Shank's Weekend In Pittsburgh

We've already seen two Shank Globe columns of, um, less than stellar quality while covering the Jets - Steelers game from last night; today he nearly makes up for it with this quality CNN / SI submission.

One quibble (emphasis mine):

PITTSBURGH -- We know the celebrity quarterbacks. Tom Brady has won three Super Bowls, is married to a supermodel and gets to meet Popes and presidents. Peyton Manning cuts that meat, wins multiple MVPs and occasionally is mentioned as the greatest ever. Drew Brees was Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year. Aaron Rodgers is Super Bowl-bound, the flavor of the month in January 2011. Michael Vick is infamous. Even Philip Rivers gets into the discussion.

And then there's Ben Roethlisberger, the double-wide quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

You don't think that Shank's implying that Big Ben is trailer trash, is he? Surely a resident of Newton, MA wouldn't resort to class warfare or a cheap stereotype of someone who may have had a tough, hardscrabble upbringing, would he?

Almost as important (emphasis on almost) - this site's resident snotty, pretentious gasbag Globeophile (there's a difference?) has just crawled out from whatever rock he's been hiding under to offer some rather underwhelming commentary. Color me surprised! Perhaps he can explain the vast chasm between the quality of his Globe columns vs. his CNN / SI efforts. Since that would entail thought and analysis instead of a reflexive defence of Shank, maybe I'm asking for too much.