ecstaticActually, as soon as we won, even our house poured outside into the swirling snow to cheer, and the cheering from the entirety of the city was just cacophonous.
That's now. I should flash back to this morning at church... we had a full house, because it's the last day for our interim pastor and everyone wanted to see his last Sunday. But as I stared out at the congregation, I saw a sea of black and gold. Us choir people had to wear the blue robes, of course, but for rehearsel we were all dressed in black and gold ourselves.
Back in 1996, for the last time the Steelers were in the Superbowl, I lived in Oakland, and sang at the church then too. It was not nearly so nuts then as it's been these past two weeks here in the city. Even last night I was down in the Southside, and packs of people in Steelers jerseys would pass while cars waving Terrible Towels out of the window honked at them and anyone else they could see. Entire houses have literally been covered in black and gold paraphenelia all over the city.
Pittsburgh is often described as a drinking town with a football problem these days, and perhaps that's true. But I've not seen this city anywhere near this nuts since the Pirates last won the World Series (I was 6), and even then it just didn't have the same zeal going in. I don't think there has ever been an excited fan base like our city is right now.
I'm laying in bed now, and the sirens, honking, cheering, roaring, and everything else is still apparent from outside my closed window. I do have to go to work in the morning, unlike most places which canceled morning work hours since Friday (the school delays were running on the screen immediately following the game), so I should really sleep despite the noise... and more importantly, despite my own happy excitement winding down.
