Wow. From the moment I hit Blairsville, I knew it was on. On Shiloh Street, not a single person wearing something other than Black and Gold. All over the TV, and all over town.

It's good to be home again.

I've arrived in Pittsburgh, and boy, was it worth the trip already. The fans in this town are bleeding their colors every moment of every day, and it's a very beautiful thing indeed. The love this city has for its home team is incredible. To have made it to the Super Bowl in such dramatic fashion, especially with the story of two men: One called Big Ben. The other, The Bus.

I've blogged about Jerome Bettis enough lately. But the story of The Promise is one worth getting into a bit, because it's one of those endearing moments in Sports that just grabs you. Like Ruth calling his shot, or Eruzioni scoring the fourth and final goal in Lake Placid. It's like Tiger winning the Masters, and of course, like Franco and a catch still considered to be Immaculate.

The Bus was considering retirement after last season. Though they'd had the best season in team history (15-1, with a rookie quarterback winning most of them) only to be stopped by conference rival New England in the AFC title game. They knew it was their best chance in a decade, and Jerome was nearly ready to hang up the cleats.

And then along came Big Ben. Roethlisberger convinced Bettis to stay by promising to get him to the Super Bowl in Detroit this year. This promise was kept secret until around the time of this year's AFC title game. But the road there was a striking one. They were nearly counted out mid-season, but a win against the Lions (including three Bus TDs) earned them the last wild card spot, and making them the 6th seeded team. Getting to the Super Bowl would be a monumental task.

Division rival Cincinatti had a great year, and had even beaten the Steelers earlier in the season. But after asking "Who Dey" one too many times, the Bengals were sent home in the wild card game with an answer of "Dey Goin' Home." The #3 seeded team was out of the road.

Perhaps the most striking victory, though, was the Heart Attack in Indy. The Colts were the NFL's top team, and had handled the Steelers quite easily on a Monday night mid-season. But the Steelers came out swinging, and for most of the game, it looked like they'd cruise to a surprise upset win. But then came the last four minutes. The Pick Overturned. The Fumble. The Tackle. The Missed Field Goal. The #1 Team going home.

A win by Denver over New England only served to bolster our chances: We wouldn't have to potentially suffer the same fate two years in a row. This set up a Mile-High showdown which first brought me to the city two weeks ago. The Steelers never lost the lead as they marched to a well-fought victory, punching their tickets to Detroit.

And most importantly: Keeping The Promise that a then-rookie quarterback made to a veteran on his last run.

The stage is set. In 24 hours, the last incredible game of an already astounding season will be played. This is for all the peanuts. The Bus is home, his final stop before a little place they call the Hall of Fame. Let's get him some hardware to take with him.

GO STEELERS!