A Twisted Tale of Intrigue and Glory...

Often I feel constrained by the scope of this blog. Don't get me wrong, I love the Steelers. In fact, if they were a woman, I'd want to be on them every second of every day. But sometimes I get an itch to speak candidly (and I only say candidly because like five people read this blog) about my own personal perspective on other things. Usually I ignore this urge and instead post some idiocy on my auxiliary and much more explicit blog, The Dude Abides. However, today I'd like to speak freely, if I may.

Most of you have probably stumbled upon this blog rather recently. Maybe a month ago. Maybe back in October or November. As a result, you probably don't know the full history of OFTOT, as it exists today in all it's glory (read: consistently gets at least 2 comments per post).

OFTOT began, originally, as an all-purpose man-diary of sorts. I started the blog back in November of 2005 (I actually had to look that up it was so long ago). At the time, I was laboring in a job I couldn't stand, living in a one bedroom apartment above someone else's home, from which I had to walk a mile to catch a train that connected me with two other trains, that eventually shuttled me in my hour plus journey to said miserable job. In otherwords, it was, as it still is, a veritable escape.

Little known fact - I used to write about much more interesting and socially relevant topics. Not that Najeh Davenport's penchant for shitting in closets isn't socially relevant. But I used to lay it all out there. And, of course, no one read it and no one cared. Nevertheless, that is why the URL of this blog is rockstarforhire.blogspot.com and not onefortheotherthumb.blogspot.com. By the time it became a Steeler blog and I realized that people were actually reading it (like enough to qualify it as "moderately legit"), I was too worried that if I changed the URL, all my inbound links would suddenly become inert. So that's how we got to http://rockstarforhire.blogspot.com. But what about the change in focus?

At the beginning of 2006, when the Steelers made their historic playoff run, I stopped blogging for a while. Then, in or around October/November 2006, I responded to an ESPN call for submissions on the subject of "Which State is #1 for Pro, College or High School Football." I mean, how could I not weigh in on that. After all, I knew Ohio would try and stake some sort of claim. I had to defend PA's honor. So I worked hard on the piece for a solid three hours or so, and sent it in to the abyss of ESPN understanding that it would be posted alongside all the other entries at some point in the following month. But I realized, I hadn't given them any indication of my credibility as a writer or as a Steeler fan (though that picture probably provided ample evidence of the latter). I did, however, still control that real estate at http://rockstarforhire.blogspot.com. So I quickly scribbled (typed) and posted an entry about how and why I suck at fantasy football, just in case anyone happened to further investigate my "credentials."

From there, things just kind of flowed. As I talked more about football in general, I realized it was a good focus for me. And as I was an avid and ardent Steeler fan, why not further focus on Steeler football. That, folks, is basically how OFTOT was formed.

Over the next year to year and a half, OFTOT grew steadily. In the Winter and Spring of last year, it got some notoriety when Blog n' Gold took notice. Or rather, it actually got comments from someone other than Domski (who, it should be noted, was the sites only commenter for quite a while). Then, when last season began, things really started to "take off."

Now, just so we're clear, I still wouldn't call OFTOT a "go-to" blog for Steelers fans. I mean, it's only the #7 Steelers blog on BallHype (suspicious, but who am I to argue with the interweb). But I do my thing regardless and hope that someday it will be. Mostly because OFTOT is my primary vehicle for interacting with other Steelers fans. Sure, I belong to the Steelers in Hoboken "club." But even that has become increasingly worthless for someone who wants to talk seriously about the team. Sometimes I think those dudes are more interested in being part of the "club" than actually watching the game with other fans. Whatever. Point is - my favorite and most gratifying times on OFTOT are when we all get to discuss things that affect the team in an objective yet enthusiastic manner.

What does the future hold for OFTOT? I don't know. Most days, I don't even know what I'm going to write about or even what to wear. How could I be expected to envision OFTOT's growth? But whatever the future brings, I hope you all will be there to share in it. I truly love the camaraderie we've developed and I can't wait to meet most of you at the impending OFTOT training camp shit show extravaganza (sidenote: if you're in the greater Pittsburgh area and want to partake in this assuredly jagoff-laden event, email me).

Now, I'm just gonna go turn off this Sarah McLachlan, put out these candles and grab a tissue. That was fucking emo.

xoxoxoxo,

- Cotter
[Your Editor and Head Asshole in Charge]