More Partisan Garbage

You don't think that the Port Authority's North Shore Connector was worth the $500 or so million? Join the rest of Allegheny County.

But seriously, these assholes and their bullshit report are so far off base with this it's not even funny.

Here's the article.

Let me get this straight. Because $62 million of stimulus money had to be used to complete this project, Obama's stimulus or if you want to be naughty "bailout" is a pork filled failure?

Ok thought so...

Well, I see one glaring hole in your analysis which is oozing partisan bullshit*. You see, the original $435 million used to start the project, well that came from G Dubs administration way back in 2003-2004.

Oh snap, that's right. If the "fiscally responsible" Republican controlled Federal Government hadn't provided these funds, then they wouldn't have had to be bailed out to begin with.

Sounds like another Republican turd from the turn of the 21st century that the Obama administration has been left to polish.

So really, unless we wanted two unused tunnels under the river that would be incurring regular maintenance fees, we had no choice but to seek funding. That funding was able to keep the project going and keep those construction workers employed (it's all about jobs right???)

All this partisanship is getting out of control. You can't take anything at face value from any political party. Americans unfortunately need to verify anything that comes out of a politicians mouth. What's even more unfortunate, is that we don't. They spoon feed us horse shit and we ask for more.

*Yea I know I'm oozing with partisan bullshit too...we all are, but at least I'm not attempting to present figures misleadingly to influence people's opinion.

You Ma'am are a Moron!

Pittsblog was all over this.

I still couldn't resist.

So let me see if I can summarize what you're saying here miss selfish suburbia.

You were either too lazy, too stupid, or too absent minded to put a single quarter in a meter. You were punished for your laziness/stupidity/absent mindedness, and it the city's fault.

Makes....sense?

And if I'm also to understand you correctly; you are going to punish the vendors of the farmers market because you were too lazy, too stupid, or too absent minded to put a single quarter in a meter.

Sally here probably could narrow down the causes of white flight to one single invention....parking meters.

You ma'am....Are a moron.

Random Penguin droppings

It’s already been talked about a ton, but the summer of sadness continued the other day when John Barbaro died. People like Seth Rorabaugh did a much better job of putting into words than I could. However, he was truly a Penguin great, and was as much a part of the Penguins Experience as the Igloo for close to 40 years. The game will never be the same.

On a brighter side, the clock continues to tick until hockey season and yesterday was a big day.

In order of importance:

Sir Mario and Sid broke in the Ice at the CEC

Max Talbot called it like it is

The announced some crap about the Winter Classic

Let’s hope that Mr. Barbaro’s untimely passing is the official end to the Summer of Sadness, and we can all begin the countdown to the next Hockey Night in Pittsburgh!

Let’s Go Pens!

'Roid Rage Much?

Holy crap! Jabal Sheard is a MONSTER! Check this out! I am now officially frightened to ever meet Jabal Sheard!

This is not good. Pitt's defensive strength is their defensive line, and Sheard was a BEAST last year (if you didn't know it then, you sure as shit do now). His loss this year is going to be hard on the line.

Wannstedt needs to sit Sheard because of this shit.

What was the NAACP thinking?

Why in the world would the NAACP condemn the tea party movement as racist???

What were they thinking????




Oh...Right then, carry on.

You Sir are a Moron: Gubernatorial Edition

My main man, Tommy Corbett stuck his right wing foot in his mouth recently providing some
A-1 bulletin board material for Dan Onorato. I will say, I am sure there are people who are taking advantage of the government's money, but with unemployment at barely subsistence level, it's clear that his generalization is waaayyyyyyyyyyy too broad. The only people who probably aren't complaining are the hard core righty's who he is not afraid to cater to while pissing the rest of the state off.

Here's his quote taken from the Post Gazette:


"The jobs are there," Mr. Corbett told Harrisburg public radio station WITF, but then claimed many people are intentionally staying unemployed to collect the benefits. He said some employers, such as a candy company owner and a plumbing company owner (let me guess, the owner of the business is Joe the Plumber), have told him they can't fill jobs because people would rather stay home on benefits.
"People don't want to come back to work while they still have unemployment" benefits, he said. "They're literally telling (employers) 'I'll come back to work when the employment(sic) runs out.' That's becoming a problem ... If we keep extending unemployment the people are going to sit there."


You sir, are a moron!




Shit...I think I hear the Corbett Thought Police headed this way...

Drill Baby Drill: Pittsburgh Edition

This is not an anti-Marcellus Shale drilling rant. I have to admit, the siren song of Marcellus Shale drilling is an alluring one. The prospect of cash money flowing into the state and the jobs drilling would create are compelling, to say the least. Even more exciting would be the city of Pittsburgh being a hub of the Marcellus Shale drilling industry. It’s enough to conjure images of the golden days of Pittsburgh, where the population was high, and the smoke pouring out of the stacks at the many local steel mills was shaped like dollar bill signs.

However, nothing is ever that simple. Much like how the former economic heart of this region also helped to cause environmental damage that lasts to this day; Marcellus Shale drilling is not without its negative side effects. My issue is not with the concept of drilling, but the question of whether it’s right for the city of Pittsburgh. A drilling company taking up residence here is one thing, drilling within the city limits is another one all together.

Like with drilling in general, drilling in the city is alluring, especially when topics like pension and legacy health care costs continue to rear their ugly heads and threaten to sink the city’s budget. Drilling seems to be the easy answer for a much needed cash infusion for the city.

However, before you start building a derrick in your back yard, here are a couple of things you might want to think about:



Fracking fluid: Not an expert, but if you don’t know what it is; here you go. Fracking fluid is mostly water, about 95%. The problem is the other 5%. The other 5% may contain a toxic or corrosive cocktail that helps to break up the shale and free the natural gas (By the way, drilling companies don’t want to tell anyone, and by law they don’t have to right now, what exactly is in their fracking fluid). Big deal right? Well, unfortunately it is a big deal. A well in Lawrence County recently had what’s called a blow out. Long story short, a blow out occurs when natural gas and fracking fluid violently gush back out of the drilling bore. About 35,000 gallons of Natural Gas and Fracking Fluid (which it was determined was a mixture of water, salt and chlorine. Gee, that sounds like it would be great to release in the city of Pittsburgh.) spilled onto the ground during drilling.

Isolated incident right? Not so much, Check out this and this.


In Colorado, where Marcellus Shale drilling is more established, over the last 2.5 years, over 5 MILLION gallons of “drilling liquid” was dumped during drilling. Not to say that a well in Pittsburgh would dump 5 million gallons, but, if one well can dump 35,000 gallons, and mishaps seem to be common place in a state with GREATER drilling regulation than Pennsylvania, then it seems a near certainty that it would happen in Pittsburgh.

A spill in the middle of nowhere is bad enough. Imagine a spill in a city with an approximate population density of 6000 people per square mile. In addition to local evacuations, The FAA instituted a flight ban on the Clearfield County spill on any flights below 1000 feet because even a small spark from an airplane engine could ignite a MASSIVE explosion. Don’t you think any of those 6000 nearby residents may have a lighter or a source of flame that could make a massive KABOOM before all proper evacuations would occur???!!! Bad juju all around.



Groundwater contamination: This point is up for debate, and obviously the different points of view are pretty polarized. Those for drilling say that there is no chance it could happen; those against drilling say that not only is it possible, but is already happening. Check out this Vanity Fair article.
If it’s true, that’s some scary shit! I’m not convinced either way, but the potential after effects are scary enough, that we better be goddamn sure! A drilling company telling me that it won’t contaminate isn’t gonna cut it. They have an agenda. We need independent verification that drilling won’t contaminate ground water. Again, with 6000 or so people a sq mile, we as a city can’t afford a single instance of ground water contamination.

Bottom line, I’m not convinced drilling is bad, but I sure as hell am not convinced that drilling is without damaging side effects. The city of Pittsburgh stands to lose too much if something goes wrong with drilling. We need to be sure that NO ONE will be adversely affected by drilling before we “drill baby drill.”

Heat Waves Suck: One of the Reasons I Now Like Fall Better

Remember when you were a kid? All you wanted was summer time. No school, days at the pool; it was awesome. Not as much any more.

I miss fall.

To pass the time, I came up with a list of the reasons why summer ain't what it used to be. (In no order)

#1: Sports: This is what we are reduced to: 30-54 and the LeBron Hour Starring LeBron*. You know, I could look past the LeBron Hour Starring LeBron if 30-54 wasn't 30-54. Problem is, we are 30-54. So, LeBron Hour Starring LeBron it is...God, where are you football, and most importantly; HOCKEY!!!!! (OH MY GOD DO I NEED THE PENS BACK!)

#2: WORK: You know when you were a kid, the #1 thing you looked forward to during the summer wasn't the weather, it wasn't the vacations, it was the not going to school. Getting up at 10, eating a shit load of sugary cereal and starting your day. That was the life. No more my friends, work work work, all year long. Think you're gonna go to the pool today? Fat chance son, you're working!

#3: Goddamn Heat: Days like today make me want to crawl into the freezer and not come out. If you don't know what I'm talking about, walk outside...no further explanation needed. I long for the brisk fall afternoons where the leaves are beautiful and a sweater or sweatshirt makes you feel nice and cozy.

#4: Did I mention the Heat? You know, the heat that makes all the shit (Barbecuing, eating outside, outdoor sports) that supposedly makes summer the best season absolutely miserable?




*You know what's worse than LeBron's ego? ESPN whoring themselves out for an HOUR so Bron Bron can make a 2 second announcement! I can hear the advertising dollars rolling in now! ESPN is expecting us to waste an hour of our lives (which we will) to hear them pontificate on what they believe he will say during his speech. Which, by the way, will occur at approx 59 minutes and 45 of the broadcast.

You Sir Are a Moron!

I think I'm going to make this a semi-regular theme. People say stupid things all the time (myself especially); but sometimes a comment comes along that is so foolish, is so poorly thought out, and so short sited that you just want to slap them with a little white glove. In celebration of such stupidity, I will make an effort to post these gems when I find them.

Today's entry comes from Chris Robinson of SURPRISE!!!!!!, Arizona.

He writes in the PG Q & A:

"I don't get it. Sidney Crosby hasn't gotten much criticism over this meltdown (in the 2010 playoffs). He gets lauded about being a "big-game player" My question is, in what big game has Sidney Crosby EVER stepped up for the Pens? His two biggest games so far in his career he has been scoreless. Game 7 in the Cup final last summer and, of course, (Game 7 against Montreal). As bad as he was in this Montreal series, his point totals actually doubled his output during the Stanley Cup final last year. Both those series make his two-goal and six-point effort during the 2008 final look like Mario Lemieux-type numbers. He's still a young guy with many years ahead of him. Hopefully, he is the reason the Penguins hoist the Cup again someday instead of winning in spite of him like last year, but right now he is vastly over-hyped and overrated when people mention him in the same breath as Mario Lemieux."

You sir are a moron...Nothing more needs to be said to defend my statement and my frustration towards yours.

The Small Silver Lining, and What Should be the Bigger One.

The tiny silver lining of what is currently spewing into the Gulf:

Loudmouth morons like Daryl Metcalf have temporarily shut the fuck up. It's nice not hearing chants of "drill baby drill" All it took was an environmental disaster that has ruined a regional economy, killed countless numbers of wildlife, and may have lingering environmental effects for years to come.

Here's to hoping the bigger silver lining is coming. Hopefully we as a nation can begin to discuss the ramifications of our dependence on oil.

Unfortunately, hope is not a strategy.

My Thoughts Exactly

I refused to watch two of the big affiliates in Pittsburgh felatiate poor old Ben. I didn't want to give them the ratings.

Chris Potter at the Slag Heap did the work, and the thinking for me. Check it out here. He expressed excellently, why Ben has yet to be held accountable and how his words are just that; words. They are nothing more, not an admission of guilt, or remorse. The worst part about this is, our news media is giving him a pass. At a certain point, our media's love affair with the Steelers stops being cute. At certain times I have relished the fact that the lead in to most newscasts was Steelers related, and that it was all fluff but it's gone too far. The networks are clearly still walking on eggshells around the Steelers organization like it is God's Kingdom come to earth. (Not sure if that has more to do with the organization, or more to do with ratings. Lord knows you wouldn't want to piss any of those yinzers off that watch your newscast because the Steelers lead every night)

We should start a pool; what's the over/under on how long it takes poor old Ben to become a condescending, arrogant rapist again?

Beyond Mockery

Before it was fun to call him “wittle wukey” or Steelerstahl or whatever. I’m just getting sick of it. Mocking does nothing. He continues to push the city of Pittsburgh to see how much bullshit he can get away with and the city of Pittsburgh keeps backing away.

I’m sick of it. The city Ethics council won’t review the nomination. That’s old news from the weekend. A lot of people are bitching and rightly so, but we get the government we deserve.

Here’s an idea…act!

The article states that the only way they would investigate is if either a person requests an opinion BEFORE they undertake a potentially risky ethical move or if a FORMAL complaint is filed. Everyone is sitting around waiting for Peduto or Shields to file one.

Screw them; it seems they don’t want to upset the apple cart. You know who else can file an ethics complaint???? YOU CAN!

Here’s the link to the city ethics complaint form. You can download a PDF complaint form and submit it:

For good measure here’s the link to the Allegheny County Ethics Council. Submit a complaint to them too.

Even if these complaints are denied, let them know that you’re pissed about this! Let them you’re tired of being treated like a simpleton who will let the city leadership (Ravenstahl in particular) do what they want, when they want.

ENOUGH!!!!

This is Too Good to Pass Up!

Saw this on the PG today.

I couldn't resist. First, here is the text of the comment that set me off:

"And that's a good thing. Pennsylvania needs to worry about balancing it's budget, creating jobs, keeping the streets safe and reducing taxes. Our politicians should not be worried about questionable bans of our personal liberties.
Slowly but surely, if we sit back and let them tell us what we can do from day to day, we will soon find ourselves no longer living...in the land of the free."


Any guesses on what my tea-baggin buddy is refering to? Is it the second amendment? Could it be railing against "socialist healthcare"? No, Uncle Sam is worried about a law making it illegal to text while driving.

You sir are a moron! You alllllllmost had me that the state has a lot of worthy issues on its plate currently. Almost... You completely lost me in that last paragraph. How in the hell is a ban on an unsafe activity "questionable"?

Let me explain something to you, and I need you to try to pay attention as if Rush or Glenn were typing this. If you are texting while driving it is dangerous. It is dangerous because you could rear end another car, or you could lose control of your car and slam into another car, or you could drive through a red light and get T-boned. Do you catch my drift there homeslice?

Hey asshole; the next time a 16 year old broadsides your car because they were texting, make sure you don't get mad at them. Make sure you get out, shake their hand, and thank them for exercising their freedom to operate a motor vehicle in a dangerous and irresponsible manner.

That's in the constitution....right?

Some Thoughts on the Cup

-THANK GOD the Flyers did not win!

-No matter who they played, I would have rooted for the Blackhawks (unless of course the Greatest Team in the History of Hockey was playing them). I like them. I like the style of hockey they play and they remind me of the Greatest Team in the History of Hockey.

-Good for Hossa. I actually clapped when he picked up the Cup. I have absolutely no ill will for the guy. That MAY have been different had the Pens not won, but the hockey gods made things right last year. Good for him, some people take long winding roads to the Cup, his was perhaps the longest and the most winding!

-Ha Fuckin Ha Flyers fans!

-So far 1 team from every Winter Classic has gone to the SCF...and lost. Ohhh, that's an ugly thought for 2011. Either the Pens lose another SCF, or we have to endure the Crapitals going all the way to the SCF

-What a moment when Jeremy Roenick got choked up! NBC botched the moment, surprise, surprise, but that right there is why I love the Stanley Cup and hockey. Players give up more in hockey than in any other sport to try and get it, and it really hit him that he never touched it and never will. There's MUCH more of a mystique surrounding the Stanley Cup than there is about a World Series Trophy, Lombardi Trophy, or NBA trophy. There's hundreds of those. A new one is made every year. There's one Stanley Cup. Having your name inscribed on the one and only championship trophy of the NHL is an accomplishment unlike any other championship in sports.



-Fuck, it's back to the Pirates full time.

-Come on Pens training camp, fantasy football and Pitt football!!!

A Riddle

Q: What is the difference between Ben Roethlisberger and a serial rapist rotting in jail????

A: A good lawyer

Nothing new here, but really, he is a bad person. He doesn't deserve the sympathy/attention/money that he gets. The Steelers are shooting themselves in the foot. I can never look at this franchise the same way as long as that piece of shit is on the team.

A Quick Newsflash

For all of you "reconnect the hill types" who wants to obliterate any trace of the Civic Arena, I have a couple things to chew on in your mind.

-The Igloo didn't separate your neighborhood, 579 did. It's a gigantic trench gouged out between downtown and the Hill. Look at a satellite image, it's a much clearer defining line than the big dot just to the east. No matter how many streets they re-build over the arena property, there's still one way into and two ways out of downtown (Centre in and Bigelow and Centre out), because of the aforementioned highway.

-The Igloo didn't prevent Giant Eagle and Kuhn's from either balking at or pulling out of deals to re-build a Super Market in the Hill. Blame Giant Eagle especially, a "neighborhood" company that won't lift a finger to support a hometown neighborhood. Kuhn's at least tried, but ran into financial trouble.

-Whatever development they put there isn't being put there to help residents of the Hill. It's going to be upscale to attract to young business types, not long time Hill residents. Best case scenario is that it will Gentrify the area, and that's not going to help the Hill at all!

-So you want the development? That's fine too. Look at a map, the parking takes up two city blocks! You could easily keep the arena and re-develop the parking lots. Those are MUCH more of an eyesore than the arena.

What is it You Were Looking For?

Everyone seems to be down on Obama these days. From the Gulf oil spill or “Obama’s Katrina” to the impending great Democrat vote out scheduled for this November, it’s become fashionable to be down on Barrack.

A commenter on the Radical Middle made a statement that as much as I hate to; I have to agree with. This commenter stated that Obama has “become too liberal for the moderates and too moderate for the liberals.” So true except for one little word: “become”. I think he has always been that way; but the American public has awoken. So far, with the exception of transportation and infrastructure, he has stayed pretty true to his word. He talked about beginning to focus on Afghanistan, and has done that by drawing down forces in Iraq and beginning to re-deploy those forces to Afghanistan. He talked about reversing “Don’t ask Don’t Tell” and is well on the way to doing that. Last but certainly not least, he talked about healthcare reform, and, well; we all know what happened in March.

All this was done while the economy was in the middle of taking a big stinky dump and a massive environmental disaster that will make the Exxon Valdez look about as bad as a turd floating in the kiddie pool.

So I think in-action is not the problem. He hasn’t exactly strayed from what he said he was going to and wanted to do. The problem is people didn’t want Obama, or any democratic President for that matter. They just didn’t want George Bush, and were too gun shy to vote for another Republican candidate. They voted for him because he wasn’t another G Dubs.

Here’s the problem: They didn’t pay attention to what he said, or what McCain said, or what Palin said (ok, no one did that because they were too busy laughing). Obama didn’t pull the wool over anyone’s eyes.

A friend of mine stated the other day “I voted for Obama, but I’ll tell you this; I did NOT vote for him to change healthcare”. Guess what, he didn’t hide the fact during his campaign!!!! Maybe you shouldn’t have called his bluff! Maybe you should have evaluated your decision a little better. If that was such a hot button issue for you, then perhaps you should have reconsidered.

My point to all this is; if you really supported a lot of the issues Obama addressed during his campaign (which I do for the record), then I don’t see a reason to be all that upset with him thus far. If you are one of the above people, then tough shit. He was pretty clear on what he wanted to do as President. If you don’t like the idea now, then you probably didn’t like it then. You just weren’t paying attention.

The Crux of the Issue

I was reading an article yesterday on Post Gazette.com about Obama’s trip to CMU and found this little nugget from a local leader for the “passionate” and “hard charging” (I don’t know how I could possibly make those quotes more sarcastic) Tea Party movement.

“Patti Weaver of Fox Chapel, organizer of the local tea party,
complained that they were not allowed to get closer than Morewood and Forbes
avenues. She also said the closure of parking garages and spaces in the area
made it hard for members to get there”

That damned Obama and his socialist plot to keep the Tea Partiers at bay! Will he stop at nothing? It would be one thing if his communist minions used water cannons and riot police to discourage protesting, but to TAKE AWAY THEIR PARKING SPACES! Has he no shame!!????

Right there is the crux of the issue and why I have NO respect for the Tea Party or most Americans in general. Your “popular” movement to “take the country back” is stymied by lack of parking spaces. You think providing all Americans with access to healthcare is socialist but think that you are entitled to parking where and when you want it. Oh no, that’s not selfish. You sure do have your priorities straight.

Hey, here’s a thought, if your “party” membership weren’t so lazy and self-entitled so as to let lack of parking derail your demonstration, then the majority of America that thinks you're full of shit might take you more seriously*.

You wouldn’t want to take the Hummer/Escalade/Expedition into the city anyway…parking’s a bitch. Besides, don’t you have to pick up little Muffie up from private school at three anyway???

*According to Ms. Weaver, 49% of America agrees with Tea Party values. Couple of quick questions and comments on that little "stat".

#1: 49% does not a majority make.
#2: Does that 49% believe in giving up on a cause if you can't find parking?

A Real Test

They wanna REALLY test out the plumbing in the CEC?

Give me a call...he he poop.

http://www.post-gazette.com/neighborhoods/

Take Some Time

Today is Memorial Day. The day where we honor the men and women in uniform, past and present who died for us. Service members who died so we could do everything from worship who, when, and where we want to giving us the freedom to call those same Service Members "baby killers".

Take some time. Honor those people. I've got news for you: If you are either barbecuing, or loading up the gas guzzler with a "Support the Troops" magnet on it and taking a weekend trip you aren't observing Memorial Day. In fact you're celebrating a day off from work, and that's about it.

Go to a parade, go to a cemetery, or go to a ceremony. Show the people that are important on this day, the Veterans, both living and dead that you do care. Our living Veterans, who have also sacrificed for us, should not be the only one paying homage to those who sacrificed the most.

They don't ask for much. Take a few hours out of one single day of your oh so important life to show that you care. That's all they want. That's all they ask for.

Equilibrium is Restored

I hate the very existence of the Philadelphia Flyers. However, tonight they served up a nice piping hot plate of tasty justice.

You knew this video would either go down in Montreal lore for eternity or bite them in the ass for eternity.

The Hockey Gods have spoken. They do not take lightly to such hubris from young, brash, and unproven defensemen.

I hate you Flyers; I hope you lose to the Blackhawks in four games, but I thank you for setting things straight within the hockey universe.



Montreal's gonna burn tonight.

Save The Civic Arena!

A new website has sprung up to help preserve the Igloo. Found it by way of an interesting Op-Ed piece in the PG.

If you don't want the Igloo saved, then whatevs. If you do, then go to the website. It's at the top of the links on my page. There are TONS of ways to get involved. There is an online petition in addition to tons of links to get in touch with local leaders to let them know how you feel.

If you want the Igloo to stay but don't say speak up, no one of consequence will know.

Wow, where has my head been??!!

I wrote the blog today that may get me investigated by the CBI (Corbett Bureau of Investigation), and I was so worried about that, I forgot about the bigger issue at hand!

I am going to have to choose between Tom Corbett and Dan Onorato for our next Governor.

Shit...

Surreal

No other words to describe it. Should be sad, but I'm just so shocked to see it, even though I knew it would come. Right now, just more in awe than sad. Plenty of time for sadness this summer...

The Ice melting for the final time

I'll miss you more than I realized Lady Mellon.

Save us from the Thought Police

Not sure what to make of this, or this. The reasonable side of me says that the subpoenas of twitter accounts were just part of the latest bonusgate scandal. However, now that I am beginning to see more of Tom Corbett’s political personality I can’t be sure.

From his actions in joining probably the biggest bullshit lawsuit in the history of our country, to characterizing anyone who wanted him to step down WHILE CAMPAIGNING FOR GOVERNOR as a “criminal defendant”; his attitude seems to be one of “my way or the highway”. If I have in fact pegged him correctly, then it’s not a big mental leap to see him subpoena his biggest anonymous critics to find out who they are under the guise of a “criminal investigation”.

Am I accusing him of this?

No (After all, I don’t want the Corbett police to subpoena me for my dissident ramblings. Come to think of it, I hope I didn’t just ping on his Anti-Corbett dissension prevention computer.)

Still, suffice to say; who needs to fear the Federal Government, when you’ve got your own big brother right down the road in Harrisburg?

I don't know much

I don't know much about baseball, but I do know this...

Todd Coffey has some bitch tits!

Check 'em aaaahhht

Let's Go Bucs!

Dear Yinzer Fans:

Let me start by saying you have to take the good with the bad and everything has two sides. Pittsburgh sports fans are passionate, and that is a GREAT thing. While that passion is sometimes bad (i.e. screaming for a Malkin trade or Crosby trade*); it is that same passion that causes 5000+ to stand outside the arena in crazy weather to watch the Pens, or causes 250,000+ to attend victory parades. It’s the same passion that led to the birth of Steeler Nation, and the passion that makes Steelers and Penguins paraphernalia the most well traveled team symbols in the world. Most importantly it’s that passion that makes me proud to say that I am a Pittsburgh sports fan.

Now…Having said that: Hey stupid yinzer fans who don’t know their asshole from a hole in the ground when it comes to hockey: SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!!!!!

So let me get this straight, Malkin didn’t get the Art Ross this season and you now want to get rid of him???? Got it. You want to trade him eventhough he played in 18 LESS games this year due to injury, still managed 77 points, and still averaged over a point per game.

EDIT: I got my stat of 18 less games from the Evgeni Malkin unofficial fan page. After checking NHL.com (should have checked there to start), he played 15 less games, not 18. He played a total of 67 games. Regardless of this, he still averaged over a point a game, and had he kept on that pace would have scored about 90 points.

Ohhh, I see, you want Staal to be the second line center and you think that if given the same number of minutes that Geno has, Staal will match or surpass Malkin’s point totals.

First I would be willing to bet that you were one of the “trade Staal’s” from last year. You remember; before he was a Selke finalist this year, he had a sophomore slump and he was very popular trade bait among the fans.

You remember that don’t you?

One of the reasons Staal is so effective is that he is a solid 2nd line center ON THE THIRD LINE. That is a match-up most teams do not have the defensive depth to match. Geno is a #1 Center in about 28 of the other 29 franchises in the NHL. He is playing on the second line here.

Just one more time so I have it right in my head; you want to take away that depth and that mismatch because Geno “only” scored 77 points this year and was in the top 20 scorers in the league.

Interesting logic.

I love Jordan Staal, and this is not meant to take anything away from him, but how do you know he is going to match Geno in points? You don’t know if Staal has the talent, even if given the minutes to match Malkin. Do you know if Staal will ever be able to put up 113 points in a season? I don’t, but I do know this; Geno can, because he did it last year.

Remember last year; when he won the Art Ross followed by the Conn Smythe?????

There’s a reason that Ray Shero is GM and you are not. That would be that Ray Shero is smarter and knows more about hockey than you do. That’s the reason that he gets paid to make this franchise competitive, and you pay to go watch this competitive franchise.

If you people had your way Staal would have been gone last year (no Selke nomination this year), and Geno would be gone this year (no more scoring titles for him in Pittsburgh). I get the feeling you would run Fluery out of town too.

Do us all a favor and go back to drooling over the Steelers and spank it while thinking about training camp. Let the people who have half a brain and understand the game root for the Pens.




*Lest we forget everyone that during Crosby's scoring slump during the 2008-2009, there was actual a yinzer fringe that was willing to "trade Crosby to add depth". Hmmmmm, where else would I have heard that...

No Title Required

Great moments are born from great opportunity.
And that's what you have here tonight, boys.
That's what you've earned here, tonight.

One game.

If we played 'em ten times, they might win nine.
But not this game. Not tonight.
Tonight, we skate with 'em.

Tonight, we stay with 'em, and we shut them down because we can!
Tonight, we are the greatest hockey team in the world.
You were born to be hockey players -- every one of ya.
And you were meant to be here tonight.

This is your time.

Their time -- is done. It's over.

I'm sick and tired of hearin' about what a great hockey team the Soviets have.

Screw 'em!

This is your time!!

Now go out there and take it!



Fuckin Goosebump City!

A Word to the Wise

I saw a political ad yesterday that piqued my curiosity. The Dem candidate for Governor from Philly, Tony Williams launched a negative attack ad against our own homegrown Dan OOOOOOnorato. The add was whatevs, but one particular “statistic” struck me. Tony Williams claimed that unemployment in Allegheny County had grown 30% in the last year; outpacing the rest of the state and country!

That would be about the most depressing statistic in the world, if it were true. (Before I go there, this isn’t a pro-Dan post or even really a pro-Allegheny County post, this ad is more of a vehicle to aid me in arguing a point)

Problem is it takes about 2 seconds of “research” to disprove this point. Type “Allegheny County Unemployment” into Google and this is what you get. In a nutshell, our unemployment grew 2%, not 30%. As a matter of fact, if you notice on the graph, unemployment in his district is slightly higher (for Philadelphia County, Delaware County almost mirrors Allegheny).

Whatever, I’m not going to get into the Philly vs. Pittsburgh thing, or say that I think Dan Onorato is awesomer than Tony Williams. My point is that the ethical standards for political commercials are ZERO!!!! It’s not about presenting facts about the opposition, it’s slanting the information to get you votes. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised by this, when you look at the way most politicians operate, and Mr. Williams is far from the only culprit.

What’s worse and probably scarier than lack of integrity from these commercials and their creators is that people may base their voting decision off of these commercials.

If you base your voting off of these commercials, then do me a favor, don’t vote. It took yours truly 30 seconds on the internet to fact check a commercial and find out what was wrong and what wasn’t. Do me, and everyone else a favor, if you plan on voting, do your homework; do more than watch commercials; find out which candidate really will represent you best.

It's Time to Buckle Down

When you are traveling through the pits of hell, the worst thing can do is stop. Remember that.

Right now, this is hell for Pens fans. We all watched the Pens blow a 2-1 lead and watched a team lifted by an insane crowd. We also watched that insane crowd help grind the Penguins into the ground. What we have feared most short of elimination has occurred. A dreaded game 7.

Before you begin heading for the bridges, stop. Forget about the history up until now. It's all meaningless. 1996 was 1996, 1993 was 1993. None of those players for either side will be on the ice tomorrow night. It's all about the 2009-2010 Pittsburgh Penguins and the 2009-2010 Montreal Canadiens.

There's a game to be played. Don't think about what could be, think about the game. If you are attending the game, make it the loudest game in Igloo history. If not, scream like you're there! The players will hear you.

We can't play the game, but we can help our team to victory. Don't wallow in your own depression at the game 6 loss. Focus your energy. Help propel your team to the next round.

Wednesday night has the chance to be a special moment in Penguins history. Do your part and say you were a part of that amazing Game 7 back in 2010; the turning point for the Penguins playoffs.


Fucking Do IT!

Hilarity, Tina Fey and the Amazing Brain Journey

If this post was gonna turn into a movie, I think the title alone would be Oscar worthy.

Anyway, I just saw the video from the Tina Fey Saturday Night Live, where she does her masterful impression of everybody’s favorite mildly retarded MILF, Sarah Palin. It is f’in hilarious!!! (I would link to it on youtube, but I think NBC would find me, rape me, and then burn my house down; so if you want to see it and haven’t, it’s on their website).

It was stellar and dead on (meaning it captures Palin’s stupidity perfectly). If you haven’t seen it yet, I won’t ruin it but the “Are you smarter than a half term governor” and “30 Main Street” parts may be my favorites.

I know it’s a parody so there is hyperbole involved, but it just started to make me wonder why the hell anyone likes her or is even remotely interested in anything she has to say! I guess she “connects” with people. Even though she spews out pure worthless drivel, she is “charismatic”.

Look at her criticism of the President and the new START treaty. I bet $100.00 that when she made those criticisms, she didn’t even understand what START stood for. Even if she did, she’s about as qualified as I am (not very) to make any sort of determination on the treaty. Yet, somehow she was in a position to make speeches and influence people’s thoughts on this treaty. Ridiculous! Worse yet, I am sure there were ignorant rednecks sitting in their trailers who probably believed that shit!

Everyone talks so much about charisma and connecting with people. I think it’s over-rated. When I think of what I want in a political leader, I am much less concerned with “connecting with someone” than I am with characteristics like intelligence, critical thinking skills, and leadership. Those are criteria we should be picking our political leaders on, not being hot and or likable. However, I guess for most of the fat complacent sheep in this country (you know, like the teabaggers that are so fat that they have to protest from folding chairs), people would rather like someone than trust in their abilities to actually lead and make sound decisions.

A Post Game 3 Riddle

If you take two goalies from two different teams over two games; in one game the first goalie plays behind a trapping team that allows them clear views of the shooter and clears out rebounds, and that goalie gives up one goal; in the second game the second goalie plays behind a trapping team that allows them clear views of the shooter and clears out rebounds, and that goalie gives up NO goals; which goalie is better?

The answer is: Suck it Fluery haters! Go Pens!

Dear Silvertop

It must be a rite of passage for oldsters. Buy a car that is too big for you so you can drive it too slow and too clumsily. Be it a Buick Park Avenue, the popular Ford Crown Vic, or the old standby Caddy; the big car with old people in it is a ubiquitous sight in Pittsburgh.

I had my own run in with one last night. It’s the same old story, two little old people in a big ass car attempt to parallel park using the brail parking method and they bang into your bumper several times in order to squeeze into a spot that should be large enough to fit an 18 wheeler.

If it’s not ok for a 16 year old to hit the cone on the parallel parking test, what then, makes it ok for a 70 year old to do it on the street? I understand that your reflexes are slower, and you just aren’t as sharp as you used to be. Well here’s a whacky idea ol’ timer: Get a goddamn Smart Car, or a Mini, or any other LITTLE car. Just not this behemoth that you don’t have the slightest idea of how to park or drive. Eventhough. You. Live. In. The. City.

So please dear old person, you still live in the city, and god bless you for that, but get a new car, a smaller car, it’s amazing how much room a smaller European car has in it. What is the point of all that luxurious room if you can’t drive or park the damn thing?

Can I Borrow Your Tinfoil Hat?

We, as a nation dodged a bullet over the weekend. As everyone knows, somebody almost blew up a car in Times Square.

Luckily the device malfunctioned and the thousands of theater goers and tourists were unharmed. Apparently the thing had at least 3 propane tanks fused together. That’s some Iraq shit right there (I know). Kind of worrisome to say the least.

I’m sure everyone wants to go off and blame the crazy Muslims extremists for this one. Hell, I can’t be totally convinced that they aren’t responsible. I say TOTALLY convinced.
That’s where my new tinfoil hat comes in. I figure the tinfoil hat is what gives the crazy teabaggers and other conspiracy theorists their power, so I figured I would try it out and see what theories this creates in my brain. Hold on, let me put it on.

There we go.

As much as I think the crazy Muslim extremists were responsible for this, I could very easily see the crazy wacko teabagger militia types being responsible for this. Ok, now I’m going to take off the tinfoil hat.

Now that I’ve taken it off, I still think the same damn thing. Seriously, I trust a “militiaman” about as much as I trust a Muslim who is completely shaven and all dressed in white (Not a whole lot).

Some good this tinfoil hat is...

Both groups of people are religious and political extremists who apparently will not shy away from violence to further their goals. Think I’m wrong? Think about those crazy Jesus freaks in Michigan who were going kill a police officer, then attack the funeral procession with IED’s. These nut jobs were all residents of crazy town! What makes the story even scarier is that their tactic comes right out of the Al-Qaeda in Iraq handbook. You attack an enemy force, then you attack their response force. In this case, you kill a police officer, you know their will be a funeral procession, so you attack that to create further casualties.

Don’t tell me these right wing wackos are any less crazy or any more righteous than the Muslim wackos who also want to do us harm. Both are capable of extreme violence to further their goals, and until I hear confirmation otherwise, I would not be surprised if it was in fact a right wing, white, religious militia responsible for this unsuccessful attack and NOT Muslim extremists.

Well Worth The Read

Awesome and fitting "euology" to the awesome and fitting end of the Washington Capitals' playoff run. This is over at Puck Daddy, but done by the best smart-asses in the business, The Pensblog

Check it aaaahhhhht...If you think the opening banner is awesome, what till you read it!

Let's Go Pens!

Mmmmmm....Those Tears Taste Good!

Today is a great day! The President’s Trophy winner (it’s better than the Stanley Cup you know) has been eliminated from playoff contention. I will never cheer against a team the way I cheer FOR the Penguins, but today the hate runs through my veins. The tears of the whiny Crapitals fans give me strength.


Let’s get to it:


To "the great 8"
Remember that tiny little statement you made at last year’s NHL awards? You know, the one where you guaranteed a Capitals Stanley Cup this year? Just in case you forgot: Here’s the clip.

How’s that workin’ out for ya home slice? Maybe if you try it again in Vegas this year it may just work. Or…there’s another option. Talk less shit and work harder. There’s a certain someone I know that could probably give you a few lessons said work ethic.


To the fans:
What brings an even bigger smile to my face is watching the obnoxious, band wagon, know nothing about hockey fans rock the red right off their backs. Aside from your own team winning it all, there is little that is more exciting than watching a loud fan of a hated rival eat their own words. All that bullshit from February on about how the Caps were destined to win the Stanley Cup and how it was as good as theirs was all just that…BULLSHIT! HA HA HA!

I am sure you Caps fans will come back with such silly things as “the Pens were too afraid to play us”, or “you would have lost” or “we still swept you this season”. All can be easily countered by a few simple comebacks:

“HA FUCKIN HA! YOUR TEAM MADE HISTORY THE OTHER NIGHT! THEY CHOKED HARDER THAN ANY OTHER #1 SEED IN NHL HISTORY!!! NO MATTER WHAT YOU SAY OR WHAT YOU BELIEVE, REMEMBER THAT.”

Or

“REMEMBER THAT NO MATTER WHAT THE PENS DO FOR THE REST OF THE PLAYOFFS, YOUR UNSTOPPABLE JUGGERNAUT OF OFFENSIVE TALENT, YOUR PRESIDENT’S TROPHY WINNER LOST; IN THE FIRST ROUND; TO THE EIGHTH SEED.”

What a great day.

Now, it’s time to get focused. Thank you Habs for what you have done for us Penguins fans. However, nothing lasts forever, and you are now the enemy. Get ready to meet a more balanced and all around grittier team, and we’ll see who comes out on top.

DO IT!
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Going Down the Tubes…or maybe not.

There’s been a lot made of the tomfoolery that occurs weekendly (I know it’s not a word) in the Saaaaaath Side. There’s also an increasing effort to curtail it. See a couple of examples here and here.

Here’s my take. The South Side is the youngest “hippest” thing(like Pittsburgh has such a thing) going on in Pittsburgh. Does it have its problems, absolutely, but so does every other neighborhood.

In my extremely well informed opinion, the rub in the South Side comes because it is the youngest neighborhood in Pittsburgh. In a lot of other neighborhoods, the silvertop to 20-30 something ratio is much higher in favor of the silvertops. In the South Side, it’s totally different. The 20-30 somethings outnumber the silvertops by a lot. When the 20-30 somethings engage in things that 20-30 somethings do (get drunk, fight, screw), it leads to friction. The silvertops want a quiet peaceful neighborhood. The South Side is not that place.

At the risk of sounding like an ass, maybe it’s time for the silvertops to move on. A great thing about Pittsburgh is how stay put, and while I don’t think that should change, we need to move forward as a city, and to do that our neighborhoods need to be allowed to do the same. If you don't like it there, maybe you shouldn't be there. There are plenty of 20-30 somethings who would be glad to take your place.

What makes the South Side crazy with a lot of urinators and occasional fighting morons is also what gives it its eclectic feel. The South Side is the only neighborhood in the city to boast everything from corner bars, to dance clubs, high end retail, high end dining, and corporate headquarters (to name just a few of the diverse aspects of the neighborhood). Other neighborhoods can claim a few of those things but no other neighborhood can really claim the mix of all those things (and more) which the South Side does. It’s also the only neighborhood to really “complete” a transformation from its industrial past to a popular present day destination.
You want to crack down on a lot of the negative shit; then by all means, get more police, put up more cameras, whatever. However, don’t change its character. This city is a lot less of a city without the South Side.

Fluff

A lot’s been said about Pittsburgh’s new hotel: The Fairmont. The Radical Middle Covered this a while ago, but the other day I saw another post on the kick ass blog "PGH is a City". Nothing against PGH is a City, I enjoy reading it (hence why it's filed under good ass links), but it reminded me how the hotel has been electronically shoved down our collective throats, and made me think:

That’s great, I am happy we got a nice new hotel, but seriously. It’s fluff. Who gives a rat’s ass in the grand scheme of things? Is the Fairmont going to stop the population loss within the city? Is the Fairmont going to solve the pension crisis? Is the Fairmont gonna be able to figure out how to fund the Port Authority? Is the Fairmont even gonna last?

Sure, it makes everyone feel all warm and fuzzy about the city because there is a new swanky, “green” hotel. I am not by any means saying that we should not have it. I am saying that it doesn’t merit the attention it’s getting, and people should be directing the energy devoted to covering this new hotel to something really meaningful (see above).

I'm Holding My Breath

For the record, I think commuter rail service would be great in Pittsburgh. I would use it whenever I had the opportunity. Here’s the problem. I think this commuter rail plan is about as likely to happen as completion of the Spine Line.

To give a little background; here’s a roughshod timeline on Pittsburgh’s past with commuter rail. Check out the full history here.

1960’s-Pennsylvania discontinues commuter rail service in Pittsburgh

1975-PAT begins commuter operation from a station at Grant Street (Where the jail and courthouse currently stand) to Versailles.

1981-PAT begins operation to Greensburg during Parkway East Construction project. Service was discontinued after about a year.

1985-Pittsburgh and Lake Erie discontinues commuter rail service on a line which ran from Beaver Falls to what is now known as Station Square.

1989-PAT discontinues service through the Mon-Valley, leaving no commuter rail service in Pittsburgh

2000- A new commuter rail operation pushed, this time from New Kensington to Pittsburgh. This includes a feasibility study.

2004-A special train called a “DMU” or Diesel Multiple Unit tours the line from Oakmont to New Kensington. This is meant to be a potential demonstration train for the type that could be used on the proposed commuter route between New Kensington and Pittsburgh.

2008- A feasibility study is conducted concerning the line from New Kensington to Pittsburgh, along with another Route from Greensburg or Latrobe to Pittsburgh.

2009-Study says that service is feasible.

2009-Councilman Bill Peduto proposes a heavy rail commuter shuttle between Hazelwood and Lawrenceville or Downtown.

2009-Major re-construction of Route 28 begins.

2009-Owner of property in the Strip challenges Allegheny Valley Railroad’s right of way ownership. This would prevent building of proposed commuter station in the Strip. Case has been taken to STB in Washington, but no word on ruling, or subsequent appeals.

What’s my point? Pittsburgh has a wishy washy history with Commuter Rail to begin with. The current incarnation of commuter rail has been around, 10 or so years. Route 28 is in the midst of a huge reconstruction project. Given the amount of time that this version of the project has been around, now would be an optimal time for implementation of this service. Ten years of planning time, synchronized perfectly with the start of major construction on 28 would create a great service with optimal ridership. However, little has changed since 2000. At this rate, I see one of two things happening.

#1 Nothing (Most likely in my book)
#2 By the time they get this thing in place, 28 will be done, and they will have missed out on a TON of potential riders.

Too bad there is no way to harness the current support for the operation to help speed it up.

The Bestest Time of Year

Wow, what a past few days! Times like these are the reason why I love hockey. I like to watch playoffs in pretty much every sport but nothing combines the speed, and physicality you get in hockey with the frequency of playoff hockey. Every other day you get to watch an edge of your seat roller coaster ride. Take the games from Friday and Sunday; two great games in three days. Less than a week ago, I was on the bridge (yes I doubted the team), now I am riding high on two consecutive hard earned victories. That is playoff hockey in a nutshell.

Right now, I’m livin’ for Tuesday night. It won’t be easy though. I am concerned that this will be the biggest challenge to the Pens so far this series. Ottawa doesn’t want to go down 3-1 coming back to Pittsburgh. Even if they would win a game five after a loss tomorrow night, seeing what I’ve seen so far, I don’t know if the Senators have the goaltending or stamina to win in 7 games.

With that said, I think you will see Ottawa’s best effort tomorrow night. Taking a 2-2 tie into Pittsburgh would make a world of difference to the Senators. The Pens will have to weather a Senator storm. If they can do that while maintaining their physical play, both hitting and along the boards, they should be able to wear down an already tired Senators team. They Pens know the formula for playoff hockey, and proved to a lot of people (me included) that they had, in fact, “found the switch”.

Now the question is; can the Senators ratchet their play up to the Pens level, and if so, can the Pens raise their play to that next level?

Oh yea, and if you didn’t know, Andy Sutton is a douche nozzle (from Empty Netters)

Pittsburgh 1984....Or is it? Part II: Out for Justice

Right after I posted my last little Pulitzer piece on more cameras in the city, another article came out: Check it out here.

Long story short, the city wants to put cameras on street cleaners to capture no-good illegal parkers on the streets. I'm sure it's only a matter of time before people start bitching about 1984, invasion of privacy, bla bla bla.

The Radical Middle has picked up on it, and while I understand his sentiment, that for a mayor who doesn't want to be followed around by the media (as if that wasn't part of the job or something) he sure does want to know what the residents of Pittsburgh are doing via camera.

Like I said, I understand the sentiment, but disagree at the same time.

First, to understand this argument you will have to remove your tinfoil hats once again.

Done? Ok, good.

Now, Before people start bitching about their rights being infringed upon, think for just a quick second what this is trying to accomplish. It is true that it's illegal to park on streets during cleaning day. This technology would be placed on street sweepers to enforce this ordnance. I could see someone's complaint, say, if the city said, "we want to more effectively enforce illegal parking laws and we will therefore be putting cameras in your car." That is what I would call an invasion of privacy. To install city owned cameras on city owned street cleaners to enforce an established city ordnance is what I call clever thinking, NOT an invasion of privacy.

Second. Everyone hates government employees. Most of them are Union, overpaid, and often lazy. Now we have a plan, to help make enforcement of a city ordnance more cost effective and efficient by reducing the labor and logistics costs of enforcing this ordnance, and people will want to bitch. People, as a general rule want to jump all over the government at any level when there is perceived money wasting going on (myself included). This time the city wants to increase efficiency and decrease costs, but yet I would be willing to bet that there will be a lot of pissed off tinfoil hat wearers who, once again, wrongly feel that their rights are being infringed upon.

You may now replace your tinfoil hat on your head.

What to Do with the Igloo?

I’ve often heard the phrase “You Americans have no sense of history”. This is usually spoken by non-Americans, and is usually directed at Americans with little sense of history.

It’s in this spirit that I write this post. Fifty-odd years ago, Pittsburgh destroyed a neighborhood in order to build what is now Mellon Arena. They destroyed a piece of our history. Now they threaten to destroy history again, although in a different way; by knocking down a piece of American Engineering AND Cultural history.

Two wrongs don’t make a right. Was obliterating that neighborhood bad in the first place? Absolutely. Does that make it ok to destroy this landmark which was the first EVER retractable dome and is a piece of Pittsburgh history? No way.

The common theme I hear is “we must connect the Hill back to Downtown”. The Radical Middle does a GREAT job of throwing this argument out the window. Check it out here. To roughly paraphrase, The Hill IS connected to downtown, and always has been. If you are worried about “restoring the street grid”, get rid of those damn parking lots and rebuild the street grid, complete with whatever type of development you would like, residential, commercial, WHATEVER.

What to do with old Lady Mellon?

The harder issue to tackle is the sheer fact that the old lady is old and broken. To continue to use it in something approaching its current capacity would require a lot of $$$$. You can’t just let it sit empty either, as it would continue to deteriorate, and eventually become a safety hazard. My favorite idea, pushed here, would be to gut the arena, leaving it’s signature feature, the roof intact. The roof would then be retracted (permanently, I think) and the shell of the arena could house an outdoor amphitheatre.

By using this approach, you are saving an engineering first, and avoiding many of the other problems, including continued maintenance. This would also would allow for more extensive development than by leaving the arena/parking lots fully intact.

The Civic Arena has somewhat of a sordid history, but that history is nonetheless extremely important to this city and Western Pennsylvania. The story of The Civic Arena/Igloo/Mellon Arena should be preserved, not just in pictures and thoughts, but in real concrete and steel.

It's Time to Get Your Mind Right

Fans aren't just fans anymore, they're all analysts, general managers, and owners to boot (I'm guilty of it too). Sometimes though, it's nice to be a fan, just to root for a team and be excited about what is to come without worrying about such things as critiquing a coach's game plan, or questioning a GM's player moves. I think there's an innocence to just being a fan, and rooting for your team, and when everyone becomes a statistician, it takes something away from the purity and fun of being a fan.

Luckily there is still game day to make you feel like a real fan. Days like today make me glad to be alive. It's a Playoff Hockey Night in Pittsburgh! My mind is consumed by hockey, and I love it. The adrenaline is coursing through my veins, and consists of equal parts hope, fear, and excitement. The sky is the limit; The Pens may make another successful drive for the cup, or they may get an early tee-time on the golf course, but right now it's all about the anticipation, and I wouldn't have it any other way! It's a great day to be a Penguins fan and it's a Great Day for Hockey!

LET'S GO PENS!

DO IT!

Pittsburgh 1984...Or is it?

Put on your tinfoil hats everyone, Pittsburgh wants to put more cameras on the streets.

The “government is watching me” faction has made themselves known. (Apparently their spokesperson doesn’t live in the city that wants to emplace the cameras but was still so offended by the notion he had to write to the PG) Check it out here.

Here’s a few of thoughts on it:

First one isn’t mine, it’s from the comments section of the The Radical Middle, and takes a jab not only at the letter itself, but at the mocking sarcastic tone of the letter.

“David Noble's well-honed sarcasm doesn't go nearly far enough. It isn't just our "privacy" at stake with these intrusive cameras, it's something far more important. After all, the cameras would only be in places where police might also be able to personally witness criminality.
Let me help Mr. Noble better articulate his concern: the reason the cameras are such an awful idea is that they interfere with the time-honored tradition of getting away with things when cops aren't around.
That might sound counter-intuitive, so let me explain. I can't tell you how many times I have seen a criminally reckless driver zip past me and almost kill someone, and I invariably say to myself, "I hope there's no cop around to see that! Good thing there are no cameras taping this!" I remember uttering that very thing when I was victimized by a hit-and-run driver.
Another example: a girl claims a brute quarterback raped her. Damn if I want to see a video of her demeanor immediately after-the-fact. I prefer to let the truth emerge via the incisive clucking tongues on populist radio. Or better yet, the blogosphere, where reasoned analysis always prevails.
You see, you and I have a reasonable expectation of privacy when there happens to be no cop around. The damn cameras would destroy all that.
I hope I helped you make your very excellent point, Mr. Noble.”

Second, why don’t you save your opinions for when the borough of Swissvale tries to put cameras on their streets? Why the hell do you care unless you are planning on regularly venturing into the city to commit crime? As a resident of the city of Pittsburgh who lives in an area where crime has happened and is on the rise, I would feel a hell of a lot safer knowing there are cameras watching the streets. Oh yea, I also don’t plan on committing any crimes.

Lastly (and take off your tinfoil hat for a second to think about this one), does anyone really, honestly, truly think that the city of Pittsburgh will be spying on you when you tuck your penis between your legs and do that creepy dance like Buffalo Bill from Silence of the Lambs in your basement/living room? Really?

The cameras are probably fixed and do not give any sort of views into any homes. Second, if the city or any city employee were foolish enough to even attempt to film inside someone's house, the ACLU and several other agencies would be all over the city faster than you can say “Bill of Rights”.

Really?

I had to pass this along, because I was shocked/bemused when I saw this on the way home the other night. So you know those mean looking Dodge Chargers that various police dept’s have been acquiring lately? You know the ones with the big brush bumpers on the front and 5 bagillion lights? Yea those…

Well apparently the high speed Carnegie Mellon P.D. has purchased at least one of these bad boys.

Really???? Is that necessary? Just in case you didn’t know, YOU ARE A CAMPUS POLICE FORCE!!!! Don’t think you’ll be doing any high speed chases down I-5 any time soon. Is that really a wise use of student paid tuition? Do these vehicles really increase student safety? Me thinks not. I would be curious to see what the university’s police department’s justification for picking up these mean looking honies. It probably had more to do with intimidating looks than student safety.

Hey, here’s a wacky idea: Save the money on the car(s) and hire more bike cops to patrol so that students aren’t getting pepper sprayed and robbed by ignorant ass thugs.

Perhaps they should make their motto: “To serve and protect, and look badass doing it”

One Last Dance with the Old Lady

I wish it would have gone differently last night. I could have truly enjoyed my last event hosted by the old broad. Sadly, it was not meant to be. The last dance did not go as planned.

Still, I am glad to say I saw her one last time. Old lady Mellon has been showing her age for a long time, but there is no place like Mellon Arena in the NHL, and pretty soon there will be no Mellon Arena period.

In all my trips to the arena, I had never had the fortune, and the joy of sitting in the F Balcony where the Pens shoot twice. Despite last night’s outcome, I am sure glad that I had that opportunity. For all the hubbub about the new arena, I doubt that it, or any other hockey arena will be able to match the experience of watching a game from F section at the Mellon. I’ve often heard people say that in E and F sections you are right on top of the ice, but I was never able to picture it for myself. After last night, I now know what they were talking about, they could not have been more right. What an experience; what a great way to watch a hockey game!

I know things can’t last forever, and the old lady is tired and broken. This amazing team deserves a first class state of the art venue. I am glad they are getting that new facility. Still, I can’t help but feel a little sad. There was no NHL experience like the Mellon Arena. I don’t just mean the amazing views in the balcony seats, I mean the Standing Room Only, and the seats where there was a big chunk of concrete in your way. Those sections were ugly, but they were unique and they brought balance to the arena. You had the funky sight lines, but by the same token, in some sections you literally hovered over the ice, giving an unrivaled view of the action.

Unlike some others who cut their last visit to the old Igloo short last night once it became apparent the Pens were not going to pull it out, I stayed and walked around the seating bowl. I took some pictures and stopped to reminisce about my own personal experiences in this fine old arena.

I’ll always remember my first trip to the Igloo, as a “student rusher” with maybe about 4000 other people there (I missed Mario’s comeback by a few scant weeks). I’ll also never forget Ryan Malone’s wrap around goal during game two of the Senators series in 2008. It broke a 3-3 tie with under a minute to play and I remember thinking the roof was going to fly off as the place went absolutely NUTS!

Finally, I’ll always remember the Game 3 OT Goal by Letang to turn the series around against the Caps. I have never experienced a louder more intense crowd in any sport, at any venue than at that very moment. It was amazing and still makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

Even as your time grows near Lady Mellon, It’s hard to say goodbye. I’m not exactly sure how, suffice to say it’s been a wonderful ride, and thank you for all the memories.

The Pirate Home Opener: The Good Bad and Ugly

Had the opportunity to tail gate and be in attendance for the dandy of a game/afternoon yesterday. A few thoughts on the experience:

-To all the homers who decry the Pirates organization and are calling for the sale/move of the team and the demolition of PNC Park: I can’t argue that the team has looked like shit for the last 17 years and it probably won’t get better any time soon. I’m not going to get into a debate about how/why this happened, or what can/will be done to fix it. The point is, the chance to sit at the park on a beautiful spring (felt like summer) day, drink some beer, eat some food, and take in the great view from a great seat are all reasons why I will continue to go to Pirates games.

-Having said that, opening day is a glimpse into what could be. The crowd was big and vocal. The partying was intense (more on that later). There was genuine excitement about this game, and it showed. It was an awesome atmosphere; more akin to a Pens or Steelers game than a typical Pirates game. It all made me think how awesome it would be if this were late August/September. Imagine a late season game against a divisional rival with playoff implications. It would be wild, and it would be an amazing time! *Sigh*

-Lukey’s new hotel was staring me in the face all day, and it pissed me off. I hope he is enjoying whatever kick backs I am assuming that he got for selling the land so cheaply to the developers.

-This last little mental tidbit happened yesterday, but could have wide reaching ramifications. I wonder how long until someone gets killed or seriously injured enough from drunken retarded brawls that break out tailgating before it (tailgating) is outlawed or made to be dry. After the game, a couple morons whose balls apparently grew 10-12x’s their original size before and during the game, had to fight to solve whether one of them had peed on the side of their car, or threw water or beer or something on said car. The whole thing was kind of funny, because they looked like a bunch of primates posturing (read ridiculous) and no one was really hurt. Still, you get 20-30 thousand drunk people together and there is always trouble, and it seems to get worse and worse. I like to drink and eat at tailgates, and would prefer to see some sort of stepped up enforcement now before something REALLY bad happens, and just like everything else in life, a lot of innocent and responsible people would be punished along with the morons responsible for the trouble.

A Good Swift Kick in the Ass

From all indications, The Pens got what they should have out of their surprise practice yesterday. A good wake up call/glass of cold water in the face/kick in the ass, call it whatever you want, but as a Pens fan, I feel good about it this morning.

Yesterday I was perilously close to the edge of the Ft. Pitt Bridge, but I did not jump as so many fans have over the last tumultuous 48 hours. We don’t know if the practice helped, or hurt, but early indications are good. From reading a couple articles in the papers, there was no dicking around, and the work was fast and crisp. The way things should be this time of year.

My prediction, if the Pens turn this thing around, is that this two day period could cement Disco as being fo’ real. I really liked his reaction, he didn’t call the team soff in the media or call anyone out (although he did make his discontent known), he took the calm logical approach of handling the situation behind closed doors and taking actions to address the sloppy play(making them practice on a day off). That is straight out of the book on leadership (The non-Mike Richards version).

Money.

I’ll be honest, I still don’t know if he is making the right adjustments in-game, but one thing I do not question is his leadership ability. I will always have a soff spot for FHCMT, but his attitude was his downfall. In my humble opinion, after two+ years of yelling and screaming, the players just stopped responding to him.


You see that twinkle in my eye? That hop in my step? That is because the playoffs grow near my friends. The most magical time of the year.

Fuckin DO IT!
Let’s Go Pens!

Today's Olive Branch

I like to make fun of people, and draw attention to their shortcomings (probably because it makes me feel better about my own sorry ass), but I also try to give credit where it is due, even if I have disagreed with, belittled, or mocked someone in the past.

Today’s Olive Branch goes to Ron Cook (for the record, he still shouldn’t write about hockey) for his article in Today’s PG. A truer piece with a truer title has never been written. The title hurts to even look at, but that is why it is a great title. It cuts to the bone, and is 100% on the mark: “Steelers No Better Than Bengals”. Ouch…

The B.S. about a higher standard appears to be just that. Hey Rooney's, Tomlin, and mis-informed yinzer fans! Wanna put your collective money where your collective mouths are??? Get rid of these players! Start with James Harrison who got out of a domestic violence case through “anger management” and being the MVP. Then move onto Jeff Reed, who makes paper towel dispensers tremble at his mere mention. After we get those two out of the way, THEN we could move on to Santonio “baby mama drama” Holmes and Big Ben “Bigger Ego” Roethlisberger.

I know everyone thinks I am talking crazy talk. I guess I am. I want to hold personal accountability in a higher regard than on-field performance. Crazy me, I am willing to take a hit on the field to prove to everyone that the Steelers ARE a class organization which does not tolerate the B.S. that other teams do.

Silly, Silly me.

This is Why Part II

"He ain't (expletive) comin' down, and I ain't waitin' all day for him," she told a colleague, crew chief Kim Long, at the dispatch center. "I mean, what the (expletive), this ain't no cab service."

Those words were uttered by someone charged with helping injured and sick people. Those words constitute a dereliction of duty. As a result of the attitude displayed by the person who spoke the above phrase and several others a man died.

Let’s go over that one more time, an AMBULANCE FUCKING MEDIC, whose job it is to save peoples lives and help those in health related distress was too goddamn lazy to do their JOB and someone died.

Unacceptable! Snow or no snow, you are NOT a taxi service, you are supposed to be the difference between life and death for some people. I guess these EMS workers WERE the difference.

Why am I so pissed about this a month+ later? Because the “punishment” was handed down yesterday. The worst offender got 5 days unpaid leave….ohhh that stings! I challenge someone to explain to me how a light slap on the wrist is acceptable when a man died because of this person’s LAZY, and holier than thou attitude.
Oh that’s right, they’re in a Union. An organization where standards are low, and substandard behavior is not only ignored, it’s defended vehemently (The head of the paramedic union has vowed to fight the suspensions).

HA HA!

Ok, so to recap (as if you won’t find out in a minute), #1: I vote democrat; #2 I support universal healthcare (also, yes I have a private insurer, yes I will be keeping that insurer, as we have not witnessed the end of private healthcare)

Now that that is out of the way, there have been some really sweet nuggets in the comment sections of a lot of papers and news outlets. I also added comments in bold

Hilarious really, here are a few of my favorites:

Did you know that when Patrick Henry made his famous “Give me Liberty or Give me Death” speech, he was actually referring to the eventual rise of a black president who would institute healthcare for all the citizen’s in the United States? Well if you didn’t, now you do, courtesy of “CLR” on CNN.com:

“Speaking of Irony (the day Obama signs the HC bill PH proclaimed):
March 23, 1775: Patrick Henry exclaims, "Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!"” –Clearly “CLR” knows that it’s been empirically, and scientifically proven that universal healthcare is tantamount to slavery….oh wait, that’s really not the case at all…

Again from the completely sane and rational empirically and scientifically proven department, we get a quote from “Henry Flynn”:

“Soon after he signs the bill, although the bill has some good things in it, it also is the first steps toward installing socialism in America-according to whom? Fox News I suppose. The signing of the bill is an act of treason-Missed the part in the Constitution where it says that when Obama signs this bill it should be considered treason.. Treason is an attempt to overthrow our government –just in case you didn’t know and yet the democrats allow such. He also went against his vows, when he took office, to uphold the constitution-Again, didn’t see the part of the Constitution where it forbade Obama to sign a universal healthcare plan. There are parts of this bill that are unconstitutional-where? In my opinion, he should be impeached and charged with treason-because Fox News says so! There will be no charges brought because our AG will not charge anyone with anything. He also dropped the charges against the Black Panthers for voter intimidation-huh? The president appointed people who would let him do whatever he wants, no matter how wrong it is! –Wow, that sounds a lot like a previous administration, or was that the other way around; he did whatever THEY wanted, no matter how wrong it was…At least the AG of the states all Republicans are taking their separate cases to court, the part that is unconstitutional!”

The next nugget comes from Tony, who must be in pretty good health:

“I make 120,000 a year and do not have insurance, by choice. I afford to pay full price at my doctors visits and pay full price for my prescription drugs. Does this mean, I have to now pay nearly 10,000 in healthcare or I will be fined? how does this make sense?” – Can’t wait until Tony has a major medical issue and then tries to pay the bills. This is selfish America in a nut shell, if this does not benefit me directly, I should not have to participate.

This one is PRICELESS, from "Comrade" Neal…

Welcome to the Divided Socialis(sic) States of America. Feels like the good old days of the Soviet Union. –Because you would know The Russians had Lenin, Stalin,nkhrushchev and Brezhnev.....we have Pelosi, Reid, Stupak, and Obama.-So ridiculous, needs no other response. Just warms your heart doesn't it? In a few years the U.S. will be just like the former USSR.......GONE!!!! God save our country from this abomination!!! -I’m sure you had alternative solutions to the problems the Democrats were/are attempting to address, you weren’t just a member of the massive chorus of “No’s” or a member of the collective temper tantrum whose members resorted to screaming insults like 5 year olds expecting that they would somehow get their way…

If anyone is bored at work, or in general, log onto any news website and you’ll find some real gems.

Oh yea, and our Attorney General has just joined the Republican cavalcade of State Attorney Generals who are filing lawsuits to stop this healthcare legislation. Hmmmm, sounds like a certain political party is real sore they didn’t stop the legislation.

Wouldn't it be Nice?

I hate driving, and anyone who reads this will soon find out, if they haven’t already. I am forced to go to Cleveland this weekend (I know, I know), and the only thing worse than going to Cleveland, is DRIVING to Cleveland. I oft get jealous of Harrisburg and Philadelphia. You can hop on about one of 100 trains per day and get there in no time, and not have to worry about your blood pressure causing that little vein above your eyebrow to pulse painfully. (Just a second, who the hell wants to go to Harrisburg any more than Cleveland? I know, there were good reasons they upgraded train travel between the two cities, but honestly…Have you ever been to Harrisburg, it sucks, it’s got all the bullshit of a city, without any of the awesomeness.)

Anyway, I don’t want a connection to Harrisburg, but a connection to Cleveland and points west that DOESN’T leave at midnight sure would be pretty damn sweet. Instead of getting potentially violent road-rage on the way to a place I don’t want to go, I could sit in a nice comfy seat, sip on an ice-cold tasty beverage and day-dream about leaving Cleveland once again on the soonest eastbound train.

However, given that the State of Pennsylvania can’t fund transportation so as it is, I am not going to hold my breath.

"Mayor declares state of emergency in advance of flood"

That's the word according to the PG today.





...No word if and when Mayor Ravenstahl will move to his Mountain Emergency Response Command Post.

Rant of the Day!

Goddamnit, I HATE Pittsburgh drivers. I would take an asshole New York or New Jersey driver over a Pittsburgh driver any day. Where as the aforementioned a-hole drivers are one end of the bad driver spectrum (the a-hole side!), Pittsburgh drivers are the opposite extreme. While they are probably less likely to pull out a gun and kill you, Pittsburgh drivers are equally, if not more annoying. They have to be the most passive, non-committal drivers I’ve ever seen.

How many times have you had some old snow top in front of you, who upon seeing a traffic light directly in front of them turn yellow, resign themselves to waiting the 14 minutes until the light will then turn green again? At which time, they sit at the light while the nerve impulse slowly travels from their old brain to their old foot to slowly press down, ever so slightly on the gas.

Don’t even get me started on the goddamn tunnels, now THERE is a Pittsburgh idiosyncrasy that I cannot STAND! You assholes drive through them EVERY DAY! They won’t collapse if you go over 45mph, I swear, I do it all the time! These people would shit themselves in a state like, Colorado, for example, where not only do people maintain their speed through the tunnels *gasp!*, but they can PASS too!

Can You Say Something Out of Nothing?

http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/more_sports/sid_blows_nhl_golden_chance_22VH7UimsoimIdQfehXQTJ

Oh wait....No one cares!

People act like he was fondling a 20 year old in a bathroom or something...

Well Wonders Never Cease...

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10067/1041041-181.stm

Apparently one slap-ass involved in politics isn't enough. Now the big baby's baby brother is getting involved.

Too harsh?

Ok, how about this? If the younger Ravenstahl is half the arrogant/inept/self righteous abuser of power his big brother is, I hope he goes down in a ball of political flame.

Those Little Capitals Fans are SO Easy to Rile up!

Mike Wilbon of ESPN’s PTI wrote a GREAT (in my biased Pens fan mind) article about Ovechkin in the Washington Post of all papers. I had a great time looking through the comments section to see the screaming that erupted as a result.

I think it went something like….”WAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!”

You see, I think those lovable little Caps fans who have just recently discovered that hockey IS in fact a sport, got their panties in a bunch because Wilbon mentioned the “C” word. No, I don’t mean Champion, Captain or even, Canadian Gold Medalist. I mean Crosby. I would honestly be pissed too (imagine if hockey moron Ron Cook had the audacity to compare anyone poorly on the Pens to another NHL player, especially Ovechkin), but the Mike Wilbon is spot on about Ovechkin’s behavior. He better watch out, or he may end up in a women’s bathroom in Georgia chasing after an under-age girl with Ray Lewis’ attorney on speed dial.

On a slightly related note, I love the Ovechkin vs. Crosby debate that Caps or Pens blogs often devolve into. I don’t care about the statistics and keep your individual awards. NOTHING was better than celebrating in the streets after the SCF victory, NOTHING. Seriously, it was something I’ll tell my grandkids about. That doesn’t happen without Crosby, so thanks, I’ll keep him.

Monday Brain turds

-This weather is beautiful and makes me doubly unhappy that I am stuck inside working for the man. All this sunshine in March makes me worry about what is to come. You know we’re going to have to pay for this nice weather somewhere down the road. We will probably get the snow storm from hell in April, or at the very least the sun will go behind the clouds on or about March 15th and stay there until well into May...

-There was a great article in the Post Gazette yesterday about Ronald Reagan and the Republican Party (I am eagerly awaiting being called anti-American, socialist, etc. because #1 I am not Republican, and #2 agree with something that is not pro-Republican) The article talked about how despite the popularity and success of Reagan’s policies, it shifted Republican thinking, and took them away from their core values of fiscal responsibility and practicality. If you have half an open mind to dissent and candor, read it. If not, let the screaming begin.

-Sorry, but Matt Cooke deserves a suspension for his hit on Mark Savard yesterday. I can’t believe he wasn’t at LEAST tossed out of the game. Did he mean to hurt the guy…no way, but the hit was at the very least reckless. TPB has a different take on it. I respect their opinions (to start, they are waaayyyyy more knowledgeable than I am about hockey, I am just a run of the mill fan), but I have watched more than a couple Pens games and his hit was reckless, the kind that the NHL is trying to cut down on. They are correct that an agitator plays on the edge, plays with fire if you will, but as the old adage goes, sometimes when you play with fire, you get burned. Cookie deserves to get burned for a couple games on this one.

Roethlisberger framed.....AGAIN!

Once again, Ben Roethlisberger has been accused of sexual assault, and once again it is a complete fabrication. However, this time, our incredibly reliable sources tell us that he was framed by our apparent turncoat mayor!

Little Lukey, already "welly mad at those stupid heads" for not letting him hold the trophy in the last Super Bowl parade, hatched a plan to divert attention from his latest bout of stupidity and arrogance. He apparently broke into the basement at the Cathedral of Learning and stole the bubble boy outfit. Once in possession of the of the outfit, and a handy dandy air compressor, he went to Georgia posing as our ever so modest quarterback until he found his target.

When interviewed by police, the victim described her assailant as being "huge with a big head and even bigger ego" Clearly, everyone assumed that she was talking about our quarterback, Ben "WWJD" Roethlisberger.

Luckily for him, and all of you, Luke's hi-jinks have been exposed by the crack investigative team here at You Down with P.O.B.


Ok, enough satire.

Wanna know why I don't like the Steelers as much as I used to and now follow the Pens MUCH more closely? Let's see: Cedric Wilson, James Harrison, Jeff Reed (Twice), Matt Spaeth, Ben Roethlisberger. Looks like a certain team needs to be knocked down a few pegs...

A simple Explanation

Arson, Activists? Who knows? I do. I can settie it in two words.

Jewish*Lightning







* I'm not an anti-semite, if you think so, get a goddamn sense of humor.

A Return to Hockey

Like the drunk bureaucrat, I’ve been in a funk. Thank god hockey has returned to Pittsburgh. I LOVED Olympic hockey and was totally swept up in the unexpected American run to silver, but I missed watching the Pens.

Speaking of the Pens, I am throwing the gauntlet down, right here, right now. If you consider yourself a pens fan and you at any point booed Crosby during Tuesday night’s game, then you are officially a moron “Pittsburgh fan”.

If you are pissed about the U.S. losing, fine! The Captain of your team completed an incredible accomplishment, and the same reasons you love him as your team captain are the same reasons that you should be happy that he got the gold.

He didn’t change when he played for Canada, he was still classy, well spoken and thoughtful during his interviews. He was still amazing to watch on the ice. He just did it for a different team, oh yea by the way, that different team was representing HIS HOMELAND, oh shit!

You can be pissed at Canada all you want, but the same reasons you love him with the “C” on his sweater in Pittsburgh, are the same reasons you should be respectful of his accomplishments as a Canadian playing for his country. Translation: Yinz better not boo any more n’at!