Okay, this could be slightly annoying or highly endearing. I haven’t made up my mind, yet.

The University of Pittsburgh Athletic Department is proud to announce an exciting new partnership with the Gateway Clipper Fleet. For over forty years, the Gateway Clipper Fleet has been America’s largest and most successful inland riverboat company and now the Panthers are proud to join the entire Gateway Clipper Fleet as it continues to navigate Pittsburgh’s Three Rivers; the Monongahela, Allegheny and Ohio.

On Saturday, September 3, when Head Coach Dave Wannstedt and the Pitt Football Team begin the 2005 campaign, the familiar and friendly sound of the riverboat horns, will now become the “Official Riverboat Roar” of the Panthers. On Pitt Football Game-days in Pittsburgh the Riverboat Roar will sound 30-minutes prior to kickoff at Heinz Field celebrating the start of Pre-game and will sound each time the Panthers score this season!

It’s definitely gimmicky.

ESPN2’s “Cold Pizza” will be doing something at Pitt or Heinz Field tomorrow. The article says that the ND-Pitt game will be on ESPN at 8, but that is wrong, since it the coverage map for ABC still shows the game (PDF). Another error, they’ll have to correct — getting a little sloppy, Trib.