Fresh Eyes: Part V

Karl Rosen photo, Steelers.com

by Ivan Cole

Question # 5: Heading into the 2019 season, what is fantasy and what is reality? 

During a recent program that was covering the Democratic Primaries for president it was mentioned that voters of that party tended toward a desire to ‘fall in love’ with a candidate as opposed, presumably, to a more calculated decision process. 

That struck me as an accurate description of many Steelers fans during the preseason. We are looking to fall in love and that impulse leads us to identify those who will be ‘camp Darlings’. And in a compensatory manner we also select scapegoats and anti- heroes who must be cast out if we are to reach the Promised Land. 

Training Camp for Fans Part 6: The Emergence of Steeler Nation

1934 Pittsburgh [Football] Pirates Team Photo

by Ivan Cole

As noted in his previous post, this series is a continuation of Ivan’s “Training Camp for Fans” series which ran last August. Those links can be accessed below. Back to Ivan…

1. B. C. (Before Chuck)

You could also, if you choose, refer to this period as B.M.J. (Before Mean Joe) or B.D.R. (Before Dan Rooney). This represents a clear demarcation between the approximate first half of the Steelers’ franchise existence, which was characterized by a losing culture, and the soaring success of the more recent past.

Those like myself who claim this period as our initiation into the Nation share the characteristic of being well grounded—in part, because if you have any memory at all of this period, you are pretty old (hate admitting that). But also because you had to withstand the trials of being immersed within a losing culture. Because of that, and the fact that the NFL and sports generally did not have the reach or popularity that they enjoy today, a fan in this era (no term as fanciful as “Steeler Nation” existed at that time)  was almost certainly indigenous.

Relationships: A Secret of Excellence

via mlb.com—Mike Tomlin and Kevin Colbert with Pirates stadium announcer Robby Incmikowski

by Ivan Cole

As I am getting back up to speed on the 2016 season, an interview of Mike Tomlin catches my attention.

He and GM Kevin Colbert were in Florida on football business but, as is the case every year, they had dropped by Bradenton to visit the training camp of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

I am not privy to what happens in every town with multiple professional sports teams, but based upon what I know about four municipalities, Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York City, the interaction and support among the three major teams, Penguins, Pirates and Steelers, their team leadership and management, players and fans is different, even peculiar in a very positive way.

Tomlin and Pirates manager Clint Hurdle appear to be genuinely close. Tomlin describes Hurdle as ‘friend and mentor’. Players from the three teams openly root for each other, especially during the ‘prime time’ of the run up to playoffs (spring – Pens, fall – Bucs, winter – Steelers). Currently, Steelers and Pirates players are prominently in attendance at Penguins playoff games. Pens players will return the favor at the appropriate times. There are Steelers fans that don’t care one bit about the Pirates or Pens, but in my experience it is rare that those who either reside in the Pittsburgh area or have deep roots there don’t support all three teams.

Roxanna Firehall interviews Dan Rooney

Reuters

Gadzooks, what a great headline. It didn’t happen, but what a great headline.

I blame Momma Rollett. (Little Darlin’ knows a little bit about getting blamed for my misguided forays).  Momma did her Hombre recycling thing last Wednesday and it gave me a crazy idea. What if I stumbled into an elevator and surprisingly, Dan Rooney was there and we were alone. . . But not for just ninety seconds.

So off I went, into my own reverie:

As fortune would have it, we rode three floors or so and the elevator froze up! Holy moly, stuck in an elevator with Dan Rooney. I reluctantly called for help—at Mr. Rooney’s insistence. The nice lady who answered told me help was on the way, but it would be at least an hour until we would be extricated. Wow. That’s what I thought. That’s probably not what Mr. Rooney was be thinking. But, wow!

5 Smoldering Questions On the Pittsburgh Steelers, Week 9

Post-Gazette, Matt Freed photo

by Hombre de Acero

Nine weeks into the NFL’s 2015 season find the Steelers record at 5-4 following a last minute victory against the Oakland Raiders. The Steelers won the game but again lost the services of Ben Roethlisberger, adding drama and intrigue to this week’s match up against historic franchise rival the Cleveland Browns.

1. You Are Mike Tomlin: Ben Roethlisberger is out this week, meaning Landry Jones must start. No one knows the status of Michael Vick. If Vick should be unable to suit up and the Steelers need to activate Tyler Murphy whose roster spot do you sacrifice?

Terry Bradshaw – Complicated Hero

The Good Guys – Quarterbacks, part 1

No. 3.  Terry Bradshaw

Any Steeler fan who lived through the seventies, watching perhaps the greatest football team ever, has strong feelings about Terry Bradshaw. The opinions of fans, like Bradshaw’s relationship with the Steelers, are complicated.

Bradshaw’s Steelers won four Super Bowls in six years. Twice, he was the Super Bowl MVP. There was nary a yinzer who didn’t love No. 12. (Maybe a few, but very few).

Immediately after he retired in 1984, he was hired by CBS as a color commentator.  After a few years, CBS made him a studio analyst. He moved to Fox in 1994. By the force of his strong, quirky personality, he is the QB of Fox’s stellar studio analysts.