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!