Blog 'n' Gold : super bowl xliii

Bottoming Out

Dan Gigler — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 04:44:00 GMT

Spent a much longer portion of Sunday than I'd care to admit watching ... sigh ... the NFL Scouting Combine. Actually watching it. On my deathbed, I'm sure I'll wish I had back those 49 minutes of absolutely wasted time, but such as it is, this experience confirms my belief that absolutely anything can be made interesting when viewed in HD (see also: NASCAR, golf, NBA basketball), even the NFL Scouting Combine, which for a football junkie is the equivilent of shooting black tar heroin into your neck.

If you're watching the combine, you've pretty much hit rock bottom at this point, and you'd be selling yourself to score tickets to an Arena Football game to hold you over until the draft, except that, oh right -- there is no Arena Football this year.

So I think its safe to say that this couldn't possibly come out at a better time.

The Steelers and NFL Films will premiere the Official NFL Championship DVD tonight at 7 p.m. at the AMC Loews Waterfront Cinemas. Super Bowl XLIII MVP Santonio Holmes, Hines Ward, LaMarr Woodley, Willie Parker and James Harrison will be among those gathered for a VIP screening. Later in the night, at 11:59 p.m. doors will open at the Best Buy in Bethel Park where fans can purchase the DVD ($24.98) and Holmes will be on hand to sign autographs.

Frankly this can't come soon enough. Only 61 days 'til the draft ...

Zapruder time: Arizona still doubts Ring-Tone's twinkle toes

Chuck Finder — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 22:39:00 GMT

What few football fans remain in the desert still seem to have their doubts about Santonio Holmes' touchdown catch to win Supe Polamalu a week and a half ago.

The Republic's Bob Young notes that the newspaper's Rob Schumacher caught in photographs up close and personal Tone's crossed feet in the end zone. One problem: Are these pics frame by frame, split-second by split-second? Don't appear to be, but click here and judge for yourself.

Still a lovely pirouette, no?

However, the newspaper's photo array doesn't get to the conflicting evidence until Nos. 10 and 12, below.

From USA Today (And notice Aaron Francisco's left hand is different from the Schumacher photos -- it's just reaching Holmes' "0".)

The Orlando Sentinel provides more of a ground-level looksee.

And ground level is the same place where the P-G's Matt Freed got this lovely shot. (Everybody wave "Hi" to Terminal Stare Timmy Benz in the background!)

Frenchy Fuqua's immaculate advice: Deception. Obfuscate, titillate, hedge for years, Tone. Keep 'em wondering. Keep 'em. . . on your toes.

(Sure, the Seahawks followers are wich ya, Cardinals types: It's all part of a grand NFL conspiracy to give these Super Bowls to the Steelers. Riiiiiiiight.)

Updated: Quick side note -- Santonio's gloves sold for $70,200

James Harrison, still out of gas ...

Dan Gigler — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 18:55:00 GMT

Funny clip from SNL's Weekend Update:

Check out Harrison's epic run in pictures.

OTHER GOOD STUFF

The Cope Family named ABC News' Persons of the Week
Stuart Scott has Sunday Converstion with Terrible Towel
Super Bowl XLIII highlights by The Onion
Santonio: strong side/weak side by The Onion
Pupamalu dominates Puppy Bowl (Onion)
Lawrence Timmons blogs about Super Bowl XLIII and the aftermath
If Steelers Today were Kevin Colbert
Obligatory Pro Bowl update. Did anyone watch this? BNG watched the Super Bowl again from start to finish instead. God bless DVR!
LeBeau vs. Whiz: who won? A great analysis by Steel Curtain Rising
With the 32nd pick in the draft, the Steelers select ...
Sick of the Whiz?
J. Peezy happy for his old team
Tomlin = Noll?
Who will the Steelers open with in 2009?
Santonio's catch on Tecmo Bowl.
Bidding on Santonio's gloves now over $15,000 ...
Hines gives teammates the Crown
Pats fans think the game was fixed (see item 4)
Santonio & Mickey
Offseason decisions ...
More great Super Bowl XLIII pix ...
And finally, we cap off this link heavy edition of Blog 'N' Gold with the final installment of YinzLuvDaStillerz. Big time players come up big in big time games and big time bloggers do the same. Jim Shearer's weekly updates were consistantly funny & entertaining (even when the NFL put the kibosh on him), but the final 3 minutes of this video, recording his Super Bowl weekend in Pittsburgh was truly outstanding. Enjoy:

And there was much rejoicing ...

Dan Gigler — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 06:16:00 GMT

Though the celebrations in Steelers Nation will continue throughout the winter, spring, summer & fall ... we thought we'd share some of our favorite pix from around the globe of where people celebrated the SIX PACK!

From the smallest of towns in Upstate New York ...

... to the largest city in North America ...

to the Eternal City ...

... to the Great Wall ...

... and back to the cradle of civilization, the 'Burgh ...

These Southside photos by the amazingly talented Hryck.

More great celebration shots of postgame and the parade from talented Pittsburgh photogs:

Flickr Pittsburgh Steelers pool.
The parade
South Side: Gallery 1; Gallery 2; Gallery 3; Gallery 4
Bloomfield
Shadyside

Also, if you're local and missed and/or want to relive the victory parade, you're in luck. This from Comcast: Comcast will provide KDKA-TV’s coverage of today’s Steelers Super Bowl Parade free to all digital subscribers through its On Demand service. Comcast digital customers can select the “Your Town” folder on their On Demand menu and then select the “Sports” and “KDKA Steelers Parade” folders to view the celebration.

Buncha other good stuff ...

Best gallery of Steelers Super Bowl pix EVER.
Can Sixburgh get 7?
Tragically bad spelling in Fayette County.
Looking forward for the Steelers
Because it's never too early: Yahoo's 2-rd. mock draft. Guess what the Steelers pick ...

Dahntahn Victory Parade (live)

Chuck Finder — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 16:27:00 GMT

11:28 a.m.: Who doesn't love a parade through the streets of Pittsburgh? A Super Bowl victory parade, that is.

As a public service to all those folks outta tahn or whose Ravens-fan bosses prohibit them from watching KDKA. WTAE, WPXI/PCNC, the BnG will attempt to deliver the action here live from the festivities that begin at noon. No need to thank us. Just doin' our job, ma'am.

(BTW: Our apologies for the Super Bowl Live blog, but we promise that we don't have a live file-before-the-game-ends sidebar and live notebook submissions to write while desperately trying to blog at the same time. Nothing will take our attention away from the parade today, promise.)

PG photog Darrell Sapp snapped fans gathering around dawn. Seeeerious paradegoers.

11:34 a.m.: An eyewitness account of the Six Of One, Half-Dozen Of The Other Championship Parade scene, after dropping off Mrs. BnG at work:

First of all, it's not as brisk aht there as the Super Bowl XL parade, which was c-c-c-c-c-c-c-freezing. Today it's 26 degrees and snowing Dahntahn, with a wind chill in the high teens. Folks are black-and-gold bundled up. They could well be internally insulated, but, geesh, after that fourth quarter Sunday, is there any . . . liquid refreshment. . . still left in the Greater Pittsburgh area?

Onlookers are up to 20 deep in some areas. Pittsburgh Department of Public Works barriers, City and state police, jerseys or championship gear are all over the place. Parking lots are beyond full. Officials estimated 250,000 people would stream into the city. The guess here: It's going to be far more than four-fold the Heinz Field crowds. Maybe 350,000 to 400,000 is the unscientific estimate here.

11:41 a.m.: Quick, somebody call Animal Control! There's some sort of wild vermin attacking Sonni Abatta's head!

Oh, sorry. That's a hat this KDKA anchor is wearing.

11:44 p.m.: "Sorry, Teach, I Got Sixburgh Fever." Nice sign, kid. Don't hand that in as your excuse for missing school. Of which there will be tens of thousands turned in tomorrow.

11:48 p.m.: The route: Grant Street, around the Federal Courthouse (hey, don't make a federal case of it), down to the Boulevard of the Allies. Make a right there, and march to the corner of Boulevard and Stanwix. Not quite as long as the Arena-to-Gateway Center route three years ago, maybe 1/8- to 1/4-mile less. But compact is good. These Steelers normally finish strong, anyway. (Remember, too, that Penn Avenue and the intersection where it meets Stanwix is under construction -- think Dresden, WWII -- and nixed that Six-Pack route.

Noon: Parade time.

Should James Farrior be there to call tails, or something?

12:03 p.m.: C'mon, this is Pittsburgh. Of course, this sucker's going to start late. The Steelers' buses are just arriving from the Soused Side to the Dahntahn staging area.

12:08 p.m.: Lots o' pickup trucks lining up with players in the back.

A sick thought: Say Brett Keisel signed the bed "My butt was here, Parade Day, 2-3-09," how much would a whack fan pay for that slightly used truck?

12:10 p.m.: Just catching up on my reading while waiting for this sucker to commence -- here comes the Thomas Jefferson High band, finally -- I stumbled across something.

Bill Simmons gets paid way too much by ESPN to watch the Super Bowl on TV and blog/diary this tripe. He was at a party. BnG was in Raymond James Stadium. You decide.

12:15 p.m.: This just in from our crack parade-reporting staff: The TJ High band is playing Jimi Hendrix's "Fire." Inspired.

12:21 p.m.: More from one of our reporters on the scene, Jerome Sherman: Owner Dan Rooney, in the back of one of the black Avalanche pickups, was snapping photos of the fans with his digital camera. Yo, Dan, ya gotta post those on our site, dude. Or at least Steelers.com.

12:23 p.m.: Mike Tomlin, super cool, wore shades while riding in a little red Corvette. Somebody please cue the Prince music. . . .

Funny, but for a guy who yesterday in Tampa said he would refuse to invoke the words "repeat" or "defend," he was flashing to parade fans seven fingers and saying, "Let's go for seven."

12:27 p.m.: "We're gonna tear the city up, baby," Casey Hampton promised Alby Oxenreiter on WPXI-TV. Party on, big Hamp.

12:29 p.m.: Alby is jumping from truck to truck. Which, in some parts of the south, is a mating ritual.

12;30 p.m.: Dear Lord, the same animal from Abatta's head jumped atop Ben Roethlisberger's! Nice line by Big Ben: He got the hat from outdoorsman Brett Keisel.

12:31 p.m.: Deshea Townsend was talking on his cellie while waving to the crowd. Hey, he has his own radio show. Maybe he was broadcasting live. . . .

12:33 p.m.: Cool that players on their second Super go-around still want to memorialize the moment -- many of them, just like around Tampa, were shooting video of the crowd and the parade with their own camcorders.

12:34 p.m.: Hines Ward interestingly was sitting with legs outstretched atop a truck cab, all because of his right knee. "It's killing me right now," he just told Alby (who any second now might be arrested for holding up the parade). "But it was all well worth out to get out there and participate in the Super Bowl."

12:37 p.m.: M.T., as the players call Tomlin, showed he's fired up. He dismounted from the corvette and started walking down the path, pumping his fast.

Note the PG's Daniel Malloy along the route: When Tomlin got out of the convertible at Grant and Forbes, one of the metal barriers about collapsed because the fans surged forward. It's a good bet his county police escorts were not enthused by the decision to walk.

12:38 p.m.: James Harrison, the man who turned in the biggest, longest and perhaps most impressive play in Super Bowl history (but alas was rendered something of a footnote with Santonio Holmes' amazing Super-winning catch), was escorting the Lombardi Trophy in a yellow, er, gold corvette. Behind him was Holmes carrying his MVP trophy in a black corvette.

12:40 p.m.: Steely McBeam was leading the Brashear High band. Dude, I'm beggin' ya, do something worthwhile for once: Grab the baton and do an "Animal House" and lead them down a side street, just for laughs.

12:41 p.m.: Fans were being asked by KDKA's Bob Pompeani over the public-address system to retreat behind buses and barriers. Crowd control, Pomp! Horses and player cars were having a hard time getting through. . . same as the Super Bowl XL parade, where the path constricted to barely the width of each vehicle.

12:43 p.m.: Some kid in the crowd really did dye and mousse and Lord knows what else to his hair so it resembles Jeff Reed's blond Don King-do. Yeesh.

12:47 p.m.: Bill Hillgrove and Tunch Ilkin, in the lead parade truck, just arrived at the podium area.

The PG's Malloy again (with snarky comments supplied by BnG): When County Executive Dan Onorato came by, you could hear some scattered boos. Mayor Luke Ravenstahl (Steelerstahl?) showed political acumen by snagging a spot next to Big Ben Roethlisberger (all but ensuring he would hear nothing but cheers along the route).

12:49 p.m.: Look at that, a stowaway in Anthony Madison's truck -- Pitt hoops pivotman DeJuan Blair. (Blame Charlie Batch, he said. Charlie snuck him in.)

12:51 p.m.: Dan Rooney closed his remarks: "Maybe we'll get to seven next year."

12:53 p.m.: Addressing the Steeler Nation he called the best fans in the world, Tomlin concluded: "Thank you. Love you guys."

1:01 p.m.: Can't remember the last time I heard Dick LeBeau utter even a minor profanity, but, hey, he's more than allowed: "From the best damn defense in the land to the Steeler Nation: No. 1, baby."

1:03 p.m.: First player on the field, first player up to the mic: Jeff Reed. And what does he do? He becomes the first guy to take the mic off the stand. He's so comfortable behind that thang.

1:05 p.m.: Keyaron Fox seemed surprise by the turnout: "I didn't know all ya'll were going to come out."

1:07 p.m.: Interesting juxtaposition: WPXI at this time usually airs "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" and KDKA "The Young and The Restless."

1:11 p.m.: After Aaron Smith thanked the fans for supporting not only the team and he and his family through their trying times this season, Brett Keisel followed up: "Pittsburgh, I got one question? How does that Six-Pack taste? Now we got to shoot for Seventh Heaven." Dan Rooney stepped forward to introduce LaMarr Woodley, whom Rooney remembered advised him Sunday morning to rest his arm so he could raise the Lombardi Trophy later that night. Ben Roethlisberger reminded the throng that "no team in the NFL can touch" the Steelers' unprecedented half-dozen Lombardis.

1:18 p.m.: James Farrior took over emcee duties. He's luring Heath Miller and Willie Colon and some fellas to the mic.

1:19 p.m.: Troy Polamalu stood and threw a towel into the fans -- holy giveaway day. Ryan Clark grabbed the back of Polamalu's sweatshirt, so his safety partner won't fall off the truck.

1:21 p.m.: Does Farrior emcee weddings and bar mitzvahs, too?

1:22 p.m.: Polamalu was carried aloft, mosh-pit style, when his truck stopped at the stage.

1:24 p.m.: ESPN News joined in the live broadcasting party. . . . Tell you what, these guys are enjoying the parade soooo much more than post-Detroit. Maybe it's the second time around. Maybe it's the M.T. administration. You can just see their abject enjoyment.

1:26 p.m.: "All we did was smash faces all year," Ryan Clark said. As a family, too.

1:27 p.m.: Polamalu plays Sgt. Carter from "Gomer Pyle": "I can't hear you. . . ."

1:28 p.m.: Man, that stage better be sturdy, with all those players atop it. James Harrison stopped atop, with that hefty hardware. A man of few words, Harrison uttered one: "We had a tough schedule, but we came through everything. . . with the ultimate goal. We came back with the Lombardi Trophy."

1:31 p.m.: With Harrison hositing the trophy, the players for once started their own cheer: "Here we go, Steelers, here we go." With the follow-up chorus: "Six times."

1:33 p.m.: William Gay, who strikes no one as a Styx fan, tried to lead the crowd in the Heinz Field favorite "Renegade." And half the podium of Steelers is jumping and rocking. Added Gay, "Barack Obama, baby. We're coming."

Super Bowl Polamalu (XLIII), Live

Chuck Finder — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 23:25:00 GMT

10:09 p.m.: Double wow. Double yoi. Greatest Super Bowl finish ever? Certainly for the Steelers.

Break open that 6 Pack now.

10:02 p.m.: Good call by McAulay: Holmes "toes" were in bounds. A freeze frame in NFL history, let alone the Super Bowl. With 35 seconds left? On what could be the game-winning drive? After putting them there? And nearly catching the potential winning touchdown in the other corner? In. Cred. A. Bull.

But wait...........................Arizona gets the ball with half a minute left. Fitzgerald and Warner have worked that magic before. Like, say, the fade touchdown that gave the Cardinals that 23-20 lead (sorry I missed a while there, but I have to write another story, on deadline, while the game is going on. What I wouldn't do for younz guys.)

9:59 p.m.: No way. Did Holmes really make that catch? Did he get both feet in?

Move aside, Lynn Swann and the bobble over Dallas' Mark Washingon. Heck, poor James Harrison made probably the greatest play in Super Bowl history at the end of the first half, what with the circumstances and how much that turned around a game that could've been 10-10 at half. Holmes just made the greatest catch in Supe annals. Heck, that may even surpass Joe Montana-to-Dwight Clark in that NFC Championship moment for the ages

9:58 p.m.: No timeouts left, a desperate need to score a touchdown, and first-and-goal at the Cardinals' 6 with 49 seconds left. You don't want overtime against this team, do you? Nice try on that overthrow by Santonio Holmes, who just made a huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuge catch and run to give the Steelers a chance to tie (the first overtime Supe) or win.

9:57 p.m.: Wow.

9:56 p.m.: Nothing like a fourth-quarter, must-have drive in the Super Bowl. Now that's drama. And Roethlisberger, with his idol John Elway the comeback kid in the crowd, with Elway's No. 7 and the Steelers on his back, was trying to collect yet another fourth-quarter flourish for which he has become famed already.

9:45 p.m.: Think Mike Tomlin wants that touchdown in the last goalline situation back right now?

In either?

9:43 p.m.: You have to pass from your own 1-yard line. You have to go for the first down. It looked like they got it, but holding on that offensive line again, Justin Hartwig. Safety. So it suddenly became 20-16, Steelers. That's better than a sack, even an interception. Maybe not a punt, though. We're about to find out. Give those knuckles a rest, Galaxy.

It was the first safety since Supe XXV, in Tampa, when Bruce Smith of Buffalo sacked the New York Giants Jeff Hostetler of West Virginia in the end zone.

9:30 p.m.: Fitzgerald is back. Mostly, Warner is finally looking for his franchise player. His 1-yard fade route -- who can stop that? -- gave Arizona Ol' Mo' and pared the Steelers' lead to 20-14. Hold onto your seats.

9:17 p.m.: Troy Polamalu, commercial MVP.

9:12 p.m.: First of all, didja expect Big Ben to outhrow Wingin' Warner through three quarters. It's 162 yards to 153, but, more important, that vaunted passing game has only 153 yards -- and less than 10 yards per completion. Fitzgerald entered the fourth quarter with just one catch, covered like a full-length mink by Ike Taylor. Warner isn't even throwing in Fitz's direction. That's some dandy defensive work right there, folks.

9:04 p.m.: End of third quarter, Steelers 20-7. With this defense, with the way the Steelers' offense is moving the ball and, more important, grinding up clock, it looks like you can almost pop open that 6 Pack.

Almost.

8:56 p.m.: Sixteen-play, 79-yard drive, which is incredible in and of itself. But to take up 8:39 of a quarter -- more than half -- on one drive, all those whack penalties or not? Now that's a crusher. With Reed's 21-yard field goal giving the Steelers a 20-7 lead, the Cardinals must muster some kind of score on their next drive, or they're history.

8:52 p.m.: That third-down was non-call was warranted. Then, on Jeff Reed's field goal, the Cardinals picked up a third personal foul of the drive when Adrian Wilson, in referee Terry McAulay's word, "ran over the holder," Mitch Berger. Automatic first down. And the clock's ticking away.

If you enlarge you can see Adrian Wilson about to level Mitch Berger

8:50 p.m.: I'm sorry, but this goal-line offense is laughable. There you got your wish, Willie Parker on a run -- and the blocking wasn't there, so he got corralled for a loss. Then a Heath Miller drop? You don't see that very often.

8:44 p.m.: Quiet. Listen. . . . You can almost hear Mike Holmgren and all those Seahawks fans yapping about the Steelers getting all the breaks from officials. In this instance, it's warranted. Santonio Holmes committed a facemask penalty on DRC, who was the one flagged. No wonder Holmes heard "facemask" and started pleading his case to the side judge -- he knows when he's guilty. . . .Then a second personal-foul penalty? On a questionable call on Arizona linebacker Karlos Dansby for roughing Roethlisberger. Ya know, maybe those Pacific Northwesterners were on to something.

8:35 p.m.: Kurt Warner, just when he was leading the Cardinals downfield when they badly needed it, was called for a fumble -- his longtime bugaboo. But Arizona challenged that his arm was going forward, as replays seemed to show. If the Steelers get a field goal, minimum, on this next drive, it could be a death knell already for Arizona. At some point, of course, these former sleepwalkers (they're word) and realize, Hey, we are the Cardinals after all.

8:34 p.m.: Sorry, I'm still not recovered. . . . (Nice photos by Dan Gigler, too. Jus' givin' a shout out.)

8:19 p.m.: Bruce Springsteen is going to Disney Land. Will the Steelers, too?

7:57 p.m.: Excuse me while this intrepid reporter arises from his keyboard to worship at the altar of The Boss.

No, not Micco (sorry, Jer).

7:55 p.m.: Touchdown, 17-7, Steelers. Please refer to 7:07 for details.

That made Harrison's the longest play in Super Bowl history, offensive, defensive, special teams. Remember, Willie Parker registered the longest touchdown run, at 75 yards, in winning Super Bowl XL. Momentum, signs, you name it -- it points in the Steelers' direction right now.

7:51 p.m.: First and goal at the Steelers' 1, just 18 seconds left after good clock management. The Cardinals appeared to be in a must-throw down, and . . . someone call for oxygen for James Harrison. A 100-yard interception return for a touchdown -- hey, Deshea Townsend, get outta his way and block for somebody. Warner for Boldin went awry. Harrison exhausted, though Tomlin came over to congratulate.

The play was under review, but his head was the first thing that touched in the end zone. So it's a bigger miracle for the opposition since Tony Dungy got a Polamalu interception reversed in the Super Bowl XL playoff run.

Unbelievable play by the Defensive MVP of 2008 who, by now, we ought to expect this kind of thing. Believe it now, as Tampa gave its Super Bowl that slogan. (BTW: An unidentified Steeler clipped a Cardinal on the return.)

7:48 p.m.: That 12-yard catch and run by No. 11 marked the first catch of the day by Pitt's Larry Fitzgerald. The Steelers need to contain him to win this game, and so far they've done that. But. . . .

7:36 p.m.: Forget the bad offensive series by Arizona, and the strong push by the Steelers' D. The turning point, may have come at 2:59. The stadium entertainment folks just played "Love is Like a Rock" by Pittsburgh's own Dawnee Ahhriss.

7:30 p.m.: That quaking you feel just might be momentum, with a couple of penalties and a nice Breaston return giving Arizona some momentum. But that Steelers' pass rush, gaining a holding call on one and a sack on another, picked up the pace for the defense.

7:20 p.m.: Game-saving drive by the Cardinals. They looked poised and comfortable against that secondary, that defense. An Anquan Boldin open play, a couple of James/Breaston plays and a lack of a rush on Warner, and the Cardinals have a nine-play, 83-yard drive to cut the Steelers' lead to 10-7.

7:14 p.m.: Key thing to notice on that Cardinals first down: Kurt Warner got happy feet in the pocket and threw a bad pass. And there really wasn't a rush near him.

7:07 p.m.: Gary Russell just ran off the field faster than he ran on it. A plunge for a touchdown. A point after. An 11-play, 69-yard drive covering seven-plus minutes. And it was 10-0, Steelers.

Stat time: The Cardinals are 1-6 this season when they fall behind by 10 points or more. And 1-12 in two seasons under Whis.

7:04 p.m.: Third and goal at the one, and Mike Tomlin calls timeout. Will they call two plays and quickly go for a fourth-down try? Can Tomlin plunge that aggressive bent into his pocket and actually kick another field goal? Stay tuned. (Oh, yeah, right, like you were going to change over to "60 Minutes" or something right now. . . .)

7:00 p.m.: End of first quarter, 3-0 Steelers. But they're threatening. And hold on for an interesting stat if they do score. (Whis has that red flag ready. . . .) BTW: Steelers 140 yards, Cardinals 13. But that isn't the stat that counts most, ya know.

6:57 p.m.: Did NBC's John Madden just say, "That's Ben Roethlisberger being Superman"? Well, that was vintage Roethlisberger escapability, continually scanning downfield -- though you gotta wonder if he saw Hines Ward open and Heath Miller just popped into the picture at the last second.

6:54 p.m.: Yes, Nate Washington was as wide open as he looked on TV. Wider, even. Roethlisberger put too much air underneath it, underthrowing Washington, and rookie Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie rallied to nearly intercept it. DRC, as they call him, is a star in the making. But the dude from Tiffin beat him badly on that one.

6:50 p.m.: Less of a stellar and more of a Stiller first possession by Arizona. Edgerrin James looked a bit rattled, with that fumble. Kurt Warner looked a tad confused by the defense's movement. And how about Troy Polamalu being all over the field: on a tackle, on the sidelines having trainer John Norwig reinsert his left contact lens, on Larry Fitzgerald one-on-one in bump-and-zone coverage off the line on third-and-17. That last part merits watching later. Nothing like having the two best players in this game, and possibly even the NFL, going head to head.

This just in, if it's a sign: Reed's field goal was the shortest in a Super Bowl in three decades since. . . the Steelers' Roy Gerela also kicked an 18-yarder in Super Bowl X, played in 1976.

6:46 p.m.: Color me shocked. This intrepid reporter was sure the Cardinals would come out in three or four wides. On second down, they did. . . and got a first down on a Kurt Warner pitch to Woodland Hills' Steve Breaston. Methinks Coach Whis will ditch the run rather soon and use those spread formations.

6:42 p.m.: After being aggressive all season, if not his entire head-coaching term thus far, Mike Tomlin opted for the points. Jeff Reed's field goal from 18 yards, after a 9-play, 71-yard, good-looking drive, gave the Steelers a 3-0 lead over Arizona.

Don't get cocky, Steelers galaxy. Arizona gave up a first-drive touchdown at Carolina and trailed 7-0 before scoring 33 unanswered points. And they were down to Atlanta, 17-14, in the wild-card game and responded with a touchdown and a lead they wouldn't relinquish in just 70-some seconds.

6:35 p.m.: For one thing, Arizona coach Ken Whisenhunt might be regretting that decision to defer already, huh? Boomer Esiason on Westwood One said Ben Roethlisberger already looks better than he did in all of Super Bowl XL. . . But this goal-line offense (Russell?) still has great difficulty without using Parker or the pass. . . .Maybe it's a Steelers sign: Roethlisberger, who many folks (including much of the Pacific Northwest) still don't think he scored going left in Ford Field, scores on a pass on which he took the run option. Touchdown -- or is it? Whisenhunt challenged, which is a smart call (especially being a student of history, having been in the press box in Detroit that day). Roethlisberger is close yet again. . . replays arethisclose. After review, officials overturn the touchdown call. Fourth-and-goal from the one, Darnell Dockett with the tackle and Whisenhunt with the touchdown-saving move.

6:33 p.m.: What bad knee? Hines Ward was open for 10 to 15 yards, easy.

6:31 p.m.: If someone fleet such as Santonio Holmes had returned that kickoff through the middle hole, it might well be 7-0 Steelers by now. Maybe Gary Russell was blinded by all the flashing cameras.

6:28 p.m.: Big-game conditions: 68 degrees, winds out of the north-northwest (holy Hitchcock) and skies mostly cloudy, though it's nighttime, so it doesn't matter. Best weather for a Steelers game since, what, September?

6:27 p.m.: Tails, by James Farrior. It's heads. Arizona defers. Hey, like Bill Cowher sorta said, nobody ever remembers who loses the coin toss at the Super Bowl. (Final) Game on.

Super Bowl XLIII Live (pre-game edition)

Chuck Finder — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 19:35:00 GMT

6:21 p.m.: This intrepid reporter is a fan of Faith Hill, but Jennifer Hudson just delivered as stirring a national anthem as you'll hear. Game time.

6:10 p.m.: All right, it's official -- there are a lotta younz in the stadium. The PG's scientific survey says between 60 and 80 percent of the 65,857 place is filled with Steelers fans. Not quite as many as Super Bowl XL in Detroit. But pretty darn close, in this economy, at this distance from tahn.

5:48 p.m.: Here's a sight and sound you can only find at a Super Bowl: Beleaguered punter Mitch Berger, the last Steeler to exit the field and head to their locker room, raised his helmet aloft and the Steelers throng in the South end zone let out a clamor. (For the record, as of now the Steeler contingent appears to be up to 50 percent of the crowd, but plenty of empty seats remain. We'll find out when the teams enter the field for game's start. Some Cardinals fans brought their white towels. . . . Oh, check that, a "Here We Go Steelers" chant, and it looks like maybe 70-percent gold towels. Indeed, the late Myron Cope would be proud.)

5:46 p.m.: Huge crowd roar as the Steelers wind up warm ups and head to the locker room

5:33 p.m.: In a live interview this afternoon at the White House, President Barack Obama predicted "the Steelers are going to eke it out in a close one." Moments later, Mr. Obama told NBC's Matt Lauer, "I'll see if I have to eat my words."

5: 30 p.m.: Both teams on the field stretching

5:10 p.m.: Dispatch from a nation (San Diego) From Left to Right: USMC Lts. Todd Mondelewski, Cameron Nelson and Lindsey Steele. Nelson just returned TODAY from a 10-month deployment in the middle east and is holding a towel that he had tucked in his gear as he flew missions as a flight surgeon in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Mondzelewski was deployed in Iraq for Super Bowl XL, so he is particularly jacked to be watching today's game in the comforts of home, rather than a desert tent.

4:58 p.m.: Inactives: Pittsburgh -- safety Anthony Smith, cornerback Fernando Bryant, linebacker Bruce Davis, tackle Tony Hills, tackle Jason Capizzi, defensive tackle Scott Paxson and defensive end Orpheus Roye with Dennis Dixon the No. 3 quarterback; Arizona -- cornerback Eric Green, fullback Tim Castille, linebacker Victor Hobson, tackle Elliot Vallejo, tackle Brandon Keith, defensive tackle Alan Branch and ex-Steelers tight end Jerame Tuman with fellow ex-Steeler Brian St. Pierre the No. 3 quarterback.

4:46 p.m.: Ticket sales, thanks to excess Steelers Galaxy fans in tahn, are spiking -- almost $1,000 higher per ducat than their late-week bottom of $1,200 or so. One local seller tells the St. Petersburg Times that he expects RayJay to be 90 percent black and gold.

4:11 p.m.: Ward, by the way, is warming up by catching passes. He's got a small, pull-on, cushion brace around his right knee -- not the bulky variety. He looks relatively hale and certainly at ease, posing for a photo and still chatting with Jerome Bettis. Meanwhile, members of Steelers West are catching up with old pals, a sight that will continue: Cardinals assistant head coach Russ Grimm chatting with Steelers offensive coordinator Bruce Arians, Cardinals defensive coach Matt Raich and Haggans hugging and greeting others, Steelers injured quarterback Charlie Batch talking to a warming up Cardinals No. 3 quarterback Brian St. Pierre. . . .

3:58 p.m.: Check this aht. . . . It's a balloon scene from a grocery-chain store in -- wait for it -- Bawlmer.

Ravens country.

Ray Lewis' turf.

Thanks to Michael Assad, son of part-time sports correspondent David Assad, for sending along this freeze frame, of which he wrote: "I bet my Polumalu shirt you'd never see any opposing team's colors in any Giant Eagle in Pittsburgh."

3:54 p.m.: Hines Ward just greeted The Bus and ex-Steelers teammate Clark Haggans of Arizona at midfield, and Towels waved, throats roared. And there's maybe 3,000 people in the stands?!

3:25 p.m.: First Steeler on the field? Jimmy Neutron, of course. He must be a fast dresser. Because still, 10 minutes later, he remains the one and only.

3:22 p.m.: A day at the beach? Yep, Steelers fans were walking around Clearwater Beach this morning, all kinds of Hines Wardses, Ben Roethlisbergers and, of course, Troy Polamalus. There were even some James Harrisons along Kennedy Boulevard between Tampa and the beach, including a gaggle of fans around 9:30 a.m. . . going to church? Now that's devout fandom. One last note: The highway department isn't on top of its game -- one flashing sign over Kennedy/Florida Route 60 heralded, "Stadium Parking Next Lfet." Rghghghghit.

3:03 p.m.: Oh, man, wish I had a camera. The Steelers offensive line just took a shoulder-to-shoulder team picure atop the Super Bowl XLIII logo on the end of the field near their golden end-zone (field photo hopefully coming soon). Man, Willie Colon is stylin' in a mountain-brown fedora and matching suit -- without sleeves. Gerry Dulac termed it the "Clint Eastwood look." Now if he and his linemates can pull a "Gran Torino" on the Cardinals' defensive line and tell them to get off his lawn. . . .

2:44 p.m.: The scene around Raymond James Stadium: Welcome to Heinz Field South.

Put it this way, Ford Field was filled with Steelers Nation (now Galaxy) to close to 90-percent of its 65,000 capacity, meaning that the Detroit building held somewhere between 49,000 and 58,000 Towel-wavers. RayJay holds 857 more, but the early guess here is it will wind up 60-percent filled with black and gold. That's up to 40,000 Steelers fans.

We'll soon find out, but it's a noticeable, marked advantage for what is officially considered the visiting team for this game. Considering the economy, considering the nearly extra 750-mile trek to Tampa (and you betcha alotta folks drove it), considering the corporate greed clutching almost half the seats ever Super Bowl, that's still impressive. There you go.

2:35 p.m.: Game day.

The curse of the Seahawks

Timothy McNulty — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 16:32:00 GMT

Timothy McNulty

There are two common complaints from Steelers fans about the official Super Bowl gear down here in Tampa: the prices, and the fact that it looks like Seattle Seahawks stuff.

Even worse: the temperatures dropped so low last night that fans drinking outdoors in Ybor City and Channelside had to buy up blue and green sweatshirts galore, just to stay warm. (The faux Seahawks fans still outnumbered Cardinals fans, it seemed.)

Leather varsity jackets cost up to $500; pleather ones are $130. White T-shirts are $28; kid's tees $20; white polo shirts $75; women's golf sweaters $100; poly pullovers $80; Super Bowl baby onesies $35; shot glasses $8; Super Bowl jerseys $75; and the aforementioned sweatshirts $65.

It's hard not feeling sad for Cardinals fans down here, as they hopelessly outnumbered -- the bars, sensing this, are all-Steelers-all-the-time. One of the biggest in Ybor, the Coyote Ugly, played a constant reel of "Here We Go," the Steelers polka and even "Renegade." Street vendors sold overpriced (and illegitimate?) Terrible Towels and even homeless guys were singing "Here We Go" during pleas for pocket change.

So, should the Cardinals win tonight, the Cards fans will have a lot to crow about (even if you can't hear them). One of their T-shirts shirts down here says "Beat Pittsburgh" on the front and on the back, "They Didn't Believe Either" above an X-ed out Atlanta, Carolina and Philadelphia. "Yes We Can!" it says beneath, perhaps forgetting that the phrase's author, Barack Obama, is a Steelers fan.

Besides, those shirts will never be cooler than the "Yes We Can" Mike Tomlin shirts. Cards fans just can't win.

Celebs pick Cards?

Dan Gigler — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 21:46:00 GMT

Larry Fitzgerald is SHATTERING Rod Tidwell's team records

This party scene dispatch comes to us from freelance photographer Tim Boyles:

Who are the celebrities picking to win Super Bowl XLIII?

An informal poll taken on the red carpet at the super swanky Maxim Party Friday night in Tampa revealed that overwhelmingly, celebrities prefer Arizona.

Luke parties late at Hard Rock

Timothy McNulty — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 17:14:00 GMT

Timothy McNulty

Our round-up of Super Bowl parties will be in Sunday's paper, but in the meantime here's a little appetizer from the St. Pete Times' party blog: Mayor Luke Steelerstahl was among those, including Playboy playmates and football stars, partying at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino's "Revolution" party last night. The get-together apparently lasted until 6 a.m., with some kind of melee nearly happening outside around 4.

From the Times:

The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino was the happening late-night spot on Friday night, according to our team of diligent Wingman correspondents.

As 1 a.m. approached, cars backed up an Interstate 4 exit ramp with Super Bowl partiers en route to the Hard Rock for an all night party called Revolution. Host Kevin Dillon arrived as hundreds crowded against a velvet rope along a red carpet to catch glimpses of celebs. Playboy's 50th anniversary Playmate Colleen Shannon was there. So was Pittsburgh's mayor, Luke Ravenstahl. Warren Sapp may have hosted his own party at the Florida Aquarium, but he soon landed at the Hard Rock, too. Model Claudia Jordan trailed in towards 2 a.m. smiling and posing for the camera. How many more hours till sunrise?

. . . Warren Sapp sipped champagne and rubbed elbows. In the dark VIP only corners of the venue Playboy Playmates could be seen chatting or reading the screens of their cell phones.Three more hours until this party winds down. With the other events around the Bay closing their doors anything could happen.

By 3:45 a.m. the scene got ugly. Floyd's night club was packed to capacity and a crush of people gathered outside. Angry words were exchanged and a few guests came close to blows as people pushed, trying to get in. Security seemingly overwhelmed cursed and yelled angrily at the crowd trying to pull a select few inside while deflecting the rest.