Steelers 24, Chiefs 27 (OT)

Another disappointing performance from the Steelers - a loss to Kansas City on the road. I thought there was a chance we'd see backup quarterback Charlie Batch in this game, but I thought it would be because Pittsburgh would completely blow out the Chiefs. Instead, Charlie got in the game when Ben took a knee to the head in overtime. No word yet on how serious it is. And Charlie also injured his wrist and will be out for the rest of the regular season, so things are looking awfully thin at QB right now. And shall we chat about the mind-boggling kickoff return coverage (or lack thereof)? That's 2 weeks in a row now that the Steelers have allowed a kickoff return for a touchdown. Been an awful lot of punts, interceptions and fumbles returned for TDs lately, too.

The team is really struggling right now, and there's going to be a LOT of desperation in the air Sunday against divisional rival Baltimore.

Going to get the Listerine now and try to wash the bitter taste of defeat from my mouth.

Children's Grief Awareness Day

Thursday, November 19 is Children's Grief Awareness Day in Pennsylvania.

Most of you probably know that I've been doing volunteer work at Highmark Caring Place for the past 8 or so years. The Caring Place provides support for children and families who have experienced the death of a loved one. 1 in 20 kids will lose a parent before they graduate from high school. These kids often feel isolated and alone. We provide a safe place for them to share their feelings and give them the tools and resources they need to help them cope. It's really a wonderful program, and is provided free of charge to everyone.

Heaven forbid that you or anyone you know should ever need this type of help - but if you do, don't hesitate to recommend us. There are currently centers in Erie, Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, Warrendale/ Cranberry, and more on the way.

Cruise on over here or give me a shout if you're interested in learning more about what the Caring Place is all about. We are also always in need of more volunteers. It's a really rewarding experience, believe me.

Steelers 12, Bengals 18

Pffft.

Arrrggghh.

Gah.

4 lousy field goals? That's it? Really?? Where's the team that won the Super Bowl last year? They sure didn't show up today, and pretty much just handed the AFC North to the Bengals. You're welcome, Cincinnati. Looks like the Steelers are going to have to earn themselves a wild card if they want to make the post-season. And to pour a little salt in the wound, Troy Polamalu went out with that same bum knee again. (MRI results pending.) Tough day to be a Steelers fan.

Happy 40th Birthday Sesame Street

I always loved Sesame Street as a kid. It's marvelous that it's still around today.

Enjoy my favorite character and a classic Sesame Street song:

Steelers 28, Broncos 10

Big win for the Steelers last night in Denver! The game was a bit of a snoozefest at the beginning, but it sure got exciting later on. Tyrone Carter had a spectacular night filling in for the sidelined Ryan Clark - 2 interceptions, one of which was run back for a touchdown. Ben and Hines hooked up for another pair of TDs, and Rashard Mendenhall and rookie Mike Wallace continued to impress on offense. Troy Polamalu looked like his old self with a fabulous interception late in the game. He's just tremendous fun to watch.

So the regular season is now half over (boy, that went fast!) and the Steelers are on a hot streak going into next week's game. It will be a showdown at Heinz Field against the Bengals with first place in the AFC North on the line. Big game. Big, big game. Huge game that I WILL NOT BE ABLE TO WATCH ON BROADCAST TV BECAUSE THE STUPID NFL INSISTS WE ARE A BUFFALO BILLS MARKET.

Um, sorry about the shouting there. But yeah, because we are slightly closer to Buffalo than to Pittsburgh or Cleveland, the NFL seems to think we are all Bills fans. Hahaha. Not. My personal, completely unscientific estimate would be that this town is about:

• 60% Steelers fans
• 35% Browns
• 5% All Other

No one around here cares about Buffalo at all. But whenever the Bills have a road game at the same time and on the same network as the Steelers, you have to find a bar or a sympathetic friend with satellite, because it's the Bills that are going to be on the network broadcast. Grrrr. The local affiliates aren't happy about it either, for obvious reasons, and usually put up a crawl during the game along the lines of "WE ARE CONTRACTUALLY OBLIGATED TO BROADCAST THIS BILLS GAME. PLEASE DON'T HATE US OR MAKE THREATENING PHONE CALLS TO THE STATION. IT'S NOT OUR FAULT. WE'D MUCH RATHER WATCH THE STEELERS, TOO."

Ok, rant over. I will watch the Steelers-Bengals game somewhere on Sunday. Hope you can, too.