Dancing through life

I'm about to quote a Wicked song for the second time on this blog, so non-Broadway geeks beware!

"Dancing through life Skimming the surface Gliding where turf is smooth For the brainless Why think too hard? When it's so soothing Dancing through life"

Did you notice the third line of that song excerpt? Gliding where turf is smooth. I think this line perfectly describes Pittsburgh's favorite Dancing with the Stars competitor, Steelers' wide receiver Hines Ward. Lately, #86 has been gliding on relatively smooth turf (aha, football reference!) while dancing through his life off the field. This season Hines has been more than just a participant on the long running reality show. He has consistently been one of the highest scoring competitors, and the only other celebrities left to compete against him are actresses Chelsea Kane and Kirstie Alley.
I'll be the first to admit that I have not been following Hines regularly during his run on DWTS. I had never been an avid fan of the show prior to his appearance, and I just couldn't find the time to watch one of my favorite Steelers shake his booty on the dance floor. Additionally, it seemed that every time I turned to the show some random celebrity that was not Hines was dancing. Frankly, I didn't care to see Kendra Wilkinson pathetically try to ballroom dance!
Now, before you navigate away from my blog because of my lack of loyalty to Hines, read this next sentence. Recently, I've been paying a lot more attention to Hines and his dancing escapades. I started tuning in once I discovered that his partner, professional dancer Kym Johnson, had been injured during practice. I wondered how the pair would come back from Johnson's potentially serious injury. (Hines practically dropped Kym on her head during rehearsal...ouch!) So, I tuned in, and I was not disappointed. I learned what many other Burghers had known for awhile: Hines was pretty darn good at this whole dancing thing. Heck, he could even try out for the part of Fiyero. (Virtual high five if you got that Wicked reference). Now that Hines is in the top three, I'm hooked. My competitive spirit that is so present during Steelers' season has returned with a vengeance. A loss by Hines is simply not an option. Tonight, I'll be waving my Terrible Towel at my TV, while hoping and praying that Hines comes out on top. What better way to cure my depression from the Steelers' Super loss than a wicked win by Hines?!

P.S. This Wicked themed post was inspired by my excitement over the musical's return to the Burgh! Galinda and Elphaba will land in the Steel City on September 7, and they won't fly back to Oz (actually, they'll fly to their next tour stop: Atlanta) until October 2. As you can probably tell, Wicked is my very favorite musical, and I am determined to find a way home from college to see the show. When I do see it for the second time (I saw it for the first time last year in New York), it will be one fine day! (aha, another reference!)

A Steeler worth rooting for:

I'm sure you have heard the uproar that Steelers' running back Rashard Mendenhall has created with his recent Tweets about Osama bin Laden's death. Unfortunately, "Rush hard" has done a pretty good job of making both himself and the Steelers organization look purty bad. He's certainly not the first Steeler to get himself on a prime spot on the "naughty" list (Ahem, Big Ben and Santonio Holmes). But, I'm here to assure you that the Steelers aren't full of silly gooses. Of course, we usually only hear about the silly gooses that make the headlines for their mistakes. Pittsburgh's favorite football team is full of great guys who truly make a difference in their community. Such as,
A.) The 'Burgh's favorite Dancing with the Stars contestant, Hines Ward. Pretty much everyone in Steeler Nation loves #86 and apparently so do the ballroom dancing star's judges.
B.) Head and Shoulders spokesman Troy Polamalu. Pittsburgher's love Troy's flowing locks and his humorous spots for the shampoo company.
But, now, I have another player to add to the Steelers' list of players on the "nice" list. During the recent NFL draft, the team selected former Texas Tech running back Baron Batch. I have to admit that I dislike the draft almost as much as I like the Steelers. I simply don't understand why it's made into such a huge media circus, and quite frankly, I pay very little attention to the whole thing. In fact, before reading a recent post on That's Church, I didn't even realize that the Steelers had drafted Batch. Although, even those diehard fans who watched every second of the draft might not have realized that Batch was drafted. The running back was selected in the seven round, and he will face a tough path the next few months to make it on the team. But this will certainly not be the first time Batch has faced tough circumstances. Simply take a glance at his blog to take a peek at his amazing and inspiring life story. I can almost guarantee that you'll stick around the blog for awhile. He's a phenomenal writer with a great, big heart, which is very evident through his posts. One thing is certain -- I'll be keeping up with his blog even if he doesn't make the team. In fact, I'm certain that even if he doesn't have a successful football career he will find something positive and inspiring to do with the rest of his life!
Go Baron! I mean, how can you not root for him?
(And you, go read his blog!)