Super Bowl Wrap Up

So I know I’m definitely behind on my reaction the Super Bowl, but in my defense, I’m a fan in grieving. Before I go into depth, I’d like to make it clear: It’s always good to be a Steelers fan. Always. Especially when they win, but you know what? Even when they lose too.

I wish we had a Super Bowl do-over. Before you knew it, we were in the hole against a great team (like most of our playoff games.) While I never gave up hope that we’d be ok and that Ben could pull out another two-minute drill for the ages, time expired and it just didn’t happen this time. Simply put–we played poorly. Yes, Ben threw costly picks but he also was having trouble hitting people when they were wide open. As much talent as Mike Wallace has–he proved he’s not a big time receiver yet ( paging Santonio.)  What’s perhaps the most telling for me,–the defense was mute. With the exception of Lamar Woodley in the first half, you didn’t hear a peep from Harrison, Farrior, Clark or Polamalu. As we all know, you put yourself in a difficult position to win any game if you cough up the  ball three times which results in 21 points.

What’s encouraging is that, despite the above–we still had a good chance to win the game. Seriously. It came down to the last drive. A drive that Ben makes nine out of ten times. A drive that legends are made of. He’s done it before, there’s no reason he shouldn’t have been able to do it again. It just wasn’t in the cards this time. Playing from behind–which the Steelers did the entire game–never allowed Ben or the offense to settle down and take control  the way they wanted. The Packers did what they had to do to win the game-which is nothing spectacular–they took care of the ball and didn’t make any stupid plays (they DID allow 25 points though).  In this situation they deserved to win the game.

All of that being said, I couldn’t be prouder of the Steelers, a team which most people, outside of fans, had written off this year with Ben out the first four games. We listened to how people predicted the Ravens and Bengals (REALLY?) as their AFC North pick. After the Steelers went (an unsurprising) 3-1 without Ben, we still listened to how we weren’t a good team–even with the number one defense in the league. We were supposed to lose to the Ravens and the Jets at home. We weren’t supposed to make a game out of it down 11 points at half time. We just couldn’t pull it out in the end and while I’m not happy about it, I’m ok with it.

I’ll tell you what though. There’s still no other QB I’d rather take than Ben Roethlisberger. For all of his mistakes and poor play, he STILL had us in a position to win that game (I say if it was Holmes and not Wallace we’d have our seventh ring). He doesn’t panic, he doesn’t freak out and he shoulders the appropriate amount of the blame for the loss. I do not expect perfection from Ben (and everyone reading this would say–DUH). I’m optimistic about how our offensive line played–for all the hoopla surrounding the loss of Maurkice Pouncey–Legursky stepped in fine and the offensive line played GREAT only allowing one sack (in which Ben didn’t actually end up on the turf). I’ll take an O-line that plays like that ANY day.

More importantly, I’m proud of the way the Steelers acted as a team this year. Always banding together, rising to the challenge and silencing their critics. While I’m sad, I have NO doubt that we will be back to the Super Bowl (and soon!) and that Pittsburgh will get a seventh ring in the near future. It’s been a fun season and it’s just further proof why it’s always good to be a Pittsburgh fan. Chins up Steelers, your town and your fans love you and we can’t wait for the next journey to begin in September.

Super Bowl 45: A Preview

As I write this post, I am sitting at O’Hare International Airport awaiting my flight to Pittsburgh for the big game. So yes, up front, I’m taking the Steelers to win tomorrow (and feel that I’m remaining as unbiased as possible in that selection). I’ve taken the past two weeks off this sports blog for two reasons: 1)  to try to wrap my head around what is sure to be a legendary Super Bowl and 2) I’ve also started another pr blog with some friends of mine which has required a little more attention (Ok shameless self promotion complete.) Let’s let’s get right down to it:

Steelers 24-20 over the Green Bay Packers.

I’m going to go with Pittsburgh for a few reasons. The first being that this team has experience and has worked together through adversity at various times throughout the year. They scraped together a 3-1 record in their first four wins, had an amazing comeback against the Ravens twice and scooted their way to a 12-4 record. And true, it wasn’t always pretty. The defense has, much like any other year, been the glue that has held the Steelers together–headed by AP Defensive Player of the Year Troy Polamalu. But with a defense like this, you don’t need your offense scoring 30 points a game.

I think that the Steelers will benefit from their multiple offensive weapons–Mendenhall (who has developed into a work-horse for team), Wallace (who is the fastest receiver in the NFL), Ward and Miller (who make huge plays in the clutch–if not as often as they used to) are the usual suspects, but the Steelers have done a great job of incorporating rookies Antonio Brown and Emmanuel Sanders into the mix. These two additions to the offense have proven that they can make the big plays when necessary in play-off games and give Ben two more weapons to utilize on offense–it’s impossible to cover EVERYBODY that Ben may be able to get the ball off to. That is, if he decides to hand the ball off at all. Ben has become an increasingly mobile quarterback (a necessity since our O-line is depleted) and has no problem scrambling for first downs.

And yes, Green Bay is a good team. Aaron Rodgers is a good QB, Clay Matthews is a beast, Tramon Williams is clutch and Jordy Nelson has been on fire lately. In my opinion, the Steelers have a player that matches toe for toe with every one of them (Roethlisberger, Polamalu, Clark and Miller) not to mention Harrison, Woodley, and Wallace. Yes, I worry about our pass protection and our secondary–and Aaron Rodgers has an ungodly amount of 20+ yard completions this post-season. I mean really it’s ridiculous. And yes, I’m slightly uncomfortable about the state of our offensive line–especially with the loss of key center Maurkice Pouncey. But I’m not scared of the Packers in the slightest. I think they are an absolutely beatable team. They beat up on NFC fools and let’s not forget that they couldn’t exactly close out the NFC Championship against a third string QB in Chicago. The ONLY difference in that game was an understandable pick six by an unexpecting BJ Raji to preserve the lead. The Packers struggled against a Bears defense that is similar to Pittsburgh–except that Pittsburgh’s is better. Yes, I expect them to get burned once by the long-ball but I also expect defensive genius Dick Lebeau to be able to adjust.

Roethlisberger has Super Bowl experience and is a proven leader for his team (if you want my personal take on him in general, check out a great read on 15 Minutes Blog that features a variety of blogger opinions on the subject) and is unlikely to choke–in fact, I expect this to be his best Super Bowl performance to date (and God help us if it’s worse than his first Super Bowl performance.) I don’t think Aaron Rodgers will choke either–but expect nerves to get to him the first quarter before he settles down.

Let’s not forget either that everyone is picking the sexy pick of the Packers, which undoubtedly adds fuel to the fire. No one ever gives Pittsburgh its due–and we wouldn’t want it any other way. Of the 45 analysts at ESPN, 32 picked the Packers to win tomorrow. Lil Wayne puts out ‘Green and Yellow’ a song aimed squarely at Pittsburgh and the Packers are favored by 2.5 in Vegas.  See the Steelers have that extra drive to play for now–much like they did in ’09 and ’06 and they’re going to be fired up beyond belief wanting to prove the haters wrong–haven’t people learned yet that its Ben who is proven himself time and time again in the clutch–NOT Aaron?  Personally, I’d never bet on the Steelers to lose a game, being a fan aside, more often than not, they manage to find a way to get it done (in the final two minutes to give you a heart attack). Again, I don’t think this is a blow out by any means on either side–both teams can win the game and the victor will need to put together a damn near perfect ball-game to do so. But I give the Steelers the edge because I think their defense will allow for at least seven points off turnovers and that will be the difference in the game.

Who do you have tomorrow—and why??

It’s gonna be fun to watch (except for the Black Eyed Peas at halftime) so everybody enjoy the game and, of course, HERE WE GO STEELERS!! ❤



Sports Digest 1.17.2011

A little over two weeks into the new year and I am in sports glory–play-off football is great, college basketball is in full swing, the NHL is chugging along and the Australian open is underway. The Steelers are in their 4th AFC Championship game in the past 7 years, Chicago is electric with the NFC Championship game and a huge Blackhawks game this weekend,  Being on this sports cloud-nine–why not dish up our first sports digest of the year?

Syracuse Orange vs. Pitt Panthers

Everyone knows this is going to be a good game. Tonight, you have the unbeaten #3 ranked Orange against perennial Big East powerhouse #5 Pitt. As much as I love the Orange, and as good as they are looking (#1 seed come tourney time) they always struggle against the Panthers, losing the last four meetings. I don’t think that this is going to change tonight–I think that Syracuse has a mental block against Pitt..they just don’t bring their A-game until it’s too late. Add in the loss of lead scorer Kris Joseph for the game tonight and I think it spells extra trouble. Hope I’m wrong and we pull off the W  (as Pitt is the only team from the ‘Burgh that I actively root against, and just can’t stand) but the odds aren’t looking good. That’s alright though, we’ll rebound to beat Villanova on Saturday at the Dome with in front of a record crowd.

Chicago Blackhawks vs. Philadelphia Flyers

Right before the NFL Championship game the NHL’s national game of the week is a rematch of the Stanley Cup last year. The Flyers have had a pretty dominant season and currently hold the #1 power ranking. The Hawks have had a lethargic start to the season but are finally finding their mojo. With a tough game Saturday vs. the Red Wings, look for the Hawks to turn the tide on a national stage and upend the Flyers on home ice.

The Demise of the Patriots

There are few things I enjoy more than watching the Patriots get outplayed. And that’s exactly what happened yesterday. After a shaky first quarter, Mark Sanchez settled down and maintained the tempo of the game and the Jets just, for lack of a better term, laid the smackdown on the Patriots. They got lazy in the fourth quarter and started playing too conservatively, and showed no modicum of class during their on-field celebrations but they got the job done. And I’m pretty sure I saw Tom Brady cry during the game, which just added to my joy. Hard to believe, as Adam Schefter put it, that Tom Brady has now lost three consecutive play-off games. Looking back, it all started going “south” when they lost the Super Bowl in the last seconds to the Giants–(or has it been since his knee injury?) Will Tom ever get another ring? Hard to say, but none of it diminishes that he (in my opinion) is the best QB to play the game..as much as I HATE to admit it. So we’ll have to wait another eight months (or longer) to discuss his Bieber haircut.

The Steelers NOT beating themselves

I’m STILL pumped about that Steelers win on Saturday. The team showed so much resolve coming back to dominate the second half–allowing the Ravens a TOTAL of 28 yards throughout the end of the game. Yes, they had their heads up their asses in the first half, and they won’t be able to play like that again and expect to move on but the determination of the steel curtain defense, as well as some AWESOME play by my boy Big Ben solidified the W. You can say what you want, but Ben Roethlisberger is a top 3 QB in the league (in my opinion two) He has the same number of playoff wins as Peyton Manning (9) with six years less experience. He plays hard, he scrambles, he takes control of the offense, he’s tough and he delivers. As long as there’s time on the clock, if the ball is in Ben’s hands, I honestly think we have a shot to win. Off-field drama aside, I don’t know that there’s another QB I’d take if I could have my pick–Brady gets frazzled–doesn’t seem like Ben does. He’s a great leader and he makes things happen. I like our chances on Sunday.

Are you on as much as a sports high as we have been this week? What’s been the highlight for you?

Let’s us know … we’re always up for a chat 🙂

D-D-Divisonal Showdown

Unfortunately, it’s that time of year where football is drawing to a close 😦 The college season in the books (although I wish it was Oregon hoisting the trophy) and we did much better than with our BCS bowl picks this year than last–going 4-3…it’s a baby step, but it’s a step! 🙂

Wild Card Weekend was great to CDS–we went 3-1 (all except for that Seahawks snafu). This weekend–the NFL is serving up four delicious divisional match-ups that should be excellent for everyone watching. So without further delay–here’s our picks for this weekend.

Baltimore Ravens vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

Gotta go with the Steelers on this one (DUH!) Not only because I bleed black and gold–but because I really think the Steelers are the better team. It’s not that the Ravens are push-overs…this will be a dog fight for sure, but I see Pittsburgh coming out on top for a few reasons. The first being that since 1970, the Steelers are 8-0 in the playoffs against divisional opponents. These teams are incredibly familiar with each other and both will be prepared but the Steelers have a proven history of getting the job done among these circumstances–the previous two times the teams have met in the playoffs, the Steelers notched the W.

The Steelers have proven to be the tortoise in the AFC North this year–after a string of some UGLY games–they have been on a roll to close out the season. Yes, their final two games were against the Panthers and Browns–but the Steelers easily put together their two most comprehensive games. Add in the fact that of the past 7 regular season meetings, the Steelers have the edge 5-2. Those two Baltimore victories? They were against starting QBs Dennis Dixon and Charlie Batch. The Ravens have struggled to find an answer for Ben the past three seasons–and know it.

Another reason? Flacco is garbage. Ok, that may be a little harsh, but he is not anywhere near an elite qb status. While he is getting smarter with his play, he still makes many mistakes and the Steeler D will show no mercy. And don’t even get me started on Troy Polamalu–who is a main reason why we won the last game in Baltimore–his ability to be anywhere and everywhere is the difference maker. Now sure, all streaks come to an end and Baltimore may be due-but I think the Steelers, coming off a bye week have the edge. One thing’s for sure, this physical game is definitely going to take a toll on whoever advances enough to the AFC Championship–and probably enough to keep the victor from the Super Bowl. 

Steeeeel Curtain

Green Bay Packers vs. Atlanta Falcons

Oooooh-weeee is this going to be a GOOD game. I’m going with my gut and taking the Packers (they ARE my NFC SB pick!) even though my head says to give the edge to the Falcons. The Packers effectively shut down the Eagles last week–and though the defense tired in the fourth quarter–they put together a solid 60 minutes of football. This is Aaron Rodgers’ time to shine and he has accepted the challenge in leading his time–first to the playoffs, then in a wild card match-up–beautifully. Clay Matthews is an absolute beat–for all intense and purposes the Polamalu of the NFC and will be hard for the Falcons to get passed.

Ryan has himself has matured into a great little franchise QB in Atlanta and Michael Turner is a force to be reckoned with. I’m not by any means knocking on the Falcons–they’ve had a GREAT season and are completely deserving of their number one seed. But the Packers are on a hot-streak and are the most dangerous team in the NFC, which will lead them to victory at the Georgia Dome on Saturday night.

Seattle Seahawks at Chicago Bears

I’m taking the Seahawks–and no I’m not jumping on a bandwagon. Having lived in Chi-town for almost two years now (and loving every second!) I am surrounding by the Chicago culture–and I have watched my fair share of Bears games this season. I don’t think the Seahawks are going to win because they’re dominate–hell they’re not even a .500 team–I think they’re going to win because Da Bears just aren’t that great of a football team.

They really aren’t. The biggest scorer on their team is Robbie Gould (yea PSU!). Jay Cutler is spotty–when he’s good he’s good but when he’s bad?…well….he’s AWFUL. The Bears defense also isn’t great–having coughed up 34 points vs the Jets in week 16. Seattle just beat the defending champions–a team that is MUCH better than the Bears–I think they’ll be ready for the challenge and will shock the world by making it to the NFC Championship (much to my chagrin as I am not a Pete Carroll fan).

The Bears do have two things on their side: the weather (it’s FREEZING here) and Devin Hester–and I do hope, in this case, that I’m wrong and they manage to win–but I just don’t think it’s going to happen.

New York Jets vs. New England Patriots

Ok, we get it….these teams hate each other. *yawn* When did this turn into a rivalry for the ages? For some reason I always thought the Dolphins and Jets were the biggest rivals in the AFC East? But I digress…this media circus back and forth is ridiculously unnecessary–and I find it fascinating that it’s started by the Jets everytime…you know..the same Jets that the Patriots bent over their knees and SPANKED during a nationally televised game in December. Yes, Tom Brady is an ass (and a douche, really) but you can’t deny he’s the best quarterback in the game (and if you want my honest–and grudging–opinion, the best to ever play the game).  The Pats are the Pats…what else can you say? They’re a great, great ball club.

So I’m taking the Jets. Why? Well, they’re my Super Bowl pick..and I CAN’T bail on them now. Yes, Mark Sanchez is struggling GREATLY, but this is a team that, when they focus, can put together 60 solid minutes of football. The problem is they get distracted by any and everything–bright lights, loud noises and cute cheerleaders to boot. The thing about the Jets is even though they aren’t that great–and yes totally overrated from what we all thought they’d be–they always manage to find a way to win..and that’s something you can’t completely count out. They also did beat the Patriots in week 2–so I know they have it in them and even though it’s unlikely..I’m still taking them. They’re my pick and I ride or die with them until they’re out.

David and Goliath

What are your predictions for this weekend? We’d love to hear your thoughts!

In honor of the Steeler game on Saturday we’ve included our new favorite pre-game pump up song: Wiz Khalifa’s Black and Yellow.

–Sam

whose ready for some freaking football?? :-)

This morning, we woke up and our heart was much like the Grinch’s … it grew three times its normal size. Why you ask? Because today marks the kickoff of the 2010 NFL Football season 😀 With Laura prepping to make the trek to Columbus this weekend for the Miami/Ohio State game (tough “real world” gig, huh?) I’m posting our quick and dirty picks for both NFL Conferences, as well as our Super Bowl prediction.

AFC East–New York Jets-I really like this team. Granted, being featured on “Hard Knocks,” I’ve gotten the chance to become more familiar with them, but I think the team just has an intangible factor. Sanchez will improve on his rookie season performance and the addition of my boy, Santonio Holmes to the Coles/Cotchery/Edwards situation should help open up the passing game, which is a necessity since the running game took a hit with the departure of  Thomas Jones. However, with the Revis situation under control and Cromartie around, the Jets should be poised to make the Superbowl. Just for the record, the last rookie QB to lead a team to a loss in the AFC Championship game and won the Super Bowl the next season? His name? Ben Roethlisberger.

AFC  North-Pittsburgh Steelers. I’m absolutely biased, 100%. Best case scenario, Dixon leads us to a 3-1 record before Roethlisberger steps in.  I’m not too worried though, the Steelers always have been, and always will be a team built on defense. (The Steel Curtain if you will). With a healthy Polamalu, our defense is one of , if not the best in the league. Baltimore has made some solid moves this post season and with the Housmanzadeh pick up should give us a run for our money, but Flacco is not a Super Bowl QB, he just isn’t. The Owens/OchoCinco ego battle will overtake the Bengals and …well, Cleveland is still the “mistake by the lake.” 😉

AFC West-San Diego Chargers-As much as I want to pick the Broncos for my twinny, I just can’t. The solid team always suffers a collapse of epic proportions at the end of the season. Wither, Dumervil and White are out for the season, paired with a bruised Moreno and Buckhalter. I think the team is in too many shambles to win the division. Looking at the rest of the division, the Chargers pretty much have a clear path. Although I positively despise Philip Rivers and all of those idiots that say he’s the best QB out of his draft class…you know, having never even gotten to a Super Bowl.

AFC South-Indianapolis Colts-For obvious reasons, duh.

NFC East-New York Giants-the NFC East is the hardest division in football. Every team is always competitive and the regular season  champion is never decided until week 16. I won’t front, I hate the Philadelphia Eagles with EVERY FIBER OF MY BEING but I think it was a GREAT decision to release McNabb (I’ve been saying since I was 16 that the Eagles would NEVER win a Super Bowl with him…and was right :)) but I just don’t see a successful run. Dallas looked meh in the preseason, with only what appears to be a solid defense. Romo has never proven himself, so we can’t put much stock in him anymore until he does. The Redskins have drama with Haynesworth and Shanahan already, which doesn’t bode well for the season (how on earth they’re gonna bench someone they invested that amount of money in is beyond me) and well, they picked up McNabb, whose over the hill and already starting with his injury shit. (Why does Donovan eat Chunky Soup from a cup? Cause he chokes every time he gets near a bowl. BOOM.) So that leaves us with the Giants, Brandon Jacobs lost 25 lbs in the off-season and faster and stronger than ever. Bradshaw is healthy and jumping out of the backfield like a rocket and Eli is passing well.

NFC North-Green Bay Packers-Rodgers is maturing into quite the lovely quarterback and although the Packers have had a very under the radar off-season, I think this is the year when Green Bay will beat the Vikings TWICE (Finally!)  I’m not a fan of Favre. I try to refuse to weigh in, because I don’t want to give that jag any of my attention, but he is NOT going to win another Super Bowl. He just isn’t. He doesn’t have it left in him. And of course, we all know that Favre is coming back next year, like he’ll really quit one year shy of the all time record for playing seasons and other milestones he’ll be on the cusp of. I think this comeback will be met with the same results of every other comeback, NOT WINNING THE SUPERBOWL.

NFC West-San Francisco 49ers-I’m excited to see what Singletary can do with this team. I admire the way he came in and CLEANED HOUSE last season. Smith, Gore and Crabtree will handle the offense. Justin Smith, Takeo Spikes and Patrick Willis will anchor a middling defense and that will be good enough to win the division. Sorry Arizona, I applaud you kicking Leinhart to the curb, but Derek Anderson isn’t going to take you very far…just ask the Browns.

NFC South-New Orleans Saints-Although Brees is on the cover of Madden 2011, the Saints are poised to make another great run to the Super Bowl. I’d really like to the Falcons tear this division up, as for some reason, I’m such a fan of Matt Ryan, but the Saints just have too many weapons to contain …. right Indy?

Super Bowl Prediction: New York Jets vs. Green Bay Packers. Winner? Jets.

We know you have thoughts and we’re always up for a good debate (Laura would like me to go on record saying she “would never have picked some of those teams.” So let’s hear it!

–Sam

Big Bad Ben

Hello Folks,

So it’s been awhile since I’ve posted … my apologies. I recently started a new job (yay!) and went back east for about ten days so I haven’t had time. Lots of awesome stuff has happened in sports and lots of not so awesome stuff. So here’s my take on the Ben Roethlisberger situation. I want to say before I dive in that there is no team on the planet that I adore more than the Pittsburgh Steelers. It’s in my blood, I’m a Pittsburgh girl through and through. I would rather see the Steelers win than any of my other teams, even though I’ve already seen it twice. If the Steelers win–it’s an awesome week….if they lose it’s a terrible one. I AM A FAN.

That being said, no matter how much of a fan I am, I cannot condone the behavior by the organization in the past few weeks. The organization has been run since the dawn of time by the Rooney Family. The Rooney’s are ones that don’t put up with any players crap. They maintain that off-field conduct is as important as on-field conduct. Another thing about the Rooneys–they never wanted to spend big bucks on anyone. They let countless players (Porter, Woodson, Randle El, Faneca etc) leave because they didn’t want to pony up the dough. (Some players probably –and definitely–left for other reasons, but that doesn’t stop the fact that the Rooney’s weren’t willing to shell out the bills.)

Things started changing though a few years ago. We were due to negotiate with the best safety (ever) to play the game–my boo, Troy Polamalu. A force at USC, I don’t think anyone could predict how DOMINATING Polamalu would be on the team. A team shouldn’t consist of one player–but the Pittsburgh Steelers defense doesn’t show if our little predator isn’t on the field. So the Rooney’s, for the first time that I can ever remember, responded BIG and signed Polamalu to a 4 year deal worth slightly over $30 million. Roethlisberger’s contract shortly followed–a cool $100 million(ish)  for ten years.

Problem is? Roethlisberger can’t stay out of trouble. He doesn’t quite seem to understand that Pittsburgh Steeler athletes are demi-gods to everyone in, around and from Pittsburgh. We don’t only like to know what you’re doing on the field, but every minutia of detail of your off-the-field life. (I can for a fact tell you that every time Hines Ward goes to P.F. Changs on the Water Front he gets two orders of crab rangoons … Am I a loser?! You Betcha!)

Ben doesn’t quite understand the pressure….or the privilege, of being the franchise quarterback for the most decorated football team in NFL history. In fact, it sometimes seems like he just pisses on it–and that’s what angers me. I haven’t heard anyone in Pittsburgh discuss ONE POSITIVE ENCOUNTER WITH HIM. He makes stupid decisions, and he acts like he’s entitled. Well, he’s not. He’s not above the moral conduct standards of the Steelers, or humanity– and I for one, hope he gets at least an 8-games suspension next season.

Santonio Holmes was a problem child–sure. You know what he got? His ass traded. He joined a long list of players that the Rooney’s don’t want to be associated with. So my point is, why be associated with Roethlisberger? I know “franchise quarterback,” “allegations not charges” blah blah blah. But listen here, the Rooney’s stayed SILENT about Ben’s issues until recently.

Why release a statement now? Because everyone from coast to coast sees how hypocritical it is … once people start crying foul about race/status/salary etc THEN the Rooney’s release a strongly worded statement–after Ben isn’t charged. Maybe it’s because I work in PR but the insincerity and timing of this statement screams saving face. I don’t believe you Rooney’s. I don’t think you had any idea that people would outcry like this and that, people in Pittsburgh are sick of Ben’s shit. Because see, we aren’t the Browns, or the Raiders, or the Cowboys…we’re the mother f’n Pittsburgh Steelers….we don’t have cheerleaders, we only have one logo on our helmet and we play smash mouth football. This media circus is NOT what we want and unfortunately, Rooneys, you chose the worst possible person to invest $100 million dollars on. Personally, and I know a lot of other people who feel this way, no amount of Super Bowl wins will ever make me a Roethlisberger fan again.

My friend Ray had an interesting blog here about the media circus with Ben. He says that the media is reporting about the allegations of Ben and drives home a very good point that these allegations were already investigated and there wasn’t enough evidence to charge Ben–therefore why rehash all of these allegations? — He articulates it MUCH better. Check out the link!

So I guess in short, what my rambling is trying to say is that–I hope Goodell punishes Ben appropriately. One interesting thing about Rog, is he doesn’t put up with shit from anyone. He lays down hard punishments in an attempt to keep a positive image. It’s now his time to have his way with Ben Roethlisberger–and I hope he lays down the law. Will it hurt our team? SURE…in the short run. Will it help in the long run? I FRIGGIN’ HOPE SO. The Rooney’s already botched their chance at telling Ben (on multiple occasions) that his conduct is not that of a Pittsburgh quarterback. Since they failed to it’s Goodell’s turn–and there is way too much pressure facing Rog for him to let Ben off with a slap on his wrist.

Do I think the Rooney’s will trade Ben? No. BUT one things for sure…he is on the thinnest of ice. If he wants to stay in trouble, that’s fine. We can trade him to St. Louis/Buffalo/Jacksonville where he waste away on a mediocre team that is so desperate for a .500 record they don’t care about off field antics. After winning two Super Bowls with the Steelers in 4 years–the roller coaster is only going to go downhill, Ben…you decide how fast.

Two quick things:

1) For those of you that want to know–Kordell Stewart is engaged (TO A GIRL!) that lives in the penthouse of my aunts apartment building in Atlanta, Ga. As he was in Pittsburgh, he is a jag about photos.

2) I have an AWESOME post coming up about a fatheads promotion! So keep an eye out!

So what are your thoughts?! I know they must be fantastically angry or in agreement. I haven’t been able to stop talking about Pittsburgh to any and every football fan lately. So let me have it people! 🙂

–Sam

What’s Your Sports Dream?

The Sports Dream. What every fan lives for. Even a casual fan. There is nothing like when your team wins his or her respective championship. This post was inspired by Northern Iowa win over Kansas this past weekend in the NCAA tournament. What a high for every fan, alum and watcher of that game.  In my young, almost 24-year-old life, I have been blessed to see MANY of my sports dreams come true. So much in fact, that I only have one MAJOR one left on my list (and a midsized one) It’s a pretty difficult one though. Almost impossible. So here is a run down of my achieved and hopeful sports dreams. Please make sure to hit the comments with yours!

Steelers win Superbowl XL and Superbowl XLIII

I’ve been able to see my Steelers (who are my FAVORITE team out of all my teams) win not one but TWO Superbowls. I bawled my eyes out both times. Superbowl XL I road-tripped to Detroit with five of my sorority sisters. Jerome Bettis wins in his hometown and retires. Amazing. Superbowl XLIII I blew off graduate classes to be in Pittsburgh at Carson City Saloon at 10am. Steelers win and South Side in Pittsburgh was shut down, the celebrations in the street were amazing. Everyone hugging and crying. Pittsburgh fans are the best in the world. Below are two videos: The bar singing ‘Pittsburgh’s going to the SuperBowl’ before kick-off. The bar was at maximum capacity and no one could even move! And the street celebration after.

Pittsburgh Penguins Win 2009 Stanley Cup

Lord Stanley, Lord Stanley, Bring me the Brandy! This win was SO awesome. We avenged our loss to the Red Wings in 2008, we did it without Hossa, who left for ” a better chance to win” and this was the city of Pittsburgh’s second major sports championship in four months! I watched the game in Chicago and loved every minute!

2009 Stanley Cup Champs!

Eat it, Hossa

Syracuse wins 2003 National Basketball Championship/ 2004, 2008-2009 Lacrosse Men’s Championship

Few people know that, even though I attended Syracuse for grad school, I’ve been an Orange fan all my life. It’s true! My good friend Eric (@eric_hughes) and I tell this story all the time. When I was a senior in high school in ’04, he was a junior. We had AP Statistics together and as we giggled, made fun of our teacher and played cards during class, I told him “I’m going to PSU for undergrad, but I’m going to SU for grad school, and we’ll rebecome best friends” (Eric was gunning from Syracuse for the start!) And..what do you know, five years later we met at Faegan’s on Marshall Street to re-connect and become bff’s.

Eric and I, February 2009

I tell this story because, I’ve always appreciate Syracuse and its wins. So seeing ‘Melo (and McNamera!) take them to the National Championship in ’03 was amazing! Although I’d probably appreciate a ’10 one even more being an alum now! Also, the men’s lacrosse program works so hard. I interned in athletic communications at Syracuse last spring semester, and to watch the men’s lacrosse season unfold was amazing. Those boys work so hard and, I’m proud to say are back-to-back champions (and 11 overall!) It was awesome to see it done while I was there. (and they just beat John’s Hopkins yesterday!)

'Melo in '03

I’ve been blessed to see a lot of other awesome sporting things happen: Women’s Softball being included in the Olympics, UCLA winning back-to-back softball championships in the mid 2000’s, Michael Phelps winning EIGHT Gold Medals in one Olympics, Hasim Rahman knocking out Lennox Lewis etc. etc. the list goes on.

So what do I need to see happen? TWO major things:

Penn State Nittany Lions Win a National Championship

Last time they’ve won, was 1986…two months before I was born. Womp Womp.

I want JoePa to be my Grandpa ❤

Chicago Cubs Win a World Series

I know what you’re saying. I know it’s been over 100 years. But damn it, I’ve been a fan for 14 years and I’m not giving up hope. I now live two el stops away from Wrigley Field and I can’t believe it. It takes my breath away every time I go to a game, or get a drink in Wrigley Field. I LOVE THE CUBS. and I WILL see a World Series. Note though: When I do. I will never watch another baseball game…EVER AGAIN. People have lived their entire lives and died and not seen the Cubs win. When I see it, I’m going out on top. That’s it for me. So as much as it would suck to give up baseball, it’d be worth it! Let’s Go Cubs. 2010 is our year! 🙂

1908 Cubs ... the last winning team!

What are YOUR sports moments? What do you remember? What do you HAVE to see happen before you die? What’s your fondest memory? Talk to me people, I’d LOVE to hear!

Sports Digest

Happy New Year Everyone!

Today has been an awesome day for sports, so while my bowl breakdowns will come in tomorrow’s ‘New Years Day Hangover’ post, there are still plenty of great stories to keep up on…and one annoying habit that I found necessary to blog about.

1. Lamar Woodley might be in the running as my favorite Steeler. See, Pittsburgh needs some help to get into the post season (and while I love them more than life itself, they do not deserve to go in the playoffs this year after losing to the browns, chiefs and raiders…even if Dave Coulier–I mean Ben Roethlisberger–threw for over 4,000 yards).  To get into the playoffs we need to win vs. the Miami Dolphins tomorrow (Sorry Big Brother, but you’re going down!) and then we need two of the following teams to lose: the Ravens, Jets and Texans. New York and Houston are playing two teams that are already in the playoffs: Cincinnati and New England respectively. Common sense says that both teams will pull their starters after a short amount of time tomorrow, as they aren’t playing for anything other than the #3 seed. (Er go, they will both have wild card match-ups next weekend regardless). Enter Lamar Woodley, who does the one thing that any man can do to ensure a solid competitive effort-question their manhood. Lamar says that both teams will not play their starters because both of them are scared of Pittsburgh in the playoffs. While I do not necessarily think that’s true, I think that it definitely lit a fire under some of these guys butts. Who wants to be called out for laying down? NO ONE. It goes against the basic rules of sportsmanship. So Lamar throws it out there and Cincinnati, offended as any athlete would be, replies–well OchoCinco does. Apparently they are planning on playing their starters… Great Job Lamar, your backwards psychology might just be our ticket to the playoffs….but you have to beat Miami first and nothing this season is a guaranteed win. Read more here: http://bit.ly/519p0w
2. Mike Leach-This Mike Leach scenario is very sad for the reason that I do not think we will ever know what really happened. It seems that misconduct definitely occurred, but at what level, the stipulations and circumstances remain fuzzy at best. Add in that this player is the son of an ESPN analyst and you can’t help but wonder if Texas Tech pulled the trigger a little too quickly firing Leach before investigating all of the facts. Sally Jenkins, sports columnist for the Washington Post delves into this issue a little deeper in an awesome piece http://tinyurl.com/yacbc4o Side note: Didn’t Bobby Knight punch a student athlete at Texas Tech and NOT get fired? I’m just saying.
3. Purdue Boilermakers- At a New Years day party today, I saw the  No.4 Purdue Boilermakers men’s college basketball team manhandle the No.6 West Virginia Mountaineers. Purdue is freaking good folks. They comfortably played 30 minutes of solid college basketball. They were never threatened, pressure was never applied and they swiftly added another notch to their belt of wins this season. (Sidenote: I’m never really sold that WVU is a GREAT collegiate basketball team…their #6 is solid, but I say that, as far as the BIG EAST goes, WVU is middle of the pack…not their fault the conference is stacked). I will say if Purdue keeps this up, I might get a little worried for my boys in orange.
4. Syracuse Orange-speaking of my lovely No. 5 Syracuse Orange, they have a HUGE game coming up tomorrow at 12pm eastern against Pitt. This Orange team is ridiculously impressive. Many people are calling it better than Carmelo’s 2003 National Championship team. I have watched the Orange every chance I get and they are looking good. LIKE REALLY GOOD. With Devo, Flynn and Harris off the team, the team can operate and focus more like…a TEAM. No ball hogs, no off court shenanigans, just a team that wants to play basketball. Add in a dose of the lovely Andy ‘3 point machine’ Rautins and this team is doing great. Pitt is always a threat though and a perennial powerhouse even though they have two losses this year to Texas and  Indiana. BIG EAST play always brings out the best in teams so I think Syracuse has to play well, because Pitt will take advantage if they don’t (aka they can’t afford to start slow like they did against Seton Hall) The game is at home, as an alum, a 32 thousand plus crowd can make the difference. And Syracuse is awesome. The game will be broadcast on the BIG EAST network. Go Orange!
5. The Australian Open-Keep your eyes open for the Australian Open beginning January 18th. Tennis’ first grand slam of the year is always fun to watch with the hard-court. It’s also easy to catch live if you’re a working bee like myself, since Australia is half-a-day ahead of us, matches show at night. I’m always partial to Andy Roddick but I will do a further breakdown when it gets closer to the date.
6. Penn State Nittany Lions-Love ya lions! Sorry I ever doubted you…but that was a pretty ugly game. (side note, I love watching football players get down and play in the mud …it makes it so manly) Royster had a great game, you survived the monsoon, Clark cried tears of joy and JoePa notched his 24th bowl win…the most all time (Suck it Bowden) And YES, I owe Raffi $20 and a round of beer…but had we gone on the spread I still would have won. I should have had more faith in you lions and a Capital One Bowl win is a nice cap to a 12-2 season. Start prepping for Alabama tomorrow though. Seriously.

This brings me to my PET PEEVE:

I DO NOT UNDERSTAND why people decide to root for their conference in bowl games January 1st. I’m sorry, but I hate Ohio State and I hate Michigan. I will never root for them to win. Ever. I don’t understand how people can root AGAINST a team and say they dislike them for months and then say ‘well it’s the Big Ten, you got to want them to win’ Um. No I Don’t. At least not teams that I hate the rest of the year. I was rooting for Northwestern (rough loss!) and I will root for Iowa, because I don’t despise them. but I will never root for OSU or Michigan. They’re awful. Tressel’s sweater vest is ridiculous (I picture him having 3,000 of them lined up in his closet) I’m tired of hearing it will make the Big Ten look good. You know what will make the Big Ten look good? How about scheduling tough non-conference opponents?! PSU rose to #5 in the country this year after beating Akron and Syracuse and, just for good measure, they beat up on Northern Illinois. or was it Eastern Illinois? Doesn’t matter…easy picking. You know what ELSE would make the Big Ten look good? How about having one team that dominates? Purdue beat Rose Bowl Champion Ohio State. Purdue. Let me clarify, Purdue’s football team, not basketball team. You know who beat Purdue? Northwestern. You know who beat Northwestern? Penn State. You know who beat Penn State? Iowa. and Ohio State. How can you even begin to make sense out of this cluster-f?! Seriously. I’m sick of split championships. I’m sick of crappy play. I want the Big Ten to return as a football powerhouse, but that starts with team play IN the big ten. So I WILL NOT root for OSU OR Michigan (then again Michigan was in the Toilet Bowl this year which I enjoyed) because guess what? OSU winning the Rose Bowl, albeit handily, over the PAC-10 conference is NOT A BIG DEAL. It will not make people take the Big Ten more seriously because the Big Ten doesn’t take itself seriously.

*Side note: for those of you keeping track, I’m 0-2 on two very close bowls…hopefully the sugar bowl turns me around tonight*

What upcoming sports events are you looking forward to? Have I left any majors off the list? What’s your take on the bowl games?  Let me know people and Happy New Year 🙂

Why I Love Sports: Blog Overview

This is my first blog post! Very exciting. So I guess what’s customary is to give you a cliff’s notes version on myself and the purpose of this blog.

My name is Samantha and I am from Pennsylvania, which just so happens to be the best state in the U.S. I went to Penn State University for undergraduate school and Syracuse University for my Master’s degree. I moved to Chicago in May of 2009.

Over the course of my travels I have found a great thing that can connect tons of people:  sports. I think sports are kind of a conundrum. Being a fan of a team sometimes has no rhyme or reason;  you root for a team because it’s a tradition in your family, you live in an area where you get a specific team, you were born in a specific city, your an alum of the school, etc. etc.

The interesting thing about sports is that the impossible happens…and quite often. The underdog wins, a game goes into six overtimes, a player is playing a former coach who never believed in him etc. etc. The drama that is played out on a sports field is an incredible escape from life and just fascinating.

I also find it interesting that, no matter what, people will root for their teams– they will get in verbal arguments, bet money and have a bad day when they are doing poorly.  My team of choice is the Pittsburgh Steelers.  I have black and gold running through my veins, and I will die-hard root for them until the day I die. When I was a sophomore in college, Pittsburgh went to (and won!) the Superbowl in Detroit, I road tripped there to just be in the same vicinity of them. I went to Pittsburgh this past year to be in the city when we won AND even when they have a less than stellar season, much like THIS season, I will still watch every second, of every game.

The thing is, just like everyone has teams they inexplicably root for, there are teams that people just don’t like for no reason as well. (Read: Michigan Wolverines)

So the purpose of this blog is to discuss sports–and not just the popular ones. Expect some coverage on men’s lacrosse, soccer and my personal favorite, collegiate softball. Expect opinions on current happenings on the sports world, and more importantly, expect my college bowl game predictions tomorrow 🙂

What teams are you die hard for? What teams do you despise? and more importantly, What is it about sports that gets you going?!

–Sam