It’s going to be car related because our sponsor this week happens to be Pittsburgh Budget Cars.  They provide used cars in Pittsburgh to the masses at a more than affordable rate!  They also just happen to have two passes to the Carnegie Museum of Pittsburgh(a $30 value!) up for grabs and would like YinzPitt.com to give everyone the opportunity to get them!

I’d also like to say that the Carnegie Museum of Pittsburgh is awesome.  It’s highly educational not to mention interesting,  which pretty much should provide a great date/day out in our wonderful city of Pittsburgh.  So check it out, and good luck!

If you’d like to partake in the game, head on over to Twitter.com and follow my account: http://www.twitter.com/YinzPittsburgh.

#FF Question of the Week:

What is your dream car?

This question alone could probably provide a ton of answers, and more than likely will.  Taking the rules from the prior contest, which are below, I have added more.  The contest ends tonight at 8pm EST, so get your Twitter answer in! Rules are as follows:

• Must be in the United States
• Must be a PG-13 answer
• Only one answer per follower
• Winner pays nothing
• Must submit answer using Twitter
• Must be a follower of YinzPittsburgh on Twitter
• Winner will be picked using Random.org
• I will contact you via Direct Message on Twitter
• I will not ask for any payment information or anything

Outside of all this wonderful weather, I’ve been getting comment spam from the same IP address, and I’m in the process of blocking the spammer.  Thinking about it now, as a designer, is there anything worse when someone out there is looking to take your site down, or use it to some way to benefit themselves, while being malicious to you?

I hate spammers and it got me thinking, in terms of designing, and writing articles, they are right up there with hackers.  It’s also entirely possible that it’s all become automated and in the form of repeat attacking, which I feel is what I’m dealing with now.  That said, I’m working in eliminating the garbage that you more than likey won’t see.  I have to approve most comments, however some do actually get through, and it’s annoying.

Enough of the nerd speak.  While this isn’t Pittsburgh related, another celebrity has passed away.  Corey Haim, 38, has died of an apparent drug overdose.  Haim is most known for his role on the show “The Lost Boys” with Corey Feldman.  While it’s a sad thing that he’s actually passed away, it’s not entirely surprising.  He’s battled drug addiction for most of his life along with Feldman, while Feldman has been able to semi recover, Haim apparently has not.

Heading back into news about Pittsburgh, Antwaan Randle El is again a Pittsburgh Steeler.  While it mostly doesn’t make sense from any standpoint I can look at.  I guess good for him.  The only thing I vaguely remember about him is running back and forth, spinning, and then falling down.  Hopefully he’s ironed out that issue, but I doubt it.

Randle El was quoted from the Pittsburgh Tribune Review as saying:

“It happened pretty quickly. There were a couple of other teams, but the bottom line is coming home was a more comfortable situation for me,” Randle El said at the Steelers practice facility after completing his physical. “I certainly enjoyed playing here before, and I know I’m going to enjoy it now.”

“We just talked about being No. 3,” Randle El said. “Certainly, if Hines (Ward) or Santonio (Holmes) goes down then, of course, being outside. But the focus is being the No. 3 receiver right now. That’s what I want to do and certainly be productive at it.”

“I had a chance to talk to Hines. Me and Casey (Hampton) were texting back and forth,” Randle El said. “It’s been a little bit of a reunion. They were happy too. They were calling and texting me, (saying), ‘I think it’s going to work out.’ It’s exciting.”

So where does that leave Mike Wallace?  Randle El even stated they talked about him playing in the number 3 spot.  Which is what Wallace excelled at last year.  Who knows, but I think it sucks for Wallace if that’s the case.  He had one of the more memorable break-out seasons last year with the team.  I don’t see the need to throw that away.

Antwaan Randle El rejoins the Pittsburgh Steelers

In order to have table games, casinos need to hire dealers and the Rivers Casino is holding a job fair this week to fill those new positions.

According to a press release from the Rivers Casino, the job fair will be held on Monday and Tuesday (March 8-9) from 11 a.m. until 7 p.m. at the Sheraton Station Square.

The casino plans to hire between 300 and 350 people.

Experience is not a requirement as the casino said it will train any applicant that is selected. Those who are selected will be sent to dealer school, which will begin in April.

The Rivers Casino is offering some tips for applicants though.

The job fair is only for people interested in attending dealer school. If you are interested in being a supervisor or manager, you must apply online.

They are strongly encouraging interested applicants to apply online before attending the job fair.

So obviously, most of us know how terrible the job market is.  We also know that this is a great opportunity to take a new step in the right direction and see if you can improve your life and set yourself up better financially.  It’s always worth a shot, so go for it!

———————-

News for the Steelers, well not so much the Steelers as it is for heavy hitter Ryan Clark.  Apparently, he’s ready to sign with the Dolphins, and more power to him honestly.  He’s quoted in the Miami Herald as saying:

“I want to be in a place where we’re not going to get run through every week,” Clark said. “Playing safety, no matter how good you are, you don’t want to be in a place where guys are always open.”

If you read through that whole article, and arrived at that comment and made a WTF face, good for you.  We think alike.  Didn’t Clark say just last week or two weeks ago that he wants to be a Steeler for life, but now that he’s out in the free agency land, he seems to be taking passive aggressive shots at the team?

Ryan Clark possible ex-Pittsburgh Steelers

News flash Ryan Clark, you sucked without Troy this year, and you’re going to suck again.  Too many times, he has taken the chance on big hits and blown coverages, and without Troy there, he’s that much more exposed.  I personally was a fan until that comment was said.  I think he was a big help in making the defense dominant a few years ago, but now not so much.  I also never get this statement of “entitlement” in players.  You’ve obliged your contract, and your not guaranteed another one.  He’s helped us win, but as time goes on, the Steelers have shown their ability to retain greatness and replace.  His position is one we want to replace.

Not to mention, does he think the reason why wasn’t re-signed is because he didn’t rise to the occasion last year?  He didn’t inspire too much, and one has to think.  Without Troy, he wasn’t able to run free, making him non-existent.  It’s weird how things work out, but if he doesn’t re-sign here, so be it.  Good riddance.

———————-

By now I’m sure everyone in a 100 mile radius of Pittsburgh has seen the nauseating coverage of Ben’s new sexual assault claim.  I personally enjoyed how the entire news portion of the weekend shut-down and went into rampant focus of this Ben issue.  Plain and simple, Ben’s an idiot.  A young, rich, ignorant idiot.  Wouldn’t you think after the last case(even though the women is practically crazy), you’d steer clear of these situations?  Or do you think that money can set you free?

Even without the full details, I’m not saying if he’s guilty one way or another.  He is guilty of putting himself in this situations time after time.  It’s not worth it, and he himself even though he wants privacy, has to know he’s a media target.  Come on dude, get it together.

Ben Roethlisberger doing his thing

That being said, I asked a #ff question yesterday and it seemed to get a decent response.  The question was: “Whats your favorite thing about spring/summer in Pittsburgh?”  Here are the responses below:

lastpaw – Swimming! Food!!

eipee73 – Going disc golfing in Schenley Park and walking the SS/Strip without being angry from the bitter cold.

AlbertsGifts – Shopping in the Strip District!

joemay3rd – Having lunch at the point …. Going to PNC Park

fourpeet – Pirate games! It’s the best time to go because everyone is still optimistic and I love seeing the first Bucco blast of the season.

yay_toast – it will be the 2010 Pittsburgh Half-Marathon

AccessClosing – The seemingly annual ouster from the Stanley Cup playoffs of the Washington Capitals by our Penguins.

j2kitty – The endless festivals….The 3 Rivers Arts Festival, The Regatta, Church festivals, The Rib Cookoff, Community Fairs, etc…

megan2828 – playoff hockey baby. playoff hockey. #letsgopens

bobf_vstpgh – One of my favorite activities in Spring/Summer in Pittsburgh is taking walks to Point State Park on my lunch breaks.

yay_toast – AH! cinema in the park, too!!!

cprior2 – one of my favorite summer things is kayaking down the river!

volleyballer12 – the pirates!!

kdruga – the iceball guy on the north side!

kristin_vstpgh – One of my fave things 2 do in warmer mths is sitting @ Mellon Sq or US Steel Pl with a book & enjoying the sunshine.

pensxbellax11 – Mario’s big screen T.V. out on the lawn. #pittsburgh #mellonarena

m_tac – the draft, mini-camp, training camp

BurghRE – Real estate signs popping up everywhere!

GeeLyn – Playoff Hockey!! And going to Pirate games.

——————

Moving on from another great #FF question, two excellent games happened last night.  The Pens ended up shooting a franchise high 55 shots in their overtime win against the Rags, and Ashton Gibbs for the Pitt Panthers, ended up draining a buzzer beater 3 to beat Providence.

The Pens game was looking to be a a loss, as Fleury let in 4 goals on 12 shots, but I attribute that to rust, as he wasn’t able to practice/play in two weeks due to the Olympics.  Once the team woke up and got going, they flat out dominated the Rangers from the second period on, even holding the Rangers to just one shot in the third period while the Pens took 19.  It was utterly unreal how their goalie Henrik Lundqvist kept them in the game.  It’s also sad because his talent level is so high, and their overall talent base in front of him is so low.  Even though it’s an Eastern Conference team, I feel bad for the talent that is being basically wasted.

The University of Pittsburgh game was much more thrilling, as they barely knocked off a team that upset them last year.  Ashton Gibb’s went up for a desperation 3 and sunk it just before the buzzer.  It was an intense ending and you can watch the video below.  It was purely awesome, and it was truly a great way to end a very hard fought game.

Quotes, from the king of mischief himself in 2008:

“St. Patrick’s Day was originally intended to be a family event,”  “We’ve seen over the course of time … that that’s changed a little bit.”

Starting last year, I do know that the drinking was actually moved and segregated to Market Square, the year prior in 2008, I remember drinking on the street.  This year all together, it almost looks as if they are trying to phase it out all together, and trying to make it a complete family fun event.  Now, I’m cool with New Years being a sober event in the city, I get that, however I’m not cool with a holiday that’s celebrating a heritage, a heritage that’s often known as drinkers.

No other values are needed really.  It’s a holiday aimed to be a giant party.  Sure, there are people out there that ruin it, but the social drinkers really should get one day to have to themselves, and not have to be hassled about an open container in the street.  I’m of the young variety, I’m 23, and I’ve heard nothing but great stories about how this one particular day is so awesome.  So far I’ve experienced two, had designated drivers(parents), and done everything the right way and had a blast.  I will not be attending the Parade this year, as I feel it’s a gimmick anyways, but it’s more than that really.

This is about Ravenstahl and his recent trials and tribulations of actually become a mature person.  This is the perfect opportunity to control his habits, and show that he’s serious about the partying and he wants it to stop.  However, how can he really have any say in this subject?  He’s been busted for using company vehicles to attend a party,  there are pictures of him with Snoop Dogg, and as of recently there have been reports of him partying in the mountains during the huge storm we had two weeks ago.  His accountability has come into question, so what a better way than to crack down on a party, and show that he’s serious.

I’m afraid I just don’t understand the line of thinking that this holiday is anything other than an adult oriented holiday.  I don’t remember celebrating it as a child, or nor did I care to.  Let us have this one day to ourselves.  I’d really like to hear his thoughts as of late, because something just doesn’t add up.  Instead of focusing on a city, which people voted him in for in confidence, it’s coming off as a blatant PR stunt to protect his image.

Mayor Luke Ravenstahl and Snoop Dogg

These next two and a half days are going to be entertainment filled.  The NHL trade deadline brings out all of the wonky sites, with stupid NHL rumors, and everyone eats it up.  It’s always fun to play what if, but after awhile, it becomes highly stale.  Particularly, there’s one site that’s full of crap.  TIOPS.  I won’t even give you the link because it’s not worth it, and them making money on incorrect rumors is stupid.  It’s always wishy washy, but they’ve accustomed the yinzer crowd and sucked people in.  They are no more insider than I am, yet they continue to report garbage.

The same with Ecklund, he’s just a joke.  NHL fans know him by name, and he’s another site to just flat-out ignore.  I’m telling you this because if you’re a hockey fan, and hear any rumors with those names attached, continue to ignore and look the other way.  It’s not worth getting excited about, and it’s even worse when a station like KDKA picks them up and speculates on it and gives credit to the site.  It just makes no sense, and it’s harsh way to grab unsuspecting readers.

Either way, the Penguins, have actually made a move today.  They’ve traded their 2010 second round pick for Jordan Leopold.  All in all, it was a quality move by Shero.  He’s given practically nothing away, for an underrated player.  Here’s a little more info on the new #4 of the Penguins:

The 29-year-old Leopold signed a one-year contract with the Panthers in July. In the summer, he was part of a deal that sent the rights to defenceman Jay Bouwmeester to Calgary.

Leopold has seven goals and 11 assists in 61 games for Florida this season. The Minnesota native has played in 416 games in his NHL career.

Also, it’s apparent that he actually wanted to play for the Penguins.  He had an altered NTC, and one of the teams he wanted traded to was the Penguins.  Good for him, he’s been on some crappy teams, so here’s to it working out for him.  I’m excited for these next three days, and one rule of thumb.  No matter what you hear, speculate it as rumor, at least until it’s official.  Go Pens!

Jordan Leopold, formerly of the Panthers.

So here are your wonderful answers from yesterday!

houndogg – thunderbolt for sure!

TTG – Thunderbolt!

peloos - How can you go wrong with the Racers? Everybody gets so (friendly) competitive about it, on top how fun it is to ride…

omgitsjen – Its the Thunderbolt. DUH!

jesslag – The Jack Rabbit of course!!

nittanylisa – the potato patch, of course

lvallana – Mine too mine too! RT @omgitsjen: @YinzPitt Its the Thunderbolt. DUH!

calipanthergrl – I’ve never been.

Griggsy96 – Me three!…… RT @lvallana: Mine too mine too! RT @omgitsjen: @YinzPitt Its the Thunderbolt. DUH!

BigDaddyUK – Does Dollywood Count?

gaitlady – PittFall because I named the ride (true story) …but I agree w/ @omgitsjen: Thunderbolt’s a close 2nd

yay_toast – last seat in the jackrabbit

rotoe31 – the Kangaroo

kdruga – Thunderbolt, for sure!!

jamesbainbridge – I like the ski-lift thing that brings you in from the upper parking lots. Is that still there? #pittsburgh

Jenn_Thorson – The Exterminator. Makes me dizzy out of my mind, but how I do love it! #pittsburgh

AccessClosing – 1. Thunderbolt 2. Thunderbolt 3. Thunderbolt 4. Thunderbolt 5. Thunderbolt…

bran34 – never been there, but heard some crazy things about phantoms revenge

j2kitty – The JackRabbit!! I think that one is better than the Thunderbolt!!

m0remandee – Phantom’s Revenge!

bobf_vstpgh – My favorite ride at Kennwood is Sky Rocket!!! http://bit.ly/fR5IP #Pittsburgh

mellijellybean – Thunderbolt, runner up – Jack Rabbit!

AiXeLsyD13 – The Paratrooper has always remained a top favorite, be it the sensation or the memories, it has remained constant over the years.

vagrantdead – Question of the day: What is your favorite ride at Kennywood #Pittsburgh ? /via @YinzPitt — Pitfall

GeeLyn – I <3 the Kangaroo! An oldie but goodie!

cprior2 – in my 3 years here I’ve never been to Kennywood.. I think that needs to change this year

NicoleJeanLTL – The Thunderbolt has got to be my fave ride #Kennywood #oldschool

icehopper – The Racer rollercoaster.

HEHardy – Favorite ride at Kennywood is probably The Racer. #pittsburgh

cmerr4 – the enterprise!

bobf_vstpgh – One last answer – favorite Kennywood ride: Potato Patch Fries!!

Wow, that was a lot of quality answers!  Have an awesome weekend everyone!

Kevin Colbert, the director of football operations, had this to say about the recent re-signing of Casey Hampton:

“It was very important for our organization to have a player of Casey’s caliber signed for what we hope is the rest of his career,” director of football operations Kevin Colbert said today at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis. “Casey has been a big part of our success and we think he has a lot of football left. Plus, we think he’s one of our true leaders, and to get this free-agency period kicked off early by getting him locked up, means a lot to our organization.”

Personally, this is all well and good.  Bringing Casey back gives the Steelers even more options come draft day in April.  They desperately

Casey Hampton of the Pittsburgh Steelers

need an immediate starter at corner back, or their offensive line.  It’s gotten to the point that it actually feels like a dire need.  Their line is in shambles, their secondary is in great need of help, and it’s only going to get worse as they Steelers aren’t known for getting big name free agents.

Here’s a little more information about the Hampton singing:

Hampton, who will be 33 years old next season, will remain with the Steelers through the 2012 season under the new deal. Hampton would have been paid a $7 million salary if he had been franchised.

“We are pleased to know that Casey Hampton will be a member of our team for years to come,” said Steelers President Art Rooney II. “Casey has been an important member of our club for nearly a decade, and we hope that this contract will allow him to finish his career as a Pittsburgh Steeler.”

Well that’s just wonderful. Now let’s move onto the actual black sheep of the organization. Jeff Reed. Jeff is a strange guy. He’s about as clutch as you can get, but in general he’s just a drunk moron. I personally don’t agree with his conduct, but if the Steelers are willing to look the other way and deal with it, then I guess we all can too.

“Our goal is to lock Jeff up long-term and have him finish his career with the Steelers,” Colbert said. “He’s aware when the process gets to this point, we all need to buy some time. As long as players and agents are willing to stay with the team, and the team wants you, you’re going to get a deal done. We want to keep Jeff as long as we can.”

Jeff Reed of the Pittsburgh Steelers

Great deal, and glad to have him.  The Franchise Tag is always a tricky one.  Two parties can agree and say they want to get the contract done, knowing that in fact no contract will be finalized.  I’d like to see him stay on skills alone, but we know anything could happen.

It also turns out that Ryan Clark, WILL NOT be franchised, leaving his contract status as still open and undecided at this point.  His agent however says that they are diligently working for the best results.  I’d like to see him re-signed, but he’s another guy who I don’t think looks half as good without Troy.  Of course Troy makes everyone better, but it was incredibly evident last year, Troy needs help.

Quotes and information used from this article from the Post Gazette

“Don’t let people tell you that the Pirates have a great future, but it’s not today.’ Today is our future. 2010 is the beginning of the next dynasty of the Pirates for me.”

I know, I know.  It’s hilarious right?  I read that this morning and immediately thought “If you’re going to spew garbage and nonsense, at least make it something I could believe.”  Hell, I’d settle for just a .500 win season, rather than a dynasty.  It’s really just an unattainable feeling to reach for myself, in getting that hyped for a team, that has basically stayed the same since last years deconstruction.

We’ve attained the services of Bobby Crosby, Akinori Iwamura, and Octavio Dotel.  Those where the amazing off-season signings/trades the Pirates went after, and now has Coonnelly spewing that this is the start of a dynasty.  The Pirates have a long way to go, and I mean a long way to go to even be considered a good team.  First they have to increase their payroll by another 15-30 million to have a chance to compete year in and year out, and they have to hang on to their starters, ala Zach Duke this year.

Which brings me to my biggest reasoning that this is all just hype.  This year is the year that will tell if they’ve done a good job in attaining

Zach Duke of the Pittsburgh Pirates

assets and keeping the ones who are bonafide winners.  Zach Duke, is going to be first up to the plate.  The Pirates have re-signed him, but I’m sure they will make it known halfway through the year what they want to do with him depending on the kind of  year he is having.  If he’s doing outstanding, I believe he’s going to get traded.  If he’s doing poorly, I really believe he’s going to be sold low.  It’s lose-lose, and the Pirates organization has done nothing to disprove that thinking otherwise.

Jose Tabata better be staying in the majors when he gets called up in the summer.  He’s a hitter, and has shown nothing but progress everywhere he’s been put.  He can flat out hit the ball well, and he’s shown that in every situation he’s been put in, he’s adapted.  I really see no reason barring injury or major failure, why he shouldn’t be given a legitimate shot.  The same holds true with Pedro Alvarez, he was your first round draft pick for a reason, and if Clement doesn’t work out, Alvarez needs a shot.  If he’s your future, and the future is now.  The Pirates better come through.

With the official start of the 2010 season, I always get excited for baseball.  As I’ve said numerous times, I’m about as die hard as it gets.  I believe every year that the Pirates have a chance to at least show some kind of winning baseball, and every year I’m majorly disappointed.  I’ve even considered buying season tickets when I had the money because I love baseball and the Pirates that much.  However being the age of 23, I’ve quickly realized that I shouldn’t be giving money to a team that technically doesn’t even deserve the fans it has.  I just hope I can be alive long enough to see the Pirates have success in the post-season.  However, with a pay-roll of sub $50 million, I fear I’ll never see that day.  Pictured below is my hope for the future.  Pedro Alvarez wearing the Pirates colors this year:

Pedro Alvarez of the Pittsburgh Pirates

The profile  for YinzPitt can be found here:  http://www.facebook.com/YinzPitt

Sure, I’ll be updating the fan page while I can, but more than likely I’ll be concentrating on the actual page of YinzPitt, as I’m able to add and do more content wise with it in the long run.  As always, the biggest thing SEO wise I’ve ever done is use Twitter.  I don’t care who says that it is an imperfect tool for anything information related.  It’s helped me gain readers and even host a contest.  It’s all powerful and knowing, and I’m so thankful for all of the readers and people who contribute information on a daily basis to me.

After all, without readers and viewers, YinzPitt.com wouldn’t exist.  Also, another thing I must mention is that I’m always looking for link partners, and network friends.  There’s nothing better than sharing the wealth and getting our names out there as much as possible.  So if you feel that you’d want to be apart of my affiliate section, head over to the contact form and let me know.  I’d be glad to accommodate!

Thanks everyone,

Clay