Sad day in Steeler history...

I've always viewed NFL teams who have mascots or cheerleaders as somewhat less of a football team. Take the Dallas Cowboys, for example. It's always been my opinion that they need cheerleaders on the sidelines to keep their fans from realizing that their glory days are long gone.
Or the Patriots. I mean, who hasn't cringed at the sight of that guy with a regular sized body & enormous head prancing along the sidelines? I'm embarrassed for them.

For so long I've taken pride in the fact that my hometown team never needed stupid gimmicks like that...they were a solid team with a rich history and that's all that mattered.
Today I was rocked to the core when I discovered that the Steelers organization had stooped to an all-time low. Pittsburgh now has a mascot - and he's not even cool!!! He somewhat resembles former coach Bill Cowher, is dressed like a member of the Village People, and has eyebrows the size of caterpillars. As if all that wasn't bad enough, they let the fans submit possible names for him. Out of 70,000 entries, THIS is what they chose (I can hardly bring myself to type it): Steely McBeam. Here's a look at the whole package:

I feel betrayed as a fan. Nobody asked the fans if we wanted some ridiculous mascot. In fact, in a recent survey conducted by thepittsburghchannel.com, over 80% of people polled said that they hate the idea of a mascot and hate the name even more!!!!!

Here's my wish list for what I hope will happen to Steely McBeam, in order of mildest option to most severe:
1. He will be booed out of the stadium before halftime of the first regular season home game.
2. Disgruntled fans will pummel him into a heap of disfigured foam as he tries to get the crowd to cheer.
3. He'll 'accidentally' be standing in front of the Steelers tunnel and be trampled as they run out onto the field.
I've never considered myself a gambler, but I'd put money on option #2 being the way it all goes down.

I hereby declare this week a tragedy in Steelers history. Until further notice, Terrible Towels are to be waved at shoulder height rather than up in the air.
I'm going to go drown my sorrows in pierogies & Italian sausage...