Mini Pony of the Day 12-31-07

Cool sketch.

For the final MPotD for the year 2007, I found a kickass school prank. Here's the link, if you want to read it. Heh heh...woodcock. One quote from the prank:

This miniature pony, while friendly and docile looking, as depicted in Senior Jason Lansing’s picture above was the culprit of a late morning donkey kick that sent Sophomore Desiree Finigan to the emergency room.

Yeah, you'll want to read the whole thing. Its fitting to end the year like that.

11 miniature ponies? Can I get just one? Come on!

See you in '08. Thanks for making 2007 so much fun.

Monday Morning Chrysler New Yorker

Fantastic.

That game was so fun to watch. We did everything right, everyone looked sharp, Phil Simms wasn't an idiot, etc.

No more sarcasm from me. I promise.

Now, I'm always excited for Steelers games, and never want to see the team lose. However, with the playoffs a week away and many a key starter on the sidelines, it was like watching your old high school jayvee squad get beat by the conference rival. The other team was better, and you took the beating, accepted the loss and moved on.

The Ravens wanted to end their season with a win. They got what they wanted. The Steelers wanted to rest a buncha guys while waiting for the playoff scenarios to shake out. That happened, too. Now, the Ravens winning doesn't mean they are the better team. Today, yes. But the win did come against a team that is playing a meaningful game next week, and had most its stars roaming with the coaches. Next week, the Ravens will be on a beach somewhere...not competing for a potential Super Bowl.

Basically, the Steelers showed up, went through the motions and lost the game. I'm not overly pissed about it, mainly because the only good that could've come from a win would be a bump up in the seeding. And that outcome still hinged on the outcome of the San Diego game.

The best thing that happened in the game...Deshea Townsend forcing a 4th down early in the 1st quarter and giving the Dikembe Mutumbo-finger wag. I guess its only appropriate to do that when you're over the age of 75, as is the case with Deshea/Dikembe. I can't wait til I'm 75. I'm gonna do that all the time.

Charles Hatch. Sorry. That's a pet name that Bob and I gave Charlie. I know the weather wasn't that great, but Charlie struggled to find a vertical passing game. When he wasn't handing off (or getting picked off), he was primarily throwing towards the sidelines. He did find Heath a couple of times, but failed to create first downs. He did heat up late, but the team needs Ben to challenge for the title. Let's just pray we don't need Charles in the playoffs. 3 out of 5 motorcycle helmets.

O-Line. Hey! Ben didn't get sacked this week! 5 of 5 motorc...oh, wait. Whoops.

Najeh. Can we please play the Rams next week? Najeh's best 2 games have been against St. Louis, but he can't bank on meeting them in the second season. Because they suck. In the simplest form, Najeh failed to remove any postseason doubts. Without Fast Bill, the team is going to need Ben...in a big way. And Najeh is going to need to go for more than 50 yards rushing. 2.9 out of 5 motorcycle helmets for the Dump Truck. I don't feel comfortable giving him a 3.

San Antonio. With no Fast Willie, San Antonio might be just as important as Ben Roethlisberger come playoff time. He's a stud, and he'll stretch the field. We could sure use San Antonio's deep threat to set up Najeh for some big time holes with less guys in the box. 5 of 5 motorcycle helmets for Holmes.

D. I'm hoping Dick LeBeau/Mike Tomlin told the D to take it easy this week, because that was disgusting. I know there were a bunch of backups playing, but there were enough starters to at least make the game competitive. The game was not competitive...until it was too late. The D looked awful. 2 of 5 motorcycle helmets.

Forgive me for being so blasé this week. I know we lost, but I'd rather lose a meaningless game than a key starter due to injury. Our banged-up guys got a chance to rest, while backups saw actual, live-action snaps. It just felt like preseason. And I refuse to get all emotional over a preseason-type game.

Oh, and I just remembered, the Steelers are currently on a 4-game postseason win streak. Say something...

This Picture Better Not Foreshadow

With the Winter Classic coming up real quick, I wanted to see who on the Penguins or Sabres has experience playing outdoor games.

A Trib article gave me the answers. Both Adam Hall of the Pens and Ryan Miller of the Sabres played for Michigan State in the Cold War of 2001 against Michigan.

Two other Penguins, Georges Laraque and Ty Conklin, played for Edmonton in the Heritage Classic in 2003 against Montreal.

So I went to the intertubes to find a picture of either Laraque or Conklin in the Heritage Classic. The above picture is the only one I could find. Its Ty Conklin. In the Heritage Classic. Getting scored on. Dany Sabourin had better play well.

I don't want to see him repeat this pose in Buffalo.

Mini Pony of the Day 12-27-07

Today's MPotD goes out to Big Snack over at Pierogi's N'at.

Yesterday's MPotD featured Snack drunkenly wanting to see a kickass mini pony next to a mini keg. I've taken it to the next level. Mini pony-mini keg stands!

Hope this satisfies.

Attention Pensblog Readers

PSaMP is not...I repeat, NOT, the site that's going to help you get tickets to the Winter Classic.

Figured I'd make that easy for you.

However, Pensblog has been a solid friend of PSaMP. Here's some entertaining stuff they wrote for PSaMP a while back, if you're interested.

- PSaMP's Halfie Birthday Extravaganza: The Pensblog
- Mini Pony of the Day 9-25-07 [The Pensblog]

Ben Roethlisberger = Offensive Player of the Week: Part 2

For the second time this season, Ben Roethlisberger has been named AFC Offensive Player of the Week.

He also received the award in mid-November. I struggled to find words to describe the feat last time, so I'll just lay his stats out for you to see this time.

16 of 20 for 261 yards, 3 touchdowns, no picks and a perfect passer rating.

Top notch.

Other Steelers accomplishments:

- Ike Taylor (Defensive Player of the Week)
- Ben Roethlisberger (Offensive Player of the Week: Part 1)
- James Harrison (Defensive Player of the Week)
- James Harrison (Defensive Player of the Month)

Mini Pony of the Day 12-26-07

That dude is a fool.

Get outta the picture, jerk. This picture's coolness has diminished with you in it.

Playoff Personnel Looking Bleak

How was your Christmas? I hope this picture made you upchuck everything you were able to hold down the past two days. You can thank Nice Pick Cowher for the image.

In case you forget, the Steelers are in the playoffs. Thanks again, Cleveland. Since San Diego won on Monday night, we can only jockey for the 3rd and 4th playoff seed. This will determine if we fall into a getting-healthy Indy side of the bracket or into the near-perfect New England side. Sure, we've won in Indy in the playoffs before, but we haven't had a look at the '07 version of the team. And yeah, we've already lost to New England this year, and that team is scary at Foxboro, but I like what Dick LeBeau could create based on the fact that he already saw much of their offensive arsenal.

At this point, its pick your poison.

However, the injury bug refuses to leave this team. A deep playoff run might force the team to rely on many a backup...and even those backups are hurtin'.

Willie underwent surgery, so after being placed on IR, he won't be back til '08.

Marvel Smith's back injury will likely having him ride the pine against Baltimore...and maybe even longer.

Troy's knee isn't fully healed. I didn't need to hear that. At all.

First-rounder Lawrence Timmons has a broken thumb. He'll sit on the bench play with a cast.

Tomlin doesn't want to rest his banged-up guys against the Ravens, mainly because our final playoff seeding isn't set. While playing sore guys might further hurt the team, I like the fact that Mike is concerned about winning...and not being complacent about merely making the playoffs.

So despite who plays on Sunday (and throughout the playoffs), we're going to need a healthy dose of Ben Roethlisberger. Let 'em know that Pro Bowl spot was not a fluke, Ben.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas!

Well, its actually Christmas Eve, but I'm leaving this post up for today and tomorrow, in case I don't see you.

I hope your holiday rules.

And I hope you don't get assaulted by creepy Penguins Santa.

Have fun.

AFC North Champs, Baby!!!!!!

Thank you, Cleveland. Christmas came early.

Any playoff opposition better watch out...

Georges Laraque Is Not Chris Thorburn

Here's a screen grab from round 1 of Laraque/Chara in the Penguins' shootout win over the Sabres several nights ago.

Georges Laraque > Chris Thorburn.

Sorry that this is so late. I suck.

That was not the Tale of the Tape. FSN is a liar.

Mini Pony of the Day 12-21-07

Yes, that is an accepted activity.

Pittsburgh Rules

I already told you that the Steelers won.

Also, despite blowing a 4-goal lead (damn you, Ty Conklin), the Penguins won.

And Pitt beat Duke. At Madison Square Garden. Video of Levance "Don't Tase Me, Bro" Fields hitting the winning 3 in overtime is provided above.

Solid night.

Monday Morning Chrysler New Yorker

Ouch.

Uncool win.

Sure, we won, but losing Willie Parker for the season really hurts. Tons of love goes to Najeh for holding it down last night, but Willie broke his leg? I'm sick for the guy.

The D let up way too many points again, but held when they had to, allowing the O (and a timely interception) seal the win. It felt good to snap that thar little losing streak.

Tale of the tape: Offense is clicking. Underlying theme: Big ups to backups who stepped up (which is what we'll need come playoff time).

P.S. Steven Jackson is a freak of nature. He's bigger than our linebackers. I don't know if I've ever seen a guy with his combination of size and speed. Unreal. I thought he was going to go for 200+ on us. Completely honest.

Now...who did what?

Ben. Despite the past two losses, Ben played well in each game. He didn't bring that losing mentality to St. Louis, though. With only a few days to prepare, Ben looked ridiculously sharp, connecting on 3 touchdown passes and 261 yards on 80% accuracy. Plus, it was his 2nd game this season with a perfect passer rating. I'm trying to find something to pick at, but Ben averaged over 13 yards per completion. That's 5 of 5 motorcycle helmet territory.

Fast Wil...er...Najeh. Prayers go out to Willie. Its gotta suck to break your leg right after taking the outright league lead in rushing with only 2 games to play. If we make the playoffs, its going to be extremely hard without him. At least for one night, though, Najeh was looking solid. 24 carries? Over 5 yards per? A rushing touchdown? 123 yards? Wow. I don't care who you are...you didn't see that coming. When Najeh went to the sideline to tape up his ankle, I was nearly ready to throw the towel in for the season. Verron isn't in Black and Gold. Gary Russell has 1 attempt for 1 yard this season...and wasn't even on the sideline anyway. Najeh gets a perfect 5 of 5 motorcycle helmets. Oh...and Carey Davis, my preseason darkhorse, gets 4 of 5 motorcycle helmets.

WRs. Just in case you were wondering, the Steelers had 3 WRs average over 22 yards per catch against the Rams. San Antonio (4 catches/133 yards/dirty 83 yard catch early), Najeh (2 catches/44 yards/no WR routes to the endzone this game) and Nate Washington (2 catches/50 yards/both for scores). Oh...and Hines and Heath averaged a lowly 9.8 and 7 yards per catch respectively. Lowly. Willie was down, but Najeh's workload (I said load) on the ground allowed Ben to find the open guy. The WR corps performed all game. That's going to be critical in a few weeks. 5 of 5 motorcycle helmets.

Ike and Ike. Glad Eye-sac Bruce decided to show the world he stills plays in the NFL. In all honesty, Bruce has been one of my favorite non-Steeler receivers over the course of his career. Don't know why, but he's always been a player I've respected that doesn't wear the Black and Gold. Even with superstud Tory Holt in the game, Marc Bulger was intent on getting the ball to Bruce. Dude had 87 yards receiving and was the go-to-guy. Our Ike, despite letting a few sure-fire ints through his hands early, sealed the win with the 51 yard pick-6. Eye-sac gets 3.75 out of 5 motorcycle helmets out of respect. Taylor gets 4.5 out of 5.

Baltimore to close out the season. Silverback is foaming at the mouth.

Mini Pony of the Day 12-20-07

I'll let this site do the explaining for today's MPotD:

Propaleotherium – a dwarf-horse from the Messel Pit.

This early horse (Propalaeotherium hassiacum) lived about 50 millions years ago. Its shoulder height was only about 55 to 60 cm.

Dinosaur mini ponies. Kickass.

Bryant McFadden Rules

My aunt sent this picture message to my phone yesterday. I am in awe.

All she said was:

i just met mcfadden 20.

She also emailed my mom today to let her know. Here is what she said (ignore the grammar):

How about me running into Mcfadden of the Steeler last night....... he not a very personable .....

I would expect nothing less.

That picture is priceless. He's so scared.

P.S. Bryant McFadden loves baked beans.

Mini Pony of the Day 12-19-07

Your mom watched this clip today.

Silverback To Start Pro Bowl, Steelers Still 0-2 In Last 2 Games

Props to James Harrison for being selected to start the Pro Bowl in his first season as Joey Porter's replacement. Its a far cry from earlier in the season, when we wondered if Silverback could finish the season after being taken off the field on a stretcher (above).

Big Ben, Fast Bill, Troy and Alan Faneca also made the squad. I don't understand how Casey Hampton was left off.

Despite the recognition, Ape at DC Steeler nation said it best.

Anyway, yeah, personal accolades are great. Now lets win a goddamn game, mmmmmkay?

The Pro Bowl is symbolic. It won't help us beat St. Louis.

Where's your head at, Steelers?



Oh, and good look to the fine folks who voted Sean Taylor as the starting Free Safety for the NFC. Well done.

Mini Pony of the Day 12-18-07

Today's MPotD was sent in by, who else, reader Doug.

Not only did Fred Taylor have a kickass lead blocker, but Silverback was in awe of the fullback's cuteness.

Damn mini ponies.

Oh, and Doug's earned an honorary PSaMP title. Give me some time and it'll be put up.

If you want an honorary title, email me and ask what you can do. psampmail@gmail.com.

Paul Holmgren Is A Joke

I happened across an article the other day at Delaware Online, the website for the Wilmington News Journal. Wilmington is a suburb of Philly, and the article talked about the massive contract given to the still-unproven Mike Richards. The title: Richards' Deal Forces Flyers To Get Creative.

He gambled that Richards, who missed 23 games last season due to a sports hernia and a separated shoulder, would remain healthy throughout the rest of his Flyers career.

He gambled that Richards, whose career high in points before this season was 34, would continue to develop as a point producer and eventual captain.

And he gambled that the NHL salary cap, which has climbed from $39 million to $44 million to $50.3 million since the end of the NHL lockout, would continue to escalate.

Assuming there are no significant roster changes, the Flyers have committed roughly $44 million to next year's payroll.

All indications point to the NHL salary cap rising to about $55 million next season.

Theoretically, that would leave the Flyers about $11 million in cap space to re-sign unrestricted free agent defenseman Jason Smith and restricted free agents Jeff Carter, R.J. Umberger, Randy Jones and Riley Cote.

Can they do it?

"We're going to have to be very creative," Flyers president Peter Luukko said.

Paul Holmgren is a joke. He gave so much money to Mike Richards...banking that the player will get better and become the eventual Captain.

Remember when the Sid contract talks were going on? Sid could've asked for $10+ mil a year, and Ray Shero would've blabbed the same sob story that the Penguins would have to get creative sign Geno, Staal, Esposito, etc. down the road.

If Shero ever based his contract negotiation style on pure hope and speculation, he'd be run out of Pittsburgh. His contract was given to the reigning MVP, and he negotiated a deal that left room for the other young talent.

In conclusion.

Smarts > Hope.

Shero > Holmgren.

What's In A Name?

In case you haven't noticed, I've shortened my name at the end of each post. So long tecmo_bowl_bo_jackson. Hello, Tecmo.

This is just for streamlined purposes. I loved (and will continue to love) Bo Jackson (see here, when I used to write sans caps). Tecmo is much easier to say. And it is without underscores.

I'm still the same person you've grown to love (I hope). You can call me whatever you like, though. Tec, Tecmo, TBBJ, tecmo_bowl_bo_jackson, etc. Those of you who are kind enough to email know me as Nicholas. Nick works, too.

So many names.

Just figured I'd keep you in the loop.

Mini Pony of the Day 12-17-07

The MPotD makes it dramatic return after a weekend hiatus.

Picking up right where I left off...we have another picture in the long line of mini ponies pulling things.

I want this chariot so bad.

Monday Morning Chrysler New Yorker

I kinda remember saying something along the lines of "9-5 would suck." Well...as it turns out...this sucks. Jags win.

I'm trying to figure out what sucked more...losing big in New England or losing a damn near winnable game at home. The sting hurts either way.

Tale of the tape: Awful play by both the D and O lines. Underlying theme: Troy Polamalu needs to stay healthy.

Two games left, and we still haven't punched out ticket to the playoffs. We're currently tied atop the North with the (ugh) Browns. However, out two wins against those idiots gives us the tiebreaker.

Only road games remain. In St. Louis and in Baltimore. Seeing as how we've already peaked, I'm not guaranteeing a win in either. We've been pure slop for the past 5-6 games. All I want is the playoffs, though. Only good things happened last time we were the 6 seed, so I'm not worried about placement. We aren't the Indianapolis Steelers or the New England Steelers, so the best we can do is play in the Wild Card round. We just need to take care of business and get in. The second season wipes the slate clean. Hell, look at Indy's Jekyll and Hyde defense from last season.

So yeah, there is a lot to bitch about in the Jacksonville loss. However, I'm trying to stay positive. After this, its all business focusing on St. Louis. Get the job done...make the playoffs...let both the defense and offense redeem themselves.

Bennifer. Played the first half like he had poop in his pants. That was pathetic. However, when the game was about to get out of hand, he responded by creating 2 solid scoring drives to tie the game. After the tie, its up to the D to stop the Jags and set up the win...or at the very least...force overtime. Ben put the team in position to erase a 15 point deficit in the 4th quarter. The D responded by bending over. Ben gets 3.75 out of 5 motorcycle helmets. He almost deserved a 4 for turning the game around late.

Willie. Stud. He was stuffed early and often by the Stroud-less Jags, but still managed to surpass 100 yards. That Roethlisberger-almost-sack-turned-into-pass-but-was-ruled-a-Parker-rush was ridiculous. Willie needs to stay on track to help the team make the postseason. He was a solid bright spot in the loss. 4 of 5 motorcycle helmets.

O-Line. Awful. 2 of 5 motorcycle helmets.

D-Line. Awful. 2 of 5 motorcycle helmets.

Troy Polamalu. Even with Aaron Smith gone for the year, the D can rebound with Troy back in the lineup. There's no one on the team who can close on a guy faster than Troy. Without him, there's no way we even tie the game. He helped make it close. I wanted to give him a 5, but he missed a couple of tackles late. 4 of 5 motorcycle helmets.

We can't let Steven Jackson run wild on us the way Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew did. Neutralize him...make the playoffs. Simple.

Mini Pony of the Day 12-14-07

Why is it so common to have mini ponies pulling carts?

They're mini ponies. Not real-sized ones. Little buggers oughta be tired.

The Battle of Pola(malu)s

In case you don't scout opposing coaching staffs, the forthcoming Steelers/Jags game pits nephew Troy Polamalu against uncle Kennedy Pola. Pola is the Runnings Backs coach for Jacksonville.

Troy is expected to play, which should hopefully force David Garrard into making some sort of mistake. Dude has been clutch in not throwing interceptions this season. Maybe Troy can remedy that.

And Troy should strengthen our run defense, what with Pola tutoring mini-beast Maurice Jones-Drew and one of the RBs I respect the most in the league...the ageless Fred Taylor.

And although I really don't want to go back to the new England game, Larry Foote was criticized for not putting more hits on former Michigan teammate Tom Brady when he had open looks. Foote was even seen embracing Brady. Weird man-love.

Troy...although he's you uncle...don't go embracing Kennedy mid-play. Remember, he might be family, but at least on Sunday, he's your adversary.

And come on...this dude doesn't even look like Troy.

Wait...hold on...wait for it...

Better.

Former Pirates Roiders Named

Here's a short list of former Pirates named in George Mitchell's steroids list.

Kevin Young, Denny Neagle, Ron Villone, Jose Guillen, Jason Christiansen, Tim Laker, Josias Manzanillo and Barry Bonds.

Wow.



UPDATE: Earlier in the day, Will at Deadspin offered a possible list of players mentioned (before the actual list came out). It turned out to be false, but included a few other former Pirates...like Wil Cordero and Julian Tavarez. I knew it had to be false when Wil Cordero's name was popping up in association with steroids.

However, Deadspin commenter Get Him A Body Bag, Yeah offered up a solid reasoning as to why Tavarez couldn't possibly be mentioned as well:

Julian Tavarez? I knew steroids shrunk your balls, but I didn't know they made you look like someone put out a fire on your face with a screwdriver.

I haven't laughed that hard in a long time.

End of UPDATE.
-



ANOTHER UPDATE: Several other former Pirates were mentioned, either in the bulk of the report or in the BALCO section. Other Pirates include:

Matt Herges, Benito Santiago, Armando Rios and Gary Matthews Jr.

Sorry for leaving you out, buds.

End of UPDATE #2.

Mini Pony of the Day 12-13-07

Mini ponies rule. Can't say much else.

Which Pirate(s) Will Be Named

With the Mitchell Report on Steroids in Baseball due to be announced today, I want to know what current Pirates will be named. And by current, I mean guys who played in Pittsburgh last season, or who will be on the roster in '08.

Everyone is waiting for A-Rod, or Pujols or any other big name star. I'm thinking rationally. Former Pirate Matt Lawton was busted for steroids (albeit after he was traded from the Buccos).

So will there be any Pirates named in the 60-80 players fingered (that sounds gross)? Jack Wilson did look like he gained 3-4 pounds of pure muscle in the past few seasons. Plus, his numbers dipped greatly after his 200-hit season.

Who will it be, who will it be?

Mini Pony of the Day 12-12-07

You work too hard, pony. Take some time off.

The Arrogance Of Massholes

I received an email from friend and fellow Steelers blogging compatriot Cotter from One For The Other Thumb. He talked about Patriots fans, and their need to gloat. Adding to the gloating, the Patriots fans continually make excuses for Spygate and Rodney Harrison's HGH use.

What the f**k is wrong with these assholes? I don't understand. Their team got caught videotaping other team's signals on the sidelines. But what, we made this up? That's not cheating? God damn frustrating man. Have you seen this exchange? -http://www.blitzburghreport.com/did-you-hear-that-anthony-smith-guaranteed-a-steelers-victory/

It's like they were waiting for us to lose so they could talk shit.

I don't get it.

After the Patriots won, Patriots fans bragged all over several Steelers blogs, including this one. I have links to several of the blogs further down in this post so you can check 'em out for yourselves.

Here's my thoughts:

The frustrating thing about Patriots fans (I refuse to use the nickname for the team, it only empowers Patriots fans) is that their recent string of success has completely blinded them. After the Celtics boom, there was little to celebrate in Boston. The Red Sox sucked, the Patriots sucked, the Bruins sucked.

Now, the Patriots success coupled with multiple Red Sox titles has overloaded the Boston ego, and they feel untouchable. Back in college, I had a real good buddy (two of 'em, actually) from Boston. They were typical Sox and Patriots fans. Evan and Bart were their names. They came from upper-class families, played lacrosse, wore pastel Polo shirts, talked traditional Masshole talk...the whole deal. Even after a hard night of partying, RAs would come to my room to separate myself and Evan for getting into Patriots/Steelers arguments. I loved the dude like a brother, but we always stressed our team's importance.

Despite all the concrete evidence I could give, Ev's argument would come down to, "3 Super Bowls...Tom Brady...Belichick...the Sox." I don't know why the Sox were thrown in there, but their success helped justify the Patriots' greatness. Now, the Sox only had one recent World Series title at the time, but that was a bragging point.

I'd counter with, "5 Super Bowls...Noll...Cowher...the laundry list of HOFers...the name Rooney...etc." Every bragging point Evan had, I'd counter with something better on our side. Hell, we were even at St. Vincent College, the Steelers' training camp, next to a dorm called Rooney Hall.

However, since the Patriots had 3 Super Bowls in the past decade, their organization was far superior. It reminds me of when me and you verbally jousted with Browns fans several weeks back. They continually used data from 60+ years ago to justify that Cleveland was superior to the Steelers. Likewise, Patriots fans use much more recent data, blindly omitting the fact that their team was an NFL afterthought prior to the 21st Century.

Which brings me to the cheating, Rodney Harrison and the idiot anonymous commenters on sites like Curtain, Doubt About It and here at PSaMP. Its like New England got a collective hardon when Anthony Smith guaranteed a win. When the Patriots won, their ego overflowed. Instead of high-fiving other Patriots fans, they felt the need to brag all over Steelers blogs. Now, I don't know about you, but even though I spent the week prior to the (second) Browns game on a Browns site defending the Steelers (here and here), I didn't go back once to gloat after we won. Gloating would've been classless. Browns fans repeatedly called us classless, as did the Patriots fans. But the Patriots fans decided to gloat. I'm dumbfounded how that math worked out.

Now, Patriots fans feel the need to stroke their ego so much, that this win over the Steelers now wiped the slate clean for all the wrongdoings from earlier in the season. Since Anthony Smith opened his mouth...and New England won...the Patriots are absolved of Spygate, or Rodney Harrison's HGH use. I asked a Patriots fan, "Would you be so smug if the Jets were caught videotaping the Patriots...then won the game?" No answer. And when I created a list of athletes/teams forfeiting games due to cheating/rules violations, the list wasn't good enough. I cited Olympic athletes and Tour de France riders stripped of championships for doping, the Black Sox, Michigan's Fab 5 having to remove their Final 4 banner for rules violations and Oklahoma football forfeiting the entire 2005 season's wins because of rules violations by the athletes and their coaches. The response...only the Black Sox were a pro team...and they willingly gave up their championship. Now, I guess cheating is different in the pros than it is in college, or in the Olympics, or the Tour de France. Cheating in the pros only gets you a draft pick docked, evidence immediately destroyed and your coach fined. And the pros are supposed to be the role models.

The Patriots knowingly cheated with the videotaping. Rodney Harrison doped, something that would've gotten him banned for life in the Olympics or Tour. Sam, from DAI said it best:

'...from the NFL rulebook:

"No video recording devices of any kind are permitted to be in use in the coaches' booth, on the field, or in the locker room during the game." They also say all video for coaching purposes must be shot from locations "enclosed on all sides with a roof overhead." How is that hard to interpret? I've never seen an entire fanbase so quick to defend something so indefensible.'

Now, he was talking about Spygate, but the last part covers Harrison, too. If the Steelers were caught cheating, or some player on the team was busted for a banned substance, I'd be the first person to chastise that team/player. New England fans would rather make excuses than explanations.

And its not just the fans. "Well done is better than well said." That Tom Brady quote was forced down our throats by the CBS crew calling the game, since Anthony Smith made that blatant guarantee. However, Tom Brady did not once come out and criticize Harrison for being fined $5k for taunting Brian Billick the week before. I guess a win erases wrongdoings...on several levels.

We've accepted the loss. There was no shifting blame. Anthony Smith made a mistake. The Patriots won. Now, Patriots fans have another rung on the ladder to run away from Spygate and Harrison's doping...at least in their minds. I don't know if they'll ever see the light.

All I know is that I'll be here to put them in their place.

Mini Pony of the Day 12-11-07

Go Hawaii. Win the Sugar Bowl and stake your claim to a share of the National Championship.

Aaaaahhhhhh!!!!! Kennywood Was Just Sold!!!!!!!

Oh no. Kennywood (and Sandcastle) was just sold to Spanish-based Parques Reunidos.

I don't know what that means for the future of the best Amusement Park in the world. This news nearly made me cry. I SAID NEARLY. Get it straight, jerk.

In the meantime, enjoy my Liveblog straight from Kennywood from this past summer.

PSaMP at Kennywood:

Intro (Steel Phantom)
Still Soaking Wet
The Famous Potato Patch
The Famous Potato Patch: Part 2
New Ride
2 Words. Thunder. Bolt.
Old Fave
Wild Lights and Music
Gran Prix
Goin' Home

I rule.

I love you, Kennywood.

This Is Why I'm Not Talking About The Pirates Right Now

This kid...at a Pirates game...just said,

"I'm Hannah Montana."

I might rename the site Pittsburgh Steelers/Penguins and Mini Ponies.

I'm just sayin'.

Mini Pony of the Day 12-10-07

You've seen the original.

You've seen the obvious follow-up.

Thanks to Doug (The Man), we get to see the best version ever.

Sure, the Patriots beat the Steelers, but Tom Brady will never prevail over the small horses. Applause to Doug.

Tom Brady would pose for that picture. Dork.

Monday Morning Chrysler New Yorker

We lost. I'm over it. In trying to find the silver lining, I only came up with one positive. A win might've exhausted the team, and the excitement and energy spent could have hurt the team down the stretch. But that's just me rationalizing.

Tale of the tape: Awful defense. Underlying theme: FGs come back to bite you.

Oh, and some awesome anonymous Patriots fan decided to show up after the game spewing traditionally ignorant and irrelevant New England bullshit (I edited some of the content. For the kiddies).

Anonymous said...
Pats ruuuuullleeeeee.....Anthony who?????WHERES MY MONEY BACK?I've been to Pittsburgh and your town smells like a thousand Afghanee assholes!!! What a shitty place to live, loosers!
December 9, 2007 8:00 PM

Anonymous said...
Like it or not, both Afghanee assholes AND the city of Pittsburgh smell like shit....You can deny it all you want, but...I GUARANTEE IT!Here's a thought...Why don't you f**king p***ies do something productive instead of ranking on Patriot nation every other second. It makes me all the more satisfied when the Pats kick the living shit out of your pathetic nobody Steelers.And by the way, I took I-90 all the way out to Erie and then went to Pittsburgh the day after:All I gotta say is your entire f**king state is filled with the worst f**king smell and the shittiest f**king view I have ever seen in my entire life. Its no wonder everyone who lives there is a pathetic, depressed peice of shit who should have been killed as a fetus. Im sure your skank whore mother regrets you to this day.
December 9, 2007 11:45 PM

I thought Cleveland fans were bad. With our recent domination over the Brownies, I think New England fans are now enemy #1. Please...someone call Steelers fans classless one more time.

I'm gonna do this quick. The mistakes were so glaring that its not gonna take much to explain.

Ben. Played well. Didn't finish drives, though. 13 points should've been 21. Plus, that goal line stop hurt as well. Bruce Arians is partly to blame. Ben gets 3 of 5 motorcycle helmets.

RBs. Aside from Ben, they were the only other bright spot. Willie went over 100 while Najeh was looking like a WR. 3.5 out of 5 motorcycle helmets.

Bruce Arians. He is the most uncreative Offensive Coordinator. The only time he tried to do something creative was on the goal line with the WR handoff. You don't need to be creative on the goal line. Just punch it in. 2 of 5 motorcycle helmets.

Willie Colon. Wow. My first-ever 0 of 5 motorcycle helmets. Vrabel was offsides on several of the plays, but Willie looked horrible.

Secondary. I thought Troy being out wouldn't make this big of a difference. Ty Carter played well in his place the past few weeks, and Anthony Smith was starting to come into his own. However, a veteran like Troy wouldn't bite on the repeated play fakes like the younger guys did. With Troy, some of those long passes are negated, and we have a different ballgame. 2 of 5 motorcycle helmets.

Rest of D. Why did no one hit Welker when he first came off the line? You have 5 yards to beat the snot outta him. Philly and Baltimore did just that, and made the game competitive. We didn't. That, added to no pressure on Brady makes for a lethal combination. I'm hoping Mike Tomlin and Dick LeBeau were holding some of their cards in case the two teams meet again in the postseason. 2 of 5 motorcycle helmets. That was awful defense.

I hope New England goes undefeated. WHAT! DID YOU JUST SAY THAT, TEC?!?!?! Yes. Go 16-0. I don't give a shit. That'll just make it so much more bitter when they lose in the playoffs. No team that passes that much will succeed in January. Everyone was writing off Green Bay earlier in the season because they had no running game. Their's is back on track. But I'm sure Maroney and Faulk can just get to normal speed in January after barely being used in September through December.

Jacksonville next week. 9-5 would suck. We better bounce back ridiculously fast.

Best. Prediction. Ever.

Lotsa people have been jumping on the Steelers-to-beat-the-Cheatriots bandwagon lately. This one, I didn't expect.

If this turns out to be the final score, I'm moving to Iran. Pronto.

Mini Pony of the Day 12-9-07

I'm sorry for skipping out on the MPotD for yesterday. Please accept my deepest apologies.

This is Browny. Browny is from Land of the Little Horses near Gettysburg.

Go Steelers.

Mike Tomlin Crossword

This article provided some more Anthony Smith bulletin board material for the MSM to overreact to. He's not backing down from his guarantee, and encourages the Patriots receivers to try and target him.

However, there was an awesome tidbit that had nothing to do with Anthony Smith. It regarded Mike Tomlin. Here it is:

Doesn't sound like Smith has lost any of his confidence. He made those remarks even after Mike Tomlin -- who, despite being a head coach, still finds time to do a daily crossword puzzle -- cautioned him about the power of the spoken and written word.

Great fun fact about Iron Mike. So I give you, the reader, the Mike Tomlin Crossword. Or, PSaMP's Steelers Homer Crossword. Have fun.






/Hint: Every answer is Tomlin.

Mini Pony of the Day 12-7-07

This Good Samaritan rules.

Thanks to Reader Sarah for this MPotD.

Sarah rules as much as this dude.

Mini Pony of the Day 12-6-07

More Thumbelina goodness.

The answer is A). 21 inches. You're welcome.

James Harrison = Defensive Player of the Month

Wow. This was a shoddy MS Paint job. I stole everything from this right here.

And wtf's up with all the content today? I'm goin' nuts.

I needed to make mention of James Harrison being named AFC Defensive Player of the Month. Take a look at those stats.

19 tackles. 5.5 of 'em were sacks. 6 FORCED FUMBLES. 1 fumble recovery and 1 interception.

That's in 4 games, folks. Ridiculous. Well done, Silverback. Now tear Wes Welker's moustache off.

Rodney Harrison's Brain Sucks

In response to Anthony Smith's guaranteed win, Rodney Harrison said this:

I don't even know who the guy is, but obviously he has to be a young guy to come out and say something like that. We have a great deal of respect for Pittsburgh and everything they've done and everything they stand for. When I was a young guy, I never came off talking about things I really didn't know about -- especially a young guy that's been in the league probably a year or two. That's something that he's going to have to deal with, and we're going to do our talking on Sunday.

What that means is Harrison will be taking extra doses of steroids while looking at Smith's picture this week.

Looks like Harrison wasn't reading up on the league during his 4-game absence. All Smith's done is record 49 tackles (41 of 'em solo), an interception and forced fumble while primarily serving as a backup and replacement for Ryan Clark.

Hmmm. I guess that HGH affects your mind as much as it does your body.

Dick.

Anthony Smith Guarantees A Win, PSaMP Approves

Did you hear? Anthony Smith guaranteed a win over the Patriots! Oh my gosh! Bulletin board material! Why would he do that? He's going to motivate New England.

Gimme a break. I fully agree with everything Smith said, and actually don't mind that he said it. I know I'm not a football player, but I predicted a win as well. And who cares? This is football, not some pansy inter-team love fest.

Let's look at Smith's reasoning:

"I think we were facing great receivers last week too and we shut them
down,'' Smith said. "Those three guys, I don't think it gets much better than
Cincinnati's corps of receivers. We've already seen the best."

Smith added a little more lumber to the fire when he said New
England's receivers haven't been hit the way they will be hit on
Sunday.

"They said Baltimore was their most physical game but I think we
hit harder than Baltimore, so they haven't seen nothing like us yet.

"They should be worried about us. We never worry about receivers.
We're the ones doing the hitting. They have to run routes. We're attacking them,
they're not really attacking us."

Perfectly put. New England's receivers are constantly put on a pedestal my the MSM because they have Randy Moss, put up flashy numbers and have yet to be fully challenged. Remember, Pittsburgh's pass defense is #1 in the league right now. The Patriots haven't played us yet, so every pass defense they've seen is below Pittsburgh.

Sure, Baltimore fields a pretty good defense, and they were awfully physical against the Patriots. However, Baltimore was repeatedly owned by the Steelers on both sides of the ball in our meeting earlier this season. The Patriots played a Baltimore team that is obviously fed up with their head coach and isn't afraid to physically show that displeasure. That all came to a head when the Ravens stopped the Patriots on 4th and short, only to be emotionally exhausted by the timeout called just prior to the snap. Although Defensive Coordinator Rex Ryan called the timeout, you could see every Baltimore player glaring through Billick's soul. There's not that type of dissension in Pittsburgh. This defense is as solid as it gets.

Randy Moss, Wes Welker and Donte Stallworth have no idea what they're about to go through. Sure, all three have played against the Steelers before, but not on a team that was threatening to go undefeated. You can't simulate that kind of defensive motivation.

But back to Smith. I'm glad he stepped out and guaranteed a win. So many teams keep losing to the Patriots because they sit in awe of New England's magnificence rather than trust their own system. Most teams are already beat before the game begins because they know they only have a minute chance of winning. Anthony Smith is bringing the fight to the Patriots. There's no sitting back and quietly accepting a loss. Its time to get into their heads for once. He's doing it now and he'll do it on Sunday. Its not arrogance...its confidence.

12 straight teams haven't showed that much.

Mini Pony of the Day 12-5-07

I'ma save you some time. Clicking on this picture won't do anything (aside from opening the picture in a new window).

If that was a regular-sized horse, the man next to it would be huge.

Steelers Fans Rule

Excuse the surplus of Steelers/Patriots posts this week. Sure, I've completely neglected the Pirates (rightfully so) and have drifted from the Pens. I apologize. I promise I'll get back to the Penguins soon. Pirates...we'll see about that. Right now, my Steelers will win prediction is consuming my thoughts.

I decided to see who is better, Steelers fans or Patriots fans. These were some of the first images that appeared when I Google Image Searched for "Steelers fan" and "Patriots fan."

No joke. Looking back now, though, the Steelers fan pic is off the first page. Wtf, Google?

Steelers fan...fiiiine. Patriots fan...old.

Cool Manbi Storm Ski gloves, dweeb.





...Hey, baby.



I rest my case.

Mini Pony of the Day 12-4-07

Chest bump to Doug again. He might get a PSaMP administrative title soon.

No, he didn't find the above video. He found this link that was on the Yahoo homepage this morning. There's no way to embed it here, so all I can give you is a direct link.

Smallest Horse, Biggest Heart.

The above vid is one I found of the same horse. Its Thumbelina, the world's smallest horse. Yeah, Thumbelina has been here before. I found a plethora of Thumbelina videos, so you might be getting a bunch of these in the near future.

More Thumbelina content on PSaMP:

Mini Pony of the Day 3-14-07.
Mini Pony of the Day 6-13-07.
Mini Pony of the Day 7-19-07.

A Plea To Silverback

Please rip this dude's moustache off.

I saw ESPN's Sunday Conversation with Welker, and he was sportin' a dumb moustache. I couldn't find the video, so I did the next best thing...MS Paint. If you find the video, let me know.

Another thing. Who is this guy? He sounds/looks exactly like Tobey Maguire. I hope Silverback feasts on him.

On a side note, as much as I wanted to see the Patriots fall last night, I found myself rooting for the Ravens to blow it. My Steelers homerism only permits so much support for a division rival. Plus, I didn't want everyone to be gushing over Jesus Lewis, Rex Ryan and the Ravens D. Give it a week, and the topic will be centered around the people who really deserve it...Dick LeBeau, Silverback, Farrior, Foote, etc. I called the Steelers to win. That prediction is so firm, its like it took Cialis. However, my prediction won't wear off in 36 hours.

Oh, and we don't have AJ Feeley or Kyle Boller. I predicted Boller would throw a Feeley "dumb interception," and he did. Ben needs to take what the Patriots secondary gives him, and not force it through 3-4 defenders. If he plays smart, there's no reason to believe that our violent team won't wear down those old ass NE linebackers.

But still, Silverback needs to eat Wes Welker.

You're welcome.

Mini Pony of the Day 12-3-07

I knew there was a reason I have Verizon Wireless.

I tried to find this video about a week and a half ago, but Youtube didn't have it. Reader Doug found and emailed it in. Doug rules.

Here's some other rad mini horses from Doug.

Mini Pony of the Day 11-29-07.
Mini Pony of the Day 10-24-07.
Mini Pony of the Day 10-12-07.

Everyone thank Doug.

Monday Morning Chrysler New Yorker

We won. Can't ask for much more than that. However, Ben and Fast Bill did little to impress, and the 24-10 win can be credited to Heath, Hines and the D.

Faced with less bog-like conditions than Monday, the Steelers still needed to overcome serious weather. I was pissed that I had to walk out tin the rain to get something outta my car. Playing a football game in that nasty stuff had to be awful.

Ben complained about the wet ball early, but was able to reverse his fortunes after throwing a costly interception in the first quarter. On the flip side, Carson Palmer started efficient, but then proceeded to stink up Heinz Field no matter which direction he was going.

Despite the shady offense, the team looked more like a team capable of bringing down the Patriots in a week. I wasn't ready to say that after the Jets and the Fins game. I'm ready now. Resiliency, baby. We fought through the conditions and the awful start to create a decent win.

Tale of the tape: A win is a win. Underlying theme: Our D is the (collective) man.

Ben and Bill won't be getting 4s and 5s this week.

Ben. Eh. I've seen better. I've seen worse. We can look a this performance either way. He sucked early, but turned things around throughout. Or...he blamed his struggles on the conditions, threw some awful passes and only completed as many passes as he did because Hines and Heath had glue on their hands. Ben was the winning QB, so I'll try to be positive. 3.5 of 5 motorcycle helmets. Yeah, I've been giving fractions of helmets lately, but Ben can't make these same mistakes next week. CANNOT. This won't be stressed enough.

Bill. Gross. Stupid Jerome Bettis elbow condoms. Why didn't he take those bitches off? I'm not going to place the blame solely on those, however. Bill was trying to cut down on fumbles this season, and for the most part, he succeeded to this point. Fact of the matter is...Bill put the ball on the turf too much...overturned fumble or not. He somehow found a way to get 87 yards, which nearly redeemed him. Still...dude needs to find the endzone. Soon. 3 of 5 motorcycle helmets. Score, brother.

Hines. Round of applause, everyone. The record (64 receiving TDs) is his. No more looking towards Stallworth. Hines has cemented his legacy in the 'Burgh on more than one occasion, and this record was merely the icing on the cake. Sure, Stallworth and Swann took catches and touchdowns away from each other, but Hines has had to deal with Kordell, Kent, Tommy, etc. And he hauled in 11 damn catches a week after snagging 9. Well done. He gets 5 of 5 motorcycle helmets.

Heath. Needs the ball more. He isn't a safety blanket. He's a game changer. 5 of 5 motorcycle helmets.

D. Just like Ben, they faltered early, but found a way to completely turn around their performance. The D rallied after allowing an early TD, and each guy stepped up big time. Look at those stats. 2 guys with 8 tackles, one with 7, three with 6. Farrior, Foote and Carter were absolute beasts all game. This is the second straight game in which that trio belittled the opposition. That early TD damaged the ego a bit, but the D still allowed less points (10) than their prior season average (13.2). They're now allowing 12.9 a game. Ridiculous. 4 of 5 motorcycle helmets. No 5 here because of that first drive Cincy TD.

If you don't know who we play next week, you are stupid. We'll win. Write that down.

Mini Pony of the Day 12-2-07

Sweet. They love mini ponies in Asia, too.

Pitt Sold Their Soul To The Devil...

...And I approve of this transaction.

What a win. Despite the refs' best efforts to give the game to WVU, Pitt prevailed...but it seems like they, too, had some help.

Look at those stats from last night's game. Pitt was obviously runnin' with someone else other than just Lesean McCoy.

Mini Pony of the Day 12-1-07

Oh my.

No other words can describe this.

Mini Pony of the Day 11-30-07

Cool logo.

This is a logo for T Bar T Miniature Horse Farm. Here is their website.

Honestly...you need to check out their site just to look at how your cursor changes. Ridiculous. I need to find a way to get that to happen when you visit PSaMP.

Questions Answered

(Click for larger view)

Since you, the reader, don't personally know me, I thought I'd take the time to answer some of your questions. Did Tec really graduate from Steelers training camp...St. Vincent College? Does best friend/college roommate Bob actually exist? Is Tec really a sports fan? Is he a poser Pittsburgh sports fan? Does he grow a ZZ Top beard day after day a la Tim Allen in the Santa Clause? Does Tec love giving the peace sign?

Here's a glimpse into my past, all you question-givers. Yes, that is a St. Vincent College dorm room. That's Bob (the taller one). Sports apparel and merchandise, more specifically, Pittsburgh sports apparel and merchandise is on full display. That is a ZZ Top beard and a peace sign.

Now for those pesky numbers. Time to explain what everything is. For the record, that is only one wall. Every other wall had more of the same.

1. Steelers shirt circa 1993
2. Traditional Terrible Towel (mine, actually)
3. Autographed Jack Lambert picture (thanks, Sheen)
4. Black Terrible Towel (Bob's)
5. Random Pirates bobblehead (obscured by my elbow)
6. Fantastic Steelers artwork (Big Ben , Hines, Bettis, Lombardi Trophy)
7. Super Bowl XL seat cushion (Bob received it at Ford Field...lucky bastard)
8. Steelers Super Bowl Champion hat (we both bought one immediately following the win)
9. Bettis authentic away jersey
10. Goblet and rocket (not Pittsburgh and/or sports related)
11. Big Ben #7 football-shaped magnet

And I think that's Marquette basketball on the tube. Can't really explain that one, Pitt fans. I'm thinking it was Pitt/Marquette.