Jim's Reflections on a Championship...

Well, it's a few days after the Super Bowl and I'm basking in the glory of another Steeler championship. Not that we here in Pittsburgh take this kind of thing for granted. Anyone who lives here and sees the magical relationship that this city has with their Steelers knows that fan indifference is pretty much an impossibility. The 350,000+ that showed up for the Steeler victory parade testifies to this.

I wish that I could say that I was one of those fans that knew the Steelers were going to pull it off. I tend to be a pessimistic member of the Steeler Nation. I usually don't enjoy the game until it's well in hand, or over. Anyone that's ever watched a Steeler game with me is well aware of this. Carrie has learned that it's best to just leave me alone until the Black and Gold have secured a victory.

I know that some people think that it is silly to be so excited about a sporting event, but it's nice to have something to celebrate, especially in these uncertain and somber times. It's good for our city. It's also a nice diversion until spring arrives - six more weeks of celebratiing a Steeler championship!

And I think, for the most part, that we have a team that we can be proud of. The Rooney's run a pretty tight ship, and troublemakers usually don't last long in Pittsburgh. I'm a realist, and I know that most of these guys, like many of us, would readily go somewhere else for more money to do the same job. But coach Tomlin is a class act and players like Ben, Troy and Heinz conduct themselves in a manner worthy of the title, "role model". And by judging from the numerous mentions that the players give to the Steeler Nation, it seems like the players are aware their fans are something special as well.

As a side note, I do wish that we could have beaten a more unlikable opponent. The Cardinals were a great story this year and had many admirable players, most notably, Kurt Warner. If the Steelers had not made it to the Super Bowl, I most likely would have been rooting for them. Not that it's much consolation to Cardinal fans, but by being such a worthy adversary, they helped make this victory much more satisfying.

Watching the team celebrate their victory, it made me think of how difficult it is to achieve something like this. The incredible amount of hard work and personal sacrifice that it takes to reach this level of skill. There are only a handful of people on the planet that can play professional sports at this level, and even fewer who can march down the field with less than four minutes remaining to win the World Championship. Yes, they get paid millions of dollars – and they should. Their talents generate millions of dollars and thousands of jobs for others, from the team owners down to the guy who runs the Steelers Store at the mall.

Anyone who has ever participated on a team sport and won a championship can, to some degree, appreciate what these guys must be feeling. It's the culmination of a lifelong effort. Pure joy. Back in the day, I was part of a church league softball championship team - it was awesome. OK, a little different than winning the Super Bowl, but it was one of the fondest memories of my life.

I am by no means an athlete, but once you throw out the silly cliches, sports can teach many worthwhile things: the rewards of practice and hard work, sportsmanship, teamwork, and of value of striving toward and achieving a goal. These are valuable in any life endeavor. And if you master these lessons, as Ben Roethlisberger refelected after the game, "Anything is possible."