Jack Kukoda

I’ve never cared much about the Steelers. They’re not in the Bills division, so despite their geographic proximity to my beloved City of Buffalo, over the years the Bills have played the Steelers just about the same number of times they’ve played the Broncos or the Chiefs.(This might not be true, I’m just guessing.) So there was never any rivalry between the two teams.

I even had a soft spot for these “Stillers,” as Pittsburgians(?), with their horrific accents, call them. Like Buffalo, Pittsburgh is another rust-belt city that’s seen better days as the American manufacturting base has shifted further and further South, so I almost felt like Pittsburgh and Buffalo were cousins. And their fans wave around yellow towels. That’s both cute and kind of sad.

But the recent actions of a number of Steelers are starting to irk me. Yesterday, Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger, talking about the their upcoming game against the Colts, was quoted in a story on ESPN.com:

“This team is an unbelievable football team,” Roethlisberger said of the Colts, who won their first 13 games before dropping two of their final three. “They’re as good as it gets in the NFL. It’s going to take our A-plus game to go out and beat their B-minus game.”

Ooh, Ben, you so tricky with your reverse psychology! You’re going to give the Colts an inflated sense of self-worth, then, when the Colts get distracted thinking about how great they are, you’ll have Antwaan Randle El hide the ball under his jersey and run it in for a score! Good Lord, what a douche.

I’m too lazy to find the story, but I’m 99 percent sure Ben did this before last year’s AFC Championship game when he said that Tom Brady was the best QB in the NFL. I know Roethlisberger is a somewhat of a hillbilly that has spent his entire life in Ohio and Pittsburgh, but is he really so dumb that he thinks anyone is fooled by this? Oh, and Roethlisberger is on track to becoming the ugliest man in sports. How can a professional athlete have a face this pufffy? It boggles the mind.(For the record, I also have a gigantic puffy face, so I’m allowed to say these things about Roethlisberger.)

“Hey Ben, cut back on the pickles and pretzels.”

Then there’s Joey Porter, who recently claimed that the Colts are afraid to play the Steelers in straight up football, and that they need to rely on trickery to win games. This coming from a Steelers team that ran THREE gadget plays against the Bengals last week. I don’t care much for you, Joey Porter!

Okay, that’s enough sports dorkery for today. Probably for the entire week. It’s just that my Mom is visiting this weekend, which means I’m going to be attending two Broadway musicals, plus lots and lots of shopping and strolling. I think all the sports stuff lately was just to overcompensate for the ladyness that’s coming my way this weekend. Also, I’m depressed the Bills’ season is over and I’m having trouble psyching myself up for the Sabres.

Here’s those stories, both from ESPN.com:
Big Ben: Colts must play badly for Steelers to win
Steelers LB Porter umimpressed with Colts offense