FAN: Taylor Swift & Def Leppard

Even though it debuted almost 6 months ago, I finally got a chance to see CMT Crossroads with Taylor Swift and Def Leppard. It's fantastic. I really like stripped down music and they did a good job. While her voice isn't powerful enough on some of the rock anthems, her strutting around the stage surely made up for it. I couldn't name a Taylor Swift song until today when my daughter saw the special and immediately downloaded Tears on my Guitar and White Horses. There's nothing wrong with Taylor's appearance. Def Leppard is another story. Joe Elliot looks good and has added another layer of character to his voice which is 20 years of hard livin'. Phil Collen is still a good showman and Rick Allen still isn't playing with a robotic arm. Rick Savage....looks like shit. He's on the train to Keith Richardsville. I like how they had both bands present. I went to the webiste for CMT Crossroads to see what other ones exist and I'd really like to catch the 2002 Kid Rock and Hank Jr. but I'm not sure they replay editions that old.

FAN: Best Part Of My Daycicle

I love these NorthEast temperatures right now. It's perfect for running. I went out tonight after dinner with princess. It was a shade over 50 degrees and a little windy at the loop. Superb weather for the really thin long sleeve running shirts and shorts. Also get to hear the sound I hate most as aluminum bats meet balls thrown by coaches as there are four diamonds within the loop. Princess rides her bike in the opposite direction as me on the half mile loop so we pass each other a lot. When I get back to the house on a night like this, with the temperatures falling quickly after 7:00 pm, there is nothing I like more than to relax in the hot tub for 20-30 minutes with my thoughts. Get a nice drink and breath in the chlorine steam as those jets hit you so hard they push you off your seat. I get my drink, get changed, get a towel, throw up the lid.....and the digital readout is staring up at me smiling with a big "65" on it. Huh? Wtf? I put a finger in. Yup, it's cold alright. The heat light isn't on either. Hmmmmmm. I hit a jet button and instead of agitated water, I hear a hum. I knew immediately what the issue was. You see, Princess doesn't like the jets on. Nevermind there are two completely different sets of jets. Nevermind there is a seat with zero jets on it. Nevermind there are two settings to one of the pumps. She turns them all to the OFF position manully inside the tub. She likes to just sit there like it's bath water sometimes. Most times. When we're in together, I have to tell her to leave some open because thats how the water cycles through the filter and the heat. I'm sure she hears "blah blah blah blah". She gets that from her mother. Well, Princess had a sleepover last Saturday night with two other girls here. They went out in the hot tub. Hmmmm. Imagine that. There were dolls out there....swim goggles..... You know what Barbie hair does to filters? Anyway, when I came back in to pronounce the water temperature at 65, I got a lot of looks. Yeah, the water isn't cycling THROUGH THE INTAKES AND THE HEATER. Oh. Nooooooooow we understand. "Sorry, Daddy". (sigh) It's Ok, Princess, give Daddy a hug. I'm going to go take a shower. I'm lucky the motors didn't burn out on the normal cycles. I saw a little water being pushed through the jets that don't cycle so there must have been extreme pressure on the ones she closed. Lucky really that a hose didn't burst. (sigh) Men, don't burst your hot hoses.

Nice Ghetto Umbrella

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

DOG: When Greedy Dickheads Fight

Look what I got in my email yesterday! A message from the NFL Network reminding me of how I can watch their gluttenous marketing machine after they discontinue being distributed by Comcast. And every time I turn my TV on I am reminded by Comcast that the big bad NFL is making them take NFL Network off the air. When they could include it in Basic Cable and continue to carry it. A pack of liars both of them.

Let's get one thing clear, both Comcast and the NFL are dickheads. They are like two greedy children fighting over the same toy. Pulling it in opposite directions so hard that it comes apart at the seams and nobody can play with it. Comcast refuses to let basic subscribers watch the NFL Network and charges a premium to it's customers who must order a "Sports Package" in order to receive the NFL Network. The NFL charges Comcast to carry the NFL Network but doesn't want the customers to have to pay extra for it. The dickheads are at an impasse. And on May 1 Comcast will remove the NFL Network altogether... without reducing the charges for it's "Sports Package" too!

Roger Goddell is building a legacy of slowly killing the goose that laid the golden egg. All he is interested in is building new revenue streams with no regard for the product on the field. An 18 game season is ludicrous but it will be upon us before we know it. His rule changes (a complete new topic for another day) are unbelievably stupid. His attempted manipulation of the cable TV industry is almost as preposterous as his shit-ass network. He has practically run Steve Sabol and NFL Films out of the NFL. Everything is about the NFL Network. When the best shows on NFL Network are the NFL Films productions!

The long term goal here is to put all NFL games on the NFL Network as pay per view attractions. The only flaw in this plan is that the pussified rule changes he keeps implementing will drive the true fan away from the game. People will still watch it but the NFL will become just like the WWE.

As for Comcast, they know their days are numbered anyway and are just trying to suck every dollar out of the consumer they can before the entire cable industry as it exists today becomes defunct.

I hate Comcast because they don't care about the consumer and I hate the NFL because they don't care either. And I really hate the NFL when they put Steeler games on their stupid exclusive NFL Network Thursday night broadcasts.

If your goal is service you likely will make a profit. If your goal is profit you likely will go bankrupt. Hey NFL and Comcast, remember that GM was once sitting on top of the world and look at them now. Putting money ahead of people nets the same result every time.

To whoever at Verizon can help: Please bring Fios soon!

DOG: TuneGlue

I found the coolest relationship software that can graphically link the relationship between musical artists.

It's called TuneGlue. To start off with you enter the name of an artist. Then you click on that artist and choose the Expand option which displays direct relationships. Then you can go wild and expand as far as you want while the graphic creates an ever expanding web of relationships between artists.

I chose Seth Walker who Still A. While recommended in my latest What Are You Listening To. And sure enough there is a relationship between Walker and my featured artist this time, Michael Burks. Twice removed via a guy named Charlie Wood. But there nonetheless.

I invite you to check out and play with TuneGlue. You will be surprised at the creative relationships between artists.

DOG: Stillers Draft Analysis

And with the 32nd pick the Pittsburgh Steelers select... Eric Wood, C, Louisville

With the NFL Draft just 3 short weeks away... Here's the Steel City Slant on the 2009 NFL Draft as it impacts the Pittsburgh Steelers. This is not a prediction of who the Stillers will draft. This is not a mock draft of all the teams. This is an article for our loyal readers which gives some insight into the draft and some names to keep track of no matter who the players get drafted by.

I will mention some players I am actively rooting for to become Pittsburgh Steelers. I have an extremely poor history with this. Hardly anybody I ever want to be a Steeler ends up being one. This goes clean back to 1970 when I wanted either DT Mike Reid of Penn State or WR Walker Gillette of Richmond and we got Terry Bradshaw of Louisiana Tech. Reid was a great NFL player for the Bengals but ended up quitting football to become a concert pianist after only 6 or 7 NFL seasons. Gillette was a first round pick for the Chargers but was a marginal NFL player for 7 seasons. The lone exception to my horrid streak? Franco Harris. I hope this year is an exception too. So, in the vernacular of the true Stiller fan, here we go...

At the top of my wish list for this year is a 6-4, 310 C-G out of Louisville, Eric Wood (pictured above). This guy started every game he was eligible to play (47) in for 4 years at Louisville. He addresses a need on the offensive line at more than one position. Initially rated as a Round 2 or Round 3 selection he is moving up the charts from his workouts. With us drafting at 1.32 I wouldn't mind picking him in round 1 as I am pretty certain he will not be around by 2.64 unless we trade up in round 2 to get him. He just sounds like a Steeler, looks like a Steeler, and says he'd most likely fit into a "hard hitting franchise like the Steelers." If you look deep into his eyes you can see Mike Webster in there.

Another possibility for the Center position is 6-4, 311, Alex Mack of California. Mack is the top rated Center going into the draft but may have a tougher time at Guard. Plus he is from California which indicates he is "soft" right there. But the report is that he gets down real low and exerts great leverage over the opponent. So he's a possibility even though he may be gone by 1.32.

A longershot for the later rounds, possibly round 6 or 7 is Blake Schlueter, a 6-2, 290, Center from TCU.

Another early round choice to fill an offensive line spot could be Duke Robinson a 6-5, 329 Guard from Oklahoma. He is pretty highly rated, and for that reason I just don't see us getting a shot at him but he's an interesting prospect.

The only Tackle I'm going to mention is 6-6, 318, Jason Watkins of Florida who has had a visit with the Steelers so he's a definite possibility in rounds 4 or 5 most likely.

OK so that addresses the offensive line, widely acknowledged by Stiller fans as our area of greatest concern.

Next up is Cornerback and Safety. Our second greatest area of concern with the aging of DeShea Townsend and the departures of Anthony Smith and Bryant McFadden.

There are two cornerbacks I'd like to see us draft but I don't think we'll get either one of them because they are too highly rated and we are drafting last. But if one of these guys would happen to fall into our laps (a la Santonio Holmes) I'd be happy seeing either one in black and gold. And they are Alphonso Smith (5-9, 193) from Wake Forest and DJ Moore(5-9. 162) out of Vanderbilt. Both are "shorties" with the speed and athleticism to cover anybody all over the field. I expect both to be gone by mid round 1 however.

More realisitically, Domoique Johnson at 6-1, 197 from Jackson State in about round 5 could be our pick. And in the 7th round or as a UFDA, look at 5-11, 185 Darren Banks from little West Liberty State down in West Virginia. He's met with the Steelers as well.

On to priority number 3 as I see it, the aging of the defensive line.

Aaron Smith, Brett Keisel, Casey Hampton, and Chris Hoke, our 4 best defensive linemen are all on the wrong side of 30 and so are their backups. So we need not only some depth here but finding a player who can be a starter in year 2 is vital.

At the top of my wish list for defensive line is Pereia Jerry, a DT from Ole Miss who could translate to a 3-4 DE at 6-2, and 299. Again, Jerry is highly regarded and is probably someone's round 2 selection, most likely not ours.

A name that is often linked to the Steelers is another college DT who translates as a 3-4 DE and that is Jarron Gilbert (6-5, 288) from San Diego State. Gilbert will probably go in round 3 and we have two selections in that round. So I'd say he has a chance depending on how the front office feels about him.

Dorrell Scott (6-3, 312) from Clemson is also a possibility, most likely in round 4 or later.

A couple linebackers to keep your eye on, because you just don't know how many quality linebackers Tomlin thinks he can use, are: Connor Barwin (6-4, 256) out of Cincinatti and Larry English (6-2, 254) from Northern Illinois. I can't imagine either one going any later than round 3, and probably higher. But we'll see.

We've got a WR slot up for grabs with the departure of Nate Washington and I've got a couple guys to keep your eye on for filling that slot. First and foremost is Brian Robiskie of Ohio State. His dad is/was an NFL player and coach. Plus we'd have a pair of Buckeyes in Robiskie and Holmes if we could get him. He's not afraid to block which is a necessity at WR anytime Hines Ward is on your team. He's probably round 2-3 material so again we'll just have to see how the cookie crumbles.

Another couple of possibilities at WR are Juaquin Iglesias (6-1, 210) from Oklahoma and Mohamed Massaquoi (6-2, 204) from Georgia. Both of these guys could go anywhere from round 2 through round 4. Steelers have expressed some limited interest in Massaquoi but I'd imagine it'd depend on how far he dropped.

Now for the miscellaneous and "Best Player Available" possibilities.

There are two guys who are tops in this category. First, Fullback Frank "The Tank" Summers, at 5-9 240 from UNLV who could be the short yardage guy we've been missing since Bettis retired. Maybe we can replace "The Bus" with "The Tank?" And second is WR/QB Pat White (6-0 197) of West Virginia. White could be the possibility at WR if the guys I mentioned above in that category aren't available. White looks like no better than a 5th rounder but most likely a 6th or 7th rounder. He has already stated that he's a Steeler fan and would love to play in Pittsburgh. Which is to be expected having spent his last 4 years setting offensive records in Morgantown.

In order of preference, here's the players I'd love to see us get with no regard for the round in which we get them.

1. Eric Wood
2. Pat White
3. Brian Robiskie
4. Jarron Gilbert
5. Frank "The Tank" Summers
6. DJ Moore
7. Peria Jerry

Also wanted to mention that the fullback from Texas A&M who scored a ton of TDs as a junior and was highly regarded a year ago, Javorksie Lane, has been scratched from my list. Apparently Mean Joe Greene attended Lane's workout on campus and Lane had ballooned from his playing weight of 270 up to 290 and ran a 40 yard dash in which Casey Hampton could have beaten him. When asked, Greene said that having difficulty managing weight when you know you're being timed for the pros is often indicative of other potential problems. I guess it's kinda like wearing a t-shirt and cutoffs to a job interview. Anyway, don't look for Javorskie Lane to be a Steeler.

So that's what I've got here a few weeks before the draft. I doubt much will change between now and then. I'll let Fan grade my scouting after we see who the Steelers pick. Based on my track record it'll be very few to none of these guys. But we shall see.

FAN: The Next Twitter, New Killer Social App

This just in, if you Tweet, stop, it's over. There's a new killer app that's taking over social web 2.0. Before we get to the new app, let's take a virtual walk down internal memory lane. Remember the early 90's when most companies started using email? Wasn't it great? You didn't have to call anybody in your office. You got 7 or 8 a day. It was all internal and it was fabulous. Then you got hooked up at home on sweet, sweet dial-up. AOL. NetZero. ...remember how happy you were when yo uheard the fuzzy scratchy noise meaning you finally connected after dialing only 11 times! Yes kids, there was a setting on your dial-up app where you told it how many times to redial in case your retarded provider didn't have enough lines in your area. Your office probably connected to the outside world and now you could send and receive email virtually all day. Sigh. Then you got bored, right? You started receiving jokes. You got the same jokes from 18 different people. You were going to get paid by Bill Gates to forward email. You were warned about this virus and that virus. You chuckled at the forwarded emails containing the origins of such famous sayings as "the whole nine yards" and "don't look a gift horse in the mouth". Boring. But then came adding pictures to email and it was fun again. For a few months. Your friends would scan in a photo of their kid and email you a file that took 2 minutes to download even at 56k. You would give up after the top of the baby's head and eyeballs were finally painted on the screen. Chat rooms came and went. Forums were full of scary trolls. Email was boring again. The thing that changed was the amount you would get. You had so much to answer and so many to send that you started making them much shorter. Instead of a few paragraphs you sent one paragraph. Maybe two. I know, instead of sending out emails about myself I'll start a blog. I can write a few paragraphs again and I don't have to send all those long emails. Now my friends know what I'm doing if they read my blog. This is so cool! Enter texting. Now I don't even have to talk to you! I'll just text your phone so you don't have to check your email. Perfect. We can text back and forth like we're talking. It's too hard to type all those letters so we'll make up abbreviations. idk. srsly? fu. Social networks sprung up out of nowhere. I'll leave my blog entries and updates on MySpace. Huh, what? You don't remember MySpace? It was Facebook before, well, Facebook. Now I can leave even shorter updates on Facebook. A few sentences here....a few sentences there. "Don't bother me at work today, I'm very busy." "Hey it's Friday, guess who is going to get shi-at faced tonight?" People got really tired of the long Facebook entries. People were writing like 3 or 4 sentences. I don't know about you, but I don't have time for that. It was literally taking me 8 or 9 minutes a day to read all of my friend's updates. Tweet Tweet. Somebody turned me on to Twitter. I could run Twitter while I was online and see what my people were up to. "Boss is a dickhead" "Going to Pilates home in an hour". I could get them on my phone and I wasted fewer time.....until now. I got a Tweet this morning to check out Bla.com or Bla for short. They kind of ripped off Twitter, but not really because they are forcing you to choose you words, or word more wisely. You see, Bla only gives you 8 characters and you can only transmit 8 Blas per day. Old school if you think about it. We're back to 8 bytes. Badass. I checked a friend's Bla's yesterday. Oh yeah, no more getting confused about how to use the words "Twitter" or "Tweet"......a Bla is simply a Bla submission. It's recursive use of the word itself. Is that correct? Should I just say "It's recursive"? Anyway. I checked her Blas.

6:52 - awake 7:41 - Trfc sux 8:14 - @work 9:27 - bozstill 9:28 - dickhead 11:32 - strbux 2:31 - daywtend 5:22 - trfc sux 6:14 - mcd drvt 7:10 - ihvbrats 8:22 - fnlykdbd 8:23 - vodka 8:37 - vokda2 9:11 - vofkda 10:21 - hubfrsky 10:22 - noefnway

I hear the makers of Twitter are frantically working on a monosyllabic vertical. Sup

DOG: What Are You Listening TO? #6

Michael Burks - I Smell Smoke

It's been a few weeks since I posted one of these of my very own. In the spotlight today at my house is the music of Michael Burks. I don't know how the sounds of such a hot blues guitarist could have escaped me for so long but this guy just burns. His sound is a bit like that of Albert King, perhaps because Burks too uses the "Flying V" guitar favored by Albert. But Burks also uses a Les Paul and has a sound all his own. Anyway he's at the top of my list for right now.

The rest are:

5. Downchild Blues Band: Live At The Palais Royale

If you want to hear the band upon which the Blues Brothers is based, this is it.

4. Robin Trower: Living Out Of Time - Live!

This live album is much better than most of his studio stuff.

3. Eumir Deodato: Prelude and Deodato 2

Can't get that Brazilian music out of my head... don't really want to.

2. Fela Kuti: The '69 Los Angeles Sessions

The more I listen to Fela the more I like him. This album fuses Afro-Beat with American Funk. One listen and you'll recognize that funk music did indeed come from Africa too.

FAN: Amish Beliefs

So my little princess is studying the Amish in social studies. My wife made like Alex Trabek while we tried to beat each other with the answers. I learned things while playing the game the last two nights that I didn't know before. I don't want to get into that because I feel a little silly when my nine-year-old knows things that I don't, but a hilarious thought came to my head while soaking up all the Amishisms. I understand, as part of their belief system, not using automobiles. I understand not having televisions and or radios. I understand not using electricity. I'm not sure if there is a certain date (year) that is used to cut-off all technological advances....I don't know that much about it. And no, that's not the funny part to me. What's funny to me is that listed among the Amish facts under the umbrella of simplicity, not decorated and the like is this gem: The Amish do not wear belts. Hmmm. I'm gonna hafta let that one maronate a bit. Belts? Surely they aren't comparing a piece of rope with a knot in it to "mysteriously catching magic voices out of the air and playing them on this box born of Satan". I can just hear Ezekiel screaming in anguish the day his son ran up to him saying "Father, Father, look Father...Hence forth this ropeth holdeth up my trousers, sir". His father's scream ended with a right hand across the mouth that sent the youth stumbling backwards onto the ground. As he slowly wiped the blood from his lower lip while looking up into his father's enraged eyes, he'll never forget the words he spoke "Jebadiah, you have disappointed me son. We have given you shelter in our house with no spark strings. We have fed you with our corn and cattle. We have given you fancy book learnin'. We have given you everything son, and you....you.....you slither the evil serpent around your tiny waist....to hold your pants up like magic, boy.....like a warlock.......this is how you repay us?". The dude in the picture is wearing GLASSES. He can't wear a belt? Are their shoes slip ons or are they allowed to tie them? Seriously. Think of how stupid that is. There has to be a better reason and I will research it later tonight. When I'm done laughing. They can use rope to lift the side of a barn but not their pants?

FAN: Ravens are Chicken of Steelers

While reading Peter King's Monday Morning Quarterback, I was a little shocked to read this:

The NFL doesn't have great options for the Steelers for opening night, Sept. 10. San Diego, Green Bay and Tennessee are the best ones (the Ravens have requested not to be prime-time fodder for the Steelers for the fourth time in three years), and I'm hearing the Titans are favorite sons here. Roethlisberger-Collins. Young stud versus old. And don't forget the infamous towel-stomping incident -- I know the Steelers haven't. Good matchup if it happens. Very good. The football world approves.

The Ravens don't want any part of us in prime time. That's hilarious. What a lousy attitude. Ray does sort of resemble a chicken when the camera is on him and he's going through his very tired dramatic act. If he would have switched teams I bet he would have went to the NFC just so he'd only have to play us one more time in the next 4 years. Losers.

DOG: No Jokin', We Be Smokin'!!

After consulting with Emmitt Smith for an appropriate title...

Well, spring was definitely in the air today. From the incessant hammering of ole Woodpecker on my trees and telephone pole at 7:00am and the warm sunshine, to the soft wafting of apple smoke across my back yard. Spring has sprung. And that means it's time to do some outdoor cooking!

So, a few months back my boss, who is an avid hunter and outdoorsman, asked me if I wanted any venison or trout to cook. I always jump at the chance for game meat so I said 'yes.' Apparently other folks did too and instead of my usual couple of venison steaks and half a dozen trout I got 3 skinny venison steaks and two wild turkey breasts. He said, "Nobody wanted the turkey breasts and I figured you'd know what to do with them better than anyone anyway."

Armed with two huge wild turkey breasts I proceeded to mix up a brine of honey, sherry, lemon juice and salt. And I brined the breasts overnight in the beer fridge in the garage. This morning about 11:30, with the sound of ole Woodpecker still in the background, I fired up my first batch of Cowboy charcoal. By 12:30 I had them bad boys on the grates. And at 12:45 I added my first batch of apple wood to the fire.

A couple of my buddies came over with the intention of watching NCAA basketball. But it was such a nice day and the smoke smelled so good, we just sat out on the patio, tended the smoker, and drank beer for 3 hours while the turkey slowly cooked.

At 3:30 I served up a couple of outstanding turkey breasts. I was surprised at how well they came out and how good they tasted. Up until today the only kind of Wild Turkey I had tasted came in a bottle from the liquor store. But now I'm thinking I might buy some turkey breasts at the grocery store and do this again.

If anybody wants the recipe, just say so in the comments.

FAN: New Steelers Plate

So, almost 3 years to the day since I last changed my plates, and I think this one is a bit more obvious. I used to see people in my rearview mirror trying to figure the other one out so I'm hoping this one sinks in right away. I'm a little pissed that I didn't get SIXBURG or SIXBERG, but this is cool too. I sent the form in on Monday after the Super Bowl. The only way somebody got it in faster than me was to have an inside source start the processing on Monday morning for them with a form prefilled. Had to be. HAD to be. My only concern with this one is that people may associate it with PITT as in Panthers...and mistake the 6SB for class of '65 or something. I doubt it and it's good to be driving around Eagle country with it. I love it. I hope I get to change it next year too!

FAN: Obama Gets Retarded Karma

The liberal left would have crucified Bush if he said it.

FAN: Hilary Swank on American Idol?

I think it's cool that Hilary Swank guested on AI this week. I never knew she sang country. Apparently she's a big deal at the Grand 'Ole Orthodontist. She looks much older than when she first appeared on the scene in Boys Don't Cry. I told my daughter she looked like a skeleton with hair. Scary. Some of the faces she made while singing the duet with Carrie Givesmewood were priceless. She almost looks worse than that other country singer, Lyle Lovett. (Shudders) I love it when celebrities age poorly. Hard livin', man. Happens all the time.

FAN: Slanted Captions: Turtle Love

"Shit Roger, again? We aren't supposed to do anything that fast."

FAN: Will Ferrell Broadway Bush

HBO ran Will Ferrell's Broadway show live last night and it was pretty good. While it wasn't a laugh a minute, some parts were hilarious. A Condi Rice look-alike pops out at one point and they do a 3 minute dance that looks like a 'Lil Wayne video. He's really good as George W. Better than he ever was on SNL. If you get a chance, check it out. Even if you swing to the right, it's hard not to appreciate this.

DOG: Love In The Time Of Cholera

After Fan's Pan of Righteous Kill, I'll give you a movie that is an absolute must see. It's called Love In The Time Of Cholera and it is a masterpiece. It's from 2007.

Based upon a novel by Gabriel García Márquez it takes place in Columbia between roughly 1880 and 1930. It creates a juxtaposition between the organized and the dissheveled styles of two men in love with the same woman. The sex scenes are realistic to the point of hilarity. The "body count" of our hero would make Wilt Chamberlain embarassed!

The acting is superb. The story is great. The stark reality of it will jump out and grab you. It is a love story beyond compare. This is the best movie I've seen in quite a few years. Please do yourself a favor and check this one out.

FAN: Cobolsaurus

I switched jobs (again) a few weeks ago. It's weird for me because after spending 13 years with one company and close to 4 with another - I've now hopped around a bit for my last 3 stays. I keep telling myself I'm looking for the last place to stay another 12 years. That will put me out of the game just around the time Princess finishes college and then if I want to still work at 52, I can go be a greeter at Walmart and kiss the corporate life goodbye - or at minimum work for myself and who cares if I hardly make anything. What's interesting to me about this stopover is that so far I haven't run into a Cobolsaurus. I've seen plenty of female BAradactiles, though....and I swore the big asteroid that hit took them all out, but when I make some arcane reference to a "copybook" or an "88 level variable" nobody laughs or wants to wax poetic about their past. Is it I that needs a mirror? C'mon! I haven't written a line of COBOL since 1997. It just so happens than coming out of school in 1991 afforded me insight into a different world. I'm young enough to talk architecture with today's Geese and Mavericks but I can still complain about them with people who understand VI and JCL and get a kick out of it when I say I used to know a girl in ops who had the best IDCANS. Will dinosaur industries like insurance still have batch jobs running 10 years from now? I don't know. The new model seems to be more dynamic. HTML gets thrown into a folder and some "listener" is waiting for it and it gets updated automatically. Who knows? Who cares anymore? I want to go work on some cool ass software somewhere. Of course, only if it will pay me the amount the insurance industry is paying me and only if they can promise to stay in business for a few years. Otherwise, I may as well just get comfortable somewhere where the asteroid has already hit, even though it's not "Google Type" cool software. I think you have to move to Seattle to do that and I'd end up shooting some fashion-coffee drinking wiki twitter freak.

FAN: De Niro Owes Me Some Dinero

I love a few Robert DeNiro movies. Love them. Goodfellas is one of my all-time favorites. I liked Casino a lot as well. Deer Hunter, Raging Bull, Taxi Driver, the list goes on and on. Notice anything about the list? That's right, they're all over 12 years old. Meet The Parents was good and it's 9 years old as well. It may be time for Bobby to fade away. If you look at his recent list on IMDB, it's pretty lame. I got all exctied when I heard about Righteous Kill with Al Pacino. It would be their first pairing since Heat where they barely shared the screen if I remember correctly. Well, I laid out $6 for the HD version of Righteous Kill last night on On Demand and while it didn't suck, it was far from good. I had it figured out well before the reveal. Even the scenes at the end that maybe would have been brilliant 15 years ago - looked like they were simply mailed in. In fact, I got angry at some scenes wondering why the acting wasn't better. Maybe the lines just weren't there, but I wasn't feeling this movie at all. Carla Gugino is nice to look at, but how believable is it that a 66 year-old guy would be banging a hot 37 year-old? Hollywood cracks me up. Maybe if the guy was loaded, but he's a cop.

DOG: BANG! The Real Kurt Warner

Today I'm going to turn all the followers of this blog on to one of the funniest sites EVER.

If you have a sense of humor and you like NFL Football then you're gonna love BANG! Cartoons. And remember folks, the truth lies just below the surface of humor.

The most recent cartoon is about Kurt Warner's post game interview with Andrea Kramer but be sure to check the archives. Pot-shots at the stupid abound on here, Pacman Jones, Mat Millen, Jerry Jones, Bill Belichick, John Madden, Al Davis are all satirized in truthful fashion.

Enjoy and bookmark in your favorites.

FAN: What Are You Listening To? #5

We had an intern at my last company that I kind of took under my wing. He was 21 and a lover of music. He liked both old and new stuff and when we traded, I had little time to listen to everything as it was close to 10 gigs of music. As I was perusing some clip links, I caught this fantastic performance of Death From Above 1979 on Conan O'Brian. It's a duo consisting of only Bass and Drums. Cool. Max even runs over to cover the drums for a while. Pretty cool. You have to hover the mouse around the dead black space until you find the controls for the player. Anyway, they were in the stuff I took from the intern and I've now listened to it all day. Read more about them here. They disbanded already and there isn't much of them out there - but I really dig the one studio album that they put out. If they got together with The White Stripes I guess they would have a full band. Sorry Stilladog, I stole your column! I didn't think you'd mind.

FAN: Blind Idol

Yes, American Idol has a blind finalist. I don't know about you, but I just can't see him winning.

RIM SHOT.

I am so ashamed of myself.

FAN: Marquis Cooper Was A Steeler

I had no idea Maquis Cooper was a Steeler in 2007. None. I thought the name sounded familiar, but after looking he wasn't active for very many games. If my choices were being a Raider or letting go of the boat, I guess I would have done the same thing.

DOG: Snow Day Literature

So, I got the much anticipated phone call at 8:00AM this morning that work was called off today on account of snow. I was a bit surprised because when I awoke at 4:00AM we had less than an inch of accumulation. But every day you don't have to work and still get paid is a good day!

Now I had the enviable task of figuring out how to enjoy my bonus day off. First off, sausages, biscuits, gravy and scrambled eggs. Next, up to the computer to float through cyberspace and see what I encounter. And what I encountered was a piece of literature I was first exposed to in 1970. George Orwell's 1984.

I downloaded it and dumped it into iTunes. And I have to say it is shocking at how accurately it depicts our current society. In fact, downright scary!

Everything from revising history to match the "official" version of the past to an all-knowing government which uses pervasive and constant surveillance of the populace... reminds me of going to the grocery store last week and reading the signs on the light poles that say the parking lot is under video surveillance 24 hours a day.

Anyway, much of 1984 depicts (predicts?) life in America in the early 2000s. If you've already read it, I still recommend a revised reading. If not, you have to check it out. If for no other reason than to understand the traffic citation you got from the camera at 4th and Main last month.

FAN: Steelers Free Agent Talk

It's that time of year again. The Super Bowl just ended and already the machine that is the NFL has us refocused on next season. I'm not finished marinating number SIX yet and here we go. We have a lot of players on the list this year, but not too many we have to worry about. Let's take a look first at the restricted players. Teams rarely sign another team's RFAs, but we'll go down the list anyway.

Willie Colon: I think if other sites graded him out, he would be about a C+ right now. No way anyone shows any interest. We will resign him relatively cheap.

Trai Essex: I'll pay for the cab fare to the airport. It's good that he knows the system and all and I suppose if you can get him for league minimum the learning curve is there, but he's never done anything for me as a player.

Chris Kemoeatu: Probably the best of the three? I'm not sure. It's a toss up between him and Willie. I don't expect other teams to come knocking. We'll resign him.

If Kemo and Colon continue to develop, it will work out nicely to resign them for 4-5 years while their stock is low. Next up, Unrestricted Free Agents. We're in very good shape here, the best in years. This may be the best chance for a team to repeat in recent history given their free agent situation.

Charlie Batch/Byron Leftwich: I think Leftwich thinks he can start. The thing is, who is going to give him a chance. Nobody is going to come calling Charlie. We have all the leverage. I say, let Leftwich go try the market. If he gets no starting offers, take him back as our #2. If Ben goes down, we are better off with Leftwich in my opinion. Batch runs the offense nicely when in there, but I have feeling if we need a long stretch, Lefty is the way to go. Charlie should be cheap as a #3 if he wants to stay. He's like another coach, really. If Leftwich goes, sign Batch and wait until after the draft for anundrafted free agent QB for #3.

Keyaron Fox: From what I remember, he made some nice special teams tackles as the first man down. He'll be so stinking cheap, why not resign him since he knows the system? If he goes, he goes. No loss.

Andre Frazier: See Keyaron Fox.

Sean McHugh: I'm indifferent. No loss if he goes.

Orpheus Roye: Do you know the story of the saying "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth"? Well, dude's teeth are pretty long. All he has going for him are the tricks of the trade that he's kearned over the years that help him battle youth, speed and strength. Let him walk. No offer.

Jamel White: Who in the Hell is this? Is the list I found accurate? Walk, no offer.

Nate Washington:I'm tempted to let him test the market. I like him, I really do and I want him to stay. However, if I'm playing Moneyball, the 3rd receiver is not a high paying job. We need to save those duckets for Santonio when he comes up. We didn't draft Limas Sweed to sit on the bench the entire game and he can play this position cheaper. Think about it, with Holmes, Miller and Ward running around in the secondary and Sweed ready after another full camp, I am predicting we lose Nate Washington and I'll wish him well.

Bryant McFadden: Here he is, boys, the one guy I don't want to lose this year. Sign him....tomorrow. Get 'r done.

Later this week: Draft Strategy. Dog, any issues with the FA assessment? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

DOG: We Are The Champions of the World!

We've got monkey's being shot. Last night I watched as the lower primates who occupy high representative positions in Washington DC congratulated themselves for giving away our money. Too much seriousness. Life is too important to be taken seriously.

I thought maybe we should just take a step back and remind ourselves that we are the Champions!

Hit it here for a wonderful slideshow.

Why Go Green?

That's a picture of my new mug at work - no more cups. We're going green baby, and you can't stop us. I do have a question, though. If 71 percent of the Earth's surface is water, why aren't we going Blue? Did green have better marketing?
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

FAN: Mortgage Schmortgage Obama

This is awesome.

I think the stupid percentage that you used to be able to go up to on your mortgage was something like 30 or 33% of your monthly gross wages as a household. I think I have a pretty big house. It's not even 18 years old. I've lived in it for 4 years. When we bought the house, the mortgage payment was about 17% of our monthly gross wages. Now, four years later, it's 14.5%. Am I in any danger of losing my house? Not even close. What if one of us loses our job? Still not even close. Why? We bought comfortably within our means. We drop our daughter off to play at some houses that two of ours would fit into...and ours isn't small by any means. Had we stayed in the first house we bought, our mortgage right now would be 8% of our monthly gross. When we bought that first house in 1996, the mortgage was about 21% of our monthly gross. I refinanced the first house twice in 8 years bringing down the payment substantially. I bought less house so I could save for retirement and my daughter's college fund. If the government is spending money wisely I don't complain too much about taxes and I understand the logic that the economy could do even worse if these knuckleheads are forced out onto the streets.....but for fuck's sake.....if we are going to bail people out to the tune of what they are talking about concerning mortgages....then there should be rules attached. You smoke? Not any more, dickhead. We're not giving you a dime of government money if you continue to smoke two packs a day or $14 that could be going to your mortgage. Your car cost what? Yea, I'm sorry asshole, but you'll be trading in your Acura for a Ford Focus....tomorrow. We'll pay your mortgage, but the 52" Sony Bravia XBR4 is going right the fuck back to Best Buy where you can pick up your new 27" tube job. Eating out? Nope. Not, if we're paying your mortgage, dillweed. See, the government is going to make a new ID card you need if your rate got dropped due to your stupidity. You'll be leaving Legal Seafood and moving down to the Ground Round y'all. Ya Hear? Snowflake is in Private School? Not anymore she's not. Now she might end up behind the stairs making out with somebody of whom you don't approve. I am royally pissed off about this. I can't wait to hear the Dog's take on it. From my count, the Dog owns 5 houses...yes 5. Is he in any danger of losing any of them? Hell No, I wouldn't be surprised if 3 or 4 of them are paid off. Stupid people suck. There are people who bought under their limit and are doing all the right things and are having trouble keeping their heads above water and I respect the shit out of them. They are not the object of my scorn so don't think me heartless. My scorn is well placed and well deserved. I could rant on this all night and have before in the past. This is almost 3 years old.

DOG: Shoot The Monkey!

What to make of recent news that the cops shot a Connecticut monkey, who was on wine and Xanax, beating the shit out of some woman?

What to make of the NY Post editorial cartoon linking the monkey's shooting to President Obama's Economic "Deterrent" Package?

Al Sharpton (surprise surprise) thought it was racist. Not sure why, Obama isn't even from Connecticut... although wine and Xanax are possibilities.

I thought the cartoon was funny. The truth lies just below the surface of humor.

What do you think? Reply in the comments or the monkey will shoot you!

FAN: Learn Japanese 1-2-3

The following is a translation of the above clip. How did I translate it you ask? Easy, I used Rosetta Stone software. Feel free to correct me if you think I'm wrong. I suggest hitting play and then reading this while you listen.

Japanese Woman (JW): What do you mean the boxed meal was changed from eel to smallish turkey sandwiches cut into tiny triangles with no crust? Out of my way, security scum, I want my eel....right now!

Female Security Guard (FSG) muffled: Ma'am please calm down.

JW: (sobbing, then irate) I want some fucking eel RIGHT FUCKING NOW!!!!

Unseen Male (UM): That bitch is crazy.

JW: (Uncontrollable Crying)

Japanese Woman's Husband (JWH): Jesus Christ, Fran, you just had eel 2 days ago. Is it that big of a deal? You are dishonoring my family name.

JW: I will now lie on my back to show my disapproval. Fuck your family name you limp dick bastard. You never take my side, Hal, NEVER! I want my fucking eel!

Japanese Woman's Father (JWF): That's a girl, honey....come on, get up before you make a scene.

JW: No. No. I am laying back down. I will now make a carpet angel to show my displeasure.

JWF: (pleading now....more agitated)

JW: NO! I will sit here, right here, until they bring me fine fine eel, wrapped in delicate seaweed...right here, I Say! Waaaaaaaaaah.

JWF: (more pleading)

JW: Gwt your hands off me old man. Hey, this carpet is really high quality. I said get YOUR HANDS OFF ME OLD MAN!!!! (starting to relent) I guess the turkey won't be that bad. Will there be mayonaisse? In packets? Individual packets? (slamming hand down) I will EAT your turkey sandwich....with no crust....and in triangular pieces....but ONLY if there's mayonaisse....ONLY if there's mayonaisse....ONLY....Ohhhhhhh (jarbled)

FAN: Search For AutoPilot Begins

I guess the Feds will be looking for this guy. Sorry, couldn't resist. Rio, I apologize in advance if you take offense to this. He looks like my last boss.

FAN: You Can't Ice A Psychopath

Jeff Reed 1 Sheetz Paper Towel Dispenser 0

Come on, you hate it too when you have to wipe your wet hands on your nice pants. This guy better retire a Steeler, that's all I know. I don't care if he's bat shit crazy. He's the most money guy we've had since Gary Anderson and he has a stronger leg. He also throws his head into some tackles. Personally, I want to hang out with him some night. Talk about having some stories to tell.........

DOG: What Are You Listening To? #4

With Valentines Day approaching I'll bet lots of folks are searching for some romantic music to set the stage for a zesty session tomorrow... eh? So in our 4th WAYLT segment we'll talk about what you could use for that, and what we've been pounding into our heads via those little holes in each ear.

For Valentines Day, nearly the first thing you should have in your music collection is some Barry White. Man, if you can't get laid with some Barry White playing on Valentines day after 2 dozen roses, a box of chocolate, and a bottle of wine (or 2 or 3 depending on what he/she looks like), then you ladies need to invest in a battery powered "personal companion" and you fellas just pick up some petroleum jelly.

I recommend the Ulitmate Collection by Barry White. The song titles on this album themselves imply sex. It's a compilation of his work and that's all you need. Because let's face it, you're not going to be listening to this much by yourself, OK.

Another band that worked wonders for me in matters of "love" was Bread. Used to have a girlfriend waaaay back in the day who would put an 8-track of "Best of Bread" on when it was time to get to work. Never really liked the band but I recently picked up the Anthology of Bread as a nostagic novelty.

Now if those options don't appeal to you 21st Century foxes and hounds, I can still hook you up with something more sophisticated for the discriminating listener.

Some things that I've been listening to recently are albums by Antonio Carlos Jobim called Wave from 1967 and Stone Flower from 1970. This is true Brazilian bossa nova at it's simmering best. This is what will be playing at the Dog's house on Valentine's day, rest assured.

Some other jazz artists who might work for your particular situation are, Milt Jackson, Gerald Albright, Herbie Mann, and Hubert Laws.

So, love to everyone on Valentines day and... best of luck!

Now what I have been listening to since our last installment...

5. Chase - This extinct (plane crash) band featured a horn section with 4 trumpets led by Bill Chase. I had a lot of this on vinyl (and 8-track) and finally got it digitized. Plus I found 3 live releases by Chase I never knew existed.

4. Buddy Rich Big Band - Damn I never realized how good a drummer this guy was. Used to see him on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson jamming with Doc Sevrinson but just missed the boat I guess. I picked up an album called Big Swing Face and it is outstanding.

3. Roy Book Binder - Live Book! This is acoustic blues in the Rev. Gary Davis Piedmont flat picking style. And Roy's stories he intertwines with the tunes are as good as the music. Also features Jorma Kaukonen on a couple tracks.

2. Larry Carlton - Renegade Gentleman. I have quite a number of Larry Carlton jazz guitar albums but this is one of my favorites. It has almost a Southern Rock flavor to it due to the addition of some burning harmonica parts not normally present in Larry's music.

1. Oscar Peterson. I always liked Oscar Peterson. But I have recently discovered two awesome albums by him which I highly recommend. They are Oscar's Boogie which I think is a compilation album, and Satch & Josh which is an album of jazz/blues piano duets featuring Oscar and Count Basie.

What are you listening to?

FAN: Swimming Atlantic Hoax

Hey, did any of you read this? Funny. I'm skeptical as shit and a Math Major and I read that headline the other day and actually read the story and didn't stop once to think about it. I found the part about swimming in a shark cage curious as I thought she could just hold onto the bars and have the boat pull her. Little did I know she was sitting on deck with a margarita with her phinometer still in the water. Which leads me to this...somebody call Guiness......really.......for today, I set a new World Record. I've been on the Internet now for 4,756 straight days. Yup. Just call my old dialup company to check the date. I've been to almost every site. That's over 13 years straight people! The only times I've taken a break were to sleep, eat, work, watch the Steelers, run, poop, play drums, shop, drive, fly, going to the movies, concerts, swim meets, dance recitals, pool, parties....

Other than that, I've never even looked away from my terminal.

DOG: Favre Announces Leave of Absence

I'm sure you've heard by now that Brett Favre is taking a leave from his job as a professional football player for the next several months... again. He calls it a retirement but since he's had a press conference each of the last 3 seasons to announce his "retirement," let's just acknowledge it's a leave of absence for now and leave it at that. Favre is just one perfectly timed reminder that Vinny Testaverde played QB well into his 40s from being back slinging passes for some NFL team next September.

Here's my slanted take on Favre's deal. He still wants to play football, of this I have no doubt. He had a good time playing for the Jets last year although they faltered late in the season and failed to make the playoffs. Who wouldn't have a good time throwing 6 TDs in a single game?

But he wants to play for the Minnesota Vikings. He wanted to play for them when he left Green Bay but the Packers pretty much blocked his path. Now it's another year later. The sanctions the Packers put on him moving to a team within their division are lessened greatly. He asked for an outright release from the Jets but they refused. So he retired again. But that's not the half of the story.

The other half of the story is that he would have been fine staying with the Jets under Eric Mangini. But now the Jets head coach is former Shitbird defensive coordinator, Rex Ryan. I don't think Favre has any particular problem with Ryan. The problem lies in the fellow Ryan hired to be the Jets new QB coach, Matt Cavanaugh. Cavanaugh is a knucklehead coach, plain and simple (with the emphasis on simple). In no way could I see Favre playing for Cavanaugh.

Matt Cavanaugh is the guy who ruined Brian Billick's reputation as an offensive guru while he was offensive coordinator on Billick's staff in Baltimore. Matt Cavanaugh is the guy who could not get an offense moving under a myriad of QBs both high draft picks and high profile free agents. So when Billick and Cavanaugh got the boot out of Baltimore, Cavanaugh ended up on Dave Wannstache's staff at Pitt as offensive coordinator. He was universally hated by Pitt fans. His offense was so powerful that Pitt lost their most recent bowl game by a score of 3-0! Word in the 'burgh is that Shady McCoy, who represented 99.4% of Pitt's offense last season, would have stayed for his senior year if he had known Cavanaugh was leaving for the Jets.

And that's the Steel City Slant on this story, friends.

FAN: The Immaculate Drive

After a week of soaking it all in, there are still good stories coming out about the final drive of the Super Bowl. Peter King wrote a good article (for once) and gave credit all the way around - but still takes a shot at an anonymous Steelers fan in an airport, stinking Bostonite that he is. I think the thing I enjoyed most this week was watching Showtime's Inside the NFL which dedicated the entire hour to the big game. NFL Film's version was shown and then dissected. I read all the things Holmes supposedly said leading up to the final catch but you get to relive them in realtime thanks to NFL Films. As soon as Fitzgerald scored, Holmes started screaming they needed to "dare to be great" and exclaimed "I dare to be great". He walked over to Ben and told him he wanted the ball before going out on the field. Then, it seemed like he was reminding him before every snap. They interviewed Holmes in his house and he seemed very gracious and humble. He talked about kid's choices and wanting to be a role model, but something about him just tells me if offered a big rolled fatty at a party he'd take it in two seconds. My only issue with Showtime's version of the HBO staple is Warren Sapp. He says such stupid things you have to wonder about his IQ. Phil Simms said that the extended halftime was good for the Cardinals because it allowed them more time to get over the shock of the potential 14 point swing due to James Harrison's pick six. Good point. Sapp chimed in that he thought it was better for Pittsburgh because Harrison needed more time to rest after the return. Huh? It was a 100 yard dash, not a 5k. If he thinks the extra 10 minutes of Super Bowl halftime allowed Silverback to be his normal self in the second half, he's dumber than I originally thought.

DOG: Is This Really Live Music?

In the last few weeks we've had a myriad of "famous" musicians "perform" in what was a "live" setting. First at the presidential inauguration and then at the Super Bowl. I use the quoted words loosely... very loosely.

You can read all about it here.

Very few of them actually perfomed anything. Very little of their appearances were live. And they should be ashamed of themselves. I am disgusted with this whole thing. And you know what I'm talking about.... this lip synching to a pre-recorded track. If it's going to be a live performance then let them play and sing. If you want to play a recording and have the person who made the recording stand (or sit) up on a stage and receive accolades for it, fine. But don't lie to me.

It comes as no surprise to me that American Dildo musical director, Rickey Minor, is responsible for insisting upon the artists lip synching all pre-game songs at the Super Bowl. This asshole has no concept of what music is anyway as evidenced by the total horseshit he sends across the airwaves.

What Minor has done is controlled America's collective minds into believing live music needs to be absolutely perfect. When just the opposite is true. A true classical virtuoso can play the same piece over and over flawlessly without fail. So with guys like Yo-Yo Ma and Itzhak Perlman it shouldn't really matter. And a true virtuoso of the improvisational styles such as jazz, country, blues, and rock can allow the conditions at the moment to alter his/her performance to take the music where it has never gone before and may never go again. This makes for a unique listening experience for those present. A diva like Aretha Franklin may bitch about her own performace afterwards. But that 19 degrees had an affect on her voice and it was uniquely beautiful anyway.

Bruce Springsteen is nothing more than a political windbag anymore but at least he sang the vocal track live to the pre-recorded music track. Not that it was really good. Maybe he should have lip-synced his vocals after all? But I give him credit anyway. Although The E Street Band should hide their faces.

Idiots like Minor put more emphasis on sychronizing pyrotechnics with a song than having a talented and patriotic American sing America The Beautiful or the National Anthem from their hearts. Somewhere Milli Vanilli must be rolling over in their graves or wherever their lip-sych routine put them. Or maybe these American Dildos can't really sing to begin with.

And Etta James is right, Beyonce is a bitch. I'd love to see the day Etta gets ahold of her lip- synching ass! ...at last.

Dog: Acapulco Gold Medals?

Hey man, that swimmer dude Michael Phelps had his picture taken tokein' on a bong.

No way man. That dude was an Olympic hero, man. That thing looked more like a penis enlargement apparatus than a bong anyway. But... I never saw anybody try to light their penis enlargement apparatus.

Yeah man, dude stands to lose 10 million in endorsements just for catching a buzz, man.

Heard he got arrested for DUI a few years back too. What's next? He gonna freebase like Richard Pryor? Smoke some crack? Go a few blocks from where he lives to East Baltimore to score some yellow cap heroin?

You know he never should have done that Guitar Hero commercial with Kobe Bryant and A-Rod. Next thing you know he'll be getting oral sex from hotel maids and trying to bang Madonna! It's a slippery slope from here, dude.

Man, Phelps wanted to get caught. He knows everybody and their brother got a camera cell phone nowadays. It's not hard to hide your vices. Or is he just stupid?

Well, he's a Raven fan.

Says it all for me. What a dope.

Dog: Number Six... and counting

And that is why we watch the games, ladies and gentlemen. Heart-wrenching, nailbiting, cigarette smoking, stomach twisting, sphincter puckering NFL action!!

And in the end, Big Ben, like he always does, drives the Stillers 78 yards in under 3:00 and passes over 3 Arizona defenders to hit Santonio Holmes in both hands with both toes down to finally let us catch our breath. I am proud of our football team!

This game was the best Super Bowl of all-time. The Cardinals played one hell of a game and just got beat by a team that made one more play. It's always about "one more play" until there's nothing left on the clock. For these Stillers one more play can be made by almost anyone. Silverback Harrison on a 100 yard interception return, DeShea Townsend making picks,LaMarr Woodley on a sack, Troy Polamalu, Jeff Reed, Hines Ward, Santonio Holmes, and Big Ben always. But anyone can step up.

Game notes:

• Good thing it took Arizona three quarters before they figured out a way to get Larry Fitzgerald the ball.


• Darnell Stapleton got absolutely tooled by Darnell Dockett in the second half. Good thing it took Arizona a whole half to discover that mismatch.


• I loved it when we had the nickel and dime packages with Keisel and Smith as our only down linemen. I felt secure when I saw that lineup. But we did leave the middle of the field open for far too long in that alignment. Eventually it burned us.


• Nice to see the offense come to the rescue of our defense for once. After leaning on that D all season. When it counted most, the O came through.


• Not many games contain two of the most exciting plays in franchise history. But Santonio's TD is right up there with Lynn Swann and John Stallworth's great moments and just below the Franco's Immaculate Reception and the Big Ben's Immaculate Tackle. And what can compare to Silverbacks interception return? 100 yards and a TD and a 14 point swing with no time on the clock at the half!


• Warner's wife looks better than she did with that spike-butch hairdo she used to wear. But she's a pretentious bitch. Can you believe they showed the bitch no less than 6 times yesterday? The only one who rivaled her was Larry Fitzgerald Sr.!


• Get used to Bruce Arians. He's not going anywhere. He did a nice job yesterday, all-in-all. I guess we need to hope he yields even more play calling to Big Ben.


• Kurt Warner certainly showed America how to be a gracious loser. I've never seen such composure and class after having been beaten in such dramatic fashion.


• Was I the only one looking for a drunken Suzy Kolber to caress Joe Namath's groin during the award ceremony?


• Yesterday was the kind of day and game that makes listening to games on the radio when you're on a roadtrip, plan your Sunday's for 17 weeks around the NFL TV schedule, and all the other things we do in our devotion to our team worthwhile.

To explain my photo, this is a cheap-ass plastic Steelers mug I got from my parents for Christmas in 1974. It has been used only 7 times. Yes, those 7 times represent the 7 Super Bowl appearances by the Steelers dating back to Super Bowl IX. Back in '74 I made a vow to myself that I would only drink from that mug when the Steelers were in the Super Bowl. It's life approximates the existence of the Terrible Towel. It is now 6-1. My Terrible Towel was left in the closet because I only use it when I am actually at a game. But yesterday the Magic Mug did the trick.... again!

Enjoy the win.

FAN: Rooney: "We'll Make Room"

What a quote from the platform from Dan Rooney. He was asked if there was room in the trophy case for number six. There were some great lines after the game. I watched NFL Network's wrap up show and Ben came out to join the group. When Deion Sanders brought up Warren Sapp's comment about the video camera, Ben just laughed. Warren tried to tell Ben what his angle was on that complaint and Ben said, "thats ok, now I have memories. I'll send you a copy." Good stuff. This game was like many other games this year. Relaxed at one point with a decent lead, then biting nails, then cursing and throwing, then crazy celebration followed by a little more nail biting. Wow. Santonio Holmes catch was just slightly better than Ben's throw. Slightly. The throw was crazy. When he released it I thought it could never be caught. A few random musings and then I need to hit the hay. Bruce Springstein sucked. What the heck with the ref coming out and throwing a flag? In my opinion, he hurt his street cred worse than Aerosmith did by sharing the stage with N'Sync. Worst quote of the night was from Bruce: "Step away from the Guacamole and put the chicken fingers down!" What? Anyway, Silverback got a little crazy on that one dude...what was that all about? Hartwig was quiet most of the season and on one of the biggest plays of the game he yanks a guy down. Another long play was brought back for holding and it was really far away from the play, I can't remember who or when. The Cardinal's nosetackle is a monster. I didn't like it or appreciate it when Al Michaels made reference to Mike Holmgren thinking "here we go again" or something like that when the 6th or 7th Card's penalty came in. What are the refs supposed to do, not call them? I bet by the end of the game he was wishing he never said it because we had huge calls against us as well. Stilladog hit the nail on the head early, they came out running. Fan also hit the nail on the head - for while they tried to get a running game going, it amounted to nothing. I also did a pretty damn good job of predicting the score. I picked 27-24, only 1 point off. They had no answer for Santonio on the hitch. Nada. He was beating that rookie like a rented mule. The Fitzgerald TD was a thing of beauty. Did you see the replay of how both deep safeties went to the sidelines initially? Wow. It's hard not to like the Cardinals. I don't have a shred of animosity towards them like I did the Seachikens. I think because we all like Whiz, Grimmy....Warner.... Did Warner's wife have some work done? She looks better now than she did in 1999. Money is a wonderful thing.

FAN: Art Father

Hallowed be thy name.......
Look out for us today Mr. Rooney