Week XXI: Final Thoughts
Is It Really Over? When the clock ran out on the AFC Championship game, I was still inside Heinz Field. Even as the scoreboard showed no W for the Steelers, I couldn’t think of anywhere else to go. So along […]
Week XX Part 2: Thank You Steelers
Thank you Steelers for a great season. Please read the next journal entry for my final thoughts. I need time to digest the outcome of the AFC Championship game. Enjoy the photographs. Final Outcome: Steelers lose to New England Patriots […]
Week XX Part 1: Signs of Pittsburgh Pride
If you have never visited Pittsburgh, you should. Besides seeing the beautiful city, you will be enthralled by the immense show of pride in every window. Pittsburgh loves the Steelers and during the playoffs everybody shows it. Securing Homefield advantage […]
Week XIX: Have Faith in the Steelers
This past Sunday, I witnessed a football game that was so emotionally exhausting that days later, I could barely recount the tale. I am still in a state of shock, barely able to believe what I witnessed with my own […]
Week XVIII Part 2: Shrines, Temples, and Basements
Besides reflecting, I also took many pictures during the playoff bye. My side project lead me to personal shrines, temples and basements devoted to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The pictures in this gallery were actually taken at three different locations during […]
Week XVIII: Steeler Nation Unite!
Another bye week, another time for reflection, partly precipitated by the fact that we can’t go a week WITHOUT thinking about the Steelers. So bear with me. There is a point to all this. The full experience of being a […]
Week XVII: 15-1 and it’s not done.
I never would have imagined that a January 2 game in Buffalo, NY would be mild and sunny. When I planned the trip months ago, I did so because I thought it would be a white-out that only die-hards would […]
Week XVI: Day after Christmas
When I woke up on the day after Christmas, I thought it was Christmas day all over again. Excited and full of holiday cheer I returned to my regular spot in the ghetto. Not only was I back with my […]
Week XV: Home for the Holidays
The Holidays are a nice time to go home, and this past week I spent some time with two fans that make as many appearances as Santa. There are a small number of Steelers fans that are elevated to a […]
Week XIV: Sunday Snowday
Breaking with tradition, I decided to start shooting on Saturday night. This is when the players are supposed to report to the Pittsburgh Hilton for meetings and curfew. There you’ll find a lobby full of fans waiting for a chance […]
Week XII: Bring on the Weather
The weather never stopped a tailgate. Pittsburgh Sundays have been generally pleasant until Thanksgiving. Probably payback from Lake Erie, week twelve was cold and rainy. As a result, the mood was dreary and sluggish in the lots. Those who came, […]
Week XI: Billy’s Black and Gold
After last weekend in Cleveland I really needed to surround myself with Steelers fans. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette ran an article on the front page predicting over 20,000 Steelers fans at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati. Now this might have sounded […]
Week X: Loud and Proud in Cleveland
A big step in the life of a fan is to leave the safety of the home tailgate and venture into hostile territory. The big decision for any fan in this situation is whether to don colors or not. For […]
Week IX: Pre-Game Ritual (Eagles Game)
Every fan has their own pre-game ritual, a sequence of events that mentally prepares them for the game. For some it is physical, for others it is chemical. For some the ritual takes many hours, others only twenty minutes. For […]
Week XIII: Welcome to Jackson-Burgh
Drawn by a feeling of great importance, I decided to go to Jacksonville at the last minute. My instinct told me that this would be a tight game where the Steelers would need all the support they could get. I […]
Week VIII: Patriots – 21 and Done
Superstitions are very powerful, even if you don’t believe in them. One such superstition is that washing an article of clothing will bring bad luck. If the Steelers win another few games it is going to start smelling a little […]
Week VII: Good Bye to Chiodo’s Tavern
Football binds the hearts of countless men. For anyone who ever played football, it is hard to pass a Sunday without feeling a sense of nostalgia. The emotions that rise when men watch or talk about football run deeper than […]
Week VI: Watching the Dallas Game in the South Side
One of the reasons we love football is because we played in our youth, at a time when our bodies can withstand the physical abuse. Whether it is school-organized sport, a pickup game with friends, or a Turkey Bowl, at […]
Week V: Tailgate Wedding (Browns Game)
October 10th was a very special day for many people. Ben Roethlisberger won his third start in a row. Duce Staley got his third 100+ yard game in a row. And Heather and Roger said “I Do.” The mornings start […]
Week IV: Tailgating at Heinz Field for Bengals Game
The front line of fans arrives at 6:00 AM. Even then you might be fourth in line for parking. Whether you start your day with coffee or beer, it’s a good day when the Steelers are at Heinz Field and […]
Week III: Miami Hurricane Diverts Me To New York City
Hurricane Jeanne made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane just before midnight Saturday 35 miles north of West Palm Beach. Luckily I was looking for Steelers fans in New York City. The game was postponed from 1:00 PM to 8:30 […]
Week II: Gone to Baltimore
If you didn’t know, “Baltimore is Steeler Country.” Yet, I met more than one Steelers fan who chose not to wear black and gold because Baltimore can be hostile territory, but since the Ravens won, they seemed to be in […]
Week I: Opening Game Against Oakland
The pre-season was about enjoying the Summer, but the first Sunday of the 2004 regular season was all business. Dennis and Michelle were the first to arrive to get in line for parking at 6 AM. They drove all morning […]