The Steelers kept their playoff hopes alive on Saturday by defeating the Washington Redskins 23-3. However, the bigger story of the day was naturally the final football game or any other sporting event held in Three Rivers Stadium. Because of conditions, the crowd was not a sellout and in fact there were 58,183 in the stadium, 1,417 short of a sellout. But, before we talk about the game played, we MUST talk about Three Rivers Stadium one last time. What a historic day it was. What an emotional and proud day it was. Personally, it began for me at 9:00 a.m. this morning when ESPN's Classic Sports Network had a special three-hour broadcast called the "Three Rivers Stadium Road Show." During that telecast, which was hosted by Charlie Steiner and co-hosted by former Steeler Rocky Bleier. They interviewed not only former Steelers players, but also ex-Pirate players. There was an array of footage from past football and baseball games held in the big stone house known as Three Rivers Stadium. Great moments from the stadium were relived, and many tales told. Perhaps the most poignant, emotional and proud moment of the show came when Defensive End Joe Greene was interviewed about his thoughts on playing for Pittsburgh and in the stadium. Greene was talking about his career and when he got to the part about speaking of the fans, he said, "When you walked into that stadium and saw the sign, 'You're in Steelers Country' (and it was at this point that Greene started to get a tear in his eye, choked up and finished), it was the fans and the people involved." Is what 'Mean Joe' said. By the time he had finished his comment, there were tears streaming down Greene's face. At that point, all my Pittsburgh pride came blasting out of me. I have not felt that good, that proud, and that important about having grown up in Pittsburgh since I left there over 17 years ago.

Additionally on that show was of course the talk about perhaps the greatest play in the stadium's history; naturally, the "Immaculate Reception." Franco Harris was there to speak about it, as was the man who Terry Bradshaw's final pass was actually intended for, John "Frenchy" Fuqua. Charlie Steiner hit Harris with a question that Steiner posed as perhaps never having been asked before. "What was the actual play call for that final play in the game against Oakland? The play came with only 22 seconds left on the game clock. Harris said the play called was the '66 Option.' All he would reveal was that it was a pass play, and that he was not even supposed to be involved except to stay back to protect Bradshaw. But, when the ball bounded in the air after going incomplete, Harris said his instincts and lessons he learned while playing for Joe Paterno at Penn State came into his head. He said he had been taught to always stay near the ball, and in this moment, we all know that he was in the right place at the right time. The rest of the play is, of course, history! But, John Madden was also interviewed about the Immaculate Reception, and as then Oakland Raider head coach, he said that following the play, Head Referee Art McNally got on the phone, made a call, and returned to announce that the touchdown did in fact count. Madden questioned the fact that without instant replay at the time, why was there a need to make a phone call about what appeared to be a legitimate touchdown? In his interview during the show, current Steelers President Dan Rooney said that he was the person on the other end of the phone that day, and when it rang, he said, "Why are you calling me?" There was nothing more revealed on the show Saturday, and Franco's final comment on the subject was, To this day, I have no idea what happened." Of course he is talking about the issue as to who actually touched the ball last before it hit his hands, Frenchy Fuqua, or Oakland's Jack Tatum. That argument remains one of the most disputable to this day, and the real answer we will probably never know. Fuqua refuses to discuss it, and has said in the past that when he dies the answer will be left behind.

Speaking of Fuqua, he made an appearance on the show, and Steiner asked him about his famous "Goldfish" shoes. For those of you too young, or not from Pittsburgh who have no idea what I am talking about, back in the 70's, John Fuqua was known around the league as being the flashiest dresser among NFL players. You think "Broadway" Joe Namath dressed fashionably? Well, "Frenchy" as he became known, really did wear a pair of platform dress shoes that had see-through heels filled with goldfish. He really did wear them, and said on Saturday that despite the fish eventually dying, he would wear the shoes to events like the old Dapper Dan dinners. Ex-Pittsburgh Pirate player Bill "Maddog" Madlock came onto the show, and said of all the teams he played for, he enjoyed the Pirates the most because they gave him the opportunity to be himself, and the freedom to carry on as he would like to. Madlock was of course an integral part of the 1979 "We are Family" World Series championship team that the Pirates had become. While on the topic of baseball, Jim Leyland came to the show, and said his favorite moment as Pirates manager, in Three Rivers Stadium, came in the 1994 All-Star game held in Pittsburgh. When announced he got a standing ovation and to him, that was his favorite moment. Listed below are some of the other guests and those who delivered comments about Three Rivers and what they had to say:

Myron Cope: When asked how he came up with the idea for the 'Terrible Towel', Cope said his boss came to him and told him to come up with a gimmick to attract the fans. So, Cope got on the air during a game and requested fans bring to the game the next time a 'black, gold, or yellow' towel. He then said, "bring one, buy one, or DYE one." 

President Dan Rooney: He said he got his family involved because his father had the franchise, and the family had been running the team since its inception. His wife by his side added that "it's in their blood." And what would the show be without some true Pittsburgh tradition. So a representative from Primanti's was there with the famous "Primanti Sandwich." What, you don't know what this is? Well if you are from Pittsburgh be ashamed. If you are not, then take a drive down through Pittsburgh's strip district on Penn Avenue (which if I remember right is where they are located, the first location anyway), and ask for the sandwich which has on it, your choice of a meat, provolone cheese, tomatoes, French fries, and cole slaw all on Italian bread. I had a chance to eat one ONCE, but passed because it just didn't seem right cole slaw on bread. When the representative from the store was asked how the meal got started, he said it was invented over 60 years ago, when a blue collar worker was in a rush to get back to work while on his lunch hour and simply threw everything on the bread and ate it at once. It's been that way since. 

Dwight White: The other "Mad Dog" of the day may have perhaps had the best and funniest recall of incident in Three Rivers Stadium for the day. Prior to a game with the Denver Broncos, White said there were oranges in the Steelers locker room and he grabbed one on his way out of the tunnel heading to the field. When he hit the field he took the orange and threw a line drive with it at the stadium wall. When it smashed into pieces, the said the fans went wild. Of course Pittsburgh won the game, and White added a final comment by saying, "Maybe that's how they got the name "Orange Crush." Some of the video coverage played was Bill Cowher kissing Kordell Stewart following a game. My thought is, what ever happened to that side of Bill Cowher? The soft side? Things that make you go hmmmmm. One of the more embarrassing moments in the show came during Bleier's interview with Franco Harris. The duo had been a force in Pittsburgh's backfield during the 1970's, and after retirement Rocky tried his hand at broadcasting and never faired too well at it. In fact, growing up there, I remember quite well laughing at him numerous times as he stumbled trying to speak during broadcasts. You were a great player Rocky, but TV is calling games or doing media commentary is not your gig. He reminded us of that on Saturday when he repeatedly kept telling Franco that their first seasons were similar because they had both been on teams that went 11-3 on the season. Harris tried to correct him by asking him, "you went 11-3 in your first season?" After repeating it 2-3 times, Bleier realized he had made a mistake, and in fact forgot how many games were actually played during the season back then. 

Mel Blount: The former Cornerback and Hall of Famer may have had the "stretching the story" of the day. Blount said when he signed his initial contract back in 1970, Chuck Noll asked him, "What do you see." Blount responded by saying that country boy in him gave this answer, "Tall buildings, lots of buildings," thinking Noll was talking about what he saw out the window. Noll's response to that was, "I see Super Bowls." Noll later disputed that, he probably didn't say exactly that. When Charlie Steiner made the comparison of the '79 Pirate team that was pretty much led by Willie Stargell to Blount's 70's teams, and asked who Blount considered the team leader then, the answer came quickly. "Joe Greene." 

Andy Russell: Russell was asked whom the locker room loose nut was, who kept things lively among players, and he responded with a straightforward answer: Ray Mansfield. The "Old Ranger" was also said to be the most loved player by all. And it is sad to say that Mansfield was not there on Saturday do enjoy the festivities. 

John "Frenchy" Fuqua: Hit with the same question given to Russell, Fuqua said it would have had to have been Quarterback Terry Hanratty. But, he also said Hanratty was not only the joker, but also the most serious player on the field. 

Jack Lambert: When asked for his favorite memory about games or anything else associated with Three Rivers, Lambert stated it was simply, "the people." "Coaches, personnel, etc." He also said that his long-time roommate Rocky Bleier was the best roommate he ever had, a religious man who never failed to go to church, and always, always had coffee waiting for him when Lambert got up in the mornings. Just like he liked his coffee prepared. Lambert was also asked that growing up in nearby Ohio, who did he route for, the Steelers or Browns. "The Browns, for 21 years I was a Cleveland fan." But Lambert added that he was very angry that Cleveland did not draft him, and that he always looked forward to the Brown games just so he could get his revenge. He also enjoyed playing the road games in Cleveland because it gave him the opportunity to perhaps hang his clothes in the same locker as some of the great Cleveland players of the past. In the end, he said if he had to pick on shining moment from Three Rivers Stadium it would have had to be sitting in Art Rooney Sr.'s office listening to his old war stories.

Chuck Noll: Noll said that everything changed with the Super Bowl IX victory over Minnesota because the rest of the league began to take notice about Pittsburgh. His basic philosophy about being a head coach? 'Teaching his players to win the battle of hitting.' It was important to Noll that his players did the hitting and were the ones walking off the field uninjured. It was pointed out that during the years that Terry Bradshaw was Noll's QB, the team's record was 132-68. Following Bradshaw's retirement, Noll Quarterbacks posted a record of 35-45 until he called it quits in 1992. His favorite memory? Working with the people involved. It wasn't the wins or losses, but the folks he met and did business with. Was this an emotional day Steiner asked him? STUPID QUESTION! Answer? Duh. "Yes" said Noll. Terry Bradshaw: Speaking on tape, Bradshaw said how proud he was to have played for the Steelers and got a bit choked up when talking about the all the fond memories and the men he played with. Finally, Rocky Bleier had the final word, and when asked to pick the closest to a perfect game that the Steelers ever played in the stadium, he responded with "a playoff game against the Oilers, a game in which we knew going in that we could not lose the game, and could only lose if we lose it ourselves."

There was a ceremony held after the game, which was not broadcast here in New York. However, it included former players and you could see them on television throughout the game. Players that did get their faces on the tube throughout the contest were:

#68, L.C. Greenwood

#31, Donnie Shell

#58, Jack Lambert

#32, Franco Harris (seen later hugging his 2000 counterpart, Jerome Bettis)

#47, Mel Blount

#59 Jack Ham

#57, Mike Merriweather

#53, Robin Cole

#95, Greg Lloyd

#88, Lynn Swann

#76, John Banaczak

#17, Joe "Jefferson Street Joe" Gilliam

And here is a tidbit of information you may not know. One of the announcers for Saturday's game was Dick Stockton. Stockton did the broadcast for the first football game ever played in Three Rivers Stadium in 1970. Ironically, he did the final game as well on December 16, 2000. I believe the network MUST have planned it that way. I also did not know that Stockton was a KDKA reporter back in the 1960's. And now, before we move on the Steelers' victory on Saturday, just a few final reminders of the great history of Three Rivers Stadium. During its history, the stadium hosted 31 season of Steeler football, of which there were 25 winning seasons, and seven AFC Championships. Additionally, the 1976 season turned out eight (8) out of eleven Pro Bowl starters from Pittsburgh. That's right, eight out of 11. That is a mark that may never be matched again.

Now for the game. The Steelers were either very impressive in trouncing the Skins 23-3, or Washington is that bad. I think it was more the former, as Pittsburgh had its running game in high gear on Saturday. Despite wet, rainy conditions that made the field slippery and ball hard to hold onto, the Steelers turned an impressive game on the ground and through the air. It appears that Kordell Stewart has finally, finally, found his mark again as he put on a good show for about the third or fourth week in a row. And, Jerome Bettis just continues to keep rumbling on. He had 104 yards rushing for the day, and several times had big key runs. Now on the season he has 1,290 yards rushing, which equates to the fourth-best season in Steelers history. He has certainly found a new and qualified "bus driver" as rookie Dan Krieder turned in yet another extremely impressive performance. Bettis caught a screen pass in the game as well that he turned into a 25-yard gain. And what a day for Hank Poteat. The University of Pittsburgh grad set a Three Rivers Stadium record by a Pittsburgh Steeler for the longest punt return for a touchdown when he brought one back 53-yards for a score. On the day the stadium hosted its last football contest, the former Panther sets a record that can now not be broken.

For a while in the game, it appeared that the Pittsburgh players were trying to be 'tough' guys like the days of old when Webster and Kolb took the field. There on camera were the Washington Redskin players sitting on one of those benches that delivers heat. On the other side were the Steeler players sitting on a cold metal bench. Later however, behind that metal bench was a heater. Well, it looked good for a while anyway! The downfall for Washington for the day was easily the turnovers. On a pass to the Skin's Alexander late in the game, he was heading for pay dirt when Jason Simmons knocked the ball out of his grasp just as he entered the end zone resulting in a touchback. The game had everything for Pittsburgh. Big pass plays to Bobby Shaw; great running plays by Kordell Stewart, tough running by Jerome Bettis, who has been running like he wants to destroy defenders; a big day for Richard Huntley, despite fumbling the ball after a long stretch of not doing so. On his fumble, the Steelers challenged the ruling but lost. The defense registered several interceptions by Chad Scott and Dewayne Washington, but could have had several more as rookie Ainsley Battles let several slip out of his hands. Battles was filling in for the injured Lee Flowers and did a magnificent job. Josh Miller suffered what was said to be a mild concussion and Kris Brown actually took the field to punt. But just before he was set to do so, Miller returned to make the kick.

Final notes for the game:

On camera late in the game, was Kordell Stewart on the sidelines smiling, joking, and looking more loose than he has in several seasons. Bill Cowher said he prepared his team for a game that should be treated like a "playoff" game. How about the Jerome Bettis commercial they showed, in which he was singing, "When people hit the bus they fall to the ground, fall to the ground, fall to the ground, when people hit the bus they fall to the ground, all around town." Former Steeler player who had been cut, Nolan Harrison, made on big play in sacking Kordell Stewart, but on replay it looked like he had jumped offsides. The play stood, but later in the game, the cameras were on Harrison again and this time he stood emotionless, without a smile before trotting off the field. On Scott's interception, he actually stole the ball from Albert Connell, a great play on Scott's part. At halftime, Matt Millen was asked for his favorite Three Rivers memory. He said that came in 1980 in a Monday Night Football win over Pittsburgh as he was playing for the Oakland Raiders, but he remembers most knocking Terry Bradshaw out of the game three times, only to see him still standing on the sidelines ready to play in the fourth quarter. When asking a Steeler player what's his story, the Steeler player told him, "you kidding, he is on national TV." With nine seasons almost completed, Bill Cowher joins the Minnesota Vikings' Dennis Green as active coaches with the longest tenure. The Steelers still need to improve on kickoff returns after getting penalized several times on returns, something they have been doing more often as of late. On camera during the game was Redskins owner Daniel Snyder and his associate Mr. Drasdner. My first impression was that these guys do not look like typical owners, and appear more to be like a couple of nerds! Here they have a team that they tried to buy into a championship, a Redskin team that was heavily favored to take it all this season, very much hyped, and now at 7-8, they are going to be spending the post season at home. My bet is that if you took a poll among fans, most would be very happy that this was the final outcome for this team. I loved watching Jerome Bettis do what I have now termed, "The Bettis Walk." After one long gain, there was Bettis strutting downfield with his arms out to the sides, legs apart and fingers outstretched. It was funny in a way, but unique for Bettis. Finally, in hitting the end zone, Richard Huntley came from 30 yards out and literally knocked Champ Baily on his butt, lowering his shoulder and banging the Georgia Bulldog to the ground ending up in the end zone on his feat. What was so special about the moment was the Baily is heading to the Pro Bowl as a starter for the NFC.

After watching the Steelers on this day, despite only having an 8-7 record, I feel very good about this football team. The team was competitive throughout the season, with the exception of last week's game against the Giant and perhaps the season opener against Baltimore. But in between those games were games that we lost but could have won. This team could possibly have had a much better record than we now have. But let bygones be bygones and we should move on. If we sneak into the playoffs that will be great. If we do not, then at least we have guaranteed ourselves of not having yet another losing season. We have already improved on last year's 6-10 mark by two games. If we can defeat the lowly Chargers in next week's final regular season game, we will finish 9-7, which would be a definite improvement from a year ago. But what makes me most happy about this team is that the foundation for perennial playoff contention has been made. Kordell Stewart has found himself again and appears to be comfortable. I don't see too many gaping holes in this team, and by maintaining what we currently have, I think that we may easily be only one or two key players away from the Super Bowl. Who might those key players be? Possibly another Center or other offensive lineman for stability. We could probably use an effective pass rushing defensive lineman. And, I think Pittsburgh should seek out a big-play, dangerous receiver either in the draft or some veteran. Plaxico is not that man, whether he comes back healthy or not. Burress is NOT a game-breaker.