Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and may the Force of the Season be With You

Car wise, now is the "down" season; shows are over, tracks are closed, so it's time for detailing and planning out mods for the upcoming seasons.

Football wise, the Steelers are outside looking in playoff-wise, but they have a manageable schedule ahead that should allow them to slip back into the fifth or sixth slot.  This just isn't the year to see the full potential of the team; too many injuries and/or stupid suspensions.

Life wise, it is the season for family and friends.  Even though the turkey is history, we all should still be thankful for who and what we have in our lives.  I know I am.

Finally, let me leave you with this little snippet from Dodge; a perfect product tie-in to the upcoming blockbuster film opening over Christmas!

Feeling out of place with “only” 485 hp

Last night I went down to SumerDuck Raceway in Virginia for its weekly Test & Tune.  Being that it’s early October, dusk was already settling in as I broke free from the choking traffic of Northern Virginia.  The trip should have taken only an hour and a half, but even with leaving at 4 pm it took me over two and a half hours to reach the 1/8 mile strip.

Darkness had fallen as I finally reached open roads and I was able to make time.  The evening air was cool and while it didn’t have the subtle bite of autumn air, some of the leaves on the trees were showing signs of color.  I opened my windows and let the cool rushing air wash away two hours’ worth of traffic-induced frustration.

The gates at SumerDuck open at 5:30, and in trips past there were usually a dozen or so street cars there at the very beginning;  folks with their daily drivers who, like me, enjoy learning the art of running on a strip and revel in the feeling letting their cars run to their potential gives them.

Last night however, I was the only daily driver there for most of the night.  Eventually a 2008 Camaro and what looked like a 2005 Pontiac GTO arrived and did some runs, but for the most part I was the only “stock boy” at the track.

I have no delusions about my driving skills; I need a LOT of work.  That’s why I attend Test & Tunes as often as I can.  I’ll write here exactly what I told folks I spoke with last night; my car is running fine; it’s the driver who needs help.

Remember what it was like for you in middle school or high school, when either you just moved to the area or were never part of the “in” crowd?  Remember when you would find yourself in a setting where everyone knew each other and you were the stranger, the outsider?

That’s how I felt last night, surrounded by guys (and kids) who have owned, driven and built cars for  more years than I have; cars that may look a little ragged, but even at startup announced they held power far, far in excess of what I was driving.

There was a white early 2000’s Corvette that only ran four times.  The first three runs either the driver missed a shift or the engine misfired; either way, it didn’t make it down the track in any kind of time commensurate with how it sounded rumbling slowly by, its cam loping like a mechanic’s symphony.  Oh, but that fourth run!  A perfect launch, smooth shifts, and at the end of only 1/8 of a mile, it was going 137 mph.

Or the blue late 60’s Camaro.  I saw two of its runs, and can only say WOW!  On the last run, the driver hit 154 mph at the finish line.

Or the bikes.  I’m not a biker.  I’ve wanted to be in the past, but fortunately that little voice inside my head made me be realistic.  The few times I’ve driven bikes I subconsciously knew if I owned one, I’d be killed by it.  I like speed too much, and in my youth I was rather reckless.

This night, more than a few of the bikes I saw hit speeds in excess of of 150 mph, with the fastest reaching 174 mph.  More power to those owners, and I enjoy watching them for the raw speed they exhibit, but that’s not for me.

Then there’s these cars.  Shade tree mechanics’ dreams.  Cars that at the time of their production may have been near the top of their mass market class, but nowhere near what their owners have achieved by working on them.

The 90’s Camaro; as a production car merely a faded shadow of what than name once was; now, it was a monster.

The late ‘90s Mustang Cobra.

And proving that the original is always the best, a mid-60’s Chevelle SS, modified to become a car enthusiast’s wet-dream car:

Some of the same feelings came over me last night as they did in my youth when I found myself in those awkward situations I mentioned above.  I just knew I was out of place with my “store bought” car; I just knew I didn’t stack up in terms of mechanical knowledge in comparison with the other owners.  And I coveted what the other drivers had, both in terms of the mechanical pieces of raw powerful art and driving skills, as well as the sense of belonging I saw in their interactions with the other drivers.

But, with age comes wisdom, perspective and acceptance.  I’ll never become as mechanically trained or gifted as most of those guys nor will I ever have the kind of investment in terms of time and money they have in their cars, and I’m okay with that.

What I am becoming however (albeit slowly), is a better driver.  And, by the end of the night, I was becoming part of the crowd. 

The owner of the Mustang pictured above rolled down his window as we sat side by side awaiting our turn to run and said “Just let her out…”.  He laughed and nodded his head in acknowledgement when I confessed my shortcomings, and then gave me the magic word as advice: “Practice”.

After a few mediocre runs, and as I pulled into the staging lane, the starter came over and gave me a couple of tips, which helped me achieve my best times of the night.  When I told him I was taking my last run, he nodded and said “…expect I’ll be seeing you here again.”, not as a question, but a statement of fact.

And he’s right.

Blaming Kicker wide of mark – Blame Tomlin for Steelers loss to Ravens

This is not a “fire Tomlin” piece.  But somebody needs to wise Tomlin up to the fact that he needs to learn to manage games better, because his “gut instincts” are gutting the Steelers chances for a successful season.

(previously submitted to Behind The Steel Curtain by author)

Let’s get this out of the way up front: 

Yes, if Josh Scobee makes either field goal in regular time, the Steelers win.  It’s that simple.  And Scobee missed two crucial field goals in the game against the New England Patriots, and even an extra point in the game against the San Francisco Forty-Niners

Yes, if Antonio Brown makes the catch in the end zone late in the game, the Steelers win.  It’s that simple.

But what’s also simple to understand is that players mess up.  The Steelers’ offense needed to step up its game to support a rusty, recently signed Michael Vick, and for the most part they did.  The defense needed to step up its game against a Super Bowl MVP quarterback in Joe Flacco and for the most part they did.

 Plays failed, Brown dropped that touchdown pass that he usually makes because that’s what a player of Brown’s caliber does.

But neither Brown or even Scobee deserve to be blamed for this loss.  That falls squarely on Mike Tomlin.

 Steelers Head Coach lost this game for the team by violating a very basic tenant of coaching: Never set your team up to fail.  Never.

Here’s the two key plays of the game that my mind best illustrates how Tomlin’s lack of mastery of coaching strategy is hurting the Steelers: 

12:37 left in Overtime, the Steelers facing fourth and two at Baltimore’s 39 yard line.  Tomlin elects to go for it, and that’s what doomed the Steelers.

9:45 left in Overtime, the Steelers facing fourth and one at Baltimore’s 33 yard line.  Tomlin elects to go for it, and that’s what doomed the Steelers.

Yes Scobee proved to be unreliable this night.  But so did the Steelers’ offense.  Trickery can only get you so far; if in the first OT fourth down go-for-it situation Tomlin was thinking “…the Ravens are thinking handoff to Bell…let’s have Vick bootleg it” then he was sadly mistaken.  The Ravens were waiting for Vick.

In the second OT fourth down go-for-it situation Tomlin was thinking “…let’s get it to Brown”, then under normal circumstances you might say that was the obvious choice.  Except this night Brown already had dropped a TD pass in the end zone, and for the night Brown was held to five catches for forty two yards; not a high percentage play after all, at least this night.

So, what was Tomlin to do you ask?  How about punt?

Think about it.  The Steelers’ punter Jordan Berry wasn’t having a great night, having pooched three punts under 40 yards (39, 38 and 32 yards)….but that’s all the distance they needed in OT!

Tomlin forgot all about a facet of the game: field positioning.  Had he punted on their first possession of OT, at worst the Ravens would have gotten the ball on their twenty yard line instead of their 39 yard line.

Had he punted on their second (and last) possession of OT, at worst the Ravens would have gotten the ball on their twenty yard line instead of their 33 yard line.  This one was the killer.  Remember, there was 9:45 left in OT.  Had the Ravens been pushed back 13 more yards, and given their production of 4.2 yards per play in this series of plays, and given the way the defense had been playing (one play for negative yards, one for zero yards, two for three yards) there would have been more opportunities for the Steelers defense to make something happen; more space with which defensive head coach Keith Butler could have used to either blitz Flacco yet again in an attempt to force an errant throw…something, anything that would have forced the Ravens to react to the Steelers’ controlling the field rather than the Ravens.

Somebody, maybe GM Kevin Colbert, or Mean Joe Greene, or Dan Rooney himself needs to pull Mike Tomlin aside and tell him that it’s time to stop “going with his gut” –  I cringed when I heard the announcer report this is what Tomlin told them in their interviews leading up to the game.

Someone, please, anyone, needs to shake the “I’m smarter than you” smirky attitude Tomlin exhibits and make him stop managing like a gambler and start thinking strategically like the best coaches do…yinz know, like maybe Bill Belichick, Chuck Noll, or other head coaches who studied the nuances of the game and understood real football strategy, and were rarely gutted by their own tactics.

Another Sponsor teams up with the Steel Curtain Challenger!

We're excited and proud to announce that Billet Technology has graciously agreed to sponsor me and my Steel Curtain Challenger!

From Billet Technology's Company page:

"About Billet Tech:

Founded in 2006, as a spin off brand of Vertex Precision, Inc., The Billet Technology Brand was founded on these core principle:

• Knowledgeable, support staff that can make a decision now without waiting for "management"
• A live voice on the phone, not a switchboard (M-F 5:30 A.M. to 4:30 P.M. EST)
• Support before, during and after the sale
• An engineering and machinist staff that is 100% dedicated to their craft, with a single goal of continual improvement and constant product progression.
• Provide quality products that are second to no one in the after market."

Billet Technology is owned and operated by folks who are true car enthusiasts first, who understand and share our love of muscle cars.  Heidi, Nick and all the folks at BT care deeply about producing and selling quality products that they themselves would be proud to own, and this becomes readily apparent when you contact them.

Whether it's a one-off single item order or a huge bulk sale, Billet Technology will provide you with top quality products backed by impeccable customer service.  I'm not just saying that, I experienced it well before any thought of sponsorship was mentioned.

With this year's car show and race seasons winding down, I'm sure I'm not alone in planning additional upgrades and modifications for next year.  I would encourage you to check first with Billet Technology for whatever you're planning for your ride.  You won't regret it.

New Sponsor joins Steel Curtain Challenger!

We're excited to formally announce a new sponsor has teamed up with us as we strive to ever improve the Steel Curtain Challenger!

Please join us in welcoming a well known name in automotive interiors, Katzkin Automotive Leather

The sponsorship, one of only 120 granted nationwide by Katzkin in any given year, was awarded shortly after our surprising success at the Carlisle Chrysler Nationals where we took 3rd place in the 2011 and up Modified Challenger and were selected for one of the few but highly coveted Sponsor's Choice Awards.

After countless hours of examining the multitude of types of leather, colors, options and configurations and numerous emails back and forth, we finally arrived at what we believe will be a killer combination.

None of which would have been possible without the world class quality of products Katzkin offers, nor without the top notch (and extremely patient) customer service from our Katzkin Program Manager.

In their own words: "Katzkin is proud to be the only tested and authorized genuine leather interior supplier for the entire family of Fiat-Chrysler Automotive."

In other words, if you want a true top quality leather interior for your car, it's "Katzkin in your Mopar, or No Car"!

Not just a pretty face or trailer queen

This Friday, September 25^th marks the one year anniversary of my crossing off an item from my bucket list.  A year ago this Friday I took possession of my 2015 Dodge Challenger.

First and foremost I want to thank my wife for her support, patience and understanding, for without all three (okay Baby, a little more patience would be nice) this experience would not have been either possible, or so enjoyable.

It’s been a year full of making new friends, meeting people from all over the country, and learning both how much things have changed since I last was immersed in the car culture, and how much has stayed the same.

I’ve driven 11,817 miles so far in Renny, my Steel Curtain Challenger (but who’s counting?) and have travelled as far south as Charlotte, NC for a car show, with another long trip scheduled for this Friday to New York as well.  In those miles, I’ve reconnected with the sheer joy that driving can be, and have multiplied that joy a thousandfold by taking my car to the strip to legally (and in compliance with my warranty) to run my car the way Dodge built and intended it to be run.  Fast.  Not really fast yet, but that’s my fault, not the car’s.

You see, cars aren’t just mode of transportation.  They are, or can be, extensions of the owner’s personality.  Too many people have lost the connection between driving and getting some place.  Some have diminished car owning down to simply wearing the price tag as a status symbol; others have made ownership an extension of their conservancy beliefs.  To the former who have always existed to one degree or another, I take pity; to the latter, I can respect these folks for walking their talk, as long as they get out of the left lane. 

The price-tag pimps deserve pity because they’ve stripped the souls out of their cars.  To them, what’s important is throwing into other people’s faces how much money they have.  News flash guys; there’s always somebody with more money who will trump your car with an even more expensive model.

Of course you get a similar defect in car enthusiast themselves.  The Best of Show winner in a recent event was a 1970 Plymouth Road Runner with an insanely built engine that never sees the road.  It’s strictly a show queen.  The owner has added a high-rise manifold with dual 4 barrel carburetors and racing slicks, but trailers the car from show to show and puts it up on stands.

Not for me, and not for Renny.  She’s never going to be just another pretty face.

Yes, I’ve “dressed her up”.  I’ve made and bought modifications to her, to make her one of a kind.  But, some of those mods are performance related (Barton shifter, Mopar Stage 1 springs, Petty front strut brace) that are just the cornerstone of what I’m planning to do over the next few years.

 Yes, I’m taking my car to shows; I enjoy the events, the people and their reaction to what I’ve done so far.  And I’ve been relatively successful.  Seven awards in eight shows, with only two shows where I’ve driven away empty handed.  Some of my wins have been major ones; at MoparPalooza 8 in Virginia (a major regional show) I placed First in Class for 2015 Challengers, and at the Chrysler Nationals in Carlisle, I placed Third in the 2011 and up Modified division and received a Sponsor’s Choice award. 

Am I seeking recognition or validation?  Maybe a little.  Who doesn’t enjoy acknowledgement of their vision and hard work?  But I'm also trying to create something; call it performance art in a way, and I think it's working.  My awards indicate that it is, as does the partial sponsorship I've just received (more on that in a subsequent post).

But Renny is more than just a pretty face; the "why" I elected to purchase a muscle car is based far far more on performance than just appearance.  I’ve run her over 30 times at Test and Tunes, albeit unfortunately only on street tires so far.  I scored my personal best this past weekend on the ¼ mile track at Virginia Motorsports Park at the Tidewater Mopar Club’s Mopar Madness event with a 13.73 @ 105.98 mph (don’t laugh, street tires, remember---and a newbie driver).  I also took first place in the Modern Challenger – Wild class in the car show component.

My car is an extension of my personality, and my interests.  I’m a diehard Pittsburgh Steelers fan; a member of Steeler Nation from birth.  And I love to go fast, to feel the thunderous roar of a powerful engine under my control following my commands.  The way my car looks, handles and performs is a reflection of my tastes and an extension of my body and who I am as a person.  It’s a chance to both step outside myself, and at the same time immerse myself  in what speaks to my soul.

As Dodge likes to advertise; if you get it, you get it.

Death of a Legend, End of an Era

Last night Steeler Nation paid its last respects to a legend.  Last night, the final irrefutable evidence of the end of an era was witnessed.

The legend that is dead is that of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ defense. The Steel Curtain defense, Blitzburgh, or any other appellation that may have been used over the past 20 plus years to describe the singular most widely recognized characteristic of the Pittsburgh Steelers is dead.

I’m not talking about the fact the Steelers defense gave up 28 points to the New England Patriots in Foxboro before a national audience.  Or how the Patriots amassed 361 total yards, or scored four passing touchdowns.  I’m not referring to any of the game stats themselves, for even at the height of whichever era of Steelers defense you most associate with the team, there were games where they gave up such stats to top tier QBs or opposing offenses.

What I’m talking about is the death of the legend of the Steelers defense.  You remember that legend don’t you?  The part where teams may defeat the Steelers, but they’d walk off the field at the end of the game bloody, bruised and battered.  Where the Steelers defense made opposing offenses pay in blood and sweat for every yard and point made.  Where quarterbacks had to prove they could scramble and juke to their left and their right because they never knew from where a devastating hit was coming.  A defense that may not have always prevented the opponent from scoring, but made them work for it. 

Where the talented and high caliber offensive opponents raised their own game to such a level that for those in Steeler Nation who loved the pure essence of the game, watching such an offense defeat our defense engendered respect and admiration; we were witnessing potential championship caliber performances, and relished such conflicts, because after all, Iron Sharpens Iron, right?

Well that Steelers defense is dead. DED.  What Steeler Nation witnessed last night, what all of the football world witnessed last night, was a travesty and a mockery of a once proud Steelers defense.

A travesty because series after series, we witnessed discombobulation in our secondary as they prepared for the snap of the ball.  Play after play, one Steeler player or another was waving his arms or looking around, trying to figure out who was supposed to go where.  Play after play, one Patriots’ playmaker or another, Rob Gronkowski, Danny Amendola or Julian Edelman, was left virtually uncovered and allowed to slip between the seams and gain huge yards.

A mockery because what we saw on the field in Foxboro was not a Steelers defense I or anyone in Steeler Nation should be able to recognize.  Against three (yes, count ‘em, three) rookie offensive linemen, one of which playing center, the once-vaunted Steelers pass rush was invisible. 

Granted, Tom Brady never holds the ball long, and his “bread and butter” is quick strike passes, but he was rarely pressured by our front three of Steve McLendon, Stephan Tuitt or even Cameron Heyward.  You remember them right, even though you rarely heard their names mentioned the entire game?

Granted, the Steelers had two sacks, one of them by our own rookie Bud Dupree (the other by Will Allen), but against a rookie center that’s it?  A rookie linebacker (blind squirrel finds nut) and an aging safety were the highlights of our defense?  Yes Ryan Shazier made some penetrations and some nice hits, but where was the vaunted Steelers linebacking corps most of the night playing against three rookies? They weren’t pressuring Brady, nor even collapsing the pocket and making him scramble.

Yes, the legendary Steelers defense is dead.  Worse though, given the disarray evident play after play by the defensive corps, the waving of arms, the blown coverages, and at one key point with the Patriots around the 30 yard line only 10 players on the field for a play, the coaching of fundamentals, the preparedness Steelers defenses are were known for was nowhere to be found and presumed dead as well.  

After five pre-season games, and the entire training camp period, the Steelers defense conducted itself in front of a national audience in the home of a hated opponent, from coaching on down to player execution, as if it were presenting a satirical caricature of itself.

The legend is dead.  All that is left is a bunch of empty uniforms to remind us of what once was.

Solving Race Relations

I attended a car “meet up” this past weekend.  This was a “Cars and Coffee” type event where car enthusiasts gather for a couple of hours to show off their cars and admire those of other enthusiasts.  These are great events to attend for the opportunity to look up close at such exotic vehicles as Lamborghini and Ferraris as well as “old school” muscle cars and Rat Rods.  This isn’t a car show where awards are given; instead, it is a gathering of people from all walks of life who share a common love of cars.  The types of cars garnering such enthusiastic devotion are as diverse as the car owners themselves.

A chance encounter with two such enthusiasts stood out to me in such stark contrast to what has been filling the media these past few months that I feel compelled to write about it here.

Unless you go through life like an ostrich with your head buried in the sand, or have been living in a cave until recently, you like me have been bombarded with stories in the media (print, broadcast, social media, the blogosphere, etc.) about race relations. Whites killing blacks; black and white policemen killing blacks; blacks killing blacks; police killing civilians; the Confederate Flag and what it means to blacks, to southern whites, to people anywhere and everywhere; demonstrations turning into riots over civilian deaths, etc.  The list goes on and on, with a common denominator of race vs race.

We’re being bombarded by reports of what separates us.

What I witnessed at this past event showed me in the most basic terms, what unites us.

Two men, complete strangers to one another; one white, one black.  One a Pittsburgh Steelers fan, one a Dallas Cowboys fan; one loves Dodge Chargers, the other Ford Mustangs.

On the surface, there is almost zero common ground for these two individuals.  Right from the start, their race supposedly separates them.  On top of that, add in cars and football?  Other than politics and religion, there are no more polarizing activities individuals can engage in than cars and football.  Fans of all walks of life live and die each and every Sunday as their chosen football team battles it out on the gridiron against “them”, the “other guys”.  The ones wearing different colors than “our team”; the ones from “not around here” who dare to come to “our house” and threaten the success of “our team”.  The bitter rival, the vastly inferior team if not by record, then by the character deficiencies of the organization, the head coach, the star player.

There's a chorus of new voices for Steeler Nation

Hey Steeler Nation; there's a new and different source for your Steelers' fix and you definitely need to check out.

It's called: Going Deep: An Introspective Steelers Site  I'll let the founder of the site, Ms. Rebecca Rollett describe the site herself:

You won’t find breaking news on our site, although we have a twitter feed on the sidebar to keep you up-to-the-minute : ) But the fact is, you can find “breaking” news on most of the existing sites.

What we offer is a place to take an in-depth look at any aspects of the organization which catch our fancy. As writers, we all have different viewpoints and interests, and we want to generate a discussion about the things that intrigue us. So as much as anything, this is a place for conversations. In fact, I suppose it is more like a virtual Steelers coffeehouse than anything else. Since it doesn’t seem to exist elsewhere, we decided to create our own.

If you're looking for more than just news, gossip or the usual pabulum the "major media" outlets provide; if you're looking for something deeper, you'll find it at this site.  The authors are seasoned writers who honed their voices elsewhere on the Intraweb, but found themselves dissatisfied with the "breaking news" mad rush, and the washing away of substantive pieces from other sites' main screen just to feed the insatiable appetite for mouse clicks.

At Going Deep: An Introspective Steelers Site you will find a wide array of articles that don't merely repeat what you've seen on Twitter or Yahoo, but instead take a fresh, different and deeper look at what many accept as commonplace.  For example:

Steelers Training Camp for Fans, Part One – The Myth of the ‘Knowledgeable’ Fan  

...or...

Character (Ac)Counts - an ongoing series of articles that introduce rookies to Steeler Nation, but goes behind the uniform to give a glimpse of the men underneath 

This is a fledgling site that's only been up for a few weeks, so it's still developing its look, but you should definitely add it to your list of Pittsburgh Steelers sites to check out.  I should caution you however, that you will need to set aside some time for this site; not only to read the articles in their entirety but also to give yourself time to contemplate what it is that you have read. 

The authors at this site don't produce fluff; their work requires a great deal of research and effort on their part, and can be quite lengthy.  But, and I mean this sincerely, you will be glad you made time for their work.  

2015 Annapolis Car Show - exhibiting what we've lost in the automotive world

I spent a hot but fun day this past Saturday at the 4th annual Annapolis Car show, hosted by Koons Ford of Annapolis.

I must admit I was a bit skeptical about attending a car show on a car dealer's lot; I had visions of packs of wandering salesmen hunting me down and pressuring me to look at their latest model, or swarms of fanny-pack wearing dads letting their ill-mannered progeny climb into the show cars or run their sticky fingers all over meticulously cleaned paint.

But I was pleasantly surprised; impressed in fact.  There must have been close to 100-150 cars laid out in rows, and man what cars!

This show attracts some heavy hitters in terms of restoration, modification and even survivor cars. To be honest, my 2015 Challenger was out of place in a show filled with Daytona Superbirds, chopped top Fords, a 1937 Chord and others.

But the show also filled me with remorse; sadness not just for a bygone era but also the dehumanizing loss of....of a man's soul poured into his car by his craftsmanship, his artistry.

Test and Tune Thursday - Part II - Rained Out but not wasted time

As expected, the storms that came rolling through Virginia yesterday caused SumerDuck Dragway to cancel Thursday's Test & Tune...

...leaving me to waiting another week to put to practice what I've been researching:  how to launch this beast!

Those of you who may have read some of my work as a staff writer for Behind The Steel Curtain, a Pittsburgh Steelers community (www.behindthesteelcurtain.com) in the past might know how in-depth I can get on my research...

...for those of you new to my work, I can take the most trite barstool arguments like "...who drafts better, the Steelers or X"  or what quarterback truly is "elite" and research and analyze statistically to the nth degree to determine an answer, such as I did in in these articles originally published on BTSC:

Test and Tune Thursday; Part I

Weather permitting, today is TTT (Test &Tune Thursday) at SumerDuck Dragway, a 1/8 mile track Virginia.

Forecast is not looking good, with chances of rain ranging from 15% to 58% from 2 through 6 pm

Sigh...I really need the practice.  My first foray into the world of Test & Tunes was at Colonial Beach Dragway, also a 1/8 mile track, about two months ago.  There I had the unusual opportunity to get 17 runs in over a 4 hour period.  Since that was my first time ever, I wasn't disappointed with the results, but needless to say merely managing a 60' split of 2.2, a top speed of 87.24 mph and an ET of 8.965 is not where I want to be.  Oh, and my reaction time on this run was a pitiful 1.0065.


This isn't that run; this one was a worse one, earlier in the day.  At some point, I stopped taping my runs and just concentrated on getting better.

Welcome to Steel Curtain Challenger!

Welcome!

I hope to use this venue as a chronicle of my ongoing love affair with the Pittsburgh Steelers and American Muscle cars, specifically Mopars.

I will post pictures of my car and other fine examples of the modern muscle cars, Mopars and others, I come across, and recount my experiences with my car at shows, meet-ups and just driving it around.

I will also write about my following of the Steelers, a team I have followed since my early years growing up in Western Pennsylvania.  But be warned, I'm not a homer; many of the things I write may be critical of the team, its coaches or its players.  I don't believe in just writing about rainbows and unicorns, so if you can't stomach constructive criticisms or the occasional WTF!, this site may not be for you.