cynicschism

       Well, that’s why they play the game.  Prior to game time, the consensus seemed to be that the Pittsburgh Steelers would probably win by a margin of 7 to 10 points, that the Steelers D would be just too good for the Cardinals to overcome.  Didn’t turn out that way.

       It all came down to a final two-minute drill by the Steelers, ending with Big Ben completing a touchdown pass in the right corner of the end zone to Santonio Holmes with 35 second left in the game.  The Cardinals could not score again, and the Steelers won their record sixth Lombardi trophy by defeating the Cardinals 27 to 23.

       Things started out very well.  For the first quarter, this looked like it might turn into a blowout.  The Steelers controlled the ball during most of the first quarter.  But toward the end of the first half, the Cardinals were threatening to score a second touchdown.  On a Kurt Warner pass into the end zone, James Harrison, defensive player of the year, intercepted the pass and ran it back for a hundred yards, a new Super Bowl record, huffing and puffing at the end and happy to have made it to the end zone. With the end of the first half, the Steelers were up by ten points 17 to 7.

       There was only one score made in the third quarter-a field goal by Pittsburghs’ Jeff Reed.  So with the final quarter about to start, it looked like Pittsburgh was in control of the game, leading Arizona by 13 points.  But in the fourth quarter, the Steelers D faultered.  They allowed the Cardinals to score two touchdown and a safety within five minutes, lettting the Cardinals to take their first lead of the game, 23 to 17.  With only a little under three minutes left, it seemed that the Steelers had blown a solid lead in the fourth quarter.  The Steelers’ offense was also of little help, going four and out, and not taking much time off the clock.  So now the Steelers would have to score a touchdown to win or kick a field goal to tie.  But this time, Big Ben and WR Santonio Holmes got busy.  They drove down the field to the six-year line. With only 35 seconds left, Roethlisberger connected with Holmes in the right corner of the end zone for a just in bounds touchdown.  The extra point made it 27 to 23, Steelers.  The Cardinals still had time for a few pass plays and a final Hail Mary, if necessary.  But the Steelers D again came to life, and recovered a fumble by Cardinals’ QB Kurt Warner.  Time ran out and the Steelers won a record sixth Lombardi trophy, bearting the Cardinals 27 to 23.

       The fourth quarter was disappointing.  Not even the top-rated defense in the NFL can stop a combination like Warner-Fitzgerald, but allowing them to score two touchdowns within five minutes should not happen.  The offense was also poor for most of the quarter.  It could not pick up first downs, and at the end of the third, it could not score on first and goal in two attempts.  So, as was the case in the regular season, the Steelers offense just managed, but was not outstanding.  I thought Willie Parker would have had more success against the Cardnals’ defense, but he ran for only 54 yards on 19 carries.  Hoepfully Willie will be back in better form next season. 

      For now though, all fans of the black and gold will be happy to celebrate another Super Bowl win, and a special one at that.  Pittsburgh is now the only team to have won six Super Bowls.  As Coach Mike Tomlin said, it wasn’t pretty or perfect, but in the end it was enough.  Congratulations Steelers on winning Super Bowl XLIII.

       The Pittsburgh Steelers came out winners of the AFC Championship game on Sunday night, beating the Baltimore Ravens 23-14.  Like their two regular season games, this one was a close defensive match with the score close until the last few minutes of the game.  With a little over four minutes left in the fourth quarter, and the Steelers leading by only two points,16-14, the Ravens looked like they might drive down the field and take the lead. That’s when the Pittsburgh D stepped up, like it has done all season long, and made a defensive touchdown.  Troy Palamalu intercepted Ravens’ QB Joe Flacco’s pass and ran it back forty yards for a touchdown, making the score 23-14 after the PA, with four minutes left.  The Ravens had another shot at a score, but Flacco threw another interception and that was it-the Steelers ran the clock out and won the AFC Championship.

       For all the threats and trash-talking prior to the game, there didn’t seem to be much fighting on the field, just the usual back and forth of any game.  The biggest hit delivered was the one on Willis McGahee by Brian Clark in the fourth quarter.  McGahee was to be taken off the field on a stretcher, suffering from neck problems.  Everybody hopes the injury will be minor and that he will be back playing next season.  No one wants to see this happen to any player.  Ravens’ QB Joe Flacco, who had looked so good in the first two playoff games had problems when he ran up against the Steelers’ defense.  They kept him contained and forced three interceptions.  Flacco’s rookie inexperience finally showed.  Even the Ravens’ two touchdowns were set up by Steelers’ penalties. 

       Ben Roethlisberger played much as he did lst week against San Diego. He had good protection and was careful in his passing.  He showed amazing ability to scramble out of the pocket and still make accurate throws.  Again, he helped himself by not throwing a single interception. All in all, Big Ben, though his numbers were not that impressive, turned in a good, solid performance.  Willie Parker, who ran for 146 yards last week against the Chargers, did not do very well against the Ravens, running for only 50 yards or so.  The Ravens’ have a good run defense, and Willie did little more than keep the Baltimore defense honest.  Against a less solid D, Willie might put up much better numbers.

       The Steelers also lifted the curse of playing at home in the AFC Championship game.  They have not done well at home in that game, losing twice to New England in the early 2000’s.  But this time they won, also proving they can beat a team three times in one season. 

       While the game was a great defensive matchup, there was a lot less vitriol displayed on the field than the buildup might have led one to expect, which is just as well.  Two great defenses met, and the better one won. It will be time to look at the Super Bowl matchup a little later.  It is still two weeks away.  Now is the time to celebrate the Steelers’ championship victory and raise a glass to the men in the black and gold.  Go Steelers.

       The San Diego Chargers travel to Heinz Field in Pittsburgh to play the Steelers in a divisional playoff game this Sunday. Kickoff is at 4:45  p.m. est.  Should be an interesting game.  The Steelers have the top defense in the NFL.  The Chargers have running back Darren Sproles, who gained more than 300 all-purpose yards last week against the Colts.  Can the Steel Curtain stop Sproles or will the height-challenged back somehow get around it?  It will be an interesting match-up.  If the Steelers cannot stop Sproles, it might be a long day for Pittsburgh.  Congratulations to James Harrison, Steelers’ linebacker, who was voted the AP Defensive Player of the Year.  This is the first time a Steeler has won this title since 1993, when CB Rod Woodson won it.  Way to go, JH.

       After the question of whether the Pittsburgh D can stop Sproles is the question of Ben Roethlisberger’s health and that of the  Steelers’ offense in general.  Big Ben suffered a concussion in the last game of the season against the Cleveland Browns.  His recovery appears to be slow, and there is a question of how healthy he will be on game day.  Backup QB Byron Leftwich is a solid player, but will he be able to post a win if he has to take over for Big Ben?  And then there is the whole question of the Steelers’ offense.  It is rated under the average for NFL teams and has had trouble scoring in a consistent manner this year.  The defense has saved many a game, and the offense will have to step up if the Steelers want to get to the Super Bowl.  One troubling stastistic: Last year Big Ben threw 31 TD’s and only 11 INT’s, very effective.  This year those numbers are 17 TD’s and 15 INT’s, very worrying.  That may be the key to the Charger game.  The Steelers’ offense will have to play better than they usually have done this season.

       There is a chance the weather might be bad and this might help the Steelers.  And no matter what the statistics say about the lack of home field advantage, I’m glad the Steelers will be at home.  They need all the help they can get.  I’m also glad they’re playing the Chargers instead of the Ravens.  The  Steelers should be able to beat the Chargers tomorrow, if most goes right for Pittsburgh.  But there’s only one way to find out, and that’s to play the game.  Go Steelers.

       The Pittsburgh Steelers beat up on the Cleveland Browns, in the last regular season game for the 2008 season.  That’s really not too much to brag about, as Cleveland had a record of 4-11 going into the game.  But some teams get a little lazy when their playoff spot is already assured, but a win is still a win.  But amid the victory, there was also very bad news to report.   Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger sustained a concussion deep into the second quarter, and was taken to the hospital for further treatment.

       Big Ben gave the thumbs up as he was wheeled off on a stretcher, but this is probably something that will take a while to all sort out as to his medical condition.  Byron Leftwich, backup quarterback, has come through well when he has had to step in for Big Ben, but he certainly isn’t as good.  Steelers’ fans will have to wait and see what the doctors say about Ben’s condition. Let’s hope it’s not serious.

       One piece of good news was the performance of Willie Parker in the Cleveland game.  Cleveland is hardly a defensive powerhouse, but Fast Willie did run for 116 yards.  That’s his best performance in quite a while.  We’ll see what he can do when the Steelers have to face a tougher defense than that put up by the Browns.  Now it looks like the Steelers won’t have Cleveland head coach Romeo Crennel to kick around anymore. He was let go the day after the Browns’ loss, at the end of a horrid season.  Wherefore art thou, Romeo?  Maybe we’ll find out in the next couple of months.  In the meantime, the Steelers have a bye week, so that may give much needed rest time to a team that truly needs it.  Go Steelers.

        It should come as no surprise that O.J. Simpson got a harsh prison sentence from Judge Glass yesterday.  Anyone breathing can see that this was payback for the murder case in which O.J. was found not guilty.  That just couldn’t stand.  No way, no how.   Revenge took a while, but it finally came, a dozen years later.

       All O.J. wanted to do was to get sports and personal memorabilia back from folks he believed had stolen it from him.  Yes, he should have gone to the proper authorities and have them do that job, and that was his mistake.  He took the law into his own hands, when he shouldn’t have.  And for that mistake he might have deserved a few years in jail.  But with so many people anxious to get a second shot at O.J., that wasn’t going to happen.  It was, quite simply, payback time. All the major players in the case tried to pretend that this had nothing to do with what happened back in 1994/5.  But they’re not fooling anyone with  that kind of talk.  This was all about the past, no matter what anyone says.  So O.J. got screwed for something that was a minor matter.  Now all the vultures can be happy again.  Happiest of all, no doubt, is the parasitic leech Fred Goldman.  One can only hope that a bastard like Goldman gets his, ASAP. 

       Hopefully, O.J. won’t have to stay in jail too long, just to appease the howling mob after him.  Appeal, Juice, appeal.

        Uh-oh.  When Big Ben throws and interception just a couple of plays into the game, and does it deep on his own end of the field, things don’t usually end well.  But this time, the interception, and the following touchdown off it by the New England Patriots, turned out to be just a minor thing in the game.  By the time it was all over, the Steelers had smashed the Patriots by a score of 33-10.

       As the leading defense in the whole NFL, the Steelers are expected to keep an offense in check, but in this game, against the Patriots, they played beyond expectation.  Quarterback Matt Cassel, who had had two 400 yard games in the last two weeks, passed for under 200 against the Steelers.  Even worse, he threw two interceptions, one to Troy Palamalu, his league high sixth, and fumbled the ball twice, after James Harrison came in and stripped him of the ball both times, and Pittsburgh recovered.  After the first half tie at 10-10, the Steelers managed to score 23 unanswered points, most of them with the help of plays by the D.  The Steelers defense in this game was not just big, but huge.

       Ben Roethlisberger, did not have a great day; his passing percentage was just over 50%, but he did manage two touchdown throws.  The running game was solid.  Fast Willie Parker only played in part of the game, due to injury flare-ups, but he gained 87 yards.  Combined with the solid running of Mewelde Moore, the two ran for a combined 154 yards.  Steelers D held Patriots running back Kevin Faulk to 73 yards.  Most Steelers games this year have been fairly close nailbiters.  But after the third quarter, it was going to be a Steelers blowout.

       Celebrate while you can.  The Steelers still have a tough ending schedule.  Next week they play the Cowboys, but at home.  Then it’s the Ravens, Titans and Browns.  Only the Browns should be easy.  But the way the Steelers palyed against the Patriots, they are looking good as the season comes to an end.  Hope they can keep it up.  Go Steelers.

     I was so pissed after last week’s Steeler’s loss to the Inidanapolis Colts, that I didn’t even want to write a post about it.  I still am, but after a week I can at least bring up the subject.  Big Ben seemed to be playing well for most of the first half.  His passes seemed crisp, and he was getting them off quicker than he has been and avoiding the sack.   Everything was going great, with the Steelers ahead 17-7 with about a minute and a half left in the first half.  So the Steelers would have gone into the locker room at half-time with a ten point lead against a weak Colt’s offense.  Then Ben threw an interception, and on the last play of the half, the Colts got a touchdown.  Now it’s 17-14, a whole new game.

     From that moment on, it was all downhill for Pittsburgh. The defense did a good job of keeping it close, then Ben threw a second interception! The Colts scored again. The Steelers came back close to the end zone, but couldn’t punch it in for a touchdown, and had to settle for a field goal.  Final score: Indianapolis 24   Pittsburgh 20.  Fourteen of those points came after interceptions.  A nightmare of a game, which the Steelers really should have won.

     Maybe things will go better this Sunday.  The Steelers will host the San Diego Chargers at home.  Pittsburgh is still a team suffering from injuries. Ben Roethisberger seems to have a new injury every game.   Hopefully Willie Parker will be back as running back, and can give the Steeler’s running game a boost.  Mewelde Moore has had some solid games, but he didn’t perform well against the Colts.  And one more piece of bad news-The Baltimore Ravens now have the same record as the Steelers.  It would be hard for things to go worse for the Steelers than they did last week.  Hopefully.  We’ll see what happens at Heinz Field Sunday afternoon.  Go Steelers.

     The Steelers beat up on the pretty wretched Cincinnati Bengals this afternoon, the final score being 38-10.  Some “experts” thought this might be an upset special, perhaps with the Steelers not focused on a team with an 0-6 record. Didn’t turn out that way.

     The first half was fairly close, as the Steelers looked for a while like maybe they weren’t too focused. The Pittsburgh defense let the Bengals drive 92 yards for a touchdown at the end of the first half, cutting the Pittsburgh lead to 10-7 when the half ended. Hmmm, maybe this would be a close one.

     I had to go out, and missed the third quarter and some of the fourth. By the time I got back, the Steelers had already scored three touchdowns, and would add one more. The Steeler defense must have been working too, because they shut the Bengals out in the second half. So after a mediocre first half, the Steelers came charging back in true form, with backup running back Mewelde Moore filling in for the injured Willie Parker, and running for 120 yards.

     Yes, the Bengals are pretty pathetic, but sometimes better teams let their guard down against losers like Cincinnati, and pay the price. The Steelers didn’t.  Things look good for the now 5-1 Steelers. And yes, being in the weak AFC North division doesn’t hurt. Still, a win is a win.

     For those who slightly dislike the Boston Red Sox to those who hate them with a passion, these are days to celebrate.  After winning the first game against the Tampa Bay Rays, the Sox have lost the last three. And the last two were cowhide slaughters, 9-1 and 13-4. These are the kinds of scores the Sox used to inflict on others, but  they are now on the losing end of the beating.

     Last night was especially enjoyable, as the Rays scored early and often, with multiple home runs. The legendary Green Monster in left field was cut down to the level of a little league park. The hits kept on coming for the Rays, until they had scored 13 runs. The Sox did a little damage late, but far short of what they needed. You might think with a one-sided score like that, it would be dull to watch. Nope. If you are tired of the Sox, you were happy to spend three hours on this, especially the joy of watching the Sox go down in this horrific slaughter. It was pure joy.

     Last year, the Sox were also down three games to one against the Cleveland Indians. They came back from that deficit to win the American League Championship series. But that was last year, and this year they’re playing the red hot Rays. Today is an off day, and the series will resume tomorrow for the last game of the series at Fenway. The Sox are in trouble deep. The only uncertainty may be whether the Rays celebrate at Fenway Park or back in Tampa Bay.

     I don’t have the time to follow baseball like I used to, but I still look at the standings and watch a few ballgames on TV. And I have been paying attention to the playoffs. It’s more fun to watch if you have a team to root for or even against. And these final four playoff teams have a little of both.

I’m a Mets’ fan, so I won’t be pulling for the Phillies this year. I might otherwise, cause they’re not a bad team, but this year they screwed up the Mets, so now it’s revenge time. I used to be a big Dodgers fan in the days of Lasorda, but then he retired and the team was bought by the Rup, so that killed my interest in the Dodgers. But I’ll take them anytime over the Phillies, especially with Manny on board. Go Dodgers.

Now to the American league. Can’t stand the Yankees or the Red Sox. It was sweet to see the Yankees not even make the playoffs this year. Boston is just as bad. They whined as perennial losers and they’re annoying as winners. The Rays are sort of in my neutral category. Don’t have feelings one way or another about the team. But since they’re playing the Sox, go Tamp Bay.

Hopefully, if things turn out the way I want, the Rays and the Dodgers will win their respective league pennants, and I’ll take the Dodgers in the Series. That’s a lot of things that have to go just right, but time will tell.