The fateful
e-mail came from my brother, Tony.� �Gina
has put in dibs for the AFC Championship game.�
Some bs about her and James
having gone out for 3 years.�� My
response was, �Oh, I guess that means she wants go with him.�
See, I�ve
been extremely fortunate over
the years.� Tony�s been a season-ticket
holder for 34 years, cut way back on his game attendance some years ago,
preferring to watch at home. His seats at Three Rivers were excellent. ��I remember sitting with him as a 15-year-old
when Three Rivers was opening in 1970.�
He basically had his pick if where he would be way back then, there not
being a ton of season ticket holders.� He
chose end zone, upper deck, first fuckin�
row.� From the 40-yard line in, you were
right on top of the play.�
Unbeatable!!� �He then got way screwed on his seat assignment
for Heinz Field, unable to apply for a PSL for EZ seats, going into the general
pool for sideline seats, seeing 2-year season ticket holders on the 40, while
his seats are at the goal line.� He�s
never set foot in the place.� He�s also a
Penn State grad, despises Pitt, and objects
to having to travel on Tony
Dorsett Drive to get to Heinz.� I gotta say�.you
can see pretty fuckin� good,
though, from his seats.�
So, if I�m
able to get my ass to Pittsburgh,
I�ve been way lucky in being able to go to the game with my nephew, Dave, Tony�s
son.� Dave is now 21; I first started
attending games with him when he was 11.�
I�ve gone from buying him hot chocolate when his teeth were chattering
prior to the Buffalo
playoff game in �95, to buying him beer during a warm day against Cinci earlier this year. We�ve heckled together (..see previous article from August/September), and been
absolutely fuckin� depressed together following the �97
&�01 title games.� He�s flown to New England, alone, as a 14-year old, and attended the Immaculate
Interception game with me.� We laughed
like hyenas while 60,000 zombies filed out of Foxboro that night, giving us the
finger and calling us assholes. We will be attending together on Jan. 15th
for the Divisional playoffs.
Anyway,
Dave thinks his sister is a �bandwagon jumper� but she�s a serious fan in her
own right, having gone to the New England, Philly and Baltimore games this year,
and also attending in the Meadowlands, as she now lives and works in New Joisey.� Dave was
hoping for a major snowstorm that would prevent his sister from coming to the
AFC Championship game.� I wasn�t praying
for that, as it�s likely that could jeopardize my travel as well, but I did
inquire of the possibility of Gina & James breaking up before then!!� The odd weren�t good, though.� First off, the breakup would have to be on
Gina�s end.� James would have to be a
double idiot!!� First off, he�d be a
stupid fuckin� idiot to break up with Gina under any
circumstance. Secondly he�d be a double fuckin� idiot
to do so when his ass is about to land in a seat for the AFC Championship. And,
even if the breakup occurred, I�m likely still on the outs, as Gina likely
travels to Pittsburgh
and goes to the game with her little brother.
Now, I�m
also getting in touch with my own mortality.�
I�ll be turning 50 at the end of this month.� I say to myself, �How many more games of this
magnitude, if any, will be played in Pittsburgh during my lifetime.�� I decide that with my level of emotional
involvement in this fuckin� football team, that my ass simply has to be in the house on January
23rd.� My 15-year old daughter
says, �Daddy, what house??�� She�ll
learn.
Last week
in PEI, I
spend considerable scouring e-bay, contacting sellers of tickets to the
Divisional Playoffs directly, ascertaining who�s selling to the AFC
Championship.� I ask Tony if Dave is
willing to pay several hundred dollars to attend the AFC Championship.� Tony tells me that Dave�s question is whether
his Dad, meaning Tony, will spend several hundred dollars for Dave to attend
the AFC Championship game.
The most interesting
response comes from a guy who after 8-years on the waiting list, finally gets
his tickets, then gets transferred to fuckin� Texas.� He wants assurance from me that I�m not a
ticket broker, that I�m a real fan.� I
direct him to www.stillers.com, and tell
him to examine the articles by SteelHearted.� �I�m sold,� he says, though his being sold did
not lead to any price-slashing. �$375/ticket later, and with solid play by the
Steelers on Jan. 15, my ass will in fact be �in the house� for our gateway to
the Super Bowl.
Dave�he�s
paying face value of $110, his dad�s picking up the rest of the tab.