The Steelers Open With A Win

The Pittsburgh Steelers opened their season with a 34-7 spanking of the Cleveland Browns yesterday. I thought the Steelers played pretty good, there were a few mistakes, but overall I'm happy, and I expect them to contend for the championship this year. Big Ben tossed 4 touchdown passes, Fast Willie Parker ran for 109 yards 27 carries, Hines Ward with a TD and a big hit on a hapless Browns defender, and they had 6 sacks and 5 turnovers. I really like Mike Tomlin, he has the team playing physical, hardnosed football, which all Steelers fans love. Pittsburgh has now won 8 in a row and 14 out of 15 against our most hated rivals.

I have been going to a bar called Niagara Tap for years to watch the Steelers. It is a great neighborhood bar, and it is still a smoking establishment. At first, we had a tv in the corner with about 5 fans showing up. A couple of years ago new owners took over, and 1 is a Steelers fan, so now we watch the games on one of the big tv's. This is a small place, and yesterday there were about 30 fans there, to go along with scattered fans of the other teams. And we get pretty loud. My girlfriend loved it. This is only the second game she has seen with me, seeing how we did not meet until late December of last year. She lived in the 'Burgh for 2 years in the early 90's, so she does like the Steelers. And she looked great wearing my Ward jersey.

We have Buffalo next week. The other owner of the bar is a Bills fan, so this will be a lot of fun.

And seeing how I live in Bucs territory, I'm wondering how long the Glazers are going to put up with games like yesterday. That was bad. And I love it.

Tim