Super Steelers

It is nearly midnight on Super Bowl Sunday. I'm typing in a dark room in Maryland. Pittsburgh, no doubt, is lit up and alive, its entire population dancing in the streets. In Morgantown, which is still Steelers territory, they're probably burning couches in celebration.

The Steelers first four Super Bowl titles are history, part of the lore of the game. And perhaps once the title they won tonight is behind us a little, it'll mean more than it does right at this moment. It's almost as if I want to say, "is that all there is?" Their victory against Seattle was sloppy, the result of some fortunate twists ... a foot out of bounds here, or a timely penalty there. But then, that's the nature of the Steelers' entire postseason run. If not for a one-in-a-million tackle by Ben Roethlisberger against the Colts and a once-in-a-hundred missed field goal by Mike Vanderjagt, the Steelers never would have made the AFC title game. So it was fitting they won the way they did.

But at the same time, they won with the kind of electrifying plays that become the stuff of Super Bowl legend. Willie Parker's long touchdown run and Antwan Randle El's gorgeous reverse pass to Hines Ward are destined to rank among the Super Bowl's most memorable plays. And they'll be part of Steelers' lore, right there along with the Immaculate Reception, Lynn Swan's graceful effort against the Cowboys in Super Bowl 10 and John Stallworth's long bomb from Terry Bradshaw in Super Bowl 14. A new chapter of Steelers history has been written.

And another chapter ended tonight, as Jerome Bettis played his final game. His class, his work ethic, his willingness to sacrifice part of his salary the last two years in order to help the team sign other players ... he will take a place in Pittsburgh sports history alongside Willie Stargell, Roberto Clemente, Jack Lambert and Mario Lemieux.

I barely remember those Steelers titles of yesteryear. And I wasn't really attached enough to the Penguins to revel in their success. Hell, I didn't even actually see any of those games the two years they won the Stanley Cup, such was the pathetic state of the NHL's television coverage at the time. I was in college in Ohio, and I found out they won the first one, in 1991, by seeing the final score of the last game of the series on ESPN's :28 and :58 crawl at the bottom of the screen. But this one this year with the Steelers is different. I've followed these guys the whole way. Seen every up and down. I know their stories, their histories. These aren't just the Steelers. They're my Steelers. I actually feel like I own this one. The other four titles belong to another generation.

Now if we can just get a championship for the Pirates .... here's hoping whatever power there is didn't dole out all the miracles to the Steelers, because the Buccos are going to need a few.