Cannon Firing Line
No Rest For The Winners
By Ellis Cannon, Publisher

There's been no break if you are a Pittsburgh sports fan.

In case you haven't looked at the calendar, training camp comes to town next month. This after the Steelers had been conducting various off-season training activities for several weeks.

So, as some are still trying to shake the confetti that flew all over Raymond James Stadium off their clothes, football is right around the corner.

Maybe not "football" in the sense real games are about to begin, but since when does that type of distinction matter?

And if it feels like it's been a whirlwind, it's because it has been.

That's always the case when the local pro football team's season is extended by a handful of weeks, particularly so when taken all the way to the final game. Add in Pitt hoops nearly qualifying for the Final Four, the onset of baseball and, most recently, the Penguins drive to the Stanley Cup Finals and, seriously, there has been no down time - for fans, players, teams or media.

If it has all gone by so fast, or furiously, that it's been a blur and you almost need reminded of how crazy it is here, just go out of town for a few days and mention where you're from.

It certainly was the case last month for us at the Indianapolis 500. You walk up to someone and start talking about the race and the person wants to tell to you what they think of the Steelers, Penguins, etc.

As a matter of fact, if you want to get away from all that, it's best to ditch anything that gives you away as being from Pittsburgh. If you don't believe me, wear that Steelers hat to the beach this summer and see what happens.

It's not like you have to be some media type to have it happen. Anything that says "Pittsburgh" on it automatically lines you up for the questions, opinions and comments.

That's a good thing, of course, if you're a fan or your profession benefits from it. You quickly learn the story of those folks' teams as they lament what happened to THEIR team, how they wish THEIR football team was like the Steelers and how watching Crosby and Malkin is a blast, even if they are only casual observers of the sport. What those fans don't appreciate is you're living it and they're only watching it. Think about it. Almost all the people you run into who aren't Pittsburgh sports fans have been doing nothing in terms of rooting, in some cases for months.

To them, you being from Pittsburgh means they almost feel like they know you because they've been watching so many of us for so long.

They really don't, but at some level they think they do. And as much as taking a breath may not be a bad idea, that's a good thing.

"Ellis Cannon's Sportsline Pittsburgh" airs weeknights from 6-8 p.m. on FM Newstalk 104.7. Ellis is also a regular contributor on "#1 Cochran Sports Showdown" aired Sundays at 11:35 p.m. on KDKA-TV.