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January 31, 2006
The Super Bowl of infighting
I'm a better liberal than you are. No you aren't. Yes I am. I said Go Steelers and meant it. No you didn't. Yes I did.
Aren't liberals cute when they fight? Read this three-year old square-off in the comments section. You sure this isn't Seattle?
January 31, 2006 in Observations, Seen & Heard, Sports Teams, Steelers | Permalink | Comments (1)
When Steeler and Seabird meet
A nose-to-beak Super Bowl salon.
Sports Editrix Jody DiPerna and Hal "The (Hard. To. Type. This.) Seahawks Fan" Medrano sit down over coffee and sort out Sunday's game.
DiPerna: There are many members of the national media who have their panties in a bunch, not so much because the Seahawks are in the Super Bowl, but because the Steelers are representing the AFC, because it means no Patriots, no Colts, yada, yada, yada. However, the Steelers are a storied NFL franchise with four Super Bowl victories and five Super Bowl appearances; they were 15-1 last year and appeared in the AFC Championship game. In short, they are a known quantity--or at least familiar quantity--to the NFL pundits and thus, by extension, to the casual fan.
Whereas, the Seahawks are an unknown quantity for many Americans. I believe it's due to a number of factors, but mostly due to the fact that the Seahawks haven't done much that's memorable in their 30 year history. Being a West Coast team doesn't help, but the Oakland Raiders, San Francisco 49ers, and San Diego Chargers get plenty of national attention, while the Seahawks labor in anonymity. So I believe that something else besides time zone bias is at work. I believe that these Seahawks are much like the 2003 Carolina Panthers, who nobody knew anything about until they ended up in the Super Bowl. Suddenly they were on everybody’s radar and graced the cover of Sports Illustrated to open this NFL season. Those two events, Super Bowl XXXVIII and Sports Illustrated, September, 2005 are directly linked.
Growing up in what I considered the center of the football universe in the 1970's, I don't think I can ever understand what it feels like to have your franchise so thoroughly overlooked, even though I suffered through some terrible years in the 1980s. Can you address what that feels like for a typical fan and what Seattle fans would want Pittsburgh to know about them and their team?
Medrano: I don't think anyone from Pittsburgh can fully relate to the experience of rooting for Seattle teams. You haven't lost enough to have developed a fully matured sense of expectant futility. Even with the Pirates and Penguins sucking for the last few years, you've had a glorious sports past to hold you up. We haven't. And yet, we've remained loud and loyal. Let's begin with a few facts: first, we in the Great Northwest actually do know how our beloved sports are supposed to be played. The University of Washington Huskies have a storied football tradition, and believe it or not, we do get national television up there, so we understand what good blocking, blitz packages, reads by the quarterback, and secondary play is. It's just that...well, we haven't seen any of our teams do it for a real long time. It's like wishing to wear Paris fashions while living in Dodge City -- the tastes are there, but you ain't gonna find it in the local couture. I think most Seahawk fans understand why our team doesn't get national attention which is that, in short, we've sucked for a long time and we know it.
Seahawk history 101. For the first few years after the team was formed, there were growing pains and we were willing to accept them. Then something happened in the early 80s -- Ground Chuck (Knox) arrived and we got good! We had the Krieg to Largent connection, Curt Warner, and the defense (Kenny Easley, Jacob Green, Joe Nash and the lot) was busting people up. '83 and '84 were glorious! Two years later, this bozo named Ken Behring buys the team--he ain't from us (no moss in his toes), doesn't care about the team or the city and puts the most gawd-ignorant people in charge. The fans were sensible enough to boo when they drafted Rick Mirer. Then this idiot Behring makes noise about moving the team and Seattle native Paul Allen, who just happens to be richer than God, buys the team, puts his pocket change into funding a new stadium, brings in Holmgren and some good players, and it starts. Fans in the northwest have seen this team improving, year after year, since King Mike arrived. But as far as the rest of the country knowing? Fuck no, and why should they?
The Behring years made us laughable and being an expansion team, we didn't even have a glorious past to hold up. In spite of that, we've never given up rooting for our boys and here's what I want Pittsburghers to know about Seahawks fans: imagine what it's like to root for a team that goes 4-12, and STILL have the loudest stadium in the NFL (before and since the infernal dome). The Seahawks retired #12 in 1984, in honor of THE FANS, the collective 12th man! And we know how to play our position!
So please, understand that we do know the game, we are loyal through adversity, and we really do believe this current crop of Seahawks plays damn good ball. Maybe good enough to win it all, maybe not, but good enough to be taken seriously.
DiPerna.
Both Matt Hasselbeck and Ben Roethlisberger have flown a little under the radar, primarily because the national guys only like to talk about Peyton Manning. However, here they are on the biggest stage of all and people are starting to realize how good both these guys are. This is hardly a match up like SB XXXV, which featured Trent Dilfer and Kerry Collins, because I believe both Hasselbeck and Roethlisberger are bona fide big time QB's. In fact,
Roethlisberger and Hasselbeck ranked third and fourth, respectively, in QB ratings in the regular season. And in the post-season, they've only gotten better. In three games, Ben's QB rating is 124.8 and he's thrown 7 TD's compared with 1 interception; in his two playoff starts this year, Hasselbeck has a QB rating of 109.6 and has thrown 0 interceptions, versus 3 touchdowns.
Despite mounting evidence to the contrary, I suspect that Hasselbeck is thought of in much the same way that Ben is thought of - i.e., that he merely manages the game and relies on league MVP Shaun Alexander and his defense to actually win games. However, watching the divisional playoff round against the Redskins when Alexander was out with an early concussion, Hasselbeck picked the team up on his own shoulders and pretty much single-handedly won that game for them. [As impressive as their defense was against the Panthers, I can hardly credit the D with the win against the 'Skins, who's offense couldn't score against the Central Catholic squad.] But the point remains, Hasselbeck didn't manage that game - he largely won that game.
Hasselbeck has been in the league a good while longer than Ben, though he actually has a little less big game experience than his younger counterpart. Which QB do you think has the mental edge coming in to Sunday's match up and why? What might you know about Hasselbeck's intangibles and rapport on his team that Steelers fans may be unaware of? More frivolously, I've heard rumors that Hasselbeck's a whiny bee-atch. I'm not sure if this is based on his propensity for wearing argyle or if it's completely unfounded. However, he is a BC guy, which makes me think it's at least possible. What's your take on Hasselbeck, personality-wise -- a latter day Peyton Manning? Or the second coming of Jim Plunkett?
Medrano: I hadn't heard about Hasselbeck being a whiny beeatch--they didn't cover that story in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. However, they did cover the fact that he was an egotistical prick when he first arrived. It took a few years for Hasselbeck to sublimate his natural cockiness and athleticism to Holmgren's offensive system. But it looks like he's finally done it, to great effect. Hasselbeck has had many good things going for him, not the least of which is getting to learn from Holmgren (being QB coach for the 49ers under Walsh is a pretty good pedigree when it comes to developing quarterbacks). Even getting his ass benched in favor of Trent Dilfer has proven to be a good thing. For the first couple of years, it was obvious that the players preferred to play under Dilfer, and I think Hasselbeck learned from that and figured out what to do to make himself a better leader.
When Dilfer was injured a couple of years ago and Hasselbeck came back in, he was a completely different QB (it should be pointed out that Dilfer was all class when it came to helping Hasselbeck out.) I thought Hasselbeck was good enough to win the NFC last year, but he had no one who could catch the freaking ball. The point is, since Hasselbeck became the undisputed leader of the Hawks' offense, he has been great. The players speak of his steady cool in the huddle, he makes good reads, he improvises well when he's out of the pocket, he's got a great arm, and doesn't heap all the credit upon himself. He's developed humility along with his football smarts.
As far as who has the mental edge, it's hard to say. Personally, and this might be heresy around here, but I like Hasselbeck's experience over Ben's natural gifts at this point in their careers. (In five years, Ben will be better than Hasselbeck--I have total confidence in that). Here's the thing: both teams have had a similar formula for winning lately: get an early lead and grind the other team down. I think if the Steelers fall behind early, Ben might try to do too much. I think if the Seahawks fall behind early, Hasselbeck will continue to play within the system he has so much confidence in. He won't get freaked out of playing his game.
DiPerna: You've mentioned to me that the Steelers may be surprised at just how good the Seahawks are and I doubt that's the case, but I do think the Steelers fans may be surprised by it. The one thing that I don't believe can be stated enough is the strength of the Seahawks offensive line and their running game with Alexander and Mack Strong leading the way.
However, the thing I'm wondering, is just how tough is this Seattle team? They have a weak conference and played a pretty soft schedule in the regular season (their three losses coming versus Jacksonville, Washington and Green Bay; I think it's safe to toss the Green Bay loss out the window, because it was really a meaningless game.) Other than the playoffs, I get the feeling that the Seahawks haven't really been tested this year, compared to the Steelers who played the Chargers, Pats, Colts, Jaguars and Bengals in the regular season alone. I think this is the one intangible that totally favors the Steelers. To be the best, you've got to beat the best, orat least test yourself against the best.
Moreover, the Seahawks are clearly at their best in the friendly confines of Quest Field, being unbeaten at home and with all three losses coming on the road. As we know, the Steelers are serious road warriors, going 6-2 on the road in the regular season and then 3-0 on the road in the playoffs. In fact, the Steelers are so comfortable on the road that they've gone away from tradition in choosing their road whites for the big game. Also, given the proximity of Pittsburgh to Detroit and the fanatism of Steelers fans, who are known to be the best "traveling" fans in the league, I believe that Ford Field is going to be a whole lot like a home game for the Steelers. How do you think the Seahawks will respond to the dome in Detroit and the fact that it's essentially a road game for them, particularly against a very battle tested Steelers squad?
Medrano
On the other hand, the Seahawks have to counter it with total belief in the system. The team is aware that they have few superstars (incidentally, from what I've heard the Seahawks haven't given up ribbing Alexander for winning the MVP. They know that the real MVPs of that offense are Jones-Hutchinson-Tobeck-Gray-and Locklear). On both offense and defense, this team is greater than the sum of its parts. They play very disciplined ball, have total faith in their coaching staff when the game plans have to be adjusted. You noticed yourself how "gap sound" their defense is. On both sides of the ball, every player plays the role assigned to him on any given play.
And I think winning 15 games in a row (I agree, let's toss out the Green Bay game), even if against less stellar opposition than what the Steelers have faced, still puts a healthy bounce in your step. I think the Hawks are going to Detroit fully expecting to win, as, I'm sure, are the Steelers.
Now as to toughness, Seattle will be surprised by how fast Pittsburgh is (especially on defense), and the Steelers will be surprised at how physical the Seahawks are. Let's face it, football is a physical game played by REALLY big guys. The Seahawks offensive line has no reason not to play smash-mouth football -- they are accustomed to winning the battle at the line of scrimmage, and if Pittsburgh thinks they can push Walter Jones around, just wait until Jonesy pushes Aaron Smith 15 yards into the secondary.
On defense, Seattle players hit people hard (just ask the Panthers). All of this is not to say that the Seahawks will be more physical than the Steelers, but that they're not going to wilt the first time they get hit hard. In sum: the Steelers might have a mental edge due to the quality of opposition they've faced, but the Seahawks will have total faith in a system that has gotten them this far.
DiPerna: Yeah, but if I'm Holmgren, I'm practicing with a silent count all week. Trust me, except the mucka-mucks and blue blood types, the stands are going to be 80'% Steelers fans.
Speaking of which, how do you see the coaching match-up playing out? I think Cowher’s under a whole lot more pressure than Holmgren, largely because Mike already has a ring from his Green Bay days. He is now facing the opportunity to be the only coach besides Weeb Eubanks to win two championship titles with two different franchises, which is kinda cool.
Still, I think that Cowher's under more pressure to win the big one for a variety of reasons. In fact, if Bill Cowher wins the Super Bowl this Sunday, he could retire on Monday, February 6th and be a first ballot Hall of Famer. In short, he may be the best coach never to have won the big one. Thus, I believe the pressure on Cowher is much more tremendous than that on Holmgren at this moment. And although I believe this is a new, looser Bill Cowher, the pressure on him and his team could be enough that they, um, I don't wanna use the choke word here, but that they come out tight. How do you see emotion and pressure weighing on the Seahawks players and coaching staff?
Medrano: Clear edge to Seattle. Seattle's coaching staff has 18 Super Bowl rings, while Pittsburgh's coaching staff has only 8. And Holmgren has already beaten a LeBeau-led defense in a Super Bowl (49ers-Bengals). I think the Seattle coaching staff is not concerned about strategy; I think they're concerned about the sheer talent of the opposition. Polamalu is a nightmare for opposing coaches, and Ben when he's scrambling is the same. It's when the coaches are taken out of the game that things might get tough for Seattle. As good as Whisenhunt and LeBeau are, I do not see them out-scheming Seattle. The question is: will Hasselbeck be able to adjust to the zone blitz? Because if he can't, it won't be because the coaches didn't prepare him for it.
DiPerna: Being in Pittsburgh, I know that this is a uniquely tight Steelers team. I believe it's the very real closeness of this team which is their greatest strength and has allowed them to make their remarkable playoff run. The defense would literally kill for defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau. We also know that Jerome Bettis, though no longer the centerpiece of the Steelers offense, is clearly the heartbeat of the Steelers.
The Seahawks seem a little less emotional, or at least, somehow, a little more reserved, more West Coast, or something. After the Steelers win against Denver, they gathered as a team to pray, then started jumping around like little kids together, lead by their firey ring-leader, Joey Porter. Conversely, watching the Seahawks post-game on the NFL Network, Holmgren led the team in a "hip-hip-hooray" chant, which seemed forced or at the very least, anticlimactic and lacking in real emotion.
Last season, Holmgren took Alexander out of the final game, thus depriving Shaun of winning the rushing title. Later, Alexander spoke about Holmgren "stabbing him in the back." Given that the Seahawks didn't try to re-sign Alexander in this off-season, despite the fact that he is one of the best backs in the NFL and is a free agent come Monday, February 6th, do you think some antipathy remains between Alexander and his coach and/or the front office? Is the team as dispassionate as it appears to be? What kind of sense to you get of the team in terms of cohesion among the players? And also how the players relate to the coaching staff?
Medrano: This one's a non-story. First, Alexander apologized for his comments immediately after making them, and all the players and coaches spoke up for Alexander as well. He and Holmgren are one the best of terms and while team cohesion is difficult to see from a fan's perspective, all the Hawks have talked about all year is how great this team's chemistry has been. The bad apples in the locker room were removed in the off-season. This really looks like a team of people who like each other. You can hear it when the Hawks are interviewed -- everything is about "us, us, us," not "me, me, me." I like that.
Team cohesion is something I like about both teams. I really think both sets of players are class acts, the coaches and organizations are class acts, and I'm glad to see no assholes going for the ring this year (although let's admit it, if Joey Porter was not playing for a team we liked, it would be easy to dislike them, a la Rodney Harrison and Mike Vrabel).
DiPerna
Photos by John Gallone. Even the one of the owl impersonatig a Seahawk. All rights reserved.
January 31, 2006 in Jody Sez, Sports Teams, Steelers | Permalink | Comments (2)
Of course this means Warhol...
Souper Bowls.
by Christopher Arnott
SOUP’S ON (STAGE)
The People Next Door, a new play about social tensions in Great Britain post-9/11, is currently having its American premiere at the Yale Repertory Theatre in New Haven, Conn. The play, by Henry Adam, has a fun running gag. In his opening speech, a young slacker named Nigel (who’d rather be called “Salif” and is prone to street slang words like “bwa” for “brother”) is hungry.
From the script:
“Salif is gonna make his self some…
[He digs in Tesco bag and pulls out a tin of Campbell’s Cream of Tomato soup. He looks quizzically at the soup.]
…soup? Soup? Yeah bwa, soup. Why not? This be famous soup, bwa. This soup ‘as ‘ad its picture painted. This ain’t no Nigel soup, bwa. This be Salif soup. Soup that’s fit for a king.”
There’s another reference or two to the famous fluid foodstuff, and the play ends with Nigel/Salif in a police interrogation following a murder:
“Soup. Yeah, Campbell’s cream of tomato. You know it’s ‘ad its picture painted? I am telling you. …”
"The People Next Door" plays through Feb. 5 (Souper Bowl Sunday) at the Yale Repertory Theatre. Call 432-1234 for details, or see yalerep.org. Go see it, even if there is in fact no such thing as Campbell’s Cream of Tomato soup. It’s just called Tomato soup on the can, though you can certainly add cream (or milk) to it if you like, at which point it becomes Cream of Tomato.
Go here to find a simple recipe for “Campbell’s Cream of Tomato Soup for Five,” generously posted by someone who thinks we’re so stupid that we can’t figure out how to add milk to condensed soup without explicit directions. This kind homemaker also offers such ingenious “serving ideas” as “crackers.”
......................................................................................................................
Andy Warhol’s very first exhibit in a commercial art gallery was 32 Campbell’s Soup Cans, at the Ferus Art Gallery in Los Angeles in 1962. Besides Tomato, he painted pictures of Campbell’s Pepper Pot, Black Bean, Bean with Bacon, Green Pea, Beef, Vegetable, Consomme, Beef Noodle, Chicken Noodle, Onion, Cream of Celery and (my personal favorite) Cream of Mushroom, among others, but those have all been overshadowed by Tomato. A reassessment of the 31 lesser soups is seriously overdue. At the very least, they deserve to be referenced reverentially in new British plays.
Before Pittsburgh’s Andy Warhol Museum turns its institutional resources to restoring the image of poor old Pepper Pot, however, it opens two special exhibitions Feb. 5 (Souper Bowl Sunday). Both of these could be said to relate in odd ways to those iconic soup cans. One is devoted to folk artist Henry Darger, and may help you think of those Campbell’s portraits as folk art too, of a space age consumerist variety. Like Warhol, Darger was also an illustrator, diary keeper and pack rat.
The other new AWM exhibit is a bunch of “classically shaped vases” by British ceramics artist Grayson Perry. Which are, you know, good for keeping soup in.
January 31, 2006 in Arts, Christopher Arnott, Warhol | Permalink | Comments (0)
January 30, 2006
PGH QB not JEW
Why do so many people care, anyway?
Update 11/7/06: Ben still not a Jew.
Since Dish was birthed fully formed from the skull of Bill Cowher back in the dark days of May 2005, Dish has had many visitors. These visitors, or "friends," as we like to call them, come to Dish through various means, search engines such as Google foremost among them. Thanks to a program Dish uses to track "friends," Dish can tell how you came to Dish. Spooky, eh? In any event, it comes as no surprise that many Dish "friends" come to Dish looking for Steelers news. Those seeking Steelers information from Dish seem to have one question weighing particularly heavily on their minds. That question: "Is Ben Roethlisberger Jewish?"
Dish can tell you unequivocally that he is not. Ben's a nice Christian boy from Ohio. He had some Jesus-y thing on his shoes during a game a while ago (Dish can't find the photo, but trust Dish.) Dish can also tell you that Dish is not the only entity to be besieged with questions on this matter.
And just to stave off other fruitless searches, allow Dish to inform you that Ben is not a sofa, prima ballerina, snack cake, skin ailment, Chewbaca fetishist, donkey puncher, squirrel, top hat, suffragette, silent film icon or pan of biscuits.
Hope that clears things up. Thank you for your interest. End transmission. Let us now dance the hora.
January 30, 2006 in Sports Teams, Steelers | Permalink | Comments (4)
UPMC: Your destination for a fresh liver, depression treatment and Super Bowl tips
University of Washington faculty studiously indifferent.
Everyone's getting in on the act. How long before the P-G or Trib spins this into a story?
MEDIA ADVISORY: UPMC EXPERTS PROVIDE SUPER BOWL TIPS
Being a Steelers Fan is Good for Your Mental Health
“We’re going to the Super Bowl!” Identifying with a sports team can provide a number of psychological benefits, according to psychiatrists at the Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic. And, for most people, those benefits far out-weigh any negative effects that one may experience if his or her favorite team loses.
“On Super Bowl Sunday, even though fans aren’t playing in the game, by wearing black and gold and waving Terrible Towels, they can feel like they are part of the team. By becoming part of the ‘Steelers Nation,’ fans feel connected with players and fans from throughout the years. It’s a connection that spans race, economics and geography,” said Kurt Ackerman, M.D., Ph.D., medical director, UPMC Psychiatry Consultation – Liaison Service and an avid sports fan. “By feeling that they are part of the team, fans can experience vicariously the struggle and drama of overcoming great obstacles. Win or lose, fans get to feel a joy in connecting and being a part of something larger than themselves; winning the Super Bowl gives fans the opportunity to feel like, despite any problems they are experiencing in their own lives, they are number one in the world.
“Simply put, rooting for a sports team is fun – and having a little fun is always good for your mental health. Go Steelers!”
Being Superstitious (and Praying) Can Be Good for Your Mental Health Too
Being superstitious can be considered a healthy part of the balanced human agenda as long as it is kept in fun and with confidence that superstitious behaviors don’t actually affect outcomes, according to Paul Friday, Ph.D., director of clinical psychology at UPMC Shadyside.
Research shows 25 percent of Americans acknowledge their superstitions, and higher church attendance equates with greater occurrence of superstitions. That means those regular churchgoers who will be praying for the Steelers on Super Bowl Sunday morning are the same fans who will be sure to wear that certain lucky shirt and do everything exactly the same way they did during the Indianapolis and Denver games.
“Superstitions point to our need to cope with uncertainty and control an outcome. Superstitions involving teams with a long history help tie the whole region into a two-week celebration. But, since superstitions increase under conditions of uncertainty and perceived likelihood of failure, there actually may be less superstitious behavior by Steelers fans this week because the Steelers are no longer considered the underdogs,” said Dr. Friday. “But, just in case...”
If You Think It’s Mentally Tough Being a Fan...
While being a fan of a Super Bowl team can be stressful, nerve-wracking, exhilarating and sometimes heartbreaking, imagine how mentally challenging it is for the players. “Athletes at this level are usually well-trained to perform at their best both physically and mentally during high-pressure situations like the Super Bowl,” said Aimee Kimball, Ph.D., director of mental training at the UPMC Center for Sports Medicine.
“Whether their team is considered the underdog or not, these athletes will need to stay focused on the process and not the outcome, which is tough to do in the Super Bowl for even the best conditioned and most skilled player. When you get to this level, the team who is more mentally tough often has the advantage.
“While both teams will be well-prepared physically and strategically with a game plan, the players also will need to be mentally ready for the slightly different flow of a Super Bowl game compared to regular-season and play-off games, due to the ceremonial traditions, commercial hype and longer TV commercial breaks.”
“Players should stick to their regular-season routines and approach this game as if it’s any other game. After all, they are still just playing football,” added Dr. Kimball.
Steelers Fans in Detroit May Be Hazardous to Your Ears
Steelers fans this season learned all about noise levels in closed dome stadiums. If you will be at Ford Field next Sunday with the tens of thousands of other screaming Steelers fans, you may want to consider bringing along a pair of earplugs.
“Depending on where a fan is sitting in a domed stadium, the levels of sound, especially at the Super Bowl, can be damaging to the ears,” said Catherine Palmer, M.D., director of the UPMC Center for Audiology and Hearing Aid Services. “We hear about the teams’ planned no-huddle offense and not depending on audibles for a reason – it is loud there, often during the entire event. The players prepare for it and so should the fans.
“At a minimum, that high volume of sound can be very tiring,” said Dr. Palmer. “Wearing hearing protection could make the game more enjoyable and safer for many fans, and there are certain types of earplugs that still allow the most dedicated fan to enjoy the raucous environment, just at a quieter level of sound.”
Traditional Tailgate Menu May Not be Best Game Plan for Nervous Stomachs
Fried chicken wings, ribs, kielbasa, salsa, jalapeno cheese dip, beer...If you are planning the traditional Steelers tailgate fare for your Super Bowl party, you may want to reconsider for those guests with nervous stomachs, advises Leslie Bonci, R.D., director of nutrition at the UPMC Center for Sports Medicine. “Watch the fatty foods, especially. Consider these choices instead: grilled chicken skewers, braised short ribs, a fondue with chicken or beef dipped in broth, light popcorn, pretzels and baked chips.
“For nerves, provide crunchy foods like fresh vegetables and dip, chips, pickles and fresh peanuts in the shell. In the cooler, provide LIGHT beer along with plenty of non-alcoholic choices for guests to alternate,” added Bonci.
What’s on the Steelers’ Menu?
As nutrition consultant for the Steelers, UPMC’s Leslie Bonci said the players will not be eating anything new or different than during the regular season. What will be available to them in Detroit on Sunday, she said, is what is always available before games and will include breakfast options like made-to-order omelets, bagels, muffins, toast, bacon, turkey, sausage, waffles, oatmeal, cold cereal, yogurt, fruit, juices, milk, fruit shakes and grilled chicken breast. Dinner entrees will include grilled and baked fish, meat and salad.
There is always plenty of Gatorade, water and snacks such as sports bars, crackers and pretzels, she said. “Because game day nerves can sometimes suppress appetites, we make sure they eat well on Thursday, Friday and Saturday so they are well-fueled, focused on playing their best football,” Bonci added.
Photo of Nurse Chris by Katleen Cei. All rights reserved.
January 30, 2006 in Health, Sports Teams, Steelers | Permalink | Comments (1)
'Hawks fans kinda care, somewhat
Vague interest in Super Bowl nearly palpable in Emerald City.
Photos and story by John Gallone, West Coast Bureau Chief
The vibe on the street in Seattle seems apprehensive. Seattleites appear to view the approaching Super Bowl in the same manner that they regard the sun: Skeptically.
“It hasn’t sunk in yet,” explained one incredulous Seahawk supporter. "After trying so hard for so long, it’s like being told suddenly, you’re having twins!”
Dismissive Steelers fans and questions of paternity aside the Seahawks ARE going to the Super Bowl even if most residents are underwhelmed. Seattle is a polite city not given to horn tooting or fist pumping. It’s the US city where you’re most likely to have a lost wallet returned, cash intact.
The city has a stringently enforced jaywalking law, posters are not allowed on lamp poles and Mariners fans were recently turned away from a Yankees game when a few of them showed-up sporting T-shirts reading; YANKEES SUCK! Stadium staff found it vulgar and distasteful. The city seemed to prefer the shirt slogan: IT’S NOT THAT I DISLIKE THE YANKEES BUT I DO HAVE ISSUES WITH THEM.
They are a reserved, damp people. As I travel around Seattle I see no Seahawks displays in front yards or windows. Only a few soaked Seahawk windsocks hanging limp in the drizzle. To be sure the 12th man flag flies from every available pole but team logos seem to take a distant third to peeling Kerry bumper stickers and rainbow bear decals. The town just seems to have other things on its mind. So the level of expectation for the big game seems to be greater than for a salmon run or bridge closure but not nearly as eagerly anticipated as say, the occasional snowstorm or impending release of WINDOWS 2009.
After four Super Bowl wins and countless years of glory the Steelers fan-base is geared to respond to just such events. In Seattle the Seahawks home office keeps busy simply reminding people to watch the game. The excitement will mount, I’m sure, and by game day there’ll be double-tall, half-cafe, skinny, vanilla lattes for everyone!
Regardless of the outcome, you’ll hear a gracious golf clap, then Seattleites will go back online and do what they do best: drink coffee and avoid the rain, politely.
Gallone will be reporting throughout the week on the Super Bowl scene. Or lack thereof.
Photos: Give me and A!; Qwest Stadium's quest for fans.
January 30, 2006 in Observations, Seen & Heard, Sports Teams, Steelers | Permalink | Comments (2)
January 27, 2006
Next Stop Detroit
Sorry, Dish couldn't avoid the obvious headline.
Those of you annoyed by Steelers fever might consider sticking out a thumb and hitching. By next week about 400 city buses will route route route for the home team.
According to Port Authority spokesman Bob Grove, "Go Steelers" will be plugged into route boards of almost all of the newer buses in time for The Blessed Event. Some have been programmed already but the process is somewhat time-consuming and must be performed at that super secret location where buses go to sleep. Drivers can't just type in pro-Steelers messages willy-nilly (imagine slogans during labor tensions or if the driver got dumped the night before) so if you spot a bus not backing The Bus, don't assume the operator is a Seahawks fan.
January 27, 2006 in News , Seen & Heard, Sports Teams, Steelers | Permalink | Comments (0)
Steelers fans held down by the man
Nice job, genius.
Ahem. (Series of vile throat-clearing noises.) Ladies and gentlemen, let the grumbling begin:
Oh, boy, Dish is plenty mad. Why? Glad you asked, buckaroo. See, Dish likes the Steelers very much and is rather pleased, indeed, that the team is preparing to compete in the Super Bowl football contest. About as giddy as Dish gets, as a matter of fact.
Yet there is a burr under Dish's saddle (horse reference prompted by fact that Steelers beat two horse-themed teams en route to Detroit. Very clever and subtle, at least until this lengthy parenthetical). A burr the size of Heinz Field. See, there's a little pep rally at the stadium this evening and Dish is eager to get together with presumably thousands of other like-minded Steeler obsessives and yell and drink and drink and yell. Sounds super, right? Wherein lies the rub, then?
Well, the fete gets rolling at 5 p.m. which is incidentally the exact time Mr. Dish leaves work to board the bus (referring to the Port Authority vehicles. Any sexual innuendo here is of your own creation, dear reader) and head home to the North Side. A question must be asked. Who's the wise owl who scheduled this thing to begin at perhaps the most inconvenient time possible for those of us in Steelers Nation who work for a living? Who? Who? Who?
Here's hoping the unemployed, independently wealthy and those with understanding bosses enjoy this evening's event. Mr. Dish will surely enjoy sitting in downtown traffic aboard the 500 almost as much.
January 27, 2006 in Current Affairs, Observations, Seen & Heard, Sports Teams, Steelers | Permalink | Comments (2)
January 26, 2006
Seattle Bytes
Dish's embedded Seattle reporter uncovers a nefarious plot by Microsoft wanker/Seahawks owner Paul Allen.
by John Gallone, West Coast Bureau Chief and former Burgher
SCOOP: Seems Paul Allen, in conjunction with Microsoft cohort Bill Gates, has been working on a new super program: SEAHAWK 4.0. Unlike other Microsoft products this one promises not only to give the user a decisive edge but also to actually function.
They conjured SEAHAWK 4.0 by mixing an optimization algorithm addressing the Seahawks PASS routing problem with Windows based on Lagrangian polysymplectic structures utilizing the application of a metaheuristic for scheduling a Pass Option response. The metaheuristic uses a branch-and-bound procedure to generate information, which in turn is used to guide a genetic algorithm's search for optimal and near-optimal Pass or Running solutions. WE WILL CRUSH YOU! If it doesn’t crash or start smoking.
BETTER: The results indicate that the SEAHAWK 4.0 combined approach and its modified versions of the heuristic hop/malt based algorithm are superior to any of the strategies seen before and seem to work better than past systems which relied too heavily on guys running downfield, waving wildly and yelling I’M OPEN!!!
PROOF: But we all know the real proof of the value of any sports franchise is the amount of merchandising it spawns. In that rivalry Steelers lead 8 toques to 3. In the Hip-Hop Appropriated Apparel category Seattle lags far behind as well. Thus effectively tossing a green weenie into all of the above.
TIP: I’ve noticed the Pittsburgh coaching staff relies on an abundance of fancy electronic gear: headsets, monitors, telephones, flashlights, two-way wrist radios, nose trimmers etc. Mr. Allen might have a little virus up his port to disrupt things come game day. Blackouts for crucial replays, conveniently crashing playback units, loss of ALL data on Steelers fans hard drive. I’m not saying this will happen but there’s more to football than what occurs on the field.
Let’s just say if I were a Steeler I’d be very careful about sipping ANYTHING from Starbucks on game day.
Barista: "Roofie Latte for Jerome Bettis."
January 26, 2006 in Sports Teams, Steelers, Technology | Permalink | Comments (1)
January 25, 2006
Unknown Steelers fan perishes on the North Side
More details please.
Update: Rest in peace Mr. Jones.
Um, not to make light of this poor fellow's demise, but asking Post-Gazette readers to identify the deceased based on the fact that he was wearing Steelers garb, especially in the wake of an AFC Championship game victory, seems a bit foolish. It's kind of like identifying a ID-less heart attack victim at a Penguins game as white. Just inadequate.
January 25, 2006 in Media, News , North Side, Sports Teams, Steelers | Permalink | Comments (0)
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