Since the Big Game is fast approaching, I thought I’d take a minute to help you add to your Black and Gold wardrobe.  After all, I have an entire drawer dedicated to my Pittsburgh fanaticism.   Believe me, nothing is sweeter on game day than busting out a brand new Steelers T which immediately makes you every man’s envy and every girl’s dream.  At least, that’s what I tell myself.

Speaking of sweet, the BRLTCFB M&M’S Contest went over like gangbusters.  Congratulations to the winners and your shipment is on its way.  To those of you who guessed poorly, the M&M’S people have extended you the amazing chance to order your own Steeler M&M’s for 15% off by clicking this link and entering code BIGGAME (one word).

Now on to the shirts:

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Homage Clothing is a new label designed, owned, and operated by Ohio native Ryan Vesler.  They concentrate on retro designs intended to reference sports and pop culture events from decades past.  Basically, he took the idea behind the millions of people in Throwback jerseys and applied it to t-shirts.

The results are many sweet designs, including this one which harks back to the 1970′s when the Steelers were a Steel Dynasty and the Pirates were good.   Yes my young readers, there once was a time when the Pirates actually had talented players and those players and the people in charge actually tried to win championships (which they did, twice).

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In honor of your swank new President comes this swank t-shirt playing off Barack Obama‘s photoshopped campaign posters.  Isn’t it nice to have a president who knows that photoshop exists?  Somebody got the bright idea to do this with Mike Tomlin and the result is one of the best t-shirts out there.  I think there’s a McCain version where Tomlin’s picture looks like a Polaroid, if that’s how you roll.  In either case, check the rest of their site for other designs.  Buy one for yourself or one for you girlfriend since Tomlin is the NFL’s Sexiest Coach.

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LaMarr Woodley is my favorite player.  I don’t usually admit that but anybody who reads my recaps can probably figure it out.  Mr. Woodley is so tough, I’m convinced an asteroid didn’t wipe out the dinosaurs, they voluntarily left because they knew if they survived Woodley was coming for them right after he’s done sacking opposing quarterbacks.

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These are on sale at Giant Eagle but for those of you who live outside the Golden Triangle, you can order them online.  To be honest, I’m not a fan of the “Sixburgh” slogan.  It’s a poorly thought out and clumsily executed pun.  The shirt is sweet, though, with James Harrison looking all badass.

History.

Last night, our country finally embraced the Rooney Rule on a national level when they elected Barack Obama the 44^th President of United States. As you can tell by the picture above, Dan Rooney is probably pretty happy about the result. Regardless of your political leanings, everyone should feel at least a little pride in the historic event which took place yesterday. When a man of mixed heritage, a man raised by his mother and grandmother, a man with such a diverse cultural background can rise to the level of President, it really says a lot about how far we’ve come as a society.

Of course, we all know who President-elect Obama has to thank for his victory.

The Pittsburgh Steelers.

By defeating the Washington Redskins on Monday night, Obama’s victory was all but guaranteed. Forget the polls. Forget Zogby. Forget CNN. The best indicator of who will win a Presidential election is the Redskins. For the last 30 years, with only one exception, the Redskin Rule has been 100% accurate in predicting the outcome. If the Skins win their last game before Election Day, the party in office stays in office. If they lose, the opposing party takes control. Therefore, by pulling out the win, the Steelers made it a lock for Barry O.

Speaking of history, those who don’t learn from it are doomed to repeat it. Two seasons ago, the Steelers were defending Super Bowl champs but QB Ben Roethlisberger ran afoul of a Gray Hair on the Seventh Street Bridge while on his motorbike. Then, the last week of preseason, he was felled by an emergency appendectomy. Replaced by Charlie Batch for the season opener against Miami, the Steelers won easily while Batch had an outstanding game. It was his last action of the season as Ben came back the following week against Jacksonville. He muddled through a terrible performance where neither team scored a TD, ending with a 9-0 loss. He played pretty poorly for several weeks, including in a loss to the hapless Raiders, a team which would only win 2 games all year.

After the loss to the Jags, disturbing rumors surfaced. Some said Ben played the game with a 100 degree temperature. Others said his stitches were so fresh that one of the sacks had caused them to pop. There were other rumblings that the head trauma from the accident had caused a sort of punch drunk effect where Ben was unable to think and react as quickly as before. The question became why was Coach Bill Cowher starting him?

I’m not privy to behind the scenes info so I don’t know exactly what was true and what wasn’t. But I do know Ben didn’t seem right. And not being right cost us at least one probably two games. You know how many games we missed the playoffs by that year? ONE.

That brings us to this year. The press is reporting the MRI on Ben’s injured right shoulder showed no significant change from past weeks. If that’s true, how was he playing before yet couldn’t on Monday night? Are they saying that he’s constantly playing through this excruciating pain, except that one time when it became a little more excruciating? Why would you take a valuable player like Roethlisberger, a player you invested close to $100 million in, and potentially threaten his health and longevity by allowing him to play when he’s seriously hurt?

Not to mention the fact that current coach Mike Tomlin can spin things however he likes but the injury IS affecting Ben’s play. Our offense wasn’t this bad last year under the same set of coaches so you can’t lay the blame entirely on them. I applaud Big Ben’s toughness and desire to help his team but if you’re playing with a crippling injury and it’s affecting your game, you’re actually hindering more than helping.

That’s why I’m hoping Tomlin learns from history and starts Byron Leftwich this Sunday in Indianapolis. The Steeler might get a bye (if they make the playoffs) but otherwise there are no more breaks from here to the end of the season. Ben clearly needs some time off and rest to get his body somewhat back together and this week is just as good as any. You want him ready to go for important games like division match-ups or against Dallas. This week is the perfect week to give him some rest as it’s at home against a rather mediocre Indy team that Leftwich knows very well after playing them twice every year when he was in Jacksonville.

I don’t want to lose games we should easily win because our quarterback is a functioning cripple. I also don’t want him to prove his toughness by playing through a nagging injury that eventually turns into a big huge season ending injury. We need Ben for the stretch run and we need him for the playoffs. But for this week, he needs to ride the bench.

Tomorrow is Primary Election Day here in good old Pennsylvania. I hope you registered to vote. It’s important that the collective voice of Steeler Nation is heard. At least, that’s the message I seem to be getting from Democratic front-runners Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.

Either that or their highly paid, Harvard-educated political operatives have cleverly deduced that the best way to be popular in Pittsburgh is to pander to Steeler fans.

Works for me.

Although, I’m still left with a torturous choice. Do I go with Hillary, who smartly traded her ill-fitting, semi-mannish pantsuits for an always stylish Steeler jersey? Or do I go with the charismatic, chain-smoking Obama?

Hmmm…choices. Jack Lambert was a chain-smoker and he was a great leader on our defense. Plus, Obama not only has the endorsements of Franco Harris (no word on his Italian Army) and Jerome Bettis, but he also made up his own version of the Terrible Towel. Why, it even has his message of optimism and hope printed on it! In your face, Myron Cope!!

Well, whomever you vote for (Obama), I hope you do at least vote (for Obama). You’re very lucky to live in Pittsburgh because besides having the greatest football franchise in the history of the NFL, you also live in the state which is responsible for electing the president of the United States. Okay, us, parts of Ohio, and some old geezers down in Florida. But that’s really about all the true “swing areas” there are left.

‘Tis a fact. Look over the results for the past two general elections and you will see that these were the areas that, if they swung to the other candidate, would’ve tipped the balance of the state to the other side and given them a win according to the all-important Electoral College system.

But don’t just take my word for it. Obviously Republican Presidential Nominee-to-be John McCain is well aware of Pennsylvania’s political importance. He’s already decided to one-up both Barack’s towel and Hillary’s jersey with a shrewd political maneuver of his own. Yep, I know who he’s picked to be his Vice President and it is someone who will definitely help him get votes in the Allegheny County area. Perhaps you’ve heard of the gentlemen, I think he once ran for governor: