLISBERGER POP THE QUESTION? IS HIS GIRLFRIEND NUTS OR A GOLD DIGGER?

2011-01-06T18:57:00.000-05:00

photoshop image by www.Boringpittsburgh.com

ABOVE: Is Big Ben bringing the wrong ring home? Is this another Big Ben whopper of a mistake or is this a positive turn in his life? Steeler fans are once again on the edge of their seats as regards their quarterback's off field endeavors.

As you no doubt have now heard, "Large Benjamin" has possibly "popped the question" during the Christmas holiday. While Big Ben has refused to discuss his personal life, he has not refuted the claim.

Roethlisberger, quite naturally, has created an internet furor, his supposed engagement coming so close behind his massive "female relations" problems that have taken place over the last two years. After the recent events in Millidgeville, Georgia, it's pretty incredible that he would have cemented a potential marital relationship in such a short time. NFL contracts can apparently make anything possible.

So who is this mystery lady you ask?

photo courtesy http://www.tmz.com/

ABOVE LEFT: Her name is Ashley Harlan from the New Castle area. A 2009 graduate of St. Francis University (PA) she has a Masters degree in Physician Assistance Science. She now is apparently toasting marshmallows for Ben Roethlisberger.

As can be expected, with Roethlisberger's recent history, the leakage of this story has spawned an immediate backlash from primarily women. Comments such as "Why?"..."What is she thinking"..."Is she insane?" and "Must be the world's biggest gold digger" are most common, while male commenters, hopeful that Ben having a full time partner will create stability, are mostly happy and hopeful that their quarterback will get his personal life finally straightened out.

ABOVE: Ashley's Laurel High School (Lawrence County) senior photo.

Neither Roethlisberger, nor his agent have commented on the supposed engagement, but with the playoffs starting this week, it seems like a most inopportune time for this to have occured (if it did). Stay tuned Steeler fans. When it comes to Ben Roethlisberger off the field, there always seems to be a never-ending source of material for Pittsburgh's blogdom!

Thanks to Boringpittsburgh.com and TMZ for photos for this story!