But What Happens To The Beer Now?

KS and The Lord of Truth both sent me this story, which has gotten some great play in the mainstream press. I think it's pretty cool, but I'm an idiot...

James Henry Smith loved his country. He served in Vietnam and spent 25 years in the Army, Army Reserve and National Guard.

But the 55-year-old Garfield man also had love for his favorite football team, the Pittsburgh Steelers -- and that led to an unusual viewing after he died from prostate cancer this week.

Smith's family asked the Coston Funeral Home in Lincoln-Lemington to place his body not in a casket, but in a recliner that faced a television playing Steelers highlights, with a remote control in his hand.

The body was dressed in black and gold clothing -- traditional Steelers colors -- and a blanket bearing the team's logo was draped over an armrest. Sitting on a table next to the chair were a pack of cigarettes and a can of beer.

The scene was reminiscent of Steelers game days in the Smith household, according to his family.

I'm almost disappointed to note that he didn't get buried at Heinz Field. Alas, such an honor is apparently reserved only for the likes of Jimmy Hoffa.