the unlikely orange

sorry for the lack of a legitimate post today.  i had the trots, which is british for saying that i had the hershey squirts.  figure it out.  anyway, check back in tomorrow for a slideshow of my favorite images from the steelers' 2010 season.  i don't know about you, but i'm getting amped for this game!  (oh, better go, the bathroom is calling my name...)

here we are, nine days away from the 45th edition of the national football league's biggest game, and the extra anticipation time gives me a chance to reflect.  for those of you who are steelers fans, i would encourage you to think about this along with me, lest you let this moment slip by without savoring it.  and for those of you who are not steelers fans, i would simply want you to know that while i understand if you resent the steelers for their frequent success, i also don't want to rub it in your face.  if it is possible, i simply want to enjoy these moments while i can without gloating.  you might think that i am a spoiled sports fan, and you might be right, i don't know.  but i can tell you one thing: i'm doing my best to enjoy every moment of this journey; every printed word; every blog; every black and gold picture in the sports section; every scrolling ticker across the bottom of the nfl network.  i want to soak every bit of it in. i was born...

-if you like the number one, this is your year!  2011 offers some pretty cool dates like 1/1/11, 1/11/11, 11/1/11, and 11/11/11.  not only that, but if you take the last two digits of the year you were born and add them to the age that you'll turn in 2011, you'll get 111 (or 11 if you were born after the year 2000).  -here's a cool fact about the superbowl:  there won't be any cheerleaders.  according to my research, there are only three teams in the nfl that don't have official cheerleading squads (the steelers, packers and browns), although the packers cheat and use local college cheereleading squads at their home games.  still, they won't be bringing these along for the big game, so it will be a cheerleader-free super bowl, which means there will be no obligatory and gratuitous shots of scantily clad gyrating women.  i have never quite understood the purpose of cheerleaders at professional football games where 60,000+ people are in the stadium, ot...

ZACK, ZACK, HE'S A LEGO MANIAC! anyone remember those commercials?  i do.  but my son doesn't  they're WAY before his time.  after all, he just turned 6 yesterday.  and he wanted a lego-themed party.  and his name is jack.  so, you can sing to him: JACK, JACK, HE'S A LEGO MANIAC! i know, so clever.  in any case, shannon and the boys made a pretend cake out of actual legos: we had trouble finding lego-brand party supplies, so we just went with primary colors, the cake of legos, and this awesome cake that shannon made, which is an extra-large blue lego brick.  check it out: we used three lego guys to help hold some of the candles.  and the green around the bottom of the cake is fondant that was imprinted with a lego base.  the top part of the big lego is made out of oreos covered in fondant.  didn't shannon do a good job?  she's amazing.  and now here is the birthday boy opening his presents.  did i say ...

 well, now that i've had some time to let it sink in, i couldn't be any happier. what a feeling it is to know that of the 32 teams that started the season, there are only 2 teams left, and your team is one of them.  i am so proud of the steelers and the journey they've taken this year.  it's been fun to watch, and it ain't over yet!  last week, for the divisional round, i made an unprecedented sixteen pictures for your enjoyment .  this week, since it was the afc championship game, i upped it to twenty-four!  there are two right here for you to see, and all you have to do is click the "keep reading" link below to see the other twenty-two.  enjoy!

i'm exhausted this morning, after watching that hotly-contested afc championship game last night.  i know you are probably looking for my regular steelers photos, but you'll have to give me a day or to, just to let it all sink in:  PITTSBURGH'S GOIN' TO THE SUPERBOWL!!!!!  wow.  just wow. plus, we have two weeks as fans to celebrate this win and look forward to the matchup against the green bay cheeses.  so, just let me celebrate this, plus get a ton of work done today, and i'll be back with some photos tomorrow.  in the meantime, watch this video nonstop.  Go Steelers!

a couple of years ago i shared a video of my living room which i turned into a steelers room during the playoffs.  you can see it here . since then, we've moved, and i got a room that i could designate as my own mancave.  i thought i would share a video with you so you can see it.  you also get the added bonus of my children dancing around like fools.  enjoy.  go steelers! ps.  i'm going to the mall in selinsgrove, pa today to meet former steeler great andy russell.  i'll post pics when get home. *****update***** i got to meet andy russell today.  i got his new book: and he signed it for me: as well as a football card i had of his: and i got my picture taken with him: he was super nice and it was so cool to meet him, shake his hand, and see that superbowl ring (he was wearing the ring from superbowl IX).  to celebrate, this afternoon i watched "america's game" superbowl IX, in which andy russell is one of the main stor...

who would've thought?  who would've thought that the steelers would be playing for the chance to go to the big game (peter king did!), and that they would be playing the game at home?  raise your hand if you predicted that back in august.. *crickets chirping* that's what i thought.  and yet, here we are.  just a couple days away from the heinz field's second afc championship game in 3 years.  do you remember that game in january of 2009, against the baltimore ravens?  do you remember how the game was in question late until troy polamalu picked off joe flacco and returned it for a touchdown?  do you remember how heinz field came unglued?  i do.  but i also remember after the game, how none of the fans left.  they just stayed and sang.  and the players stayed on the field to celebrate with the fans.  it was magic.  i want to see that again.  i want to see the place shake.  i want to hear "here we go steelers" ...

a few months ago, when james harrison was being fined every time he stepped on a crack in the sidewalk, some steeler fan started a campaign on facebook to help pay his fine, not because we thought we would really put a huge dent in these unbelievable fines, but because we wanted to show the nfl and the commisioner that we don't like his arbitrary enforcement of the rules.  it was a really powerful demonstration, and you can see the overwhelming results here on facebook.  (if you look close enough you can find my contribution).  after sending my dollar and note in to the league office, i just kind of forgot about it.  then, yesterday, i received a letter in my mailbox with the nfl logo.  curious, i opened it up and found the following letter: Dear Greg Milinovich, We received your letter containing money to be used help pay for a fine incurred by Steelers linebacker James Harrison.  The player is solely responsible for paying his fine.  Player...

time is tickin', friends.  it's about this time that i feel like the hands of the clock are stuck in cold molasses.  but i thought i'd put a little countdown on here so you could see how quickly (or slowly) it's approaching.  can't wait 'til kickoff, baby!  let's beat those J...E...T...S...jets...jets...jets!

-yesterday the kids had a snow day.  shannon made them some kind of spaghetti-o's or something and while shoveling them down, jackson lovingly and sincerely stated that chef boyardee is his favorite chef.  -thanks to all of you for the traffic on my blog the last few months.  it's been amazing to see that so many of you are checking in and seeing what's going on.  now if i could just get you to comment and start some discussion, that'd be fantastic.  -i did a funeral yesterday.  there were about 70 or so people here at the church for the funeral.  there were about 5 or 6 folks sitting together that i took to be mennonites, or something of that ilk, wearing the kind of traditional dress associated with them.  i took particular notice of them, and noted that they were locked-in on me during the service, studying my every move.  i felt analyzed, but i know how i am when i attend another church, so turnabout is fair play.  whatever. ...

hey friends!  happy tuesday to you.  i didn't do my obligatory steelers victory recap yesterday because i shared some big family news.  in case you missed it, i shared the news that we'll be having our third child sometime this summer, and we are, of course, very excited about it.   but we are also very excited about the status of the steelers' season (and by "we" i mostly mean "i.").  so, without further ado, let's take a look at some pics from the game.    well, there were so many exciting moments in this game, but without question, one of the most exciting was antonio brown's thrilling "that's-using-your-head" catch late in the fourth quarter.  and it just exemplified what i've been saying about this team all season long: that they just want it more.  look, are the ravens a good team?    you bet.  did they want to win, to keep their season going, advance to the next level, and end the steelers' s...

i know that you probably thought you'd come here today to find me celebrating the steeler victory and subsequent home field game against the jets in the AFC championship game.  i know you clicked here thinking that you'd get a good chuckle at my ridiculous fanaticism, or at least some decently cool (although wildly amateur) steelers images about how they wanted it more and whatnot, but.... i interrupt your regularly scheduled program to bring you those breaking news: my family currently consists of 2 adults, 2 kids and a dog.  somewhere around july 23rd you will be able to change that number to 3 kids.  yep.  we're having a baby.  so as much as i would love to fill your screen with images of black and gold today, i'm uber-pleased instead to share this joyful news.  we've been sitting on the news for a bit, and we finally shared it with our church yesterday and now with all of you today.  i hope you'll rejoice with us in this incredible blessing: ...

well, it's game day and, even though it's a saturday i'm up at 6am.  i got up at 5 and tossed and turned for a while and finally got out of bed.  it's like christmas morning up in here.  i am just too excited!  it's steelers - ravens day!  in about 10 1/2 hours i will either be incredibly overjoyed or very disappointed.  that's just the way it goes.  but for now, in anticipation, i will let the excitment fuel my adrenaline and anticipation.  and while we wait, i invite you to enjoy some steeler-inspired music.  i'll start with this, my favorite favorite steeler song ever.  it's by a guy named joby harris, who is a very cool man, and this song is just really well done in my opinion.  so turn it up loud, get your terrible towel, and let's get this thing cranked up!  hit the "keep reading" button below for a bunch more!

i know i posted this before, but it seems especially appropriate and awesome this week as the steelers play the ravens tomorrow.  i know if my son were out there on the "ballfield" he would be seeking some revenge!  enjoy this:

when the pittsburgh steelers clash with the baltimore birdies, recently history has proven that the results are brutal.  while the personnel has changed over the years, the style of play has remained largely the same:  violent.  this isn't a game that showcases offensive genius and skills.  instead, this game is always marked by defense - crushing, blood-inducing defense.  quite literally, these games can be bloody, as evidenced by big ben's jersey the last time these two teams met, when his nose was bent like a elbow noodle by the club-fist of a raven defensive lineman (the raven's coach has since "joked" that he was glad they broke ben's nose).  and so, in light of the tenor of the games between these two bitter rivals, i thought this movie poster would be appropriate:

in case you missed it, it's ravens week .  so, get used to steelers-ravens related posts this week.  not your favorite?  deal with it. anyway, i've been known to pick on joe flaccid flacco in the past , but i just can't let this one go.  apparently, during his days at pitt , the unibrowed one couldn't help but wear his true colors, sporting a nifty shirt that proclaims his love of the steelers for life.  okay, so maybe i played with this photo a little bit, but still, it sure does look like joe does love the steelers:  

well, i avoided talking about it for a whole day, but i can't hold it in any longer: IT'S RAVENS WEEK, PART THREE! even though this wasn't the scenario i was looking for, it's almost as if the stars aligned, and this was the way it had to be.  the pittsburgh steelers will host their bitter rivals, the baltimore ravens, for their third matchup of this 2010 season.  it will be brutal....it will be salty (to borrow a word from mike tomlin), and it will be heartbreaking for one of those two franchises.  one team gets to go play for the conference championship, the other gets to go home and lick their wounds.  one team gets to celebrate, the other has to think about what could have been.  one team has a 1 in 4 chance to win another lombardi trophy, the other has to wait 'til next year.  i think we all know how this is going to turn out. 

it was sort of a bad weekend. it didn't really have a fighting chance right from the very beginning, since the whole family is right in the thickest part of a pretty good cold.  i mean, let's just say that we currently set the table with plates, silverware, drinks, napkins, and a box of tissues.  i'm pretty sure the dog even has a cold.  it's nasty.  so it was a weekend of blowing snot.  but on saturday afternoon we decided to head over to the high school to watch a couple of the girls from our church in the j.v. and varisty basketball games.  so we changed out of our pj's and headed to the gymnasium.  we found the family that we know and we settled in on the uber-comfortable bleachers.  and then it started.  i guess i am naive, or have too much faith in human nature or something, but i spent the next couple of hours losing my faith in human decency at an alarming rate.  there we were with two young children, whil...

here, for your saturday viewing/listening pleasure, enjoy this 'winter into spring' song by my favorite band of 2010, Mumford and Sons. 

after yesterday's anthemic and catchy song, including a not-so-subtle reference to pat robertson, today i want to talk about something else, but it also involves pat robertson.  as the calendars have all closed their last page and we've all torn the cellophane off of the new ones, the news is full of projections and predictions for the new year.  one of the things that goes along with this in today's current climate is fear.  so much fear.  so much anxiety.  about money.  about the nation.  about the future.  check out mr. robertson's "word from the Lord" (and someone please tell me how this is any different than a collective palm-reading): so there you have it.  things are bad already, and things are going to get worse.  watch out, because God will continue to divide the good people and the bad people, even depending on what university you go to, or if you prefer the ACLU or the ACLJ (that was hilarious).  blah blah blah.... ...

i came across this on a friend's facebook page yesterday, and i love it.  it is both whimsical and unswervingly true to the gospel.  it is exactly the kind of anthem that contemporary christian music has needed for a long time, and i'm glad to see that not only is someone writing a song like this, but that a record company is allowing them.  watch it, and sing along! the song is called "God is not a white man" by Gungor

a friend asked me the other day about what my word would be for 2011.  as i thought about it, i realized there is no way i could pick one word for the whole year.  i do, however, have 5 basic truths that i always keep coming back to.  each year - each day! - is an adventure in remembering and living into these 5 truths.  here they are, roughly (they are always in some flux): 1.  i am beloved. 2.  i am made to love. 3.  today is an amazing gift: a great day to be alive. 4.  today is a day to be great. 5.  even though i mostly fail at it....die trying.  there you go.  that is greg's life in a nutshell.  if there was a sixth one it might be: 6.  go steelers!  just kidding.  hope your wednesday is great!  and that you are great in it! 

this january here at Catawissa Avenue United Methodist Church we have started a series called The Recharge Project, in which we are admitting that many of us are spent, burned out, washed up, and worn out.  after a long year, after the busy holidays, and facing the continued dark and cold of winter, many of us are running low on energy, passion and maybe even hope.  so we are looking at ways that we, as people of faith, can be recharged.  last week we talked about being Redeemed, that God is ulitmately our power source and provides us with the energy and life we need by forgiving us, loving us, and giving us a new chance.  unbelievable stuff, that is.  we call it grace, because we have to have a word for it, but there really is no way to capture it.  it is beyond comprehension.  we are loved!  hallelujah! this week we will be talking about being Reconnected, in terms of the importance of being part of a community of faith.  when we a...

well, steelers fans, here we go.  the 2010 regular season is (already) over, and the steelers find themselves in a great position.  they finished with 12 wins and 4 losses, and they won the AFC north division.  in the process of that they have earned the #2 seed in the AFC playoffs, and have thus bought themselves a week off in the form of a bye week, while 4 of the other teams have to play.  for a team that played the whole first quarter of the season without their franchise QB, i would call this a successful year for mike tomlin and the pittsburgh steelers.  when you add in all the injuries they've had to face, not to mention the off-field distractions with commissioner's mid-season effort to reshape football as we know it, there can be no question but that this has been a very good year for the steelers.  there's still alot of work they want to get done, but at least as a fan, i can acknowledge that it's been a good year.  and now,  on with th...