This period between the end of spring practices in April and the start of the summer training camp in early August is a real dry spot for PITT football.
Chas is great at putting up posts on lots of different PITT related issues as he writes about basketball, recruiting, the media coverage PITT gets, etc.
Me, not so much. My interest is heavily on the football side and that’s what I care to write about, but I need some help now. So, I’m putting out a call for your thoughts on what would be interesting to read about and then debate/discuss on here.
We are all PITT football fanatics otherwise we wouldn’t take as much time as we do with this blog so I assume we all want some fresh subjects to discuss at least every few days. Hey, I strung out the Star Rating System into three pretty long posts just to get something up on the board. I’m desperate.
Therefore, unless you really want to discuss Tino Sunseri’s attributes and potential for three months, and I can go there, then chip in with some ideas.
(^^^ My first image on The Blather!)
Let’s not do just a Q&A please, I need some substantive subjects that I can be able to expound on and produce something of decent length and quality. How I get ideas for articles is usually event driven when there are events to drive something. Without that I usually just let my mind wander over some things I myself would like background, info and opinions on. I’ll do the heavy lifting – all you need to do is point me in the right direction.
Thanks guys…
Locations, fan bases, where to fly into, history of programs, where they are at “now”.
Might do one at a time, hoops and football.
Probably get some good comments, and some dialogue from Pitt fans that live by these schools now.
I’ll even start with a comment. Elliott Walker sticking the ball in the Clemson db’s face at the 5 yd line going into the end zone in the Gator Bowl I believe.
Penalty flag, ya, taunting I guess, but I love it and a great Pitt memory!!!!!
Jeff, you started this off well, IMHO!!
So, I quit!
Dan – I won’t do any hoops stuff at all, not my bag.
More specifically, there was a thread on Scout debating whether Joe Jordano is competent or just allowed to continue on as HC because no one cares. Is he the guy to carry us into major college baseball? Can we ever be competitive as a cold weather university?
Seems like we could get some good, informative info and debates just from the ideas allready.
In light of HbgFranks post, and the idea I will throw out there in a moment, I would suggest, that we don’t throw any “never gonna work”, “never happening”, “don’t like it” comments on anyones ideas. If you (again, INLUDING MYSELF) don’t like a subject, maybe we could just bypass the subject and wait till the next article.
Case in point, some of the one liners, to the stadium issue. In my humble opinion. We don’t need any “never gonna happen” opinions. We’ve seen those, and we know there are many that feel that way and your (and MY) points have been made before.
Would be nice to have some really constructive dialogue on the subjects. Ex. HbgFranks stadium. Yes, we all know “never gonna happen”. I would rather get a good discussion going of how it could happen, and if we disagree or feel it’s “never gonna happen”, please give some serious thoughts and answers to why “it’s never gonna happen”.
I say this sincerely, because I know some topics are gonna come up, that some of us (one more time, INCLUDING MYSELF) that may say on some subjects, “oh no, not this again”.
If Reed elects to write an article, I’m not saying we can’t disagree, certainly we can. But, let’s not get into shouting matches, if we disagree of something can’t happen, let’s give a few more sentences of why not, instead of just one liners.
Just my thoughts, because, I know the subject that I bring up, will be declared by some a “Dead Issue”. I understand that, and I repsect your opinion, but Reed is going out of his way to give us something to talk about, let’s have some real discussions.
Certainly, In My Humble Opinion, to all of my Pitt Blather friends.
How to improve the college game day experience and get more fans, students and alumni passionate about their university.
History and traditions of our new rivals in the ACC.
Any discussion about Tino and Pitt’s QB predicament.
The good, bad and ugly for Stevie P.
How the state budget crisis and reduced funding will impact the scholar athlete at Pitt.
Where are they now on athletes.
Conference realignment talk/unsubstantiated rumors.
Disparaging Hoopie and Nitter talk.
This could be the other one sport, I might get a little interested in with the move to the ACC.
No, I’ll never get into it like football or hoops, but, I do know Pitt had a pretty good baseball team a few years ago (possibly a top 25, and almost made the College World Series), and if for example, the ACC helps us in recruiting and makes us more competitive………
I could see myself, say, if Pitt was ranked #13 and hosting #7 Florida State for a 3 game weekend series, possible running down on a Saturday with my family to catch a game and a couple hot dogs and cokes.
I know people have said before that its not happening, but with the inclusion of Cuse, the ACC is now the premier Lax league. I would love for Pitt to get a mens team (and to keep title 9 even, prob a women’s team as well).
You love taunting, Dan??? It’s a major turn-off for me, whether it’s my team or another team; whether it is college or the pros. Taunting is generally outlawed, but certain hot dogging in the pros is not. That is a major reason why I don’t watch NFL games.
Had a WVU insider in my office the other day and he confessed that the higher ups are still steamed that they got snubbed by the ACC. They would have LOVED to play Va. Tech, Virginia, Maryland, Pitt and all the other natural geographic rivalries. In the end the Big 12 will take its toll on the trolls in Morgantown. Hail to Pitt!
Get a grip on yourself!!!!!!!! Geez!!!!!!!
Again, GEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!!!!!!
Paying athletes and its implications.
What does Pitt need to do to become elite again in football (without cheating)?
One and done players and what this does to the game.
Anything to keep my mind off work.
First, discussions on high school pipelines for Pitt football. What schools put out college level players the most and why? Who are the head coaches, what are their styles of teaching and why does it work. Lists of significant Pitt guys from each school, vintage, position and where are they now.
Second, discussion on the pros and cons of selling beer at the Pitt home games. Hmmmmmm BEER.
Dan, in 1977 I was a full-fledged adult. Taunting performed by Pitt players, by Miami Hurricane players or by any other team was an irritant to me back then and presumably others. Again, presumably, that is why it now invokes a penalty.
You’re right, you win, sorry I offended you, with a memory of mine…………that happened
35 friggin’ years ago!!!!!!!! Ya, when Jimmy Carter was president.
If you’re that blind, that you read into my comment that I “love” taunting, then I feel sorry for you.
I think it’s pretty self evident, considering my whole remark taken into context, that I love the memory of that game, that season, and yes that particular play.
Seriously, you couldn’t see from my comment, that it wasn’t even about taunting or Elliott Walker or even the Gator Bowl??? It was just about a memory of mine????
It was just suggesting to Reed that he was onto something, with his future articles on subjects, that the disucssions could really be great, and stir some long dead memories of Pitt football??
Maybe I should go to a re-education camp, since it is disturbing to you, that one of my memories involves a taunt by a Pitt player!!! LMAO!!
I was really hoping for a bench clearing brawl against Gardner-Webb!!!!!!!
One sport in which I think Pitt will be dominate in the ACC is wrestling although no major Pitt blog seems to want to cover Pitt’s improvement in that sport over the last several years.
On the stadium issue on campus, that is a dead horse if there ever was one. One of the major casualties of the end of Pitt Stadium was our track program. Hopefully we will get a home track in the near future.
I was making conversation that I dislike taunting, period.
No big deal on anyone’s part. I don’t believe that I was directly critical of your feelings in 1977 (or now) regarding taunting; however, I’ll keep it in mind that you have certain sensitivities on posts generated by your post topics.
Not sensitive at all, just couldn’t believe you made a comment about taunting, when it really had nothing to do with taunting at all and you couldn’t see that.
Hopefully you can see that now, that I’ve explained myself. Good day!!!
Nat’l Champ Georgia played a lame Notre Dame team that had no business in an NY Bowl. That Bulldog team had several returnees including Herschel Walker while we lost Green, Jackson, Neal, Thomas, Williamson, Grimm and Meisner … and yet we still beat them in Sugar Bowl the following year.
actually reminds me of a Seinfeld. The one where Elaine asks George to buy her a “Big Salad”. When they come back, George’s girlfriend hands Elaine the bag with the salad in it, even though she didn’t pay for it.
After a half hour of George over thinking and questioning the girl, the girl finally looks at him and says…….
“George, all I did was hand someone a bag!!”
LOL
National tv, ABC, and I believe Keith Jackson!!
it may not be the most interesting, but it is a different topic, one most of us dont know about!
Actually, Dan, I am amused that you would get exercised because I stated that I did not like taunting. This was in response to your comment that you loved Elliott Walker’s taunting. (Actually, I should have realized that in 1977 you were just 9-years old, and your post …ah, hell. this is silly. I’m wasting my time.)
then, there are other times when you are having down time at work
No, no, certainly Big Guy, you should not have realized that I was 9 years old!!!
One, however, might expect you to pick up on the fact that I was kid, and it was a childhood memory early on during this banter………..
as my reply to your initial comment was, and here, I’m quoting myself…………
“I was a kid, it’s just a childhood memory”!!!
I’m sorry you didn’t pick up on that!!! LMAO
Here is a small reminder… I don’t much care about anything than PITT football. So baseball is out as far as I’m concerned.
But here is an ‘in’ to the wonderful world of blog authorship, and I’m not joking or being sarcastic… send an email Chas via the email link on the right of this page and see if he wants to run with baseball, or whatever you are interested in doing an article on, and ask if he’d agree and post it for you.
I’m not speaking for Chas here, he may not want to branch out, but who knows.
You never know… The way I started was that Chas had read some of my comments on here and other places and asked if I’d like to contribute. Chas may not want to go that direction but he’s pretty flexible with this stuff – never has once asked me to change a word.
Again, what I do isn’t journalism or I wouldn’t do it. It is loving a subject and writing about it. Chas is more accurate and more like that but I’m not. So don’t think you have to be super accurate or anything – it is more like writing an essay.
I would be interested in ACC stories covering how Pitt is perceived by the different ACC members academically as well as athletically. Also with Mark May’s ESPN vantage point , he could shed light on what Pitt will be exposed to in the ACC and what he thinks Pitt’s strengths and weakness will be in coping with the ACC.
And debate about whether Reed’s mustache is truly real or a cheap knock off bought at the Dollar General.
An on campus stadium and creating other facilities are good topics too (track! What track?).
Lastly, a piece on traveling from wherever to Pitt road games..the why’s, why nots, pros & cons.
I’m the only PITT fan who liked that River City Trophy – it is one of the few trophies that actually had a historical background for both schools.
script pitt is a recognizable branding option. if not that, how about some kind of monogram?
For example, how half of south Oakland would need to be bought & razed for the site plus parking, then more dorms might need to be built for all that displaced off-campus student housing, how a new light-rail link or 4-lane highway would be needed from the Parkway West (3 lanes in / 1 out before games, reverse after games), etc.
And a rough guesstimated cost: I think the ball-park cost would be in the ballpark of $1.5B, maybe higher. Almost certainly not lower.