On the Steelers: Any wonder Baltimore hates us?
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The 1971 and '79 World Series victories and the 2008 AFC championship all denied Baltimore its own celebrations.
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Even if the Baltimore Ravens beat the Steelers at Heinz Field tonight, they will have one more hump to conquer, and that would have to wait until the postseason. Because when it comes to the postseason, Pittsburgh is Baltimore's daddy.
Pittsburgh's major pro sports teams are 7-0 against Baltimore's through the years. That includes the Steelers' 3-0 record against the Ravens and their 2-0 record against the old Baltimore Colts. Add the Pirates' two World Series victories over the Orioles, and it's a clean sweep.
If anyone in Baltimore cares to claim the Washington Capitals as their home NHL team, the Penguins are 7-1 against them in the postseason.
The one time Baltimore was able to truly derail Pittsburgh came in 1976 in Baltimore. It was a strange day. The Steelers easily beat the Colts, 40-14. Seconds after the game ended, a man buzzed the playing field in a single-engine plane and then crashed it into the upper deck of old Memorial Stadium.
Maybe it was an omen for the Steelers because they came out of that game with injuries that would send their chances of winning a third consecutive Super Bowl into a nose-dive. Their three top running backs -- Franco Harris, Rocky Bleier and Frenchy Fuqua -- were injured in that game and did not play in the AFC championship game at Oakland the following week.
The Steelers' makeshift, one-back attack failed and the Raiders won, 24-7, going on to win the Super Bowl.
So, indirectly, Baltimore did have a hand in keeping the Steelers from becoming the only team to win three Super Bowls in a row.
The modern Baltimore football team has found nothing but frustration trying to go through Pittsburgh to reach its second Super Bowl. The Ravens lost in the playoffs last season in Heinz Field, 31-24, after they blew a 21-7 halftime lead. In 2008, the Steelers beat Baltimore in the AFC championship at Heinz Field, 23-14. And in 2001, the Steelers beat Baltimore in the playoffs at Heinz Field, 27-10, denying the Ravens a chance to win a second consecutive Super Bowl.
First Published November 6, 2011 12:00 am
