The Weekend Bidness

There’s a great article about Sidney Crosby in the latest Pittsburgh Magazine.  In it, there’s a story about Sid staying long after practice to help defenseman, Kris Letang, work on his shot from the point.  It pays off the next game when Letang bangs in the game winner in overtime.  The article intimates that Sid is Letang’s best friend.

I immediately had to send the link over to Sitcom Kelly, because once she captures Kris and puts him in her basement Pit, Sid may come looking for him.  I suggested she prepare another Pit just in case.

I think all this Pit talk is getting to Sitcom Kelly… she recently had a dream that she was out somewhere and Letang has “his people” watching her.  She had to explain that it’s all a joke and the she really didn’t have the energy/enthusiasm/attention span to keep anyone in a Pit.  She was happy, though, that she got to meet him (in the dream).

I told her that’s how the madness starts.  She starts dreaming about him and The Pit, and next thing you know; she can’t distinguish between what’s real and what’s a joke.

I wonder what her co-workers will think when she starts showing up with dirt in her hair.

The Mojo Boogie

Today’s game gear was based on the Steelers opponent, the Oakland Raiders.  It’s opposite the Ratbirds game so it won’t be on TV, so I had to go to Jilly’s, my local sports bar.

In years gone by, coughthe70scough, the Raiders were mortal enemies.  The years weren’t kind to the Raiders as they spent far more years sucking than being competitive.  Then last year, they came back and stuck it too us good, right there in Pittsburgh, scoring 3 TDs in the 4^th quarter.

It’s time to break out the hate so I rocked the 1975-era Jack Lambert throwback, complete with Super Bowl X patch. 

This was a bit of a risk for me because for the 3 games I’ve already seen at the sports bar, I’ve worn Steelers polo shirts and they’ve won.  But what I’m learning this season is that there is no consistent mojo tied to one shirt.  Note that I never wore the same polo twice.  I went way out this time just by wearing a jersey at all.  But in a nod to consistency, I did wear one particular hat each time, so I wore it again today.

And the result of all that scheming?  Steelers crush the Raiders 35-3, in the most uncomfortable romp I’ve seen in ages.

Why uncomfortable?  The fucking penalties!  Now, I’m not usually one to complain about the refs… that’s what losers do.  But Jesus Christ!  The Steelers had 14 penalties for 163 yard, including a punt return and interception return for touchdowns called back, versus 7 penalties for the Raiders for 55 yards.

Some of the calls were legit, for example Willie Gay holding THE KICKER on the punt return.  But so many of the others were total phantoms.  And if they are going to call holding that closely, it has to be for BOTH teams.  I refuse to believe that the Raiders, who have had the worst reputation this side of the Ratbirds for the last 40 years, played it all that clean.  Half of the calls against the Raiders came late in the game, during garbage time.  None were particularly meaningful.

But enough about the calls.  The Steelers rocked the house, and the Raiders.  I had to shout down one idiot Ravens fan, who after seeing a scrum on the field, started bellyaching about how it must be those cheap-shot Steelers.

The replay showed then showed how after a TD pass, QB Ben Roethlisberger ran by D-lineman Richard Seymour and got totally jacked upside the head, 15 seconds after the play was over.  It looked to me like Ben was trying to get around him… maybe he said something, but then Seymour whirled around and just palm-heeled him right up under the mask.

I went apeshit in the bar… “Oh yeah, what a thug.  Ben totally beat that guy’s hand with his jaw.  What a low-life…”  I went on with some more choice observations, loudly, but I don’t really remember the rest.  I can tell you that I didn’t hear a peep out of that Rattie jagoff for the rest of the game.  Typical.