It's Super Bowl Time In the Steel City

Before we start...a Hunter S. Thompson MOMENT

No team seeded sixth in the National Football Leage playoffs has ever gone on the road to beat the teams seeded one, two and three to earn a Super Bowl berth. No team until the 2005 Pittsburgh Steelers.

Ben Roethlisberger arrived in The Steel(ers) City to be the quarterback on the future. "The future" arrived sooner than anyone expected...when Tommy Maddox went down in game two of the 2004 season. "Big Ben" took the reins and the Steelers never looked back; rolling through the remainder of the regular season like Sherman marching to the sea.

But then the playoffs came. Roethlisberger tired as the campaign entered the playoffs. The college season would have long been over. But in pro ball, it was time to step up or step aside. There were two playoff wins at Heinz Field. Two ugly wins. Tom Brady led the Patriots into Pittsburgh, over the Steelers and onto another Super Bowl championship.

The 2005 regular season became as much of a week to week adventure of not knowing what to expect as the previous year had been a fairytale. It came down to the final week. The Steelers were in, but hopes were dim. And now, none of it matters. There's one more game to play. That's ALL that matters. It's been 25 years that Art Rooney's team has been trying to win "One For the Thumb". There's one more game. For now, that's ALL that matters.

Photograph by KILROY_60

"The journey toward health and sanity is nothing less than an invitation to wake up to the fullness of our lives as if they actually mattered..." - John Kabat-Zinn

Timmmmmmberrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!

Let's take one more look at the videotape to be sure we saw what we think we saw.

In one case, the referee - the only pair of eyes that count - saw a play differently than what had to be the majority of the football world. It was unbelievable how the replay could have shown indisputable evidence that erased an interception.

In the other case, there was confirmation. Yes, it WAS the quarterback that made the tackle to save the game.

It appeared for awhile this season that the Indianapolis Colts were going to run the table and become only the second team in NFL history to accomplish an unblemished regular season record. That didn't happen.

The Colts dismantled the Pittsburgh Steelers, 26-7, at the end of November to raise their record to 11-0. It was Ben Roethlisberger's first game back after missing three weeks with a knee injury. The Steelers appeared to be playing with a hangover after two weeks of bumbles, miscues and blunders with Tommy Maddox under center.

This as they say is the second season. All that has passed is past. The boys from Indy didn't go undefeated. Peyton Manning was not annointed a Saint. This time, Big Ben came into the game healthy and the bus was ready to roll.

Indianapolis fans awoke at the end of this game to find the dream of a glorious season to be celebrated through the ages had ended. It was time to go home; the Steelers were on their way to play for a spot in Super Bowl XL.

As for Jerome Bettis' parents, they were calling their travel agent to make arrangements to attend another game. It has been 13 years; when #36 has looked into the stands his parents have always been there. One more game and they could go home, to Detroit, for Super Bowl XL. Will the Steelers do for Jerome Bettis what the Broncos did for John Elway? Only time will tell.

Hunter S. Thompson, George W. Bush and the Free Republic

Photograph by KILROY_60

Steelers Take First Step Toward Detroit

Who WAS Hunter S. Thompson?

At times it looked like the Steelers were playing sandlot ball they were pulling so many trick plays out of their ass. What matters, though, is when the last second clicked off the clock the boys from the 'Burgh has knocked off the hometown Bungels.

Jerome Bettis rolled time after time for short yardage first downs. We don't know yet how many more chances he'll be carrying the ball over the goal line; but it was great seeing him take the ball to the sideline after he scored today. It truly would have been a remarkable performance if he'd completed the option pass he lofted into the endzone.

Seeing the joy of the future Hall of Famer's parents in the stands was something to behold. Amazing they have been there for every game throughout his career. It will be wonderful having them front and center when #36 takes his place among the greatest of the greats in Canton, Ohio.

Photograph by Kilroy_60

(War is Over) Happy Christmas - John and Yoko

As One Second Passes To The Next, We Greet A New Year

During the leap second we had on Saturday, I decided one posting addressing a potpourri of subject matter would be the optimum approach for an update. Looking back through last years Daytimer pages, it became clear I had far too many notes to create a post for each one.

Photograph by Kilroy_60

ALTERNATIVE VIEWPOINTS SOUGHT RE: THE PRESIDENCY OF GEORGE W. BUSH

The email I have been receiving related to this blog has been interesting. It has not been insightful or informative.

There have been no viewpoints offered or examples provided of outstanding achievements accomplished by the administration currently in power. There has been nothing offered that has caused me to question whether the viewpoints I have shared and the opinions I have expressed may potentially be misguided, inaccurate or wrong.

It has been expressed that there is not appreciation for my criticism of the current administration. There has been a viewpoint expressed as to whether I am consumed by a need to comment negatively on the performance of George W. Bush and his team. Response to my invitation to comment has gone so far as to be qualified as an opportunity best not pursued.

Are there examples of successes accomplished by the Presidency of George W. Bush that I have missed? Has the United States of America undergone improvements since the election of 2000 of which I am unaware? Were there problems that existed prior to the Republicans assuming power at both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue which have been eliminated improving the quality of life internally and/or making the planet a healthier, safer place to be?

THE PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME CLASS OF 2011

The "News of the Day" is that yesterday the Pittsburgh Steelers knocked off the Detroit Lions making it playoff time in The Steel City. The day was most memorable in that The Bus ROLLED! Jerome Bettis hit paydirt three times tying a career record.

The Steelers official website notes that this might be Bettis' "final game at Heinz Field in a Steelers uniform." The article detailing the victory over Detroit goes on to say, "Bettis acted like a man who was playing his final game in a city that rejuvenated his NFL career 10 years ago and has become a home to him since. He signed dozens of jerseys and footballs for his teammates and posed for pictures in the locker room and on the field for close to an hour after the game ended."

Jerome Bettis is the fifth leading rusher in the history of the National Football League. Once he retires and the mandatory waiting time passes, Bettis - who is now 33 years old - will be in the first class for which he is eligible to enter the Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.

Pittsburgh travels to Cincinnati Sunday to take on the Bengals; both teams posted 11-5 regular season records this season. It has been a decade since the Steelers appeared in the Super Bowl. Before that, after four world championships in six years, there had been a 15 year absence. The miraculous 15-1 record Bill Cowher's team posted last year primarily with a rookie quarterback proved that playing on your homefield is not a guaranteed path to the Super Bowl.

Having Jerome Bettis return to his home in Detroit with the Steelers finally winning one for the thumb would make the victory as sweet as it could be. As painful as it is to say, whether he hoists the Super Bowl trophy or not come February 5th, #36 should retire at the end of this campaign.

On a related note, clearly the Green Bay Packers are not at this point dedicated to bringing a Lombardi Trophy to Lambeau Field. Like Bettis, Brett Favre should bring the curtain down on his career. It would be difficult to imagine a pair of people with more class entering the Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2011.

A CLOSING THOUGHT

It only requires sperm for a man to become a father. He needn't have the balls or the backbone to be there when the life he has created arrives. It takes much more for a man to be a dad...heart and soul. My life has been cursed by the former and blessed by the latter. To borrow a quote, which I shall at this point not purse the attribution, There are no illegitimate children; only illegitimate parents. The sad - the most painful - part is what a man deprives his offspring of sharing when he runs away to create another family. One is denied the opportunity to know a brother, or a sister, nieces and nephews...because a man lacked the will and the courage to take responsibility for doing the deed. Child support payments do not make up for the actions of a coward. No, you do not get to take a mulligan in the game of life without penalty.