Prove it All Night

With exactly 24 hours til kickoff for the "Big Game" tomorrow in Tampa, it's time for "Big or Little" Ben Roethlisberger to take his place among the elite quarterbacks in NFL history, or fall back more towards the pack. Everyone knows how he did three years ago...

9-21, 123 yds. 0 TD, 2 INT. 1 terrible beard. 3,000 butterflies in stomach. 1 trophy.

Most people are either hot or cold on Roethlisberger's legacy so far. Many people continue to doubt his place as an elite quarterback. While Ben has amassed one of the highest winning percentages among active QB's in the NFL, his inconsistent play and the fact he benefits from playing on a team with an above-average running game and dominating defense leads to this line of thinking. Many supporters have come out for Ben over the course of this year's playoffs, citing his knack for keeping plays alive and his inate ability to lead his team back to victory.
As for myself, as most probably know, I'm still kind of hesitant to anoint Ben as a top-3 QB. I respect Ben's track record. He has done more in terms of winning faster than most other QB's in NFL history. He put together an All-Pro season last year, throwing for over 3000 yards and 32 td's. He has shown flashes of having the ability to become elite. But in my opinion, he hasn't consistenly done enough to warrant being mentioned in the same sentence as Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. I am a realist when it comes to sports, I've been a Steelers fan since birth, but I refuse to fall into the trap of other Yinzer Steeler fans who blindly deify their favorite Steelers and refuse to recognize other star players on their hated rivals. If we were ranking the greatest game managing QB's in the NFL, Ben would be #1 in my book. But when it comes down to being an elite QB, Ben just isn't on that level just yet. He is only 26, and his prime should be just ahead, so I'm not one to say that he will never be at that level. But to say he is right now is ludicrous.
While I'm on my pedestal, to quote the great Peter Griffin, another thing that really grinds my gears is the fact that most Steeler fans are willing to grant Ben a reprieve when he struggles, but in most cases the same courtesy is not extended to Willie Parker. I'm amazed at how many look down upon Parker and refuse to acknowledge his contributions to the Steelers over the past four years.

The Steelers' version of Rodney Dangerfield.

The parallels between Parker and Roethlisberger are evident. Both have played at an extremely high level at times. It's amazing how many have quickly forgotten that FWP has ran for 1202, 1494 and 1316 yards each of the past three seasons. He was leading the league in rushing before breaking his leg late last year. Both Ben and FWP have battled through injuries. Most fans credit Ben for battling through whatever injury he comes up with every week, but criticizes FWP for being soft and not fitting the mold of the bruising, indestructable Steeler ideal of Jerome Bettis (how quickly everyone forgets that "the Bus" struggled with his share of injuries over his career.) And it's amazing how quickly fans jump all over the offensive line for Ben's struggles, but when it comes to the FWP and the running game, the same excuse isn't extended. It's always Willie's fault. He's not big enough to run between the tackles. He wasn't even good enough to start in college. He's hurt all the time. It's time for it to stop. If fans want to continue their love fest with Big Ben, then at least throw Willie a bone and give him his due. If I remember correctly, he did a lot more to contribute to the Steelers' win in SB XL than Ben did...

Record-setting touchdown, anyone?

I'm ready for the big game. For Ben's sake, and the sake of all the Yinzers out there who live and die with the black and gold, I hope #7 is too, or the suicide rate is going up and work production is going down in the 'Burgh next week. I'm thinking FWP has a big game and shoves it down the throats of all his detractors.

Steelers 27, Cards 24. FWP=MVP.

El Sid

This man has the best backhand since Ike Turner...

Last night was the first step. Look out Eastern Conference. And finally, someone else gets it. I get the feeling we're on the verge of a hockey Cold War.

Bloggin' Bob

Legions of Pittsburgh sports fans rejoiced when "journalist" Bob Smizik "retired" from the Post-Gazette last month. Outdated and overmatched, Smizik represented the old guard in Pittsburgh sports reporting, and many bid him adieu without a second thought. The truth is, sports journalism is becoming an outdated profession, with the inception of the internet and society's need for up-to-the-minute information, the web has blown past television and especially print media in popularity. I didn't have to go to a four-year institution for a journalism degree to start this site, I just needed an opinion and an email address. When Smizik announced he was stepping down, he stated to the P-G that he wasn't ready to retire, and just last week we found out he wasn't lying. He introduced his own blog, which came along with thousands of discontented sighs from the Pittsburgh sports faithful who thought they were finally rid of him and his toilet-bowl jew 'fro.

Back for more.

I'm not sure what to think of his new career decision. I wonder if Smizik looks at his new job as a way to stay connected to the local sports scene, a lateral move to am up-and-coming media outlet, or if he thinks he's been demoted to the journalism minor leagues. Most sports writers look down on the blogging community, as their power continues to increase exponentially. Time will tell. As for you Mr. Smizik, I eagerly await your latest rant on your homoerotic obsession with Mark Madden.

The New Kovy

Much has been made of the Pittsburgh Penguins' struggles this season, just a few months removed from the Stanley Cup finals. When you lose a decent chunk of your team due to defections and injury it's bound to happen, especially with the parity in today's NHL (are you taking notes, MLB?) One of the main "solutions" many fans offer is the firing of head coach Michel Therrien. While I admit I've screamed for his head many times this season, watching his incessant tampering of lines while keeping that patented deer-in-headlights stare intact, firing him at this junction would probably be more detrimental than anything. Plus, it's fun to listen to his press conferences and how it's physically impossible to say the letter "s" at the end of pluralized words.

"Player need to put puck in net."

So what's the solution then? The other main "need" everyone seems to be clamoring for is the addition of an elite winger. After removing the knife from his back planted by one Marion Hossa, GM Ray Shero combed the trash heap otherwise known as the New York Islanders and signed Ruslan Fedotenko and Miroslav Satan. While Fedotenko has never been anything close to "elite" unless you count the 2004 Stanley Cup finals, he's serviceable as a second or third line option. When Satan was signed, many expected the Miroslav that used to torture the Pens while he was in Buffalo at the beginning of this decade.

Killer.

Satan can't be counted on to produce on an everyday basis. He's a role player at best, another Petr Sykora, but not as much. He still has the capability to get hot at any moment, but he seems to lack the spark and motivation that this team needs. You can't fault Ray Shero, there wasn't much out there on the free agent market better than Satan (the Pensblog just did an excellent piece backing this up.)

So what can the Pens do? There are trade options out there, and one of the names that was thrown around was Marion Gaborik of the Minnesota Wild. Gaborik is a speedster, a scoring machine stuck in the overly boring trapping machine in Minnesota. Gaborik is also softer than Charmin tissue, he's hurt more than Little Ben, and that's saying a lot. He's most likely out for the season, and is also a UFA this summer, which will make it interesting for the Wild. Even if the Pens did swing a trade for him, he's pretty much worthless to them at this point.

An endorsement deal that makes so much sense.

Another name that has been thrown around is Thrashers superstar Ilya Kovalchuk. Not to be confused with former Pens' star Alex Kovalev, "Kovy" has matured into a leader and stuck in the hockey hellhole that is Atlanta. He's signed through next year, so Atlanta is in no rush to dump him like they did with Mr. Hossa last year. He's had some past issues with the Pens, and he hasn't been a popular figure in these parts.

"Here's lookin' at you Kid."

But burnt bridges can be rebuilt. Just ask Evgeni Malkin. I thought that he and Alex Ovechkin were sworn enemies, hell bent on destroying the other one's face any time they encountered each other. But thanks to the work of one Ilya Kovalchuk, Malkin and AO seem to be best buddies once again during the All-Star festivities.

From Russia, with love.

And I also saw somewhere that Kovy was genuinely excited to be seated next to Malkin during the interview sessions. So do us all a favor Don Waddell...save "the new Kovy" from his neverending hockey nightmare, and the Pens will be sure to send a package of role players back your way (sorry Colby, we still love you.)

Sean Casey Retires

The mayor is officially out of office. Upper St. Clair native and University of Richmond alum, Casey is hanging it up with a .302 career batting average. Drafted by the Indians, Casey spent most of his career playing for the Reds before making his best career move, playing for the Pittsburgh Pirates. After his short stay with the Buccos (short enough for me to own not only one Sean Casey jersey, but 2 Sean Casey jerseys) he again lucked out and was picked up by Jim Leyland's Detroit Tigers. Instead of retiring a Tiger Casey had to ruin himself and sign with the Boston Dick Sucking Sox...

Sean showing everyone how "big" his dick is

It's a shame Sean. I would have to loved to remember Sean Casey as the Pittsburgher who had a hard nosed, respectable career - but I don't - the last jersey you wore was a Boston jersey. 12 seasons, 3 all star seasons, 1 in a BUCCOS uni - and all I can see you as is a Red Sox cheerleader.

Casey can now be seen working for the MLB Network.

In All His Glory

Kurt Warner was so excited to play in the NFC Championship that he forgot to put on his uniform. Obviously the news stations can not show you this but we have the exclusive photo right here. Teammates fans and even refs looked on in horror as Little Kurt came running out of the tunnel. Many fans who saw the event said Kurt looked to be "hung like a cardinal",we may have to bring in Sean Avery for clarification of that exact term.

Fuck the Cardinals...that is all.

I Wish That I Had Minky's Girl

Before I get into this story... YES - It is a Friday night and my lame ass did not do anything cool, but in my defense, I feel like dickhole.

Anyway...

While watching 'Don't Forget That Lyric' (which by the way, this dumb bitch blew it tonight on shit that I knew at age 9 - I would walk away from that show with a cool million) Rick Springfield came out to play for this idoit girl, and I noticed... he looks an awful lot like our main man Doug Mientkiewicz. Check it out for yourself...

Now onto the real million dollar question - who got/gets more pussy? RICK OR DOUG?

The Seven Million Dollar Man

With the temperatures reaching almost 50 degrees out here in the foothills and Piratefest starting today, there seems to be baseball fever on the blog today. Lots of Pirate and other baseball related posts, almost too many to count. Count me in as having baseball fever, and what better way to talk about it than by focusing on a man who's been a whipping boy over the past few years, Mr. Adam LaRoche. For the sake of his baseball future, Mr. LaRoche better come out of the gates like a bat out of hell, or the few remaining Pirate fans left in the area will be ready to crucify him alongside other Pirate busts as Derek Bell and Pat Meares.

This guy was a Pirate?

Much has been made of the Bucs resigning Mr. LaRoche for the paltry sum of $7.05 million USD, especially compared to the contractual figures tossed around for Prince Fielder and everyone's favorite Bucco from yesteryear, the X-Man.

"Congrats, you got out of here. How? Please tell me how!"

Much has been made of Mr. LaRoche's avid hunting adventures in the offseason. From what I've heard, he's pretty good at it, on a consistent basis. And I'm sure a large portion of that seven million went to some pretty sweet artillery.

How many deer could I kill with this?

So my question is...if I'm Neal Huntington, why not put a stipulation in his contract saying that Mr. LaRoche could only spend X amount of time in the woods, and at least double that amount of time in the cage? If he's a slow starter, let's get him hitting baseballs instead of big game. If they can write in stipulations forbidding motorcycle usage, why not overuse of firearms?

For now on...

Fridays will be "FUCK BOSTON" day. What are the chances you'll get a rant from me Tues-Sun? Pretty good, but for the record - Fridays are now "FUCK BOSTON" days.

Just plain disgusting.

RED SOX NATION?

Red Sox Nation?
How about IDIOT NATION?
Big or Little Ben found this video, just in case you forgot what it tastes like when you puke in your mouth.

Fuck Boston, I hope the Yankees win every game this year by 23 runs. Boston sucks, Dunkin Donuts sucks, Aerosmith sucks, Dane Cook REALLY sucks - FUCK BOSTON!

No Stone Left Unturned

In a shocking developement the Pittsburgh Pirates scouting department has discovered a diamond in the rough. Meet the new 2009 minor league prospect of the year. From what we understand he throws some serious heat and will be a closer in the near future. We here at BigorLittleBen absolutely love the all out talent search that is taking place. Go Buccos!!!

New Buccos Gear

Since 6th Ward is even less productive at work than me, he beat me to the unveiling of the Pirates' new unis for the upcoming season. Over at the PBC the main man Dejan gives all the details, go check it out. Frank Coonelly claims the uniforms are a step in an effort to "return to championship-caliber baseball." Personally, if that's their agenda, they need to go back to this...

The Cobra strikes again.

Bring back the all-yellow unis. Nothing instills fear in opposing pictures more than Adam LaRoche strolling up to the plate in the middle of April looking like a giant banana. The pill-box hat needs to come back too, it worked for Pops and the rest of the family. Hell, bring back Dave Parker too while we're at it. The man needs to boost his HOF credentials, and I guarantee he could still hit better than half of the Bucs' projected lineup. And he can reintroduce smoking in the dugout, cause Steve Pearce is gonna need something to calm his nerves after another 3 K performance.

NEW PITTSBURGH ALTERNATE JERSEY/HAT

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages...
The Pittsburgh Pirates would like to present you, the fans, with a sneak peek at 2009's new alternate jersey...

BYE BYE RED...

and HELLO SLEEVES...

Now, all we need is a first baseman who plays a full season to his capability, a second baseman who can get back into NL batting champ form, a shortstop who can remind us that he won a Silver Slugger award a few years ago, a third baseman who can perform at a major league level until Pedro Alvarez loses 100lbs... do I need to continue?

ROOT ROOT ROOT FOR OUR HOME TEAM,

A NEW PIRATE GENERATION -

EVERYBODY SHOUT,

LETS GO BUCS!

A Friendly Reminder

BALTIMORE BLOWS!

Kurt Warner, Really?

It is well known that Kurt Warner loves Jesus...

... but through countless hours of private investigation, Big (or Little) Ben uncovered the real truth behind Kurt Warner...

He is in a baby eating cult with Mike Tyson.

I spotted Kurt at an amusement park gathering large groups of children (who were already too old to eat, but young enough to brainwash) to join his 'ministry'. Some of the children were already pledging allegiance to the cult by getting matching face tattoos.

Why Kurt? Is it because your wife used to look like hogshit? Is that why you went off the deep end? If that is the case, thats fine - I'd hit it now. You and Tyson will burn in hell, with Ray Lewis.

Just Die Already

I'm not a fan of Jeremy Roenick. I respect the greats of U.S. Hockey, well most of them, with Roenick being the #1 exception. The guy is beyond washed up, he should have skated off into the sunset long ago. With the announcement of Sid the Kid missing yet another All-Star game due to injury, Roenick had this to say (thanks to the P-G's Empty Netters blog, a daily must-read, along with Dejan's PBC blog on the Bucs):

"I see too many kids going the wrong way. They don't have the respect or the know-how to treat the sport — even Sidney Crosby. You see him bitching, whining and crying. He's supposed to be the poster boy of our league and yet every time he gets hit, he's grimacing and complaining to the referees. Veterans teach the kids the right way to play."

So the stars of the game are supposed to look up to guys like this, a man who's career was over in 2002. A guy who told fans to "kiss his ass" cause fans were upset over the lockout. A guy who was implicated in the alleged gambling ring that took down Rich Tocchet.

"I'm a much better coach than Barry Melrose. Bet on it."

A guy who complained because the 2006 U.S. Olympic hockey team knew he was washed up and didn't offer him a roster spot. Even noted asshole Patrick Roy knows the guy is a joke. "I cannot really hear what Jeremy says because I've got my two Stanley Cup rings plugging my ear." Classic. Some guys are too proud to know when it's time to give it up. Some guys need to constantly be in the spotlight because their life is lacking in other areas. Maybe Jeremy is just jealous of the Kid. Or maybe he's still holding a grudge because he can clearly remember Tommy Barrasso dancing on his ice in 1992.

Jealous.

Eye Chart

I don't mean to steal Biggamekilla's thunder, but the 2009 Pittsburgh Pirates have more pressing needs than signing a HOF-caliber left fielder. Like, say, signing a veteran left-handed utility guy. That's right, why haven't the Pirates thrown Doug Mientkiewicz (you wanna know how I'm a true baseball fan? I spelled that without even looking it up) a contract offer yet? This guy was the sole reason (other than the most productive outfield in baseball, until July that is) to watch the Bucs last season. All heart, all fire, nothing but 120% on the field. When you're used to seeing guys like Operation Shutdown crush the Pirates' few hopes every season, Malphabet was a breath of fresh air. Obviously Doug isn't in high demand this offseason, he wasn't in high demand the past few seasons, how do you explain him playing in the 'burgh and KC, where careers go to die? So Neal Huntington, do the right thing.

For kids' sake.

Could you Imagine?

Could you imagine a world in which Steeler fans would hold up a sign like this? Its absolutely possible that if someone held up a sign like this at Heinz Field that they would lose one or quite possibly both arms in a savage beating. All the bandwagon fans out there in Arizona have no idea what they are in store for come SuperBowl XLIII. They have not faced a defense like this, i mean they made the freakin Jets look like the Steel Curtain of the 70's and made Brett Favre look like well Brett Favre. Lets get real people the Steelers will have number 6 wrapped up by halftime, i expect this to be a two touchdown game. I look for the Cardinals to be exposed as what we think they are, a weak NFC West division team in a down year for the NFC period. In a year that seemed that noone wanted to win the NFC someone had to be the sacraficial lamb, it just happens to be you Arizona.
Prediction: Steelers 35 Arizona 17
MVP: James Harrison

Legend of Pittsburgh

You are probably wondering why in the bloody hell is there a picture of local sports anchor Bob Pompeani on this ridiculous blog. Well my friends this is why...Bob is one of Bens biggest fans. He slurps him every chance he gets no matter how good or bad Little Ben plays. I'd be willing to bet that Bob gets a boner while watching Little Ben drop back his usual 5-7 steps, hold onto the ball too long, and make a ridiculous throw that somehow finds a double covered WR puffing on a blunt. Bob is my most favorite local sports reporter, but i must take issue with his love fest of Ben and Edmund Nelson. I am sure that yinzers reading this blog think we are anti-Steeler this and that but you couldn't be further from the truth. I am a fan and have been for a very long time however the people who drive me nuts in this world are the ones who only believe that the Steelers are the ONLY team in the world. So Bob crack open an ice cold Bud Light cause this post is for you.

D Squared

The 2008-2009 NFL season isn't over yet, and already I'm gameplanning for next season. While the actual Steelers coaching staff is conjuring up ways to defeat Pittsburgh West, I'm figuring out ways to get Dennis Dixon on the field next year.

"No, I'm not busy. Yes, I'll pick Ben up at the hospital again."

When the Steelers took Dixon with their fifth round pick, two words popped into my head...Omar Jacobs. "Omar who?" some of you may say. Oh yeah, that guy, the former Bowling Green QB taken by Bill Cowher who barely lasted five minutes in his first training camp. But Dennis Dixon is different. Dixon was lighting up the PAC-10 last season before tearing up his knee. The guy was so badass that he tried to play through all the ligament damage, but to no avail. As fate would have it, because of the injury Dixon slipped late in the draft to the Steelers.
Dixon is a freak, a phenomenal athlete who threw for almost 3000 yards and 20 TD's in only 9 games in his Heisman-worthy 2007 campaign. He's got good size, and a cannon for an arm (he was drafted as an outfielder for the Braves.) He ran the spread at Oregon, and sometimes that doesn't translate to NFL success (ask Vince Young.)

This feels like it happened forty years ago.

The Steelers need to find a way to circumvent those crazy third QB rules in the NFL and get Dixon on the field. With the great success Miami had running the Wildcat offense this past season and the Steelers' history of embracing gimmicky offenses, it seems like a natural fit.

"Wild. Cat."

The question is whether or not Dixon would accept a "Slash"-type role, or be stubborn and refuse to play anything but QB. The Steelers have nothing to lose, already set at QB for the foreseeable future, unless Little Ben decides to take up helmetless motorcycling again (sorry, couldn't resist.) I cannot understand why a guy who has an opportunity to contribute and actually get on the field would hold out just so he can be the next Brian St. Pierre.

The patron saint of third-string quarterbacks.

So somebody contact Bruce Arians, I know he isn't busy because if he was, he would have long come up with a short passing game to best utilize Ben's skills and counteract the o-line's poor pass-blocking skills (somebody introduce him to the three-step drop, please...and someone please tell him that Heath Miller could be one of the top three tight ends in the NFL, if they'd look to him more than twice a game.)

What's in a (Nick)name?

I was thinking about Little Ben today at work, like I usually do, when I got to thinking...why do Pittsburghers find it necessary to come up with terrible nicknames for its star athletes and big moments? For every Terrible Towel (priceless) and Immaculate Reception (heavenly) there are hundreds of other pointless aliases for Pittsburgh sports. Personally I blame it on this man's homoerotic fascination with "witty" nicknames.

He wrote the book on sucking.

Bob Prince is spinning in his grave, and has been for the past few decades. Without further ado...

The Man of Troy, in his "short" hair phase.

Troy "the Tasmanian Devil" Polamalu:
No nickname further infuriates me more than this one. Sure, the guy plays like a madman and covers a lot of ground quickly, but for Christ's sake, what does an antiquated cartoon of a crudely sketched Southern Pacific rodent who grunts and spins around a thousand times a second have to do with arguably the best safety in football? He's from California, not Australia. He's humble and soft spoken off the field, quite the contrary to his cartoon counterpart. This name makes no sense to me whatsoever, and yet people buy t-shirts and vanity license plates from Wal-Mart with this shit all over it.

"The Tackle"
First off, let's start by saying if the refs didn't blow the call on the aformentioned "Tasmanian Devil" interception then this play never happens. Second of all, watch the video. It wasn't really a tackle. Let's call it "The Play Where Ben Runs Back, Stumbles, and Hangs On Just Enough to Stop a Dime Back From Permanently Engraving his Name Alongside Nobodies Like Dennis Gibson as a Scrub Who Ended Pittsburgh's Playoff Hopes." Did everyone conveniently forget that Nick Harper was stabbed in the leg by his wife the night before? If I was stabbed in the leg, I certainly wouldn't be running at full speed for at least the next three years. And what if Indy's "Idiot Kicker" (an amazing nickname if I may say so) drills the makeable field goal inside his home dome? But I digress. And I know that by posting this video it only fuels the love fest even more.

Only the Pirates can have someone throw a no-hitter and need extras to win it.

"The Freak Show" your 1997 Pittsburgh Pirates
I'm a grown man. And I guarantee you, if I was getting paid to play professional baseball, even on a joke of an organization such as the Pittsburgh Pirates, I would be outright offended if some stiff like Greg Brown deemed me as a member of "The Freak Show." Now I know when you field a roster comprised of such talent as Matt Ruebel, Kevin Polcovich and Rich Loiselle not much is expected of you, but it wasn't like these guys lit the world on fire. They finished at 78-84, which by Pirates' standards over the past 16 years is a great success, but they allowed 35 more runs then they scored, and surely would have been crushed if by some unforeseen reason God let them overtake the Astros and make the playoffs. I guess Pittsburghers had something to talk about other than the Steelers in September (oh that's right, Steelers fans didn't start hating Kordell "Slash" Stewart til soon after. Slash, what a nickname.)

Speechless.

Any nickname concocted by Paul Steigerwald
If there was a Terrible Pittsburgh Sports Nicknames mafia, "Steiggy" would be the Don. This guy comes up with any excuse to come up with a terrible nickname for anyone. From "Petr Gunn" to "Little Tiger" Kennedy, his unoriginal bullshit never ceases to amaze me. There's way too many offenses to list here. I often wonder to myself if his brother John is ashamed to share a last name with him. Clearly he got the sports talk talent (and the impeccable facial hair) gene in the Steigerwald family. Please bring Mike Lange back to television and leave the clever sayings to him, I implore you.

There's plenty more nickname fouls that I've left off, but I assure you they're not forgotten. I just realized that I have more important things to do, like create myself on NHL09 and think about what kind of terrible nickname Steiggy would give me.

Make It Happen

I am going to keep this post clean since its my first one EVER. I can see it now Man Ram in a Pirates uniform. Is it too far fetched to think that Neal Huntington wouldn't be able to pull this off? Sign Manny to the deal he wants 2-3 years 45-70 million, the pirates would sell out every night not to mention the tons of merchandise they would sell. Keep him until the Dodgers or some other team realizes they need a big bat trade him for 2 top notch cant miss prospects and a low level talent that has potential to at least contribute in the bigs. Whats the worst that can happen the payroll would still be under 70 million and the fans would finally say hey maybe things are actually turning around. If Pedro Alvarez developes by next year, as he should, put Manny behind him to give him some fat pitches to blast into the Allegheny. I know douche bags like Ron Cook would just crush me if he ever read this, but think outside the box a little fellas. If we can sign pieces of absolute shit like LaRoche to a 1 year 7 million deal we can sign Manny.

Mission Statement

I used to think blogs were pretty lame, online diaries for those screaming for attention. After discovering such gold nuggets as The Pensblog and Mondesishouse, my point of view changed drastically. I decided, along with a few friends, to start our own blog, a site dedicated to what's great (and not so great) about Pittsburgh sports. We're all die hard Pittsburghers, some a little more so than others, but live and die with the Black and Gold (and red and baby blue.) Each person who posts on this holds their own opinions on various topics, so you can't say you hate the site entirely, but maybe just a specific person. This site is meant to be fun, not an attempt for attention, an extension of the many friendly debates held by sports fans everywhere. Some posts may make you think, some may make you laugh, others may make you throw up all over yourself.

The main inspiration for this thing came from a "friendly" debate at our place of employment. The central theme was whether or not Big "Little" Ben Roethlisberger is among the elite QB's in the NFL. I've been a Steeler fan my whole life, born and raised in southwestern PA. Too young to remember the glory days of the 70's but unfortunately old enough to know exactly who Bubby Brister, Tim Worley and Huey Richardson are. I must say that as a Steeler fan, I'm pretty spoiled. I could live in Philthadelphia, or even worse Cleveland.

1975.

But when it comes to diehard yinzer Steeler fans, I can't take it. Guys like Little Ben are seen as gods that can do no wrong. Don't get me wrong, LB has tons of talent and is definitely a top-10 caliber NFL QB. And the Steelers could have done a lot worse in the 2004 draft.

Human douche.

But I for one can't take the "Big Ben is god" sentiment held by many Steeler fans throughout the region. The guy's good, I'll give you that. You can say "All he does is win" and I'll tend to agree. But when it comes down to it, if it wasn't for Dicky LeBeau and that insatiable defense Ben would be nothing more than a footnote, at most an above-average QB in a league filled with them. So let the debate begin, with Super Bowl XLIII featuring the Steelers and Pittsburgh West serving as the backdrop. And hopefully this post is the beginning of a long, fruitful journey of shit talking and shit taking.