momluvsfootball

Prior to the start of the 2009, in true homer fashion, I had projected the Steelers to win Superbowl XLIV.  Okay, I’ll admit, I’m not a complete homer.   As much as I  would love to see the Steelers make the Superbowl year in and year out, I also know that’s not always a possibility.  When Tommy Maddox went down in 2004, a year after the Steelers finished 6-10, I expected another losing season under a rookie quarterback (see, I’m not always right about the Steelers).

My reason for the projection though really wasn’t out of homerism (though my fantasy football picks were), just more out of logic.  And I’m sure that many non-Steelers fans agreed that if there was a team at the time that was perfectly poised for a back to back, it was the 09 Steelers.  Limited turnover in personnel, the strength of talent on this current Steelers roster and their 09 schedule had them perfectly poised to do it.  Unfortunately my predictions fell short, sort of like the Steelers season. 

Going into the post-season, while 12 teams are preparing for their run at the Lombardi Trophy, Steelers join 19 other teams in determining where to go next year.  National media and analysts will be focused on the playoffs and the coaching carousel throughout the NFL.  Pittsburgh media and many Steelers fans, including myself, will be watching and talking about what transpires within the black and gold organization for the next few weeks.  Continuing to try to figure out what went wrong and why, it’ll be a topic discussed on message boards and in analysts columns both in the Pittsburgh and national media as they break down the end of various teams seasons.  CBS Sports writer, Pete Prisco believes that the Steelers defense needs a lot of help as he mentioned in his final regular power rankings and NFL.com’s  Bucky Brooks broke down the Steelers in his column.  And now, after the retirement of Ken Anderson as the Steelers quarterback coach yesterday, we’re waiting with baited breath to see the fate of Bruce Arians. 

In the first part of “If Only”, I tended to regurgitated responses to what the media had speculated  on the demise of a defense that the previous season was no less then a shut down defense, both against the run and the pass.  It was that defense, along with a clutch quarterback and some very good receivers that propelled the Steelers through the playoffs and into the Superbowl.  It’s a given that members of the media and fans of Pittsburgh legendary franchise would try to find reasons as to why.  (Yes, yes, I know that I’m repeating myself). 

Now I’ll admit, myself, I’m far from being an expert at the game.  I’ve never taken a snap, blocked a defensive lineman or even kicked a field goal.  I was never a football mom, heck, I wasn’t even a pom pom waiving cheerleader, just a fan.  But I can say, I’ve been watching the games enough, to be certain of at least some things. 

• Steeler management needs to put a clause in all players contracts that they will never, ever, appear in a Campbell’s Chunky Soup commercial (see 2006 when Ben Roethlisberger was suppose to be the Chunky Soup commercial and the team went 8-8 that season), appear on a Madden whatever box and not to appear on an Sports Illustrated cover (unless of course, it’s their swimsuit addition and they’re not in uniform).  Okay the SI cover may be a stretch, but why tempt fate? 
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• Every Steelers fan needs to keep a bottle of Bayer aspirin close by, just in case.  Terry O’Neil knows what watching a Steelers game can do to the heart.  He’s the fan who made national headlines in 06 for suffering a heart attack after Jerome Bettis fumbled the ball at the goal line in the Steelers/Colts playoff game.  I’m right with Terry there on this one.  I think the Denver game was the only game this year that I didn’t have my heart in my throat in the fourth quarter. 
• Steelers fans can be extremely passionate and loyal, can be rabid, are extremely spoiled and as a collective, the Steelers Nation can sometimes be bi-polar.  I’ll address this one later, but when some fans start wanting to burn in effigy a coach who has gone to the playoffs twice, winning a Superbowl, and barely missed the playoffs without a losing season only after three seasons in that position.  Or announce on players facebook pages that the loss against Cleveland made them embarrassed to be a Steelers fan, I just have to shake my head.  Sometimes I think we can take lessons from Lions, Saints, Browns and even Bengals fans.
• Not to bite into the media hype or the drama.  We’ve heard twice about issues between Hines Ward and Ben Roethlisberger.  After the 2007 season when the press reported that Ben wanted a tall wide receiver and Ward took exception to it.  Yep, there was a rift there, so much so that the Steelers went on to the Superbowl.  Ward would catch 81 times for 1,043 yards and 7 touchdowns.  And after his comments about Ben’s concussion, yep, a real drop statistically in those games.  Yep, the Steelers had a big McNabb/TO controversy going there…NOT.
• That stats always don’t paint the full picture.  A team with a top five overall defense, with an offense that has a quarterback that has thrown for 4000 yards and a quarterback completion rating of 100.5, with two 1000+ yards receivers PLUS a 1,000 yard running back should be in the playoffs, right? 
• And yes, despite what Pittsburgh Post Gazette writer Ron Cook might believe (1), Bruce Arians needs to go.  In his column today, Cook points to the stats this season as reason why the calls for Arians head is unjustified.  Though I may agree with Cook on the Steelers need to keep the idea of the high powered passing offense in place, I disagree that Arians is the man to do this.  High powered passing offenses that can make it to and win the Superbowl utilize their weapons effectively.  Arians has all the talent needed for a pick your poison offense, but has shown he’s more of a Mr. Hyde then Dr. Jekyll in his Jekyll and Hyde play calling. 

Let’s face it, the Steelers do have a running game.  Rashard Mendenhall running for 1000 yards rushing for the season.  They have an explosive pass attack if used effectively,  2 1000+ yard receivers and a rookie deep threat by the name of Mike Wallace  proved that.  The game against the Chargers earlier in the season showed how deadly that poison can be when mixed properly.  333 yards passing for 2 TDs and a running back that ran for 165 yards and 2 TDs, not to mention a 6 yard pass by Mewelde Moore for another, made any attempt at a come from behind win a Philip Rivers led offense kind of a pipe dream.  Now take the same offense in the Packers/Steelers game. 503 yards passing by the Steelers and yet the Steelers needed a last minute touchdown to win that game.  Three touch downs in the first half compared to three field goals in the second. 

This is why I believe Arians needs to go.  Despite what the stats say, Arians more often then not seems to have no answers for the 3d and goals.  Think Arians is evolving Ron?  Look at his play calling against the Eagles in the 2008 season.  Despite being eaten alive by the Eagles defense, Arians offered very little solution except keeping Ben behind center and running, running and then pass.  Easily read by the defense Bruce.  How many sacks did Ben take this season?  What did Arians do when the line seemed overwhelmed?  Yeah, sometimes he’d let Ben run no huddle or muddled huddle, other times, Arians seemed to have no answers except…you guessed it, the deep ball. 

No Ron, my reasoning for wanting Arians gone has nothing to do with wanting to revert back to power run first philosophy of old.  I just believe that he has issues using his resources correctly. 

If only he had more games like they did in Denver and against San Diego, continuing to play to win in the 2nd half rather then trying to sit on the lead offensively as we’ve seen in many game by eating the clock and field.  (Especially in the 4th quarter in the first Cincinnati game).   Want wow Bruce…the Denver game was just that, both offensively and defensively.   Why not go for something like that in every game…nevermind, I’m sure he has.

If only his play calling wasn’t so predictable a lot of the time, especially in the 2nd half. How often have we watched the offense telegraph the plays only to result in Ben being sacked?

If only he wouldn’t get conservative when  he should be aggressive and shouldn’t get aggressive when it calls for him to be conservative. 

If only his play calling seemed to be more situational rather then scripted.  Not that it doesn’t happen but once it works, he reverts back to the script he laid out. 

If only he hadn’t opted to pass twice as often as running in a game where the winds were 60 mph or where the rush defense of the opponent was suspect and the run was actually working.  Or if he adjusted his play calling sooner or didn’t wait for two minutes to go no huddle when the oline and Ben are taking a beating.

If only there weren’t so many reasons as to why we lack confidence in him, perhaps Ron, we the fans wouldn’t be calling for his head year in and year out.

Ron, and here’s probably the biggest reason I believe that Arians should no longer be in Pittsburgh.  For three years Ron, the Steelers offense has struggled on 3d and short.  For two of those years they were brushed off due to injuries, or young running backs or issues with the oline.  Ron, this year the Steelers have a quarterback that has thrown for 4000+ yards in a season.  Ron, this year the Steelers have two wide receivers who’ve caught for 1,000 + yds.  Ron, this year the Steelers have a deep fast threat in the way of Mike Wallace.  Ron, this year the Steelers have a running back who has ran for over 1,000 yds.  Ron, yet, still in three years, more often then not, the Steelers are kicking field goals instead of converting the 3d and goals to touchdowns. 

If only Bruce Arians had the answer to this problem, then there’d be less of a call for his head…if only…

(1):  Making Arians a Scapegoat is Unwarranted, Pittsburgh Post Gazette, Wednesday 1/6/10

A wing and a prayer, that’s what it came down to, prayers that somehow a miracle will happen, or should we say three miracles?  It could happen.  After all, who foresaw the losses of the Bengals, Eagles and Steelers to the Raiders?  Who thought the Ravens would miss opportunities by stepping on their own toes?  Who would have thought that a rookie quarterback with 12 TDs and 20 interceptions would still be in the playoff hunt, Rex Ryan surely didn’t.  Miracles do happen, right?  After all, it was a miracle that I was cheering on the Cowboys in a game in 2005. 

However, Sunday the Steelers would find no miracles waiting for them.  The wing and a prayer ended officially when the Baltimore Ravens lost to the Oakland Raiders on Sunday.  Instead of preparing for the playoffs, James Harrison and Casey Hampton will be preparing (if there is such a thing) for the Pro-Bowl, while the rest of the Steelers players and coaching staff will try to figure out where they went wrong and why,  Knowing the only one’s to blame were themselves.  No doubt Mike Tomlin and many of the Steelers players acknowledged that time and time again..

What led to the breakdown of the Steelers this season?  Of course the fourth quarter meltdowns on defense had a lot to do with it.  After all, the Steelers had substantial leads in the majority of the games only to see them eaten away.  CBS Sports writer Mike Freeman would have us believe that we can trace it back to Mike Tomlin and “Camp Cupcake” but is that all to it?  In 2007, when Mike Tomlin first took the reigns of the Steelers, he did so with a firm grasp, and in training camp had the players practicing in full pads, the team seemed to have ran out of steam by the end of the season.  After going 10-6 and winning the AFC North that year.  Despite their 5-1 division record, the Steelers would surprisingly lose to teams that many expected them to dominate.  Losses that year included a rebuilding Cardinals team, a New York Jets team that ended it’s season at 4-12.   Of course there is the argument of a soft training camp leading to players not being in proper condition to be able to play a full four-quarters.

Some would also point to the injury of Troy Polamalu as being a big factor in the breakdown of the defense due to the number of turnovers.  What was also missing was the disruptive force of Aaron Smith.  Though the front line of the defense played well enough, the tipped or batted down passes seemed to have diminished under the line by proxy which allowed offenses to exploit the middle of the field all too often.  Sometimes, it seemed that the replacements were attempting to imitate the missing defenders rather then play their own individual strengths.  Again, we can look to 2007 when Polamalu and Aaron Smith went down, not to mention Ryan Clark, how suspect the Steelers secondary looked, especially when they went up against Tom Brady and the 18-1 Patriots.

We could say there’s an age disparity with the Steelers defense having either older players or much younger, inexperienced players and no depth in between and that age is finally catching up with the defense, and this is a plausible argument given some of  the uncharacteristic missed tackles made by James Farrior over the course of the season.  No doubt the Steelers defense is aging and the depth in position in younger players is a major need in next years draft and free agency acquisitions. 

Some might point and say that the Steelers secondary is weak, showing where the secondary consistently was getting burned.  With the exception of  Bryant McFadden, the secondary remained intact, with rookie cornerback, Joe Burnett coming in and well, playing like a rookie.  However, is that something really new?  Okay, it’s a given that the 2008 season, everyone and their brother on defense seemed to be registering an interception, yet the Arizona Cardinals in Superbowl XLIII did manage to uncover the weakness in the Steelers secondary.  So it’s been there.  It’s been a weakness in the Steelers defense even back to the days of Cowher.  It’s just that well…

Perhaps James Harrison hit the nail on the head to define what the actual issue was this season with the Steelers defense.  "I think at times we played as a team and, at times, we played as individuals," he said. "Sometimes it may have seemed that some individual things were more important than actually the whole concept of the team."(1).  With the fourth quarter losses to the Kansas City Chiefs, the Oakland Raiders and the Chicago Bears, it could very well be that once the offense gained the lead, defensively many players bought into the hype.  Superbowl hangover?  Perhaps.  Effects of Camp Cupcake?  Maybe.  Or perhaps it was the lack of a common goal that kept the defense over the past few playing as a unit and not as individuals.  It was no secret that for the past few years the defense was playing for “Coach Dad”.  There were no bones about it, the Steelers defense, especially last season, were looking to help get Steelers Defensive Coordinator Dick LeBeau into the NFL Hall of Fame.  And now, with the nomination and the likelihood of LeBeau being enshrined a probability, that goal was achieved. 

Whatever happened, it’s left fans, sportswriters and even Steelers players and management scratching their heads trying to figure out exactly what happened.  For a team with so much talent, both on offense and defense.  For a team that had the stars aligned for them in scheduling.  For a team that actually had the potential to make a strong Superbowl run for a back to back, it became a season of missed opportunities and  if only. 


(1) Steelers facing adjustments in personnel and attitude , Gary Dulac, Pittsburgh Post Gazette, 1/05/10

When you happen to be awake at 2 am when you should otherwise be sleeping, a lot of times it’s either because you have something heavy on your mind (or your stomach) or it’s because of hot flashes.  In my case, this morning it’s hot flashes.  Not to say that there isn’t something on my mind, there always is.

Like how the automobile companies could have saved a lot of money by making those little green or orange flashing lights on the front and the back of the cars optional.  After all, they’re rarely used since apparently all drivers are mind readers and just know where you’re going.  Yes, it was silly to make a law requiring them to be used when even the Sheriffs Deputies fail to use them.  Funny, how instead of fuming about the cop that almost hit me for failing to use HIS turn signal to indicate his desire to change lanes, I played and replayed the “what if” through my mind and what I would have said to him, if indeed a collision had occurred.  “Sorry officer, the meds I’m on to reduce my blood pressure has sorely diminished my mind reading capabilities”, or “sorry officer, but if you hadn’t been thinking about the girl you slept with last night and focused more on thinking of your intent to change lanes, I wouldn’t have been distracted about how she called you ‘daddy’, by the way is 1234 your pin to your atm card?”.   Of course, the idea that we can and should be able to read minds isn’t limited only to the lack of using turn signals.  Those of us who are married understand this, right?

Those who know me, know that my mind can run in strange tangents.  It’s become particularly worse since I have writers block.  Recently I had taken the advice of several people and decided to try to write a novel.  I had actually played with the idea for several decades, after all, there are some interesting experiences I had that I could draw off of and develop into enjoyable storylines.  However, instead of going the path of writing erotica, I decided to try my hand at an NFL murder mystery, bodice ripper cookbook.  I could say that it was coming along just swell, but it’s still in it’s early chapter.  I think where I got stumped was trying to put the recipe for steak tartar right after the part where the hapless victim lie on the floor, her very life source draining from her quickly from the jagged slash along her throat.  Yes, garish and gruesome I know, maybe a good strawberry cheesecake recipe would have kept the creative juices flowing instead. 

So while I sit, most mornings now, with a blank word document up on the screen, waiting for inspiration to hit me, and instead of blogging or writing poetry so it wouldn’t corrupt whatever concept came to me for the story, I found myself addicted to a virtual farm where I’m trying to just get one more level to buy a mansion, or work to redecorate my virtual apartment while I watch the clock to see if my virtual recipes are ready in one of my three virtual restaurants.  It wasn’t a good thing for me to get a Facebook account, because, frankly, it became addicting.  So addicting that I have two, with plans of two more, the fourth coming when I actually get my novel published, which, at this rate will be around the time the Mayan calendar ends. 

And as far as addictions go, I found there is no chance on this green earth that I will ever become addicted to fantasy football.  Sitting at 1 and 8, I basically buried my ffb team by trading away Drew Brees.  Please, if you’re new to fantasy football and someone encourages you that all you need on your ffb team is Drew Brees to win, that’s not true.  Why oh why did I trade away Ben Roethlisberger early on in the season?

Funny how the mind works though and the thought processes that go on.  Who’d have thought that cuddly Raiders coach Tom Cable might have a violent streak in him?  Okay, that one was maybe a stretch.  Here’s one that might surprise folks though, the Cincinnati Bengals defense is actually a top ten rushing defense going into this Sunday.  Actually the second ranked rushing defense in the league right now allowing only an average of 83.9 yards per game.  When was the last time you actually had to worry about Cincy’s run defense going into a game?  Of course, you’d known that Chad Ochocinco would be playing up and trying to “liven” up the pre-game matchup, but who’d have thought that Bengal’s head coach Marvin Lewis would squash that idea.  Of course, you’d have thought that 85 would have learned his lesson the last time he touted about not being able to be covered with a checklist of all the corners who weren’t able to cover him, and found the first team that did were the Steelers.  Of course, his reasoning, he had thought that Deshea Townsend was the one.  Selective memory right, Chad? 

Not sure why the surprise about the AFC North and their ability to get two teams in the playoffs.  It happened in 2005 when the Bengals were AFC North division champions and the Steelers got the sixth seed wildcard, and then again last season when the Baltimore Ravens met the Steelers in the AFC Championship game.  Not like it hasn’t happened before.  Of course, fans of teams in the AFC North get excited about the possibilities.  Then again, my Colts fan of a husband keeps complaining that there’s not enough attention paid to the Colts being undefeated.  Like I tell him, it’s not the first, or the second time that the Colts have gone undefeated this far.  Actually, it’s more of a shock when they don’t, right?

Of course, Steelers fans have their own thought processes too.  Some would say it’s developed by a set of rose colored glasses.  Like how a lot of us crow about Roethlisberger as our quarterback.  Let’s put things in perspective.  Rose colored glasses or not, we’ve known Roethlisberger’s capabilities for some time now.  It’s just now that others are acknowledging it.  We really weren’t delusional, were we?  We’ve also seen where and when he struggles, it’s definitely not when he’s in no huddle and calling the plays, but more so when the plays are coming in from the sideline.  The difference is night and day.  Seems in the Denver game, Bruce Arians finally got the clue and the wow factor came out. 

And who’d have thought that Steelers rookie wide receiver Mike Wallace would have had the impact that he had.  Of course we expected this season to be Limas Sweeds breakout year, and I don’t think that his season evolved the way it has because of lack of talent but more on the lack of confidence. 

Of course there were questions about Tyrone Carter going into Monday nights game against the Bronco’s.  Most of us believed that he could at least handle the job, there were questions because of what we had expected when he replaced Troy Polamalu.  There was no wow factor, so was he capable of filling in for safety Ryan Clark.  Let’s just say any questions about Tyrone Carter were put to rest.  What we learned from that game (and probably what we already knew), no one can suitably replace Samson when he gets hurt and have the same effect.  Of course concerns came back due to what occurred in 2007, but the defense by the end of that year may have been more due to Polamalu, Aaron Smith and Ryan Clark being out for the rest of the season.  One of them injured and out has an effect, not as drastic, but all three at the same time, diminishes the Steelers defense. 

Guess that’s what we’ve learned with Aaron Smith going out for the season.  Smith was irreplaceable and still is, but any fears we have about being able to stop the run with him gone is answered with the Steelers top ranked rushing defense. And who’d have thought last weeks sack leader for the Steelers wasn’t last years DPOY or a linebacker named Woodley but Brett Keisel?  

Now on the downhill run to the playoffs, dare we say it, the Steelers are a complete team with a pick your poison offense, now that they have a viable running game and not as sporadic, as it was the last two seasons.  The Steelers defense lost it’s way for a few games but is returning to 08 form rather quickly.  This team is quickly proving that if it’s defense doesn’t kill you, it’s offense will.  God help the team when both sides of the ball are clicking for the Steelers, right Kyle?

Don’t be surprised this week if you happen to look around the NFL and see the color pink.  In fact, don’t be too shocked if you notice some of your most manly of manly players donning pink cleats this weekend when taking the field.  Trust me, there is no cause for alarm.  Do not for one moment think that the hallowed halls of the NFL have been taken over by women, or get the idea that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is actually planning on having the players forget their pads and put on the tutu’s. 

October has been designated Breast Cancer Awareness month, Breast cancer has become one of the most common cancers found in women.  The American Cancer Society estimates that in 2009, 713,220 women will be diagnosed with some form of cancer, with 27% of them being breast cancer.  By the end of the year, it is estimated that 269,800 women in America will die from cancer, 15% of those deaths will be from breast cancer.  Most of these deaths would have been preventable with early detection. 

Many of us have had personal experiences, at least with a loved one facing the battle of breast cancer.  Those in the NFL are no different, most notably with the wife of Vikings quarterback Brett Favre, Deanna Favre and the mother of Pittsburgh Steelers OT Max Starks, Elleanor, both survivors of breast cancer.  Not every fight with breast cancer is successful.  The NFL lost one of it’s own due to this disease when, in 2008, Rams owner Georgia Frontiere had died due to complications from breast cancer.   Players have also had personal losses, to include Steelers cornerback Deshea Townsend and quarterback Dennis Dixon, who both lost their mothers to breast cancer. 

So for this weekend, the NFL will be joining in the effort to remind women (and men) of the importance of breast cancer awareness and the necessity for breast exams by donning the pink that’s been associated with breast cancer.  This month, many NFL teams will participate in activities specifically meant for the fight against Breast Cancer.  For Sunday, the Pittsburgh Steelers will be handing out pink towels to fans, while players and coaches don pink hats and wear pink ribbons at the game.  Select players will also be wearing the pink cleats.  You can check your favorite teams websites to see what, if anything, they will be doing to help raise awareness for this disease.

You can go pink to save the ta’ta’s simply by becoming aware of breast cancer and knowing that early detection is the key to surviving this disease. 

- Encourage your loved ones (or yourself) to learn the correct way to perform a self-breast exam and perform them monthly.

- Encourage your loved ones (or yourself) to have an annual/bi-annual physical that includes an exam by a doctor or certified practitioner.

- If your loved ones (or yourself) is 40 and over, ensure they have regular mammograms.

- Be aware of the risk factors, and be proactive, especially if there’s a history of cancer in the family. 

- Most of all, don’t put off visiting a doctor if something that is out of the norm. 

- Just as important, men, please do not think you are immune from this disease.  In 2009, the ACS estimates that 440 men will lose their lives to breast cancer.  So it’s just as important for males to be aware of any changes in their “man boobs” and not be shy to seek a doctors counsel if something appears out of the norm.

- More information about breast cancer can be found at various sites, to include the American Cancer Society

 

Here’s a stock tip…pharmaceuticals.  I’m not talking about those pharmaceutical companies that are in the process of developing the swine flu vaccine or coming up with miracle cures for erectile dysfunction.  I’m talking about those companies like Bayer and the makers of Tylenol.  Go for it, invest your money, cause I’m going to make you rich.  Especially if this football season continues the way it has been going

I’ve already put myself on the Bayer Low Dose program. You know, taking two lose dose aspirin every day to try to prevent heart attacks.  Given the two nail biters the Pittsburgh Steelers played since opening day, I think I’m going to need everything in the arsenal to at least counteract the stress.  Low fat diet, exercise daily, one hour of meditation daily (my cats now believe their names are ooom and owmmm).

I’m not just concerned for my own heart health either.  I have a very good friend who is recovering from major heart surgery.  Did I mention he is a Cowboys fan?  Sunday morning I had thought about calling the hospital to make sure they removed the television from his room prior to game, but knowing him, the stress of being without a tv would have been worse (at least for the hospital staff) so I didn’t.  I’m not sure if he actually watched the game since he seemed unscathed by it on Monday morning. 

Trust me, if the season continues on the way it’s going, investing in the makers of aspirin and pain killers is a wise move, I have a feeling that I’m not the only one that’s going to help that stock rise. 

Of course the Tylenol is for something different.  I’ve found myself popping more of them as I’m trying to work my fantasy football team and select my pick’ems.  Given the way my season is starting out, I still don’t see a risk of me getting stung too badly (by the fantasy football addiction that is).  For those who told me all I needed was Drew Brees on my roster, to quote Joe Wilson “You lie”.  Okay, well taking Brees was a good pick, actually the only pick that has consistently given me substantial points.  Despite that, I’m 0-2 in my division and it really doesn’t look like it’ll get better.  Basically because I keep playing with my roster.  I’ve learned the joys of acquiring players off of waivers and have done a trade or two.  Gave up Ben Roethlisberger as my backup QB for Santonio Holmes because, well, with the exception of Steve Smith, I really didn’t have another viable WR. 

Of course like the draft I’m now starting to get confused as to who I originally had any more.  And by week two I’m making a final acquisition off of waivers, dropping Rashard Mendenhall for Chester Taylor.  And if it’s not bad enough my decisions who to sit and who to start have been about as great my draft (which isn’t saying much). 

Here’s the odd thing, earlier in the week I suggested to someone to play Jonathon Stewart, then I turn around and sit him and Parker in lieu of Chester Taylor.  After all, the Vikings were playing Detroit.  The Lions for god sake.  Even if he was a backup to Peterson, he was bound to get some yards against the Lions, right?  Umm, yeah, right.  So who has the better day between my backs?  Stewart.  Sheesh.  (That tells you how weak my running back corp is, of course with the exception of Tim Hightower with the Cardinals – at least I’m getting more then one point with him). 

To make matters worse, I sat Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith and played Justin Gage.  Remind me again why I picked him up? The week I decide to sit Smith, of course, Smith would catch for over 100 yards.  I swear, there’s a conspiracy against me. 

Honestly, I’ll see this team through, but it’s really going to be a long season if this trend keeps up and I fear that their death is going to be a long and painful one.  If I was a compassionate person, I’d put Mom’s Cookie Crunchers out of their misery now, but I just don’t have the heart.  Maybe I’m the eternal optimist, believing that one day Drew Brees will throw one hundred touchdowns and make up for all the points I missed….but then, points are only good for that week, right?  So for now I sit alone, at the bottom of my division and don’t see any hope for the future. 

Let’s not mention my pick’em leagues.  If the trends in those keeps up, you might be wise to see if the Jack Daniels Distillery and Bacardi are publicly owned companies.  If they are, buy stock there too.  I have a feeling by the time the season is over with, wine and kahlua just aren’t going to be strong enough to dull the pain.

When I think about a Bears/Steelers game, I picture Jerome Bettis running over Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher on a snowy December day at Heinz Field.  Of course, that is a ghost of a memory.  Bettis has since retired and the Bears that the Steelers faced today were a different Chicago Bears, with a new general under center. 

A lot of time has passed since the last time the Bears and Steelers met up, and a lot of history to these meetings.  Since 1934, the Bears have had the Steelers number for the majority of the time, especially at Soldier Field, where the Bears have won 11 games over the Steelers one.  As of today, make that 12 games to the 1 the Steelers have won.

If we thought the game was a given, especially given Bears quarterback Jay Cutler’s performance last week, perhaps a reminder of Jay Cutler against the Steelers defense in Denver might have jogged our memories.  Last time Cutler faced the Pittsburgh defense, the game came down to a last minute field goal that clinched the win for Denver.  One has to wonder if these are déjà vu moments. 

Under center now in a different uniform, Cutler brought the Bears back from behind twice to tie the game and then drove the field for enough yards to give their kicker, Robbie Gould a chance to win the game, something the Steelers kicker Jeff Reed had a chance to do, twice, and just couldn’t seem to get it done.  The mojo at Soldier Field still runs strong against the Steelers. 

Going into the game, one had to wonder how the defenses would perform with the loss of Brian Urlacher for the Bears and Troy Polamalu for the Steelers.  Last week the Bears kept Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers to under 200 yards passing, although the Steelers gave up over 244 with the early loss of Polamalu.  This week, passing defense for both teams gave up over 200 yards a piece.  In the end, both defenses stepped up to make the plays necessary to shut down drives to give their offense a chance. 

It was a shock for the Steelers fan to see kicker Jeff Reed miss not one, but two field goals in a row, especially given the accuracy that Reed has had over his career in Pittsburgh.  Even I’ll admit, I thought the game was in the bag only to groan watching the ball miss the uprights twice.

Despite the loss, there were positives that came from the game for the Steelers.  Not only did offensive line hold up, providing pretty good pass protection (let’s face it, there were numerous times that Roethlisberger had almost all day to throw), but somehow, just some how, the Steelers were able to run for a combined 107 yards.  Running back Rashard Mendenhall seemed to have atoned for his miscue last week, with a catch that he kept the presence of mind to get up and run for 39 yards.  Seeing Stefan Logan bringing back kickoff returns longer then 5 yards was also a bright spot to the day.  With Logan, one gets the sense that one of these days we’ll see him bring one back for six. 

Don’t get me wrong, there were negatives too.  Despite his ability to cover the best receivers in the league, cornerback Ike Taylor missed the opportunity for a pick six.  Center Justin Hartwig, for the second time this season, missed the opportunity to draw an off sides penalty, when a Bears offensive player crossed the line and jumped back quickly.  Secondary often played too soft in zones allowing for completions (not to mention the 200+ yards).   I won’t mention some of the obvious play calling by the Steelers OC that left me scratching my head (how often do I have to scream at the tv, no huddle, go no huddle?).  Of course, there's still the issue with one single running back able to rush for substantial yardage.

There’s a lot of season left and no doubt, the Steelers will take this loss and learn from it.  I’m just hoping that my heart will hold out if all season plans on being nail biters.

Lately, I’ve been pondering whether I should make this public or not.  In the midst of all the revelations of these public persons going outside of their marriage to find their “happiness”, I’ve noticed, that something has changed with my husband and suspect, that he too, may have a new love.  Maybe love is not the correct word, maybe it’s more of  an interest, or almost an obsession.

I know, this is probably not the best place to air my concerns, but, well, sometimes I feel at a lost.  Things were just – different between he and I.  The “passion”, well, the “passion” doesn’t seem to be there between us right now.  Maybe it’s a phase, they say that happens with marriages.  Then again, I do know he has a new “interest”, I see the time that he devotes to that *sigh* “interest” and often wonder, can I compete.  I’ve wrestled with this for a few days and wondered what I can do to save us.  Do I invest in new “clothes” and “toys” to renew his interest?  Do I change what I “do” just to make him “happy?”. 

I know, I’m grasping at straws and perhaps, maybe seeing things that aren’t there.  But when I try to talk to him about it, he just seems to tune me out.  And I’ll admit, a lot of it is my fault.  After all, how many more times, in the heat of “battle”, do I have to remind him about what had happened in the past?  And I can see where I’ve been incessant on my side and not so understanding when he’s tried to talk about his new “interest”, instead just nodding, pretending to hear.  Then the other night, he told me, he just didn’t want to hear it anymore and it wasn’t too long after that, that I had found out the cold hard truth which left me stunned.  Now I have to face the facts that my husband is involved with….

A different football pool then I’m on. 

I’m so ashamed that I’ve failed him and can only think that I drove him to it.  Maybe it was the week long jubilation after the Steelers won the Super Bowl or insisting on talking about how making James Harrison the DPOY was the right decision.  Maybe it was taking over the tv and making him watch America’s Game on NFL network. Of course, it didn’t help my cause when I stood in front of the tv trying to discuss my fantasy football team with him while his character in Fallout 3 was being killed by a super mutant and would refuse to get out of the way so he could see what he was fighting.  But it was a bad day already and I had been so confused as to whether I should have kept Randal El or swap him for Justin Gage.  (In the end, I took Gage). 

And yes, maybe I’m overreacting.  His “passion” for football and the Colts will obviously return come Sunday when the team that he roots for actually plays.  Of course I was a little concerned Thursday when he wasn’t THAT interested in watching the game, but then again, he was enjoying the comedy series known as South Carolina politics, and knowing that politics is his second passion, I can see why he wouldn’t have had the same interest level in the opening game as I did. 

I guess I can still salvage our mutual competition when it comes to football.  After all, he already had the satisfaction of me having to declare him a football god (which of course, he doesn’t let me forget), and unless the Colts and Steelers meet up in the post season, unlike last year, there’s nothing in the regular season for us to compete over.  (Really going to boring in the house until then).

And as far as the new “interest”, well, if I can’t compete with an Xbox 360, I can always throw it out. 

Just another football season in our household.

One has to wonder if 117 years ago, when the first professional football game was played in Pittsburgh PA, if the originators of the first league had foreseen how big the sport would become or the number of fans that it would eventually draw?  One has to wonder,  when the first professional football league was born in the town of Latrobe Pennsylvania, with very few rules and very little equipment, if they might have caught a glimpse in their minds eye how elaborate the sport would end up.  From a $500.00 payment to William (Pudge) Heffelfinger, to multi-million dollar contracts of players today.  From a group of guys from an athletics association looking for bragging rights, to a prized trophy and the infamy that comes with winning it. 

Since February, after the Pittsburgh Steelers hoisted the Lombardi Trophy, a lot has happened.  Fans began watching free agency, the draft, mini-camps and training camps.  Teams filled in needs, identified their game plans and prepared for the upcoming season.  The NFL would see Dan Rooney leave for Ireland.  There would be tragedy, there would be triumph in an off-season.  We would watch the ongoing saga of a man who refused to leave the game he loved, and we would comment on hopeful young prospects whose dreams were one day to become as much of a household name.  We would see new coaches coming in to hopefully lead teams to the next season and argue about which quarterback was better.  There would be new rules that would leave us grumbling and scratching our heads.   As fans, we waited, sometimes impatiently for the arrival of September, when the first kick-off of regular season professional football began, trying to fill the gap in the meantime by evaluating talent and hoping that the teams that we pulled for would grab the best of the best.  Questions regarding the worst to the first dominated discussions. 

Since February, the City of Pittsburgh, prepared.  It welcomed home the Superbowl Champions with parades and celebrations.  It would begin preparing for an international summit that would be held in the city. It would welcome home it’s Stanley Cup Champions and would shake it’s head when the beloved Pirates would register it’s 17th straight losing season.  And come August both the City of Pittsburgh and the Steelers organization began preparing for the beginning of football season.  Throughout this past week, as we began to count down the days and then the hours, events were held in anticipation of the city and the Steelers hosting the first game of the regular season.  NFL60 events were held around the area and on Thursday evening, while people tailgated at Heinz Field, others were filing into Point State Park to be a part of the opening celebrations that featured the Black Eye Peas and Tim McGraw. 

Then it happened, it was finally here.  Somewhere in my mind I heard echo’s of Bocephus asking if we were ready for Football and for a moment, John Maddens absence was extremely notable. The fireworks erupted and the Steelers were announced and the Tennessee Titans would be entering hostile territory.  And before the kickoff, we stopped and remembered the tragic events of 9/11 and paid tribute to those lost, not only on Flight 93 but in NYC and the Pentagon.  The coin toss, the kick-off and then they were off.

How can you talk about the first game of the season without talking about the events leading up to it?  With football there is history, legacies and traditions, one of which having the Superbowl Champions hosting the first game.  This year, it would be held in Pittsburgh.  And what more fitting opponent for the team who won it all to meet the last team that beat them. 

The Tennessee Titans come into the 2009 season with unfinished business and the Pittsburgh Steelers, despite the words of coach Mike Tomlin and company, looking to repeat as Superbowl Champions.  Going into the game there were many story lines.  The Steelers hadn’t lost a home opener in the last six years.  Titans quarterback Kerry Collins, prior to the meeting was 3-0 against the Steelers.  Last night, one of these streaks would come to an end.  The comment of LenDale White seemed to be shrugged off in regards to the towel, except, with the fans. 

By now we all know the results of a game that was nothing less then fitting for a season opener, a nail biter to the very end.  Fans looking for high scoring shootouts would be disappointed.  For Titans and Steelers fans, could we have hoped for better?  Perhaps in some areas, yes.  In others, well. 

Anyone who thought the Titans defense would degrade substantially with the departure of Albert Haynesworth, may have jumped a little too soon to that conclusion.  Titans coach Jeff Fisher came into the game with a plan to stop the Steelers running game and they were successful, allowing less then 30 yards on the ground.  At one point their defense had the Steelers at negative yardage. Offensively, Kerry  Collins showed once again why he should be starting quarterback ending the night 22 for 35 with 1 interception.  Most noteworthy though is the Titans offensive line which gave excellent protection to Collins, allowing only one sack.

As for my black and gold.  Despite the slow start, in the end, even with some issues, Steelers seemed to have started the season with the same form that got them to the Superbowl last year, with one exception – a seemingly much improved oline when it comes to pass protection. 

When first signed by the Steelers, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger took the number 7 due to his favorite player being John Elway.  By the end of last nights game, Roethlisberger would once again, have the media talking about his clutch performance.  When the offense was under Ben’s control, he was almost perfect, at one point completing 12 straight passes while in no huddle, keeping the Tennessee defense on their heels. 

Offensively, in the passing game, though some errors and mistake, the wide receivers (and tight end Heath Miller) came through.  Veteran receiver Hines Ward showed just a little too much passion, but in the end, the Steelers defense was able to keep the Titans down field, allowing the game to go into overtime.  Earlier in pre-season I had commented that rookie Mike Wallace would make a name for himself and he didn’t prove me wrong when, in OT he put himself into a position to catch a pass that allowed Jeff Reed to kick the game winning field goal. 

I could say that I was excited about the passing game, but those of us who’ve watched Roethlisberger and company for the past few years knew, that despite what critics said, we could trust Ben if the game relied on his arm.  With the lack of a run game and the inability to convert 3d and shorts on the ground, that was the only way it was going to get done.  However, the excitement I felt last nigh was watching kick returner Stefan Logan picking up more then ten yards on a run back.  Logan’s acquisition from the CFL by the Steelers promises to fill a need where in the past the Steelers special teams struggled in punt and kick off returns.

Unfortunately, the Steelers still need to find a way to create a ground game and perhaps, as the season wears on, it will.  Defensively, the Steelers seemed not to have lost a step, until free safety Troy Polamalu went out with an sprained MCL.  When he returns is unknown.  Although, not as electricifying as Polamalu, Tyrone Carter backfilled just fine and nearly had an interception of his own, though Polamalu’s absence was noticeable at times. 

As far as any retribution for the “disrespect of the towel”, it was doubtful that there was any.  It was more of a matchup between two teams, one looking to defeat the current champions, the other looking to atone for their last matchup.  Although, something to ponder.  The late Myron Cope use to say that the Terrible Towel was magical.  Never more apparent are the towels waving then when a team is down by the goal line and the camera’s catch everyone on their feet swinging the towel around.  A lot of talk over the off-season about the Titan’s disrespect for the towel.  Could it be the spirit of the towel took it’s revenge on the least likely of persons, Titans kicker, Rob Bironas?  How strange that one of the most accurate kicker in the league would miss a field goal under 40 yards with it going wide right and then on his second attempt, actually have it blocked by Steelers defensive end Aaron Smith.  I know ludicrous, right?

As for Tomlin and company.  Well they have ten days to rest before heading to Chicago.  Coach Tomlin and the rest of the team, despite being asked about repeats, say they are seeking a championship and not looking to repeat.  Funny, former Steelers Coach Chuck Knoll adopted that mentality and those types of comments with the press the years the Steelers won the SB back to back.  It’ll be a long and exciting season for fans, something we’ve been waiting for along time.  Once again, it's a new beginning.

It was two hours before the draft and my husband looked at my wish list and told me that I was screwed.  At that point I threatened to lock him in the bedroom during the draft because I was so assured of my picks that I had a good line up…nope, he told me, I was screwed.  He ended up actually going to take a nap during my draft time but not before he reminded me of how he showed me that he was a football god and that I should listen to him about my decisions. 

If my first draft is any indication of how I’ll do in fantasy football, then, my husband is correct, I’m screwed and I will see my first fantasy team dying a more painful death then my daughters nano-pets.  Okay, maybe not so bad, but to tell you that I ended up with rookie wide receiver Michael Crabtree will tell you how the draft got away from me. 

So two hours to draft time, my line up was all set, laid out precisely like I wanted it.  Wish list in hand, I went over it with him.  Fourth pick in the draft, I figured that I’d get a chance at least at one of the top QBs in the league so I laid out the four in my wish list:

Drew Brees
Peyton Manning
Kurt Warner
Phillip Rivers

Dadluvsfootball:  “Why are you picking Kurt Warner”…

Me:  “Cause he has Fitzgerald and Boldin to go to”

Dadluvsfootball:  “So go for Fitz or Boldin”

Me:  “They’ll be gone”

Dadluvsfootball:  “You know you’re screwed, right?”

Well sometimes wishes come true and sometimes they don’t.  Brees actually fell to me in the first round so Warner was a moot point and though I wasn’t able to get Forte, Peterson or Slaton, the running backs I really wanted, I did get Jonathon Stewart from the Carolina Panthers.  And it was actually going pretty okay until the seventh round and I started wondering who I actually had on my roster.  Note to CBS…don’t make the autodrafts in the subsequent rounds go so fast, us old folks and newbies have issues keeping up with it. 

I began losing WRs and by the end of the draft, my team looked like a Steelers homer pick, at least when it came to RBs, which was never my intention.  I wanted variety, I wanted flair, I wanted a chance to win.  Knowing I needed another WR in my draft, my last pick was Michael Crabtree, wasn’t it?  At least, on the bright side, I have an excuse not to get into it next year. 

Oh and if you’re wondering…this is how my picks went down:

Round 1:  Drew Brees, QB, New Orleans
Round 2:  Jonathon Stewart, RB, Carolina
Round 3:  Steve Smith, WR, Carolina
Round 4:  Steelers, DST
Round 5:  Ben Roethlisberger, QB, Pittsburgh
Round 6:  Willie Parker, RB, Pittsburgh

Okay so everything up to here was pretty much planned (did I mention I almost forgot to pickup a TE).

Round 7:  Heath Miller, TE, Pittsburgh (yeah, Dallas Clark was already gone)
Round 8:  Josh Scobee, K, Jacksonville (why didn’t I pickup Jeff Reed like I was planning on)
Round 9:  Tim Hightower, RB, Arizona (actually I think this is a good pick, call it gut instinct)
Round 10:  Todd Heap, TE, Baltimore Ravens (hey, he was available, couldn’t pass him up)
Round 11:  Felix Jones, RB, Dallas

Okay, here I started picking wildly

Round 12:  Rashard Mendenhall, RB, Pittsburgh
Round 13:  Chris Henry, WR, Cincinatti
Round 14:  Michael Crabtree, WR, San Francisco…maybe

Oh well, if it works out as badly as my tending my daughters tamaguchi pets, then I won’t have to worry about this becoming a major addiction like the virtual zoo I’m trying to build.

Last season we watched a rookie make rookie mistakes.  None more apparent then a missed catch while he was looking up to catch himself on the jumbotron.  If training camp is any type of a barometer, Steelers wide receiver Limas Sweed is on his way to atoning for his rookie mistakes. 

Sweed, a second round draft pick in the 2008 draft, considered one of the top wide receivers in the draft, was speculated to have been picked up because Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, had a tall wide-out on his wish list for that draft.  One of the top concerns going into last season, was Sweed’s seemingly reluctance to block.  That was dispelled in the AFC Championship game against the Baltimore Ravens.  Now the questions going into this season is, will the second year Steelers wide receiver be ready to assume the part of the third wideout slot, left open by Nate Washington, who was signed to the Tennessee Titans through free agency.  If training camp is an indication, then it looks like he’s on his way to being ready. 

Gary Dulac, in today’s edition of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette reports that Limas Sweed looks much more confident going into this season, knowing his routes and making catches with much more ease then he did last year.  Of course, it’s too early to tell, since there’s no opposing team to chase him down and there’s no jumbotron for him to catch a glimpse of himself.  Still, if his coaches are correct, and Sweed continues to look for ways to improve, it’s extremely possible that he’ll find himself in that third wideout slot at the start of the season. 

And although that slot is his to lose, don’t think he doesn’t have competition.  Rookie wide receiver Mike Wallace and former Detroit Lions wide receiver Shaun McDonald are also salivating at that open third wide out slot.  Wallace, picked up in the third round of the 2009 draft, was speculated to have been picked up to answer the need on punt and kickoff return.  McDonald was a late free-agency pickup.  Add Martin Nance and Dallas Baker to the mix, both who spent last year on the Steelers practice squad, and there’s definitely competition.  And both Steelers offensive coordinator Bruce Arians and head coach Mike Tomlin would tell you that the slot is anyone’s to win.  Still, if Sweed continues to shine like he’s doing in camp, then expect to see him running the routes as the third wide-out this season.

And if one thinks that training camp is a cakewalk when it comes to facing defenders, ask both Mike Wallace and rookie running back Frank Summers about their welcome to the NFL and the Pittsburgh Steelers offense.  Guess it’s a good thing that the coach has them practicing in pads. 

Source:  Steelers receiver finding his Sweed spot early in camp , Gary Dulac, Pittsburgh Post Gazette, August 4th, 2009

After each Superbowl win, former Steelers head coach, Chuck Noll, would appear in front of the cameras, and in response to certain questions, seemed not to capture the elation of the win, but would remark that there was still a lot of work to do.  That mentality in coaching led to four super bowl titles, two of them being back to back wins.  In essence, it was as if he was saying, this game is played now we have to start preparing for the next. 

It was almost a déjà vu at the end of last season, as current head coach of the Steelers, seemed to allow himself only a minimal amount of celebrating after the Steelers win in Superbowl 43.  While sportscasters, analyst and experts were touting how this might have been the most exciting win, Mike Tomlin seemed to keep himself well grounded and some might say, stoic, in the aftermath.  Indeed, it seemed that many outside of the Pittsburgh area may have missed and failed to see a similar mindset that Mike Tomlin seemed to have adopted from Chuck Noll in regards to what was next.  Basically, Tomlin would tell reporters, there was work to be done.  This comment was a momentary blurb in print, to be replaced with the next days news, and eventually find itself completely off the radar. 

A lot has happened since that comment was made.  Dan Rooney would move to Ireland to become the US Ambassador there, his son, Art Rooney II taking over the reigns.  A new draft class would be presented and selected, attrition and additions would occur through free agency and team members would participate in OTA’s, community events and mini-camps.  Fans will continue to anticipate opening day of regular season with echo’s of Bocephus in their minds answering the question “Are you ready for some football?”  Most would probably tell you they’ve secretly been ready for it since May.

Around the league teams have been gearing up and have begun their preparations for the upcoming season.  Training camps began and analysts are now reporting how well so and so looks in camp.  For the Pittsburgh Steelers, their down time is about to come to an end.

On the afternoon of Friday, July 31st, the players and staff of the Steelers will report to St. Vincent’s College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania to prepare in earnest for the work that they have to do. 

No doubt there are a lot of burning questions going into this camp.  How big of a distraction with the lawsuit against Ben Roethlisberger turn out to be?  Will OLB Lawrence Timmons prove to be worth what he was paid as a first round draft pick in 2007, now that he has an opportunity to start as a replacement to Larry Foote?  What on earth will kicker Jeff Reed show up in this year to make teammates chuckle?  The answers will be revealed in time, until then all eyes will be on the team and individual performance during training camp. 

There’s a lot of history in Latrobe itself.  It’s believed that the first professional football game was played there, as well as it being the originator of the banana split,  however, the small city itself gained it’s nationwide acclaim, in part, due to being the place where the Steelers hold their training camp.  Each year, Steelers faithful plan for their annual pilgrimage to the small campus to watch the players practice on a field, now named for the former Steelers coach, Chuck Noll.  Many come to get a glimpse of or perhaps get a coveted autograph of their favorite players and watch to see how the rookies and the new acquisitions might do come regular season.  It is here where we’ll start to speculate who will eventually make the team and/or perhaps start the season.  For the players, it will be about who gets a job. 

For the well known veterans like James Farrior, James Harrison, Hines Ward and others, their role will probably be more in a mentor status to the newer players.  For the most part, barring unforeseeable circumstances, these will be individuals whose slots are predetermined long before the season began.  For others, it’s not just going to be about securing themselves a job but transitioning themselves into the cohesive unit that has made the Steelers a formidable force in the NFL for decades. 

Somehow though, the anticipation of this years camp seems to be a little different then previous years. This time not only is there the realization that the Steelers have a major bulls eye on their back for being the reigning SB champs, but there’s also seems to be a genuine hunger from the personnel to actually win the back to back SB’s, something that was missing after they won SB XL. 

Don Banks of Sports Illustrated reminded his readers that the year after SB XL, the Steelers, when faced with a distraction went 8-8.  I would argue that this is different.  That year, the star quarterback was rehabbing from injuries sustained in an accident and then recouping from an operation, not to mention the Steelers had recently said goodbye to the heart of the Steelers team when Jerome Bettis retired.  Add a coach that seemed to have lost his passion for the game that year and it was not going to be pretty. 

No, despite the legal distraction, there still seems to be a sense of energy and belief that this team will not allow it to effect them and will fare quite well going into the stretch.  But then again, despite all the speculation, faith and hope, only time will tell. 

For now, the Steelers and their fans look towards this weekend, a gateway to the inevitable, the start of football season.  For Mike Tomlin, there’s work to be done and it starts in earnest here. 

Have I ever mentioned that I have an addictive personality?  No, I don’t mean that if you get to know me that somehow I’ll grow on you, not addictive that way.  What I mean is that I’m really lucky that I’ve never tried cocaine.  See, if I find myself committing to something I tend to jump in with both feet and give it my all and just, somehow, can’t seem to get enough, unless, of course it was tending my daughters tameguchi pets or furbies. 

Okay, you may be asking why I’m rambling like this.  Well, if you’ve ever “read me”, you know that I have a tendency to ramble.  If this is your first time, welcome to the other side of my “looking glass”.  No, actually I mention this because, well, I’ve decided to jump, not feet first, but head first into yes…*gasp*…fantasy football.  Yep, Mom’s Cookie Crunchers will make it’s regular season debut, and yes, I can feel the addiction starting. 

So ten days away from draft day, I’ve already been trying to line up my roster.  I’ve been reviewing the expert rankings and other information put out by the Fantasy Football guru’s here at CBS Sports and other sites and jotting down gut feelings.  Now, I’ll admit, my draft choices probably will not be finalized until the day before the draft.  I’ve already changed my mind on the QB I’m drafting five times now, and that’s since 9 a.m. this morning (I’m really leery of picking up Tom Brady and would prefer to know what brand of hair products he uses before I commit).. 

Now common sense would tell me NOT to do this.  I’ve always used the excuse of how I have a tendency to kill off my daughters computer generated pets not too long after they hatch to keep from getting involved in a team.  And, yes, I should know better, since my small dabbling in the playoff fantasy football here on CBS Sports, left me with only two players come time for the division playoffs last season.  So basically, yes, I even killed off my first fantasy football team. And, of course, silly me, event though I’m pretty good at giving others pretty good advise, I rarely pay attention to my instincts (okay, that’s not always true, but in this instance…). 

Unfortunately it’s too late, I’ve committed so I tend to see it through.  I want to do this right too.  I’ve studied up on what’s involved, know it’s about points generated mostly off of stats.  Understand a little bit about the draft and making week to week decisions, but I do have some burning questions….

On draft day, do I pull out the chips and dip or will wine and cheese suffice?

No one is expecting camera’s in my war room are they?

Do I go with a logo, or should I be like the Cleveland Browns and stay logoless…after all, how terrifying is a chocolate chip cookie with a bite out of it as a logo?

Should I look into getting a custom jersey made with the name of my team on the front and if I do, what colors should I go with?  Brown is just not that appealing, nor do I look good in it.  And if I get a jersey, do I swap jersey’s through out the day, switching from one jersey to the Steelers jersey and back again, or do I just wear it under or over my Steelers jersey? 

I’m assuming that the system will automatically track points, but should I get a notebook to track them too, just in case, or should I just use excel?  And if I use excel, should I create an access database so I can run reports off the spreadsheet? But if I go with paper, I could create some really cool graphics to put on my notebook. 

Unfortunately, I have a feeling these are questions and decision that I will have to make on my own.  When I ask my husband and daughter, they just shake their heads and mutter something about mom having lost it again and remind me of the years worth of soap we still have from my soap making venture, and comment how lucky we are to be able to light up the whole city of Columbia with all the candles that I’ve made (or they’ll just look at the 5 cd’s I have that are filled with signature graphics used for other sites, or the 3 other cd’s that hold html, xml and css files for graphics for my various websites that I maintain).

Oh well, I have ten days to make those decisions, at the very least.  In the meantime, wish me luck.  Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to tend my virtual farm that I created on Facebook, I spent too much time planting all the flowers there to let them die due to lack of virtual watering.

 

Is there life out there?  No, I’m not talking about the Hubble telescope or Voyager or any other space or astronomy project set to answer the age old question of life beyond earth.  I’m just wondering if there’s any beyond my doors.

Lately I’ve come to realize that my computer has become a major part of my life, wittingly or unwittingly, and I fear that if I continue on the path that I’m taking, that I will become like one of the “higher beings” that you find in Dean Koontz’s “Midnight” (though, I do admit it could be worse and be a storyline from the “Demon Seed ”, so it’s not a complete nightmare).  Realizing this, (as well as trying to calm the growing dissatisfaction), I’ve decided to try to answer the question that Reba McEntire asks in her song “Is There Life out There?”.  Of course, to do this, I have to first wean my addiction from the internet (I say this as I sit listening to Jimmy Buffett on the headphones and typing this up). 

Actually I know there’s life out there.  I had one at one time, of course it was before I had to be responsible (in other words, before the baby).  It was a life that included taking off for road trips or a weekend of horseback riding and dancing.  It included many things, to include travel.  I ate fresh crab and warm sour dough bread in the marina in San Francisco, wrote poetry on the lawn of the Summer Palace in Norway, bought silver and gold in the markets of Riyadh and drank german beer on the sidewalks of Frankfurt with students from Czechoslavaki (and later sat for an hour in an OSI office recounting my encounter with the citizens of communist country).  Of course, that all came before I had to be responsible (in other words…when I had money to burn).

Now, some twenty years later, I’m ready for a life again.  Although my husband and daughter are content to spend hours on the Xbox and the computer, I’m finding myself not so content just to sit around the house and do nothing.  Okay, I’ll admit, through the past ten years, we had a life.  We went places, visited people, took trips.  I’ve seen Maui and the Bahama’s, but lately, it hasn’t even been close.  If you were to ask what I do…go to work, come home, maybe go to the grocery store once a week.  Last time I did anything significant was to fly home for a funeral, so needless to say, I’m a bit antsy.

So this morning I woke my husband up and told him we were heading to Gilbert for some ice cream.  This was my way of telling him that I wanted to go to the annual Peach Festival that is held on the Fourth of July.  We went once, many years ago and I remember getting some very good peach ice cream.  Of course, he was confused and, after ten years together, I should know better then expect him to be able to read my mind when he’s first waking up.  Well, needless to say a little contention came to play and eventually we compromised. He decided he would take me for ice cream after we picked up a couple of games for the 360.  Eh, at least it got us out of the house and I opted for gyro’s instead of ice cream. 

Now it’s not like I couldn’t go to the Peach Festival, but then I’d be going alone, what fun was that?  However, while looking for something to do that wouldn’t cost much money and that I wouldn’t mind doing alone, I came across a news article in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette that tend to put things in a bit of perspective for me.

Today, on the day we celebrate our nations birthday with cookouts and fireworks and festivals, thousands of our servicemen and women will be spending it away from home, many living in tents and makeshift huts in the desert, wishing they were at home with their families.  These are individuals who voluntarily put their lives on “hold” to serve their country. 

As an attempt to help make their time and stay a little more tolerable, the USO regularly plans visits from celebrities and sports personalities.  This fourth of July weekend, the troops in Iraq received a visit from many of the coaches in the NFL.  Tennessee Titans coach, Jeff Fisher, Ravens coach John Harbaugh and retired Steelers coach Bill Cowher were among several other NFL coaches that participated in the first NFL-USO coaches tour to Iraq.  Troops in Baghdad, as well as other bases, were able to spend time with and talk with these celebrated coaches, making their fourth a little bit brighter.

Although I’ve never been in a war zone, as a former member of the military, I understand the importance that the USO and their respective tours to the morale of the men and women who are thousands of miles away from their loved ones.  The USO has been an instrumental part of and away from the military from the time of the “Donut Dolly’s” during WWII till now.  And in the NFL, it is not uncommon to find many a player taking time out of their schedules to visit our troops away from home.

Okay, so I’m bored and discontent, at least I have an air conditioned house and am out of harms way to be bored in.  I know that one day I’ll have a life again…probably when the electric bill isn’t so high and the daughter is earning her own money after graduating from college.  Maybe being connected to the computer is not necessarily a bad thing, I have to pay the cable bill anyway.  And of course, I could go downtown to one of the theaters where a local radio station is trying to break the worlds record for doing the “Time Warp” and participate in that, though, now at 47, I doubt you’d get me to dress up like Columbia. 

Note:  Coaches and former coaches participating in the NFL-USO coaches tour include Jeff Fischer, John Harbaugh, John Gruden, Tom Coughlin and Bill Cowher.

Source:  "NFL Coaches, Cowher in Iraq" , Pittsburgh Post Gazette, July 4, 2009 

If you ever wonder which one would win in a game of chicken, a bicycle or a ball…let me tell you folks, 9 times out of 10, the ball will win, and for the loser, well, it’s not so pretty.  I’m sure you’re asking yourself, what does this and the price of beans have to do with Fathers Day.  Sitting here and looking back on the memories, I can say this is one lesson that my father and I learned together.

It was in the summer of my seventh year.  Then, there wasn’t much to worry about but to just be a kid.   The summers back then were wonderful.  Games of kick the can, hiking and playing in the woods, catching lightening bugs, the obligatory daily bike races you had with your friends.  Well, it was during one of these bicycle races that we both learned the hard way. 

My mother and the neighbors went shopping, leaving the men at home to watch the children.  That evening, my father and the guy who lived beside us, was playing ball in the yard with my sisters.  Not softball, but one of those brightly colored large plastic balls that were easy for little hands to catch.  It just so happened that about the same time my sister missed the ball and it started rolling towards the road, a bunch of us had just started racing down the road, towards my house on our bikes.

You can say it happened in the blink of an eye, but there was a little more time then that.  I saw the ball and knew I had to make a decision.  I was going to fast to stop without spilling the bike.  I could go to the right, but then I’d go over the embankment and get hurt.  I could have swerved to the left but that meant running into the rider beside me and getting hurt.  So I weighed my options.  After all, the bike was bigger then the ball, if I ran over it, it would deflate, right?  Yep, I still remember making that fateful decision and then, the next thing I remember was waking up on the couch.  Needless to say, the ball didn’t deflate. 

I’m not sure how my father handled it.  I did think he blamed himself for a little bit in letting the ball roll to the road.  I’m sure there were things in life he would have done over, if he could.  I don’t know, I’ve never asked.  My relationship with my father has been good, but not the idea, storybook father and daughter relationship.  So when we talk, it’s nothing too in depth or too personal.  It’s not all my fathers fault, a lot of it was mine.  Understand that I’m a product of a divorce. 

My parents divorced when I was 13, old enough to realize what was going on, too young not to let any resentment grow from it.  So our relationship, as I became an adult, was something one might expect from a situation that grew out of a every other weekend and holidays situation.  Add a stepfather and stepmother to the mix, and you end up learning to find a way to cope without feeling that you’re betraying anyone else by accepting the other. 

And with the resentment, there had came a time when I said “I wish my father would have been there for me”.  Now, so many years later, how wrong I was to say that.  After all, he was the one to take me on my first sled ride.  I don’t remember it, but I have the black and white photo’s to show it.  He taught me how to ride my bike and he helped me build makeshift “tree houses” in our yard.  He was the one who came looking for me every time I “ran away” (which actually was quite a few times).  He helped make “sled routes” in the yard at winter and on every New Years Eve would pretend not to be able to get the car up the “hill”, just because we enjoyed the “battle” of trying to urge the car up the hill, only to end up at the bottom of town and having to walk home, in the snow. 

He made sure that he was home each Halloween, to take us trick or treating, and would traipse around with us, not just around the block but the town.  And even after the divorce, I knew he tried.  As an adult, he was there for me when I was in dire straits.  Selfishly, I took this for granted.  And when I asked, my father rarely said no.

Now, at 4 am, I sit here writing this, wondering if it’s too early to call and wish him a Happy Fathers Day.  I’m sure he wouldn’t appreciate the humor in it, so I’ll wait.  And perhaps, I’ll let him know that there’s nothing he has to make up for.  He did the best he could.  But even if I don’t let him know that, I will make sure to tell him, “I love you Dad”.

Today and every day, make time with your children and give them memories that will bring a smile further down the road.  And one day, when you dance with your daughter at her wedding, or hold your grandchild in your arms, you’ll have no regrets.

Happy Fathers Day. 

Originally I had no intentions of turning the television to that channel, last time I did, well, it didn’t end the way I would have liked it.  So last night I didn’t want to jinx them…but couldn’t resist the pull, the urge and here it was on NBC.  A little after 10:30 pm, I was on the edge of the couch, with six seconds to go, listening to the announcers discussing about the game maybe coming down to a face off. 

Then, there it was.  A great save by Marc-Andre Fleury and the Penguins would soon be hoisting the cup.  Through the game, they were giving credit to Crosby and Malkin but in the end, it was a team sport with a goal tender who struggled the last time he was in Detroit, shining through. 

So at the end, I found myself doing the same thing I did when the Steelers won the Superbowl in February.  Jumping up and down and screaming with excitement and crying…literally, tears streaming down my face.  This astounded my husband…he already knew I cried during football season, now I’m crying at hockey. 

While they were still showing the Cup being passed around, my daughter comes out and asks if we won the Powerball.  I told her no, almost as good though.  She knew I got excited at football, but she never saw me watch a hockey game.  She asked why I cared…I said, because they’re from Pittsburgh and I cheer on Pittsburgh teams.  “But you don’t live in Pittsburgh anymore”…to which I responded, I’ll always be a Pittsburgh girl at heart. 

So when it comes to hockey, don’t get me wrong, I know a little bit about it, but this is one sport that if someone would call me a homer, I’d agree whole heartedly that I was.  Ask me throughout the years, who I pull for, it would be the Penguins, win or lose.  No, they don’t inspire the same passion in me that the Steelers do, but I would never denounce them, either. 

It’s not that I’m clueless about the game, I would watch time from time before the strike, but somehow, when that happened it was a shrug of the shoulders and went on with my life.  Yep, I know what a power play is, I know what checking, high sticking and even what a face off is.  I kind of have an idea what icing is, but to be honest, the hat trick still baffles me. 

Last night what I knew about hockey didn’t matter.  I was watching a game, in hopes that a repeat of last year wouldn’t occur.  After all, this time last year, it was the Penguins skating off the ice in Pittsburgh while the Redwings were hoisting the Cup.  And for six seconds, a game that I watched with some interest, but little passion, had me on the edge of my seat.  It would not be Crosby or Malkin that would shine that night, but Talbot and Fleury.

So my daughter looked at me as I tried to explain with this look of “so?” on her face.  She didn’t understand the feeling of pride that went through Pittsburgh when not only the Steelers won the Superbowl, but the Pirates won the pennant the same year.  She wouldn’t, she wasn’t even a gleam in her fathers eye at that time.  What it was like to hear the city that you love was referred nationwide as the City of Champions.  Nor would she understand the excitement when the Penguins, with Lemieux and Jaggr at the helm when they tried for a three-peat in the 90s. 

She wouldn’t understand how storied this Penguins franchise will become in the future.  That a team, which was on the verge of being uprooted was purchased by a former Penguins Stanley Cup winner and other fans who did it to keep the team in Pittsburgh.  Or how that former player, battled his own adversities with cancer, to comeback and be considered one of the greatest NHL players in recent history, would turn the team around through his ownership and help them win the cup, despite a shake up in the team this year.

Guess if she did understand, she wouldn’t have shaken her head in bewilderment, when, towards the end of the celebration, the arena erupted into cheers and the cameras showed Mario Lemieux  hoisting the Cup over his head and there I was, tears flowing freely, clapping at the television because the moment I was waiting for finally arrived.

Last night, and for a little while, the City of Pittsburgh will be celebrating.  The second time they'll be welcoming sports champions home.  Make no mistake, Pittsburgh is the city of Champions.  The Steelers Superbowl win, being the first franchise to win six rings in the Superbowl era NFL...and now, welcoming back the 2009 Stanley Cup winners, with a two time former Cup winner coming back with them, very much a part of that team even though he's hung up his skates. 

For me, again, I might not be a part of the celebrations, but my spirit will be with them.  And my heart...well, you can take the girl out of the city, but you can't take the city out of her heart...nor can you take out the teams that represents...the City of Champions. 

Congratulations to the Penguins, 2009 Stanley Cup Winners.