STEELERS BLACK -N- GOLD POST A Pittsburgh Steelers Blog from the heart of Steelers Nation.

By Ramona Dye

The 2009-10 season hasn't started yet and already the Steelers-Ravens rivalry has heated up. 

Check out Terrell Suggs heading into training camp wearing an "I hate the Steelers" shirt.

Suggs saw the shirt in a store and thought, "oh, that's nice for camp."  My thoughts? Yeah, we already know how you want to be a Steelers, too bad!

Naturally, Suggs, his teammates and Ravens fans would hate our Steelers and be jealous as well. We have had more success, both historical and recent, including our three wins over the Ratbirds last year than any other franchise in the NFL since 1970. In short, our Steelers set the standard for franchises in the NFL. Most importantly, we don't make our home in Baltimore.

The feelings of dislike are mutual in Pittsburgh. It's not that our Steelers and us of the Steelers Nation don't hate the Ravens, but some of you may get the sense that Baltimoreans have much stronger feelings about the rivalry. Could it be Ravens' fans have a deep-seated jealousy over a losing record to our wonderful Black n Gold (Steelers 18 Ravens 10 out of 28 games)?

NO! Steelers fans have the same hatred for the Ratbirds of Baltimore and those gay fans who wear purple and black. The rivalry comes from defensive battles often that result with injured players on both sides as well as fights on the. Some say that the rivalry between the Ravens and our Steelers is the best in the NFL.

Seeing Suggs wearing that t-shirt, we can see that players take seriously this great rivalry. It's no secret that the players from these teams don't like each other. Even the soft spoken, always smiling Hines Ward has been vocal about his hate for the Ravens, especially after several Ratbird players hinted about bounties on the heads of certain Steelers. 

It's a dirty, nasty, sometimes violent rivalry. That's what's so great about it.The truth is it's the most heated rivalry in sports. Here's why.

1. The teams are very similar and often games come right down to the end.
   
2. The Ratbirds and our beloved Steelers hate each other.
   
3. The fans hate each other. Going to away games is not always safe when visiting each others stadiums. Ravens fans make you feel unwelcome and let's just say Ravens fans don't want to come to Heinz Field games alone.

Suggs t-shirt is a topic of discussion among players at Steelers camp as well. Here's what some of our Steelers have said.

I'd hate us too. How about that? It doesn't matter. That's not the only team we play. We know every game is going to be a physical game. We know they're going to play very good, sound football. We're going to try to do the same. If that's the only two games we win this year, we won't be a very good football team. -- Ryan Clark.

I don't even pay attention to it. That just goes to show that they're worried about us. We're worried about our first game and that's the Tennessee Titans. We're not worried about playing Baltimore right now. When you focus on teams down the road, that's when the teams you're playing right ahead knock you around. --LaMarr Woodley

Last season, our Steelers won all three games against the Ratbirds, including the AFC championship game at Heinz Field.

Most NFL fans do not understand our rivalry. However, if you are a part of it you understand it, If you don't most like you are wishing you were a part of it. Maybe though, you are a fan of the cheating Patriots.