This weekend the Steelers reintroduce us to their throwback jerseys. If you are not familiar, it is a trend started a few years ago where teams will have an alternate jersey encompassing a look from years past. Usually these fashion faux pas are a prime example of why they changed them in the first place. When I saw the Steelers’ press conference, all I could picture instead was seeing Gene Rayburn up there and his oversized microphone pulling out a card and asking the panel: “When little Johnny saw the new Steelers’ jerseys, he said they are not throwback, they are more like throw…Blank”. As the contestant, my answer would be “throw…in the Terrible Towel”. Of course Charles Nelson Reilly would screw me over with “throw…FABULOUS!”.
I thought, at first, these jerseys were designed so the billion-dollar sport could trick the fans into buying another jersey they just HAD to have. But this seems to be an episode from a new show on cable, “When Marketing goes Terribly Wrong”. The fans don’t like these jerseys, the players certainly don’t want to wear these jerseys…then who came up with this insidious idea? My only answer is a Les Nessman, someone who was forced to take violin lessons instead of playing ball. No other explanation! This is just a cruel joke from someone holding a long, long grudge (and I am somewhat familiar with grudges – coming to a blog near you).
Lets go back a bit. As an Islander fan I recall the Famous Fisherman Fiasco of 1995. Somewhere it was decided the Islanders needed to change their logo. A wonderful logo design, incorporating the NY – with the Y as a hockey stick – and the outline of the shape of Long Island. “NY” and the “Island”… New York Islanders…simple, yet classic. Why would we want to keep that! Anyway, 6 or 7 designs were given to the Islanders and they were to choose a winner. What happened next was of Long Island Lore. Apparently the ad agency inserted a logo, one so horrible – one that would NEVER be chosen, just to have the other logos stand out. Well guess what…that backfired! The “test” logo was picked and approved. WHAT?!?! The more I think about it, the more it falls into my Les Nessman theory above. The Islander organization, the players and the fans were endlessly abused by opposing fans for this logo. The Islanders have not won a playoff series since. Somewhere a violin happily plays on….
This brings me to yesterday and the Steelers’ new throwback jersey. It looks like the player was sent to bumble bee prison. I can only imagine that the Steelers “Les Nessman” watched the Blind Melon – No Rain video the night before designing them. While the jerseys are supposed to remind us of an era from Leatherheads, even George Clooney could not pull this look off. Maybe they should wear the old leather helmets too, at least it would make the whole thing more interesting.
All I can say is that my taste is pretty plain…
Labor Day was never a favorite. As a kid it meant the summer was over and back to school. As an adult, you are reminded they give you this one lousy day for a year’s worth of laborious work. There was one thing I was always able to look forward too back then…Labor Day weekend brought with it the start of NFL season.
It was 1993 and this Labor Day weekend, like many after, would start in the Hamptons. Saturday would be like any other day, but it would be my last one of the season. While others looked forward to a Boardy Barn Sunday, I prepped for my departure. This final weekend was dubbed Last Chance Labor Day…since this was your final opportunity to…well…do all the things you didn’t do all summer long…or maybe just to do them again. My roommate, never one to pass up ANY opportunity, had taken this to heart. It was Sunday morning and I woke up somewhere…lets just leave it at that. After a quick shower, it was time to leave my summer behind. Unfortunately my previous packing, including my Steelers jersey, was residing in my room…and so was my roommate…and he was not alone. I allowed him some time, but my departure window to make the game was closing. My knocking going unanswered, I just gave them a head’s up…”Naked or Not, here I come!”. I was more surprised with who he was with than they were about my boldness…didn’t see THAT coming. Anyway…Sorry, dude…it’s the Steelers…and I had to leave.
My Steelers viewing would be at Mulcahy’s. When I returned home from college it was back to the Jets and Giants on TV every weekend. Many a week during the 1989 season I was stuck watching a meaningless game while my team had a magical run to the playoffs. I couldn’t sit on the sidelines another season. I inquired around for a pub that had a satellite dish…and Mulcahy’s was that place. Steeler fans from around the Island gathered here. I was home. Steeler Nation was a term not yet bantered about, but that is what I had found. Each Sunday we would gather for the games and at the end of the season we would say our goodbyes. We would meet again next Labor Day Weekend.
For 15 years I never missed an opening day at Mulcahy’s. This led to me being interviewed by Steve Zipay of Newsday…got my picture in the paper and everything. Eventually, the NFL decided to move the start of the season away from Labor Day Weekend. In the years that followed I moved out east and opted for the NFL package. My attendance at Mulcahy’s began to dwindle. Last year was the first time in 22 years that I did not make a single game. This year, I have no urge to.
It was the season following the missed Bradshaw game in 1983. The Steelers were to play the Jets again, and as they were the last team to play the Jets at Shea, they would be the first team to face the Jets at the Meadowlands. However Bradshaw’s playing days were over. And in the 1983 draft the Steelers decided to pass on local hero Dan Marino. But low and behold they wound up with the consolation, or should I say Booby prize…David Woodley. The Steelers signed Woodley since Cliff Stoudt defected to the USFL…not that anyone really cared. Mark Malone was on deck to be the Steeler’s new starter…but Woodley seemed to beat him out. What always got me was the staff did not draft Marino, since they had just drafted Malone in the first round a few years earlier. Now that Malone was ready to take the helm, they deciced to take the lesser end of the Wood-Strock Miami duo who became expendable…BECAUSE they had drafted Marino. This time, with Woodley starting at QB, I had no interest in going to the game.
The season had its ups and down. A rookie named Louie Lipps excited the crowd both on offense and special teams. Mark Malone would eventually wrestle the starting QB position away from Woodley. In a game of 70’s dynasty against 80’s dynasty…the old guard had one more swing at the dethroning champs before conceding. In a 20-17 victory the Steelers defeated the 49’ers with help from a 4th down play from Malone to John Stallworth. There was still some kick in the old mare. Along with Stallworth…Mike Webster, Donnie Shell, Larry Brown and Gary Dunn still manned key positions. This would be the only game the 49’ers would lose ALL year on the way to winning the Superbowl. Eventually the Steelers got themselves to a winning 8-7 record with one game remaining. All they had to do was win at the Raiders and they would make the playoffs. The Raiders, even though now in Los Angeles, was still the nemesis from the 70’s and recently thrashed the Steelers in the same calendar year in the 1983 season playoffs 38-10. This would be no easy feat….
It was December of 1984 and the first semester of sophomore year was over. Finals done, time to pack up for home. But at home, I knew we would not have the Steeler game on in NY. However, the girls in our group, ever the planners…had decided that the weekend before Christmas, we would rent a ski chalet in the Poconos and spend some time before we all had to retreat back to our respective parents. Great! I would be in PA, the game would be on TV. Well, love is a many splendored thing…and I was smitten. Sunday came along and my heart was torn. My decision was made a little easier as the ski house had no TV…hmm, remind me never to let the girl pick the place in the future. That Sunday we were off skiing, my snow bunny in hand…the Steelers would have to wait. A full day of skiing led to a nice cozy evening back at the chalet. The game was over…but who had won! It was 1984…and my only option was sports phone. I decided not to spoil the moment. The evening passed and more skiing was on the docket for Monday. Everyone KNEW I could not last another moment without knowing the outcome of the game. We stopped to get gas and I headed in to retrieve a USA Today, my paper of choice in college. I bought the paper and headed outside. All eyes from our caravan of cars were now upon me. I thumbed through the layers of the USA Today until I got to “Sports”. I knew the scores would be adorned upon the top of that section. I pealed it back slowly to see Pittsburgh 13…13! Damn only 13, they must have lost…then I saw… Raiders 7.
I dropped the paper…I saw all I needed to see. Arms in the air I celebrated like I beat the Raiders all by myself.
This Sunday, I won’t miss a play…
