I participated in my first-ever Turkey Bowl Football event this last weekend. WOW! What a lot of fun. It was a great reminder of how much I miss being outdoors, running around in the name of senseless horseplay.
Life is so uncomplicated when you shut out all the other noise in your life and have nothing to do but keep your eye on the ball.It's even better when you're out there sharing that experience with friends. We were all part of a joint delusion that we were all 12 years old again, drawing plays on our hands, plotting against our foes and full of boundless energy.Of course, a quick look at the taped ankles, the snug-fitting flags, the folded over masses trying to catch their breath or watching any one of us waddling for a touchdown was enough to assure everybody that none of us was even close 12. But, if even only for a few flashes of greatness, it was worth...well...all of our weight in gold.Afterwards, like a group of warriors--home from a successful battle, we all nodded our heads at one another with a satisfied grin--at least until we could catch our breath enough to talk about it.
Wow! Did Roger O'Neil, Brian Williams and the NBC TODAY & NIGHTLY crew get snowed on the story about ECO-Hangers.
As the story goes, Roger O'Neil reported about how a new recycled paperboard version of wire hangers were the new environmental answer to hangers. These new hangers were to provide a recycled/recyclable solution to wire hangars and help people and companies green their closets.
Last time I checked, hangers were made from steel, which is North America's 1 recycled material. Steel hangers contain a minimum of 28 percent recycled steel and are 100% recyclable at the end of their useful life. Dry cleaners reuse and recycle wire hangers on a massive scale. Additionally, hangers that might accidentally be thrown away by consumers are often automatically separated from the waste stream by magnets and recycled.What's worse, is that this "green" solution is more expensive than wire--and is being sold to airlines and other companies as a more expensive investment to show they're "green." Bah. By sticking with steel, these companies were unknowingly green--and saving green.Somebody didn't do their homework. They just wanted some quickie, feel-good green story to throw out there.Bah!
I always thought the Steelers were one of the standards in football. They don't change their uniforms with every passing trend, they don't change their colors, and they STILL only have their logo on one side of their helmet. Why not? Because it's Pittsburgh, and much like Green Bay, the people live for Steeler football and the club simply does not have issues selling merchandise or putting tails in seats. I've been on the waiting list for season tickets approaching a decade (to put the ticket situation in perspective).
With Steeler tickets at a premium, and the Pittsburgh weather, you don't have to worry about people towing along toddlers that don't understand the game and need to be entertained by a mascot. And, I really don't think that the Steelers have ever had the problem of attracting "future consumers." But, for the sake of argument, I'll assume that they felt the need to do something to commemorate the 75th anniversary, and this mascot was the result of a collective marketing brain trust.The look of this mascot is not awful. It gives a nod to the tradition and spirit of the Steelers. It conceivably could be "gritty." The Steelers have come to embody the knock-mouth, no nonsense, strong work ethic steel tradition of the city it represents.
So, it would only be natural that they selected a name that also upheld that grit and spirit that is Pittsburgh Steelers football, right?Foofy McFoofy!?! Steely McWhatever...I can only hang my head. The name is shameful and whoever made the selection from 70,000 entries was giving little, or no, thought to the tradition that is the Pittsburgh Steelers.I really hope that (much like the Steeler'ettes and the ill fated dance troupe of the 80's) this "Boy Named Sue" mascot quietly fades into an obscure object of future bar trivia.
(For the record- I submitted the name Iron Mike, as a nod to Iron Mike Webster who was the on-field embodiment of all things Steelers)
When I bring people to Pittsburgh form out of town, there's always a common question: "Why aren't there more people in the city?" I usually offer the same explanation—the only conclusion that I can come to—Pittsburgh does not like people. People are apparently a necessary evil. Pittsburgh is like that expensive furniture at your grandmother's house that she keeps covered with that sticky plastic. It looks really nice these days, but you always end up leaving feeling uncomfortable and wonder who it's being saved for. Pittsburgh seemingly tolerates us enough long enough to gouge us during sporting events, but afterwards people can't get out of the city fast enough. And, that is true largely because of the financial and logistical constraints that our leadership have put in place.
I mean really, look at the welcome mat that Pittsburgh rolls out for us:A PARTING THOUGHT ON MY WAY TO THE SUBURBS: It's funny, I hear the grave concern in voices of our leadership. "We have a dying population." "We need to attract young people." Well, I'm one of those young professionals that you spend so much time talking about. I love the city, I love being in the city—especially when I'm in other cities. In other cities, I like not having to drive. I like being where the people are. I like being around business. I like the atmosphere of a busy happy hour of young professionals in a city where people aren't trying to get out of the city ASAP because traffic and the prices stink. But, that's not an option here in Pittsburgh. It's a mess and you're making it worse. The bar scene might well be one of the last veins of bringing young life into the city, and, effectively, you are saying, go play in the suburbs. It's less expensive and the parking is free. So, when I'm in Beaver or Washington County for happy hour, I'll raise a glass to you and your 10% tax.
Cheers!
WOODY
Are you freakin kidding me?! Now they want you to upgrade to some sports package with a bunch of bloated crap that I'd never watch. People may not notice yet, but wait until the first NFL Channel Thursday Night Football game. Then the shit will hit the fan! But, COMCAST is not alone in being morons about this.
Apparently the NFL has decided that it's not making enough money and wants $.70 per subscriber from the cable channels for the privelage of seeing its network. Beyond that, they've decided that no website can show more than 45 seconds of video or accounts of NFL activities. They've both obviously taken a lesson in customer service from the fuel industry. They all think they're as necessary as oxygen and we'll pay out the teeth for the honor of having their air.
Is it really snowing on April 16? Burrrr! If this is global warming, I think I need to drive to work more often to warm things up even further. It's more like the seansons have shifted back a month or two. We're getting February weather in April and September weather in October-November. I think I'll tour as a side show to Al Gore and come up with a fancy name for my theory. In the mean time, I'm not packing my winter coat yet!
Kurt's in Heaven Now.
As Kurt Vonnegut often explained, that statement would have his humanist peers rolling in the aisles with laughter. Humanists are skeptical of religion and more focused on doing well with and for others without expectation of thanks or reward for doing so. Kurt, obviously, was a humanist.
