Pittsburgh's going to the Super Bowl!

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Facebook Profile Pic Analysis

OK, so I’m up way later on a school night than I wanna be. But I’m on wait-until-Lyla-wakes-up-from-her-evening-doze-off-session-then-feed-her-a-bottle-and-put-her-to-bed duty. She was due to eat at 10-10:30. Since it’s well past midnight as I type, I obviously got a little more than I bargained for tonight. Anyway, I only provide this intro as a warning that what I’m about to write only interests me (if even that).

It has finally arrived! After much laboring, a great milestone, my 15th ever Facebook profile pic has been selected.

Why is 15 a milestone, you ask? Well, it ends in a 0 or 5 for starters…that’s something, no? My dad’s birthday was the 15th, so there’s that. And don’t sleep on the fact that 15 is the atomic number of phosphorous. Oh, and the Andy Warhol quote, right? And maybe most important, during my arguably most productive season in organized baseball (when I anchored a slightly-above-average collection of 13- and 14-year-olds by batting clean-up and playing 1B, plus earned a much-deserved benchwarming spot on my league’s travelling All-Star team) I wore the uniform number 15.

Without further ado, here’s the pic:

Photo by: Mindy Ross for The Ross Experience

As you can see that’s Edwin and me. And because of civil society and its arbitrary laws against keeping gorillas as pets, it should be obvious that this photo was taken at the zoo.

And since I promised this one week ago via Facebook status update…

need a new profile pic. but considering it'll be my milestone 15th ever profile pic, I can't choose lightly. oh, and I'm planning a statistical analysis all 15...but you already knew that.

…here it goes.

As misnomer-ous as it may be, I’ve not been in all of my profile pics:

The individuals featured in the 3 pics I wasn’t in:

1. Nick Swardson – There was a Facebook trend that lasted a few days a while back where people picked their celebrity doppelganger. Google him, we look somewhat alike from certain angles.
2. Steely McBeam – During the Steelers’ 2009 5-game losing streak, I changed my profile pic to Steely until the Steelers finally won a game. Sort of a hunger strike-lite. I asked others to join in support. There were no takers.
3. Dick LeBeau – From is Hall of Fame induction last month. Changed my pic on a whim, but the change lasted over a month.

So for the twelve I was in, here the location by state and whether the pic was taken indoors our outdoors:

So you noticed my most recent pic included Edwin and myself, right? Well, it turns out I was solo for only 3 of my profile pics, which were my 1st 3 overall. (Un)interestingly enough, no more than 2 people total have ever been in one of my profile pics. It’s either just me, or me + one other person. Here’s the breakdown:

So Edwin’s the big winner. But in Lyla’s defense, she’s only been alive 9 short (read: long) weeks, so Edwin had a 2-year head start. But what’s the deal with Mindy’s presence...lacking, huh? I chalk this up to the fact that we may be together in the occasional staged family photo, our best stuff comes when one of us is chasing the kids around while the other is snapping away. We got to get ourselves into some more pics together.

Unless something really unique pops up, I’m hoping we can kill 2 birds with one stone with the next profile pic (get Mindy’s and Lyla’s figures up + break through the 2-person limit glass ceiling) and get the whole 4-member Ross clan into the next profile pic.

The Camaraderie Exemption for Sports Fans

In response to my cousin DJ’s Facebook status from earlier today, I’ve been inspired to weigh-in with my theories on rooting on a team that’s not your own (or sports bigamy as Bill Simmons calls it). Here’s DJ’s question:

Question for my friends who are Penguins faithful:
Is it wrong for me to wear the jersey of another team? They are not a direct rival....although they are in the same conference.

A little background: my cousin was born and raised in Pennsylvania, spending the better part of his first 18-years of life in the Pittsburgh suburbs. So the Penguins to which he refers are the of the hockey variety, the 3-time Stanley Cup-winning NHL champion Pittsburgh Penguins. (This clarity provided for my Youngstown peeps who might be thinking of the NCAA FCS version or any Clark College or Dominican University readers I may have.)

DJ—er, maybe I should start calling him Don since he hasn’t been DJ since we were, like 11-years-old…ahhh screw it, he always be DJ to me (sorry, Cuz)—now lives in Indianapolis with his lovely wife and two wonderful children. As a sports fan whose fave team is 289-miles to the Northeast, I can feel his pain.

It’s fun to root for the local team. Anyone who’s spent a full weekend day at a sports bar, straining his neck to watch his team on a muted, 32-inch standard def TV, while fans of the local team cheer on every TD in unison, turning their heads in any direction to find the game on a pristine 72-inch screen knows what I’m talking about. So I have devised the Camaraderie Exemption for sports fandom. Since I’m only a wannabe Penguin fan, who just can’t get into hockey (we’re supposed to dislike the Flyers and Caps, right?), I’ll have to use examples from the NFL.

So here are the 5 simple tenets of being granted the Camaraderie Exemption:

1. You live in another city more than 250-miles from the city of your team.
2. The city you live has another team right there in town (in the ‘burbs at least), e.g. Milwaukee doesn't get you a pass for the Packers, Tucson doesn’t get you an exemption for the Cardinals (and why anyone would to use their exemption on the Arizona Cardinals is a mystery to me).
3. The local team is not in the same conference of your team. I repeat, conference, not division.
4. The local team does not have some sort of historic rivalry with your team. So if we were talking NBA, a native Bostonian who moved to LA couldn’t adopt the Lakers, but that should go without saying.
5. Every 4 years you must temporarily renounce the bigamy, when Steelers play the respective NFC division in the schedule rotation. It should also go without saying that this rule applies to Super Bowl match-ups against an exempted team.

I really struggled with #3 and thought about making intra-division border crossing the only no-no. But the more I thought about it, intra-conference inter-division rivalries are too flexible. Teams play those games much more frequently than inter-conferences games, so when both teams get good at the same time for a stretch, big regular season showdowns for playoff position, and worse, recurring playoff match-ups will naturally occur. A Steeler fan in Massachusetts would be fine in the early ‘90s cheering on the Pats. But things would’ve gotten difficult in the mid-to-late ‘90s, and downright brutal for the entirety of the ‘00s.

I guess an argument against me here is cheering for a team that perpetually stinks. But first off, even terrible franchises have good runs every once in a while (for NFC fans, see Rams ‘99-‘01). And even if a team was perpetually awful, why waste the Camaraderie Exemption being miserable by supporting the Buffalo Bills?

So in the interest in providing excruciating detail that no one but me cares about, here’s my rundown of the Camaraderie Exemption for the Steelers:

• The rest of the AFC – all 15 teams, out.
• NFC East – Cowboys and Eagles are obviously out. Close call, but I sense the Redskins are clear. They’re just barely outside my completely arbitrary 250-mile rule, and plus I just don’t feel any sense of ‘Burgh/DC tension (outside of hockey). Same for the Giants, they’re clear too. Granted, I haven’t lived in Pittsburgh since 1984, so if any lifelong yinzers wanna weigh-in on any DC or NYC vitriol, be my guest.
• The entire NFC North (Lions/Bears/Packers/Vikings) is clear. Like my DC/NYC comment, if there’s any leftover feelings from Super Bowl IX that would rule out the Vikes, please fill me in (we won handedly, right, so who cares?). Also, if you feel the need to relocate to Detroit, you may have bigger things to worry about besides NFL rooting interests.
• The entire NFC South (Atlanta/Charlotte/Tampa Bay/New Orleans) is clear as well. Although those two brutal match-ups last decade—blowing a 17-pt 4th quarter lead to end up tying in ‘02 and the Santonio Holmes rookie turnoverfest causing a undeserved loss in that put us well on our way to a 2-6 start in ‘06—still weighed heavily on me, I’m giving the Falcons a pass. Important note, the NFC South is NOT clear for the ‘10 season, as the Steelers face off against that division this year in the rotation.
• Ahhh, the NFC West. I may be contradicting myself here because the flexibility of intra-conference rivalries that negates exemptions in that category comes into play heavily here. First off, Rams are fine (again, similar to the Vikings in SB IX, if you harbor residual Super Bowl XIV resentment, and again, the good guys won, why?). This may be controversial, but I say the Cardinals are fine too. Super Bowl XVIII was great. It’s over. Let’s move on. The 49ers and Seahawks are out though. The Niners because they’re one of the few threats to the record number of Lombardi trophies. In fact, they had the lead for 11-years from ‘95-‘06. The Seahawks are out due to their fans incessant whining from Super Bowl XL. Yes, there were a bunch of questionable and ticky-tack calls. Most went Pittsburgh’s way. You still lost by 11. Get over it.

So to summarize the Camaraderie Exemption for Steeler fans. Exemptions will be granted for residents of the following cities:

1. Washington, DC (temporary ban in 2012)
2. New York, NY (temporary ban in 2012)
3. Detroit, MI (temporary ban in 2013)
4. Chicago, IL (temporary ban in 2013)
5. Green Bay, WI (temporary ban in 2013)
6. Twin Cities, MN (temporary ban in 2013)
7. Charlotte, NC (temporary ban in 2010)
8. Atlanta, GA (temporary ban in 2010)
9. Tampa Bay Area, FL (temporary ban in 2010)
10. New Orleans, LA (temporary ban in 2010)
11. St. Louis, MO (temporary ban in 2011)
12. Phoenix, AZ (temporary ban in 2011)

So those are the overriding principals of Camaraderie Exemption in terms of determining bigamy-fandom is acceptable. Feel free to do this analysis for your fave team in any sport.

But there is also the Camaraderie Exemption sub-rule 12E-L22 that applies to team paraphernalia in such circumstances: get a hat, a tee-shirt if you must, but cool it on the jersey.

Edwin's Favorite Football Team

Considering the World Cup starts tomorrow, I realize this is the wrong type of "football" for this time of year, but I thought this was too funny not to share...

Spring has just begun & we're already planning for fall

OK, Greater Cincinnati Steeler fans, the 2010 NFL schedules are out.

Here's the breakdown*...

Games you will not have to leave your house to see:

1. 10/31 - Sunday night @ New Orleans
2. 11/8 - Monday night @ Cincinnati
3. 11/14 - Sunday night vs New England
4. 12/5 - Sunday night @ Baltimore
5. 12/12 - Sunday 1 p.m. vs Cincinnati
6. 12/23 - Thursday night vs Carolina

Games that don't conflict with Bengal games that you might have to leave your house to see:

1. 9/12 - Opening Day 1 p.m. vs Atlanta (on FOX, Bengals on CBS)
2. 10/17 - Sunday 1 p.m. vs Cleveland (Bengals bye week)
3. 11/28 - Sunday night @ Buffalo (Bengals on Thanksgiving)
4. 12/19 - Sunday 4:15 p.m. vs NY Jets (Bengals on @ 1 p.m.)

Sunday 1 p.m. games that conflict with Bengal games that you will have to leave your house to see (unless Steelers or Bengals are flexed to 4 p.m. or Sunday night on NBC):

1. 9/19 - @ Tennessee
2. 9/26 - @ Tampa Bay (yes, Bengals on FOX the same day)
3. 10/3 - vs Baltimore
4. 10/24 - @ Miami
5. 11/21 - vs Oakland
6. 1/2/11 - @ Cleveland

* Note: I realize that if you have the DirecTV NFL Sunday Ticket, this entire post is moot.

What a Game!!!

Grandpa Randy, Tiffany, Donny, and the Ridel Family (Keith, Stephanie, and Vanessa) joined us today for Jersey Mike's, KFC grilled chicken, and snacks during the Bengals/Steelers Game. What a game...just the way I like it - down to the last minute...I thought my dad was going to pass out...he gets so nervous (and rightfully so as a Bengals fan). Enjoy some of the pics from our day:

NFL Team of the Decade: '00s Version

As any fan of the modern NFL can attest, the league is a perpetual stack ranking machine. Who's the greatest QB ever? Best clutch kicker? Greatest defense? Those examples usually lead to debates, but there is one ranking that achieves consensus: team of the decade.

This general acceptance is probably because the right answer boils down to championships won. Here's the generally approved list from the modern era:

• 1960s - Green Bay Packers
• 1970s - Pittsburgh Steelers
• 1980s - San Francisco 49ers
• 1990s - Dallas Cowboys

About one year ago, just as the 2nd-to-last season of the decade was kicking off, it seemed the team of the decade for the 2000s was a forgone conclusion. The New England Patriots had been to 4 Super Bowls during the decade, winning 3 of them. No other team had won multiple Super Bowl in the '00s, and of those teams, only one had been to multiple (the New York Giants).



However, the 2008 season ended with the Pittsburgh Steelers winning their 2nd Super Bowl of the decade, closing the gap ever so slightly on the Patriots' stranglehold on team of the decade honors. This makes for a pretty interesting thought experiment: if the Steelers can repeat as champs (thus equalling New England's total of 3 for the '00s), who's the team of the decade?

Let's back up and review how the 2 teams have fared over the 1st 9 seasons of the decade to see how these clubs stack up:

• Super Bowls - 3 wins in 4 appearances for New England vs. 2-for-2 for Pittsburgh
• Playoffs - both teams with 6 appearances; however, 14 wins for New England vs. 10 for Pittsburgh
• Regular season - 102 wins for New England vs. 94 for Pittsburgh

So it's obvious that the Patriots still get the nod for now. And it's also obvious that even with another win, the Steelers can't reach the Super Bowl appearance total of 4. Here's my breakdown of the only hope Pittsburgh:

1. Win Super Bowl 44 - this is 1st and foremost. Without this win, all other analysis is unnecessary (Mindy, if you read this far, yeah I know, this whole post is unnecessary, but let's keep those comments to ourselves, shall we?).
2. Win 8 more games than the Patriots during the '09 regular season - this will be extremely difficult, as the Patriots are the Las Vegas favorites to win it all this year. But by winning 8 more games than the Patriots (and assuming they compile more than 2 wins), the Steelers will equal their regular season win total and go one up in the playoff appearance total.
3. Enter the playoffs without a 1st round bye - this would be an added bonus really. It'd make the playoff run much more difficult (involving at least one road game), but playing 4 games rather than 3 would give the Steelers an equal number of playoff wins to the Patriots.

So if the Steelers can accomplish #1 above, there's a discussion at least, as the Super Bowl wins would be equal at 3. If they get somewhat near #2 & #3, the numbers shake out as a virtual tie: regular season & playoff wins would be pretty much even, the Steelers would have the slight edge in playoff appearances, but the Patriots would have the slight edge in Super Bowl appearances.

Here's the problem with the above scenario: under the virtual tie, we'd have to check out the head-to-head results. These 2 teams played in the regular season 5 times with New England winning 3 of them. But then there's the knockout blow...these 2 teams met in the playoffs twice. The Patriots won both times. Both in the AFC championship game. Both in Pittsburgh.

So even under my long-shot scenario, the Patriots get the nod as team of the decade due to those crucial playoff head-to-head wins. OK, let's forget trying to get the Steelers to equalize the number of regular season and playoff wins + get a leg up in playoff appearances.

What the Steelers need is this: have New England earn home field advantage in the playoffs. Sure, the Patriots would have the slight edge in total wins and Super Bowl appearances locked up at that point. But if the Steelers can win the AFC championship game in New England, then go on to win Super Bowl 44, they'd end the decade by exacting revenge on the hated Patriots and matching them in titles.

The less important numbers would slightly favor New England, but I'd say we'd have co-teams of the decade at that point.

P.S.: There's plenty of sources I could link to from this post, but it's Saturday morning, and I'm lazy. To verify the above numbers, Wikipedia is a great reference. Search "Pittsburgh Steelers seasons" and "New England Patriors seasons".

Steelers/Ravens

Blogger Chris Chase comments on Baltimore LB Terrell Suggs professing hatred for the Steelers via T-shirt:

It's only natural that Suggs, his teammates and Ravens fans would hate Pittsburgh though. The Steelers are a model franchise, have had more historical and recent success (including three wins over the Ravens last year) and, most importantly, don't have to live in Baltimore.

Quote of the Day

Yahoo! Sports' Dan Wetzel on the comparing Michael Vick's and Donte Stallworth's legal situations:

At the legal level, comparing the crimes and the punishments of Vick and Stallworth is not particularly useful. Vick was dealing with the federal prosecutors, Stallworth with county ones -- the comparative difference between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Detroit Lions.

UPDATE: James Harrison

He's not budging: "I'm not going because I don't want to go".

James Harrison, linebacker/philosopher

For the 2nd time in 4 years, the Steelers' Super Bowl victory is rewarded with an invitation to the White House. And for the 2nd time in 4 years, James Harrison declines that invitation:

This is how I feel--if you want to see the Pittsburgh Steelers, invite us when we don't win the Super Bowl, as far as I'm concerned he [Obama] would've invited Arizona if they had won.

I could make some sarcastic comments regarding the master of logic that is James Harrison, but I'll let blogger Chris Chase do the honors:

Usually, when a sentence begins with "as far as I'm concerned," it ends with an opinion, not an incontrovertible fact. Harrison's comment is akin to saying, "As far as I'm concerned, George Washington was the first president."

Of course the Cards would have received the White House invite if they had won. Winners get to go meet the president, losers don't. They also get the trophy, the parade and those hats that say "Super Bowl champs". I don't think James Harrison turned down any of those things, which makes his refusal to go to the White House a tad hypocritical.

When  Harrison won the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year Award, he didn't decline and say, "As far as I'm was [sic] concerned, they would've given this award to someone else if they had had a better defensive season then me". And when he scored that touchdown in the Super Bowl after returning an interception 100 yards, I'm pretty sure Harrison didn't tell the ref to take the points off the board because, as far as he was concerned, if Larry Fitzgerald had caught him, Harrison wouldn't have scored.

Thanks, James!

UPDATE: Super Bowl Patience

OK, Edwin wins by 81 days.  (Though he slept through it.)

Super Bowl Patience

Kids these days and their instant gratification...

You know how long I had to wait for my first Steeler Super Bowl appearance? All the way from 3/11/1979 to 1/20/1980...a whole 315 days!  (I was such a patient kid.)

Edwin on the other hand, well, it'll be from 6/12/2008 to 2/1/2009...only 234 days, 81 days less than his dad.

Just look how smug he looks...

...just casually playing with his toys as he basks in the glory of another win over the hated Ravens.

Easy there, little guy, the Steelers gave me a win with that first appearance. You still need one more win to beat that!