Go Steelers...

Greetings to all at Stillers.com, a site that I�ve frequented since it was given a plug by Chuck Finder of the Post-Gazette back in �99 (think that�s right).�

I�m honored to have been invited by Mill to contribute articles to this worthy site.� I�ve not many skills in life.� In my work as an administrator, I�m able to write a decent letter (..hence Mill�s invitation), tell other people what to do, and not a whole lot more.� I do though have a head for storing a wealth of information that�s worthless to the general populace, but might be of some value to Steeler fans.� See, I�ve bookmarked my life by Steeler football.� My confirmation in 7^th grade; Steelers were getting their asses whipped by the Cowboys that day, 52-14 sounds familiar.� Steelers beat the Chargers on the November day in 1989 that my daughter was born.� My son�not as fortunate.� On January 7, 1993, a longstanding work project finally came to fruition.� On January 8, Anthony was born.� On January 9, the Steelers played the Bills in the playoffs.� I had such great karma going; there was no way we could lose.� We lost�.thanks in large part to the Steeler anti-Christ, Neil O�Donnell.� Lastly, and I don�t mean to cast any blame..the Steelers last won the Super Bowl in January, 1980.� I got married in August of that year��

I�m not going to be much of an analytical writer, breaking down game film, commenting on the complexities of the game, etc.� Mill, Phantom and the others do a great job of that.� I�ll be sharing a fan�s perspective, some general thoughts on watching my lifelong heroes week to week.� For instance, how many of you were ready to throw the TV out the window last Thursday if Pat Summerall said one more time that the Steelers were �always tough on special teams.�� Where�s Pat been?� Punt returns taken to the house on consecutive weekends in the �01 playoffs.� Sieves on kick coverage.� I proposed last year, and I still don�t think that it was that extreme, that we put every kickoff out of bounds, and let the opponent start on the 40. Well, maybe it was extreme, but desperate times call for desperate measures.� Please don�t be offended if I wish injury upon our enemies.� Included in that list are ex-Steelers, not the ones that we�ve cut, like Greg Lloyd, but the ones that took the money & ran.� Rodney Bailey out for the season�.tough luck, Rod, enjoy the New England foliage.� Chad Brown breaking his leg��there is a God; great sushi in Seattle though, Chad, for you and your lovely wife.

I�m cautiously optimistic about this year, hopeful that we can sneak into a playoff spot, largely based on an unimpressive AFC North.� If Fat Ollie Ross can hold up, and the D can ever get off the field on 3^rd down, we could be OK.� I do wish that we would lock up Plaxico.� Hines Ward is a great receiver, the product of incredible hard work and effort.� Plaxico on the other hand, is a tremendous talent, and I�m way concerned that Hines�s production will fall off significantly without Plax.� Sign him up.� Chad Scott does look lost.� The other DB�s seem to be doing alright.� I predict that we keep 4 tailbacks; all but Willie Parker.

I�ll close this initial article with just a bit about myself as a point of reference.� It will be all Steeler football from there, at least things related to Steeler football.� Examples would be the best pizza to have following a Steeler win (Vincent�s on Ardmore Boulevard in Forest Hills gets my vote).� I�m a bit longer in the tooth than most of you�.looking at my 50^th birthday in January (it pains me to write that).� I went to my first Steeler game in �65, and witnessed Vince Lombardi�s Packers lay one on the Black & Gold by a 41-9 margin (though the Steelers led 9-7, at the half).� I spent many long Sunday afternoons in Pitt Stadium in the late �60s.� I was one fan that really was there, live, to see Franco�s Immaculate Reception on December 23, 1972�..and celebrated at Vincent�s afterwards.� I was away at college during most of the Super Bowl years.� I did play 4 years for the Lebanon Valley College (Pa.) Flying Dutchmen (�.how�s that for a name, and my high school team was the Gold Flashes), a Division 3 program.� That doesn�t qualify me or my opinion in any way, just emphasizes that I�ve always loved football, and would love to be offered a full-time job holding the sideline chain at Steeler games.�

In college, I was reduced to watching the shitty Eagles on Sundays; I worked for a while in Virignia, and was forced to listen to the annoying anthem, �Hail to the Redskins,� and now�..I live in New Hampshire, Patriots country, and have to bear the endless rants of a largely undeserving fan base that hasn�t supported their team through thick and thin. When I first moved to New England in 1979, I asked my wife (�.for the record, I wasn�t yet married, and the B&G had one more Super Bowl left in them), surprisingly, why there was so much traffic on Sunday afternoon, why these people weren�t home watching the Patriots.� She looked at me incredulously.� See, New Englanders don�t compare to the level of passion that we Pittsburghers bring to our football team, even after they�ve won 2 Super Bowls.

Oh, yeah�I�ll be at Heinz Field on October 31^st when the Steelers play the hated Patriots.� It will be a 4:15 start on Halloween.� My 11-year-old son will be with me; I just had to promise to buy him a bag of candy.� His first game was against the Browns in 2002, the OT win where Maddox came off of the bench.� �Daddy,� he said, �why are people wearing t-shirts that say �F-word Cleveland.�� �CAUSE THEY�RE STEELER FANS, SON, AND SO ARE YOU!!!!!��

Go Steelers!!� The season beckons!!