A nasty paper cut is going to make typing this take twice as long as it should, but the news of celebrity sightings at the Pete have to be mentioned. Monday’s game saw Dallas Mavericks owner and possible Pens/Pirates owner (we all know this’ll never happen) sitting court side. Word has it he might actually be interested in purchasing Pitt and maybe even moving the school to Dallas.
New Steelers coach Mike Tomlin was also there Monday, following Bill Cowher’s steps in attending. Other notable people who have been to the Pete in the last 5 years: Jeff Reed, Jerome Bettis (to support ND mostly), Franco Harris, Mel Blount, Mark Malone, Kordell Stewart, Joey Porter, Hines Ward, Marc Bulger, Dave Littlefield, the late Mayor Bob O’Connor, current Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato, Gov. Ed Rendell, gubernatorial candidate and ex-Steeler Lynn Swann, Penguins owner Mario Lemieux, Pirates CEO Kevin McClatchy and Alex Trebek.
Then we get this quote from Jeff Long.
As Pitt athletic director Jeff Long said of his facility, “It has become the place to be in the cold, winter months in Pittsburgh.”
Pitt basketball might be the place for the stars but for most regular people it’s hard to get a ticket. The hottest ticket in town might be a Pitt game if you like to make a donation on top of your season ticket expenses (or if you’re a celebrity) but to be honest, most people would rather go to a Penguins game than try to find a way into the Pete. With the student rush tickets for Pens games (generally a very good ticket for only $20), more people would say the Igloo is the place to be.
That’s not a big deal though. It’s the fact that Pitt is willing to screw “real” fans who actually care about weather they win or lose in order to bring in big names who don’t really care about the game.
Looking at the actual product on the court though…
I think this is where we miss Krauser. Not his skill set (Fields has filled in much better than most would have ever guessed) but the actual kind of person he was. Monday night, Louisville was able to get pumped up for that game. You can go ahead and say the Cards needed it but it’s not like Pitt has already clinched the Big East regular season title and can afford to lose the rest of their games. Krauser would have been able to bring some life to a team last night that was dead.
Perhaps it’s that Levance feels too young to step up and be vocal. Maybe he’s just naturally not a loud guy. The fact is we really don’t have anyone who can get the emotions going before and during the game.
If you don’t want to donate you can still get tickets.
Give me a break typical yinzer b.s.
Everything is great till ya got buck up.
Everybody wants top notch athletic programs at Pitt.
But when it comes to supporting those programs , well thats another story.
How and the hell is Pitt suppose to fund the programs?
We ranked in the bottom 5 of the Big East for donations. That is sad and people still bitch when they have to buck up.
It takes money to get to the top and to stay at the top.
If you can figure out a economic model to placate everyone’s demand for $20 tickets without putting anyone off, and still making some cash for the athletic department, well, my hat goes off to you, good sir.
As far as hoops are concerned, I could be persuaded to make the donation as I think they’ve really earned the support, but it still feels like extortion at some level. I don’t relish the idea of scalping tickets – with my luck I’d be one of the guys who gets scammed – so I won’t go that route. For 50-60 bucks, I’d rather go to the igloo legit if I can (this year – last year was a debacle for sure), but its getting tough to do.
On the Krauser comments, yeah, I think we miss his personaility. Everyone on the other teams hated the guy, but he got in your head. He was reckless and irresponsible at times, but I don’t think anyone ever questioned his heart. I’m not saying his presence would have changed the outcome of the Louisville game, but it might not have been the ass-kicking embarrasment it ended up being.
Be careful what you wish for. I wouldn’t curse my worst enemy with that fate. I’ve been there . 🙂
Cure Polio, or stack on 11th 12th 13th and 14th championships? Tough call… at least Posvar’s way we’re not all limpin’ and gimpin’ to the Heinz field turnstyles.
My call: push
Note that the Polio vaccine was announced in 1956. Posvar didn’t start his tenure until 1967. So you do the math, but he WAS a master money raiser. I give him credit for that and his military service – I think he was a general in the Airforce. But he was arrogant, and stuborn, and knew nothing about big time college athletics, and didn’t care to learn. Bozic was possibly the bigger culprit, but Posvar appointed him for a reason. There’s two sides to every story, but the results on the field make it clear that poor decisions were made for the wrong reasons.
I see no reason why you can’t have both. Other schools certainly manage it. I remember the days when you could tune into Pitt game and just assume they were going to kick the crap out of whoever they were playing – it didn’t matter who it was. Think current-day Ohio State. We had that once, even if only for a brief moment in time. But its hard to forget…
I am hopeful – Wanny is a lot of things, but you can’t say he’s a poor recruiter. He has to work and mold the talent he has, so we have to be patient for a couple more years, but there is hope. I think next year will be a wash at best, but things could get interesting 2-3 years from now.
Come to think of it, I’d even settle for a Gator Bowl win 🙂
I enjoyed your initial post, even though I disagree with it. The AD at the time may not have been the best hire (or decision) but overall your assessment of Posvar is off.
You’re right he was an Air force pilot-he also graduated first in his class at West Point, went on to be a Rhodes Scholar and earned 5 academic degrees. He may have been tough to deal with at times, but great (driven) leaders often have this characteristic. He did not serve during the polio vaccine development but did serve after the fact-forging the medicine into the world renowned heights it has reached today.
Despite late80s and early 90s struggles, Pitt football was reborn during Posvar’s admin. Simply look at the records. I credit Tony Dorsett more for this development (similar to Vick at tech or Dawkins in hoops at Duke). The ‘76 season is when Pitt author Alberts said, ‘it came togetherâ€(1987). We would win our 9th championship before state would win 1…In itself amazing.
I do enjoy hearing about the times that Pitt was “like Ohio State today.†It reminds me of what we can return to and gives me a sense of pride to look back on. Despite the drop-off after the Sherril days, we did have two guys who would just miss out on the heisman and nearly 20 years later, have Larry #1 just miss out on the honor as well. More importantly, we are recruiting Larry type character guys and talent and have world class facilities.
People tend to follow a school for two reasons 1) because of the significant and profound impact the school had on their lives and/or 2) because what the school is doing today and where it is going tomorrow.
I am fortunate to support both notions-Pitt provided me with an excellent foundation to pursue my career, earn two master degrees and form relationships with friends I still have and value today. Today I believe we are moving in the right direction (in some cases sprinting) the campus has seen a massive face lift and the quality of student learning there is amazing-Pitt has produced more Rhodes Scholars than any other school in PA in the last 20 years (yes, including Penn).
You seem like a bright guy-we need more people like you on board as we head towards the next great chapter in Pitt sports.
Just calling a spade a spade……
paulhackett – for now, i understand no one paying for a ticket to football. But give it a few years, i think we can have a howland like turnaround for football as well. We have everything you need, we just need a little time – freshman lineman don’t do so well against 4th and 5th year seniors… But the talent level is going up. I’m willing to be patient for a few more years on this. I think the admin made the right decision.
Stuart
