It’s the American Pass Time vs. A Game for the Ages.
I had a brief moment of panic while watching the Saints play the Cardinals in the Hall of Fame Game Sunday night. No, it wasn’t the amateur officials blowing the holding call in the end zone. The moment of panic came when it dawned on me that the Steelers begin their slate of preseason games this Thursday night against the cross state rivals from Philadelphia. To be fair, it wasn’t all panic. It was panic tempered with joy and wrapped in relief, then sprinkled with melancholy. I’ll spare you all the ‘truck stop food/ rest stop restroom’ analogies that sprung to mind…
I had just watched the Pittsburgh Pirates take down the Big Red Machine from Cincinnati (AJ Burnett!!) and was gearing up to watch the HOF matchup when it all struck me: I’m a Steelers fan first and foremost and no matter how intense the Pirates wildcard/divisional race gets, I will bail on them as soon as the ball is kicked off Thursday evening. I didn’t want to face that reality, but there it is. My heart belongs to Steelers Nation (maybe my lungs go to the Pens) and I have just been having a little summer fling with this year’s Pirates. I wish them all the luck in the world but I’ll lose interest starting this week. Where do you stand Steelers Nation? Do you tune out baseball just as the playoff picture is coming into focus to devote every cell in your body to football or is there room in your heart for both?