Anyone know who the culprit is?

hmm as a seldom contributor and loyal reader i can’t help but be curious

Digger Phelps said after ND beat GT, “good win now we take care of business versus Pitt.”
I can’t stand Digger Phelps, I hope we crush the Irosh tomorrow, please!
Happy Birthday Pitt.
02 Graduate SAE
I’ll be skiing at Elk Mtn tomorrow. Holla

Justin, Can’t agree more. They’ve had our number for some time now and the Panthers need to go into South Bend and get the job done. Interesting article in this morning’s PG that the way Duke denied Lamar Patterson the ball, gave other teams a blueprint on how to play Pitt. The Panthers need to play well and get a win.

Away from the coaching job aspect, listened to Dixon last night on his show.

He did say something that was hysterical.

Talking about the charge/block rule, and the change to it this year. He was very cordial and gracious to the refs, and understanding that it may take awhile for refs to get it right after calling something the same way for 20 years.

He did say, though, that there are in fact some refs out there, that do crave the attention and spotlight.

“oh, you know, when some of them make a charging call, and they run all the way across the court, stop, and point the other direction for the fans, basically making a scene”.

Ha Ha Ha LMAO!!!!!!!

Making a scene. Loved it, and how true.

Refs, you are not bigger than the game!!

How often we’ve seen that.

Always remember an NFL ref, a top guy, well respected, always said, the best referee’s are the ones you hardly ever see or hear.

I would love to change my name if either team can somehow end my suffering.

lol longsufferingpittfan

Ours is not to reason why, ours is but to suffer and die.

Alfred Lord Emel (2014)

Does that count as a name change ?

@Emel

Please don’t change your name. You have a “rep” and history that we all value.

H2P

trivia question, what was Emel’s previous handle?

From ESPN.com’s Bubble Watch:

“Thing is, there are different types of “work to do” teams, because there are different types of work to be done. Two, to be exact.

The first is maintenance: Teams who would be in the tournament if it were selected and seeded right now, but who have to avoid bad losses in their remaining handful of games to feel safe on Selection Sunday. The second is advancement: Teams who wouldn’t be in the tournament, or risk leaving themselves at the subjective whims of the committee, if they don’t move the needle in a positive direction before Selection Sunday.

Pittsburgh is a good example of the former. The Panthers have a decent résumé lacking in big wins, with a lot of narrow misses against good teams, games the committee will likely have seen. They’ll probably get in the tournament. But if they lost their last three games (at Notre Dame, versus NC State, and at Clemson) and suffered a bad loss in the ACC tournament, they might be in serious trouble.”

Same source:

“Pittsburgh [21-7 (9-6), RPI: 45, SOS: 79] It’s a strange feeling, watching a good Pittsburgh team desperately try to avoid slipping into genuinely threatened bubble territory (which they did at Boston College in a 66-59 win on Wednesday). To some extent, it makes sense: The Panthers have had copious opportunities to win marquee games, but they’ve come up just short time and again. Losses are losses as far as the committee is concerned. The reason it’s weird, though, is because Pitt might not be in this dilemma if it had given itself more opportunities during nonconference play. Or, at the very least, if it hadn’t scheduled quite so many RPI-draining guarantee teams, including Savannah State (299) and Howard (341). For years, Jamie Dixon has been one of the nation’s savviest nonconference schedulers, deftly gaming the RPI in his team’s favor. Not so this season.”

Was it Harvey Mudd……gc ?

Emel, I honestly don’t remember, I just remember you changing on someone’s suggestion.

@ pmd

I won’t on one condition. You must have those B & G’s cleaned and ready to go for ND.

For we need all the… voodoo that you do…to beat the pesky Irish.

The Basketball Gods are watching !

Horace Mann perhaps ?

MelvinBennett!!!!!!!!!

@ Justin, I knew I liked you for a good reason, now you’ve confirmed it! Phi Alpha Brother! Chi Omicron Chapter myself, grad of 1975, way back in the good old days when our house was on North Bellefield across the street from the school for the blind, before you were even conceived most likely! LOL

@Emel

They are clean, folded and waiting in the drawer (no pun intended). I am going to a memorial service for a friend tomorrow morning. Really did not want to have to pull them out of the hamper and then go to the service. But, my buddy Tom would have understood. Anything for the team.

H2P

I am pretty sure I am the one Chas is upset about. I sent him an e-mail explaining why the change in e-mail. You may all return to your regular normal rantings.

@John

I got confused when he said “sock puppetry.” So, not sure what the issue is. But, I love PittBlather and we all need to play straight.

H2P

Grab a Computer Science student and have them code a script that will match up User Names to e-mail addresses when the ‘Submit’ button is clicked.

You just need to hold the previous info in a database and compare when a post is submitted. If it matches a record in the database, the message is posted. If it doesn’t, you can just review an exception report.

Clarification – You can have the script still allow the post when the info doesn’t match, but you’ll have a report to see the exceptions.

@pghFred

I have no idea what you are saying. But, I am happy to do it if it helps us beat Notre Dame.

H2P

Sock puppetry referred to transitioning to a new e-mail.

@ Dan-o

Pitt’s first one & done.

What you didn’t like Horace Mann. lol

It’s TGIF, and almost Happy Hour !!!

pmd, you done good, get a drink on me !

Lord Alfed Emel, I still prefer “do or die”. I think things are getting better on the football side and I think the basketball recruiting is looking promising. Now the big concern is that the basketball team gets their mojo back and wins the last few games.

I generally agree with ESPN’s assessment and our chances in March. We need to build on the BC win, and probably win at least one or two games in the ACC tourney. It would be nice if we could beat one of the teams that beat us, maybe a Virginia, a UNC, or even Syracuse.

That said, I have little confidence in this team in The NCAAs. Duke did show teams how to beat us–by pressing our perimeter passing, which is exactly what FSU did.

@Emel

I am still holding out hope for Pitt in the Final Four and we all party at Upitt’s. Once I get my mind off the girls at the bar (I forgot the name, Peaks something), I will focus on the rest of you crazies. I graduated in 1971 and all of our teams sucked. So, I am enjoying where we are right now and hoping (drinking the KoolAid) for even better days to come.

@Upitt—Don’t go negative on me. You turned the corner. Remember?

Kill. Shred. Eradicate the Irish. They all suck.

H2P

I’m still Upitt and I still think Potato Paul is better suited for an OC position or cheese farmer. Dixon come on and take us deep into March. In the NCAA’s that is…. Not NIT.

So far Franklin is kicking Paul Chrysts ass in recruiting, he got the best 2 running backs in the state

No worries Chick, wait until you see the hurt the Pitt stable of RBs put on the opposition with the likes of Conner, Bennett, Ibraham, James and Ollison, less I forget about Briggs. Still thinking James makes a frickin bigger splash next season than Conner made last season! (and I was 100% in Conner’s corner in 2013’s fall camp regarding his eventual huge coming out party). It’s all about the development of the OL, and we haven’t even scratched the surface of that group’s potential yet. You’ll see. Hail to Pitt!

I am with you Dr Tom. Anyone who thinks Franklin is a winner should go and join his groupies. Look for Joe Pa’s statue on your days off.

H2P

I’m happy with this recruiting class. I think it’s a lot better than the “experts” rate it. I disagree with the heading on the post in Cardiac Hill. Penn State is recruiting PA players from the center and eastern part of the state where their fan base is. So what’ new about that. Pitt is still getting the better players in western PA and they continue to do so. Pitt also gets more players from Ohio. Let’s see how they do in areas outside of their fan base. I like the direction of Pitt’s recruiting efforts. Building and focusing on the offensive line is important. Let’s see where the programs are in 3 years.

We need to stop focusing on the NCAA Tournament. We haven’t won at Notre Dame in almost ten years and Brey has owned Dixon. Let’s win today and take the next game in stride.

Uppitt is right.

So says Cardiac Hill.
link to cardiachill.com

We need to be concerned about what Franklin is doing. We have four games scheduled against them.

Penn State isn’t West Virginia. We can’t run and hide from them.

Pitt a 3 point favorite over the Domer’s. We know how that goes.

Hail to Pitt!

Wow, did anybody actually read the Cardiac article? Dramatic headline, certainly concerning, with little substance. I’m sure it meant to serve well as a ‘wake up’ notice, but someone needs to do their hw.

Tony, That’s an absurd conclusion. Penn State has always done better in the middle and eastern parts of the state. That’s where their fan base is and most of those kids grow up being their fans. Pitt has traditionally done well in western PA and will continue to do so. Also Pitt does better in Ohio than Penn State. Eastern PA is their backyard and western PA is Pitt’s. What will make the difference is how each program does outside of their fan base areas. I like what I’ve seen from Pitt’s recruiting this year and I like Chryst’s focus on the big linemen up front.
Football still remains a game of blocking and tackling. I don’t worry about how many stars the “Experts” give a 17 year old kid. Aaron Donald was a 3 star and won the Outland Trophy, as the best lineman in the country and the Bedaric Award, as the best defensive player in the nation. You never really know how well you’ve recruited until the players develop. We’ll know in a few years who did the better job.

Dr Tom Penn State has 5 commits with Pitt offers and none of Chrysts 3 commits had a Penn State offer

Some of you are forgetting, Franklin will be lucky to stay there two years and he’s gone.

Guy has NFL written all over him.

and, they’ll always be…..Pedophile State to me!!

Dr Tom: First let me say that I’ve been a Pitt Football fan since the days of Paul Martha, probably before you were born. I do think that Paul Chryst is the right guy for Pitt. However you can’t let a new coach come to town and take all of the best players. Jenkins and Whitehead will tell the tale. You can’t take this program to the next level living off of Penn States crumbs

Chick, no shock so far and if you are surprised then you don”t pay attention to recruiting. This is a great year out east, not so much here. Quickly name me Pitt greats from the eastern half of the state and don’t use Shady. Without injury he leaves Pa. altogether. It is obvious that PC has an idea what he wants to do, we will see if it works. The part I find odd, and nobody talks about it, is the wide range that this years group came from. That plus losing kids from the Beaver Valley, TJ and Washington but getting kids from NA, MT Lebo and BP. Without analyzing it, there seems to be a shift.

Cas Thats why I said that Jenkins and Whitehead hold the key. If Franklin signs one or both Pitt is in trouble. Jenkins parents are Pitt alum for Gods sake. You also have Tom Bradley sitting across the border its going to get tough

@ chick, I was specifically referring to the RB issue that you detailed in your previous post. I agree, don’t ignore the obvious, if both Pitt and PSU offer a PA kid and he picks those pedophiles, then that is not the public perception that falls in Pitt’s favor.

Coach Chryst, still has his own way of viewing the world however and I really think that his recent comments directed at Franklin’s “dominate PA” blowhard news conference were “off the cuff” sincere.

In essence, Chryst doesn’t give a damn what anybody else is doing, he’s only concerned with conducting business his way and sticking to the grand plan that he has been boringly, methodically plodding along in accomplishing,completing his check off list along the way as he goes.

The guy is not very exciting in his methods but time will tell if they are effective or not as equated with the W-L records of this season and the next. Many people condemn his tactics but the guy DOES have a plan, believe it or not.

Remember the horrid condition of Pitt’s offensive line in 2011 during Fraud’s spread offense experiment before he beat feet out out of the Burgh on the midnight express to ASU? Now we Blatherites have totally forgotten about all the hand wringing energy spent over that ugly situation back then and now the future of the OL is transforming itself into a team forte all of a sudden.

That didn’t just happen by accident. Chryst is building a program that was really screwed up and riddled with holes in the roster, lacking quality players, into a program that WILL be able to compete effectively in the ACC, and SOON.

The only thing that I really find disheartening during this process however is the lack of attention to the smooshing up to the fan base/media required and the disregard for appropriate PR to build excitement in this process as the program matures. Unfortunately, HCPC just doesn’t seem to give a damn about that aspect of running a major college football program, and that can directly effect the success that Pitt sees in it’s recruiting efforts.

Therefore, he better start producing some major excitement on the field because that is going to be his only Ace in the hole when he neglects the other aspects of producing hype for the Panthers. This season has to be successful in producing wins. Eight minimum or the villigers will start assembling the pitchfork and torches mob by season’s end.

I’m in Chryst’s corner, I hope he can pull it off. This season will tell a lot.

Couple points on recruiting. Just as Franklin has walked into a great situation, Bradley not so much. It will be interesting to see if Bradley can get some of the Eastern Pa kids to Morgantown. Sadly I agree both Jenkins and Whitehead are gone. Apke proved that Pitt parents don’t do what PSU parents do so Jenkins will be Big Ten bound. Whitehead will go south or OSU. Really not sure if we can survive on lineman and running backs but time will tell. On another note found it interesting that Holgy takes his team on the road this spring as we close all the doors. Time will tell but but Chryst really is his own man.

Dr Tom, good post and I agree with all. Very odd that both of our coaches (Chryst and Dixon) are so confident in their ways yet so reluctant to share their vision. Both of these guys could use some work at winning a press conference.

I have never told a lie.

Sincerely,

Dick millhouse nixon

Chick, We’re not living off of Penn States crumbs. Pitt currently has a crowded backfield, With James and Ollison coming in this year. The Panthers currently don’t need any more running backs. They are both well regarded prospects to go with Conner. Two of the highest rated Penn State recruits are running backs. Don’t try to tell me that Bookser and Grim aren’t offensive linemen that Penn State wouldn’t have wanted to get. Pitt has other needs on defense and elsewhere that are more pressing needs that they need to recruit for. The sky isn’t falling. I think the Panthers could have a very nice season next year. If they do, more recruits will want to come to Pitt.

Justinian Penn State got 5 verbals from kids who were offered by Pitt. The disturbing part about that is they commited in February which means Pitt wasn’t even considered. Its one thing to be in the final two or three but to not be considered at all is disturbing. Like I said before, Jenkins and Whitehead will tell the tale. If Chryst can’t land either one of the 2 best in Western PA the program is in trouble.