His legs are apart. He places himself, legs together at the edge of the field. He looks back and waited until the last minute to get out of the way. When he does he steps right first to go left.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QwjEogoMZQ
This weekend the Steelers reintroduce us to their throwback jerseys. If you are not familiar, it is a trend started a few years ago where teams will have an alternate jersey encompassing a look from years past. Usually these fashion faux pas are a prime example of why they changed them in the first place. When I saw the Steelers’ press conference, all I could picture instead was seeing Gene Rayburn up there and his oversized microphone pulling out a card and asking the panel: “When little Johnny saw the new Steelers’ jerseys, he said they are not throwback, they are more like throw…Blank”. As the contestant, my answer would be “throw…in the Terrible Towel”. Of course Charles Nelson Reilly would screw me over with “throw…FABULOUS!”.
I thought, at first, these jerseys were designed so the billion-dollar sport could trick the fans into buying another jersey they just HAD to have. But this seems to be an episode from a new show on cable, “When Marketing goes Terribly Wrong”. The fans don’t like these jerseys, the players certainly don’t want to wear these jerseys…then who came up with this insidious idea? My only answer is a Les Nessman, someone who was forced to take violin lessons instead of playing ball. No other explanation! This is just a cruel joke from someone holding a long, long grudge (and I am somewhat familiar with grudges – coming to a blog near you).
Lets go back a bit. As an Islander fan I recall the Famous Fisherman Fiasco of 1995. Somewhere it was decided the Islanders needed to change their logo. A wonderful logo design, incorporating the NY – with the Y as a hockey stick – and the outline of the shape of Long Island. “NY” and the “Island”… New York Islanders…simple, yet classic. Why would we want to keep that! Anyway, 6 or 7 designs were given to the Islanders and they were to choose a winner. What happened next was of Long Island Lore. Apparently the ad agency inserted a logo, one so horrible – one that would NEVER be chosen, just to have the other logos stand out. Well guess what…that backfired! The “test” logo was picked and approved. WHAT?!?! The more I think about it, the more it falls into my Les Nessman theory above. The Islander organization, the players and the fans were endlessly abused by opposing fans for this logo. The Islanders have not won a playoff series since. Somewhere a violin happily plays on….
This brings me to yesterday and the Steelers’ new throwback jersey. It looks like the player was sent to bumble bee prison. I can only imagine that the Steelers “Les Nessman” watched the Blind Melon – No Rain video the night before designing them. While the jerseys are supposed to remind us of an era from Leatherheads, even George Clooney could not pull this look off. Maybe they should wear the old leather helmets too, at least it would make the whole thing more interesting.
All I can say is that my taste is pretty plain…
Labor Day was never a favorite. As a kid it meant the summer was over and back to school. As an adult, you are reminded they give you this one lousy day for a year’s worth of laborious work. There was one thing I was always able to look forward too back then…Labor Day weekend brought with it the start of NFL season.
It was 1993 and this Labor Day weekend, like many after, would start in the Hamptons. Saturday would be like any other day, but it would be my last one of the season. While others looked forward to a Boardy Barn Sunday, I prepped for my departure. This final weekend was dubbed Last Chance Labor Day…since this was your final opportunity to…well…do all the things you didn’t do all summer long…or maybe just to do them again. My roommate, never one to pass up ANY opportunity, had taken this to heart. It was Sunday morning and I woke up somewhere…lets just leave it at that. After a quick shower, it was time to leave my summer behind. Unfortunately my previous packing, including my Steelers jersey, was residing in my room…and so was my roommate…and he was not alone. I allowed him some time, but my departure window to make the game was closing. My knocking going unanswered, I just gave them a head’s up…”Naked or Not, here I come!”. I was more surprised with who he was with than they were about my boldness…didn’t see THAT coming. Anyway…Sorry, dude…it’s the Steelers…and I had to leave.
My Steelers viewing would be at Mulcahy’s. When I returned home from college it was back to the Jets and Giants on TV every weekend. Many a week during the 1989 season I was stuck watching a meaningless game while my team had a magical run to the playoffs. I couldn’t sit on the sidelines another season. I inquired around for a pub that had a satellite dish…and Mulcahy’s was that place. Steeler fans from around the Island gathered here. I was home. Steeler Nation was a term not yet bantered about, but that is what I had found. Each Sunday we would gather for the games and at the end of the season we would say our goodbyes. We would meet again next Labor Day Weekend.
For 15 years I never missed an opening day at Mulcahy’s. This led to me being interviewed by Steve Zipay of Newsday…got my picture in the paper and everything. Eventually, the NFL decided to move the start of the season away from Labor Day Weekend. In the years that followed I moved out east and opted for the NFL package. My attendance at Mulcahy’s began to dwindle. Last year was the first time in 22 years that I did not make a single game. This year, I have no urge to.
