Monday, February 2, 2009

Another Steelers Championship? Meh…

Feb. 2, 2009
Posted by Noah

Given that Heritage is a Dallas-based company, that most of its employees live here in the Metroplex and given the bad blood between the Cowboys and Steelers – not to forget that I despise the Pittsburgh Steelers almost as much as I do the San Francisco 49ers and Washington Redskins – don’t expect me, or anyone else here, to be waiving a terrible towel this morning. In fact, I would rather have chewed tin foil than see Pitt win another championship – Six titles for this team? The most in the NFL? That’s simply not right. The fact that it came over the lowly Cards, who shouldn’t have been there in the first place? Too easy. Ugh.

I watched yesterday’s game holding my nose, wanting only to see the vaunted Steel Curtain fall into ignominy, and I almost got my wish. Arizona, however, proved that defenses do indeed win championships by not providing any of its own and letting Pittsburgh stroll down the field for the final score. I didn’t want to watch because, somehow, you just knew that with more than two-and-a-half minutes left that the game was far from over.

I emailed Chris Ivy – the Director of Sports here – this morning with a few questions about the game and its impact on collectibles. He’s much more diplomatic than I am, and I give him credit for that. Here’s the exchange:

Me: What was your estimation of the game from a pure football standpoint?
Chris: As someone that didn’t have a particular interest in either team, it certainly delivered and was a great game from a fan’s standpoint. Both teams came from behind and made great plays; it’s a shame that one of them had to lose. (It’s a shame that Pittsburgh got to win! – Noah)

Me: Will the win affect prices on SuperBowl and/or Pittsburgh and/or Cards (Kurt Warner) memorabilia?

Chris: The Super Bowl will certainly influence memorabilia prices for items related to each team from this season. Game used jerseys from both teams will see a rise. Even though his team lost the game, Kurt Warner material will see a rise in his collectibles as well. Kurt Warner was a borderline Hall of Fame prospect if his career ended this season without any additional post season appearances, but because of this post season performance and the fact that he has taken his team to the Super Bowl three times, I think that he is now probable to be elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and that will affect all of his memorabilia.

ME: Just to put you on the spot, next year’s Super Bowl teams?

Chris: The Minnesota Vikings vs. the New England Patriots.

Here’s a link to some of the Steeler memorabilia that has sold at auction here in the last four years, Here’s some Kurt Warner stuff, and a single entry from the Arizona Cardinals. My picks for next year’s Super Bowl? Oakland vs. Detroit. You heard it here first.