You Really Should (Visit Pittsburgh)

One of my many vices is compulsively searching travel websites.  A recent post on nbcnews.com (which used to be msnbc.com, but MS and NBC have apparently divorced, at least online) was taken from www.independenttraveler.com.  Titled, "9 places you haven't visited, but should", the article by Elissa Leibowitz Poma http://www.independenttraveler.com/slideshow/9-places-you-havent-visited-but-should, listed countries (Zambia, Oman, Singapore, South Korea, Colombia and Armenia), a state park (Valley of Fire) in Nevada and two cities, Chan Chan, Peru and Pittsburgh, PA (no I am not kidding).   
I am truly unlikely to be visiting any of the aforementioned sites soon, except for the one where I make my home, Pittsburgh.
The article, like many of these travel briefs that appear in magazines and websites, provides just a few sentences on each of the nine recommendations.  And for Pittsburgh, after reminding the reader that it is no longer gritty and smoky, thanks to the demise of the steel industry, she highlights the Warhol Museum, Phipps Conservatory and the "historical funicular called the Monongahela Incline".
So, what are the other sites I would add to her list?   On a long trip back from a weekend wedding we attended in Charleston, West Virginia I came up with the following "9 places you should visit in Pittsburgh, if you haven't":

1. The Maxo Vanka murals at St. Nicholas Croatian Church in Millvale.
2. PNC Park for a Skyblast after a Pirate Game.
3. The Nationality Rooms at the Cathedral of Learning.
4. Wild Rosemary Restaurant.
5. Pamelas, preferably in Millvale.
6. The city view from the West End Bridge.
7. The fountain at Point State Park.
8. The parking lots before a home Steeler game for an introduction to 'Steeler Nation'.
9. The River Walk from the Convention Center, across the Seventh Street Bridge and along the river past both PNC Park and Heinz Field.

What's on your list of best places in the 'Burgh?  

The Oldest Terrible Towel

On Christmas eve, my whole family watched the Pittsburgh Steelers shut out the St. Louis Rams at Heinz Field, 27-0.  Quarterbacked by hometown hero and perennial backup Charlie Batch, the Steelers provided a pleasant end to the regular season at home for the fans who were awaiting Christmas eve festivities.   Who knows what the playoff picture will bring, but it looks like home field advantage is questionable.  It is said that the Steelers are an 'old' team and I have to admit that yesterday, one of my favorite players, Hines Ward, wasn't smiling like he used to.  It could be one of his final games and one of Charlie's too.  I particularly enjoyed hearing the crowd chant 'Char-lie, Char-lie' as he engineered a win against a pretty lackluster opponent but a win nonetheless. 
As usual I took my Terrible Towel (pictured below).  But I am thinking it's time to retire this baby -- it has been with me since the late '70s and it's looking pretty old too.  Two people who have seen this antique have recently bought me new ones -- one with 'cammo' and one an Italian 'asciugamano terribile'; and I have a pink one from the October breast cancer awareness/NFL promotion. 

A woman can be dated by her hair color or style or by her fashion choices.  My Terrible Towel dates me because it is so obviously very old.  It may even be the original design.   When former Steelers announcer Myron Cope created the idea, at first he just encouraged local fans to bring a black or gold hand towel to Three Rivers Stadium to wave as a way of showing support.  One history I read said that the local department stores were miffed, because towels were typically sold as sets; and when fans bought only hand towels, the stores' inventory was out of whack. 
In what is certainly one of the more successful sports merchandising schemes ever, Myron Cope trademarked the 'Terrible Towel' and the rest is history.
There is nothing quite like the sight of thousands of people waving Terrible Towels.  The more modern versions are a more vibrant shade of gold and show well on national television not just at Steeler home games, but wherever the Steelers play since they have the strongest road following of any NFL team, courtesy of the Pittsburgh diaspora. 
I used to love listening to Myron Cope; his voice and his dialect are irreplaceable.  In addition to being a Pittsburgh and an NFL legend, Myron assured his place as a beloved son of PIttsburgh because his Terrible Towel creation is a force for good.  Proceeds from its sale go to support a school for special needs individuals.  Myron Cope signed over the trademark in 1996. 
And I love waving that old towel, at home or at the stadium.  But it's on my cranium (one of Myron's introductory queries to callers on his sports talk show was 'what's on your cranium?') that it's time for a new look. 

Destination Walking



It's about a mile and a half from the parking lot in the Strip to Heinz Field.  One of the strategies I have been trying to use to get in exercise is destination walking -- not movement for movement's sake, but getting from point A to point B.   That's JB walking along the river.   One hour a day seems overwhelming when it's on a treadmill.   But checking out the scenery with a destination in mind and a companion sure makes it go faster.  







Resilience

After a stinging 35-7 loss to the arch rival Baltimore Ravens on their home turf in last week's NFL season opener, the Pittsburgh Steelers delivered a 24-0 win at Heinz Field yesterday.   How does that happen?  I know the "any given Sunday" argument.  But the Steelers were humiliated last week and looked like they were completely unprepared for all of the tricks Baltimore pulled out of its playbook.  One of the pundits suggested that it was because the Ravens played like it was the Superbowl and the Steelers played like it was the first game of the season.  Baltimore and Joe Flacco clearly had something to prove.  During the week following, there has been much discussion about the character, preparation and the age of the team.  Yesterday, they put some of that to rest with a win, albeit against a team that was pretty bad.  And they could not convert a couple of first and goal situations.  These players are pros; they clearly go into a game thinking they can win and want to win. But what happens when they have a day like the one in Baltimore.  Their flubs, fumbles and flaws are out there for the world to see, to be dissected in print, in the blogosphere and on sports talk shows.  How do they turn it around?
Somehow they did.
I have been thinking a lot about turnarounds myself and think there is something to learn from the pros. 
Coaching must be a part of it.  I would love to be a silent bystander to have heard the message delivered by Mike Tomlin to his team last week.  And then analysis -- watching film, seeing what went wrong and making adjustments.   And practice.  And not giving up.  That's why these guys are pros. 
Watching the game on TV and in person are such different experiences.  In the stadium yesterday, the players played to the home crowd.  They sought adulation, waving their arms to the assembled fans to encourage cheers and towel waving demonstrations.  They clearly feed off the emotional energy of 66 thousand plus people. 
But they must have a fundamental belief in their ability to succeed. 
All good lessons.

Under New Management and Over .500

They're making tee-shirts now that we are at baseball's All-Star Break.  I saw one in the window of a South Side shop, with a picture of a pirate ship and '.500' printed below.  There have been attendance records set at PNC Park this summer, as both Pirate and out-of-town fans have flocked to see real live competitive baseball again.   JB and I attended a sell-out earlier this summer and saw the Bucs defeat Detroit.  It was kind of weird though.  We are used to watching away games of the Steelers and seeing Terrible Towels and hearing cheers for the Steelers, sometimes almost drowning out the home team.  It's kind of the reverse phenomenon as we see and hear fans from Detroit, or Philadelphia or Boston, as they travel to PNC Park and enjoy rooting for their home teams.    After nearly 20 years of losing, It feels good to go to a game in anticipation of the game itself and not the gorgeous views, fireworks, the bobble heads or the company. 
What's made the difference?  I am no expert.  But it must have something to do with management -- at least that is the one thing that I know has changed.  I've been noticing a sign that I drive by on the way to work for a local bar/restaurant that says "Under New Management".  Those signs used to be common.  I guess it's a way of communicating that changes have been made and we know our food or product or service hasn't been good and that something is now different.   Since they can't put up signs that say things like, "we fired the SOB that used to run this place" or "we finally have a chef that actually went to cooking school", businesses post a more benign, but clear message.  Somebody new is in charge.  And isn't that what it often takes to really turn a team or an organization around?
I like to think that maybe I am under new management too.  At least some of the time. 

"I'm a dancer, I'm not a football player...I'm a dancer, I'm not a football player..

That phrase was reported by the Pittsburgh Post Gazette to be the self-talk of Hines Ward "to get in the right frame of mind to compete on Dancing With the Stars".  People at work are always talking about DWTS; until last night, I had never seen it. That man can dance! 
There has been a lot of local coverage about Hines Ward's participation, because well, this is Steeler nation and in the off season, we yearn for any newsworthy tidbits about players and the team.  Hines was in town last week on Steeler-related business and it was also reported that he was practicing his routine at the Steelers South Side facility so he did not miss a beat on his preparation schedule. He apparently charts out his dance steps on paper so he can study just like he would a football playbook.
This is the mind and work ethic of a champion.
Some people think that the concept of self-talk is "meaningless psychobabble"; you know who you are.  Well, if it's good enough for world champion, MVP, DWTS phenom Hines Ward, it's good enough for me!