Update: Louis Lipps and George Rogers were at Bogey’s Sports Bar on Sunday. They couldn’t have been more gratious or hospitable. They signed autographs and spent time with us. Both guys were a pleasure to hang out with! For those who didn’t make it – you should have!!

Former Steelers wide receiver Louis Lipps will be at a couple of locations this weekend along with Heisman trophy winner and former NFL great (and Duluth’s own) George Rogers. I received the following information from the event organizer.

“Jeff, Finally got Louis located for Sunday afternoon. Louis Lipps along with Geor…ge Rogers will be at the Bogey’s Bar on 3312 Peachtree Industrial Blvd. Duluth, GA. on Super Bowl Sunday from 2:30 – 4 PM, that is Feb 7. Please send note to your membership. Louis is really excited about you guys coming in. They will also be at the Lowes store, John’s Creek, Suwanee, GA on Peachtree Pkwy on Saturday from 1 – 3 PM.”

I’m sure a lot of you remember “Louuuuuuuu” and what a great career he had with the Steelers! He was one of our best players in the 80’s. I hope you can find the time to stop by and see him. Sorry for the short notice, but I just got the information yesterday!

I hope many of our members can attend and give Louis a warm “Pittsburgh South” welcome! Most of us plan to meet at the Bogey’s location. See you there!

The Steelers opponents in 2010 are set. The dates aren’t set yet. Here they are:

Home: Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Oakland Raiders, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers
Away: Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, Tennessee Titans, New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The way the NFL arrives at the opponents is based on the following rules:

• Home and away against its three division opponents (6 games).
• The four teams from another division within its conference on a rotating three-year cycle (4 games).
• The four teams from a division in the other conference on a rotating four-year cycle (4 games).
• Two intraconference games based on the prior year’s standings (2 games). These games match a first-place team against the first-place teams in the two same-conference divisions the team is not scheduled to play that season. The second-place, third-place, and fourth-place teams in a conference are matched in the same way each year.

Just for grins, I checked our web site statistics for visitors during 2009 and where they were from. The results are surprising. The numbers don’t even reflect the almost 2 months when the statistics weren’t being kept due to an error. Below is a list of the web site visits during 2009, and where the visitors are from. I would have guessed the US and Canada, but #3 being Brazil was a surprise. Also, 4 visits from China? Cool. Steelers Pride is Worldwide! BY the way, we have had visits from every state in the US except North Dakota, Wyoming, Alaska, and Hawaii. I wonder how you say “Here we go Steelers” in Chinese…

Country/Territory     Visits

United States         2483

Canada                  18

Brazil                     11

(not set)                 10

Mexico                  10

Germany                9

United Kingdom      4

China                     4

Saudi Arabia          3

Japan                    2

Costa Rica             1

Philippines             1

Australia                1

Croatia                   1

Denmark                1

Indonesia               1

Romania                1

Hungary                 1

Greece                  1

Lithuania                1

Hong Kong             1

Ukraine                  1

New Zealand          1

Ireland                   1

Netherlands            1

Peru                      1

South Korea           1

Stone Creek Tavern, the fan club’s second venue (in addition to Barnacles), added this year, is moving from their current location near the Mall of Georgia to a location at the interscetion of Ga 324 and Fence Road, near Dacula. They will not be open for the final regular season game. We will be meeting at the Twisted Tavern in Suwanee, at 104 Horizon Drive. Sorry for any inconvenience. We will be evaluating the Twisted Tavern as a venue for next season. Please join us for the final game and let us know what you think!

What is wrong with the Steelers? Is it that Troy Polamalu and Aaron Smith are not playing? Is the Offensive Coordinator calling the wrong plays? The poor play of the offensive line? Maybe the pathetic play of the “special” teams or the defensive backs? Surely it is because Ben holds the ball too long. Just what is the problem? The easy excuse is the injuries, but that is just a cover for the real, more serious problem – this team has morphed from a bunch of fighters – a band of brothers determined to find a way to win all the way to a Super Bowl victory – to a bunch of apathetic losers who really don’t seem to give a damn. Sure, there are individuals who have the fire in their hearts and the desire to win – Ben Roethlisberger, James Harrison, Hines Ward, Rashard Mendenhall, David Woodley to name a few – but others are doing a poor impersonation of real NFL players. What a let down for the organization and their teammates, and a slap in the face to the Steelers Nation! Is this an overreaction? No freakin way! Not after 5 losses in a row to the dregs of the league. This is serious business! The Browns couldn’t beat you and your little sister in a pick up game in you back yard, but they looked like a dominant team against this bunch of losers! The Steelers fan base is the most loyal and passionate in the world. They expect, and deserve, to have the players best effort at all times. What we are seeing now is totally unacceptable!

A lot is wrong with this team from a personell and coaching standpoint, but those things can be fixed through healing, drafting, firings, and free agency. The bigger worry is the lack of character. Can it be restored? Can they regain the desire to win? Lets hope so, or it is going to be a long decade. Mr. Tomlin – get control of this team! You talked about “unleashing hell” and didn’t. You talked about making roster changes and didn’t. Words are empty now, actions are required. It’s time to start kicking butt and taking control of this team. The Steelers Nation deserves it, the Rooney’s deserve it, and the proud legacy of Steelers of the past demands it!

Sorry for the commentary, but I am pissed off, and you should be too. I love these guys and will die a Steelers fan, but I call em like I see em. Jeff.