On Thursday afternoon, Michael Jackson passed away suddenly at the age of 50. To say the King of Pop was a controversial figure in recent years is an understatement but nobody will argue the fact he is one of the most iconic people of the 20th century. Whether you enjoyed his music or not, I doubt there’s anybody whose never heard of him or some of his songs. Even though my musical tastes went in a different direction once I became a teenager and heard Nirvana for the first time, I am still a child of the 80’s so I’ll deeply miss one of the legendary figures from my youth. Truth be told, there was once a time when I tried to glue sparkles to my batting glove so I could emulate Jacko.
Evidently I’m not the only one who will miss Michael Jackson. Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver and Super Bowl XLIII MVP Santonio Holmes posted the above video blog on his official website.
However, Santonio is going one step further. He’s sponsoring a contest asking people to submit a short video of themselves emulating the King of Pop. His favorite will win two tickets to an upcoming Steeler game. Considering Tone’s place on the team, I’d imagine his seats are pretty good.
So get out your batting gloves, Elmer’s glue, and buy a bag of sparklies. You have until July 10th to submit your video to Santonio. And don’t forget to bust out a moonwalk. Actually, if you’ve never tried to moonwalk on a wooden floor in your socks then you owe it to yourself to try it just one time. Just beat it.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have finally signed starting tackle Max Starks to a four year, $26 million dollar contract.
Thus ends a long strange odyssey for both Starks and the Steelers. Max was the starting RT on the 2005 Super Bowl team. He came to camp fat and lazy the next two seasons, prompting new head coach Mike Tomlin to eventually give his starting job to then rookie Willie Colon.
However, fates intervened when LT Marvel Smith began experiencing issues with his back. Smith tried to gut it out in 2007 but his play was horrible. Max Starks assumed his spot at LT and finished the season in that role. During the offseason, the Steelers were looking at losing LG Alan Faneca and replacing human pylon C Sean Mahan. Add in the uncertainty over whether Smith could return from back surgery, the Steelers were pretty much forced to place their Franchise Player tag on Max, making the erstwhile backup OL the team’s highest paid player.
Sure enough, Smith’s back continued to bother him this season and he went down for the year after only 5 games. Starks once again stepped into the LT role. Shockingly, Starks performed very capably as the team went on to win their unprecedented sixth Super Bowl title. Following the season, Starks was once again tagged, setting his salary for 2009 at approximately $8.5 million.
Starks is a controversial fellow among Steeler Nation. If you frequent other blogs, I’m sure you’ll see people bemoaning the fact Max is overpaid. This ignores one simple question: if Starks isn’t our LT, who is?
LT is by far the hardest position to play on the OL. The LT routinely lines up against the other team’s best pass rushers. Yes, Starks has had some cringe-worthy moments. However, considering last season he lined up against Pro Bowl caliber LBs and DEs almost every week and yet surrendered the second LEAST number of sacks, I’d say that’s pretty good.
Not to mention, LTs don’t exactly grow on trees. Especially cheap trees. What the ignorant don’t seem to understand is a decent LT is such a rare and valuable commodity, a guy like Jason Peters (dumped by Buffalo, traded to the Iggles) who is slightly above average at best, commands a salary of $10-12 million PER YEAR.
The fact is, the contract the Steelers have signed with Starks guarantees him only $10 million. Since he was due eight with the franchise tag, we’re basically getting him for an extra year at less than half price. Plus the last two years (worth about $16 million) are optional. So if Max pigs out at the All-U-Can Eat buffet or the Steelers EVER draft that stud OL we always hope for, they can cut him free without any ramifications.
The offensive line now has a crucial cog in place for the next couple years. Max Starks gets his mad skrilla. And the Steelers lop about $3 million off their salary cap. A win all the way around, says I.
During the late 1980’s, one of the most unique athletes in sports history captured the American public’s imagination with one simple phrase:
Bo Knows…
Bo Jackson was a Heisman Trophy winning running back for Auburn University. He was the #1 overall pick in the NFL draft the following year. That’s when he decided he’d rather play baseball. While working his way through the Kansas City Royals farm system, the Oakland Raiders came to him with an intriguing proposal. Why not play both?
Other athletes have played both Major League Baseball and NFL football before and after Bo Jackson. But none have done it as well. Bo was the MLB All-Star Game MVP in 1989. In 1990, he was the starting running back in the Pro Bowl. In 1987, weeks after beginning his “offseason job” with the Raiders, he rushed for 221 yards on Monday Night Football.
Ladies and gentlemen, we may be witnessing the second coming of Bo Jackson. And best of all, the athlete is right here in Pittsburgh. Perhaps you’ve heard of him.
Ben Roethlisberger.
Hear me out. On February 1st, Big Ben lead the Pittsburgh Steelers to their unprecedented sixth Lombardi Trophy. It was the second world championship in only 5 seasons under Ben’s leadership.
Since then, he took part in teammate Hines Ward’s Charity Softball Game. Big Ben walloped three home runs to pace his team to victory. If the miserable Pittsburgh Pirates want to truly escape from their 16 year funk, they should sign Roethlisberger up immediately.
Not satisfied with mastery of the diamond, Ben then set his sights on the links. He took part in the Celebrity U.S. Open Challenge at Bethpage Black. He was placed in a threesome with Justin Timberlake, an avid golfer, and Michael Jordan, another world class athlete who was once rumored to have a desire to play on the PGA tour.
So what did Ben do? He shot an 81 and beat Jordan by five strokes. Even Pittsburgh native Rocco Mediate, who served as Ben’s caddy for the event, was impressed by his display of sharpshooting accuracy. The scary part is Ben admitted he only plays a couple times a year. Sure he may have picked up a pointer of two from dating sexy golf vixen Natalie Gulbis but still… If he put his mind to it, there is no doubt the name “Ben Roethlisberger” would be occupying the the space above Tiger Woods on the leader board in no time.
Hopefully the time for Ben to move on to conquering other sports won’t be for many many more years to come. He’s still in the business of winning Super Bowls for our beloved Black and Gold. And something tells me they’ll be a few more rings on his fingers before all is said and done.
On Friday night, the Pittsburgh Penguins won a heart-stopping Game 7 victory over the Detroit Red Wings to earn the prestigious Stanley Cup.
The route taken by the young Pens was somewhat reminiscent of the march the 2005 Pittsburgh Steelers made to a championship. Both teams suffered through disappointing regular seasons. Both had to put together spectacular late season runs to even make the playoffs (In the Pens case, they won 18 of their final 26 games). They then had to battle the best their conference had to offer to even make the finals. And in the end, they both had to survive a close hard-fought finale.
This victory isn’t only special for the Pens and their legion of fans, a certain whistle-cranking ex-yinzer down in Carolina not included. This victory also marks the first time in professional sports history that one city has won the Lombardi Trophy and Lord Stanley’s Cup in the same year. This harkens back to 1979 when Pittsburgh double dipped with the Steelers and Pirates both winning titles in their respective sports.
I was five when that happened so my memories are hazy at best. I’ve heard the stories and remember the moniker but never thought I would see a double championship by my teams again. The odds against it are just too great. Then again, I live in Pittsburgh, the greatest sports city on earth, so maybe I should’ve had faith.
In my lifetime our teams have won 6 Super Bowls, 3 Stanley Cups, 2 World Series, had a #1 ranked NCAA Basketball team, and earned 1 National College Football Championship. Think about poor pitiful cities like Cleveland, who never win anything, or Philadelphia, whose four combined teams win one title approximately every 30 years. I’m almost tempted to feel sorry for them but then I realize they chose to live in those hellholes so they get what they deserve.
And speaking of deserving, does any team deserve this title more than the Pens? For Sidney Crosby it’s a culmination of a life’s dream. For Evgeni Malkin it’s a reward for a guy who literally had to run away from home in order to play in the NHL. And it’s sweet justice for Mario Lemieux, who saved hockey in this town not once, not twice, but THREE times. First by coming here as an 18-year-old superstar, then by buying the team when it was mired in bankruptcy, and just recently when backwater cities like Kansas City and Hamilton tried to poach our team. A heartfelt thanks goes out to them and the rest of the team that provided such excitement in the time between glorious Steeler seasons.
Let it be said, Pittsburgh is once again the City of Champions.
As Homer Simpson once so eloquently put it, “Mmmmm… Shiny.”
In a private ceremony held Tuesday evening, the Pittsburgh Steelers awarded their players, coaches, and front office personnel the latest in a long line of Super Bowl Championship rings. One for the other thumb, indeed.
Pictures are worth a thousand words but since you come here for my clever analysis, I suppose I should offer some commentary. I really like the middle portion, with the hypocycloids (the technical name for the little stars on the Steelers’ helmets) surrounding the six big ass diamonds representing the six Lombardi Trophies. Shaping the entire ring like a miniature replica of Heinz Field is rather clever, too.
What I don’t care for is the writing along both sides of the “field.” Also, if you look closely, you can see “Roethlisberger” written on the left side indicating each ring has been personalized. It’s a nice idea but the print reminds me of my class ring from high school. I’m pretty sure people would get the idea without it being spelled out in text.
Final verdict: A good effort although it falls just short of being as awesome as the Super Bowl XL rings. Oh well, they can try again next year.
In the meantime, let’s hope our Pittsburgh Penguins add rings to their fingers (and a big silver Cup to the city’s trophy collection) this Friday in a winner-take-all Game 7 final against the hated Detroit Red Wings. GO PENS!!
Pittsburgh Steelers all-time great Jerome Bettis has been ousted from his deeply indented seat on NBC’s Football Night In America.
Because no NFL pregame show can possibly survive without at least a half-dozen talking heads spewing wildly inaccurate predictions, he will be replaced by part-time New England Patriot and full-time thug Rodney Harrison.
Guess Ray Lewis knows which network to call when he finally retires. If they like a dirty cheapshot artist like Harrison, they’ll love Ray Ray. I wonder if Rodney has HGH on hand in case he suffers a case of laryngitis.
Also joining the team will be former Colts head coach Tony Dungy. Good move, NBC. The warming glow from his aura will no doubt be transferred via the screen to everybody watching at home and lead to the sick being healed, the downtrodden being uplifted, and NBC catapulting past ABC and FOX into second place. The only question I have is will NBC ditch their Rainbow Peacock in order to make Dungy feel more comfortable in a room full of men?
As for our beloved Bus, I can’t really say I’m surprised by his dismissal. His nice guy demeanor and happy go lucky personality didn’t translate to NFL studio analysis where African American ex-athletes are expected to be trash talking clowns. On the bright side, Bus is now free to pursue other endeavors, such as speaking engagements or acting gigs.
Don’t tell me you didn’t see his television debut on NBC’s “Chuck.” He was the second best thing on the show (behind the ass-kicking blonde running around in her Swiss Miss costume). On the list of NFLers-turned-actors I’d rank him slightly behind Terry Bradshaw but far far far ahead of Howie “Manstep” Long.
Also, the Bus can now spend some of his extra free time rooting for his favorite hockey team. Take note, Benedict Cowher.
Well, you went ahead and did it. I didn’t think you actually would but you did.
At last night’s Penguins-Hurricanes game, you stood there in your bright red shirt and flashed those pearly white Chiclets while proudly going about your organ grinder monkey routine. Good for you, Bill. Way to fire up that crowd of 25,000 bandwagon jumpers.
I could almost live with this bit of mutiny against the ‘Burgh. Almost. I mean, you did bring your usual Coach Cowher Touch of losing every Championship Game at home to your new favorite team as the Pens obliterated the sadly overmatched Hurricanes to earn another trip to the Stanley Cup finals. But when MILFtastic Chris Simpson gave you a chance to explain your actions, that was one more insult than I could bear.
So you talked to Mario Lemeiux before the game, huh? I’m sure Mario was thinking what we’ve all been thinking, “Myself and my franchise has done nothing but support this clown and his team for 15 years. And he can’t stay neutral for one playoff series? Whatta dick.”
Newsflash, Bill: you were born and raised in Pittsburgh. Nobody would’ve asked you to crank their stupid little siren if it weren’t for the fact you coached in this city. How about trying to remember that on your way home to that multi-million dollar mansion in the middle of nowhere (which I guess is redundant when talking about Raleigh)?
So, you’re from North Carolina now? Really? Perhaps you weren’t aware of this, Bill, but that sea of Black and Gold you saw whenever your Pittsburgh Steelers played on the road? They didn’t travel there, the live there. You see, Pittsburghers may leave their city but they never leave their loyalties. That’s what separates the greatest sports city in the United States from everywhere else. I wonder what happened to you.
The final insult was your answer to whether you’d support the Pens in the finals. “I’m an Eastern Conference guy.” Wow, could you be any more apathetic? This was your home most of your adult life and that’s all the enthusiasm you can muster for your hometown team? Next time just keep your pathetic support to yourself. We don’t need it.
In summation, Bill, you’re nothing to me now. You’re not a brother, you’re not a friend. I don’t want to know you or what you do. I don’t want to see you at the hotels, I don’t want you near my house. When you return to Crafton to see your mother, I want to know a day in advance, so I won’t be anywhere near there. You’re dead to me. Understand?
President Barack Obama met with our World Champion Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday. He immediately displayed his folksy charm by reading some lame prepared remarks, then continued to push his populist agenda by putting the Steelers to work preparing USO care packages. Not that I have anything but the deepest respect for our troops serving overseas but isn’t it kind of tacky to invite the Super Bowl champions over to salute their accomplishments then turn that platform into a lecture on civic duty? This isn’t elementary school for crying out loud.
Conspicuous by his absence was 2008 NFL Defensive Player of the Year and author of the greatest defensive play in Super Bowl history, linebacker James Harrison.
Now perhaps you’ve been living under a rock the past week or perhaps you’re just blissfully unaware of the swirling controversy. In which case, I envy you. For the past week has seen an almost daily media blitz directed at the Silverback. HOW DARE HE NOT GO! HE’S SPITTING ON THE FLAG! COMMIE!
Okay, perhaps I’m exaggerating just a tad. But for the past week, every media outlet from USA Today to ESPN and every talking head on every talk show has seemingly weighed in with his or her opinion on whether James Harrison should have gone to the White House. Which is great, we do enjoy free speech in this country. However the only opinion I care about in this case is that of, oh I don’t know, JAMES HARRISON?
If the man doesn’t want to visit the White House, he doesn’t have to visit the White House. It doesn’t make him unamerican. It doesn’t make him classless. It doesn’t make him immature. It makes him a man, a big scary quarterback killing man, who made a choice. And I have no idea why that’s such a problem for some people.
This entire situation reminds me of the recent controversy over that bubbleheaded bleach blonde Miss America contestant. She supposedly lost the crown when her answer to the question of supporting gay marriage was decidedly not the politically correct one. Look, I’m not taking one side or the other in that debate but she stated her OPINION. When did that become wrong? So am I to understand people should say things they don’t believe or attend functions they have no interest in just because OTHERS think they should? Huh?
When Silverback declared he was going to miss the festivities, the media went into a frenzy trying to figure out why. Let’s be honest, most athletes are meatheads. They don’t go to college to learn, they go to audition for the NFL. So they don’t always explain themselves well and are seldom deep thinkers. Sticking a microphone in front of them and expecting them to give a sound philosophical answer to something that doesn’t need explaining in the first place is a sure recipe for disaster.
And so it was. Harrison said “This is how I feel — if you want to see the Pittsburgh Steelers, invite us when we don’t win the Super Bowl. As far as I’m concerned, [Obama] would’ve invited Arizona if they had won.” This quote sent the talking heads into overdrive because of the seeming ridiculousness of the logic.
Except it does make sense. Luckily, I speak meathead jock so allow me to translate. Suppose you get an invitation to a wedding or a birthday party. Now suppose instead of the invitation being addressed “Dear Your Name Here” it said “To Whom It May Concern.” Would you still go? The President meets the Super Bowl champion, he doesn’t care what team it is. It’s basically a form letter. James Harrison doesn’t do form letters.
Then things got more ridiculous when the Rooney Family went into spin control mode. I love the Rooneys but they’re damn lucky the Steelers are the most honorable organization in sports. If they ever had a negative PR issue, they’d be screwed because they are totally inept at handling bad press. They clearly issued an order to their puppets at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (you may know them as “the sports department”) who then came out with a ridiculous story that Harrison was afraid to fly. Next you’ll tell me that’s really why Tony Kornheiser left Monday Night Football.
The problem with this story is Harrison flies at least 8-12 times per year during the football season. He also flew to Hawaii for the Pro Bowl. And, um, he played one season in NFL Europe. Do you know how long it takes to fly to Europe? Pretty damn long. Not to mention D.C. is about 5 hours by car. Well, I can make it in 4 but I tend to see speed limits as more suggestions than rules.
Anyway, that bullcrap story created yet another round of speculation. Look, Harrison didn’t go to see George W. Bush when we won back in ‘05 so it’s not a political thing. He just didn’t see the point in wasting his time on an empty promotional fluff piece when weights needed lifted and sprints needed, um, sprinted. He is an adult and he decided he had no desire to visit a place and meet a man he has no reverence for. And I have no problem with that.
Three months ago, the Pittsburgh Penguins were floundering. They were in danger of missing the playoffs in a league where more than half the teams make the post season. They had terrible coaching, a terrible power play, and terrible goaltending. Things looked bleak at the Igloo and I jumped ship.
Then a miraculous turnaround happened. They made several smart trades, bringing in scoring help and veteran leadership. The got their top goalie back and healthy. And most importantly, they fired their inept idiot of a head coach and replaced him with a smart young guy who allows the team to play to their strengths.
Since Disco Dan Bylsma took the reins, the team has undergone a complete renaissance. They closed out the regular season by surging to the #4 overall seed. In the first round of the playoffs, they put the kibosh on the thuggish Philadelphia Flyers. Then, in a battle for the ages against the Washington Capitals, superstar Sidney Crosby showed everybody that he and not overhyped cheap shot artist Alexander Ovechkin was indisputably the best player on the planet.
Now in order to earn another shot at hoisting Lord Stanley’s Cup, the Pens will face the Carolina Hurricanes. And among the 20,000 screaming rednecks who just discovered they had a hockey team five years ago will be the Hurricane’s biggest fan, Bill Cowher.
I make no secret of my affection for Coach Cowher. Hell, I named my site in his honor. However, his newfound allegiance to Carolina hockey is a bit perplexing. In 15 years coaching the Steelers, I don’t remember seeing him at one Pens or Pirates game. Now all of a sudden he’s a dyed in the wool hick from North Cackalacky when he in fact grew up in Crafton. Meh. If ringing some dorky siren is his idea of retirement fun, more power to him. Though somebody really should tell him he looks like a jagoff.
I’ll throw my hat in with current coach Mike Tomlin, who has embraced our exciting Pens. Although I won’t lie, it pains me to see a good Yinzer like Cowher root for the enemy. Let’s just hope when all is said and done, he, too, can admit when he’s wrong.
Sports Illustrated released their semi-annual list of the best owners in sports. To no surprise, the Rooney family were named the best owners in the NFL. When you helm the most successful franchise in football history, you deserve all the accolades which come your way. Just think, if not for some horse at some race track back in 1933, the late great Art Rooney doesn’t win the $2,500 he used to buy the team that would some day be known as the Pittsburgh Steelers.
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