PITTSBURGH IS GOING TO THE SUPER BOWL:
The 11′ flag might be a little over the top, but you gotta do what you gotta do. Actually, it is so redneck white trash I love it even more. Plus, I have banners in every other window. I stopped myself at black and gold light strings.
Shadow's Mom
Woot! My family is from Pittsburgh; my brother still lives there and has had season tickets to Steelers for the last 20 years.
Go for the black/gold lights, I say. No sign of support is too small or bizarre.
General Stuck
Too bad there aren’t 11 foot flags of Roethlisburger’s asshole.
Peter VE
I can see your flag on Google Maps!
Comrade Colette Collaboratrice
How about just black light strings, for a more subtle look.
Faux News
Don’t you have an extra Terrible Towel to drape over the porch railings?
trollhattan
Way to class up the ‘hood and all. What’s the funny white stuff where your roof and lawn should otta be?
Martin
Hmm. The only flags that large that I’ve seen on front porches were confederate flags.
Just sayin’
asiangrrlMN
You’re going to be insufferable for the next two weeks, aren’t you, Cole?
ETA: With all the Steelers fans and the Packers fans on this blog, it’s gonna get nasty.
Martin
@asiangrrlMN: How will you tell?
ant
um, is that a lawn fertilizer thingy?
tsk tsk tsk Mr Cole.
(oh, and the Packers gonna whup dat ass)
Crashman
Man, I hate Big Ben… Not as much as I hate the Jets, though, so I guess I have to root for the Packers.
John Cole
@ant: Yes, but I use it for environmentally safe de-icer. I’ve turned into quite the sidewalk NAZI since I broke my shoulder last year slipping on ice, and promptly shovel, then sweep, then put down lots of stuff so people don’t slip.
I don’t want anyone to ever go through what I went through.
nalbar
What a crazy [email protected]#ker. It’s bad enough to put out stuff in public (exposing yourself), but to purchase said stuff from multimillionaires that will sell you down the road for ten cents is just ……. not intelligent.
Team owners … people who claim to be capitalists and then get rich from socialist programs.
Why give such people money?
.
Ash Can
I think the honkin’ big flag is just fine. And I say go with the lights too. It’s the dead of winter in West Flyshit, WV, for fuck’s sake. You need all the color and light you can get. And besides, Steelers lights beat the hell out of Valentine’s Day lights, also too.
Poopyman
What is this (airquotes) “Steeler Thing” (/airquote) you all keep talking about?
And are all the windows situated so they all reflect the flag, or do you have Steeler logos plastered all over your living room?
On second thought, I might not really want to know the answer to that one.
2liberal
the asteroid strike I ordered up for Sunday in Pittsburgh did not materialize. the world is a worse place for it. The Pats would have kicked them around easily (also the game would have been in NE)
Go packers !
Svensker
I can’t completely hate you, cuz you were nice about Rex. But, still, I hate you.
/withered soul of envy
John Cole
@asiangrrlMN: I think you will find that I really don’t do much trash talk, but generally tilt more towards over the top obsession with the Steelers.
Except when it comes to the Ravens and the Patriots. FUCK them.
flukebucket
Man that looks wonderful.
Neutron Flux
Will there be anyone at the airport and rental car place when I arrive at 4:45PM on 2/6?
c u n d gulag
Thank you for beating the Jets.
I’m Giants fan.
God, I hate The Jets and their fat big-mouthed coach!
John Cole
@Poopyman: In my home office, I have 32 framed Steelers pictures. I’m too lazy to count the little stuff. I generally keep it all in my office, though, so as to not clutter up the house.
WEARING MY HAMPTON JERSEY NOW!
AlphaLiberal
And the Burgh will meet the meat grinder that is the Green Bay Packers.
asiangrrlMN
@Martin: Hm. Good point.
@John Cole: Like I said, insufferable! I keed, I keed. It’s fun to see you so excited.
Sasha
You shouldn’t have.
ant
@John Cole:
yes yes, my bad. I remember that now… perfectly understandable.
Yankee Buzzard
A worthy opponent for my Packers, which will make victory even sweeter.
Andy K
@asiangrrlMN:
Oh, I dunno…Those two years when the Wings and Pens met in the Stanley Cup Finals, there were no problems.
But the Stillers are going down.
Dork
Fixt
licensed to kill time
The Steelers logo looks like it was designed by Mad Men.
Though it’s better than the Miami Heat logo which always looks to me like a flaming nutsack being dropped through a NuvaRing(tm). I guess that says more about me than anything.
trollhattan
Allowing myself (briefly) to consider the game two weeks hence: what happens when two teams who play perfect first halves then somnambulate through half #2, meet? Could be mighty strange.
peej
Why have you not painted your house in Steelers colors? When I lived in Denver, I saw a house painted in Broncos colors…and that was orange and blue.
And why aren’t the doggies decked out in Steeler garb (with pictures for us, of course)? I’m not suggesting Tunch wear anything (you’re not suicidal, after all)…but doggies are much more amenable to being dressed up.
asiangrrlMN
@Andy K: Somehow, I think this is going to be a little more intense, if only because Cole is SUCH a huge Stillers fan (named his damn cat after a player, speaking of which, there better be a lot of Tunchie in the next two weeks. He’s good luck for the Stillers, Cole).
trollhattan
@peej:
Oh, I think the Steeler logo shaved in Tunch’s ample flanks would be a legitimate sign of fan commitment, don’t you?
Svensker
@licensed to kill time:
Why, yes. Yes, it does. :)
Arclite
@John Cole: Is this photo the first in a series for a contest called View In Your Window where you post photos looking inside peoples’ houses and the blog readers have to guess how many pets are living there?
Andy K
As a fourth generation Packers fan, I’m going into this like I’ve done with each of the last three games: Confident, but expecting a struggle.
This is a team that would be even better if not for all of the injuries, but able to get it done as composed now, thanks to GM Ted Thompson and Mike McCarthy and his staff. We’re getting it done on D with a third string strong safety (Charlie Peprah) an undrafted rookie CB who was a WR in college (Sam Shields) and a 4th or 5th string ROLB (Erik Walden), who was on the street when we picked him up in the middle of the season- and all of them are playing excellently!
Michael D.
We’re all going to have to defriend Cole on Facebook and unfollow his Twitter feed for the next couple week. This is going to get obnoxious. :-)
Linnaeus
I don’t have any particular love or hate for either the Packers or the Steelers, but given how much of the Steelers we’ve seen in the past several years, I’m going to throw my lot in with the Pack.
Poopyman
@licensed to kill time: The logo is a derivative of the American Iron and Steel Institute logo, which makes sense when you remember what Pgh used to be famous for.
Bud
I love your blog, but I’m from Cleveland and hatred of the Steelers is in my DNA…and since I live in SF now and hate the Packers, I would rather watch reruns of Tom Delay on “Dancing with the Stars” than the Superbowl.
Andy K
@asiangrrlMN:
I’m sure there will be. I’ve been hearing that there have been a series of murders in WV, the victims all wearing Bengals- or Browns-themed clothing, and that the newspapers in WV have been receiving letters from someone calling himself Son of Tunch.
cbear
Very nice, John.
Normally one would have to go to a bowling alley to encounter a man with your sense of taste and refinement.
licensed to kill time
@Svensker: A whole new science of psychological insight based on SportsLogoBlots may be in the works.
@Poopyman: Thanks, I went and read the Wiki thing.
Andy K
@Poopyman:
Smog?
James Hare
Why stop yourself at banners and flags? I mean, the Steelers only go to the Super Bowl every 4 years or so…
cleek
where does one find a strand of black lights ?
Dr. Squid
And if one drives around that part of West Virginia looking for the Balloon House, looking for those flags doesn’t narrow it down very much.
sixers
Its never too early to fertilize your lawn. Also those lights have been up since Christmas. We are on to you.
Poopyman
@Andy K: Not just yer ordinary everyday LA type of smog. Chewy smog.
When the wind was just right and blowing from the Clairton Coke Works….. ahhhhhh!
stuckinred
@cleek: Wow, you must be YOUNG!
AliceBlue
Not only do I think Cole will end up with gold and black light strings, I’m afraid we’re going to see gold and black dyed Tunch, Lily and Rosie before it’s all over.
Michael D.
@stuckinred: I was about to ask him how old he was!
johio
Got to love two cold weather, non dome teams in thr super bowl. I grew up on the W.Va. side of the Ohio river, down river from John. We always rooted for the Steelers and I still do. Even though I now live on the Ohio side of the river where the poor suffering natives root for the Bengals or the Browns. Bwa ha Ha! Go Steelers!
ant
Me and my boyfriend don’t do football (we just don’t care about it), but we live about 20 miles away from from lambeau field…
So anyway, yesterday, I was all, “we should prolly watch the last few minutes.. this would get them to the super bowl….they’re playing the Bears…. this is a big game…” yadda yadda yadda…
He lets out a long sigh… “oh alright”
At which point I note that we were on channel 380something, and how utterly clueless I am about this stupid satellite tv thingy.
So anyway, we finally get to a channel that tells us the game is over and the Packers won. My boyfriend (who works in Green Bay) says “great! now these fuckers at work will never shut up.”
lol
Andy K
@Poopyman:
Muskegon, MI used to be sorta like that: When the wind was blowing off the lake, twenty miles inland you could smell the noxious fumes of foundries and paper mills. No smog, though, just the smell.
geg6
Heh. Indeedy, Cole. My sister has the same huge flag in the 30 foot flagpole in her front yard. And there is no amount of Steeler swag you can have enhancing your home that is too much.
And for all who offered congratulations on my engagement, thank you. However, I must be clear. I don’t believe in marriage, so it’s not an engagement. Yes, he gave me a ring, but it is what we are calling a commitment ring. We’re moving in together as soon as the weather permits and we intend to end our days together. He’s the most wonderful man I’ve ever known (with the exception of my dad). We are happy and don’t feel the need to have the government or a religion put it’s seal of approval on our relationship.
I have never, in my 52 years, been so happy and content.
James Hare
@Arclite:
Actually it’ll just be to look in people’s windows and see what kind of countertops they have.
Poopyman
@cleek: Well, there’s this.
meh
While I think Cole is a decent enough fella, and I have a quite a few friends that are Steelers fans, I will be rooting for the Packers for the simple fact that the Steelers quarterback is a rapist. period. Until that scumbag is in prison (preferable) or out the league (eventually), I hope that teams sucks balls. Pittsburgh fans deserve better than that shitheel. I have one daughter and another on the way, and FSM forbid that they should be overserved and run into that asshole in a bar one night, get raped, then have to see the sorry motherfucker playing QB for an NFL team in the Super Bowl – I would say that asshole better be wearing kevlar. Sorry to be a downer.
hilts
Cole, Have You Heard?
That Bart Scott CAN’T WAIT!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJshw2Axsqc
gbear
@licensed to kill time:
(edit: but of course someone already noted this)
It’s pretty much the exact same logo used by U.S. Steel Corporation. Big business rules.
I hope no one ever gives me a Vikings flag.
Emily L. Hauser/ellaesther
I actually think you should go for it with the light strings. I mean, dude. If you’re going to let your Steeler flag fly, let it be lit for all the world to see!
Emily L. Hauser/ellaesther
@Poopyman: Alas, sold out. Perhaps John Cole has already purchased them?
hilts
@meh:
What about Mark Sanchez?
Why No One Remembers The Mark Sanchez Rape Case
http://deadspin.com/5739780/why-no-one-remembers-the-mark-sanchez-rape-case?skyline=true&s=i
Just Some Fuckhead
Very nice. And nice work making sure you didn’t get the house numbers in the pic.
gbear
@Andy K: When I was in high school, the band always took a summer recreational trip somewhere, usually by train (this was around 1970). One of the ‘vacations’ that we took was from St. Paul to Milwaukee by train, then off to a ferry that took us to beautiful Muskegon MI for an overnight, then back the next day via the same route. The band director was a very old and unhip guy.
Just Some Fuckhead
.. or the car up on cinderblocks in the yard.
Just Some Fuckhead
.. or the plastic pink flamingoes..
geg6
meh @60:
You’re entitled to your feelings on the matter. However, I can only hope you feel the same about Sanchez (a similar incident in his past), Ray Lewis ( an accessory to murder in some people’s eyes), Santonio Holmes (assault), and the teams they play for. Not to mention the literally hundreds of pro and college athletes who may or may not have committed crimes including rape, assault, or homicide but who weren’t charged or who got off completely or got a slap on the wrist. I don’t condone Ben’s past behavior (which at the very least was wrong and disgusting if not actually criminal), but he has been a model of good behavior and a real leader for the team since. He may or may not have turned a new leaf, but for me, Ben is not the whole team and never was my favorite Steeler. I will always back my Steelers, mainly due to my sincere respect, trust, and affection for the Rooney family, especially the Ambassador and his wife, Pat, who I know on a personal basis (even if only in the most tangential way).
licensed to kill time
@gbear:
Speaking of the Vikings logo (those braids!) and as a person who rarely watches sports (made an exception yesterday to cheer on Cole’s team) what is up with all those guys and their hair?! I felt like I was watching a bunch of muscly girls playing football, and I kept wondering how often they get their hair grabbed during a tackle. It seems like it would be a not-insignificant risk factor.
I really haven’t watched football for a long time, you can tell.
DlewOnRoids
@John Cole More persecuted: James Harrison or Aung San Suu Kyi?
gbear
@Just Some Fuckhead: …but does he have a mailbox that looks like a fish?
asiangrrlMN
@Andy K: SNORT!
@geg6: That’s even more beautiful, geg6. Congratulations on your bliss!
meh
@hilts:
I didn’t know about that one. I actually stopped watching football with any regularity after Leonard Little, who killed a mother in her minivan while being DWI was given 30 days, then welcomed back to the Rams only to catch another DWI 8 years later – he was still allowed to play…While I understand people make mistakes (and I’ve made tons) I also believe there are some that should rightfully ruin your life and/or career. Rape being one of them. I was raised a Raider fan so I hate your team for a boatlord of other reasons (generally being a bunch of WATB’s in the late 70’s but that’s another argument altogether)…
peach flavored shampoo
I think I can see your countertops. Nice marble set-up.
Comrade Colette Collaboratrice
@poopyman: If you shine a blacklight on Tunch, you can see the mark of the beast glowing on his ample flanks.
bookcat
“I stopped myself at black and gold light strings”. Ahem, I think we all know you meant G strings.
asiangrrlMN
@licensed to kill time: Well, in the case of Troy Polamalu (yum), it’s a heritage thing. He’s Samoan and that’s how they wear their hair. And, yes, the hair is considered part of the uniform, so they can be tackled by pulling on their hair.
@geg6: Yeah, this actually gets to one of my discomforts with sports in general–how we as a society exalt them and hold them above the laws in many ways. Then again, we do the same with anyone famous.
Martin
@nalbar:
You’re saying he should be a Packers fan then? (publicly owned team)
Go Socialism!
Martin
FYWP! The old soshulsim work around now triggers moderation.
2liberal
in other football related news, all pro team was given out today.
Steelers: harrison and polamalu 1st team. Pouncey, 2nd team.
Patriots: Brady (unanimous), Mankins, Mayo 1st team. Wilfork, Vollmer, Mccourtney 2nd team.
Poopyman
@bookcat: OH NOES!!11!!
licensed to kill time
@asiangrrlMN: When I heard Troy Polamalu’s hair was insured for a million bucks I wondered if he has fans who try to snip a lock, like the Beatles used to. I did not know hair was ok to pull on, huh. Seems like that gives the other team more of a handle, so to speak.
Mr Furious
Wasn’t it Lombardi that said something about acting like you’ve been there before, John?
For the record, I always root AFC in the Super Bowl–until now. Can’t have the rapist passing Brady in finger jewelry… Too bad, as the Steelers are my second favorite team too.
Keith G
@geg6: Ah…Both sides do it?
Ruckus
@cleek:
where does one find a string of black lights
A headshop? Do they still have these anywhere? Am I showing my age?
West of the Cascades
John Cole — how about a photograph of yourself in a Steelers Lucha Libre costume? You get the advantage of wearing a mask, we get a little more information (although we are not entirely sure we want more information, but curiosity is what it is).
Steelers Lucha Libre masks: http://www.steeleraddicts.com/forum/showthread.php?t=18248
mazareth
Go Pack Go!
The Dangerman
@hilts:
As a UCLA grad, I hate just about all things SC, but even I have to give Sanchez a pass on this one. I heard from a good source – one doubly biased (UCLA and Notre Dame grad) against SC – that was a matter of “buyer’s remorse”, not rape.
Ash Can
@ geg6 #57: That’s terrific news. Here’s wishing the both of you many, many, many happy years together.
Batocchio
I sorta like the Steelers, but as a lifelong Packers fan – Go Pack Go! Plus, the Steelers have already won twice in the past ten years. Here’s to a good game, and may the best team win.
Maude
The flag is wonderful. Gold lights around the window would be lovely.
Enjoying a win is nothing to sneeze at.
Tim
The White Trash sensibility is alive and well at the House of Cole.
I’m guessing Lily is mortified.
EddieInCA
All I can say is that I’m happy I live in Los Angeles.
1. We have no NFL team. And, believe it or not, that’s a good thing. There a reason there hasn’t been an NFL team here since the Raiders left… WE DON’T WANT ONE!
2. Dunno what all that white stuff is on Cole’s crib. Here we have some of that stuff up in the mountains. But, for god’s sake, we don’t LIVE in it. We RECREATE in it, then we go home. It’s 78 today, with a cloudless sky, and nice sunshine – just like it’s supposed to be in late January.
3. Who names a team “The Packers?” Really? The Packers?
All in all, and I’m sorry Mr. Cole, I’m rooting for the aforementioned Packers only because their quarterback isn’t an a-hole. This despite knowing that a Steelers loss might put you on a suicide watch, and be very, very bad for the mental health of this blog.
But mostly I hope for a good game.
AdamK
Cole puts the ack in tacky.
bookcat
@Poopyman: And now I need a brain douche.
muddy
I think child size jerseys for the furry ones are in order. I’m sure Tunch will be glad to show his younger sibs how it’s done.
jackmac
No black and gold light strings? How restrained!
JPL
OMG…The local nbc station in Atlanta just did a report on Ben.. They mentioned Vick and how he served his time but because a young lady chose not to defend her charges against Ben’s high profile and expensive attorneys he got off.
HRA
I have to go with the Packers. Stark is an alumni from my U and work.
It’s a shame when it seems I have been a big Ward Hines fan for a very long time. I agree Rothlisberger is scum.
Irony Abounds
If I hear about Cole wearing Big Ben briefs, I’m blocking this website.
God I hate the Super Bowl, my least favorite day of the year.
The Dangerman
@JPL:
Twice!
Edit: Not a reference to Lake Tahoe.
CaliCat
Congrats, John! I’m in SF and when the Giants were going the the World Series, we were all proudly swimming in a sea of bright orange and black everything. There’s no shame when it comes to your team going to the big show. The same went on here in The City when our Niners were in their glory years…(sigh) that was a long time ago. With our new head coach, though, maybe we’ll finally make a come back. I admit I’m a little jealous of your Steelers right now…but as a Niner and SF Giants fan, I know that feeling of blissful excitement and you have every right to bask in it.
The Dangerman
@EddieInCA:
It WAS a disgustingly nice day today; wish my golf game was in better shape.
Angry Black Lady
it looks fucking freezing in that picture.
it’s 80 degrees here.
mwa-HA!
Dr. Squid
@EddieInCA: Be glad the Bears aren’t the Decatur Staleys any more.
Jeff Fecke
I’m a Vikings fan, and I have my choice between the Packers and the team quarterbacked by a serial rapist.
So, what time does Puppy Bowl start again?
frosty
@Ruckus: Yep, a place called The Black at 5017 Newport Avenue in Ocean Beach (San Diego). I lived a street away from it in 1973 and the place is still there and still thriving.
elf
As a former Chicagoan, I must say think I like the bucket on the porch the best.
Lit3Bolt
The new Onion headline:
Header: Steelers Fans Crowned “America’s Most Loathed Fanbase”
Subhead: Patriots’ Fans: “We Give You This Sacred Trust”
Ron
I’m kinda tired of the whole ‘rapist’ thing. Was Ben stupid? Yes. Was he guilty of terrible judgement? Sure. Do we now give up on the idea of the presumption of innocence? I hope not.
P.S. Go Steelers!
meh
@Ron:
Yeah tell that to your daughter who was just forcefully coerced into having sex. How many times does he get a pass in your book for “terrible judgement”? Three? Four? You win the dumbest comment of the day. Grats.
MikeBoyScout
Good for you John!
To the Steeler haters here, envy & jealousy are things you can work on. Ain’t it nice that John’s flag and its post help you move on?
To all the uppity pro sports haters here, it is a real pity you won’t go find out why the Steeler fandom is different from so many others, or how this local pro sports franchise is so different. But not all that different from Packer fans.
I’ll be rooting for my Stillers, but if the Pack somehow finds a way to win I’ll just chock it up to being a victory for SOCIALISM.
EddieInCA
@The Dangerman:
Ha! Funny. I played Robinson Ranch today. Only lost four balls. So… A great round.
Ron
@meh: Congrats on having the asshole comment of the day. So far there have been all of one accusation that had any possible evidence. And screw the idea that accusations of rape constitute proof.
BruceFromOhio
I hate the Steelers but I love this thread. Packers, aye!
meh
@Ron:
whatever – keep defending his raping ass douche.
BruceFromOhio
@Poopyman:
Was up on Grandview, looking down at the lights with my lady, hoping for something romantic, when the wind shifted…
Redshirt
Your house looks like a mid-career Mike Brady design, Cole.
Len
You do know the Cowboys are gonna win, right?
Andy K
@gbear:
That ferry stopped running just after that, IIRC (by 1970, the year I turned 5, we’d already been living in Grand Rapids for two years). It was docked (I think it still is) in Muskegon for years, housing pigeons and gulls.
Brian
If the Steelers have the refs on their side like they did against the Seahawks a few years back the Packers have no chance.
fucen tarmal
@BruceFromOhio:
to be fair, the wind may not have shifted, so much as simply died down.
is your ladyfriend from ohio too?
ohio is a rare place, with rare amenities the locals know how to use to their best advantage.
ohioans don’t even have to choose between drowning themselves in the river, and dying in a fire, they can do both!