Here We Go Steelers!

[FrBrGr]

WOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOO ! ! !

 

HERE WE GO, STEELERS, HERE WE GO . . .

 

PITTSBURGH'S GOIN TO TH' SU-U-PER BOWL - ! ! !

 

BREAK OUT THE YUENGLING - ! ! !

 

Steelers 22, Jets 19 - WE HAD 'EM ALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL THE WAY - ! ! !

[White Fox]

Now then. I wonder which side he is going to be cheering for?

 

W

[Worker 11811]

PITTSBURGH'S GOIN TO TH' SU-U-PER BOWL - ! ! !

 

BREAK OUT THE YUENGLING - ! ! !

 

What? You ain't drinin' IRN ??

[FrBrGr]

What? You ain't drinkin' IRN ??

 

Swill. Pure swill. . . Shows to go ya that even the most ardent Stiller fans still have their limits!

[Worker 11811]

Just funnin'.

 

One day I woke up and realized that I don't have as much to spend on things like beer as I used to. So, I resolved never to use up all my beer tickets on the cheap stuff.

 

I'd say Yuengling would be my equivalent of "Jacks or Better."

If there's Yuengling or something better I'll drink beer. If not, I'll just drink root beer.

 

Yuengling is made in Pottsville, which is closer to Philly than to The 'Burgh.

But, since Philadelphia isn't in the Super Bowl, who cares? It's still a Pennsyltucky brew.

I'd rather drink that than Olde Frothingslosh!

[FrBrGr]

The problem, I think with me and "Arn" (as 'Burghers call it) is that it is a real "hoppy" beer. I hate "hoppy" beers. Period. Give me a good, rich lager any day of the week! I like Yuengling (BTW, the oldest brewery in the USA) because it is generally available pretty much everywhere you go, and it's a decent lager. I also like Killian's Red, but I have found that it isn't as widely available as Yuengling. I'm open to suggestions . . .

 

There was a time when I had to be real careful about how I talked about Iron City Beer. Back in the day, as "they" say, when I was acting in commercials and doing voice-on-camera for many national, regional and local TV advertisers, I appeared in several Iron City Light commercials. IC Light wasn't nearly as bad as plain ol' "Arn," but, IMHO, was like drinking Kingsbury or O'Doul's. Of course, if you had asked me back then, I would have told you that IC Light was the best . . .

[Worker 11811]

Arn isn't bad, per se. It's just not particularly good.

 

If you walk into a townie bar and everybody is drinking the local swill, you're probably going to catch some sideways looks if you order something different like Anchor Steam. If you are a stranger in a redneck bar, just order Budweiser. Those are the only times you'll ever catch me drinking cheap beer. I avoid places like that if there is any other alternative.

 

I would rather drink water than get within thee feet of any light beer. It's about the same thing, anyway.

 

I don't know if we're going to have a Super Bowl party, here, or not. There probably will be one at my brother's place or my parent's place. Thankfully, neither of them drink light beer. My stepfather doesn't drink a lot so, like me, he doesn't spend his beer points on the cheap stuff. My brother works in a restaurant so he's not keen for drinking swill, either. They probably will have Yuengling or something like that.

 

If you're going to watch football, you just have to drink beer!

 

I'm happy to see the Steelers in the Big Game!

 

It's kind of strange that the Vegas odds give the Packers 2-1/2 points over the Steelers but, with numbers that close, you can call it even. The only thing that goes on the Packers' side is that they haven't been to the party in over a decade. If they want it bad enough, they could get some momentum going and push through.

 

But, with the Steelers being the number two seed in the playoffs and Green Bay being number six, smart money would be on Pittsburgh.

[FrBrGr]

Yeah, well, it depends on which "Stiller" team shows up. I will say it again - If they play football for the full 60 minutes, there isn't a team in the NFL that could beat them, even the Packers. However, if they play only one half of the game like they have the past two playoff games, they're probably going to lose. Crap like that eventually catches up with you. They have been extremely fortunate to win those two games, as well as a few others like them this year. I know, I know - A true champion finds a way to win the game, even if it isn't "pretty." This hasn't been a very "pretty" season for the Steelers - although I must say that fans for 30 other franchises are wishing that their team could be in Dallas - forget whether they won pretty or ugly. Maybe it will take the Super Bowl for the Steelers to play "pretty." Come to think of it - As long as they win - who cares? All-in-all, considering Big Ben's suspension, replacement kickers, the decimation of our O-Line and a sophomoric bunch of corner backs, they have done a pretty remarkable job this year. Most teams couldn't have overcome their adversity to have winning seasons, much less make it to the Super Bowl!.

[Guest]

You HAVE to try Sierra Nevada Pal Ale! If you ever get a chance, visit the Sierra Nevada Taproom. They serve ALL their beers and ales. Big Foot Ale is 9% alcohol! I have ONE only! They make others that aren't sold outside Chico (CA) then others that aren't sold outside the state. At any rate, I'm undecided. Aaron Rdgers is from Chico, CA. I live just south of Chico (work in Chico). He went to Cal. I went to Cal. I kind of have to root for him. But there's one problem. He's an a$$hole. Many of my former students went to high school with him. One of my students dated him for a while. The guy IS GOOD!! Ya gotta give him that. I JUST CAN'T DECIDE!!!

[FrBrGr]

You HAVE to try Sierra Nevada Pal Ale! If you ever get a chance, visit the Sierra Nevada Taproom. They serve ALL their beers and ales. Big Foot Ale is 9% alcohol! I have ONE only! They make others that aren't sold outside Chico (CA) then others that aren't sold outside the state. At any rate, I'm undecided. Aaron Rdgers is from Chico, CA. I live just south of Chico (work in Chico). He went to Cal. I went to Cal. I kind of have to root for him. But there's one problem. He's an a$$hole. Many of my former students went to high school with him. One of my students dated him for a while. The guy IS GOOD!! Ya gotta give him that. I JUST CAN'T DECIDE!!!

 

'fraid I'll have to pass on the Sierra Nevada or Big Foot ales, furless. It's not likely I'll be making it back to California any time soon, plus I've never liked ales. I'm told you have to develop a taste for them, but I've never wanted to invest the time, effort, energy nor the money to find out.

 

The best I can tell you about Aaron is to hope that he lets his head get him into trouble, and maybe he'll come back down to earth. That's what happened to "Big Ben." He let his fame and fortune go to his head and he forgot where he came from. He treated his fans poorly and the women with whom he came in contact even more poorly. He was even wearing thin with his teammates. Then he let his ego interfere with his judgement, almost got arrested and got suspended for four games with his reputation shredded into pieces. He was generally a persona non grata in Pittsburgh, even with the most ardent fans. It was a life-changing experience for Ben. He's come back like the old Ben we all knew and loved - or liked a lot. By all accounts, he's kind, patient, cooperative and selfless. Maybe It'll take a life-changing experience for Aaron to come back down to earth with the rest of us mortals . . .

 

In the meantime, in order to help you decide, you may want to consider why at least one former Packers fan (I became a Steelers fan after I moved to Pittsburgh from NYC, but still like the Pack, and closely identify with Packers fans) is now proud to be from Pittsburgh, and proud to now be a "Stillers" fan:

 

Being a "Stiller" fan means so much more than football. It means being from a corner of the world unlike any other.

 

It means being from a place where the people are so tough-minded that they have survived the Homestead strikes, the Johnstown flood and most recently the Etna Floods. These people have the DNA of hard work, in mills and mines, without the necessity of complaint. They live simply, with no frills. They don't have movie stars or fancy cars. Instead, they have simple traditions like kielbasa, Kennywood, and celebrations. They live in distinctive neighborhoods like Polish Hill and the Hill District and all of the surrounding counties. These people are genuine.

 

They don't have chic internet cafes and cappuccinos, but they have The Original Hot Dog Shoppe, Primanti's, Eat n' Park and "Arn" City Beer. People from Pittsburgh don't have sunny beaches or fancy boats, but the rivers roll gently, connecting the small towns of people whose histories have been built on strength and humility. People from Pittsburgh don't have the biggest shopping malls or the best nightclubs, but they'll take Friday night high school football and Steeler Sunday over anything.

 

Steeler football means so much more than you think. It symbolizes a diaspora of generations who had the best childhood they could imagine. They ran free without a care or concern in the valleys of those Allegheny Mountains . Their blue-collar world was easy. There was no one to tell them that they lacked material things. There was no one to tell them that they needed more. As the steel mills closed and the jobs disappeared, some of these people had to leave. While the world benefits because they spread their Pittsburgh values, they long for their home where things were simpler and more pure.

 

They teach their kids about Jack Lambert, Lynn Swann, Terry Bradshaw, Franco Harris, Jack Ham, L.C. Greenwood, Joe Greene, and Myron Cope in hopes of imparting not just the knowledge, but the feeling that they represented. They are everywhere, those Terrible Towels. They wave, not just for the team, but for the hearts they left behind. They wave in living rooms in Fort Lauderdale and in the bars of Washington, D.C. They wave all the way to the Seattle Superdome! They wave for the Rooney family, whose values mirror our own - loyalty, grit, and humility. They wave for football players like Jerome Bettis and Hines Ward, whose unselfishness and toughness have allowed sports to be about the game and the team.

 

Make no mistake that Steeler football is not just about football. I could not be prouder to be from the Pittsburgh area than I am right now! Even if you no longer live in the area, you have Southwestern Pennsylvania in your blood no matter where you go! And deep down in your heart of hearts, you can still hear the Super Bowls of times past, the excitement in everyone's voices especially our fathers, cousins, and anyone else who gathered around the TV on football Sundays!

 

Make no mistake, its just as exciting right now! It's not just about rivalries and who is better than the other, it's about family, tradition and roots! It's more than football, but its football at its finest! If you now live in Arizona, Colorado, Ohio, Indiana, California, Florida, Nevada, or Texas, be proud of where you were born (or lived) and that football team that wears the black and gold!!

 

GO STILLERS! (Ah, yes - the Picksburgh Stillers!)

 

furlessinCA - Here's something else you might want to consider: http://thefurden.com/bbden/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=13426

[Guest]

O.K. I'll even wear a Steelers hat into the local sports bar called the Grad. They serve "Aaron Rodgers burgers" and everything! I'm sure it wouldn't be popular, but then again, I was never after popular.

 

My wife and I visited The Steel City once. We LOVED IT! We liked the downtown. We ate at a small local diner. Saw a woman wearing her mink (not in the diner).

 

My mother actually has her picture in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette from 1948 (Thursday June 14th, 1948, page 14). She is in a full page newspaper ad with her identical twin sister. They are in their TWA stewardess uniforms walking on the tarmac in front of a Constellation. The ad is for Kaufman's Department store.

 

My son's god mother is from Pittsburgh.

 

Dang, all these PIttsburgh connections. I guess I'm rooting for Pitttsburgh!

 

And as I always say at a sporting event...GO BEARS! (Cal Bears) HA!

[Guest]

Never cared much for pro sports of any sort but AI always have had a soft spot for the Packers

 

OFF

[Guest]

FrBrGr:

 

I'm sorry your Steelers lost the game. But as I said to a Phillies fan I was sitting next to for game seven of the NLCS betwen the Giants and the Phillies "It's O.K. man, the sun will rise tomorrow, and everything is O.K." I'm not being a smart-ass. I figure since 911, that was serious, this is a game. Yeah we want our team to win (try being a Cal Bears football fan, however water polo (8 or 9 national champonships) and rugby (about 25 national championships) are different issues) but if it doesn't happen, as we used to say in the 60s and 70s as 49ers fans "we'll get 'em next year".

 

So, chin up and enjoy that FUR!

 

I'll keep you posted as to HOW MUCH of an a#%hole Aaron Rodgers turns into. The town of Chico is planning an "Aaron Rodgers parade"...excuse me while I puke.

 

All the best!

 

JA

[FrBrGr]

Thanks so much for your kind thoughts, JA. You're spot on! Well, almost spot on. Yesterday, the sun may have risen, but in Western Pennsyltucky we couldn't see it. Another overcast day before the snows came last night . . .

 

You were mindful of that horrible day in September. Yesterday, something happened that reminded me that even though there was widespread disappointment here in Steeler Country over the outcome of the football game, it was, in fact, only a game. I volunteer at a couple of hospitals here in the Pittsburgh area that are near where I live, and yesterday I was hosting the Surgical Waiting Room at one of the facilities. There were 35 surgeries yesterday. Most were routine, elective surgeries, but still, angst filled the room as the families awaited the arrival of the surgeons to let them know how their loved ones fared on the operating table. Most of the time, the surgeon just approached the family and I could hear him or her say, "(She)(He) did fine." Then, looks of relief and smiles, and "Thank you, doctor!" One family wasn't so fortunate. The surgeon took them into the consultation room. They were in there for quite awhile. The surgeon finally came out of the room with a grim look on his face, followed by the family. The little girl was still crying.

 

What game . . . ?

 

The truth be known, the Steelers were damned lucky to even be in the Super Bowl this year. Yes, "Big Ben" was suspended for four games, our offensive and defensive lines were decimated by injuries, we lost Troy for a few games and the League decided mid-season that anything more physical than touch football wouldn't be tolerated. The team did overcome all of those things and somehow managed to outlast the rest of the AFC pack and wound up in pro football's version of the "Big Dance." The Steeler Nation loves its team. We're very proud of those guys and know that next year the road to Super Bowl XLVI will probably once again go through Pittsburgh. However, even the most ardent fan must know that when one lives by the sword, eventually one must die by it. Several times this season the Steelers won in spite of their mistakes; Sunday night they lost because of them. Even then, you had to have the feeling that all the way up to the last Steelers drive that they were going to win - again, in spite of their miscues and their lackluster play. That's just how good that team is! That certainly doesn't take anything away from an excellent Green Bay team, either! Championship teams take advantage of the other team's mistakes. The Pack deserve the Lombardi Trophy, and I am very happy for the team and their great fans.

 

As for me, I took advantage of a very cold night last night and brought out my fur cocoon. After an exceedingly delightful time inside that furry heaven, I slept like a baby . . .