There was nothing between quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and the football yesterday.

	Peter Diana, Post-Gazette Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger does not have a glove on his right hand as he talks with quarterbacks coach Mark Whipple at practice yesterday at the Steelers' South Side facility. Click photo for larger image.

The rookie stripped down to his bare hands at practice and said the most famous glove in Pittsburgh since Roberto Clemente patrolled right field for the Pirates might disappear Sunday as well.

"I'm going to try to go this week without it," Roethlisberger said, "because it supposedly might snow this weekend. If it's wet, it makes it worse. We'll see if we can go without this week."

Roethlisberger wore gloves on both hands for several games this season, as he did in college at Miami (Ohio), when it turned cold.

It did not become an issue until he wore them against the New York Jets and turned in one of his worst games in what has been the most successful season of any rookie quarterback in history.

"I started wearing them in high school a little bit, and then I played a couple of games in college with them," Roethlisberger said. "What it does is it helps me grip the ball better. When it's cold outside, the ball gets slippery.

"As everyone may not know, we use brand new balls every game, and so the ball is slippery. Basically, the glove is just to help me grip the ball better. It is something that I've done for a while now, and I will continue to do so."

Coach Bill Cowher told his quarterback he does not care if he wears gloves or not, as long as he delivers the football where it's supposed to go.

"We are calling for potentially wet weather," Cowher said, "so Ben's philosophy is that he would rather practice without them, and then, if he has to put them on [Sunday], it is not a problem if it is dry. He would rather not practice with them and then it be a wet day and have to go without it.

"That is a question that I asked and that is the same answer I received."

As for the consistent speculation that something's wrong with his right thumb, Roethlisberger said, "No, nothing was wrong with my hand."