Make Room For Big Ben's Ribs, Canton, Ohio

Sigh....get ready for ESPN's talking heads to go gaga over Big Ben's great courage and toughness. Because right now, sitting next to Curt Schilling's bloody sock and Jamie Moyer's toilet, is Big Ben's ribs (or seeing as they were broken, the lack thereof). That's right, Big Ben played in the Super Bowl with broken ribs. From Yahoo! Sports.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have no knowledge that Ben Roethlisberger played the Super Bowl with two broken ribs, as the quarterback told a Web site.

According to SI.com, Roethlisberger said his fractured ribs did not show up on X-rays taken before he led the Steelers to a 27-23 win over Arizona on Feb. 1, but were revealed only during a MRI test he had last week.

“Luckily, in the game, I didn’t take any big hits to make ‘em hurt,” Roethlisberger told SI.com. “But I knew all along there was something wrong. There wouldn’t have been anything that could have been done about fractured ribs anyway. It was just suck it up and play.

Roethlisberger did not miss any practices before the Super Bowl, although a pool report from the Wednesday practice said he attempted during the middle of the workout to stretch his torso. He missed one practice during the off week before the Super Bowl because of what the team said was a back injury.

Big Ben has a history of exaggerating his injuries so the claim may not be entirely true. However, if the MRI revealed broken ribs, then there's no disputing that. Once the A-Rod story has subsided a bit, be prepared for non-stop Roethisberger gushing on ESPN.

FYI, I'll be live blogging Marquette @ Villanova tonight at 7:30. Not only is it a big game for both teams, but it's also ESPN Interactive Tuesday! Which means be prepared for stupid poll questions and even stupider fan comments. Don't miss out on the big fun!