Steely McDrunk

Not only is this guy facing DUI charges, but now everyone knows what he did for a living.

Maybe a marketing study could be our mascot

Metroblogging Pittsburgh riffs on fears that Steely McBeam misrepresents the city's modern image, and I put in my two cents, which I reproduce below:

Steely McBeam, of course, isn't the mascot for the city; he's the mascot for the Steelers. Do people in San Francisco fret that the 49ers don't accurately reflect the city's image?

Frankly, I think we obsess far too much about what people think of us. I don't think our image, or stereotypes about our past, are what stunt our economic growth. If all the resources and energy devoted to marketing Pittsburgh were devoted instead to solving our very real and tangible problems, like our ballooning debt, crumbling infrastructure, and struggling school system? We might end up with a city we can all be truly proud of--and one that could sell itself.

Maybe they can call the arena team the Pittsburgh Corporate Lawyers

The Post-Gazette reminds the city's image-obsessed civic guardians to lighten up about the Steelers' new mascot:

Here's the observation: Perhaps those who care about the city's image -- ourselves included -- should put aside their branding concerns and lighten up. The Steelers are the Steelers and that won't change; they are not the Corporate Lawyers or the Health Care Managers or any other representatives of the "new" Pittsburgh. If they are going to have a mascot, he is going to look like Steely McBeam.

Who else would we have? After all, Sophie Masloff is saving herself for the cheerleaders.

I think I just threw up a little bit in my mouth.

But seriously, when will we stop being embarrassed by our industrial heritage? Our past--and alleged obsession with it--is not what holds us back, at least not nearly as much as some people think.

Mascot McStupid

Steely McBeam? I didn't know that the Steelers were looking for ironic mascot nicknames.