props to Angry Johnny

January 21, 2006
By Scott Paulsen (radio DJ, WDVE)

Think about this the next time someone argues that a professional sports franchise is not important to a city's identity:

In the 1980's, as the steel mills and their supporting factories shut down from Homestead to Midland, Pittsburghers, faced for the first time in their lives with the specter of unemployment, were forced to pick up their families, leave their home towns and move to more profitable parts of the country. The steel workers were not ready for this. They had planned to stay in the 'burgh their entire lives. It was home.

Everyone I know can tell the same story about how Dad, Uncle Bob or their brother-in-law packed a U-Haul and headed down to Tampa to build houses or up to Boston for an office job or out to California to star in pornographic videos.

All right, maybe that last one just happened in my family.

At this same time, during the early to mid-eighties, the Pittsburgh Steelers were at the peak of their popularity. Following the Super Bowl dynasty years, the power of the Steelers was strong. Every man, woman, boy and girl from parts of four states were Pittsburgh faithful, living and breathing day to day on the news of their favorite team. Then, as now, it seemed to be all anyone talked about.

Who do you think the Steelers will take in the draft this year?

Is Bradshaw done?

Can you believe they won't give Franco the money - what's he doing going to Seattle?

The last memories most unemployed steel workers had of their towns had a black and gold tinge. The good times remembered all seemed to revolve, somehow, around a football game. Sneaking away from your sister's wedding reception to go downstairs to the bar and watch the game against Earl Campbell and the Oilers - going to midnight mass, still half in the bag after Pittsburgh beat Oakland - you and your grandfather, both crying at the sight of The Chief, finally holding his Vince Lombardi Trophy.

And then, the mills closed. Damn the mills.

One of the unseen benefits of the collapse of the value systems our families believed in - that the mill would look after you through thick and thin - was that now, decades later, there is not a town in America where a Pittsburgher cannot feel at home. Nearly every city in the United States has a designated "Black and Gold" establishment. From Bangor, Maine to Honolulu, Hawaii, and every town in between can be found an oasis of Iron City, chipped ham and yinzers. It's great to know that no matter what happened in the lives of our Steel City refugees, they never forgot the things that held us together as a city - families, food, and Steelers football.

It's what we call the Steeler Nation.

You see it every football season. And when the Steelers have a great year, as they have had this season, the power of the Steeler Nation rises to show itself stronger than ever. This week, as the Pittsburgh team of Roethlisberger, Polamalu, Bettis and Porter head to Denver, the fans of Greenwood, Lambert, Bleier and Blount, the generation who followed Lloyd, Thigpen, Woodson and Kirkland will be watching from Dallas to Chicago, from an Air Force base in Minot, North Dakota, to a tent stuck in the sand near Fallujah, Iraq.

I have received more email from displaced Pittsburgh Steelers fans this week than Christmas cards this holiday season.

They're everywhere. We're everywhere.

We are the Steeler Nation.

And now, it's passing from one generation to the next. The children of displaced Pittsburghers, who have never lived in the Steel City, are growing up Steelers fans. When they come back to their parents' hometowns to visit the grandparents, they hope, above all, to be blessed enough to get to see the Steelers in person.

Heinz Field is their football Mecca.

And if a ticket isn't available, that's okay, too. There's nothing better than sitting in Grandpa's living room, just like Dad did, eating Grandma's cooking and watching the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Just like Dad did.

So, to you, Steeler Nation, I send best wishes and a fond wave of the Terrible Towel. To Tom, who emailed from Massachusetts to say how great it was to watch the Patriots lose and the Steelers win in one glorious weekend. To Michelle, from Milwaukee, who wrote to let me know it was she who hexed Mike Vanderjagt last Sunday by chanting "boogity, boogity, boogity" and giving him the "maloik". To Jack, who will somehow pull himself away from the beach bar he tends in Hilo, Hawaii, to once again root for the black and gold in the middle of the night (his time), I say, thanks for giving power to the great Steeler Nation.

All around the NFL, the word is out that the Pittsburgh Steeler fans "travel well", meaning they will fly or drive from Pittsburgh to anywhere the Steelers play, just to see their team. The one aspect about that situation the rest of the NFL fails to grasp is that, sometimes, the Steeler Nation does not have to travel. Sometimes, we're already there.

Yes, the short sighted steel mills screwed our families over.

But they did, in a completely unintended way, create something new and perhaps more powerful than an industry.

They helped created a nation.

A Steeler Nation

off topic completely -green day & NHL

God love 'em both. I have to ask though, and hope that someone can answer...wtf is up w/ the Green Day "mini-rock opera" or whatever the DJ called it on the radio? "Suburban Jesus" or some sh*t??? I did not hear the whole thing. I am not current on Green Day happenings. What I did hear were blatant rip-offs of other songs incorporated into said "opera" w/ different lyrics. Is is purposeful? Is it considered "sampling" (or whatever the f*ck it's called these days). Can somebody explain? What I heard was music from some old Motley Crue -On With the Show. And old Johnny Cash -Ring of Fire and a couple others but can't remember them just now. I was perturbed at first. I mean, Green Day was at least a little original. This was a disappointing moment in music history -unless there is a good explanation.

And I'm glad NHL is back. But why all the friggin' rule changes to make it a "no contact" sport, so to speak, but then allow fighting still??? I tried to use the old excuse -"well that's just the way hockey is". A friend watching w/ me made the usual rebuttal "well no other professional sport -MLB, NFL, etc. -allows it" I said, "it's barbaric, really, isn't it?" to which he replied "boxing is barbaric". I said "then it's one step above boxing?" Is it true? Is hockey only that? Talented, entertaining barbarianism? It does take a certain amount of talent to skate on ice & hit a 3 inch diameter hard rubber puck w/ accuracy as a team. And it is entertaining. And it is barbaric despite the rule changes. I don't understand. Why bother changing the rules? Props to Super Mario for getting all that moving & allowing for a game in which he could showcase his vast abilities (as well as those of countless other players). but then to continue to allow knock down drag 'em out brawls? Okay, maybe they don't allow bench clearing brawls anymore (weren't those the days??? I don't deny enjoying barbarianism!) But I don't understand. Was it merely to allow for higher scoring? To what end? I mean, one team wins & one team loses in the end -no matter high scores or low, right? It's been a day of confusion.... Help?!

how exciting...

so I've found 2 old & dear friends on myspace. Will they write back? I hope so. Though it's been a long time since we've talked, & I don't know what we might talk abt now, I'm happy to have been "reunited" in a way. God I miss having friends out here. REAL friends. You know the kind to hang out w/ anytime, anywhere doing anything or nothing at all. No wonder my house is so messy. I hate it, but I hate being alone more. I miss having someone to talk to while I clean or cook or whatever. I can't even talk on the phone and do anything else b/c the friggin' cell is so friggin' small. I mean, I used to be able to walk around the house cleaning, doing dishes, whatever holding the phone b/t head & shoulder (ouch for the neck,though hahaha). At least then I wasn't alone. I am a social creature by nature. Living out here has been difficult b/c I haven't any friends that I can just hang w/. The people that I've met are nice people. I do have a few friends who are fun to hang w/ -when we do get together. But everyone is so caught up & busy w/ their own lives. The only people I meet here are parents of my kids' friends. Or G's coworkers. I could be definitely be friends w/ some of them. I miss community. I would move back to PGH in a heart beat if it weren't for the shitty weather. I will never again tolerate suffering w/ SAD. I probably have cancer already w/ the time I spent in the tanning beds back there, trying to deal w/ the shitty weather. I enjoy my 300+ days of sunshine. But damn do I miss my friends.

how can i blog twice w/o feeling like I'm cheating??

So I've started a myspace acct. just for the halibut. It has a blogging capability but, other than cut & pasting every entry from one blog to the other, wtf will I write about to put forth an original thought? It's bad enough that I've had friggin' writer's block for a month at least. I have been uninspired by life in general. My single fascination at the moment is "da stillers". I'm even unmotivated to expound on the daily and amazing activities of my kids...my usual source of enthusiastic online scribblings. Everything is pretty f'n grim at the moment. boring. senseless. useless. EXCEPT the upcoming Superbowl is very exciting. Ever have one of those 'paint it black' moods? I've had one for a week now. Yeah. Thank God the "here we go" song is so catchy. I can't get it out of my head. I can just keep singing the refrain over & over & over. It's a damn good distraction from the depth of my doldrums. Yeah, I know. Kind of lame. But hey. Whatever works, right? AND it's a perfectly acceptable means of expressing my belief in the Steelers' abilities to win big.

princess fi says...

where did I leave that crown????

we got a couple inches of snow...

2 days & 60 degrees later, fabulously entertaining mud

what I love about PGH that no other city has...

real fans. I have yet to walk into a grocery store in Denver & hear any game being broadcast over the intercom. But I could go from my home to my car to the store & never miss a moment of action in PGH. I sorely miss being home for the playoff/superbowl excitement. (Shoot, I miss being @ home all season long.) It is a fanbase like no other.

http://www.steelertribute.com/XL_city.htm

there is no escape, Seattle

betcha didn't know...

starting 'em young?

ahhh, kickin' back w/ a little crack in a can & a some xbox. and where do they pick up these odd behaviours, (G)???

trying out the bday present from Grandma & Grandpa Jim

do ya think she likes the flower girl dress???

one for the thumb

omg omg omg omg...it's been a long 10 years to wait for another shot. Finally a QB worthy of the 'burgh. I can't friggin believe it. Pinch me. I don't want to wait 2 weeks *whine*. I want to watch the superbowl next week!!! I am sooooooooo excited I can hardly contain myself. G keeps giving me the finger -sore loser. I daresay if the shoe were on the other foot...I'd do the same hahahahaha! But it's not. And it's glorious. GLORIOUS! Talking w/ a friend who went to the game w/ his family's 4th generation tix; he said he's never seen so many opposing team fans at a home game. We are a dedicated bunch, for sure. I see quite a few Steeler fans around town. We are everywhere. And now we're coming to Detroit!!!! Yeehaw!!!!

i like this pic

even though Snick looks like she's 12, and she'll probably kill me for posting this

*sigh*

*sigh* "there's nuffing to do" *sigh*

psst...don't you just love monkey bizness?

princess for a day

celebrating DD3's bday early (visit from Grandma & Grandpa Jim)

chatty girls

So it starts -already!?! REAL girly type phone calls. I'm talkin' 30+ minutes with the little girl who sits across the table from DD2. Full on walking around the house, chatting, shutting the door behind her to "hide" in her room away from her little sisters, etc. It was too cute. Until it happened 2 nights in a row. G made a good point -she'll use up all my minutes at this rate. So now there is a time limit. geez. and G thought maybe we should get her a firefly or one of those other kid's phones. Like we need a reason to feed that fire.

It's bad enough DD1 is "possibly" learning the value of $ & bills -she had a $30 text bill last month. That's 300 texts folks. WTF. An AVERAGE of 10/day???? I imagine that will be the last of it. She's quite good w/ HER $. Makes my parents glad we didn't have advanced technology, I'm sure.

one picture says it all....

yikes stripes

DD3's new favorite tights

this is not a look just anyone can pull off

I've even color coordinated the markers to go with my jammies

just back from a spa day

lookin' & feelin' like a new dog

i don't need no stinkin' white xmas

a gazillion toys on xmas morning

but we'd rather play w/ the cat's present

chocolate bliss out

just call me "Little Chrissy"...mmmmmmm...chocolate...sugar...must have more....

beautiful princess shoes

just need a little pixie dust

we love our new ballarina/fairy outfits...thanks Oma & Grandpa!

a much needed break

So you've noticed I haven't been posting lately. I'm trying something new...I think I mentioned b4 how I get caught up in whatever it is that I'm doing @ the time, be it blogging, reading, knitting, whatever. So I was spending inordinate amounts of time blogging. But then nothing else was getting done. Now I'm off the computer. I'm filling that time w/ sewing, hanging out w/ the babes, cleaning sporadically, still some knitting, reading. Tons more stuff gets done when I'm not online. But I miss it. I think I will try to have just a couple hours a week that are for blogging. No sense in going completely without.

Yeah, that & nothing really exciting has been happening. Or maybe I'm just not motivated to write. Writer's block? And then there's the GORGEOUS weather. Who the heck wants to be inside when it's 65 outside???? Especially in January!