Steelers' mascot gets blitzed, sacked

One of two actors who dresses as Pittsburgh Steelers' mascot Steely McBeam has been charged with drunken driving and has been fired by the team.

Kenneth C. Hahey, 24, was arrested after he failed field sobriety tests during a traffic stop on January 6 in Pittsburgh.

According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Hahey's blood alcohol level was as high as 0.173, more than twice the limit at which a driver is considered too drunk to drive.

Let us remind you that the Steelers required applicants to go through an extensive and invasive application process when considering candidates interested in wearing Steely's hard hat.

Maybe Hahey just couldn't handle the pressure of being a high-profile mascot. It might not seem like it, but being a professional sports mascot is a dangerous job, and McBeam isn't the first pro mascot to get into trouble with the law.

Here We Go Steely, Here We Go!

Steelers fans have been awfully hard on the team's new mascot, Steely McBeam, since the big guy was introduced earlier this week. At least one blogger has started a petition asking the organization to make Steely disappear. And message boards routinely express the sentiment that the Steelers don't need any sort of mascot whatsoever.

But like it or not, McBeam is here to stay. After all, the Rooneys aren't going to jettison Steely just because of a little public pressure. And to be fair, it's difficult to develop a lovable mascot when your inspiration is a steelworker.

So maybe we ought to demonstrate a little patience and throw our support behind McBeam, who will presumably make his in-game debut tomorrow night at Heinz Field when the Steelers host the Green Bay Packers. As it is, being a mascot is a dangerous and somewhat thankless job, and Steely probably went thru hell to get the gig, as we previously chronicled here.

So tomorrow night, maybe the fans can take up a chant in Steely's honor: Here We Go Steely, Here We Go!

One Fan's Opinion of Steely McBeam

These thoughts come courtesy of our friend Nick, who e-mailed them to The Steelyard this morning:

The new Steelers mascot, Steely McBeam, is hideous, just like all the Steelers' other mascots over the last 20 years. He looks like Mr. Peanut's drug addict brother.

But look at the history: We had The Fan, who looked like The Tin Man struggling with bulimia, and I guess The Thumb, which looked more like a giant penis than anything else. The thing frightened adolescent girls.

The Steelers don't need a damn mascot; they have fans who are colorful
enough—not to mention the ultimate team sport symbol, The Terrible Towel. Throw Steely into a Bessemer converter before it's too late.