Steelers Morning Huddle 7/13/2013
By Kim Myers
Huddle Up!
Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Whether you’re planning your remaining summer vacation based on the Steelers Training Camp Schedule which was just recently announced, or counting down the days till your flight to London in September to see the Steelers take on the Vikings, you’re hungry for some football. The players may be spending their last moments of family time together before the grueling season waits, and hopefully staying healthy at the same time.
Former Steelers G Alan Faneca Talks Roethlisberger
Steelers Depot reviewed Alan Faneca’s recent 93.7 The Fan interview in which he covered a variety of topics including his initial feelings towards Ben Roethlisberger. Apparently Faneca was less than pleased at the idea of a rookie quarterback starting that rainy night in Miami in 2005 when Ben took his first NFL start following a Tommy Maddox injury the week before. We all know how the remainder of that season turned out. Ben and the Steelers won a sloppy game that night in Miami and went on to win every other game they played in the regular season, going 15-1. I might take this moment to remind you guys that each time that years’ AFC Championship game is brought up, I go into a fit of rage so I won’t mention it. Faneca went on to appreciate Ben’s talents for so many reasons one of them being his mobility.
“I think Ben’s elusiveness. He’s not fast; he’s not Kordell Stewart, but he is elusive and he’s hard to bring down. He knows that, and he uses it. The time that he’s able to use, he’s got a great clock in his head. He knows how much time he can gain and get out of stretching a play out, and those seconds that he gets add up over a game.”
Steelers Trivia Show
For those in the KDKA-TV viewing area, the 10th season of the McDonald’s Steelers Trivia Challenge will premier tonight at 11:35 pm. Longtime Steelers local broadcaster Bob Pompeani will host the episodes in which teams will compete for the Steelers Trivia Championship crown. How many of you guys dabble in the trivia world? I have a Steelers daily calendar on my desk at work and I email my mom and sisters each day there is a trivia question. When the answer isn’t obvious, I like to see which one is fastest at using Google but they are pretty knowledgeable as most Steelers fans are.
Steelers Fans Outside of Pittsburgh
Anthony Defeo of Behind the Steel Curtain asks the question for Steelers fans who aren’t originally from Pittsburgh, just how you came to be a part of the nation? People here in Pittsburgh are as passionate as you can be for their sports teams but clearly the stadiums all across the country haven’t been filling up from yinzers hoping on the turnpike to go catch the out of town games. It’s obvious that Steeler Nation is far reaching and includes people with direct and indirect ties to the Steel City from all over. I’ve told my story many of times of how I became a Steelers fan but I can totally relate to fans who just love the team even from a distance. I lived in Florida for the majority of my adulthood and have seen the majority of my Steelers games in visiting stadiums. It takes some dedication to always be the visitor for your team.
I can totally relate to the idea of just one spark or one moment creating your fandom when you have no real ties to the city or team at all. When I was about 12, I came into the living room one evening when my father was watching the NBA Finals. Growing up in a yinzer family I was told that the best part about a basketball court was that wrestling mats fit perfectly across it so I had never had any interest in basketball whatsoever. I started watching the Bulls vs. Lakers with my Dad and witnessed one of the most amazing things I had ever seen. I saw Michael Jordan fly through the air and switch the ball from one hand to the other before sinking the ball in the net. I was hooked. I watched just about every Bulls game from that point until MJ’s final retirement in 1998. I remember vividly standing in my dorm room at Pitt, watching the Sports Center montage of MJ highlights to the tune of Lauryn Hill’s The Sweetest Thing and getting teary eyed. I haven’t watched a basketball game with the same kind of intensity since. Now I can honestly say there’s no other team that I love like I love the Steelers. As I’ve said before, the Steelers feel like a part of my family. They always have felt like that and they always will.
What are your favorite sports memories that solidified your allegiance to your team, Steeler Nation?
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