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Thursday, February 03, 2011

Thursday news and notes

This Super Bowl has gotten a little ridiculous with members of the local media running around trying to make big deals out of nothing.

Tuesday, it was a report in a Dallas newspaper that Hines Ward and other members of the Steelers went to an area strip club Monday night.

Ward was asked about it Tuesday and the story insinuated that it was somehow the wrong thing to do.

Why?

I'm not a big strip club guy myself, but the last time I checked, they were legal. If that's how a guy chooses to spend his down time, whom am I or anyone else to tell him it's wrong?

According to the reports, everybody behaved themselves and there were no Pac-Man Jones moments. So where's the story?

Then, today the report comes out that Ben Roethlisberger took his offensive line out for dinner and sang "Piano Man."

Mike Tomlin was asked about it Thursday like he was supposed to be ticked off that members of his team went out and had a good night out with each other.

Said Tomlin: "I’m not concerned one iota. It’s normal for guys to eat dinner, believe it or not. During the course of the season, guys go out on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. Believe it or not, guys live lives."

People actually report things like this as if it were "news."

I hate it. It makes it more difficult for those of us who actually care about our jobs and what we're doing.

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

dale,
what's your take on the officiating crew named for the game?

Anonymous said...

Ahh football as a distraction. Ain't it wonderful? We don't have to think about Egypt when we can think about Hines Ward in a strip club. Sounds like the Superbowl is fulfilling its societal function beautifully. Here Here!!! Keep up the good work, NFL. This begs the question, what will we devote all of our energy to if there is no NFL next year?

Mrs. Isaac Redman

Anonymous said...

Obviously Tomlin has lost control of this team. He should suspend the next player he sees eating dinner.

Joe said...

I cannot condone this. How could Ben sing Pianoman? I just can't see him pulling it off. Maybe a Garth Brooks or Alan Jackson song, but Pianoman???!!!

Tim said...

The over-the-top media persecution of Ben has actually had the opposite of the intended effect. It has made Ben into a sympathetic figure.

Anonymous said...

youre one of the good ones Dale

thanks for your profesionalism

Greg Mercer said...

i'll always pull for the Steelers regardless, but the media coverage this week (along with Goodell's comments) has made me want to beat the crap out of the Packers even more.

I'm just thankful I don't get NFL Network, because if Faulk is as bad as people say, I may have destroyed my new TV by now.

Anonymous said...

Faulk is probably worse than people say.

Your TV said to tell you "thanks" for not getting NFLN.

Steve-O said...

Dale, I agree that all of this hysteria is a great big nothing burger but these players have got to understand, this week more than any other in their career is going to be under a microscope. If you're going to go to strip bars when half the free world is watching your every move then you should expect somebody to make a big deal about it.

If the Steelers win the SuperBowl then all of this BS will all go away... but if they lose (God forbid) then today's attacks will be nothing compared to the media attacks they will be subjected to by all of those critics who have nothing better to do than fill pages with how the Steelers took the Packers lightly and were focused on all the wrong things.

Anonymous said...

It's not the Steelers that suck - it's their fans!!!

Anonymous said...

Yes, yes we do suck... on the tears of all those who suffer defeat at the hands of the Steelers.

Anonymous said...

gross.

Dale Lolley said...

Look, there's nothing illegal about going to a gentlemen's club. Like I said, it's not exactly my cup of tea, but if that's how somebody chooses to spend his down time, who am I to say he's wrong.

What I object to is a news organization sending a reporter to sit at the club and report on what players come in. That's wrong. That's TMZ-style journalism and we're supposed to be above that.

For example, if there was an insurance convention in town, would they send a reporter over to see which execs come in and then report it?

Private time is private time.

Anonymous said...

going to the strip club in Dallas is like going to Primanti Bros in Pittsburgh