Go Steelers!

In my hometown of Pittsburgh, PA we are in the midst of "Steeler's Mania." For my international readership, the Steelers are my local American style NFL football team. We are about to play in the AFC Championship game against the New England Patriots this Sunday (January 23, 2005) at 6:30 PM EST in Pittsburgh at Heinz Field. Assuming we win this game, we are off to the Super Bowl!

My normally revolving blog banner was changed to a panorama of Heinz field to celebrate this game. Some interesting tidbits about the stadium involve the implosion of the previous stadium (Three Rivers Stadium), some interesting specifications about the new stadium (including some construction pictures), and the difficulty it presents for kickers.

Our quarterback, "Big" Ben Roethlisberger is poised to become the first "rookie" to lead his team to the Super Bowl. Ben has become quite the Pittsburgh hero, having both beef jerky and hamburgers named after him, joining him in the same club as some of other elite Pittsburgh sports players.

Throughout the season, I have been disappointed in the quality of commentary presented by the television media outlets. My preferred way of enjoying a Steelers game (aside from being in the stadium) is to watch it on TV, but with the TV volume turned off, listen to the radio broadcast. Long-time (34 years!) Steelers announcer Myron Cope's birthday happens to coincide with the game on Sunday. I think a Steelers win, plus a Happy Birthday song at the end of the first quarter by the game attendees (As suggested by broadcaster Ellis Cannon) would make a wonderful present!

Myron was the inventor of a fan prop known as the "Terrible Towel," which is a bright yellow towel emblazoned with the "Terrible Towel" logo. It all started as a gimmick so that Myron could pretty much keep his job many years ago. Myron's take on using a towel for this gimmick was: "I'll tell 'em they can use the towel to wipe their seats clean. They can use it as a muffler against the cold. They can drape it over their heads if it rains." Aside from the practical, it provided both color and motion in the stadium. Any Steelers game, at home or away, you can be sure to notice the Steeler's fans because of these waving towels.

Myron is known for expressions known as "Copeisms" - especially the term "Yoi!" - meaning good - and its variants (double and triple Yoi's), with some Yiddish terms thrown in for good measure.

Watch out, New England Patriots, the Terrible Towel is poised to strike! Go Steelers!