I have a few Pitt POV car magnets left – the big ones like this:
Let me know if you are interested – send an email to me with your contact info (address & phone) and I’ll get one out to you if I have enough. Please put “Car Magnet” in the subject line.
Don’t forget Tuesday night’s POV Roundtable Call-In show. It has been a resounding success and growing by leaps and bounds. Here is last’s weeks recording if anyone missed it – we cracked ourselves up until Ike peed his pants.
I’ll post up the participant particulars in Tuesday’s article. I start a meet around 7:45 or so then start recording when everyone is set and ready around 8:00.
News for the uncaring: Rushel Shell was chosen by the Steelers as an undrafted Free Agent… now it gets even more interesting.on the Southside in May – July before they leave for training camp. BTW – Shell and Conner didn’t overlap on the Pitt roster.
RS: Hi, I’m running back Rushel Shell. I went to Pitt too.
JC: Hey, I’m James Conner – you know, the guy who made you an answer to a trivia question.
Also – The Doctors and I are talking about back surgery, up until now they have been giving me the 50/50 walk again line, which I told them to cram where the sun don’t shine. I kind of hope we can do it but if so I’ll be calling for more donations for booze and earplug money if I’m to be trapped in the house for weeks with my wife.
Correction: Staunton, VA to Blacksburg, VA is actually 117 miles so it would be a ‘going to or from’ stop.
pittpov.com 
Reed….sorry to hear about the back situation. Not trying to play doctor but I had some back issues and found my lack of core conditioning impacted my back. I changed up my workout and have not had an issue since.
LikeLike
Once again Reed, you make my late Sunday morning. Read the paper grab a cup of joe and listen to Reed pontificate on PITT football. Doesn’t get any better than that.
Reed, better be sure about back surgery. Of course taking pain pills isn’t the best option either. Me? I don’t have the surgery unless I’m given at least 90% chance of success.
I feel really strongly about the impact of Conner being selected by the Steelers. Not only can a PITT recruit be impressed by practicing and playing at the same place as one of the best football teams in the world, now they can be doing the same thing with a PITT player on that very same team.
You mentioned a couple times about how math may not be your strong suit. Like always on that subject, I agree with you. Taleni would be somewhere around 37 years old right now. Maybe he was dismissed from the team due to heat from the social security office?
Maybe it’s the coaching changes that have kept players like Taleni and Wirginis on the bench last year. Coaches are loyal to the ones that were loyal to him. Watch Hall get his chances this coming season.
Anyone who thought Taleni would have 13 sacks this year may need an operation on a different part of his body than his back.
After poking fun, I feel the need to remind everyone how much hard work and time Reed puts into this blog. Although I know everyone already knows. Maybe another example of Reed being a little off his rocker??
Herndon made the transition to defense just over a year or so ago. He’s a big boy and should help as a backup.
Carter, I think, was more like a 4 star out of high school? .. and he was originally recruited as a tight end. Main reason I’m high on his potential.
PITT gets back Maddox and Whitehead in the D backfield. Do the players lost really worry anyone? I didn’t think so.
I use to hate emojis but on a message board of any kind, they do come in handy to help your words not get lost in translation.
A road trip to Blacksburg Virginia is now on my bucket list for next year. I will see you mofo’s first game against Youngstown game first. ………………….. ike
We All We Got
We All We Need
H2P!
LikeLike
As I recall, PC and staff told Conner after his senior high school season, that he was being considered as an RB but Shell was clearly to be the 2013 starter before his spring practice hissy fit led to his exit.
2012 Pitt rushing stats
1 Ray Graham SR RB 13 222 1042 4.69 11 17.08 80.15
2 Rushel Shell FR RB 12 141 641 4.55 4 11.75 53.42
3 Isaac Bennett SO RB 12 29 141 4.86 3 2.42 11.75
4 Malcolm Crockett FR RB 12 12 50 4.17 0 1.00 4.17
However, there is no guarantee that Conner would have broken out had Shell stayed
2013 Pitt rushing stats
1 James Conner FR RB 12 146 799 5.47 8 12.17 66.58
2 Isaac Bennett JR RB 13 171 797 4.66 7 13.15 61.31
3 Rachid Ibrahim FR RB 12 27 136 5.04 0 2.25 11.33
4 Tyler Boyd FR WR 13 11 108 9.82 1 0.85 8.31
as you can see, Conner was 2nd in number of carries and it was really the bowl game vs Bowling Green (229 yards) that separated him. You just wonder how things would have turned out if Shell stayed
LikeLike
Reed, I live in a golf course community and do not play golf because the pain in my lower back got so bad the game wasn’t worth it.
LikeLike
I tend to have MORE back issues when I am doing LESS running than usual(about 16 to 20 miles per week), but I also believe the complexity of back issues makes it impossible to apply our anecdotes to others. That said, I am in the Conjunto Panther camp of believing core conditioning DONE PROPERLY can be helpful along with good body weight management.
Not in the camp that we wear things out prematurely by being physically active unless too much too soon or just too much!
LikeLike
Shell at WVU:
He led the team rushing only one year – 2014 and that by only 66 yards. He really didn’t do all that great at WVU. never had more than 8 TDs.
RUSHING Stats
YEAR ATT YDS AVG LNG TD
2012 141 641 4.5 33 4
2014 176 788 4.5 54 7
2015 113 514 4.4 43 8
2016 113 514 4.5 23 5
LikeLike
Reed, really surprised that you took up golf with your back issues. The two don’t mix well.
I’m a golfaholic, so I took the risk and it looks good so far, but a long way to go.
If you are considering surgery, do your homework, find the best surgeon available and get two or three opinions. From what you told me it should be a neurosurgeon, a guy like Joe Maroon in his prime.
You want a guy that has done hundreds of surgeries and has had great success doing them.
50/50 is not nearly good enough to take the risk, unless you just can’t take the pain anymore.
Agree on the core exercise, but it can’t fix a severe structural problem.
LikeLike
Agree that if Shell stuck around, Conner probably would have been a defensive end.
Funny how things work out for the best.
Also interesting that they both end up with the Steelers and the Steelers pick the guy that beat out Peterman, small world.
I do wish the Steelers would have grabbed Soto, he only played on the inside for one year and was pretty effective. I think he is going to get better.
I think Orndoff has a shot, Steelers thin at TE.
LikeLike
Speaking of good feel stories about a fine young man and PITT player. Dontez Ford reportedly has signed a free agent contract with the Detroit Lions.
LikeLike
My orthopedic MD referred me to an MD pain specialist, focusing on back pain. Gives a steroid shot in whichever sciatic nerve–under sedation–(largest nerve in the body, one runs down each leg) hurts the most. (Pain on whichever side of the back involves the sciatic nerve on that side, at least for me.) Had to have one every 6 months or so four years ago, but I haven’t needed one since March of 2016. Problem with vertebra 4 and 5 that would otherwise need back surgery that MIGHT relieve pain. Used to have to sit on hard chairs only. Upholstered chairs and sofas were too painful for me. I am 76 and prefer these non-narcotic shots to surgery. Some of your other posters have their suggestions; I hope mine is taken in the right light. I am probably one of your older followers; a lot of your others seem a lot younger. But I will follow Pitt football to my grave. Thanks for your GREAT input.
LikeLike
Justin, you are a lucky guy. My guess is Reed has already been down that road as was I. Unfortunately I got no relief from the steroids. I do agree that one should exhaust all alternatives before succumbing to surgery.
LikeLike
Another great piece on James Conner..
http://www.espn.com/video/clip?id=19278940
LikeLike
I suggest Reed keeps up the renewed hobby of golf but with a back that’s giving this many problems? Make it miniature golf. Seriously.
LikeLike
Reed – good job on the latest podcast. You sure have the gift of gab…
Great news on all the Panthers going to NFL camps. And better news – our roster is just getting better and better…
I suspect many Pitt fans will be shocked when Avonte is drafted next year…
Go Pitt.
LikeLike
I did the surgery best thing I ever did, my doctor had me go the conservative route in the beginning with drugs, stretching etc.
After that misery I had surgery and since then no pain I rehabbed properly and keep my weight manageable but no golf.
LikeLike
Reed – 10 years or so ago I started having lower back pain. It would come and go, and generally last for a week to 10 days then go away for a month or two. A friend who had similar pain provided a strength program that involved a lot of core conditioning. But, the program went beyond just core and included squats and deadlifts (i know, the last thing that you think you’d ever do with a bad back). The squat, deadlifts and core stuff have become a standard part of my weekly routine. Believe it or not, the heavier the weight the better – as long as you are not in pain. It cured my lower back pain completed.
Back problems vary. I’m lucky. Everything in my lower back is structurally sound. I bike a lot and evidently cycling leads to tight hips that often cause lower back pain. The squats, deadlifts and core strengthening brought things back into balance and I didn’t have to give up cycling (yet).
LikeLike
I know that Conner will do whatever it takes to make a go of it in the NFL. I’m not sure how long he will last, but it won’t be because of a lack of hard work, or the willingness to do whatever is best for the team. Connor will be willing to play special teams, offense or defense…
Not sure that I would say the same for Shell. Will Shell be willing to play special teams? Hopefully, he has grown up some.
LikeLike
Rushel is just a shell of the man James is.
Shell is gone from the Stillers by September. Character and perseverance trumps natural talent in this comparison big time. With Bell, Williams & now Conner, Shell will be shown the door soon enough. You can take that to the bank.
LikeLike
Here is a bit of commentary by a reader – Dennis – who reads but doesn’t comment much. He was nice enough to send this in an email to me so i thought I’d share it with all of you so that Dennis can get your feedback on the issue…
“I recently was going through some papers and ran across a sheet on ACC football put out by Pitt at about the time they joined the conference. Pitt obviously excelled with their 9 national championships, and also dominated in the number of players all time named as all-Americans and the number of players admitted to the college and the professional halls of fame.
The fact that Pitt is the oldest school in the ACC may have helped, but Pitt is one of the largest schools in the conference. Florida State, Pitt, and Virginia Tech are the big three in terms of size, at 41K, 35K, and 33K respectively. Most of the rest of the conference members are about 20K (range 15K-25K) along with two small schools, Duke at 6K and Wake Forest at 7K.
What was unusual is that I checked the ACC website to see where Pitt stood in the standings. I was surprised to find that we were dead last in men’s soccer, last in women’s soccer, last in women’s tennis, next to last in softball, and bottom half in baseball and women’s basketball. Also next to last in men’s basketball this year with little prospect for improvement in the next few years. At the moment, we are last in wrestling. Only football and volleyball (3rd) were respectable.
We do not field a men’s tennis team, nor fencing, lacrosse, field hockey, or golf. Duke, on the other hand, fields all these teams, most of them for both men and women. They have a student body of 6K while Pitt has 35K (per the ACC website).
To be fair, Duke is unique in the conference for the breadth of their participation. Other large schools, such as Florida State and Virginia Tech have gaps in their participation as do the others.
In spite of being a football, basketball type of guy, my initial reaction to this was outrage. How can Pitt, with one of the largest student bodies in the conference, not participate in more sports, and what is worse, be a bottom feeder in most of the ones they do participate in. It’s embarrassing. How can the university let this happen?
I do not expect Pitt to become a sports factory, but they should at least be competitive in the sports they do have. What is the problem? Are they indifferent to sports? In which case, get out of them. Have they chosen poor administrators? Get better ones. Are they claiming poverty for the university? I guess that is possible but it seems unlikely to me. I do not have any financial figures.
What probably contributes is a lack of alumni support. I recall a letter from the university a few AD’s ago that compared Pitt alumni support to WVU with the result being an embarrassment for Pitt alumni. That letter prompted me to contribute to Pitt athletics above and beyond my season tickets for football. Never heard another word about it in the years since. It seems that they need to be a lot more aggressive in that sphere.
Unfortunately being retired limits what I can do myself other than just make noise (a la’ Scott Barnes).
Thanks Dennis! Always a good topic for discussion especially in light of our new AD being onboard and a nice $2M donation directly into the football program’s bank account.
LikeLike
Do Pitt alums take less pride in their university than alums in other schools? Or maybe more appropriate … do Pitt alums take less pride in their college’s athletics than alums in other schools?
I’m sure there is data available showing the percentage of alums that contribute and how much .. as well as what percentage is directed towards athletics.
LikeLike
so more food for thought …. does campus size restrictions limit Pitt’s involvement in more sports?
I was at the Pttt at Duke game in Nov ’15, and it appeared that the Duke campus was spread out with more room to expand.
LikeLike
Reed – Hope you get better my man! Back pain sucks.
LikeLike
Thank you Dennis. I’ll say it again, Pitt has never valued athletics or athletes. It starts at the top, there has never been a desire to excel or even compete other than Football and Basketball and that commitment has obviously wavered over the years. The sport I competed in doesn’t exist at Pitt anymore.
A few years ago, while attending an executive program at PSU, I went to Req Hall, where I had competed for Pitt years ago and found that they had a team photo of every team in every sport going all the way back. Recognition for all of their athletes that every student and visitor can witness.
At Pitt it just isn’t a priority. Land could have been purchased to build facilities in Hazelwood, a track, soccer, baseball, natatorium, eventually a football stadium. Again never a priority.
You would think with all of the great programs we have in health and medicine, that a tie in could be developed with athletic programs, we have exceptional sports medicine, just not exceptional sports programs.
LikeLike
I always thought that part of the problem was that for years Pitt was a commuter school, less interest in school spirit, attendance and participation in sports. Also many more activities for students in the city than on the rural college campus. But it is a culture and commitment that has to be made by administration.
It takes financial resources as well, with great coaches, facilities and enough scholarships.
LikeLike
Reed my e mail not working I just got out of hospital and catching up I sent you email for large magnet. I drive to all home games and would love one. I like a lot of Pitt people find it hard to go beyond to contribute and back the programs when it seems like we are the only ones who care. Very little support from administration and that goes back for many many years. Hope that things get better with new AD. I have tough skin but the psu fans hammer me on this all the time. It will be a tough game this year but we are going to give them all we got. H2P. BEAT PENN STATE
LikeLike
Thanks you Dennis great read. Love this subject. I somewhat understand how endowments work and when I look up the ranking, I’m impressed and disappointed at the same time. My point being, there is one certain sport that actually generates revenue that can keep all the other lesser sports competitive.
Like I said, I know this isn’t necessarily what most endowments are set up to do but investing in football generates revenue becomes just that, an investment. Half ass interest on the other hand becomes a more of a burden on an institution.
LikeLike
Pitt doesnt have a sports culture. It really has no interest in its front porch. Pitt has always been near the bottom in the Directors Cup. And Pitt fans just dont donate.
Now thats because our AD’s have been not very good. The support from the BOT has not been very good and priorities are on the academic side. And Pitt doesnt weave sports into the fabric of student life. Hence no strong memories and little connection to alma mater.
Its a mindset. Its sort of brain washing like the Cult at Penn State. But it does bring out the donations and fierce loyalty to school. So if you change the culture, you could get more donations, better caliber students (who chose a school based on overall experience) and alumni donations that help feed sports programs. Pitt has always lacked a core school spirit.
Being commuter school, urban, and just plain incompetence by university so called leaders. Urban and private schools have challenges. But its no excuse for Pitt’s very poor showing across sports programs in general and lack of participation by students.
Pitt’s brand equity can be increased if Pitt focused on the value of its sports programs. Equity leads to better quality students, increased alumni donations and sustained fan support (revenue streams that support programs).
LikeLike
Pitt needs to fund a lacrosse and hockey team. But it will also need money to fund 2 women’s teams for Title 9 or whatever it is. All this takes money. Pitt needs supporters but doesn’t nurture a sports culture hence it wont happen in my lifetime.
LikeLike
eh, lol — Success at sports is complicated lol — Alabama brings in so much more money overall than any other sports program purely from their Football program and they are really weak at so much.
Pitt has only been in the ACC for like 3 years (urgh, techinically also the lowest overall paying Power 5 Conference to it’s members as well 😦 😦 ) — and before that was in the Big East, which money wise was basically MAC / Mountain West level.
Not to be a jerk, but pretty easy to comprehend why Pitt is still growing to get better overall at sports. —- Central Michigan University has 27,000 students in the MAC with tons of influential alums and is horrible at everything — University of Minnesota in the Big 10 has 50,000+ students and also CAL Berkeley in the PAC12 has the most generous and successful alums, PAC12 cash great facilites and struggles at all sorts of sports —on-and-on-and-on haha —- just do some research lol yikes.
Pitt has only been a “Power 5” school since like 2013 —- before that Pitt languished away in the Big East.
So, don’t knee-jerk and think here — Miami, Boston College and Virginia Tech jumped to the ACC in 2003 — and for a Decade got ACC money while Pitt got “bottom feeder” Big East pay-outs — how many dozens of millions of $$$ did Pitt lose in the Big East too?
C’mon I get irritated with the whining when they’re obvious, pragmatic answers to these silly complaints just for complaining’s-sake.
LikeLike
“Dark Knight” The one thing I’m absolutely sure of??? You laugh out loud a lot. 🙂
Pittman4ever: I had to actually lol for a second myself. I figured out why Tuesday and Thursdays are better for you concerning the round-table discussions. …The Pittsburgh Penguins are off those days coming up… 🙂
LikeLike
Back to Taleni for a sec. I’ve browsed Reed’s posts and and related comments and found no reference to possible academic problems,
Interesting that Taleni’s dismissal coincides with the end of a trimester?
FERPA regs: https://www2.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/brochures/parents.html
LikeLike
steve, I agree that the timing seems to indicate a possible problem involving academics. The punishment does not. Taleni was a 5th year senior without prior problems, not only with academia but of any type. By all accounts Taleni was a fine young man and a great example and leader on the PITT football team.
Seems to me there could be other possibilities other than grades?? I have my opinion but I will keep it to myself right now… (hint)…. Reed doesn’t agree with it.
LikeLike
Ike, I don’t think one has a flunk out/welcome back option.
LikeLike
Dennis missed one great point that I and many others, especially upitt screamed about for so long. In our regular jobs, when we don’t perform, we get canned. Pretty simple. When Pitt athletics didn’t perform for the last 30 years, Steve Pederson got raises and big ones, as did others. This is why you must clean house and rebuild the entire program and yes I am sorry to say, EJ too. Anyone associated with a losing athletic department has to go. It’s a mindset, both losing and winning. Our Department does not know how to win consistently, they just don’t. An occasional good run in football doesn’t cut it. I would be equally as happy if we won a wrestling title or womens bball title..anything!
I feel like Yukon Cornelius as he plunges into the ice crystals searching for gold and every time he says “Nothin”. We are searching for anything, a nibble, a scent, anything.
If our department knew how to win, they would. I don’t know EJ and all of you say how great he is, which I am sure he is. However, EJ should never have accepted losing, never. If you know how to win and the administration won’t support it, you need to leave and find an administration that will support winning in your profession. You can’t ever accept losing and non-support or you become a product of that environment. It is culture and pride. This is why so many athletes at the end of their careers just want to WIN! It is pride. It is the emptiness that losing brings to you. That is why there are so many same ol Pitt people. I am not one of those and never will be. I am the only one that picked Pitt to win every game, every year.
It is not about giving money, either or sitting in a seat. Money helps, but pride in doing excellent work trumps that. I don’t want to go to heinz field to see a game. I want to go to campus, my campus. I want to connect to my university, not Heinz anything. I connect with Heinz because i am from the burgh, but i connect equally with PPG. But I really want to connect with Pitt and athletics. How can you be proud of being in the bottom tier of athletics?? Most people identify and our proud of their universities sports teams, not SAT scores. People will give to the universities if there is a commitment to winning in athletics, not so much for raising the ACT entrance score from a 26 to a 29. Those are nice numbers and all but financial support doesn’t work that way. Win in sports works. Build on campus, works. Pitt needs to make a reason for future giving and that is with present winning and present bonding to a stadium/program.
LikeLike
our favorite basket coach just hired Matt Woodley as a ‘special assistant’ whatever that is. Woodley was fired from the Iowa Energy in the NBA D League in January. (don’t know wy)
This is from a Kirkville, MO sports blog when Woodley was hired by the Energy dated 8/29/14:
odley’s resignation a slap in the face
Friday
Posted Aug 29, 2014 at 2:15 PM
Share
Stories from Headlines Network
The Favorite Things Of Top-Tier Instagram Models
Promoted
25 Of The Most Embarrassing Onstage Moments
CelebChatter
Navy SEAL Busted For Second Job As Porn Star
PoliticsChatter
37 Celebrities Who Married Ordinary People
CelebChatter
By Dennis Miller
The opinions expressed in this blog are my own and shouldn’t be construed to represent those of the Kirksville Daily Express or its employees.
The Kirksville High School Tigers football team has their first home game of the year tonight as they take on Chillicothe out at Spainhower Field. The Tigers are looking for their first victory of the year after last week’s debacle of a game at Salem in which everything that could go wrong pretty much did and some things that never should have happened did. The Tigers are very young but also very talented and will continue to get better as the season progresses. The weather forecast is calling for heavy rain starting late this afternoon so it could make fsor a soggy night of football.
Most of the other KHS sports have gotten underway as well with the KHS volleyball team getting off to a slow start but playing some very good teams while the boys soccer team had a big win last night. The girls tennis team has also showed a lot of promise early in the season as has the girls golf team. The girls softball team lost a tough season opener last night at Moberly. The only team still waiting to get their season started is the cross country team and they will have their first meet on September 9.
The Missouri Tigers start the 2014 college football season tomorrow afternoon in Columbia as they play South Dakota State. This should be an easy victory for the Tigers who are still working out some things on offense. The next two weeks will be an excellent opportunities to do that.
I was shocked to learn of the abrupt resignation of Truman State men’s basketball coach Matt Woodley. The announcement was made late yesterday afternoon and it caught most people totally off guard. I have very strong feelings about the way this resignation happened. I get that Woodley resigned to take a “pro job” with the Iowa Energy of the NBA Developmental League. The NBA Developmental League for those who have never heard of it (and few have) is kind of like the minor leagues for the NBA. Most developmental league teams have a loose affiliation with an NBA team. The Iowa Energy have an affiliation with the Memphis Grizzlies. However, few players from the developmental league will ever see NBA action and those who do are generally just “called up” to fill a roster spot when someone is injured. I’m not aware of anyone who started in the developmental league who went on to have any sort of NBA career. I’m not saying it hasn’t happened but I’m not aware of it. That’s all well and good for Woodley. Congratulations! However, you do not abandon a program a month and a half before the start of practice. That is disrespectful to the university and a major slap in the face to the players who trusted you and bought into your system. Many of them are here because of you, they were recruited by you. Now Truman State is in the unenviable position of trying to find a quality coach on very short notice. I don’t know if that is possible.
You can draw your own conclusions
LikeLike
I apologoze for the above. Thought I copied only the paragraph begining with “I was shocked”
LikeLike
Huff, I agree with you 99.9% of the time but… not this time.
Dennis did address the piss poor performances of late by all PITT athletics by pointing out that the university just doesn’t care about being competitive… and he’s mostly right.
Pederson earned his raises by doing exactly what the BOT and Nordenberg expected out of him. Nothing! Here’s an AD that decides to forego a winning revenue generating football program and change their moniker, colors, uniforms and signature to some gaad awful dynocat for marketing reasons.
When we PITT fans wonder why PITT is in this position, look no further than the total administration. I wouldn’t shake steve pederson’s hand for one million dollars but I can’t blame him by himself. This is ineptitude at it’s finest.
To blame EJ is not fair at all. He’s a small fish in the ocean of problems. He couldn’t have done anything short of shooting people to help the problem.
You do make a great point that I’m trying to get across as well, good college football programs can and do generate revenue. Having said that? I think the attitude moving forward is beginning to see the light on the subject. or at least I’m wishing in one hand… Huff, get on the POV round-table tomorrow night and tell us how you feel….
We All We Got
We All We Need
H2P! …………………….ike
LikeLike
Huff, EJ is at Pitt as a legacy grad and works there as a labor of love. His father was an All-American football player for Pitt.
I honestly can’t imagine him elsewhere.
LikeLike
@Ike – I re-read my post and understand the angst. I am trying to earn back that .01% so here goes. I didn’t intend to blame EJ for anything Pitt Athletics other than being associated with a poorly run organization for a real long time. If it came off as anything else, I apologize. Not intended to be an EJ bashing but rather a department bashing. My point was that the Athletic Department has been run so poorly that all athletic department employees become collateral damage of a bad culture. They may have had the best intentions when all of them started, but at what point does the culture impact the personal product? I don’t have that answer for the employees in the athletic department. Personally, I couldn’t stay in a place that was run so poorly. From what you all type, he seems like a great guy and helpful to Reed which is fantastic. Unfortunately or fortunately, he has been the only face/name associated with the football program that we see or hear about.
@ Reed – I get that. Mis-typed my point. See above for clarification. Look what the marines(?) did to you/for you. You thought much differently before you were shaped by the marines, right? Either you shape your employer or it shapes you or a little of both permits growth. I feel bad for anyone that was in our athletic department during the Pederson years. Maybe this new regime is freeing for everyone in there!
LikeLike
Huff: I sure hope when you say angst you don’t think I meant anything towards you. I know for one thing. Literal hate towards “the steve” ..and he deserves it.
LikeLike
The culture in the BOT must change for the culture to ever change in the AD. We have a BOT problem first.
LikeLike
We have something like 30 BOT members and many have little to no ties to the university. Many are closet Nitters. So tell me how Pitt can succeed when theres so many people working against it or just dont care about the sports side of the university. Unless of course they can personally benefit because I’m sure that many are personally benefiting in some way from the academic side.
LikeLike
I have mulled over making a donation to the Panther Club over and above my season tix, and I realize this is a chicken vs. egg argument , but when I feel that the Administration is all in to have a successful sports program I will do what I can to support it. Currently to me it seems like they got lucky when hiring Narduzzi and were not motivated to bring in the best candidates for basketball (or wrestling ) or couldn’t convince Top Tier candidates of the administration’s commitment .. we will learn a lot about their commitment with how Narduzzi is handled moving forward. The smart move would be to lock him up before a bigger program comes a calling with a pot of gold, but I suspect we will see the Matt Canada situation played out again. If and when the Athletic Department shows me their commitment then I will show them mine!
LikeLike
http://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/private/board.asp?privcapId=3767910
Theres like 60 BOT members
You dont need a committee that large. I dont know how many have voting rights though.
LikeLike
http://www.provost.pitt.edu/handbook/ch1_gov_trustees.htm
36 voting members
Talk about a bureaucratic mess
LikeLike
About EJ. Don’t know the guy from Adam but I do see and watch him work. It’s obvious to me that he takes his job as serious as anyone could ever. I hope to hell he never leaves PITT and PITT makes sure of that!
LikeLike
Jesus – Pitt is run like thePost Office andDMV if they had a baby. 36 people. No wonder we hire bums as coaches.
LikeLike
Huff, once. a marine always a Marine of course that doesn’t apply to me as I was Liquors Garden.
^^^^^ ” read “Liquors Garden” to mean “Coast Guard”. Isn’t auto-correct great? In this case the shoe fits though.
LikeLike
Upitt, Never worked for or with them, but it is the United States Postal SERVICE, never was meant to make a profit, and also, they don’t take a dime of you money. Most of the profitable stuff has been given,yes given, to UPS and FedEx, and for that you can thank congress.!
This is really off topic but please forgive me. I would like to make my season predictions at this time. This is due to fact my son and I are doing father/son bonding trip to Japan and Korea tomorrow. Now, what could posssibly go wrong over there?
1) we will finish 6-6. A young team, a brutal early schedule and uncertainties at too many key positions.
2) the pass defense will be surprisingly better. The run defense will be the worst in recent memory. Again, youth and lack of size. Prey no one gets hurt!
3) the offense will sputter and start. It really won’t be bad but will look so in comparison to last year.
4) PSU will wack us like a piñata. Sorry, not our year against them.
5) Our new AD will do a few really stupid things, and 1 brilliant move also. Just a feeling, don’t know what they are though..
6) OK, here goes. HCPN will leave for MSU and seasons end. Ya. I know 6-6 doesn’t thrill anyone but what did Jackie Sherrill do at Wash St his year there. It’s what they remember, not what he’s doing.
That said, I’m practicing duck and cover, or just kiss my ass goodbye if the wackadoodle with the funny haircut looses his mind in the next couple weeks.( and I hope the guy in North Korea behaves also). Lol. Hope to talk to you all in a couple weeks.
LikeLike