The River Green

Long into the wee hours of February 2, 2009, there were still cars zooming through the streets of Pittsburgh, horns a-blare. There were still buses being loaded with rowdy celebrants on East Carson St. There is a palpable, physical excitement that lasts to this day. Pride scarcely describes what we, Steeler Nation, feel even six days after the win.

Until just this morning, I was still trying to decide which of the three major plays of the game was the best- James Harrison's 100 yard interception return (now dubbed the immaculate interception), Larry Fitzgerald's runback touchdown or Santonio Holmes' winning touchdown.

Since his football career gained national attention at the University of Pittsburgh (and ended there without the Heisman Trophy- much to everyone's collective shock), I've been a fan of Fitzgerald. Were the game to have ended with a different score, he could very easily have been the MVP. Alas, it was not to be- but he is still an amazing player and I will continue to be a fan. If I've learned anything about him, it's that titles mean little and lack of them only steels his resolve. Good for him if he comes back next year and plays better.

The last Pittsburgh play of Super Bowl XLIII left Steeler Nation breathless for what seemed like an eternity until the ref signaled touchdown and then again until the official review confirmed the ruling on the field. Pittsburgh won its 6th Super Bowl championship. In all honesty, I had convinced myself that losing the game was not the end of the world; I didn't think he had it until I saw the replay. But, no, Santonio Holmes had his feet in the endzone with possession and we won the game.

The longest play in Super Bowl history was the 100 yard sideline dash interception return by James Harrison. If you saw the game, the replay, a photograph, heard about it, it was spectacular. Harrison said in a locker room interview that he didn't think he was going to make it, but then saw that the endzone was closer and closer and he thought, '...aw hell, I might as well go for it'. He went for it, alright. With all the makings of one of the greatest plays ever, Harrison's record setting interception return was the greatest play of the game.

Perhaps some of the best stories of the game come from hundreds and thousands of miles away from Raymond James Stadium: fan support. Steelers fans are prolific at every away game we play during the regular season and are even more so during the Super Bowl.

Tokyo, Berlin, Johannesburg, Buenos Aries are just a few cities outside the US to have a Steelers bar filled, on Sunday, with the faithful. That make me smile because no other team has such an international following. Some of my favorite pictures are those of fans who have taken their Terrible Towels to different places around the world.

Nothing gets me going more than to see our men and women in uniform, fighting in wars on land sea and in the air, waving the Terrible Towel. At airbases, Naval bases, on submarines, ships, fighter planes, the Terrible Towels were flying:

U.S. Army Lt. Julie Glaubach, 30, center, Staff Sgt. Michael Sauret, 23, left, both from Pittsburgh, Pa., Maj. Thomas Spagel, 42, from Erie, Pa., second right and Spc. Justin Snyder, 21, from Mechanicsburg, right, cheer for the Steelers as they watch the Super Bowl XLII on television at Camp Victory in Baghdad, Iraq, Monday, Feb. 2, 2009. The Super Bowl aired on satellite television in Iraq beginning at 2 a.m. American troops in Iraq were allowed to drink beer without fear of court-martial for this year's Super Bowl, an exception to a strict military ban on drinking alcohol in combat zones. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)

In this photo released by the United States Navy, Sailors and Marines aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Essex at the South China Sea, react to a Pittsburgh Steelers touchdown, Monday, Feb. 2, 2009 during Super Bowl XLIII. (AP Photo/United States Navy, Matthew A. Ebarb)

On February 5, 2009, the USS Pittsburgh (SSN-720) returned stateside to their homeport of Gronton, CT- her crew having only heard the game on the radio. This video brought a tear to my eye:



What a game. I'm still trying to absorb it all.

When my Uncle Mike was in Hong Kong, I kept him updated on the Steelers progress with text-message scores. The most recent text message to him was simply: 'That's 6'. The only regret I have about Super Bowl XLIII is that I could not watch it with him. Maybe next time.

Labels: sports , Steelers