Ode to the Pittsburgh Steelers

With the last pre-season NFL game for my team finally over, the new football season is upon us, and my favorite time of the year is here. I love the fall for the cooler sunny days, the brilliance of natures colors on the trees, and the popping of shoulder pads as giants on a gridiron engage in a battle of wills to achieve victory. When I was younger, I was completely obsessed with football. I would go to high school games on Friday, watch my college team (Penn State) and other college teams that might meet them on Saturday, and watch my pro team and the other pro teams that might meet them on Sunday. And, of course, the Monday night game. As I grew older, my interest waned in the high school and then the college game, and now I have lost interest in most pro games (which has not exactly disappointed my wife). But there exists a white-hot fire deep in the darkest recesses of my being, a passion, a loyalty, yes a love for the PITTSBURGH STEELERS that I think nobody except those of us from southwestern PA can really understand. This blog will attempt to explain it to you, so that you will know that no professional team has the kind of intimate relationship with their fans that Steelers fans do.