Enough is enough already.

Just saw the update on the Internet and saw the report on NFL Network that James Harrison has been fined another $20,000 for another hit Sunday night on Quarterback Drew Brees. Harrison tackled Brees from behind after the quarterback threw a pass and was penalized for roughing the passer. In the last month, Harrison has been fined $100,000 three separate times. Oddly enough, he was only flagged once during the games which produced the fines.

I’ve been a lifelong fan of Steelers football. I grew up watching Joe Green, Jack Lambert and Mel Blount play defense. Blount was known for his rugged but clean style of play, but his “bump-and-run” defensive style was cut short midway through his career when the League changed the rules making his harassment of a receiver illegal. Jack Lambert was one of the toughest defensive players I’ve ever seen on a football field.

They say “Defense Wins Championships”. Since that 70′s team won four Championships during their reign, I would have to agree. That type of intimidating defensive blueprint has carried into today’s Steelers team with arguably the best core of linebackers the League has seen in the last 40 years. Lambert, Ham, Lloyd, Greene, Porter, and Harrison are just a few of the names that have worn the Black and Gold.

A couple weeks ago the League made news with what they deemed were “illegal hits” – after the fact. Only one of the three player were flagged and penalized during the game, but the League ended up fining three players “after further revue” for $175,000 combined, of which $75,000 came out of James Harrison’s paycheck.

To date, Harrison has been fined $100,000 in the last doing what he’s done since he was nine years old – playing football. He’s been a Pro Bowler, a Defensive Player of the Year, and possess not only a Super Bowl record, but one of the most memorable plays in Super Bowl history.

Harrison is one of my favorite Pittsburgh Steelers because of who he is and where he came from. He’s a football player – and football can be violent. If you don’t like the hits, then you shouldn’t watch and you shouldn’t play. The NFL is America’s favorite sport, with better ratings than any other professional sport around – so it’s obvious to me at least that the general public accepts the game “as is”.

Yes, I understand that there are those who don’t like Harrison. Frankly, I don’t like Ray Lewis or Tom Brady – but only because both of them have been a thorn in the side of the Pittsburgh Steelers for years. I can dislike them, but still respect their talent and value as a football player. It’s the whining about being dirty and unfair that I see and hear from fans that I believe is childish and unproductive. My years of listening to bizarre and ridiculous Anti-MLM critics have something to do with that I guess. My tolerance for whining in that arena has basically come down to ignoring that type of pin head mentality and behavior.

While reading about all this on the Internet, I came across an interesting Facebook Fan page that I decided to join – which can help send a message to the League that football needs to remain “as is” without the bogus fines in an attempt to put skirts on these players. It’s called “Pay James Harrison’s Bogus Fine” – but I don’t want you to pay for this fine because James needs the money – clearly he doesn’t need the help. The idea here is that we as football fans who have been watching violent hits for decades like the sport “as is” – and don’t want skirts put on our players.

Just one dollar and a note to Roger Goodel will do the trick. If you’re not on Facebook – here’s the information.

“For James Harrison’s fine.”
Roger Goodell, c/o National Football League,
280 Park Avenue,
New York, NY 10017

And just so you know, all money (including the fines paid by players) go to charities designated by the NFL. The League doesn’t profit from these fines – it will be going to a good cause.

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While watching the NFL this past weekend, I witnessed a group of “manly men” wearing hot pink.

No joke. For the second straight year, the National Football League has brought a tremendous amount of attention and awareness in supporting Breast Cancer Awareness Month with gear at NFLShop.com. In addition, arm bands, head bands, shoes, and gloves worn by NFL players showed a unified voice to support this 25 year old tradition in the month of October.

We have a breast cancer survivor in our family, so this month and this cause hits rather close to home.

In an effort to bring both awareness and money to this worthy cause, please take note of the pink Breast Cancer Awareness banners at the top of this blog and the graphic from NFLShop.com here. All advertisers this month are reserved for companies that have committed a portion of their proceeds to be donated to Breast Cancer Research for the month of October. Banners will rotate above, so if the advertiser that appears does not offer something of value at the time, check back for other advertisers that may.

We have submitted with other advertisers that are currently pending approval. As they become available (and as long as they remain committed to this cause) they will be placed in this space for the remainder of October.

Please note the proceeds are offered and paid by the advertiser not Just Picture It Now. While we will be making our own donation to this cause, we’d like to keep this separate. One of YTB’s well known and documented critics proclaimed he was going to make a donation from clicks on his blog to some other cause earlier this year, maybe last.

His pitch stated that he was going to be kept “honest” by posting the receipt on his blog.

While promoting “click here for the cause” both on his blog and various boards for a week or two – a receipt to the foundation he told everyone he was supporting never appeared or was heard from again.

So much for “honesty”.

For us, having pink prominently displayed as a banner this month is more about awareness than promoting these products. There are advertisers we know of that won’t get placed because none of their banners are “pink”. Besides, we’d be just as happy if you take the money spent on any of the items listed and instead send the amount directly to NBCF by going here. With so many companies offering their support for this worthy cause – we felt these pink banners were an easy way to promote awareness ourselves and offer something of value to both men and women alike.

If the NFL can wear pink – so can this blog.

Life is important.

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I love NFL Football.

I know…”DUH!” right?

I’m not sure which year she got this, but Ronda bought a pillow that she pulls out every year that sits in the family room with the phrase “We interrupt this marriage to bring you the football season.” The kids also understand that Sunday’s are daddy’s day to have the TV during the season.

The 2010 NFL season kicks off tonight in prime time down in the Big Easy between the World Champion New Orleans Saint’s the Minnesota Vikings in a rematch of the NFC Championship game. I’m not sure I’ll have the time to sit down at 4:30 this afternoon to watch the pre-game news and buildup before the game. I’ll definitely be getting my first fix of games that actually matter tonight.

Growing up in Western Pennsylvania during the 70′s instilled my passion for this game. Even though I’ve been living here in Atlanta for the last 18 year – I’ve always said you can take the boy out of the city – but you can never take the Steelers out of the boy.

Like anything that grows and maintains a level of success – the National Football League has changed considerably since my days of growing up as a boy. I’m not sure what year the League started its Thursday night opener – but it’s only been within the last couple of years. The NFL Network is still a baby when compared to other networks. And while I’ve not seen a single minute of either Chad “Ocho Cinco” or Terrell Owens in either “Reality TV Show” it’s all the rage on Twitter and Facebook.

Speaking of those two – Hines Ward, Troy Polamalu, Deshea Townsend, Ryan Clark, Reggie Wayne, Chad “Ocho Cinco”, Larry Fitzgerald, Terrell Owens and other NFL stars are hopping on board with this new FantaZ gaming site. I’ve seen and heard about sports stars getting involved with MLM before – but a list like I’ve seen from a company that’s only in Pre-Launch is impressive.

Personally, I see a lot of similarities between team sports and MLM. As someone who’s been involved in both I have some authority in making that determination. In order to be truly successful in either – the team comes first – and everyone needs to do their part in order to win. Everyone needs to be on the same page and there’s no room for selfishness.

Both also require study and practice in order to be super successful.

Bottom line is I love both because both inspire and energize me.

The wait is almost over. I’ll get a small taste tonight – and a full dose on Sunday. Live is once again “good”.

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I haven’t been to St. Vincent College since Chuck Noll was head coach of the Steelers. Since Noll retired there have only been two other Head Coach’s from 1992 on. (The same year I moved here to Atlanta.) Some NFL teams change Coach’s every three to four years – but for the Pittsburgh Steelers it’s been three Coach’s in four decades.

In a long standing tradition (like forty five years) the Pittsburgh Steelers open training camp in Latrobe, PA tomorrow. After the events of this past off season about all I can say is – it’s about time.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have never been a much talked about team during the off season in years past – but this off season has been much different story.

The team won’t have quarterback Ben Roethlisberger for at least the first four to six games because of his NFL suspension. The offense will also be without wide receiver and Super Bowl XLIII MVP Santonio Holmes who was traded to the Jets after another off field stunt. Fast Willie Parker is now a Washington Redskin as we find out what running back Rashard Mendenhall is really made of. And to add insult to injury, our offensive line also lost tackle Willie Colon due to a season ending Achilles during spring training.

There really hasn’t been much said about the Defensive side of the ball – probably due to age and maturity. The Defensive squad however, needs to get back to smash mouth football that’s capable of shutting offenses down. (How many games did we lose in the last minute a year ago?) You can’t blame the absence of Troy Polamalu for all those last minute losses.

Nor can you blame me for the fresh start this year’s training camp offers die hard Steelers fans. (Certainly more than in years past.) It’s one thing to get use to all the free agent activities that are now common in the League – but this year’s off field activities from certain Pittsburgh Steelers was something no Steelers fan thought was even possible.

As a lifelong Steelers fan and the proud tradition this team has held for decades, it’s shocking that I feel this way.

But…

Thank goodness we get some of these guys off the street and back on the football field.

In one of the few interviews I saw on the internet from Ben Roethlisberger and the fiasco that happened in Milledgeville, Georgia this off season he said something that really stuck with me.

“I’m always committed to being the best I can on the football field, I don’t think that’s ever changed, and I don’t think anyone’s ever questioned that of me.”

There no question the kids got drive and talent. You saw that from the very first game he was thrown into down in Miami during a monsoon his rookie year. He reeled off 15 straight victories his rookie year – a record I don’t think will ever be broken. Since then he’s collected two Super Bowl rings and is unquestionably the offensive leader of the Pittsburgh Steelers. With the opening of training camp – it’s back to a focus on football without time for extracurricular activities that he shouldn’t be doing in the first place. Thus, why he’s still labeled a “kid”, and for me, it will stay that way until his on field maturity matches his off field activities.

Regardless of each players commitment on the field, Mike Tomlin has his work cut out for him this year – probably more so than previous years. The Rooney’s believe in him – with a new contract extension – and while I had my doubts early on (mostly due to the lack of head coaching changes with the Steelers since 1969) Tomlin has proven that he’s the right guy for this year’s challenges.

St. Vincent gets Steelers fans back into their comfort zone. It’s rich in tradition and always brings optimism regardless of how good or bad the previous year’s record was.

This year, we can add a bad off season into the mix, and tomorrow (thank goodness) it comes to a close.

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I use to hate the NFL off season. There was never anything going on with the Pittsburgh Steelers. They’d just quietly go about their business and fans like me would crave anything that would reconnect with me the team during the off season. If and when this proud and historic franchise ever gets back to “boring” – trust me, I’ll be the last one to complain.

While I’ve kept quiet about all these off season and off field activities I have been kept a very close eye on the embarrassing antics of these very young, and very dumb jocks, mostly via the sport media on Television and via the internet. The news appeared to come to a head yesterday as Santonio Holmes was traded to the New York Jets for his off field antics in Florida and Ben Roethlisberger’s embarrassment has been dropped by the District Attorney here in Georgia.

Neither were surprising.

Santonio was in the last year of his contract in 2010 and while he’s been a dynamic player (a Super Bowl MVP as a matter of fact) he never seemed to fit the Steelers mold as a blue color type of player. It’s one thing to quote that “it’s time to be great” on the field, but it’s another to “be great” in all other areas of your life. He’s always reminded me of Plaxico Burress – who eventually ended up winning a Super Bowl ring with the New York Giants. But Burress couldn’t get out of his own way long enough to keep him out of jail. As it stands right now, Santonio is heading in that same direction.

I hope he can straighten his life out – and I know it’s possible – but only Santonio can control that. Currently, I see absolutely no indication from Santonio that he even cares to change. In fact, the way I see it, his arrogance continues to grow without any sign that he’s willing to act like a respectable adult.

Ben’s apology and statement last night however, does tell of remorse and a desire to be the role model the NFL and Pittsburgh fans want him to be. Saying it, and actually doing it however are two different things. The talk IS starting to wear a bit thin – even for me.

Just because criminal charges have not been filed does not mean that Ben’s completely off the hook. We have two other factors that we’re still awaiting a final outcome from the Rooney family and from the NFL Commissioner himself. Here’s Roger Goodell’s conduct policy :

“It is not enough simply to avoid being found guilty of a crime. You are held to a higher standard and expected to conduct yourself in a way that is responsible, promotes the values upon which the league is based, and is lawful.

“Persons who fail to live up to this standard of conduct are guilty of conduct detrimental and subject to discipline.”

At this point, the Rooney’s have already made a sufficient statement with Santonio, trading him to the New York Jets for a fifth round draft pick next week. It wouldn’t surprise me if the Rooney family is satisfied with whatever the Commissioner hands down for Ben and allow whatever punishment he sees fit to speak for the family as a unified voice of how a Pittsburgh Steeler should conduct themselves off the field.

For as long as I’ve been a Pittsburgh Steeler fan, that’s been the Rooney way. I can count on one hand the number of players that were busts off the field like Santonio and Ben have been. (Joe Gilliam, Bam Morris, Eric Green and Plaxico Burress.) We as fans and supporters are pretty spoiled in that regard.

Both Ben and Santonio have a chance to redeem themselves in the public eye at this point. They can use this experience to help other players and fans alike if done the proper way. That’s what good role models do. As fans we need to remember that getting bitter and angry about either situation serves no one. From some of the comments I’ve seen on some of the message boards and blogs, both Santonio and Ben are living “rent free” inside the heads of these fans and/or critics who for one reason or another need to feel like a victim – that’s why they side for the victims in both cases.

What these boys need are tools to help them become responsible and respectable members of our society as men. Not some bogus judgment that only serves as a prop to elevate the one who is casting judgment.

Bottom line for me is both are very young, very rich, and neither fully understand the responsibilities they have as an NFL player and role model. That may come with age, and from taking personal responsibility for their actions. I remember hitting bottom at 25 when I quit drinking – so I know it’s possible.

Time will tell if it’s actually doable for both Santonio and Ben.

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I have to admit, ever since 1992, the year Sid Bream slid into home plate to win the NLCS for the Atlanta Braves beating the Pittsburgh Pirates in game 7, I haven’t been much of a baseball fan. It was the same year I moved here to Atlanta from Pittsburgh. I still talk about it and friends here still tell me to get over it.

My response…”I’ll get over that play when you get over the Civil War”. It’s been 144 years since the War ended and I still see signs that the South will rise again.

For the next decade, Brave fans rubbed it in as they went back to the playoffs year after year, while the Pirates never seemed to recover trading away star players like Bream, Bell, Belinda, and Bonds. The Pirates have dwelled in the cellar ever since.

As a sports fan, I can appreciate those who loath the Yankees, even if I never cared one way or another about the team. With their 27th Championship Title now in hand, they’re a team that has dashed the hopes and dreams of multiple millions since 1921. When you beat out other teams about once every three years, you’re bound to upset fans from other teams who desire to be where you are.

If you’re a Yankees fan, you love them. If you’re a fan of any other team in the Majors, you hate them.

While I hadn’t watched a single pitch all season, I did tune into this series once I got back from our cruise. Not necessarily because I was a fan, but because my Steelers had a bye over the weekend. Well…that, and some of my Facebook friends are die hard Yankee and Philly fans who were talking smack. (Which was extremely entertaining to watch!)

You have to love the passion of sports fans. There’s no middle ground when it comes to certain subjects. The emotion it evokes can rival politics, religion, and even Network Marketing!

I have to admit, this series was one of the more entertaining in recent years because of the ebb and flow of the series. Alex Rodriguez is no longer a choker and a loser. The way he raised it up and carried it around, you would have sworn the trophy was light as a feather. Hideki Matsui tied a World Series record with six RBIs and won the Series MVP. (Despite starting only three of six games against the Phillies.)

If nothing else, the Yankees have officially christened their new stadium for the next 88 years to keep the Championships coming.

I love my Steelers and the 6 Lombardi Trophies we have. It’s hard to fathom 27 of them.

I’ll be making a number of phone calls today to congratulate my New York fans, and offer my condolences to my Philly fans. They all did the same for me when Pittsburgh won both the Super Bowl and the Stanley Cup this year, so it’s the right thing to do. For Yankees fans, it’s old hat. For Philly fans…remember…I still haven’t gotten over Sid Bream and the South will rise again. ;-p

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UPDATE: Don’t know why I should be surprised that everyone else is looking for this poem as well. (More than likely wanting to read it and possibly copy it for themselves.) Want your own copy of the poem “Don’t Quit”? I created a PDF that you can print out and hang where you want. Mine is on the bathroom mirror.

Enjoy!

~~~~

The NFL Network has aired the newest release of it’s Emmy Award-winning ‘America’s Game’ with “The Story of the 2008 Pittsburgh Steelers”. You know me, I not only had to watch it, but it’s permanently saved on my TiVo to watch for years to come.

Each episode of America’s Game is a personal portrait told by the men who lived it and felt it. The story of the 2008 Steelers is told through the eyes of head coach Mike Tomlin, Troy Polamalu and Ben Roethlisberger.

I love the heart and the mentality of a champion and believe there is something we can not only learn but implement in our own lives to help us achieve our goals and dreams.

I wish I had a video of this one segment I could share with you, but it’s simply not available anywhere on the internet just yet. Instead I’ll have to share it with you in print.

Roethlisberger developed his resiliency on the field as a quarterback at Miami University under then-head coach Terry Hoeppner. Coach Hep, who died of brain cancer in 2007, remained a main source of inspiration for Roethlisberger through his favorite poem, “Don’t Quit.”

Roethlisberger on Coach Hep: “He just was an amazing person. More than a coach, I really was like a son to him.”

Roethlisberger on the poem, “Don’t Quit”: “[Coach Hep] would read it to us once or twice a year. He would get really into it and emotional about it. It was really something special, especially when he passed, so I put the poem up in my locker so that every day I could see it and know that no matter what, don’t give up, don’t quit.”

Just the title alone prompted me to do a quick search for this poem and found it so meaningful and inspiring, I wanted to share it with the rest of you.

“Don’t Quit”

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you’re trudging seems all up hill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest! if you must; but don’t you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As everyone of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don’t give up, though the pace seems slow;
You might succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than
It seems to a faint and faltering man,
Often the struggler has given up
When he might have captured the victor’s cup.
And he learned too late, when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out;
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt;
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems afar;
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit;
It’s when things seem worst that you mustn’t quit.

~ Anonymous

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