Ringing in 2013
…with two fan stories from 2012!
Our first story comes from Bella Tomko. She met Ben on Sunday night after the Steelers game against the Browns while he and his lovely wife, Ashley, were dining at Ichiban Hibachi Steakhouse. Bella tweeted the photo that Ashley took of her posing with Ben along with a thank you to him for being “so nice”!
I went up to him and said, “Excuse me, are you Ben Roethlisberger?” (just to make sure it was really him)! He said yes. I felt so bad for interrupting him at dinner, but I congratulated him on the great game he had played earlier and asked him if I could take a picture with him. He said, “Yeah, of course!”. His wife took the photo for me, she was very nice as well. I thanked him so much and he said, “No problem! I hope you have a great new year!”.
Most athletes aren’t that nice to people who interrupt their night. Thank you Ben! — Bella Tomko
Our second fan story comes by way of Scotland – St. Andrews Golf Course to be exact!
David Field was a caddy at the course this past summer when Ben and his friends were there on a golfing vacation. He saw Big Ben on the course and knew he had to meet him! David just recently found the website’s twitter page and tweeted his photo and a “thank you” as well!
As a caddie we see the ballot and all the names of players on the Old Course daily and obviously take note of the celebs that come through. I’m a huge American football fan even though I’m Scottish and coverage is limited over here. We had heard rumours of Big Ben being over in St. Andrews and when the ballot went up I noticed his name and my initial reaction was to just meet him! It was on the 13th hole of the Old Course and I was caddying down the 6th which is adjacent. I looked over and noticed the […]
From Benjamin Jr…
Just want to send a Happy Birthday out to my Grandpa!
Happy Birthday Grandpa!!!! Love you! — JR
Sending birthday wishes to Ken Roethlisberger this morning, and a Happy New Year to Steeler Nation!
Finishing the season on a positive note
“I said earlier in the week that we wanted to come out and finish the year with a win and have a good feeling going into the off-season. That is what we did. I’m proud of the way the guys finish.” — Ben
Ben led the Steelers to a 24-10 win over the Cleveland Browns and an 8-8 record on the season. He was limited to just 134 passing yards, but threw three touchdowns – to Plaxico Burress (his first of the season), Antonio Brown, and Leonard Pope in the victory.
Highlights from Ben’s post-game interview:
What now?
Go rest a little bit, heal up and get dedicated to come back better than ever.
What do you need to do in the off-season?
Just get healthy first and foremost. I already started to formulate a plan with [conditioning coach] Garrett Giemont to get better, to get my body better and ready to go.
How healthy or unhealthy were you the last few games?
I’m fine.
Coming back (from the injury), any regrets?
No regrets.
Do you get the feeling that a lot of guys are not going to be back?
It’s tough. You’re used to seeing a lot of the same faces around here, and to see new guys come in, and then some of the old faces that might not be around…You want everybody back but you know that is not what is going to happen. We hope to get everyone back and wish everyone the best.
If you get the nod to go to the Pro Bowl, would you go?
I didn’t get the nod. I don’t know if I’m healthy enough to go anyway.
You can watch video of Ben’s interview here.
You can watch game highlights here.
You can check out a few game photos here.
Now the season may be over, but things will still be goin’ strong here at BigBen7.com! Stop by during the off-season to keep up with #7 and his teammates! You can also check us out on Facebook and Twitter too!
And if you have a photo or story to share, send it our way! Email us at BigBen7website@gmail.com!
Congratulations to teammate Heath Miller
“Honestly, what you see is what you get! And nowadays in sports I don’t think you see much of that anymore. He doesn’t need to be a ‘rah rah’ guy, he doesn’t care about being in front of the cameras, showboating and stuff like that. I’ve always joked that his celebration is he flicks the ball, it’s the most subtle thing ever. He’s just a great guy, it’s awesome to see. Heath leads by example and he’s so selfless, and it’s awesome…he’s just a great guy, it’s awesome to see.” — Ben on Heath Miller’s selection as Steelers MVP, via WTAE – Channel 4 this evening.
More from WTAE:
Heath Miller’s season may have ended abruptly, but that hasn’t stopped the awards from pouring in.
On Thursday, Miller’s teammates voted him the Steelers’ Most Valuable Player for the 2012 season, making him the first tight end to receive the honor in the franchise’s 80-year history.
The award comes one day after Miller was named to the second Pro Bowl of his 8-year career.
You can read the story and watch video of Ben’s interview here.
Also Today:
Congratulations to Maurkice Pouncey, who was also selected as a starter in the 2013 Pro Bowl.
“The best center in the game. Just excited for him and it’s an awesome honor.” — Ben, on Maurkice’s selection.
Ben, Ryan Clark, Shaun Suisham, and Lawrence Timmons are Pro Bowl “second” alternates!
And:
Congratulations are also in order for teammates Casey Hampton and Mike Adams! Both were named the 2012 recipients of the Pittsburgh Chapter of Pro Football Writers of America’s annual award.
Wednesday: Interview with the media
“We want to finish strong. I want to finish strong. I’m going to go out there and give it my all. I’m not going to quit on this team or this franchise or the fans. They’re going to get everything I’ve got and I think everyone in the locker room feels the same way.” — Ben, on preparing for the game against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.
Highlights from the interview:
Have the last few weeks given you cause to think about the offseason and the changes the team may make? Also, what has the problem been with the failed comeback attempts?
In the past, I’ve prided myself and our team in the fourth quarter comebacks. We’ve always said you don’t want to have them because then you’re usually not doing so well early-on in the games. But we’ve always been good at it. This year just wasn’t. I don’t think there is a rhyme or reason why. Just was a year where I wasn’t [good]. I don’t think there’s any reason to go panic. I’ve been pretty good for eight years doing it. I had one not-so-good year at it. I felt like I played pretty good football though, other than those situations. There’s not going to be any panic. I know that this offseason, when it gets here, will be a focus on really striving to get better.
Have you found a little perspective in the days since the Bengals game?
A little bit. It’s still pretty tough. I still go over a lot of things in my head but that’s the competitor in me.
Were you still dealing with injury-issues down the stretch here?
I’ll never make excuses. We can talk about that in the offseason maybe. I feel good enough to play.
Have you thought about who may or may not be here next year?
No, because, I know it sounds crazy, but I’m not looking past this game. This game means a lot to me. It means a lot to a lot of the guys in here. I’m not going to quit on this team or the fans because we at least owe that to them, to fight all the way to the finish.
Can you put something on film this week to convince the team to bring certain guys back?
We hope so. […]
Christmas Wishes
…from the Roethlisbergers:
We wanted to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas! We hope everyone has a blessed holiday! — Ben, Ash, Jr, Herc and Zeus