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IX - Well, well, well. Never underestimate the remarkable resiliency of youngsters. Rookie All Pro center Maurkice Pouncey is off crutches and is still holding out legitimate hope that he'll be able to suit up and play in Super Bowl XLV against the Packers. I'm not convinced he'll -quite- make it, and there's something to be said about Pouncey not playing if he's not far enough along in the recovery process to be effective. But even though I was extremely skeptical of his chances, I should have listened to the small part of me that was saying that it's never wise to bet on a 20-year old, fit body to recover sufficiently in 14 days. We'll see. Stay tuned.
X - Surely you remember the contest I helped facilitate last weekend -- you know, the one where a lucky soul could win a trip for two to the Super Bowl by finding the 'Mystery May' wandering the streets of Pittsburgh. Well, a unassuming middle-aged man won the Pittsburgh version of the contest. But in Green Bay, the story was a bit more interesting, as a homeless couple wound up winning the all-expenses paid jaunt to Dallas to take in the big game.
XIII - Here's a few podcasts to listen to just in case you were totally opposed to reading through the multitude of lengthy press conference transcriptions I posted on Tuesday. (1) Antwaan Randle El on 1070 The Fan in Indianapolis; (2) Isaac Redman on 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh; (3) Ryan Clark on 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh.
XIV - With the Steelers still alive in the playoffs, Tim Gleason (aka maryrose) is still writing multiple articles each week for At The 50 Yard Line. His latest offerings touch on the trials and tribulations faced by the Steelers offensive line this year, and how they'll again be tested against the Packers this Sunday, as well as the potential for Jerome Bettis and Dermontti Dawson to be elected as 2011 Hall of Fame inductees this coming Saturday.
XL - I can't count the number of music videos I've received this past week on even two hands, but here's a few that some of you might be interested in taking a quick gander at. The first, a more corporate spot, as Snoop raps about Super Bowl XLV on behalf for Pepsi.
Others might enjoy an offering from from San Francisco based group called BlackMahal, who just announced their release of the first ever Punjabi-influenced hip-hop Steelers anthem. If you're wondering what Punjabi means, well, you can read a bit more about the Indo-Aryan language spoken in parts of Indian and Pakistan here. Don't fret, Black Mahal's recently released Steelers-themed music video on YouTube is in English, but you can definitely hear the eastern influence in the music itself.
XLIII - This has nothing to do with the Steelers or the Super Bowl, but it's such big news for SB Nation that I feel inclined to share anyway. I know a large number of you couldn't care less about Major League Baseball, and I don't blame you. It's hard to get into the game these days unless you had a previous affinity for the sport, or were born into caring about the game thanks to your parents or grandparents. Anyway, Rob Neyer, one of the originals of ESPN.com, has left the World Wide Leader to join SB Nation. Regardless if you give a damn about baseball, the coup is a big one for us. Neyer is essentially the Jackie Robinson meets Michael Jordan of baseball blogging. He's been both a pioneer and a consistently dominant force in his craft. He was one of the first -- if not the first -- to do mailbags, he live-blogged events before the term was invented, and if I'm not mistaken, the dude has logged more words on ESPN's website than any other guy since the property's inception. Today Neyer completed his remarkable tenure at ESPN with one final column. Anyway, it may seem totally unrelated to our little sandbox, and it largely is But not entirely by any stretch of the imagination. The work BTSC and the other 31 NFL sites do here at the NFL wing of the company is a big reason why SB Nation has been able to grow to a place where we can entice a guy like Neyer to come join our ranks. And in all honesty and seriousness, you guys here at BTSC have played an important role in that growth and maturation. The best is yet to come. Thank you as always for your support.
Cross your fingers that I'm checking back next with y'all from Dallas.