Steelers Insurrection - Updated

Note: Late update at the end of the post.


It's been a rough week around here, as the broadcast media and Internet is filled with Ratbird ravings that are even more deluded than usual.  Much has to do with bringing pressure to bear on season ticket holders not to sell their tickets to Steeler fans.  I saw further comments this week on the local newspaper's Ravens blog advocating that fans steal the Terrible Towels from anyone that dares to twirl one in the stadium, as well as committing other typical mayhem and violence.

The funny thing is that they are planning to give out 70,000 purple towels at the stadium.  Being inexperienced towel twirlers, I'm expecting they'll spend most of their time smacking each other in the face with them.

There's also a movement being pushed by a local radio station asking the crowd to chant "No means no," when Ben goes under center.  I know of at least a couple others planning on chanting, "Where's the knife, Ray?"

Ray did time for obstructing a double homicide investigation, involving members of his posse and 2 dead guys.  Ray disappeared the knife and a bloody coat.

We had one guy that was looking for something good to put on a sign.  I suggested, "Our Stallworth went to the Hall of Fame.  Your Stallworth went to jail."  His wife put the kibosh on that, though.  Something about not wanting to bail HIM out of jail Sunday night.

So as you may remember, we have a little group of Steelers insurgents at my office building in downtown Baltimore, and we now number around 20.  We got together for lunch in the cafeteria again; all dressed in our Steelers jerseys.  We almost didn't get to do that... As of early this week, there was no Purple Jersey Day planned.  If they don't make it a Jersey Day, we don't get to wear our opposing jerseys.  So I put a bug in the ear of the people in the right department that maybe they should do a jersey day, as this is the biggest regular season game of the year.  They announced it Thursday and unknowingly cleared the way for our show of force.

It's always so much fun watching people walk by with their food, spot us, then walk away shaking their heads and muttering.

We might have got in a little trouble this time, because one of our crew put this picture of a (fake) raven bird being hung, on the cafeteria bulletin board. 

A little later, our HR chief walked by and took it down, throwing a major stink-eye at our table.  That prompted our high-ranking company officer at the table to comment, "I guess I'll be talking to HR after lunch..."  

Later, I heard the line of the day as we rode up the elevator after lunch.  One of the women that started our group, a truly sweet natured and gentle soul, said, "Geez, you hang one bird and everyone gets all bent out of shape!" 

And if we lose on Sunday, it might just be US with the ropes around our necks.

As I left for the day today, I felt my customary unease.  That always happens when I’m wearing Steelers stuff when I’m out and about.  Every time I cross the street, I feel like a huge target.  Every time I step off the curb I keep expecting to hear the sound of squealing tires.  But I managed to get home again in one piece and without hearing any taunting.  Seriously, headphones help.

I’ll have more on the game mojo this weekend, as well as a look at some of the Ratbird fan comments on the game.  I swear, it’s enough to give a 5^th grade grammar teacher a heart attack.


Update:  The last time the Steelers and Ratbirds played, I sent a similar letter, describing our pre-game office lunch, to Dan Gigler, the writer for the Steelers blog at the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, and he ran the whole thing.  This post today is a version of the letter I sent him last night and he ran it on the blog this morning.  You can find it by clicking here.  Feel free to check it out, and comment there if you see fit.  I figure, the more clicks they get on that post, the more likely they'll be to keep running my stuff.  

And if I may, let me say that the bloggers they have at the Post Gazette, namely Dan with Blog n Gold, and Seth Rohrbaugh on the Penguins blog Empty Netters, are quality guys.  Both have been accessible, helpful and ready to interact.  I got to meet Seth last year at a Pens game.  I hope one day to catch up with Dan.