Not my first day at the races, thanks

I feel like I have to do this after every playoff loss, which is ridiculous, but anyway. I am not a Steelers fan "only when they win." I have two words for you: Bubby. Brister. That was...1987 or so. And I have never wavered. Not once, not even a little. I remember the loss in the AFC Championship game to the Chargers in early `95. The loss to the Cowboys in Super Bowl XXX (matter of fact, I still have nightmares. Oh Neil O'Donnell, why did you throw it straight to Larry Brown not once, but TWICE? And I'm pretty sure there's a third interception in there somewhere, but anyway). Broncos in `97, Patriots in 2001 and 2004, Super Bowl XLV, and last night.  And yet I'm still here. I remember guys like Yancey Thigpen, Dermontti Dawson, Jason Gildon, Myron Bell, Mark Bruener, Carnell Lake, Bam Morris, Barry Foster. And of course, Jerome Bettis. I remember the QB merry-go-round that was going from the time Bradshaw left (before I was born, just for the record) to the time that Roethlisberger showed up. Every single one from Bubby Brister up to now.

I remember the bad times, and there were many. Super Bowl XXX, the AFC Championship losses, the Thanksgiving Day coin toss debacle, three seasons of total mediocrity from 1998-2000. 6-10 in 2003. Hines Ward crying in the locker room after the loss to New England in the AFC Championship game at the end of the 2004 season, in which the Steelers finished with a regular season of 15-1, their best ever. I think that's why that one hurt the most. Everyone was telling me, "The Steelers are going to win it all this year!" This was something I wanted SO BADLY, because I'd been waiting years for it. I was in tears after that game. Saw the clip with Hines Ward the next day and started crying all over again. He wanted Jerome to come back for another year. We all did. And so he did.

The Steelers won Super Bowl XL the following year. I watched it in my dormroom on my 13" TV.  Huge rollercoaster, that one. Jerome Bettis fumbling on the goal line against Indy? *passes out* Oh, by the way...

That's for the Seahawks fans who are still whining. 

The Steelers wouldn't make it to XLI or XLII, but I was ok with that. I finally had my Super Bowl. They made it to Super Bowl XLIII, which I watched with friends. And got nervous, because one of them, who shall remain nameless, kept yelling against the Steelers, because he had money on the game. That year was actually the best, because, while Super Bowl XL was my first, and special in its own way - the touchdown in the above picture is most likely my favorite - Super Bowl XLIII marked the first of three of my teams winning their respective championships that year. The Penguins took the Cup, and the Yankees took the Series. I'd waited all my life for that to happen, too. All three of my teams winning in the same year, not the Yankees winning the Series.

Then there was Super Bowl XLV. I took it better than I thought I would - I think for two reasons. One: Roethlisberger is a waaaaaaaaaay better QB than O'Donnell, Tomczak, Stewart, Graham, and Maddox ever were, obviously. Even injured, because he did try to come back last night. The defense just...yah. Oops. The other QBs I mentioned would never have pulled that off. But Super Bowl XLV. Here's reason #2: I have seen not one, but TWO Super Bowl victories up to this point. It made it less painful to deal with, and same goes for last night.

I've been on this bandwagon for almost my entire life. And yes, I stuck with my team over Tim Tebow last night. Oh, that means I'm less of a Christian? Grow up. I've found the Tebow fans to be the most obnoxious. I like the guy; his book's on my shelf, waiting to be read, but come on. I'm not going to bail on the team I've stuck with for a couple of decades for one player. I'm accepting this loss with grace, as I always have. But man, you guys are making it difficult. Oh, by the way, next year? We'll be back.