Archive for ''Burgh of the North'
Let me count the ” ‘n’ats. ”
CK and I went to the Pens-Lightning game the other night. He’s a HUGE Pens fan and had stumbled upon some great tickets for Tuesday night’s game.
Word.
I like hockey. I mean, it’s no football or anything (Six-Time World Champs, BABY!), but I do like it. I’m sure if I understood it as much as I understand football, it’d be, well, a totally different ballgame! (Sorry).
So, in a parking lot right by the Forum, CK and I get out of the car as two guys were getting out of their car right behind us. I guess they spotted our Penguins attire (or, in my case, black and gold clothing with no logos whatsoever because I don’t own any Pens stuff and CK wouldn’t let me wear my Farrior jersey, but that’s a totally different story…) because the guy yelled, “HEY! WHAT PART-A PIXBURGH Y’INS GUYS FROHM??” Hilarious. God, I love the ‘Burgh. It just never stops amazing me how Pittsburgh is seriously everywhere. I moved, literally, one thousand miles from home, and I keep running into the neighbors I left behind. And, we’re just one big, heavily-accented happy family.
Of course, we got to talking to them, and Andrew - didn’t catch what part of town he grew up in - lives and works down on Captiva Island, otherwise known as heaven, about three hours south of here. His friend was visiting from the North Hills. Great guys. Andrew told us that if we ever wanted to have a destination wedding, he’d totally hook us up (yes, the four of us became very close in a very short period of time). Wedding, schmedding. But, dudes! Does that place not look awesome?? They have these million dollar homes that you can rent by the week. And, at off-peak times, with the right group of people, they’re not even expensive!!
Ah, to have more vacation days…
Anyway, I’m getting totally off track here.
Let’s go Pens!
Oh, and if anybody has advice on how to fall OUT of love with this guy, look me up.
Picture it if you will.
Two 5-1 teams in a Week 8 matchup. Teams that have two of the three Super Bowl rings earned since Feb, 2006 and are looking for another. Teams with star quarterbacks who went head to head in the 2004 college draft.
The Steelers’ defense leads the league in sacks, and they’re up against one of the toughest offensive lines in the league, considering Manning’s only been sacked 6 times all year. Sounds like all the necessary ingredients for a classic match-up, right?
So, could we have a little more trash talking enthusiasm here, please?? First of all, come ON, Ben. Plaxico “made me who I am?” For REAL? What was it he taught you exactly…responsibility? Nope. Leadership? Wrong again. Driving an obnoxiously large vehicle? Maybe.
And, secondly, don’t even get me STARTED on Santonio.
Seriously?
Weed.
In your car.
Driving past Mellon Arena.
Fantastic.
Missing games because of drug possession charges is not how you make friends with Steeler fans, Asshat.
Regardless…
Having won 12 out of the last 14 regular season games at home, no doubt we’re making this #13.
GO. STEELERS.
CK and I are heading up to Pittsburgh this weekend…
For the Steeler game!!!!!!!! Woo-hoo!!!
We’re doing an all-day tailgate for the game (and, with this crew, all day means ALL DAY; nothing short of 7:00 AM is considered to be an acceptable arrival time). It’s actually really awesome. CK and his friends started putting this tailgate together about two years ago (this is the 3rd annual) for one of their friends, Matt, who passed away sadly, suddenly, and unexpectedly. It’s a great event…TONS of people - a lot of Matt’s family - all getting together to remember him in the place he loved best: a Steeler fan-infested parking lot at Heinz Field.
I’m psyched. Psyched for the tailgate… psyched for the game …psyched to be going home…to be going back to a weather forecast that includes at least two snowflakes…
Um, wha???? WHAT THE H IS THAT ALL ABOUT, JON BURNETT??!?
Where is all the gorgeous, 60-degree, blue-skied, sunny, crispy red and orange leaf-filled deliciousness that is supposed to be the ‘Burgh in October??!?
Actually, I’m pretty thankful. That 5-day said rain showers with a high of 49 a day or two ago. Jon, if you could just remove that rain drop and snowflake for me, I would perhaps consider switching my KDKA allegiance from Ken Rice to you. I mean, you’re no on-the-field, sports-reporting weatherman like someone else I know, but still. I’m just saying…something to think about.
BRING IT, G-MEN!!!!!!! YOU’RE OURS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Woo-hoo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Go Steelers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
WE ARE THE WINNERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ahem. Sorry.
So, we drove up to Jacksonville for the Sunday night game…and emerged victorious! Awwww, yeeeah! So much for that 4-game winning streak against us, eh Jaguars? Awesome.
We had such a fun time at the game. CK’s Dad got us some tickets through his magical ticket friends (I don’t know; they seem magical to me), and they were good ones, too. We had to wait outside of one of the gates, though, to meet the couple that we’d be sitting with (aka, the magical ticket deliverers). So, somehow we ended up being the official Steeler greeting crew in front of Gate 4. Oh, Steeler Nation, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I met so many awesome people. People down from Pittsburgh… People originally from the ‘Burgh who’d moved down to Florida… “Where’d you grow up?” “Ellwood City.” “GET AHT! I went to Seneca Valley!” Sigh. I love my people.
But, it was my first time in Jacksonville, and I have to say, it’s a gorgeous city. My friend Mark, who now lives in Atlanta, is originally from Jacksonville. When I told him I was going to the game, he gave me some awesome pointers about where to park, what to expect, etc. I wish we would have had more time to explore. Driving past the city was impressive, though. Mark had told me that it would feel a little bit like the ‘Burgh, what with the stadium being on the water and all. The river is MUCH bigger, though, and everything seemed so new and clean. The stadium was nice, and most of the Jaguars fans were really cool to us (well, at least BEFORE the game started. Don’t even get me going on the obnoxious guys who sat a few rows in front of us…).
We were - by some miracle - in our seats well before kickoff, which never happens, so we got to see some pre-game stuff. There are a couple naval bases in Jacksonville, and they did a whole military plane fly-over (I’m sure it has a much more official-sounding name than that) after the National Anthem. It was really impressive. Rock on, Jacksonville.
Oh, and check out this pic I snapped of one of the stores inside the stadium (sorry it’s a little hard to see, but it was just starting to get dark at the time).
Jagwear. JAGwear. It’s like they knew I was coming SPECIFICALLY to make fun of them! Dem jagoffs wear jagwear. It’s too easy…
But, back to the obnoxious fans in front of us. Thankfully we were right, smack in the middle of a section of at least 50 Steeler fans, so we were nicely insulated. Ok, I get it. We’re the visiting team. But, dudes. They have this cheer that they do every time (to be clear, that’s EVERY TIME) they get a first down. It’s permanently tatooed in my brain, and it goes like this:
“MOVE THOSE CHAINS, MOVE THOSE CHAINS, MOVE THOSE CHAINS, BLUE!” (Ok, I think they say “blue” at the end, but don’t quote me on that. I was mostly just holding my poor, blessed, bleeding ears by that point). So, you can see how that alone would get under one’s skin, correct? Well, imagine people turning around in their seats to chant it AT YOU. Me no likey (cyou tell this was my first away game?).
Oh, and you know what else? I had two local celebrity spottings while I was there! I so wish I had pics to show, but my camera died literally one second after the Jaguars took the field (coincidence?). The first one was Kevin Greene, specimen of defensive awesomeness. And, the second? Luke, specimen of mayor-needs-a-bodyguard. For reals. He “had a guy” with him on the shuttle ride back. Whatever.
Anyway… I guess my assessment in a nutshell is:
Jacksonville? Good.
Jacksonville Jaguars fans sitting in section 241? Not good.
Steeler win? FLIPPIN’ AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rest it up this week guys, we have some Bungals comin’ at us after the bye!!!!
P.S. Apologies for the exclamation points. But, we beat the Jags. Enough said.
