My kids get spoiled rotten this time of year. (Yes, I know, everyone’s kids get spoiled rotten this time of year. Work with me on this.) They get to do the Hanukkah and Christmas combo. I’m not saying grandparents on both sides of the religious divide aren’t trying to subtly influence the leanings whenever (if ever) they decide to make that call.  We have had to warn both sides off  about showing up with a puppy, though.

I’ve mentioned it before that when it came to team and school loyalties, I got everything but the NFL. The poor kids have to root for the Browns. Not that it has mattered much since I’m not about to go out an buy them the gear, and my wife gets sticker shock just about every time she looks at licensed gear. Frankly the kids haven’t cared to ask.

Until this year. The boy is seven and decided this year he wanted a Browns jersey. I asked my wife what brought that on, and she pointed out that his teacher is a huge Browns fan, so it probably has something to do with that. To be fair, she is quite pretty, so I just nodded my head without mentioning that aspect. I was just kind of hoping that he was going to last a little longer before doing stupid things for a girl.

(more…)

Our new Head Coach has been hired after what was a short and poorly kept secret search.  The PITT Search Committee floated some misdirection out by leaks here and there but since late last week it was narrowed down to Pat Narduzzi, the ex-defensive Coordinator for Big Ten’s Michigan State and basically no one else.

Love it or hate it,  in my opinion it smacks as same old, same old for PITT’s run of head coaches.  Not that I disagree or even dislike the choice, I’m OK with it actually, but it runs counter to what  PITT’s stated goal was after Chryst left.  That was to open the purses strings and make a “splash hire” by getting a successful guy who had already held a head coaching position in college and who knew how to handle to rigors of both on and off the field requirements of a large university’s football program.

The only variation, and it is a big one, is that the incoming HC won’t have to deal with the previous AD in Steve Pederson.  That right there gives Narduzzi a bump in the right direction.

But in essence it feels like we replicated almost exactly what we did three years ago when we hired Wisconsin’s Offensive Coordinator Paul Chryst, taking the gamble that he’d have a successful transition to the Big Job.  A coordinator turned Head Coach who had stronger loyalties for another school other than PITT as we have just seen. Now we are doing it again with Narduzzi so I’ll keep my fingers crossed that times change as the personnel do and that the last three years are bettered under the new HC.

(more…)