Cowher Cranking on National TV

Congrats to the Mighty Guins for sweeping Bill Cowher's Carolina Hurricanes. BTW- was I the only one that thought it looked like Cowher was cranking something else last night? All I could see was his hand going up and down and a big grin on his face.
I'm just saying he looked a little too excited to just be cranking a hurricane warning siren.
Bill, you can keep the 'Canes.- we have Tomlin...

OMG- He Touched the Trophy!

When the Penguins won the Eastern Conference last year, Sidney Crosby skated over to the Prince of Wales trophy, leaned in close, and smiled for a picture- but he never touched the trophy.
In fact, no one on the team did. Apparently, you don't touch the Prince of Wales trophy, or it's counterpart in the Western Conference, the Campbell Trophy. It all goes back to the superstition that touching the trophy is bad luck and will doom you to never hold the ultimate prize, the Stanley Cup.
This year, however, Sid the Kid skated over to the trophy and GASP- touched the trophy. But he didn't just touch it, he actually picked it up with both hands, raised it above his head, and then skated around the rink with it.
Oh the humanity... the audacity! Sid, you've doomed us to defeat! What have you done!
Ok, take a deep breath, climb down off the railing on the Mt Washington overlook, and relax. It's going to be ok.
I don't see what the big deal is. Pens coach coach Dan Bylsma said it best- "Teams that play in the finals will decide who wins the Cup, not who touched the trophy or not."
It doesn't matter how many trophies you touch, how long your grow your beard, or how you tape up before the game- it's all about who plays better.
And this goes for the fans, too. Don't tell me I need to stay out of the room since the Pens scored when I got up to pee. The outcome of the game does not come down to one guy in Pittsburgh who drank too much beer and left the room to relieve himself. Nor does not washing your favorite shirt all season make a difference- it just makes you stinky.
I've been in the presence of the Stanley Cup. I was cautioned not to touch the trophy since it was bad luck to do so before the Pens actually won it. I approached it with the reverence and respect the trophy deserves, reached toward the hallowed Cup... I could hear the trophy calling me, beckoning me to touch it, the engraved names of those who won the right to hoist it above their heads reaching out to me from the past saying "it's ok, touch me- I'm just a piece of metal that represents the hopes and dreams of the Penguin Nation." I leaned closer, my fingertips slowly, achingly reaching as I came within a gnats distance between me and the Cup's surface. Should I? Could I?
In the end, I didn't touch the Cup- everyone knows it's bad luck...

Book Your Trip to Pittsburgh Now for Your Visit to the Fabulous... um... The Rivers Casino... Yeah...

Wow, the new casino owners really dug deep for this one. The former Majestic Star Casino has been renamed by it's new owners. Does the new name carry the parent company's name? Maybe some cool casino name like Caesar's Palace? How about a name fitting our region that, when emboldened by neon light will instill pride in our fair metropolis?
Nope. The new name is "The Rivers."
How original. How inspiring. How... unimaginative.
I always thought branding and marketing were paramount for any business. Where did The Rivers come from? It sounds like a restaurant for a marina or maybe a cool name for a 70's soul group... but a casino?
I thought this casino was supposed to bring prosperity back to the Burgh. They've promised us huge tax and economic boosts for our troubled budget. Who outside of the region will be enticed by "The Rivers."
Pittsburgh already has a spoiled image outside of the Western Pennsylvania area. Many outsiders think that the Burgh is still a smokey city filled with steel mills and abandoned warehouses. We've come along way, but getting tourists to come to a casino called The Rivers is going to be a hard sale.
Come on guys, get with the program! Slap a Steelers logo on the side and call it a day... that will bring in more people then some rinkey-dink sounding casino called "The Rivers..."

So long, PittGirl

I never understood the whole blog thing until yesterday. Before, I always thought bloggers were people who used the Internet to spread their thoughts or news, and readers of these blogs were people who were looking for a different outlook of the world. I never thought, except for maybe the occasional controversy, that blogs didn't really affect anyone outside their clique readership.
But yesterday, that view changed with the retirement of PittGirl, the famous Pittsburgh blogger whose irreverent humor and intelligent outlook on Pittsburgh was nearly equalled by her animosity. Sadly, PittGirl retired over the outting of her identity.
I don't think that even PittGirl understood the tremendous influence she had over Pittsburgh. When I got a haircut, the hairdressers discussed the latest Steelers post. At the bar, I'd over hear people debating PittGirl's identity. My friends in the media looked to her commentary on the latest politician for the pulse of what people were saying. Those who knew of PittGirl were huge, obsessed fans. Those who didn't know were soon finding themselves following every word. It was like a club, one of which had no obligation except to stay in the know. It was a community who knew they had something special, a precious thing that needed to be protected and shared.
What PittGirl embodied wasn't simply banter about Pittsburgh. It wasn't PittGirl's personal view of the world. What PittGirl represented was what everyone else was thinking. She was Pittsburgh, and no where has there ever been such an outlet in Pittsburgh, or anywhere else. PittGirl has come to embody the soul of our city. It's sad to see her go, but as she says, nothing lasts forever.
I hope that she finds a new outlet for her musings. We are worse off without her, and I sincerely hope we see her again in some form.
Good luck PittGirl- you will be missed. I'll kick a pgeon today in your honor...