"33"

Yinzers,

So as Truck pointed out today is my 33rd birthday. I have been looking forward to my 33rd birthday for quite sometime. If you know me my whole world revolves around Pittsburgh. The number 33 is very important to us as a city.

• -For instance the Founding of the Pittsburgh Steelers , happened in 1933 by Art Rooney Sr.






• Primanti bros. restaurant opened this year in the city of Champs down in the Strip district






• The number at the bottom of the Rolling Rock bottle, who knows what it means but this year it stands for the year of the Wade.






• Franco Harris's number(32 not 33-got's ya), Barry Foster and Eric Pegram?( I think)






• 1933 the last winning season for the Pittsburgh Pirates
  

I am very lucky for the people I have around me in my life. The people in your life help to build the memories and times that you have had. For me My friends and Family are truly the greatest thing that I have had in my 33 years on the big blue rock. Thanks to all for the Birthday Wishes.

From all of us to all of me, Happy birthday me.

Wade

Truck Stop Tuesday Night

Hi Friends,

First off my apologies for the very late post today. Instead of discussing Pittsburgh or sports today, I would like to stop and recognize Mr. Wade Nixon because tomorrow, June 9, is his 33rd Birthday. He is not only the founder of MSM, but he also knows more about Pittsburgh sports than anyone I have ever met...but hey, I've never been to Pittsburgh so thats not saying much ;)

I could go on and on about what a great person he is, but you all probably already know that! Give him some birthday love tomorrow - He deserves it!

Happy Birthday Yinz,

Love,
Truck

Monday Igloo Update

Yinzers,

There has been a little bit of news in the realm of the Pittsburgh Penguins as of late. The first item regards the grand opening of Consol Energy Center, or "The Fuse Box." (trying it on for size). The execs of the Fuse Box (there it is again) have decided to open the new arena ahead of schedule in order to accommodate Sir Paul McCartney. Sir McCartney will be the first act on August 18, 2010. It will mark the first time McCartney has been back to Pittsburgh since he sold out two nights in a row at the Igloo in 1990 and before that also at the Igloo in 1964. Tickets are on sale soon, but I can't imagine they will last long.

Also coming up this week at the Fuse Box (again?) is the "Student Flush" where 250 students will simultaneously flush all of the W.C.'s at Consol Energy Center at once to test the plumbing. The Penguins were the pioneers of the "Student Rush" and since they are America's most giving hockey team, why not invite them to swirly the new arena? That will be this Thursday at 4:00 pm.

The Penguins also signed on some of their upcoming talent to contracts. Nick Johnson and Nick Petersen will be around for a few more years. Johnson signed a one year contract and Petersen signed a three year contract. One of Truck's many Johnsons, Nick played up several times when the Penguins were riddled with injuries this year. Petersen was drafted 121st overall by the Penguins in 2009 and just completed one year in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Welcome aboard Nicks (no not you Nix).

In other hockey news, the Philthadelphia Flyers are showing their true face again, proving that they do not deserve to be in the Stanley Cup Finals. The Blackhawks spanked the Flyers 7-4 last night to take a 3-2 series lead. Why does the greatest championship in sports have to be between a man I hate and a team I loathe? But if you all have the same feelings I do, cheer for the Blackhawks. With the exception of Marian Hossa, the Hawks have a pretty good bunch of guys and I would rather see one individual i despise win, than an entire city. Just my thoughts.

Lets go Pens,
B Brog

Pen Zen: 20 Most Memorable Pens. #20 Phil Bourque

Whether you want to call him Bourque, Bourquey, the Ole' #29'er, or that guy on the radio with Mike Lange, you cannot deny the impact of Phil Bourque...

As with quite a few people on my top #20 list, career points only play a very small role in my selection. Phil Bourque never recorded over 50 pts. in a season in his tenure as a Pittsburgh Penguin. He was never known as a scorer, but more of a bad boy in a pop boy band. Or, as another analogy, let's think of Mario Lemieux and Phil Bourque as Jerry Lewis and Dean Howard. Mario scores the goals, Phil gets the assist and gets the girl... girl(s)...

If anyone is a frequent of the Jim and Randy morning show on WDVE, it is no secret that the legacy of the ole' 29er is still apparent. The ongoing joke was that Phil Bourque was more of a role player than a scorer, and it's a constant reminder that Bourque was the player off the ice rather than on it.

However, this is not to take away the playing style of Bourque. He was a hard nosed forward, a grinder and a team player. Sometimes in hockey, as we are all well aware, we tend to favor the players that just work hard. We tend to enjoy the players that just excude hockey from every pore in their bodies. Phil Bourque is one of those players.

Even still, Phil Bourque is known as a champion, and is known for his actions as a champion. That is what ultimately makes Phil Bourque one of the most memorable Penguins. When the Penguins won their 2nd Stanley Cup, they took it upon themselves to take it to Mario Lemieux's place for a pool party. As players were enjoying alcoholic beverages, and taking pictures with the cup, they decided, "This isn't a Stanley Cup Party!" Therefore Bourque took it upon himself to scale the rock waterfall at Lemieux's estate, stood at the top of the waterfall like King Kong and proceeded to chuck Lord Stanley's coveted prize in the deep end of Lemieux's pool. It was then that players jumped in after the cup (which sunk like a brick) and proceeded to take pictures of the cup while underwater. What later ensued was a book written that described that trials of Lord Stanley's Cup. The Title, "Why is the Stanley Cup in Mario Lemieux's swimming pool?" Thank you, Phil Bourque.

Additionally, Phil Bourque owns a catch phrase that is almost as memorable as Mike Lange's celebratory, "Lord Stanley Lord Stanley, get me the Brandy". Yes, Phil Bourque has been able to say this coined phrase twice in his tenure as a Penguin icon, but who could forget, "Let's take the Cup to the river, and party all summer!" So it didn't rhyme, poets and english majors alike would be less than impressed. However, to a roaring crowd of 40,000 yinzers in the Stanley Cup parade of 2009, poets like Robert Frost, couldn't have said anything better.

For years to come, as Penguins fans, we should all remember what a great impact the Ole' 29er has on the city of Pittsburgh. He is the man who "scored most blondes in Pittsburgh in the 90's", he is the man that famously sits beside the legend Mike Lange in radio play by play, and he will be the man who will be at the river when the Pens win the Cup in the near future, and you can bet, we will all party all summer very soon.

Thanks Phil.

Steel State of Mind - B94 Pittsburgh

Labuda on the Left Coast

Deep Thought Thursday

Yinzers,

Here's to living on this earth long enough no not give a shit about anything. I work at a little, mom & pops, hardware store in Beaver Falls, PA. We get a vast array of customer types from professionals to do-it-yourself-ers to wives who are, for some reason, sent by their husbands to find a specialty part they have no idea about. I also waited on a deaf person one time...who did not know how to write. At any rate, we get a lot of older citizens that peruse the aisles. Here is a story that happened to me last week:

An old gentleman with a cane shuffled his way up to the customer service desk at the back of the store. I just so happened to be working on that computer at the time, so he asked me if I could copy his house key for me. The whole process takes approximately 45 seconds to a seasoned veteran like me, so when I finish, I head back to the counter to ring up his bill. I had not noticed that he had walked around to the side, by the key machine, right behind the wall. "Hey, old man!" he exclaimed at Bucky, a seasoned veteran of nearly 50 years at Kelly's Hardware. "Who are you calling old man, pal?" was Bucky's rebuttal. They had known each other and began talking about some things, all the while I was standing there ready to take my $1.79. Mid-sentence, the old man stopped, cut a HUGE fart, pointed at Bucky and said "Take THAT!" to which Bucky replied with "You may want to go wipe yourself."

You had to be there, folks. I asked my co-worker, "Did that seriously just happen?" What's the point? Today's deep thought is about the privilege of living long enough to not care about anything. Seriously, who rips ass in a public establishment and says "Take THAT!"? If you have lived a full enough life, I say by all means break that wind in public, call all of your friends "assholes" and yes, tell dirty jokes to small children. If we could all be lucky enough to live into our mid 80s. Therefore, tonight we should all have a drink in honor of our ancestors. The ancient Romans worshiped their ancestors for laying the foundation of the present. I'm not saying to pray to them, but pour one for your old homies.

B Brog

City of Brotherly Mediocrity

Yinzers,

For four years I was the Night Manager at a Philadelphia owned and operated Cheese steak shop. The food was good, Loud People, cheese steaks, salads and prolly the best homemade soup in town. ( I know soup?)

So what does this have to do with sports?

Philly whom we know is in the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1997 -is bordering on looking like a team that could be swept if they can not pull off at least one home win in the next two games. Chicago is unbelievable on the power play and the speed of the game that they play is mind numbing. ( after two beers)

Isn't this the same city that won the World Series on a rain/snow delayed final game( 4 innings)?Yes , yes it is. The point I am trying to make is that Philly, excluding the 76ers or the Soul is middle of the pack , average,mediocre sports city. This is the same city that booed Santa Clause at an Eagles game way back when( I know can't let that go). The same city that moved the Rocky Statue off the steps, the same city that still sucks.

So my parallel/point for the blog today is that when I see the Flyers play in the Stanley Cup final , it makes me think of a time when I worked at a Cheese steak Shop and people came their for the Soup.

Go for the Soup, Chicago.

Wade

Hope it makes sense?