the unlikely orange

so, i haven't written about football for a long time.  i used to write about the best team in the national football league (the pittsburgh steelers, duh) all the time, but in recent years, it's been somewhat harder for me to be an 'all-in' football fan (at least publically).  there are a number of reasons for this, paramount among them, i think, is my own maturing, and recognizing the terrible weight of things beyond this silly game.  on a somewhat related note, there was all the news about the terrible brain damage inflicted on players who play this game.  additionally, i have been as busy in these last few years as i have ever been in my life, and while i still have plenty of time to follow this team, it has been in a more limited, somewhat less intense way.  and then there is one more thing: the team i love, the steelers, have had more drama than an episode of the real housewives of wherever.  i've actually never seen those shows, but i can only im...

it's been kinda quite here for some time now.  life has changed for me, in terms of how i need to manage my time and my writing.  i keep the blog alive, only because i hope to continue to use it as a way to write more, once i discover a healthier rhythm in this new season.  i'm working towards it. in the meantime, my fanaticism for all things black and gold has not waned.  fan is still short for fanatic.  and while i haven't been posting my fanatical pictures and rantings this fall, i have been no less interested rabid. so, as the steelers now finish preparations for their second playoff game of the season, against the kfc chefs, i just wanted to offer a subtle HERE WE GO STEELERS HERE WE GO!!!!!!!!  and a reminder that, no matter what happens, i'm a steelers fan for life! also, watch this video and try not to punch a hole in the wall because of the sheer adrenaline coursing through your system. and if you're still here, read this article ...

on saturday we went to our first ever penn state football game. we are!.... ....new at this! but we had a blast.  we left at 10:30am for the 3:30 game at beaver stadium, just a few miles from our house.  we got there without any traffic, got into our parking space and set up "camp," which meant that we had table and chairs and food and snacks and drinks and games and toys.  we played board games, threw the football, had a dangerous throwing competition, and took a walk around the perimeter of beaver stadium to fully emerge in this "cross cultural experience" as i kept calling it.  the weather was spectacular, and helped us to fully appreciate the pregame, as well as the game itself. once we got into the stadium, we were blessed with padded seats (with backs!) and truly enjoyed all the pomp and circumstance of the blue band, the student section, the nittany lion, and more.  so much fun! the game was sort of meh, at least in the first half, as penn st...

on friday i had the opportunity to lead a group of 10 of us to latrobe for the annual friday night lights steelers practice at latrobe memorial high school stadium, along with 12,000 of our closest friends. we drove out there, did the steelers experience with the kids (including bounce house races, rock wall, face painting, spinning the prize wheel, football toss, and a photo op with the steelers' 6 lombardi trophies, among other things). then we waited in line to get in, so that we could get our position around the autograph fence, and then there was a significant amount of waiting.  but at least the weather was beautiful!  we enjoyed good conversation and laughter along with homemade steelers cookies.  finally the team and coaches arrived on school busses and the autograph session began.  you never know who might come your direction, so we were pretty surprised when ben roethlisberger came near us and started signing.  sure enough, he came our way, and i got h...

we have one month.  one more month of putting all of our earthly possessions into cardboard boxes so we can move 60 miles west.  one more month of ministry in this place where we've been serving and sharing hope for the last 6 years.  one more month. and now that we are down to so few weeks left, we find ourselves in a season of "lasts:"  the last day of school is next week; i sang my last anthem with the choir; last piano lesson; last prayer gathering; last board meeting; and on tuesday, we had our last soccer game.  caedmon scored two goals and played a bit of keeper in the loss. it is weird living in a land of so many lasts.   everything has an emotional heaviness, like the next tearful goodbye is just around the corner.  and yet there is a relief to it, too.  it is good medicine in this busy season to know that we'll have our tuesdays, thursdays, and saturdays back.  that we don't have to study history cards anymore.  that we ...

baseball is back.  and all seems well in my soul. i know i have written here countless times about the beauty of the game, but i just can't resist saying something once again this spring.  two nights ago i listened to the radio broadcast of the pittsburgh pirates extra-inning walk-off win against their rivals, the cardinals, and the tinny sound of the broadcaster's voices, supported by the the orchestra of the crowd - swelling in crescendo for each possible hit and reacting to every ball and strike; the sounds of the stadium organ, the crack of the bat, the crush of the ball against the catcher's mitt:  all of this is a symphony of sport that is sweet, sweet music to me.  like any music, it can - and does - transport me to another time, hiding under the sheets at 10 years old, listening to the pirates on WAMB, hoping that nobody else could hear the tinny sound of that little radio.  like any music, it moves me and speaks to me and comforts me and calls me t...

while it was handed to them in the most distasteful and disgraceful of ways, the bottom line is still that the steelers won, got to move on in the playoffs, and extend the bengals playoff drought, which started in 1991, when i was in 8th grade, listening to milli vanilli and watching ALF.  if the next eight months of licking their wounds feels terrible for the bengals and their fans, then maybe they should think about who they are employing.  so, in the end, the steelers won the dramatic, back-and-forth game, and will live to play denver this weekend. i had a million more things to say about this game, but it is just too much to even write.  so, without any further ado, here are my designs from the game:

i've been too busy to even have a chance to write, but two demonstrative wins in a row required me to get on here and leave some photos.  the steelers are getting healthier and starting to peak at just the right time.  if they can keep winning, they will make the playoffs and be a team that nobody wants to face.  this sunday the bengals hosted the steelers in the jungle, and they acted like it was some big gang fight (look up pacman jones' epic rant about the steelers), and then proceeded to act like a bunch of idiots, coming onto the steelers side of the field during warmups, playing dirty (i see you, burfict), and then being completely unable to back it up with their play.  it was not only embarrassing for the bengals and their fans, but it showed the sharp contrast between the two franchises.  as they seem to do every year, the bengals wilted under the pressure, while the steelers seemed to thrive with it.  let's hope that trend continues as we move tow...

on sunday the steelers hosted the cleveland clowns browns, and while they began the game with their starting quarterback on the bench in a backup role, the browns, ever inventing ways to self-destruct, knocked out the 2nd string guy in the first quarter, so they could see ben roethlisberger, who went on to have an amazing first half (one of the best of his career), and ended up being the offensive player of the week.  no big deal.   oh, and there's this guy: antonio brown.  he is just an amazing athlete, who is pretty much unstoppable.  it is such a joy to watch him play football, and when he and ben are out there together, it is something pretty special.  wow.  just wow.   so the steelers move to 5-4, and stay in the thick of things for the wild card hunt in the afc.  it hasn't been an easy season, with all the injuries (espn ranked the steelers as the most injured team this year), but i give the team a great d...

seems like nothing can be easy for the steelers.  not only did they have to squeak out a close one on sunday against the raiders, but they may have lost ben roethlisberger (again) to injury for an undetermined amount of time. still, it is hard to leave this game with too bad a taste in your mouth, since this offense was really fun to watch on sunday.  the defense?  not so much.  but d'angelo williams and antonio brown were just unstoppable, and it was great to see. williams stepped in for leveon bell, who is out for the rest of the season with his knee injury, and the steelers hardly missed a beat.  he looked great, hitting the holes, getting through traffic, getting open in the flat, catching touchdown passes, and pounding for short yardage when necessary.  brilliant. but not nearly as brilliant as number 84. antonio was ridiculous.  he had more receiving yards on sunday than some teams had total offense!  he set pittsburgh steel...

 i don't have much time for this this week, so i'll have to let the pictures tell the story.