The Pie Hole

Ok, This is going to be my one and only plug for my other site. A bunch of military friends and I are getting together to write for fun. It is based on humor and no doubt will have some Military jargon involved. If you are military or ex-military and would like to contribute, let me know, if not, its ok, just go on occasionally and read what we have to say. The object is fun. Let me know what you think as well!

Thanks,

Justin

http://yourpiehole.blogspot.com/

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My Prediction: Steelers are Super Bowl Champions!

I think it is completely ridiculous that anyone is writing as much as they are abour how great the Cardinals are. Remember, they are the team that went 2-4 down the final stretch. You know, when you are supposed to be ramping up for the playoffs? They keep saying the only reason they didn't play better was because they didn't have to. That is a crock. What team wants to go into the post season with a couple losing games? Noone in their right mind. They played terrible. Yes, it looks like they got it back together, but they are going to be coming back down to Earth this Sunday. They have not faced a defense like the Steelers. I know they think the Eagles were like the Steelers are, but that simply isn't true, no matter how you stretch it. The Steelers and the Ravens, yes I said it, are heads and shoulders above any team in the league on defense. We put up 23 on the Ravens remember. What can we do to the Cardinals? I think that commentators are being oh so nice to Arizona simply because we have so much steam heading down to Tampa. They keep whining that they get no respect, how about us? We have officially earned it and we aren't getting it. Ok. That's fine. We will see come gameday. When the Cardinals are looking like the Cardinals that played Seattle at the end of the season instead of the ones that played the Eagles last week.

Steelers 24 - Cardinals 10

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Zombies Invade Austin?

Hackers Crack Into Texas Road Sign, Warn of Zombies Ahead

Thursday, January 29, 2009 By Joshua Rhett Miller

Texas Dept. of Transportation officials confirm a portable traffic sign at Lamar Boulevard and West 15th Street in Austin was hacked into last week.
Transportation officials in Texas are scrambling to prevent hackers from changing messages on digital road signs after one sign in Austin was altered to read, "Zombies Ahead." Chris Lippincott, director of media relations for the Texas Department of Transportation, confirmed that a portable traffic sign at Lamar Boulevard and West 15th Street, near the University of Texas at Austin, was hacked into during the early hours of Jan. 19.

"It was clever, kind of cute, but not what it was intended for," said Lippincott, who saw the sign during his morning commute. "Those signs are deployed for a reason — to improve traffic conditions, let folks know there's a road closure."
"It's sort of amusing, but not at all helpful," he told FOXNews.com.

"...if you're driving in Austin, you can rest assured: There are no zombies ahead."

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Carpe Diem!

Carpe Diem is phrase from a Latin Poem by Horace. It means seize the day.

I say this is the time. You look at our lives and the way we are living and it is almost embarrassing. We go about our days doing nothing mentionable. We hate every driver around us, we hate every customer in the stores we are at, and we hate our jobs. Well, maybe hate is a harsh word, but it will do for right now.

Why are we this way?

Why do we have to be?

Why do we assume that everything everyone else does is with malice?

I was 22 and just lost my job and my fiancee. I already went to "college", if you call ITT Technical Institute college, and didn't feel accomplished. I needed something else. I needed something, that when I am old, I can tell my grandchildren about something that their grandfather did. At the rate I was going, I wasn't heading in that direction at all. I was heading for embarrassment. I was voted "Most Naive" in my graduating class. As funny and small as that sounds, it honestly really hurt. It made me feel inferior to my peers. I needed to fix this idea people had of me. I needed to be bigger than I was. I didn't know how at this point. I wasn't the trash-talking and confident sort, you know? I have a way about myself. If I make a decision, I stick to it. I don't want to be "wishy-washy" like Charlie Brown. What do I do though? So, I signed up to be in the Army. I could have joined the National Guard or the Reserves, but if I was going to do this, I was going all the way. I signed up on January 31st, 2002 and left for Basic Combat Training on February 13th, 2002. I didn't waste any time. I completed all my training by October 12th, 2002 where I arrived at my first unit and was told to pack my stuff I am deploying. Wow! Talk about a wake up call.

Seven years later, here I am.

I guess the point of the short story is that I had a need and a desire to change myself for the better, so I made a rash decision. Now, I am definitely not recruiting because the military is definitely not for everyone. What I am saying, however, is that if you are in a way that you don't want to be, then change it! Don't just sit there and hope it will all clear up. You will not be happy. You need to fix it because you can't claim you fixed anything if you don't do anything about it. That was quite a sentence.

That is where my title comes in. Seize The Day! Do it now! Don't wait around for everything to fall into place perfectly. Do something about it. Stop being unhappy. Being unhappy reflects on how you view everyone else and how everyone views you. I am not saying that I am the model you should follow because I am back into close to the same boat once again. Nothing is perfect. I need a change and am working on it.

The only model of my life you should follow is that I wasn't doing anything, but now I am.

You may be asking how does this relate to our teams? I will tell you. We have a Superbowl staring us in the face, we have the Stanley Cup Playoffs we are trying to get into, a winning season, and a college National Championship possible for 2009.

Superbowl XLIII is on the horizon and we have a possible dynasty. We have a great team and we will still have a great team next year and the year after. In the current salary cap era, that is very difficult to come by. The Rooneys have been nothing short of miraculous in constructing this. I am proud of what we have.

Sitting in the 10th spot just after the All Star Game is better than most, but not good enough for us. This is also considering that we went to the Finals last year. We do, however, have the chance to turn this ship around. We really have nowhere else to go but up. We do have the talent, the will, and the drive, just have to pull it off. We have 34 games left. That's 68 possible points. I would say the cup is half-full right now.

The revolution has started in our clubhouse. We changed out everyone practically. We are being led by the right people this time and we have the opportunity to stop these losing ways. We have 162 games starting in April to prove this.

Currently ranked #3 in the country, we have the closest thing we have had in a while in a college winner. We have the talent to win it all.

We could have the best year in Pittsburgh sports since the early '90s and I am ecstatic.

Take my advice or not, believe it or not, but if you read down to here, I have you thinking. Follow your heart and do what is right and what you need to do.

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Pirates Unveil New Uniforms!

These are the new uniforms for the 2009 Pittsburgh Pirates. If you are wondering which one they got rid of, it was the red jersey:

The newest to the family is the black jersey:

I like the new style and think it represents Pittsburgh better simply because it is black and gold like all Pittsburgh sports teams.

Let's Go Bucs!

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Need I Say More?

Here We Go Steelers!

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Band of the Week!...Volume 10! -Circa Survive

So, here is my newest installation all about what I will call my favorite band of the week. This weeks band is called Circa Survive. You can click on the band name for a full bio, but as for this blog, I will give you the quick down and dirty. This band consists of five members, Anthony Green, Colin Frangicetto, Brendan Ekstrom, Nick Beard, and Steve Clifford. They have released two albums since 2005, awaiting the release of their third later this year. They say their sound is,"Wet with some little bits of sharp." In my opinion, they have alot of the same, but alot of a different sound. I can't explain it. I love it though. Here are their album covers. Check them out!

There is a player on the bottom here with a couple songs from the band so you can have a hearsee. Also, here is a link to some lyrics, so you can see if you like their message as well.

Basically, I am telling all of you to check out this band and let me know what you think!

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Pirate Fest

The three-day annual baseball carnival will kick off on Friday from 5-9 p.m. ET at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center downtown. The event will also be open from noon-8 p.m. on Saturday and then again on Sunday from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Pirates' season-ticket holders will be able to enter one hour earlier on Friday and Sunday.

Everybody needs to get out there and support the Pirates!

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The Greatest Franchise

By David Fleming~ESPN.com

Less than an hour before kickoff of the AFC Championship Game in Pittsburgh, I stepped toward an elevator inside an empty lobby of Heinz Field. In front of me was an older man with silver hair, matching glasses frames and a long black overcoat. Right away, I thought it was Steelers owner Dan Rooney … but how could that be, I wondered? Just a few minutes before the players took the field for the most important game of the year, the owner of one of the most successful sports franchises in the world was standing quietly by himself in the back corner of a public elevator? No security detail? No private elevator? No entourage? No cameras?

But it was him, all right. And while I nodded hello we were joined by a family of fans that included a toddler dressed up in a Steelers cheerleader outfit. And despite the parents' pleading and prodding -- as well as some cute grandfatherly encouragement from Rooney himself -- the shy little girl refused to acknowledge the Steelers owner with so much as a wink or a wave.
You have to know the Steelers and football's first family a little bit to understand this, but the snub actually seemed to delight Rooney.
At a black-tie dinner two nights later at a Hilton in Washington, D.C., Rooney had a little better luck when he handed over a game ball from the AFC Championship Game to the newest member of a now-rapidly expanding Steelers Nation: the 44th president of the United States, Barack Obama.
"He's a Bears fan first, he admits that," Rooney told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "But he's a Steelers fan. He said it, and all his staff, they're rooting for us [in the Super Bowl]."
The thought first popped into my head while watching Rooney leave that elevator and disappear down a hallway of Heinz Field, the picture of quiet, dignified strength. Then I actually wrote it in my notebook after the Steelers beat up the Ravens for a trip to Super Bowl XLIII and the chance to become the first NFL team to win six Lombardi trophies. But now that the most popular man on the planet and the leader of the free world has acknowledged his allegiance to the black and gold, I feel a lot more comfortable asking this question out loud:
Are the Steelers the best sports franchise ever?
Purchased by Art Rooney Sr. in 1933, with $2,500 he supposedly won at the track (love that), the Steelers initially struggled for decades. But since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970 (something Art Sr. helped orchestrate), no one's been better. No one. And now, after seven Super Bowls, 30 postseason wins, seven championship games in the past 14 years, 19 Hall of Famers and the dynasty of the 1970s that includes probably the greatest, baddest football team ever assembled … if you factor in the popularity of the NFL and the quaint but sturdy Midwestern soul of this franchise, it's hard to argue against what the Steelers have built.
Yes, of course, I know the Montreal Canadiens have won 24 Stanley Cups. But if we're talking about the best-run, most successful franchise in our lifetime, the Habs are disqualified for winning only two Cups in the past 30 years. There are the defending NBA champs in Boston, of course, who have collected 17 titles, but they too were largely a non-factor for the past two decades. The Cowboys? America's Team? Please. They haven't won a playoff game in a dozen years.
The stats definitely favor the Yankees, I know. In fact, the numbers are nearly impossible to argue: They've got a gazillion titles (26) in 109 years, but nothing since 2000. The Steelers could have six in the past 43, giving them 14 percent of their sport's titles as compared to 24 percent for the Yanks. I could go on with this, but the truth is math gives me a headache. So let me say this: You can't buy titles in football the way you can on the diamond. Therefore extreme parity in the NFL, plus the economic constraints of a hard salary cap, make it (at least) twice as hard to win Lombardi trophies.
"I see the personal sacrifice that people from our team make on a daily basis for this to happen," coach Mike Tomlin said Sunday night. "That is not just the players; the players are special, but the support staff, training, equipment, medical team, etc. It is a lot of sacrifice by a lot of people. I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge that this is the Steelers' story and not my story."
Indeed, as Tomlin spoke it was impossible not to feel the profound impact of the Rooney Rule. In 2003 Dan Rooney chaired a committee that opened doors and changed the face of our national pastime by requiring teams to interview at least one minority candidate for head-coaching jobs. Rooney, who was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2000 and has had a major impact on labor negotiations and realignment in the NFL, has always said the best part of his Rooney Rule is that, hopefully, the NFL won't need it much longer. (Maybe the NFL can loan it to the NCAA.)
That kind of social responsibility and impact, however, is one reason why during the past five years the Steelers have compiled an average ranking of 12 in ESPN The Magazine's exhaustive and comprehensive evaluation of all 122 sports franchises. The Yanks' rank? No. 33. In a sports world drowning in drama, the Steelers are the picture of continuity: They've had one philosophy (defense wins championships) and three coaches in the past four decades. The Lions, meanwhile, are on their fourth coach in the past four years.
And finally, let's not forget the little fact that the Steelers aren't currently constructing a new stadium that destroys inner-city playgrounds and green space while costing taxpayers a billion bucks.
Edge?
Sorry, Yanks; it's the Terrible Towel.
Realizing that the argument for the Steelers as the best sports franchise would still be a pretty tough sell (I mean, none of their players are, like, dating Madonna, duh), late Sunday inside the Pittsburgh locker room I asked Dan's son, Steelers President Art Rooney II, what the team's secret was.
"Our secret?" he said, almost embarrassed by the question. "We try to put a team on the field every year that can win a championship … "
Then he stopped for a split second.
And I swear, that artful pause somehow perfectly captured the essence of this franchise, a team that has remained grounded in its Steeltown roots while simultaneously soaring over the rest of the sports landscape.
We try to put a team on the field every year that can win a championship.
"And," Rooney said, "we never take a year off."

As I read this, I realize that he is absolutely right. Now, I am biased because I am a hardcore Steelers fan, but if you can step back and not only look at the whole picture, but look at that picture from every angle, the storied Steelers franchise can't be compared to any team in any sport in history.

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Smack Talk

The smack talk has officially begun. I have already ventured to other forums to just peruse their logic. I had to laugh. It seemed as though all the Cardinals fans aren't football fans at all! They are just overzealous at the fact that their perrenial loser in a team finally made it somewhere.

The only thing I have to say right now is that you have to lose one to win one. With some exceptions, of course.

The Cards are playing the "no respect" clause to no end right now. If that is what they need to get up for a game like this, then let them run with it. I really don't care. I agree though that they get no respect, but that is because they still haven't earned it. They had a mediocre season and frankly sucked the last few games once they clinched the division. They did come out to play in the playoffs thus far, but is it the Cardinals that are that good or did the teams they play make too many mistakes and sink their own ships? I say the latter.

Don't get me wrong, I believe Larry Fitzgerald is playing out of his mind. I also believe the defense finally showed up for a game or two. I don't think, however, they have faced anything similar to the Steelers defensive machine yet this year. The Cards only succeeded in their offense because they used their minimal run game to set up their big passing plays. The Steelers do not give up yards on the ground. Period. Kurt Warner plays terrible when he is pressured. That is the Steelers specialty. I don't know how they expect to score as much as they think they can with Warner outside the pocket.

I also heard alot of blubbering about the Steelers offense sucking. I agree to a point. We sucked against the third ranked defense against the run. So what? The Cardinals aren't even in the top half in that category. The Cards are also claiming that they stopped two stout running offenses thus far. I guess that is true. That is if you consider that they couldn't afford to run the ball because their defense gave up too many points to methodically run the ball like they were used to. They passed the other teams right out of their game.

I am not saying we are the 1980s 49ers or anything, but we will do what it takes to win on offense. No matter how much the Cards do or do not score.

I love the fact that we don't have to use any of the motivational clauses to get up for this game. We are that good. A season-long dependable defense and solid offense. You know what they say....defense wins championships and the Steelers aren't finished with their business just yet.

Let me know what outlandish comments you hear!

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Pens Drop One Before All Star Break

It was a close one and the Pens battled to the last second, but Cam Ward was just too sharp tonight. The Pens fell out of playoff contention as well with this loss. It leaves a bad taste in their mouthes right before the All Star break. They have a week to regroup now. This is the home stretch. I know it is over halfway, but we are just barely on the outside looking in. I think it is all about the mental preparation from now on. They have the skill and physical attributes, but do they have the will. I would honestly say 75% of the time I think they do, but it is that last 25% that is killing them. They play 45 minutes of hockey instead of 60. I do believe they will figure it out and get their heads on straight to get into the playoffs. I have no doubt about that, but what place, I am not so sure. I still know that the division is within reach, definitely. We just need a solid streak like we normally do around this time of year. Usually, though, we don't need that streak to just get into the playoffs. Let's get it going, boys!

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Super Bowl Bound Super Steelers!

That was everything I expected and more in a Conference Championship game!

I enjoyed every second of it. It is a better game, however, considering that we won. I loved the fact that before the game, one of the commentators was stating that when Ed Reed intercepted the ball, it always went for a touchdown, unlike when Troy Polamalu intercepts one. I wonder if Troy was listening.

I think Ben Roethlisberger played an excellent game considering the pressure and the lack of a running game today. Willie Parker just couldn't go anywhere against that Ravens' defense. I wasn't surprised by that though. Ben is starting to look like his idol, John Elway, I will say that without hesitation, and I thank God he is on our team.

The Steelers defense looked just as incredible as they have all season long and just when we needed the big play, the defense came up with it.

Now, I know we are going to face the Arizona Cardinals in the Superbowl, but I really can't see any team beating this defense. I know the Cardinals looked incredible on offense against the #3 defense in the Philadelphia Eagles, but I really don't think that the Eagles compare to the Steelers.

I hope that Hines Ward is able to play in the big game, but if not, Limas Sweed stepped up with some big hits and some key catches. I know, I know, he missed the big one and cost us a timeout, but he came back with a couple big plays.
Jeff Reed didn't have to kick the game winner this time, but it is good that we have his steady foot in our arsenol.

I thought LaMarr Woodley, James Harrison, Lawrence Timmons, and James Farrior played a very solid game. They all were able to make plays when it seemed there wasn't a play to be made.

The Ravens spent all their time this past week trash talking instead of practicing apparently because their offense looked bad. I thought it was supposed to be Joe Flacco's best game. You do have to give him credit though, he was the first rookie to win two playoff games. They were both on the road too. He will be a force next year once he gets more games under his belt.

Overall, a dominating performance by the Steelers and one more game to go. Going to Tampa! AFC Conference Champions!

Here We Go Steelers!

Here We Go!

Steelers Are Going To The Super Bowl!

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Wow...What A Game!

I can honestly say I have been enjoying the Penguins the past 4 games. Grant it, we lost one of them, but we are definitely looking like we should. We climbed back into 8th place and the final playoff slot in the East with this win. To top it off, it was a shutout at 3-0. We need to just keep this up now. We won despite Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin not registering a point. This is the first game that that has occurred since October. I couldn't believe that when I heard it. The defense looked great, but the biggest and best thing I liked was the passes from the defensive areas to the forwards. Of course I am referring Ryan Whitney's pass the Petr Sykora in the second. We have been missing them significantly. Marc-Andre Fleury was also playing out of his mind in net. I think this was the game we needed to start the second half of the season. This is the game that could send our confidence through the roof. This is just what we needed.
Let's Go Pens!

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Pitt Loses, Now 16-1

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- No. 1 Pittsburgh's perfect run is over.
Earl Clark had 16 points and 11 rebounds on his 21st birthday to lead No. 20 Louisville to a 69-63 victory over the Panthers on Saturday night.

Terrence Williams had 20 points, seven rebounds and four assists and the Cardinals (13-3, 4-0 Big East) held the Panthers (16-1, 4-1) to just one field goal over the last 8 minutes to win their fifth straight game and stake a claim as the best team in the nation's best conference.

Jermaine Dixon had a career-high 19 points but missed the front end of a 1-and-1 with 1:25 remaining and the Panthers trailing by four points. Sam Young added 14 points for Pittsburgh.
The win was Louisville's first over a No. 1 team since beating Florida on Dec. 13, 2003.
Clark capped a stirring second-half rally by hitting a jumper from the top of the key with 45 seconds left and Louisville made enough free throws to make it hold up. The Cardinals celebrated by dancing their way off the court as the crowd serenaded Clark with a rousing rendition of "Happy Birthday."
The party may just be beginning for Louisville, which won its fifth straight and is starting to play like the team ranked No. 3 in the preseason poll.
The Panthers had risen to the top spot in the rankings for the first time in school history behind 16 straight dominant but largely anonymous wins. Pittsburgh missed a chance to add a little quality to its quantity thanks to a nightmarish final 8:48 when a 55-45 lead evaporated.
Williams started Louisville's game-ending surge with a pull-up jumper and Clark followed with a shot from the corner. Preston Knowles drilled a 3-pointer before Clark dunked on the break to pull the Cardinals within 55-54 with 6:25 left.
Louisville finally pulled even at 58-all on a jam by Samardo Samuels and Louisville took the lead for good on a layup by Williams with 2:53 to go that put them up 60-58.
The Panthers, who had answered every previous Louisville surge, wilted under the Cardinals' fullcourt pressure. Pittsburgh turned it over a season-high 20 times, including six by point guard Levance Fields.
Even when the Panthers held on to it, they couldn't knock down the shots. They shot just 30.6 percent in the second half, including 3-of-15 from 3-point range. Center DeJuan Blair battled foul trouble most of the second half and finished with nine points and 10 rebounds in 20 minutes. His absence allowed the Cardinals to hold a 42-38 edge on the boards.
The victory capped a thrilling week for the Cardinals, who beat No. 13 Notre Dame 87-73 in overtime on Monday.
Clark made sure the extra work wasn't necessary this time, doing a little bit of everything in the second half as the Cardinals hung around long enough for their offense to get going late.
The rivalry has become one of the Big East's most heated since the Cardinals joined the conference three years ago, with only one of the previous six meetings being decided by more than six points.
Saturday night was no different.
Louisville trailed by as many as 13 points early before using an 11-0 burst midway through the first half to take a 24-23 lead. Still, the Panthers led 32-30 at halftime, surviving the final 5 minutes with Blair and Young both on the bench with two fouls.

Unfortunately, #1 Pitt faultered today. You can't expect to go undefeated. I know it sounds weak, but it is the truth. They were beat by #20 ranked Louisville. The good thing I guess also, that the opponent is ranked as well. So it is not so bad. Now the Panthers have something to build on. I look forward to seeing how the Panthers rebound.

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Everything New...Will It Make A Difference?

I think we are all hoping and praying that this is the year for the streak to end. I will tell you I am a big baseball and Pirates fan. I am only a Pirates fan as well, I never drifted to another team during these 16 years of turmoil. I have not, however, followed them as closely as I follow the Steelers and Penguins. I will also admit that I don't have nearly the knowledgebase as well. I am willing to get back on the horse and get Pirates smart now though. I think the power changeover as well as the coaching changes will be the turning point for this team. I know it might not be this year, it might not even be next, but it will come soon. The farm system has never been built since around 1992. We have alot of work to do. It can't be overnight. I will support my hometown team as much as I can from now on and I would hope and pray you would as well. I want the Pirates to be looked up to at least close to as much as the Penguins, we all know that no team in Pittsburgh can top the Steelers. I finally like where we are going and what we are doing. We will see if this is finally the best move for our team.

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The Real Superbowl?

I fully believe whoever wins this game, will ultimately win the Superbowl. It will be such an emotional win that it will carry over. The team that wins this game will have more confidence than anyone left over in the playoffs, whether it be Arizona or Philadelphia, they won't be able to hold a candle to the intensity that the AFC team will bring. That AFC team, of course, will be the Pittsburgh Steelers. They bring too much too the table. There has been a ton of trash talking on the Baltimore side. If that is what they need to get up for this game, then so be it. I think the more disciplined and mature team will come out on top. The Steelers have a bad taste in their mouth from the previous home losses in the AFC Championship games. To see another team celebrate on the field because they are going to the Superbowl would be, "devistating" as Hines Ward put it.

I watched another interview with James Harrison the other day and they asked him if he could bring out another level of gameplay, he simply stated, "no, because I give my all in every game". I thought that was a great answer.

In another interview with Ben Roethlisberger, he said that he thinks the experience of being in the AFC Championship game a couple time should benefit him more than the fact that this is Joe Flacco's first. Ben didn't say if he thought Flacco was going to faulter, but that he simply hoped it would help him (Ben).

Santonio Holmes and Willie Parker finally are hitting their stride, just at the right time. We were not able to utilize their abilities as much in the previous two matchups because Parker was hurting and Holmes wasn't where he is now. I think they will be two of the X factors for the Steelers offense.

I love the play as of late by our offensive line. I know they have been on the downside of everything about the Pittsburgh offense, but they have had so many injuries that they apparently, until now, haven't gelled quite yet. Luckily they figured it out for the last game and are on track for the rest of the season.

I like the quiet confidence in Hampton, Polamalu, and the rest of the Steeler defense. They aren't saying much, but it is what they are not saying that makes them confident. The Ravens are going to every media outlet they can find to gain respect. The Steelers gained their respect on the football field and don't care what anyone else thinks.

Jeff Reed is going to have to be one of our best players in this game. After kicking so many clutch times, it might be up to him to send us beyond Heinz Field this Sunday.

I would love to see Lawrence Timmons, LaMarr Woodley, and James Harrison at least register one sack each. I think if we are able to spread out our linebackers like that, we can catch them offguard. With the current injuries that the Ravens have and the huge pride factor, Baltimore will be desperate to keep up and make some mistakes.

Basically, I like our odds and our chances. I also like the way our team has behaved during this week in the face of the trash talking. I see a big win here where the temperatures will be a lovely 20-25 degrees. Perfect for a hard-hitting, hard-nosed game.

Here We Go Steelers!

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Pens Win

Well, alot of things happened last night that surrounded the Penguins. Pittsburgh had several more players not play due to injury totalling eight. Here is our injury list:

Sidney Crosby (lower body), Max Talbot (upper body), Rob Scuderi (head), Kris Letang (lower body), Pascal Dupuis (knee), Ruslan Fedotenko (broken right hand), Sergei Gonchar (left shoulder), and Mike Zigomanis (undisclosed). The Pens also lost Brooks Orpik (upper body injury) during the game, although Orpik says it wasn't an injury that should take significant game time.

Pittsburgh called up Janne Pesonen and Bill Thomas for this game to go along with the other Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins players in Chris Minard and Paul Bissonnette. Considering the way Pittsburgh has been playing as of late, the Pens were not expected to win.

With the help of Matt Cooke and Hal Gill, the Pens prevailed 3-1. I kept seeing interviews with Cooke before and after the game and he kept mentioning getting back to the way they played at Philadelphia. This made me think that Washington the other night got the Pens off their game. I believe that the team is convinced that they have to play the trap right now and be patient to win games in the current situation. Pittsburgh has won both games that they were able to completely install this system. I will say it is getting hard for them to get used to, but it works, so they are going to have to force themselves to use it.

Marc-Andre Fleury looked great in net and made several key saves. The only goal he let in was a Power Play goal in the second where he was beat by Ryan Getzlaf top shelf. Fleury didn't have a chance. The Penalty Kill sorta let him down in that situation.

The Pens went 0 for 3 on the PP while the Ducks went 1 for 4. Pittsburgh played well on the PK after that first goal. The Pens had several short handed attempts to include our own Fox Chapel native Bill Thomas. Speaking of Pittsburgh area natives, Anaheim had one of their own in George Parros who hails from Washington.

Overall, it was a great team win, sadly it took everyone in the locker room to get injured, but it could prove to do a little of the same thing we had last year. Make the players play harder just because they now know they have to.

You can look at this game in two ways...We finally won or we have won two out of three!

Let's Go Pens!

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Changing Names

What's in a name?
If you're the mayor of Pittsburgh and your beloved Pittsburgh Steelers are playing one of their archrivals for the right to go to the Super Bowl, certainly not "Raven."
So goodbye, Luke Ravenstahll; hello, Luke Steelerstahl.
Ravenstahl, -- er, Steelerstahl -- says he decided to remove "Raven" from his name just as he predicts the Steelers will remove the hated Baltimore Ravens from contention in Sunday's AFC Championship Game.
On Wednesday morning, the mayor began, but did not complete, an official name change petition, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported.
Civil court staff gave the petition a docket number but said they did not expect to file it, in part because they did not receive the required check for $108 to process the change, the newspaper reported.
Ravenstahl said he did not come up with the idea for the name change, according to the report. That honor, he said, belonged to callers to a local radio station's morning show, who "called in and thought it would be a good idea to change from Ravenstahl, given we are playing the hated Baltimore Ravens this weekend, to Steelerstahl.
"As soon as I heard it, I thought it was a great idea."
Ravenstahl will keep the name at least through Sunday.
Coincidentally, "stahl" is German for steel.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

I love the spirit this guy has. I don't believe I have been around a young, enthusiastic mayor that genuinely loves his sports teams as much as Mayor Ravenstahl...ahh...Steelerstahl!

Meantime, fans can gear up for Sunday's game with another "Black and Gold Day" and pep rally on Friday. The rally will once again be around the Terrible Tree in the courtyard of the Allegheny County Courthouse at noon. Fans are urged to wear their black and gold, grab their Terrible Towels and come down to "Roast the Ravens."

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I Will Sacrifice Pride For A Couple Wins!

Ok. I was one of the guys calling for Michel Therrien to be fired. That was mainly because we were losing every game possible soundly and Therrien and his staff were doing nothing major to turn this around, until last night. He finally showed that there was a hockey sense in his knoggin and he wasn't afraid, even with the offensive superstars, to use it. He told the team they were going to start trapping. I was afraid when I heard this because all I could think of was the boring New Jersey Devils. I didn't want to see that. Luckily, I didn't. I saw the trap, yes, but I also saw a ton of offense that came out of this trap with some effort of our players. The final was 4-2 and the Philadelphia Flyers looked confused and irritated by the end of the game. I will tell you this though, it wasn't that close. The Penguins had them where they wanted them from the beginning to the end. There were a couple waves to get through, but overall, a dominating performance. I believe that this system is perfect for the Penguins because only because we have more offensive talent than the normal team. The Devils play a version of the trap and it is boring because they have good offensive talent, not exponentionally good offensive talent. I also like the line changes. I like Matt Cooke on the first line. It provided that grit that Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin needed. The other three lines are going to be switched a small bit due to injuries and that. The Pens currently had Paul Bisonette and Chris Minard were called up due to injuries to Pascal Dupuis and Ruslan Fedotenko. I thought this lineup was great. The pens fought a couple times and set the tone early with Cooke yapping at the Flyers, letting them know it was going to be a long night for them if they mess with his guys. Amongst chants of, "Crosby Sucks!", Sid had two big assists and almost buried it a number of times. When it was all said and done, I didn't know if the fans were booing the Flyers or the Penguins. The Pens looked like the Pens of last year Stanley Cup run. I look forward to seeing them beat up on the Washington Capitals tonight at the Mellon Arena.

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Steelers...The Team To Beat!

Is this our year?

Dominating Defense.

Steady Offense.

Great Special Teams.

We are healthy and confident. We have the will and the experience. We have the fans.

I believe we have the components.

This is another exciting year for the Steelers and their fans, another chance to claim that top spot among all the NFL franchises with a unprecedented sixth Superbowl ring. Now, I know we still have two more games to go, but seeing the way the Steelers are playing right now, I don't see another team beating them. I know Baltimore will be a task in itself, but I do believe that Pittsburgh and Baltimore are the best two teams left in the playoffs right now. I like Pittsburgh's odds at winning a third against them this season. I believe the Steelers are playing at a higher level than they have all season. They are ready for this step and to give Mike Tomlin his first ring.

I look at our season and the losses we have had. We lost four games this year to Philadelphia Eagles, Indianapolis Colts, New York Giants, and the Tennessee Titans. Only one of these teams remain in the Eagles. Philadelphia will be travelling across the country to face the Arizona Cardinals in their dome this Sunday. I like Arizona's odds. They are a dome team, they love the fast field and are playing out of their minds right now. Philadelphia is playing well, but they are sorta like the Steelers in the fact that they play better in the elements because they can use that to their advantage. They won't have that advantage this week.

The Steelers stay at home, however it is home field advantage, it really isn't. Yes they have the fans, the noise, and the spirit, but they have played the Ravens so many times, that the elements and the field almost don't matter. I would love to think that the field would be a significant advantage, but it won't this week. I believe that the only thing that matters is who can execute. I believe that the Steelers are playing at another cylinder right now that Baltimore will not be able to handle. I know they are the second ranked defense this year, but I don't think it will matter. I don't think the Ravens are as great individually as they are as a team. They can be individually picked apart. I believe the Steelers are as talented individually as they are as a team. I think we do have trouble areas, like any other team does, but I don't think the Ravens have the weapons to take advantage of those. I think the Chargers had a better chance of beating this team than the Ravens do. They had a top ranked offense on a hot streak. They couldn't overcome the great Steeler defense. I don't think Baltmore's offense holds a candle to San Diego's. I think we all know this. I do think Pittsburgh's offense is better than Miami's and Tennessee's. I like what the team has and I like the chances.

Steelers 24 - Ravens 10

Here We Go Steelers!

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