Steelers Christmas Poems Rule

Look...PSaMP is a sports blog by a Pittsburgh fan for other Pittsburgh fans. Sport is no longer about the athletes and coaches. Media members, writers and yes, even the fans, contribute to the 24/7 coverage of sport.

I'm a huge fan of giving voices to the ordinary Joes that support the local teams, which is why most Youtube videos on the site are something ridiculous or dumb done by a fan. I'd be a jerk if I didn't at least feature the fans' perspective.

So with Christmas coming up real quick, we're treated to a Steelers Christmas poem by some guy. Transcribing time:


For Christmas, I only want one thing.
And that's a Steelers Super Bowl ring.
I won't cry if there's nothing under the tree.
Waiting until February is fine with me.
I hope my request isn't too bold.
It's just that I bleed Black and Gold.
I don't need a present wrapped with a bow.
I need a game-winning touchdown throw.
And when the receiver hauls in that catch.
The opponents will know, they were no match.
Soon they will announce the game's MVP.
That's the Christmas gift I want to see.
Lots of cheer at my Super Bowl party.
As the Steelers hoist that silver Lombardi.


You're welcome for writing that down, dude. Too bad you couldn't mention Duce Staley or some shit.

Merry Christmas?

Michael Phelps Hangs with Duce Staley? UPDATED

Everyone's been waiting for pics of Phelps ACTUALLY WITH his new girlfriend. With Leather has 'em.

Now, back to my headline...I have no clue if that's the former Eagle and Steeler, but jeez would that be random if it was.



RANDOM-ASS UPDATE - Quoting the always-reliable messageboards, Phelps was Staley's guest for the Arkansas/South Carolina game. That might actually be him.

Jerome Bettis Has An Odd Affection For Kordell Stewart

Wow, I could've used any picture of Jerome for this post. He could be running over someone, scoring a touchdown...anything. Jeopardy takes the cake, though.

Back to the point. Bettis is pulling out all the stops in his new autobiography, entitled, The Bus. My Life in and out of a Helmet. The co-author is ESPN's Gene Wojciechowski, so I've already lost an incredible amount of respect for the book.

Bettis lets readers in on the aspects of his time in Pittsburgh that haven't been told to this point. Here's some key points, as brought to light by Ed Bouchette:

- He faked a knee injury in training camp of 2000, because Kevin Gilbride loved Richard Huntley, and the Steelers couldn't release Bettis once he got hurt. Well played, seeing as how the Steelers were forced to keep Bettis, and he responded by putting up 1,341 rushing yards.

- Bettis says Cowher and the organization didn't want to pay Kordell the big bucks after he made the Pro Bowl in 2001. "You bench your Pro Bowl quarterback for a guy who had been out of football for years (Maddox), who hadn't started an NFL game in 10 seasons?" Bettis wonders in his book. "That just doesn't happen by accident." Sorry Jerome, but I think I side with Cowher/the organization on that one.

- Maddox and the passing game were the chief reason the Steelers failed in the 2002 playoffs. Pittsburgh football under Cowher was built on the run. No surprise there.

- Bettis didn't like the team cutting Tim "The Bus Driver" Lester in 1999. I disagreed with this move as well. Every good running back needs a fullback that they're comfortable with. As good as LaDainian Tomlinson is today, he owes much of his success to Lorenzo Neal.

- Bettis had an emergency appendectomy in 1999. The best part was the team telling Bettis to keep it quiet, so he was forced to sign in under the alias, Tex Goldstein. For those of you wondering, this is Tex Goldstein.

- According to Bettis, Amos Zereoue wasn't a hard worker. According to PSaMP Amos Zereoue would trip over his own feet when out in the open field. Not really juicy, Jerome.

- Bettis didn't like being booed in 2004, when he replaced Duce Staley in a goal line situation. I'm sure that was all cleared up during his final home game, against the Lions, where JB scored 3 touchdowns (I was at that game, he could've had 5 or 6) and fans lost their minds to every "Thanks, Jerome" montage that was shown on the big screen (there was about 100 of these).

- Finally, for the little racist in all of us, Jerome was ashamed that his alma mater, Notre Dame, fired Tyrone Willingham after only 3 years. For the record, Willingham was 21-15 at Notre Dame, and endured 5, 30+ point blowout losses in Ty's 3-year tenure. Those numbers aren't all that successful, especially when people put Notre Dame on such a pedestal and there is such a commitment to winning. I'm no Notre Dame fan (I actually despise them), but 21-15 isn't really Notre-Dame-esque.

So Jerome succeeded in giving us a little dirt on or favorite football team, but nothing too risque. Us fans are always fed the bullshit line that "First and foremost, football is a business." I can't stand when players say that. Actually, first and foremost, football is a game. Players are so non-committal to the fans of a certain city if they can cash in with a bigger payday somewhere else. We are supposed to just grin and bear the fact that this happens in a business. In a way, I'm not going to get all heated at the Steelers for wanting to release Bettis several years before he retired. Looking back now, its easy to say that Bettis is right, because he has his ring to back him up. However, at the time, Richard Huntley/Amos Zereoue seemed like viable alternatives to the aging Bettis.

I love Bettis and all he's done for the city and organization. I just won't criticize my hometown team for wanting to release the now-surefire HOFer. If football really is a business first, then Jerome should have expected a release as he got up there in age. I'm just glad that he wanted to stay in Pittsburgh, and he did whatever it took to stay.

And if you were wondering, the answer to the Jeopardy question is Terry Bradshaw.

Game 4 Was a "Must-Win," But Game 5 Really Means It This Time

I've been struggling to write a piece on game 5 tonight, but its kinda hard today. After finding every possible way to lose in games 1, 3 and 4, its hard to find legitimate reasons to keep watching. Blowouts hurt, because early deficits lead to stuff getting thrown at the t.v. Close games hurt, because afterwards, its like, "why did I get so excited and worked up? I just got so disappointed." Still, the black and gold blood flows through my veins, so games 1, 3 and 4 mean nothing to me. They are in the past, exactly opposite of where Lord Stanley sits. In honor of the future, and the slim possibility that the Pens make it out of the series alive, I will focus on all the positives that the Pens need to take into game 5.

So the game will be in Ottawa tonight. The Pens won their only game in the series in Ottawa, so that's a plus. I have never been a true disciple of "home field advantage" and the "effect of the crowd" on a game (unless said game is in Pittsburgh), but there is something special about going to another team's home, and really sticking it to their fans. Trust me, with all the sticking-to that Pittsburgh has gotten from the Sens, I can't say I'd mind really blowing out Ottawa tonight. While the Pens only had 24 shots last game, they still made it seem like there were more biscuits put on Emery. The Pens were able to keep momentum in the offensive zone, but Emery did a great job of stopping (nearly) everything the Pens threw at him.

Another positive: the sign at the top of this post. What is Bryan Murray's deal? Does he honestly have to dislike everything? I feel like if I was hanging out with Mr. Murray (which would never happen, mostly because of his weird lisp) and I offered him free money or something, the dude would probably find some reason to get mad at the Pens for it. His current bitch is that Gary Roberts is playing too physical. Except Murray would say that Roberts has been too "phythical."

Laraque's playing time has been real shady. I mentioned that he needed to play in game 4. I stand by that opinion, and feel that he should be in game 5 as well. This is like if the Steelers picked up, I don't know, Duce Staley, and didn't use him for 3 seasons (Oh wait...). The Pens played Nils Ekman, who played 2 out of the Pens' final 29 games, and he already mentioned that he will be ready for game 5. Uh, remember the way the Pens excelled down the playoff stretch? Didn't they mature to the point where they were actually competing for the Atlantic division lead (which they held, momentarily) and the #2 overall seed in the East? Was Nils Ekman in the lineup? No. Georges Laraque was in the lineup.

This game 5 analysis has started to shift from positive to negative real quick. So I'm gonna watch game 5, and support my team like it was any other game. The Pens have rallied from a 3-1 deficit before. And the coach pf the team they're playing this time has a lisp. So even in a 3-1 pit, there's still some hope for our Pens.

Something must be done about the recent 0 for 9 Power Play drought. With the talent on this Pens team, 0 for 9 is inexcusable.