Steelers Lose Focus on Big Ben’s Injury

Whatever you might think of Ben Roethlisberger as a quarterback, or a human being, you cannot question or deny his toughness.

I don’t have statistics to back this but I'm fairly sure Ben takes more hits than any quarterback in the NFL today (and maybe ever). He plays through injuries that would keep many players off the field and most human beings in the hospital for months. Broken bones, sprained ankles, concussions, even appendectomies cannot sideline Big Ben for long.

It’s a trait that rightfully earns him admiration and respect from me and throughout the Steeler Nation. Steeler fans like their players tough and nasty. There is a certain perverse pride we take in watching Ben beat down Baltimore, the same night his nose was massacred by Haloti Ngata. That is leadership in its purest form; leaving it all on the field when by all accounts he should be sitting in an ice bath.

Leadership is also knowing when to step aside. And it’s just as clear to me that Ben does not.

I have no issue with Ben’s blind spot; I just assume my star quarterback is a warrior and wants to play whenever it’s remotely possible. That makes it incumbent on those above him to take that decision out of his hands when necessary. For whatever reason, Mike Tomlin elected not to do so in two of the last three games. And the Steelers may ultimately pay for that decision this post season.

I understood, with some degree of reluctance, Tomlin’s decision to play Roethlisberger in San Francisco a few weeks back. The Steelers had a chance to move ahead of Baltimore and put themselves in position for a critical first round bye. Tomlin presumed the best way to accomplish that; against one of the best defenses in football, was with Big Ben behind center. I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt on this even though hall of fame quarterback Steve Young clearly did not.

That said, once the Steelers fell behind 20-3 in the 4th quarter, keeping Ben in the game as an immobile human target was simply asinine. I’m a huge Tomlin fan and I can say it was bar none his worst decision as head coach of the Steelers. There was absolutely no conceivable reason for keeping Ben in that game at that point. The decision was a product of typical NFL bravado between coach and quarterback.

Big Ben survived the Monday night beat down, no worse but certainly no better for ware. After that, I genuinely hoped he would not see the field again until the playoffs and maybe not even the second round (presuming they Steelers could overcome the force of will and hope that apparently is Tim Tebow). No games, no practice, no nothing except healing his injury as much as possible. To me this is not even debatable. Not after watching Ben’s inability to walk down steps in week 16 or push off his foot in week 17, when he deemed himself 60% healthy.

This was not about conceding the division title to Baltimore and accepting life as a wild card. The Steelers are and were absolutely capable of beating both St ’Louis and Cleveland with Charlie Batch behind center. Batch is hardly a superstar but he’s an experienced quarterback and solid game manager with a reliable track record. He’s more than good enough to beat two of the worst teams in football. In fact, I think at 100% healthy he is a better option than Roethlisberger at 60%.

In contrast, the Steelers have little or no chance of winning at Baltimore or New England, let alone in the Super Bowl without a reasonably healthy Big Ben.

Given that reality, the entire focus of the organization should have been getting Roethlisberger as healthy as possible for the playoffs. There was no upside to playing Ben last weekend and as we now know, plenty of downside risk.

For whatever reason the Steelers have their own blind spot when it comes to Big Ben. They seem willing to let him play in almost all circumstances. Or perhaps Ben yields too much power over the organization and he ultimately dictates whether or not to play. There is enough historical evidence to make this a reasonable inference.

I was harshly critical of Bill Cowher for starting Roethlisberger twice in 2006 when he had no business being on the field. One could argue that he should have sat out half the season to recuperate from his motorcycle accident. Accepting that he did not, he certainly was nowhere near ready to play in week two against Jacksonville after an emergency appendectomy ten days earlier (on top of everything else). The Steelers were shut out in that game and Ben looked terrible.

A few weeks later Cowher trotted Roethlisberger out against Oakland seven days after his second concussion in five months (and other severe injuries from the crash). Roethlisberger was flat out awful in that game throwing five interceptions. He was the primary reason the Steelers lost to a terrible Raiders team.

Is it a coincidence that two extremely successful, secure, and hard nose coaches have both given in to Ben’s desire to play even when he clearly should not? Or was it ultimately not their decision.

Such considerations are hardly unprecedented in Pittsburgh sports. In 1993 the Penguins skated the best team in their history and quite possibly one of the best of the post expansion era. They were making a mockery of the National Hockey League right up to the day Mario Lemieux was shockingly diagnosed with cancer.

Le Magnifique spent six weeks enduring radiation treatments and heroically returned to the line-up the day of his last session. He and the Pens then went full throttle over the remainder of the season both to set regular season win records and get Lemieux an incomprehensible scoring title. That decision yielded some of the greatest and most exciting hockey any of us have or ever will see. Lemieux blew past Pat Lafontaine to win the scoring title and MVP; one of the most remarkable achievements in NHL history.

Remarkable, misguided, and short sighted.

Lemieux was coming back from CANCER TREATMENTS. His primary focus as an athlete should have been getting healthy for the playoffs. He could not or did not want to accept his limitations in that moment; hardly a shocking revelation given an athlete who often appeared superhuman on the ice. It was up to the Penguins to have a broader perspective.

I believe to this day that Lemieux ran out of gas in those playoffs; a consideration supported by Lemieux barely playing the next two years. The net result was a horrific defeat to a vastly inferior New York Islander squad. It cost the Pens a third straight cup and rightful recognition as a dynasty.

The entire organization, including legendary head coach Scotty Bowman took its eye off the ball. They caved in to Lemieux’s short-term desire to play much as Tomlin and Cowher did with Ben. And let’s not kid ourselves; they did so because Mario Lemieux called the shots at the Igloo long before he became a shareholder of the Pittsburgh Penguins. In that case, it was to the ultimate detriment of his team.

I fear we are reliving that scenario with Ben Roethlisberger. This Steeler team is not, relatively speaking, as good as the ’93 Pens but they are absolutely a Super Bowl contender. A Super Bowl championship should be the unquestioned goal and that is highly unlikely in Roethlisberger’s current state of health.

Look, Ben’s health issues may be inevitable this post season. He suffered a severe ankle sprain which will likely take weeks or longer to heal. There is a better than average chance even under the full rest scenario that he is hampered throughout the playoffs. I get that. And I understand the rust from inactivity argument as well.

And I don’t care.

It was a bad decision plain and simple, by an organization that gets it right far more often than not. It was a loss of focus on the ultimate goal; a loss of focus might very well cost the black and gold a shot at a 7th Lombardi Trophy.

Chicago’s Shame – The Disgraceful Treatment of Steve Bartman

This Tuesday night, ESPN will present one of its 30 for 30 documentaries covering what I consider the most shameful and disgraceful event in recent sports history.  The moment an ordinary Chicago baseball fan bore the full brunt of his team’s horrific playoff collapse.

Trust me I’ll be tuned in.  I’ll be fascinated to see if ESPN attempts to humanize or exploit the story.  My fervent hope is the former, my considered fear the latter.

In three decades as a sports fan, I cannot remember an on the field event that sickened me as much as the Steve Bartman debacle.  It involves a despicable and frightening lack of perspective and class by everybody involved; the Chicago Cubs, the city of Chicago, the fans and the media.

Each played a role in nearly destroying the life of an everyday citizen and fan; a person whose only crime was deflecting a foul ball in a critical moment.  A foul ball that probably though not definitely would have otherwise been caught by Moises Alou.

And he was not alone.  Several other fans reached for that ball; Bartman just happened to be the unlucky SOB who made contact.  I beg you all to make note of that should you watch the documentary.  It was an instinctive reaction that nearly every fan would have; and it was a fluke.  All of which seemed irrelevant in the subsequent witch hunt.

It should have been left at that.  The Cubs were still leading game 6 of the NLCS 3 to 0, still five outs away from their first World Series in nearly 60 years.  The game and the series were still very much in their control.

Instead they collapsed, and the fan became a convenient scapegoat for a second rate organization with a dreadful history of failure.  Not to mention an underachieving group of players and an enabling manager that were subsequently exposed for a disturbing lack of character.

After the Bartman tip, the team imploded.  Starting pitcher Mark Prior was working on fumes thanks to blatant and moronic overuse by his do nothing manager Dusty Baker.  The bullpen was not good enough to bail him out.  And on top of that, the teams’ $6 Million dollar all field, no hit shortstop tanked a routine double play grounder that would have put this entire story to rest.

Even with all of that, the Cubs had another chance in game 7.  They lost that game as well, looking defeated before they even took the field.  And with that loss evaporated their best chance in two decades to end a century long streak of championship futility.

Baker and his players should have taken the full blame for what was an epic collapse.  They did not.  The fans and the media jumped on the fan angle, and the Cubs happily went along for the ride.  Some like Baker directly blamed Bartman.  Others did so tacitly by refusing to dismiss the idea on site for what it was; patently ridiculous.

I remember watching Baker’s postgame press conference.  When asked about Bartman’s interference he muttered something about, “we would like our fans to be smarter than that.”  The minute I saw that, I knew Bartman was fried in Chicago.  I knew the fans and media would jump all over it (though I did not expect the local gossip rag to publish his name address, and employer).

Can you imagine Bill Cowher blaming a fan for a Steelers’ collapse?  Remember how he handled the disgusting miscarriage of officiating justice that was the overturned Troy Polamalu interception in the playoffs at Indy.  In the most critical moment, under the greatest of pressure he told his defense; WHATEVER HAPPENS, WE JUST PLAY.  And after the game he refused to blame the officials for the horrendous call.

That’s what leaders do.  That’s what people with character do.  Dusty Baker sat in the clubhouse chomping a toothpick while his team disintegrated, then delegated responsibility to a fan.  And I don’t recall anybody associated with the Cubs, not one player, coach or management representative publically attempt to defuse the situation.

It only got worse from there.  Chicago fans and media turned on Bartman, using the same myopic scapegoating previously applied to the likes of Bill Buckner and Scott Norwood.  What happened to Buckner was also disgraceful; nobody ever mentions that the Red Sox choked away a two run lead BEFORE HIS ERROR, but at least he was a paid professional.  His job included dealing with such criticism, deserved or not and he was well compensated for it.  However unfair it was, Buckner signed on for what he got.

Steve Bartman did not.

Even worse, the Chicago media, led by the insufferable Jay Marriotti started a witch hunt that lasted for years.  The national media jumped on board though only in fits and starts.  Marriotti found a way to impugn Bartman in writing with regular frequency.  He simply refused to let the non-story die even when Bartman, through his deafening public silence made it abundantly clear he wanted nothing to do with it. 

That’s the same Jay Marriotti whose resignation from the Chicago Sun Times was one of the most celebrated events in Chicago sports history; by fans and colleagues alike. 

Over the next few years we learned the truth about the Cubs.  They were not a dynasty in the making derailed by the careless act of an unlucky fan.  They were in fact a team dreadfully lacking in character or accountability.  The initial symptom was Alou’s three year old girl temper tantrum on national TV after the tipped ball.  What followed was a steady collapse, first over two playoff games and then over three years where the team degenerated bit by bit.

Prior and Kerry Wood’s arms nearly fell off from blatant overuse by Baker.  That includes Dusty’s mind numbing decision to leave Prior in game two for 130 pitches (including batting him in the 7^th inning)…WITH A TEN RUN LEAD.  Every think Prior might have gotten through that infamous 8th inning if Baker had let the bullpen deal with a double digit lead say 30 pitches earlier?  One might even speculate that he would not have been out of baseball two years later.

The Sammy Sosa myth was subsequently obliterated as well.  He went from lovable home run hero to steroid blow up doll and locker room parasite.  The Cubs ran him out of Chicago and erased him from memory, even releasing Zapruder film like footage of him bailing on the team the next year.  Several other players lead by Alou started threatening the team’s announcers, including former Cy Young winner Steve Stone, for obvious and accurate criticism of their increasingly miserable play.  During this time Baker continued to publically support them at all turns, refusing to enforce even a hint of accountability.

And let’s not forget a young Carlos Zambrano was the number three starter on that club.  We know now that Big Z and his budding psychosis were headed for much bigger calamities.

In short, the next three years exposed the 2003 Cubs as a phony; a fraud.  The team had great talent; but lacked the heart, character, integrity or leadership necessary to win a championship.  When faced with the slightest bit of adversity they crumbled on and off the field.

 In the immediate aftermath of a crushing defeat and without visibility to the future most could not see that.  Not the organization, the media, and certainly not the fans.  Most could not see beyond another cruel blow to America’s most tortured fan base.  And willingly or not, almost everyone turned a blind eye to millionaire athletes and coaches happily offloading responsibility for their failure on an unsuspecting fan. 

Even worse, many fans and media members actively participated.  It was sickening on every level. 

There are absolutely no heroes or good guys here.  Not one.  Nobody had the courage or integrity to publically defend Bartman from a pathetic baseball inquisition.  What was done to him was disgraceful and indefensible on any level.  And as ESPN will prove for better or for worse Tuesday night, it’s still happening eight years later.

Everyone involved owes Steve Bartman a heartfelt apology, starting with the Chicago Cubs.  Sadly, I doubt it will ever be delivered.

A Lifetime of Reasons to Believe in the Steelers

When I was growing up I often considered the possibility that from a sports standpoint, I was born ten years too late. After all, I started watching sports in 1980, one year after Pittsburgh experienced arguably the greatest decade in sports history.

Granted as my personal time clock ticks closer to 40 than 30, I’ve strongly reconsidered that stance. Of course it’s easier to do so after the Steelers double dented a quarter century championship drought and the Penguins have had two decades of unprecedented success.

Still, I remember those painful days in the 80s, desperately waiting for the Steelers to return to prominence. I knew all about the Super Steelers of the 70s but honestly, they were just characters in a movie to me. I never really saw them at their best. My early memories of football involve a washed up Franco Harris, a slowly declining Steel curtain, and Mark Malone chucking balls at everyone except his own teammates (while looking oddly like Magnum PI).

I distinctly remember the final game of the 1986 season; a horrific loss the eventual Super Bowl champion New York Giants. What I remember most was somebody named Scott Campbell starting at quarterback and the genuine excitement for this in the Burgh. Seriously, we were so burned out from the likes of Malone, David Woodley, and Cliff Stoudt that we were fired up for some 6th round draft choice from Purdue.

To my recollection, Campbell never played another game in the Burgh. Still, that cold Saturday afternoon in Meadowlands always seemed like a low point in Steeler history, at least from the perspective of my time on the planet.

There is a reason that those days seem so far off and distant. The simple fact is that bad Steeler teams have been a true exception in most of our lifetimes. I arrived on this earth just one day before the immaculate reception (and we wonder why I’m such a huge football fan?) which means I’ve lived at least parts of 37 football seasons. During that time the black and gold have made the playoffs 24 times.

Even more amazing, the Steelers have had only 6 losing seasons during Habertime. Do you realize that since Bill Cowher arrived in the Burgh in 1992, the Steelers have finished below 500 just twice? That’s two losing seasons in 18 years. During that period the Pirates have had ZERO WINNING SEASONS.

Honestly, those accomplishments are every bit as impressive as six Super Bowl championships and seven trips to the big game. I’m not sure there has been a consistently better team in North American professional sports in my lifetime. That includes the NY Yankees, in spite of the fact that they can all but purchase a division title in any given year.

Maybe that’s why Steeler fans are so skittish these days. Maybe that’s why one disappointing season, has caused such rampant pessimism in the Burgh. I can’t say this with any scientific accuracy but I get a sense that a lot of Steeler fans see bad things on the horizon. Not just a bad season this year but a mid 80’s style crash back to earth. That seems to be more than some in the Steeler nation can handle.

The black and gold are such an integral part of our personal identities and nobody wants to identify with a loser. One shutters to think at what would happen if the Steelers endured a down streak even as long as the Penguins did earlier this decade. I won’t even ponder Pirate like futility; lest my keyboard spontaneously combust beneath my fingers.

So let’s consider the question; are things really that bad?

Let’s start by throwing out a few obvious points:

1) Our superstar QB is suspended for four games and on thin ice with the organization and the fans. His replacements are, to say the least, less than awe inspiring. Also, our star WR bonged his way out of town…literally.

2) The defense was awful last year; especially in the 4th quarter.

3) The Steelers lost several games to truly awful teams including Oakland, Cleveland, Kansas City, and (Mayor Daley forgive me), the Chicago Bears.

To quote Kevin Bacon in A Few Good Men, “these are the facts, and they are not in dispute.”

Now let’s look at a few counter points.

1) There is nothing we can do about Big Ben but hope he’s ready to play in October and ready to accept a new lease on life. Let’s just hope that Byron Dixonwich can keep the team at 500 until Ben returns. As for Santonio, it’s a tough loss but I’ll take my chances with Mike Wallace and Hines Ward (and mercifully not Limas Sweed).

2) The defense was missing arguably its two most important players in Troy Polamalu and Aaron Smith. When Smith went down in 2007, the Steelers suddenly lost the ability to defend the run (see the Jacksonville playoff game). As for Troy, he played 30 minutes of the opener against Tennessee and I think he made every tackle. I never believed one player, especially a safety, could make that big of a difference. He did.

3) The Steelers were clearly suffering from another Super Bowl hangover. Moreover, I don’t think they were ready to deal with life without a dominant defense until it was too late. See point 2 above.

Which brings us to the ultimate question, how good or how bad do things look going forward?

First, let’s assume that Ben has learned and matured after his offseason escapades. Once we get beyond Ben’s life on campus, we should remember that he’s one of the top 5 quarterbacks in the NFL, no matter how much others try to deny it. I figure Ben has at least five more years before his concussion count pushes him into retirement. That’s five more years the Steelers will put points on the board.

Second, I remain a fan of Mike Tomlin. As with everyone in sports, he has a small number of myopic critics who will never let the facts interfere with good story telling. I remind these folks that Tomlin has only three years of experience and he was the youngest coach in the NFL when hired. He should continue to improve a la Cowher, and he’s already won a Super Bowl. I don’t like how far the Steelers strayed from their identity last year but I do like Tomlin’s ability to adapt to the team’s strengths…and weaknesses.

The bigger concern for me long-term is the defense. The front seven is aging rapidly in front of us. I admit the loss of Smith hurt last year and his return should help. Let’s not forget however that older players tend to get hurt more often. The entire D-Line is over 30 and you have an aging linebacker core with Harrison, Farrior, and the back from the dead (or at least from Detroit), Larry Foote. The one young linebacker to really like is Woodley and he’s dangerously close to being a free agent.

As for Troy, he’s the true engine of the defense and his healthy return should make a huge difference. Still, let’s be honest and realize that it can’t be all Polamalu forever. It’s not a coincidence that players like Polamalu and Bob Sanders are frequently injured; both play too big for their bodies. Eventually all the big hits are going to ware him down and/or he’s going to have to change his style of play.

So in the long-term, I have concerns about the defense. In the short-term, I expect it will be significantly better than last year, which is admittedly not setting the bar all that high. If that happens, the team stays afloat without Ben, and the offense remains productive when he returns, I still think the Steelers are a legitimate contender this year. Beyond that; well who knows if we are even going to have football beyond that.

From a bigger picture standpoint, let’s remember the history I quoted above. The Steelers are not a flash in the pan situation like New Orleans or an organization built ostensibly around one player like Indianapolis. This is a team that has made the playoffs 2 out of 3 years in my lifetime. Even those downtrodden years in the 80s included four post season trips and one AFC Championship game. You don’t maintain that level of success without knowing how to find and develop talent.

I’m no different than any other Steeler fan. I dread the thought of going back to the 80’s; where a 9 and 7 season was cause for celebration. That being said, I’ll keep my faith with the black and gold. Think back to how you felt when guys like Jerome Bettis, Eric Green, Rod Woodson, Greg Lloyd and Chad Brown left town. Somehow the Steelers found a way to replace them. Just as they ultimately replaced the dynasty Steelers of the 70s.

There is a huge difference in the quality of organizations in the NFL. Just as the Steelers are consistently successful; Cleveland, Cincy, Detroit, and Arizona are consistently bad. Just as the Steelers occasionally have a bad year; those teams occasionally have success. Over the long-term; water finds its level.

The Steeler’s organization has been a constant in sports from the day I debuted the planet. I’m a benefit of the doubt guy and the Steelers have earned every bit of it from me (just as I often say the Pirates have earned none of it). Keep in mind that few of us expected a Super Bowl win in either 2005 or 2008.

So to answer my question above, I stand by my premise; if the team survives 2 and 2 without Ben they are a legitimate contender this year. It’s a thin line between success and failure. History suggests that more often than not; the black and gold are on the right side of that line.

Winners Win, Losers Blame the Ref

I have made no secret of my disdain for former Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren, at least since February of 2006.

To be honest, I had little or no opinion of Holmgren before Super Bowl XL. Admittedly I found his reputation as a so called offensive genius more than a bit overstated. And I noted his striking resemblance to either a walrus or my high school soccer coach (make of that what you will). Beyond that, I truly could care less about him before that game was played.

So why do I despise him so much today? Let’s recap. That day, the black and gold finally broke their 26 year championship drought beating Seattle 21 to 10. It was one of the ugliest Super Bowls every played, unless you were from Pittsburgh. Then it was just “misunderstood.” In the end, a win is a win and a loss is a loss, except for Mike Holmgren.

The Steelers were the better team on that day. They outplayed the Seahawks, although certainly not by a wide margin. More important, Holmgren was badly outcoached by Cowher, Wisenhunt, Lebeau and company.

The Steelers completely changed their defense to a bend but don’t break strategy against the pass while shutting down Seattle’s running game. It was the perfect counter to Holmgren’s quick delivery, west coast passing system; a system ideally suited to short-circuiting the Steeler blitz. The Walrus never adapted. The Steeler coaches found a way to win on a day their QB struggled and pulled out one of the great trick plays in SB history.

Moreover on two separate occasions, Seattle looked confused and out of sorts in the two minute drill; at the end of the first half and late in the game. I amazed at how often this is overlooked, especially given Holmgren’s supposed offensive genius.

So how did Coach Walrus react to being soundly outcoached and his team being outplayed? By blaming the refs, directly, twice. It was embarrassing and pathetic for a supposed leader of men. He did it first while running off the field at halftime (even though the actual question was why did your team choke in the two minute drill). He did it a second time a few days later with his famous “I didn’t know we’d have to play against the guys in the striped shirts too” comment at the Seahawks “runners up” parade.

In that period of approximately 48 hours I lost all respect for Holmgren. In my eyes, at least as a football coach, he will NEVER get it back. Crying about the refs is a loser’s lament. I hate it when fans do it and it’s completely beneath a coach at the highest level of his profession.

Compounding my disdain was the ENTERTAINMENT and sports network in Bristol, an organization that never lets the facts get in the way of a good story. They ran with Holmgren’s crying for days, parallel to their own distorted story about the refs stealing the game from the woebegone Seahawks. Really, why worry about the facts if you can give Mike and Mike a non-story to yapp about for two weeks?

If you want to see how a real leader of men deals with outside adversity; watch the Steeler highlight video from that year. In all the complaining about a few boarder line calls against the Seahawks, everybody seemed to forget that the refs nearly kept the Steelers out of the game to begin with. Remember how they overturned Polamalu’s clear cut interception against Indy a few weeks earlier; after seeing indisputable proof that it was the correct call?

Watch the highlight video and listen to what Cowher tells his defense. He gathers them around and says (paraphrasing), “if they overturn this, we go out and play hard. We don’t worry about things we can’t control. We play.” After the game, which would have been a blowout if not for the phantom reversal, Cowher told the media (paraphrasing again), the refs are the refs. We control what we can control. He did not cry about the inequities of officiating.

I always respected Bill Cowher but my respect for him increased 1000 times that day. I’m still angry about that call in Indy four + years later and I’m just a fan. Imagine how angry Cowher must have been. That call could have cost him one of the great (and well deserved) upsets in NFL history. It could have cost him his long awaited Super Bowl win. And yet he kept his composure, accepted the situation and remained a leader of men. He did not let the officials decide the game, nor did his team. That’s what winners do.

Under far less egregious circumstances, Mike Holmgren cried and whined like a spoiled five year old.

I rehash this tail of woe today in tribute to the USA World Cup soccer team. They could easily have succumbed to the adversity of having two goals taken away from them by officials over two games. This in a sport where games are frequently won 1-0. They could have accepted a draw against Algeria and then blamed the refs, as every fan and media member is already doing. Rest assured, the ENTERTAINMENT and sports network would have been right there with them, bringing in scores of experts to bash FIFA and the refs.

Much to their credit, they did not and I could not be more proud of them as a result. Instead, they did what champions do; they overcame the officiating and found a way to win. They generated scoring chance after scoring chance and finally won on Landon Donovan’s injury time goal in the second half. It was one of the truly great moments in the history of a national team that generated far too many negative headlines at the last World Cup.

Keep this in mind as well. The USA came from 2-0 down against Slovenia which is almost unheard of in World Cup soccer. Not only were they robbed of a victory in that game, they were robbed of one of the great comebacks in soccer history. You can argue, and I won’t disagree, that they dug themselves a huge hole. That being said, give them credit for a never say die comeback for the ages. While the supposed power teams from England, Germany and Italy are underachieving and the French team embarrassed an entire nation, the USA pulled together brilliantly.

Let me clear up a few potential misconceptions before I go any further.

First, I said the USA played like champions and I meant it. Champions overcome adversity and find a way to win. That being said, I’m still not expecting our boys to win this thing. I get frustrated with the “we are happy to be here” attitude I so often hear from American soccer but I can live with the reality of it, especially given their play today.

Second, I’m not suggesting they were not angry at being robbed of two goals, nor that they should not be. The call today was boarder line; the call last Friday was a Polamalu caliber abomination of sport. Even worse was FIFA’s decision to never identify what the call actually was or admit a mistake was made. Far be it for anybody to have accountability in the most visible sporting event on the planet.

That being said, they kept their composure and played through the adversity. History suggests that’s not always the case, whether it’s bad officiating or other outside factors beyond the players’ control.

I lost a ton of respect for Dusty Baker, Moises Alou, and all of the Chicago Cubs for collapsing in the 2003 league championship, ostensibly because a fan tipped a foul ball in the stands. Alou had a temper tantrum on national TV, the Cubs imploded, and then the robotic Baker happily pinned the blame on the fan, rather than himself or his choking players.

Beyond the fact that this contributed to a criminally irresponsible media frenzy that nearly ruined the young man’s life, it also showed a total lack of character, accountability, or self respect on the part of the Cubs. No wonder they collapsed so completely in the end. Just a thought but maybe the best professional athletes on earth should be able to shake off a tipped foul ball, especially with a three run lead in the 8th inning and a 3-2 lead in the series.

So its not a given that a team will overcome outside factors. These players work their entire lives to get to this level, play their guts out and then have their efforts nullified by bad officiating. This in the biggest sporting event on the planet and the one with the smallest margin of error. If ever there was a chance for them to succumb to excuses or come unglued this was it. There is little doubt in my mind that previous USA teams would have fallen apart, even the successful teams from 94 and 06. This one did not.

Kudos to coach Bob Bradley for his leadership. I’m thrilled that the USA stayed in house rather than hiring an international ringer as coach and Bradley justified their faith. He basically told everyone to accept the situation, move on and play to win. He never lost site of the big picture.

Kudos to Landon Donovan for finally playing like the superstar he is. The best players, the Lemieux, Crosby, Malkin and the Talbots of the world come through when their team needs them the most. Donovan has been brilliant in this tournament and you get the feeling that he was not going to let his team lose today.

Kudos to Tim Howard because as we all know, the goalkeeper is a superior form of life.

And kudos to the entire team for not giving up, for overcoming adversity, and fighting to the finish. They may not win this World Cup, but during their last game and a half they played like true champions.