[Ed. Note: Hosting company had network problems today. I tried to publish this just as it went down.]
As we all know, one of the way Penn State did their best not to play Pitt was to claim they simply could not “afford” to lock into a home-and-home series. They needed at least a 3-for-2 deal or some other arrangement to make it clear that they were the alpha dog get enough home games. Pitt never flinched in holding firm against that. Not Pederson. Not Long. Wasn’t going to happen.
Now WVU works to find non-con games. They are looking to set up regional games (cheaper travel and games their fans might actually care to see) and neutral site games.
Holgorsen speaks excitedly and openly about other possibilities he’d like to make realities to fit his vision and to position his team for a spot in the playoff.
“I’d be in favor of us and Pitt playing once in Pittsburgh (at Heinz Field) because it’s a big venue and because we’d have more people than they would,” Holgorsen said. “Us and Penn State in Philadelphia. If you can do a home-and-home, great. If you can’t, then do one game in a bigger venue. The home-and-home with (Virginia) Tech was already announced. A home-and-home with Virginia, or a neutral-site game with Virginia in (Washington, D.C.)?”
[Emphasis added.]
Now, this is where I’m supposed to get all offended and self-righteous over this kind of dickery. Only I can’t. It’s just too damn funny that the same day this article gets published, this story as well.
Season ticket sales for West Virginia football games are down with less than a month to go before the start of the season.
Sports marketing director Matt Wells says WVU has sold 33,100 season tickets. More than 37,400 were sold last season, the Mountaineers’ first in the Big 12.
By all means. If the game is going to be at Heinz Field every year, let’s renew the Brawl.
Do you know there is no direct exit from 279N or 28 to either Carson St or 2nd Ave?
Oakland is much easier accessible than the practice facility
The Pitt script is dead. Get over it. Go read Who moved my Cheese then jerk off to the Marino poster in your garage.
Why would we even consider playing WVU? Why would we lower ourselves to play those morons? So we can compete for the 3 recruits that come out of the WPIAL? How about playing a non-con in SEC land or an area where there is actual talent to recruit?
Holding onto the past has gotten us into this mess. Move forward.
Change, for change sakes, without a plan, is poor change.
Bad change needs to be rectified.
Afterall, we are all not mice.
As for the original point of this post, I’m all for Pitt playing the Hoopies wherever and whenever. College sports is all about atmosphere on game-day and if you tell me you are going to get as pumped up about Duke as you are about WVU then I have a hot metal bridge to show you.
There is just as much chance that a new chancellor would not support athletics as much as Nordenberg did and perhaps Nordenberg wants a established AD to ensure things stay at least Status Quo.
link to goo.gl
PITT could tear down the indoor practice facility, which is just a big empty box anyway albeit a great practice venue, and that would give a new stadium a total of a parking footprint of at least 297 yds x 100 yds to the NW of the UPMC Sports Complex.
According to my non-engineer calcs that is enough space for 1,055 cars x four per car average and that’s 4221 people. That is using 172 cars per acre of space (thanks Ask.com). Throw in another 963 spaces (3,852 people) in the existing lot at the East end of the Great Allegheny Passage foot bridge (Hot Metal Bridge) available in easy walking distance. That is a total of 2,018 spaces so that right there is 8,073 people who could drive in and walk to the stadium.
Throw in all the existing parking garages and lots on the Southside and that is four big garages right in the Southside itself and two on either side of the East end of the Hot metal Bridge. I’ll bet that is another 6,000 spaces at least (24,000 persons) for a total of about 32,000 people who could drive in and walk to a game.
The walking distance from that East bank lot to the new stadium is 1305 yards or .6 miles, as compared to the walking distance from Downtown parking (South base of 7th Street bridge) to Heinz Field is 1610 yards or .9 miles, and a lot of fans do that. So, .3 miles shorter.
I’m not sure how parking spaces are going to be left at Heinz Field after the Rooneys and the City are through with all their building but I wouldn’t be surprised if it ends up less than what would be available above.
Add the numerous Port Authority bus lines that go there and then designated Park and Rides outside the area and you have the transit and parking systems solved.
This would make the Southside a true central and viable part of PGH and would bring lots of $$$ to the local businesses.
See – I’m not anti-new stadium, just anti- new stadium on the current Oakland campus.