Filed under: Elsewhere, Pittsburgh, Social Media, Sports | Tags: college football, even more sports, nablopomo, pixburke, whoo-hoo, yinzteam
At 3:30 this afternoon, my attention will be focused on the televisions at the Sharp Edge, as I watch Ohio State upset Penn State in Happy Valley.
But as I watch my Buckeyes, I’ll also keep checking my phone, to look for updates on how my other team — your other team — playing on Saturday is doing.
While we’re getting ready to watch college football, our Pittsburgh Angels will be starting down the road to a potential national championship in Houston, Texas. And I’m willing to say the Angels’ performance on Saturday and Sunday is more important than what happens in State College.
I’ve said this before, but it bears repeating: the Angels — Pittsburgh’s women’s rugby team — is our team. They’re trying to reach the pinnacle for themselves, sure, but they’re playing for our city — for us — as well. And it seems like they’re ready to top their performance at nationals in 2006, when they finished third in the country.
I’ve already written about what this opportunity means to AAA. If you want an idea of the intensity our women brought with them to Houston, read this post, by Trapp; you’ll understand immediately.
So while you’re doing whatever you need to do this weekend, make sure you’re also checking on how our Angels are doing in Houston. Want a preview? Check KDKA’s video from their final practice this week here. Need a tournament schedule and pairings? You’ll find it here. If you’re following AAA on Twitter, you should be able to pretty much follow the tournament as it happens. You can also check the team’s blog: pghrugby.com/blog; AAA promised she’d update it as often as possible.
I made a prediction in the first paragraph of this post. Let me make another: If they play like they can, our Angels are going to bring that title home to Pittsburgh when they return Monday morning. And when they do, we should be as proud of them as we are the hockey or football teams.
This is a cap from one of the cams at Seven Springs this afternoon. I need to visit our attic — that’s where all my winter stuff is.
Filed under: Ohio, Pittsburgh, Sports | Tags: college football, internet fun, it's my job, nablopomo, whoo-hoo
Enough with the bitching about uniforms (for now, anyway). It’s time to get ready for Saturday:
Filed under: Ohio, Sports | Tags: college football, nablopomo, now i'm reeeeaallly mad, team up north
When Ohio State athletics department folks said the uniform rumors were untrue yesterday, they were apparently were referring to the concept of an “alternate jersey.”
The Bucks won’t be wearing “alternate” jerseys when they visit Michigan Nov. 21. But they will be wearing “throwback uniforms,” to commemorate the undefeated national champion 1954 team.
The unis will be based on the 1954 versions, as interpreted by Nike. There is also apparently consideration to wearing white helmets, like the ‘54 team did.
The guys at Buckeye Commentary dug up a nice chart showing the progression of Ohio State’s uniforms through the years. The ‘54 unis aren’t bad:
But I’m betting that’s not what they’ll look like. I’m betting they’ll look more like this:
AAAUUUUUGH!
It pisses me off that Nike gets to tinker with tradition like this, and no one at the university has a problem with it. And it especially bothers me that we have to put up with this crap on the day when Ohio State football tradition should mean the most. I don’t want my team to look like Oregon; I want my team to look like Ohio State, especially when we’re playing Michigan.
I also find it irritating that AD Gene Smith would play games like this. When asked by the Dispatch yesterday about the possibility that the Buckeyes would be wearing alternates of some kind, he texted a clear, definite response: “No.” And then a couple hours later, Gene issues a statement about how excited everyone is to take part in Nike’s special throwback uniform program (replica versions of which will be on sale to the public just in time for the holiday season, I’m sure). Games like this don’t make the athletics department look good, Gene — in fact, it looks almost as bad as those damn jerseys.
Want to honor the 1954 team? I think a patch on the current jersey would do the trick.
But then, Nike doesn’t make much money selling patches.
