SUPERBOWL (page 2)

Jourles

Seattle can go give themselves a coffee enema...

Way to go Pitts. I was going for Denver, but any team that could hand that kind of a loss to the Broncos deserves to win.

stillajwexelder

I have started a poll for those interested

DanTheMan

Mediocre commercials; sloppy, boring, and poorly officiated (in the Steelers favor) game - not a Super Bowl for the ages.

Beep,Beep

""I thought the Stones were better than McCartney""

How is that possible? The Stones looked and sounded STONED! As for the game. WAY TO GO STEELER'S

Darth Yhwh

Whoooooooohhhhooo! Go Pittsburgh! BHHHOOOOO YAHHHHHHH! BABY!

Condolences to all of you Seahawks fans.

Gretchen956

WOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My boys won!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sherry

Mulan

Sherry!!!!!!!!!!!!! What are you saying????

MerryMagdalene

...and a JW centenarian is given a great way to slyly celebrate he 100th birthday (hope the local elders don't get wind of this and DF her!)

Super Bowl falls on Steelers fan’s 100th birthday

By RANDY GRIFFITH The Tribune-Democrat

Super Bowl parties have been a staple for Ethel Merle’s family since her beloved Steelers’ dynasty years in the 1970s.

But this year’s celebration takes on special meaning because today is her 100th birthday.

Her Super Bowl birthday is attracting national media attention, but she is focused on the big game.

“That’s all I was looking forward to,” Merle said, surrounded by Steelers merchandise at her home in Camoset Village Country Living mobile home park, Upper Yoder Township.

“I didn’t know I was getting into all of this.”

As word got out, calls started coming in from newspapers and broadcast stations across the country, her son, Bob Merle, said after fielding a call from St. Louis.

“It’s too much,” Ethel Merle said.

“They call all the time.”

Most calls were from radio stations requesting live interviews, said her daughter-in-law, Marilyn Merle.

They were turned down.

“She can’t hear well enough to go over the radio,” Marilyn Merle said.

As a devout member of the nearby Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses, Merle said her beliefs don’t allow her to celebrate birthdays. Her family had other ideas.

“They said, ‘If she makes 100, we are going to have to do something,’ ” Merle said, grinning at her son.

Luckily, the game provides an excuse to party.

“The whole family is coming over for cake and ice cream in the afternoon,” her son said.

Then it will be time to get down to the important business: Watching her Steelers beat the Seattle Seahawks.

Merle said she has stuck with the team through thick and thin since the 1970s, when she started watching games after the death of her husband, retired steelworker Milton Merle.

The couple had six children, but only Bob Merle and his sister, Laverne Mechem, survive. Her other children were daughter Vivian Cortese and sons James, Ron and Milton Jr.

Originally, the family would gather at James’ home in Moxham.

“My boy always had Super Bowl parties,” Merle said. “We always went to his house. I just got interested in all the Steelers games.”

Today’s celebration will be in the Camoset Village where she lives with her daughter and son-in-law, LaVerne and Jim Mechem.

Since the days of Terry Bradshaw, Franco Harris, Jack Ham and Rocky Bleier, Merle rarely has missed a game on TV.

She is a team fan, not a players’ fan. Standouts Jerome Bettis, Ben Roethlisberger and Hines Ward are just part of the big picture.

“I like them all: Bettis and Ben and Ward,” Merle said.

“I can’t say those other guys’ names.”

Her son said Merle compares Steelers safety Troy Polamalu to Samson, the biblical strongman.

“He won’t be Samson if he cuts his hair,” Bob Merle said.

She focuses on the team because of her Jehovah’s Witnesses beliefs.

“I don’t make idols of anything,” she said. “I just like to watch the game. I like them all.”

The collection of Steelers-logo emblazoned hats, shirts, stuffed animals, crafts and Terrible Towels don’t include any players’ photos. Most were gifts from family members.

Although her mind remains sharp, Merle’s activities are limited since a hip fracture in April put her behind a walker. Congestive heart failure tethers her to an oxygen tank.

Neither keeps her from cheering the Steelers, although she hopes there isn’t a repeat of the Jan. 15 playoff game’s gut-wrenching finale.

Late in that game at Indianapolis, a Polamalu interception was improperly overruled, Bettis fumbled, Roethlisberger made a game-saving tackle, and Colts kicker Mike Vanderjagt missed a game-tying field goal.

“I get pretty shaken with them,” Merle said.

“Sometimes when they’re getting hurt, I hurt too.”

Her family is predicting a Steelers victory for her birthday.

“If they lose, I guess I’ll cry,” Merle said.

In more than 30 years of watching the Steelers on television, Merle has never been to a game.

But there is always next year.

“That would be great,” she said.

~Merry

FlyingHighNow

Because of the two trick plays and 76 yard run by the Steelers & the ROCKING half time show, it was the best game I've ever seen. I loved watching him breaking away and running 3/4's of the field, without being stopped. He made it look effortless. The Steeler's have a new fan.

Wow, Gretchen, you backed the Steelers? How'd that go over around there?

SUPERBOWL

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