It was February 6, 2006 and the Pittsburgh Steelers made an impossible journey to play the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XL (that's 40 for all of you who voted for Obama), by winning every single playoff game on the road. This was to be Jerome Bettis' last year playing football and it took everything he had to make it through the playoffs. He played through the pain, contributed just about everytime he touched the ball - with one exception... In the AFC Divisional game against the Indianapolis Colts, Pittsburgh seemingly had the game wrapped up. After sacking quarterback Peyton Manning on fourth down at about the 2 yard line, all Pittsburgh had to do was run the ball into the end zone. Putting the ball in the capable hands of Bettis, they were sure to score. But Murphy's Law was enacted in the RCA Dome that day and Bettis had the ball knocked out of his arms. Colts cornerback Nick Harper picked up the ball and headed for the Steelers' end zone. But the chapter to this story doesn't end there. Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was about to make a miraculous tackle on Mr. Harper. In fact, such a miraculous tackle - that it will forever be dubbed "The Tackle" (aka The Immaculate Redemption). That tackle led the Steelers to a victory and subsequently, after then defeating the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship game, on to Super Bowl XL. Now, what makes this a fairy tale story is that, not only did the Steelers defy the odds of making it to the Super Bowl, not only was this Jerome Bettis' last year and his last chance for that ring, but they were playing in Bettis' home town of Detroit Michigan. What are the odds for that? To end this story, the Steelers went on to win that game, 21 to 10 and won their first Super Bowl in 26 years. Bettis retired with a Ring and a clear path the Canton, OH in the NFL Hall of Fame.
As Paul Harvey use to say... And now, the rest of the story.
It's June 12, 2009 and the Pittsburgh Penguins are about to play in the toughest game of their young lives. Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals - in Detroit (gee, an omen?), where the Red Wings have an unbelievable winning percentage in the playoffs. Thus far, the Penguins have not been able to win in Detroit, making this trip that much tougher. Let's back up to 2008 for a moment here. After the Penguins get badly beaten in the Stanley Cup Finals by the Red Wings in 5 games, Penguins winger Marian Hossa decides to not take the offer from the Pens to stay on board and takes a lesser offer from the Red Wings because he claims it's his best chance to win The Cup. He was banking on the Red Wings going back to back (which is very difficult to do). Just getting back to the dance is tough enough, let alone win it. Well, I don't know what the odds are exactly on the same two teams meeting in the Stanley Cup Finals, but that's exactly what happened. In fact, I think it has only been done about 6 times and Detroit has been involved in most of them (so they club has a little experience with winning back to back against the same team). With Detroit having home ice advantage, this was truly going to be an uphill battle for the Penguins. They did what they were suppose to do and won all of their home games, forcing an epic 7th game at Detroit. One chapter of this story has already been written: Hossa, has been shut out by the Pens in 6 games. He had 0 goals and only 3 assists. Could game 7 be the break out game that Hossa needed to bring the cup back to Detroit, so he can finally get his ring? The Penguins had the answer to that as they clipped the wings off of Detroit and beat them in that final game, 2 to 1, making the Pittsburgh Penguins the Stanley Cup Champs for the first time in 17 years. Hossa wasn't even a factor in the game. And if he would have only stayed with the Pens, he would have had more money in his bank account from a bigger salary and a Championship Ring for his finger. And as the Steelers won the Super Bowl again in 2009, Pittsburgh once again became the City of Champions, and the first city to ever win both the Super Bowl and Stanley Cup in the same year. No folks, you just can't write a story like this. Well you could, but who would believe it?
Monday, June 15, 2009
Friday, April 10, 2009
Where's The Unity?
We heard it all during the Democrat Presidential campaign trail. Barack Obama was a uniter - George Bush is a divider. He said that he would bring change to Washington. That's what he ran on. Instead, he has become (in just a few short months) the most polarizing President in the last 4 decades. See: http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1178/polarized-partisan-gap-in-obama-approval-historic .
Everyone said that Bush was polarizing and Obama seems to be worse. I think Glenn Beck was right when he said (and I'm paraphasing) "The people elected him to bring change, but not to change America." The kind of change the people were looking for (and the kind he said he would bring) was to do away with the "same 'ol, same 'ol" politics as usual. He said he would change the tone (something Bush said he would do too). The only thing that has been done so far is that he has ignored the people's cries. I think people have said it loud and clear, poll after poll, tea party after tea party - Stop with the bailouts! Stop wanting to control everything! Stop taking over private companies! Stop with the socialist agenda! Just Stop! This is not change. This is taking the Democrat platform (you know, the political platform. The one that uses rhetoric to get people to hate Republicans so that they can get elected - don't go there, I know Republicans do it too) and puts it on steroids. This is taking Socialism Light that President Bush started and turbo charging it. Even Democrats like Senator Byrd are saying that he's going too far. (http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0209/19303.html)
President Obama has one concept right that he is not executing well and that is talking to us. I use to get so upset at the fact that Bush would not go on TV more often to talk to the American people. He probably would have been more liked if he did that. But instead, Obama has turned us into a laughing stock around the world, bowing to a Saudi King, giving the Queen of England an iPod, and the Europeans have even dubbed him the "Teleprompter President". Tell us from your heart Mr. President. The problem is that he can't. He can't because he hasn't been told what's in his heart. Even the ultra-liberal Daily Kos says it's a joke (http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/3/29/714249/-The-Teleprompter-President ). Although they totally mis-characterized Reagan in this piece, they get it.
I am a conservative and believe so strongly in my principals because I have seen them work. They have proven to be successful when applied properly. And when we see these principals get tossed aside to usher in a new America that has nothing to do with the vision that our founding fathers had, it drives me nuts. I was just as vocal about Bush doing the same thing. I don't carry the water for Republicans. Republicans are to be carrying the water for conservatism and they stopped doing that. As a result, they were voted out of office. We are now looking to a new age where we can get some people in there that want to do the will of the people. Do you think the Democrats have been doing that since they took control of things almost 2 1/2 years ago already? They are not doing the will of the people and that's why Congress' approval rating is at a whopping 18% (http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/mood_of_america/congressional_performance/approval_of_congress_up_but_voters_downplay_its_accomplishments).
The tea parties popping up everywhere are not about angry conservatives with Obama or the Democrats. It's about angry Americans who are afraid of losing their country to a bunch of people with an agenda that is different than the people whom they work for - us!
If you want the polarization to change, then everyone needs to stand together to say ENOUGH! Let us disagree on policies without changing our Republic. We can co-exist here quite well if we let America be America and allow our approach on policies be where we differ.
God Bless America
Everyone said that Bush was polarizing and Obama seems to be worse. I think Glenn Beck was right when he said (and I'm paraphasing) "The people elected him to bring change, but not to change America." The kind of change the people were looking for (and the kind he said he would bring) was to do away with the "same 'ol, same 'ol" politics as usual. He said he would change the tone (something Bush said he would do too). The only thing that has been done so far is that he has ignored the people's cries. I think people have said it loud and clear, poll after poll, tea party after tea party - Stop with the bailouts! Stop wanting to control everything! Stop taking over private companies! Stop with the socialist agenda! Just Stop! This is not change. This is taking the Democrat platform (you know, the political platform. The one that uses rhetoric to get people to hate Republicans so that they can get elected - don't go there, I know Republicans do it too) and puts it on steroids. This is taking Socialism Light that President Bush started and turbo charging it. Even Democrats like Senator Byrd are saying that he's going too far. (http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0209/19303.html)
President Obama has one concept right that he is not executing well and that is talking to us. I use to get so upset at the fact that Bush would not go on TV more often to talk to the American people. He probably would have been more liked if he did that. But instead, Obama has turned us into a laughing stock around the world, bowing to a Saudi King, giving the Queen of England an iPod, and the Europeans have even dubbed him the "Teleprompter President". Tell us from your heart Mr. President. The problem is that he can't. He can't because he hasn't been told what's in his heart. Even the ultra-liberal Daily Kos says it's a joke (http://www.dailykos.com/st
I am a conservative and believe so strongly in my principals because I have seen them work. They have proven to be successful when applied properly. And when we see these principals get tossed aside to usher in a new America that has nothing to do with the vision that our founding fathers had, it drives me nuts. I was just as vocal about Bush doing the same thing. I don't carry the water for Republicans. Republicans are to be carrying the water for conservatism and they stopped doing that. As a result, they were voted out of office. We are now looking to a new age where we can get some people in there that want to do the will of the people. Do you think the Democrats have been doing that since they took control of things almost 2 1/2 years ago already? They are not doing the will of the people and that's why Congress' approval rating is at a whopping 18% (http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/mood_of_america/congressional_performance/approval_of_congress_up_but_voters_downplay_its_accomplishments).
The tea parties popping up everywhere are not about angry conservatives with Obama or the Democrats. It's about angry Americans who are afraid of losing their country to a bunch of people with an agenda that is different than the people whom they work for - us!
If you want the polarization to change, then everyone needs to stand together to say ENOUGH! Let us disagree on policies without changing our Republic. We can co-exist here quite well if we let America be America and allow our approach on policies be where we differ.
God Bless America
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