Big Ben

[Baclava]

For everyone that has no idea what ben is all about...

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=fleming/050119

Findlay is a classic Midwestern town 45 miles south of Toledo, where you can still see old Mail Pouch tobacco ads on the side of the town's brick buildings. It's quaint. Hard-working. Proud. And if you want to know where Roethlisberger's poised, humble, down-to-earth style comes from -- the kind that has changed the long-held notion that you can't win in the NFL with a kid under center -- well, it's all right here.


Look around the Roethlisbergers' modest ranch home south of town. There's a chocolate Lab scratching at the back door. A scented candle burns in the living room. A pie hutch. A stand-up piano and tons of holiday knick-knacks. Before dreaming of the NFL, Ben wanted to be an FBI agent. He once set up a zip line from a tree to the front porch. It didn't hold. "That one hurt," he says with a laugh. But the only athletic memento of any kind is a blue and gold sign out front supporting Carlee's hoops team. (They were 7-1 when I was there.)


"I think my success does have a lot to do with where I grew up, my family and how I was raised," says Ben. "I mean, if I could be half the man my dad (Ken) is, I'd be extremely happy. He's taught me so much about football, about life, religion, family, love, everything. He's a leader in the real world. He's the coolest, calmest, most collected guy I know. Whatever I am, I hope it's a tribute to him."

Great read.

[livetohike]

1. Thanks for this and

GO STEELERS!

[edbermac]

2. He was a real ball of fire against the Jets, wasn't he?

Go Pats!

[Baclava]

3. Aren't you glad Belichick isn't as cocky as the Pats fans?

From Mike Reiss:

Belichick:

* On the game itself: “I don’t think this is going to be a big scheme game. This game is going to come down to fundamentals and execution. Blocking. Tackling. Throwing. Catching. Leverage. A lot of the basic things. I don’t think anybody is going to fool anybody here. The team that can play fundamentally the best without making mistakes, and play well situationally – in the red area, third down, goal-line, things like that – that team will have the advantage.”

* On whether the Patriots can duplicate their defensive effort against the Colts, and apply it to the Steelers: “If we play like we did against the Colts, and try to do that against the Steelers, we’ll probably get beat 55-0. It’s a totally different style of play. Almost nothing carries over. It’s as different as it possibly could be.”

[DemocratSinceBirth]

6. maybe we will learn he's not a Republican like Tom "Pretty Boy " Brady

eom

[MikeG]

7. He kicked your team's ass last time.

Your team played like a bunch of pussies.

[Bill McBlueState]

4. Findlay

Findlay is a classic Midwestern town 45 miles south of Toledo, where you can still see old Mail Pouch tobacco ads on the side of the town's brick buildings. It's quaint. Hard-working. Proud.

It's also really, really Republican.

Hancock County, where Findlay is located, went 71% for Bush in the election, one of the highest rates of all Ohio counties.

Nothing against Ben, but Findlay is your basic Midwestern Bush-loving hole in the ground.

[theboss]

5. I have such a man-crush on him

Even after he made me throw up in my mouth against the Jets, I'm still his.