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2. football

Wednesday, January 26, 2011
B7
DAILY COMMERCIAL
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Steelers fans’ loyalty goes beyond Super Bowls
GENARO C. ARMAS
Associated Press
PITTSBURGH — Proud,
tough and resilient. The
same adjectives that could
describe the Pittsburgh
Steelers could also apply to
their large and fiercely
loyal fan base.
Now the team has
rewarded its black-andgold faithful with a shot at
another Super Bowl. Only
the Green Bay Packers
stand between the Steelers
from a seventh title when
the tradition-rich teams
play in Super Bowl XLV on
Feb. 6 in Dallas.
Shuttling between stores
for the latest Steelers gear,
fans
Monday
in
Pittsburgh’s commercial
Strip District were still
giddy over the 24-19 victory over the New York Jets to
win the AFC title.
“It’s in your blood. I have
the Terrible Towel that I
was wrapped in as a baby,”
said Rob Mowry, 35. The
Pittsburgh-area
native
manages a trading company and owns a restaurant
in Chicago, but still flies
back
to
western
Pennsylvania at least four
times a year to watch
Steelers games.
“I haven’t missed a playoff game in as long as I can
remember,” said Mowry,
wearing a black-and-gold
knit hat. “I already booked
a flight to Dallas last week,
before I even knew what
was going on.”
A yellow placard taped to
GENE J. PUSKAR / AP
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall, right, holds the championship trophy with
team president Art Rooney Jr. after the Steelers' 24-19 win over the New York Jets on Sunday in the
AFC Championship NFL football game in Pittsburgh. The Steelers advance to the Super Bowl to face
the Green Bay Packers.
a car window in a hotel
parking garage offered a
reminder through a new
signature
phrase:
“Knocking On 7’s Door.”
After another AFC title
trophy presentation at
Heinz Field, team president Art Rooney II spoke
Sunday night of “finishing
the job.”
That would be a Super
Bowl title, of course.
“Steeler Nation, we’re
going to Dallas,” he proclaimed. The Steelers,
known as a model NFL
franchise, have been run
by three generations of the
Rooney family.
It’s the organization’s
mom and pop-type feel
that resonates with its fan
base, even if the Steelers
are a big business and one
of the top-selling teams in
the NFL. The franchise’s
sense of loyalty appeals to
the blue-collar sensibilities
of
western
Pennsylvanians.
“It’s been part of the
Rooney family forever. The
Steeler Nation is the
Rooney
family.
Just
because I left Pittsburgh 30
years ago doesn’t mean it’s
not still in my blood,” said
Tim Tirlia, 52, now of
Houston, who flew up this
weekend to watch the
Steelers win.
The NFL’s fifth-oldest
franchise, the Steelers
were founded in 1933 as
the Pittsburgh Pirates. The
Rooney family changed
the name to “Steelers” in
1940 to honor the area’s
industrial heritage.
But Super Bowl success
didn’t come until the
1970s, when they won four
titles over six seasons during a period of tough economic times. Steel mills
closed, and many families
left seeking better opportunities.
Many of those who
departed
took
their
Steelers allegiance with
them and passed it on to
children and grandchildren. Those who stayed
viewed the team as the
common
bond
that
offered a brief distraction
from the economy’s harsh
realities.
“That’s all we had,” said
Jim Coen, 51, the owner of
Yinzers in the Burgh, a
Strip District store that
sells just about anything
with a Steelers logo. “With
that winning, it gave the
city some pride.”
After a 26-year drought,
Pittsburgh won its fifth
Lombardi Trophy after
beating
the
Seattle
Seahawks in the Super
Bowl in 2006. Three years
later, the Steelers won the
Super Bowl again, over the
Arizona Cardinals.
Most Steelers fans vow to
back the team win or lose.
The Steelers did well by
them during down times,
and fans reciprocate when
the team might be down,
though indiscretions by
star athletes may not
always be looked upon
kindly.
This season began with
quarterback
Ben
Roethlisberger on the sideline for the first four games
after the NFL said he had
violated the league’s personal conduct policy. He
was accused in March of
the sexual assault of a 20year-old college student,
but a prosecutor in
Georgia declined to bring
charges.
Big Ben’s off-field activities still draw a few questions in the postseason.
Some fans remain wary.
“When it comes to play,
the more you play in this
league the more you
mature, the better you get
and the more things slow
down for you,” the star
quarterback said last week
when asked about his
growth on and off the field
this year. “When it comes
to being a person, I just try
to be the person my parents raised me to be.”
Mostly though, few are
feeling blue these days in
Pittsburgh. Statues are
adorned with black and
gold scarves or hats. A taxi
driver shuttling passengers to Heinz Field on
Sunday spoke of the karma
of going for “Lucky
Number 7.” And Terrible
Towels are moving fast in
the Strip District.
“It’s our way of life,”
Coen said. “If you’re in this
town, and you’re not a
Steelers fan, you’re almost
not accepted.”
INTERNATIONAL SOCCER
Man U rallies at Blackpool; Arsenal into cup final
ROB HARRIS
Associated Press
LONDON — Manchester
United fought back at
Blackpool to win 3-2
Tuesday and stay unbeaten in the Premier League,
while Arsenal eliminated
Ipswich to reach the
League Cup final.
United trailed 2-0 at
halftime in its first top
flight
meeting
with
Blackpool for 40 years after
Craig Cathcart and DJ
Campbell scored from corners.
The leaders’ fightback
began after Wayne Rooney
was substituted. Dimitar
Berbatov pulled one back
in the 72nd minute and he
netted again after Javier
Hernandez’s equalizer.
“They just never give in,”
United manager Alex
Ferguson said. “In the first
half we were battered. We
couldn’t handle Charlie
Adam. We were terrible ...
we changed at halftime,
Ryan Giggs made a
tremendous difference. We
started to penetrate and I
think we were deserved
winners in the end.”
United has a five-point
lead over Arsenal, but the
second-place team was
focused Tuesday on reaching its first domestic final
since 2005.
The Gunners took until
the 61st minute to wipe
out Ipswich’s 1-0 first-leg
advantage in their League
Cup semifinal. But after
Nicklas Bendtner scored,
Laurent Koscielny quickly
netted again and Cesc
Fabregas secured a 3-1
aggregate win.
Arsenal’s Bacary Sagna
was taken to hospital with
concussion sustained in a
clash of heads with
Wojciech Szczesny, his
goalkeeper.
Arsenal will face West
Ham or Birmingham in the
Feb. 27 final. West Ham
leads 2-1 going into
Wednesday’s second leg.
“It is going to be a very
difficult final but we will
do our best because I think
the fans deserve a trophy
again,” Fabregas said. “The
goal was to get to the final
but it was difficult ... the
key was patience and we
did it really well.”
Man United looked set
for its first league loss
since April when Cathcart,
a former Old Trafford
headed
in
defender,
Charlie Adam’s corner
after 15 minutes.
The home threat was
unrelenting with United
goalkeeper Edwin van der
Sar having to pull off a save
to block a header from his
own defender, Nemanja
Vidic.
Blackpool went further
in front in the 43rd when
another corner from Adam
was met by Campbell at
the far post.
TIM HALES / AP
Blackpool’s DJ Campbell, left, scores a goal Tuesday against Manchester United during their English
Premier League soccer match at Bloomfield Road, Blackpool, England.
Blackpool felt aggrieved
not to be awarded a penalty at the start of the second
half when Luke Varney was
sent tumbling by Rafael da
Silva.
Berbatov began United’s
comeback when he tapped
Darren
home
from
Fletcher’s cross. Within
two minutes, a chip from
substitute Ryan Giggs sent
Hernandez
streaking
through and the Mexico
striker made it 2-2.
Even after United was
rocked by a serious injury
that saw Rafael stretchered
off with apparent concussion, Paul Scholes sprayed
the ball through to
Berbatov and the Bulgaria
striker scored his fifth goal
in four days.
“He’s having a great season — he has great talent,”
Ferguson said. “The third
goal, the composure, I was
screaming for him to
square it to Chicharito
(Hernandez) but, no, he
has the confidence and
ability to do what he did.”
Arsenal, which hasn’t
won a trophy since the
2005 FA Cup, fielded a
strong side at the Emirates
Stadium, with just two
changes from the team
that beat Wigan in the
Premier League at the
weekend.
Ipswich signaled its
intent from the kickoff,
with Grant Leadbitter loft-
ing the ball from the half
way line and it just went
over Wojciech Szczesny’s
cross bar.
But the pressure all came
from Arsenal. A shot from
Fabregas from tight angle
was saved at the near post
by Marton Fulop and
Robin van Persie headed
against the crossbar.
The equalizer came
when Bendtner latched
onto Jack Wilshere’s ball,
cut inside past Carlos
Edwards and curled into
the net.
Arsenal went in front
when Koscielny rose to
meet Andrey Arshavin’s
corner and headed past
Fulop, who had come out
to punch the ball.
The victory was sealed
by captain Fabregas playing a one-two with
Arshavin during a 40meter (yard) sprint and
shooting through Fulop’s
legs.
Also Tuesday, Gabriel
Agbonlahor and Ashley
Young maintained Aston
Villa resurgence with second-half
goals
that
clinched a 2-1 victory over
Wigan.
Villa,
which
beat
Manchester
City
on
Saturday, is six points clear
of the relegation zone.
James McCarthy pulled
one back for Wigan, which
is in the bottom three after
winning just once in nine
games.