Welcome to Earth

I picked up a second job at the beginning of the year, working with kids in schools. It was going good at first, but due to a recent shift in my caseload, I now truly and utterly despise it. So for a few days over the last week or two, I've been going to work in a shirt and slacks, and throwing a tie and suit-coat on after I leave, so I can interview with other companies. It's kind of like cheating on my current job. I've been offered a job as an insurance salesman. Not exactly glamorous, but it's a hell of a lot better than the current job I'm pulling - I had a more stimulating place of employment when I was 14 than I do now. Plus, I can make some half-decent money, and maybe start making a dent in my 3-month overdue gas bill. Somehow I thought life after school would be more glamorous than all this. Oh well. Better go call up my company and drop the two week notice - two weeks into the job.

Sorry about the last post - I actually did structure it into separate paragraphs, but tblog is apparently so advanced these days that I can no longer write how I want to. It runs all of my sentences together, giving me no control of spacing, paragraphs, etc. So read on, but until I figure out how to fix this mess that tblog has made, it's going to be a little ugly.

I'm late writing on this one, because tblog went apeshit and became good-looking all of a sudden. It'll take me some time to get my old graphics up (maybe some new ones, if it goes well) because I've never allowed myself the time to learn HTML. ANYWAYS, onto the story of the year. Last year, the Pittsburgh Steelers were 15-1 to close off the regular season. Number 1 seed in the AFC, which is clearly the more dominant of the 2 existing NFL conferences. So why didn't people in Pittsburgh feel like the Steelers would win the Superbowl? Seriously - despite the incredible record, people weren't sure that the Steelers could go all the way. These thoughts proved to be realistic when the Steelers got pounded in the AFC Championship game against the Patriots, who went on to win their 3rd Super Bowl title in 4 years. Things are different this year. Late November, not even a full 2 months ago, Pittsburgh fans were gloomy. The Steelers had dropped 3 straight games, to fall to 7-5. The injury to Ben Roethlisberger looked like it might have cost the Steelers their chance at the playoffs. The Bengals were hot, and clear favorites to win the division (which they did). Only by winning the last 4 games of the season, 2 of which were against tough oppenents, could the Steelers even hope for a wildcard berth. Then came the machine. The onslaught. The power, passion, and play-making. The Pittsburgh Steelers. The final 4 opponents of the regular season fell to the Steelers' resurgent effort like lambs to the slaughter. The Steelers put together a scoring effort that ranked in the top 5 3-game scoring totals of Steelers history. The defense held the opposition to paltry totals, holding the Bears to 9, the Vikings to 3, and the Browns to 0, before giving up a few touchdowns to the Lions in the final game of the season. The Steelers cemented their playoff berth in a convincing manner. Still, it was a #6 seed. The bottom of the wildcard. A spot typically reserved for the team that's all flash and balls, and no real potential. Never in NFL history had a #6 seeded team made it past the first 2 playoff games, much less to a Superbowl. Pittsburgh might put up a fight against Cincinnati, the division winner. They might even win. But they wouldn't hold a candle to the almighty Colts. The Steelers were doomed to an early playoff exit, and a city full of disapointed fans starting gloomily into their beer mugs, dreaming about what could've been. The wildcard playoffs began. The Patriots spanked the woefully inept Jaguars. The Redskins upset the Buccaneers. And the Steelers soundly beat up the Bengals, but the injury to Pro-bowl Bengals QB Carson Palmer in the opening moments of the game caused many to question the legitimacy of the Steeler's attack. Could they have beaten the Bengals had Palmer remained healthy throughout the game? After a week of half-hearted sports debate and shallow analysis on the limits of the remaining skill players (finally, no more talk about Chad Johnson), the teams were gearing up for the divisional playoffs. The real playoffs. Here, in these four games, we would sort the contenders from the pretenders. We would learn who had a shot at greatness, and who should've just stayed home to begin with. It started with a predictable Seattle win (go Seahawks! - closet fan, since I was born in Washington state) over the offensively challenged Redskins. It continued with the defending champion Patriots visiting the formidable Denver Broncos - a game in which the Patriots outplayed the Broncos, but lost due to mistakes and sloppy play. But the real game of the weekend was the Steelers vs. the Colts. Not because it was going to be a close game, no.. but because it would be a chance for the world to see the soon to be champion Colts unleash their offensive power against the hard-working but hapless Steelers, who would never be able to keep up with Peyton Manning and his scoring machine. The game started, and as I watched from my perch on the ugly old couch at work, I found myself expressionless in those opening minutes. I wanted the game to be over before the first ball had even been snapped. It's just a game, sure - but I've been watching this team for the last 4 months, living and dying with every win and loss they've endured. To see it all end in such an anti-climactic fashion was almost painful. I didn't want to watch the Colts beat up on the Steelers again. (See my earlier post for my reaction to the regular season matchup). Yet I felt an obligation to watch. I wasn't going to abandon my team, win or lose. And hey, as they say... any given Sunday, right? Roethlisberger bulleted a pass into Randle El's gut for a touchdown on the opening drive that was effortless and perfect. My fists clenched with excitement, but I wasn't going to get carried away. We hadn't yet seen Manning and the Colts take the field. One good drive wasn't going to amount to much over the course of 4 quarters, right? Manning got the ball next. Incomplete on 2 passes. James couldn't find any running space against' the Steelers stout defense. Three-and-out. My palms might've started to sweat a little under my tightly-clenched fists, but I wasn't ready to celebrate yet. Dwight Freeney was just waiting to sack Roethlistberger's ass all night, right? No way could we repeat that opening drive. And we didn't. The Steelers marched down the field again courtesy of Big Ben's immaculate passing, but a perfectly timed hit on Roethlisberger's arm as he tossed an end-zone oriented ball turned what would be a touchdown pass into an interception. The Colts weren't going to lose this one. The Championship belonged to them, and that's all there was to it. Then the Steelers' D shut out the Colts offense again. Then the Steelers' offense marched down the field and scored another touchdown. It all happened so fast, I could really comprehend the fact that the Steelers were whooping the Colts. It was too good to be true. Still, I remained the eternal cynic. 14 points wasn't much for the Colts. As soon as they got that offensive juggernaut in gear, the lead would melt, and the Colts would pull away without a problem. Boy was I wrong. Entering the final quarter of the game, the Steelers led the colts 21 to 3, courtesy of a flying Jerome Bettis touchdown run. Despite the fact that they were on the road, against a team favored to win the Superbowl, and against biased referees, they were kicking some serious ass. My throat was hurting from the cheering and yelling. Then the shit hit the fan. The Steelers' coaches made the mistake of trying to close off the game in a conservative fashion against a pissed off Colts team. The Steeler's blitzing, that had been so effective all night long against Manning's offense, backed off for a more conventional pass-coverage scheme. The Steeler's offense left the passing game and committed to the run, with the intention of knocking as many minutes off the clock as possible. And the Steelers paid for it. Manning fired a pass to Dallas Clark for a 50+ yard touchdown, putting a sudden end to the Colt's offensive woes. After the officials raped Troy Polumalu of a clear interception on the next possesion, (read about it in ANY major sports publication) the Colts put James in position to run another touchdown in. A 2-point conversion pass from Manning to Reggie Wayne brought the score within 3 points. The Steelers couldn't get the offense moving on the next possession, the Colts got the ball back with time left, and suddenly things looked bad. My entire body felt worn out. I didn't know what to do. My head started to hurt. That's when Pittsburgh brought back the blitz. Manning was sacked, and sacked again. The final play of the Colts' drive was a 4th and 16, and Manning was team-tackled by pro-bowl linebacked James Farrior and Joey Porter on the 2 yard line. The ball belonged to the Steelers, the game was over. All Pittsburgh had to do was give the ball to Bettis and run it in. One easy 2 yard touchdown, by the most reliable short-yardage back in NFL history was a no-brainer. My headache seemed to have vanished. Euphoria replaced my previous anxiety. All was right with the world. An almost zen-like peace took hold. Then Colts' LB Brackket put his helmet right between Bettis' chest and the football. The ball went spiralling out into the air, in the wrong direction. In the Colts' direction. Colts' cornerback Neil Harper, still recovering from a knife wound to his knee (inflicted on him by his wife, apparently) leaped onto the ball, and took off running. There wasn't a Steeler in sight to stop him. Harper surged forward as the remaining Colts fans filled the RCA dome with thunderous roars - only the big, lumbering Roethlisberger was left to stop Harper from stealing what was a guaranteed win for the Steelers only seconds ago. Somehow, Ben managed to fall backwards and catch the legs of the much faster man, tripping him up and saving the game. While the Colt's super-kicker Vanderjagt's miss of a 46 yard field goal might get more attention, it was this tackle by Roethlisberger that won the game for the Steelers. At that point, my brain had fried, my eyes were bloodshot, my throat was near breaking-point, and my entire body was near collapse (ok, maybe I'm exaggerating, but that's how I felt from and emotional standpoint). It was the greatest game of football I've ever watched. It was truly an experience. I don't know. Maybe the Steelers will win the Superbowl. Maybe they'll lose to the Broncos this Sunday. At this point, I have no idea what to expect. It's wide open. But if you get anything from reading this entire rant of a tired, slightly inebriated football fanatic, understand this: It's about passion. And seeing a team as passionate and dedicated as the Steelers defy all odds was something special. So tune in on Sunday, at 3 pm, I think on CBS. It's going to be either a great beginning or a great end for a football team that means more to me than is probably reasonable or healthy. But in these times of scumbag politicians, lies, corruption, and self-serving, bigoted assholes running our lives and telling us what to believe - it's refreshing to have something so pure as football. Try it. You might like it. Rizzo

I finally got my hands on a digital camera, courtesy of my very generous parents, so I'm trying to figure out how to use it. Here's a shot I took of my parrot, Sam. He (or she, I guess) looks nice, but don't be fooled - Sam is pure evil.