Comment Archives: stories: News+Features: Last Word
Re: “Affront Office”
Hang in there, Charlie. Like Steeler fans who grew up during the 80's and early 90's, when they finally cover all the bases and make it to the Series, you'll be among those who waited 33 years for '60, which remains the toughest moment in Baltimore history.
Re: “Affront Office”
Dude, getting reprimanded for using the word "fart"? Sounds like Nutting drinks the same Kool-Aid that the Scaifes (Tribune-Review) do...I won't give the Pirates my money -- for anything. I kind of have the same love-hate relationship with the Yankees -- I worked in the front office from '84 to '92 (no, we weren't very good then, but nothing like these under-achievers)...you tend to always love the uniform, the stadium, the experience of your first baseball team, but the business of baseball is pathetic...The Angels sign Pujols & Hamilton in consecutive years? A fake salary cap (if you can exceed it with penalties it ain't a cap), but , more importantly, no minimum payroll. I actually read a column in the Boston Globe the other day in which they advocated for a uniformity of rules between the leagues -- and, get this, insisted that the NL add the DH! The DH is pointless. We already saw the return to "small ball" after the steroid ban and the game is just better when a manager has to consider pulling his pitcher every 9 batters. Anyway, I used to beat on Huntingdon (calling him their 12 year old G.M.) until a long-time fan asked me if I could do any better working for the Nuttings...'nuf said.
Re: “Affront Office”
(in accordance with the tempo of the classic "Take me out to the Ballgame")
Take me out to the Pirates
Where the hell is the crowd?
Why doesn't Bob Nutting give a damn?
He won't spend money to fill up the stands
so we'll root, root root for the Steelers
Cuz football's not far away
For it's one, two, three strikes you're out
at the old ball game
Re: “Pure as a Monkey Hitting You With a Hammer”
Another amazing poem by Mr. Cvetic. He's the man. Please keep them coming.
Re: “Off the Charts”
Although this is otherwise an informative article, I can't let this pass uncommented:
Thelonious Monk is NOT avant-garde. Sure, he was a compositional and improvisational genius,
and the second-most recorded jazz composer of all time. And yes, avant-garde musicians like Steve Lacy and Anthony Braxton have paid massive tribute to Monk. But Monk himself is bebop, hardbop or cool jazz, not avant-garde. And "Epistrophy" is certainly not an avant-garde tune. It was written in 1942, and is one of the most important modern jazz standards.
Re: “Party Favors”
There are plenty of other endorsements that can be cobbled together--Stonewall, Labor Council, 14th Ward Club, etc. They carry great weight among their constituencies and can counterbalance the party's endorsement.
Re: “Donor Bases”
The problem with council by district in a strong-mayor system is that money crosses district lines easily, and the mayor can punish insubordinate council members by screwing their whole district. The solution is not to go back to an at-large council but to shift power away from the mayor.
I would rather have a weak-mayor system like boroughs have, with a city manager serving at the pleasure of council. In the four decades I have lived here, Council has been more often on the side of the people while the mayor was making deals with corporate interests. The only notable exception was mayor Sophie Masloff.
Re: “Irregular Guy”
Congratulations to Keith Rothfus, the 12th Congressional District's elected representative, for opening one district office. Finally.
I'm so happy Rothfus announced this district office opening via press release or some other way. Oh wait....he didn't.
I'm so happy that this office in Ross Township is convenient to the folks in Johnstown, on the other side of the district. Oh wait...it's not. But who wouldn't want to drive 156 miles round-trip to get constituent assistance from their congressman?
I'd offer my opinion about this on Rothfus' Facebook page, the one he set up as a member of Congress, but he doesn't have one of those, either. (Just his personal/campaign FB page, where his most recent post congratulates the pro-lifers for marching in DC.)
I'm sure Keith Rothfus is very, very busy, voting against FEMA aid for the residents of New Jersey, which tops the list of states that pay FAR more in taxes than it gets back in federal dollars.
Re: “Irregular Guy”
Potter you crack me up. Consistently
Re: “Serving Sentences”
What an informative, exciting article. Superbly written!
Re: “Packing Heat”
This issue is way to polarized on both sides. Can't dispute either side's assertions without shrill responses.
Re: “Raising the Roof”
We need more people like Miss Daniels!
Re: “Past Perfect”
A big box store downtown where you can buy your child sweat pants? There are redneck strip mall meccas across the country where you can lame-off to you fuck!
Re: “Past Perfect”
time to rename the 40th St. Bridge for Sebak and put a statue of him on one of those retaining walls!
Re: “Past Perfect”
I loved this article, love Rick Sebak's films and love Pittsburgh!
Re: “Past Perfect”
This was brilliantly on-point, particularly the paragraph about how fetishistic it is, and how the most mundane or human activity is viewed as quintessentially Pittsburgh. Every time I hear that I want to tell the person to get out more, to anywhere - Columbus, Cleveland, Baltimore, Chicago, St Louis, anywhere at all really - the country's full of quirkiness. I enjoy watching Sebak, but holy crap, the human condition is pretty much universal.
Re: “Past Perfect”
Yes, but, Candy-Rama ain't there anymore, despite Sebak's best efforts. And I'd love to have a big box sporting goods store Downtown, for instance. It would be easier for me to buy a pair of sweat pants for my son there than to schlepp to Homestead.
I read or heard a story recently about Irish ex-pats coming back to the old villages for visits and being a sort of embarrassment to those who stayed because they insisted on going to the same pubs that the frequented in high school and talking about people they knew 20 years ago who weren't around anymore. That's Pittsburgh, too, in a way, right? The Old Country.
For my money, I'll take Pittsburgh Dad over Sebak in the 21st century. A celebration of yinzerness, but also a recognition of its absurdity.
Re: “Ad Hominem”
This one also did a good job with the regional accent, as well as some of the more pervasive regional biases...
http://youtu.be/D8iLlqsw1J8
The follow up ad gave me a new catchphrase..."Dat's dat's dat's a no no!"
http://youtu.be/B3V5b1g9FrE
Re: “The Mother of All Brunches”
Meanwhile all the other patrons who are able to eat dinner without screaming or throwing shit all over the place wonder why you don't take your kids to Eat'n Park where you won't be ruining the experience for others who are spending good money on a meal out only to leave with a stress headache of their own.