The state of Ohio is all about rivalries:

* The “100 year war” of Ohio State and Michigan
* Woody Hayes and Bo Schembechler (1969 - 1978)
* Dennis Kucinich and E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial
* And last (but not least) the Cleveland Browns and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

It’s certainly no secret that “the orange and brown” have despised “the black and mustard-yellow” since their glory days of the NFL back in the mid-1970’s - you can bet your “terrible towel” on that. However, despite the current dominance of the Steelers over the Browns in their fabled “Rustbelt Rivalry,” tomorrow is, indeed, a new day for the beginning of a beautiful new "friendship" in the AFC North - fueled by the fiery "sports hatred" of an NFL adversary, of course.

After wiping the floor with the Baltimore Ravens (quote the Billick nevermore) on the Monday Night Football stage, the Steelers and their entire “toothless sports fan base” are in the driver’s seat in the AFC North (even if that driver’s seat is in a pickup truck up on cement blocks out in the front yard). Hey, maybe that’s not a very nice thing to say about my NFL neighbors to the southeast - but this isn’t “a civilized sport” either (you know, like tennis - where they actually poison their rivals).  And it's not like Lynyrd Skynard is writing songs about Sweet Home Pennsylvania, is it?  Still, I've got to be true to my Cleveland kinfolk, right?  Alabama.  Here I come!

So what do I know, huh? As a lifelong Browns' fan (polka-dancing, kielbasa-loving, bottle-throwing, Great Lakes Brewing-slurping Cleveland-pundit that I am), these “new” Kardiac Kids were in need of some serious resuscitation after their Week 1 shellacking at the hands of the mighty Steelers. You can bet your “Iron City Swill” on that!

But that was then and this is now.  Pittsburgh has a vibrant arts scene and Heinz Field now!  Cleveland has cool cultural landmarks like The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and world-class medical care (um, for our non-homeless citizens) that would make an Arab sheik (and his prostate) blush now!  But (fortunately) the burning rivalry remains the same...

Toothless or not, these two “kissin’ cousins” of the National Football League may have a lot more in common than either side would like to admit: But outside of Ben Roethlisberger and Kellen Winslow shaking hands at “Motorcycle Safety Awareness Week” - there is absolutely no love-lost between “the Hatfield’s and McCoy’s of the AFC North.”