21st century football, or ‘how physical is too physical?’

If you live in Western Pennsylvania, chances are you know a fair amount about football. This region is often referred to as the “Cradle of Football” because of all the great players who grew up around here. (And, of course, Pittsburgh is home to the six-time Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers.) In Pittsburgh, football is [...]

Madden, Skrillex, Cupstacking, and reCAPTCHA: A (Surprisingly) Literary Journey

On August 30th, like a lot of people, I walked down to my local video game store over my lunch break and forked over some change for the next iteration of EA Sport’s Madden NFL, which we now have available at the Main library for any of our gaming programs! I turned it on, ready [...]

BLACK & YELLOW BLACK & YELLOW BLACK & YELLOW BLACK & YELLOW

As you might be aware, the Pittsburgh Steelers are prepping invites to the AFC Championship game this Sunday at 6:30 PM, to be played at Heinz Field. It seems LaMarr Woodley was a little late sending his, so he had to tweet one: Manwhile, the playlist for the Steelers’ road to the Super Bowl has [...]

Rivalry-entertaining the masses since the old testament

I will accept no commission that would tend to create a rivalry with Grant. I want him to hold what he has earned and got. I have all the rank I want. – William Tecumseh Sherman Wow, that’s a pretty nice quote from Civil War General William Tecumseh Sherman, eh?  He and General (and 18th [...]

Fun things to do NOW in November

Watch a football game There are so many choices this month; high school games, college games and Pro football games.  The high school playoffs began this weekend.  For more information, see the WPIAL football backets  or check WPXI’s Skylights coverage. The Pittsburgh Panthers have 3 games in November, including the backyard brawl, their annual game against the [...]

How hard is too hard?

The most talked about sports topic this week revolved around the amount and the severity of violent head-to-head hits that occurred during last Sunday’s NFL games. The Pittsburgh Steelers’ own James Harrison was fined $75,000 for his hit on wide receiver Mohamed Massaquoi.   The NFL sent out a  video to all of the teams about the rules regarding the controversal [...]

STEELER TRIVIA: THE ANSWERS

1.  When Santonio Holmes was traded to the New Yorks Jets, that left the #10 available for Dennis Dixon, which he wore in college.  What number did Dennis wear last year?  The number 2. 2.  Which Super Bowl did the Steelers not win and who was their opponent? Super Bowl XXX was the only loss.  The [...]

STEELER TRIVIA

The first regular season game for the Steelers is just 16 days away.  Yes, I am counting the days!  Are you ready to test your knowledge of all things black and gold? 1.  When Santonio Holmes was traded to the New Yorks Jets, that left the #10 available for Dennis Dixon, which he wore in college.  [...]

Go Steelers!

The Steelers have a big game against the Minnesota Vikings this Sunday.  In honor of the game I would like to recommend The 50 Greatest Plays in Pittsburgh Steeler History by Steve Hickoff.  Each of the 50 plays has its own chapter with the story behind the play.  Steve Hickoff includes game details, player profiles, photos, [...]

The NFL, Up Close and Personal (Plus a Book Recommendation)

Something funny happened after screaming my way through the Steelers dramatic win last Thursday, in addition to watching the rest of NFL week 1. After the game, I signed onto Twitter, where real NFL players like Larry Fitzgerald and the ever-entertaining Chad Ochocinco were providing live commentary about the game–and in many cases discussing it [...]