STEELERS-CHIEFS�. ..BLOWOUT WEEKEND
Flew in from Miami Beach, BOAC�.well, not quite�flew in from Boston last Friday night. Took note of the many high school fields lit up. There was Ringgold, Monessen, Woodland Hillls. Told my son, Anthony, that 25 years ago, that would have been me on that high school field. After a quick check of the math, I changed my observation; it had been 35 years. Anthony, as 13-year-olds are wont to do, said, �Great,� and carried on with hi s Ipod.
Was a Vincent�s Pizza Friday night�only time the whole family could make it. Knew I shouldn�t do it the night prior to a game. Even with a Vinnie�s vet like me, the greaze fucks with the system. There would be hell to pay the following day.
Saturday morning, we journied to Happy Valley, to see the Nittany Lions battle the Wolverines of Michigan, arriving at 10am for the 7pm start. Best thing about that game were t-shirts that the PSU students were sporting, inscribed �Ann Arbor is a whore.� The college game doesn�t have the oomph of the NFL though�..generally not the animosity. For example, at last year�s Halloween Night game against the Ravens, the chick behind me kept screaming out, �Break his fuckin� leg!� Priceless�.was great!! Don�t see any rooting for injuries at the college game�.your opponent is injured, they actually garner a warm round of applause rather than the ridicule and derision that�s more appropriate for the occasion.
The exception, I understand, is in Tuscaloosa, where the 12-time National Champion Crimson Tide �Rolls�.when a foe breaks a bone, or severs a ligament. Particularly, when it�s the War Eagle from Auburn that�s in town. The Tide crowd would just as soon plow a plot, bury those farmers right there�..in the name of Governor Wallace�..in Muscle Shoals, they got the Swampers!!
State College�.nice town. What is it with that fuckin� creamery, though. People waiting in a line a mile long for an ice cream cone�Peachy Paterno!!! Older I get, less and less patient I am with waiting in line so people can take my money to eat their overpriced food. Speaking of Paerno, there was no evidence that he shit himself last Saturday night�..no runnin� to the men�s room mid-game, coming back out with different pants. The Beaver Stadium throng of 110,000 strong, though, had little to cheer about. What a huge fuckin� place!! Our whole section stood the fuck up throughout the game. What the hell!! My feet were sore as hell!! Too damn old for that shit. Met Lynn Swann for the second time in 6 weeks at the tailgate. 110,000 people�..Swanny�s there!! After the loss, we traveled back to Pittsburgh, through Holidaysburg, Altoona, et al, arriving back to the South Hills at 3am.
Sunday morning was sunny and cool in the Burgh, left for Heinz around noon, and caught up with GBall8man and his tailgate. GBall�s President of the Harrisburg Rugby Football Club. I played two Springs with this outfit 30 years ago. And�.Big Bill and Little Bill, two of the characters when I played, considered old guys back then, by us college kids, are still on the squad. Big Bill had a corvette�used to say to me. �Get a chick in here, she�s laid.� I knew that was bullshit then, coming from Big Bill. GBall assures me that Big Bill�s still driving the Vette�.and it�s still bullshit. GBall was at his 143rd consecutive Steeler game, spending his Sundays as a troll, under the bridge in Lot 7G, next to the 222 Bar. GBall and his friend, Alex, were very gracious hosts, lining up booze bottles on their Chevy Tahoe�grilling pork, then chicken. They can be found every Steeler Sunday in section 516, Row KK�..1 row from the top of Heinz. Great tailgate, guys!! Thanks so much!!
Had to sign up for a credit card that I already have to get a Steeler blanket for Anthony.
Then it was off to ChiTraderRob�s tailgate�sans Chi Trader Rob. After an exchange of pleasantries with Chef Kelly, it was into the House. Maybe see ya for the Broncos game, Rob???
While in the concourse, on the phone to a prominent stillers.com poster, just before gametime, who crosses my path, but my high school coach, Bill Priatko. I hadn�t seen Coach Priatko, a former Pitt Panther, and Pittsburgh Steeler, since graduating Swissvale High School in 1972. Made his day, said Coach Priatko�.and honestly, it made my fuckin� week. One of the coolest experiences I�ve had in a long, long time. Coach Priatko commiserated with me about a couple of old friends�.Gary Collins, who caught 3 touchdown passes for the Browns in the 1964 NFL Championship Game, and was one of my coaches at Lebanon Valley College, as well as his good friend, Dick LeBeau, who Coach Priatko and his daughter were off to visit at game�s end.
THE GAME:
What to say�.Steelers blowout�..Ben was back. Steelers ran their typically balanced attack in the first half, prior to taking the air out of the ball after halftime, putting the ball up only 5 times in the second half. Davenport ran hard, and from my seat in the stands, I thought it was FWP until he was tackled at the end of his 48-yarder. I liked the Chad Brown pickup when it was announced�.like it even more now. Arnold Harrison was solid, subbing for JPeezy. Shut Larry Johnson the fuck down!! Kicked his ass good!! And Troy�.huge game�.all over the field.
GOING FORWARD:
We�ll kick Warrick Dunn�s ass this week, pick off Michael Vick abouot 15 times. Then, we easily take care of the freak show in Oakland next (will they have their freak on?), and be 4-3 going into the next Heinz tilt versus the supposedly mighty Broncos. The Heinz Field crowd will be JACKED UP!!! I predicted pre-season that this game would the cr�me de la cr�me of our home schedule. I�ll be squeezed into the EZ bleachers�one with my people�hope in this case, that �my people� are good-looking Western Pennsylvanians!!
We expose the zero-blitz Denverites, just like in the AFCCG, de-halo the Saints the following week, pound the Browns, and we�re 7-3 going into Baltimore.
We take the Division�.seeded #3, take a wildcard game�.at home�.prior to a return match at Qualcomm. This time, this time�..It�s Organisms work their magic over the Bolts�.and it�s on to Indy, to kick Peyton�s ass again for the AFC Championship. Easy�make your Super Bowl reservations, folks�..flew IN TO Miami Beach BOAC!!
Happy Birthday�Still it�!!!