Some sad news, Dennis who has been contributing to PittBlather for the past year is leaving.

Dennis will be entering his senior year of high school (which, given the quality of his writing was a startling revelation to me) and has a crush of the usual issues including a summer job and working on college choices and visits. How he had the discipline, time and interest to post at all is a stunner. Especially when I think back to that increasingly dim memory of my lack of drive in high school.

He passed this along, though, an e-mail from DPJ of Cat Basket about trying to improve the gameday atmosphere at Heinz Field.

I was at a meeting with Steve Pederson and Dave Wannstedt where they challenged myself as well as other student leaders to improve the gameday atmosphere. While others were arguing that free t-shirts and hotdogs were the only way to get people to come, I argued that making the in game experience better was the real key for improving attendance (other than winning of course). Some people on SGB and other organizations felt I was crazy. Luckily Dr. Kathy Humphrey, Chris Ferris, and some other fellow student leaders agreed.

During the conclusion of the meeting, I along with our SGB president and Program Council Lecture Director was placed in charge of trying to figure out ways to make the in game experience better. One thing we all agreed upon was that there doesn’t seem to be anything engaging the fans to make them feel more included in the game. Sure we want to have a beach ball in the student section and to incorporate other ideas to make the entire stadium seem like one cohesive unit. However, we felt that there was one big thing that Pitt hasn’t used to our advantage yet. We have that massive jumbotron that usually is one big advertisement the entire game. Have you ever notice how excited people get when the Heinz ketchup flows??? That is why we decided that one of the most effective ways to improve the atmosphere is to use the jumbotron to get the crowd involved. Have you ever been to a Pens game and seen how they use a small outdated jumbotron to get the crowd fired up? Well, why can’t we use our state of the art equipment to get our fans fired up?

They are looking for more suggestions about improving the gameday atmosphere. So head over there with any thoughts.

This seems to be an ongoing process to try and figure out ways to get people to not only come to the games, but be engaged. You may recall the letter AD Pederson sent to season ticket holders after the 07 season. Cutting ticket prices will help sell more tickets, but the issue is getting the people to actually use them and not just sit on their hands.

Obviously the effort alone is a welcome step. Making an effort to get others to throw ideas out there. Rather than just act without actually talking to others who might be closer to the situation or have a better feel.
Here’s one for the jumbotron when the moment calls for the crowd to get fired up or make noise. It builds off the “shave the ’stache” concept (yeah, I’m going to keep pushing this). I’m thinking Mike Ditka standing next to a cardboard cutout of Wannstedt. Ditka stroking his own mustache then speaking to the camera, “Hey Panther fans, I want to see this thing shaved as much as you do,” pointing to the Wannstache, “so how about some noise?!”

The Blue-Gold game fanfest is underway. I would love to be there tonight. Of course the one flaw in all of this planning for the festivities.

Where the Blue-Gold Game drew an announced attendance of 2,103 last year, Pederson is hoping to lure more fans today with free admission and other enticements. Pitt players will sign autographs in the Gate A plaza from 4 to 4:30 p.m., followed by live music and entertainment before the 6 p.m. kickoff of the two-hour scrimmage.

Former Panthers greats now in the NFL — Ruben Brown, Claude Harriott, Tyler Palko, Darrelle Revis and Charles Spencer among them — will make appearances and drop by the broadcast booth for in-game interviews.

“We’re going to build events around the game so that the two hours before kickoff are family-fun time,” Pederson said. “Obviously, we think it’s important to raise our profile every chance we get. The opportunity to put it on the NFL Network gives us a chance to have a nationwide presence for the spring game, which we think is spectacular.”

What? No Rod Rutherford? He’s up in Erie now.

Fantastic. Excellent. Great to bring back former players and having them interact with the fans. Can’t say enough great things about that. That the former players are willing to do this, and the school reached out to them is a great change.
Of course, tonight is also the first night of Passover. Kind of an important night for some of us. Aren’t there any Jews in the Pitt Athletic Department? Hopefully there will still be a sizable crowd.
I am happy the game is on the NFL Network at least. I can still watch it. Plus there’s the admitted recruiting angle.

Because the game is televised, it will have to fit in the allotted two-hour window and that means the second-half clock likely will run unabated and the length of the third and fourth quarters will be determined by time constraints. Wannstedt said he’d like the game to end at the same time the broadcast is over.

Wannstedt said the television exposure is excellent for the program and might provide a recruiting boost.

“Anytime you have a chance to get some exposure, it is a good thing,” Wannstedt said. “I mean, I didn’t get a chance to watch any of the Texas or the Florida spring games, but we had them on in the locker rooms after practice and our guys were able to look up there and see them. And I think being on national television says something about the program.

“And also, the prospective recruits who can’t get to the game, the non-local kids, the kids in New Jersey, Florida and Maryland, they will be watching.”

Assuming they know somebody with the NFL Network. It’s not like they can go to the bars.

I need to crash. I’m feeling very drained, even though all I did was blog, drink a couple beers and do my best not to wake the kids while watching. It’s a good drained feelings. Not feeling particularly coherent.
Shameless commerce divisions already have the Big East Tournament Championship T-shirts for sale and hats.

I had to get a quickie post out on FanHouse, and the great fun was looking at all the Getty Images of pictures of the Pitt players celebrating. Seeing the players and Coach Dixon cutting down the net. Just have to smile.

It is just a great feeling right now. One that can actually be enjoyed for a day or two. The season isn’t over, but it’s been a wild and twisted one so far.

Looking forward to the selection show.

– The game against Notre Dame is the only kickoff time known right now because NBC has exclusive rights to ND games.

– December in Connecticut will be cold.

– The Backyard Brawl is set for Friday, November 28, the day after Thanksgiving. I wouldn’t mind this game to be played on this day normally, except it could end up being a noon or afternoon game. It’s on ABC, which previously had Texas/Texas A&M in the afternoons for the past few years, but they’re moving that game to Thanksgiving night on ESPN. I’m not really too high on the idea of an afternoon Brawl. Also, it’s always odd not finishing the regular season with WVU.

– The WPIAL championship games will likely be played on Saturday the 29th of November, the day after the Pitt game. Therefore the Friday night game won’t take away from any high school games, plus Pitt would be playing before the field gets torn up by the HS games.

– The game against South Florida comes just five days after playing up in Syracuse. Between traveling across the country and a short practice week, it should be interesting to see how the team responds.

– Following the USF game, Pitt has a a bye week before Navy. That’s an 18 day(!) break. So we have five days off before one game then 18 before the next…something seems weird.

– On both August 30 (Bowling Green) and September 20 (Iowa), the Pirates play a 7:05 pm home game. Expect a noon start (ugh). Remember: a good Pitt team will be forced to play at a bad time because of a baseball team that has had 14 losing seasons and will be out of contention by mid-May. Oh, and I’m still a Buccos fan.

Updates: WPIAL finals will be played the weekend before Thanksgiving.

Pitt-WVU is a noon kickoff on ABC.

I do love increased transparency. Both papers had features on DeJuan Blair and LeSean McCoy. Credit to Ray Fittipaldo and the P-G, though, for explaining exactly how this happened.

First, there were the photo shoots, then a television interview and finally another round of interviews with print reporters. By the time their media obligations were finished late morning had turned to early afternoon, but LeSean McCoy and DeJuan Blair seemed to be reveling in their new-found celebrity.

The Pitt media relations staff has been busy touting the exploits of their young superstars and a media blitz yesterday was done in part to showcase two of the school’s emerging stars. Both athletes, who are just as comfortable in front of a microphone as they are on the athletic fields, are embracing the pressure that comes along with star status.

“You know me,” said Blair, a Hill District resident and former star at Schenley High School. “I love the media. It’s excellent to get into the limelight.”

“When you have success, this comes with it,” McCoy said matter-of-factly.

It has been 30 years since two freshmen have made such a big impact on Pitt athletics.

The rest of the story focuses on the historical parallels to 1977 with Sam Clancy and football recruiting class Jackie Sherill brought in.

The Trib story plays it straight and does a Q&A with the two.

Good stuff and a solid idea to promote the two.  Not a lot more to really say about it, though.

An e-mail that I believe is being sent to all football season ticket holders.

Dear Panthers Fan,

I am writing to thank you for your commitment to our football program as a season ticket holder. Your support means a great deal to our players, coaches and entire athletic department.

I am also asking for your help, input and opinions. As a season ticket holder, you experience Pitt football in many different ways. We are dedicated to ensuring that experience ranks among the very best in the country.To help us achieve that goal, I would like to get your insights on such subjects as the Heinz Field game day experience, ticketing, your interactions with the Pitt athletic department or any other thoughts you may have. We are also interested in your ideas on how to build an outstanding home field advantage by attracting other football fans to Heinz Field.I don’t think this information is best read on a survey. Instead, I welcome you to write me directly, or email me at spederson@athletics.pitt.edu. For your convenience, I am also sending a hard copy of this letter to your mailing address on file with a postage paid envelope if you prefer to use traditional mail. Your opinions and ideas are very important to Pitt and will help us make the best decisions going into the future.

We are extremely excited about our football program. Recruiting has been excellent and that bodes well for future success. Coach Wannstedt has an excellent staff and they are working hard to build a championship future at Pitt.

Under the direction of Coach Wannstedt, our young team made tremendous strides in the face of adversity this past season and saved their finest performance for last. After watching our stunning victory over West Virginia, it was hard not to anticipate the exciting possibilities for 2008. In fact, Sports Illustrated has already looked ahead to next year and highlighted the Panthers as the 2008 college football season’s potential “breakout” team. We return 17 starters, including two of the nation’s rising stars in linebacker Scott McKillop, who was named to various All-America squads this year, and tailback LeSean McCoy, who broke the Big East freshman rushing record and was selected the conference’s “Rookie of the Year.”

We can also look forward to one of our finest home schedules in recent memory. We will play six games at Heinz Field, including Big East rivals West Virginia, Louisville and Rutgers, as well as traditional Big Ten power Iowa.

I look forward to reading your thoughts and opinions. Best wishes for a great 2008 and Hail to Pitt!

Sincerely,

Steve

Got this in the mail a few days ago — sounds like it’s being sent to all football season ticket holders.

The inside reads:

This is just the beginning of something very special
at the University of Pittsburgh.

Thank you for your continued support of our program.
Best wishes for a wonderful holiday season
and a very Happy New Year!

Steve Pederson, Dave Wannstedt, and the Panthers Football Team

I still don’t know how I feel about bringing back Steve Pederson because of what he had done for the school in his first stint. One thing that bother me though is the fact that he had that previous term here in the first place. He was here for six years before bolting to Nebraska. He didn’t want to have anything to do with us and left. When he couldn’t get it done there they fired him and without question we welcomed him back.

Some people believe Pitt is a second-rate program, and by bringing Pederson back because he couldn’t get it done at a “higher level” shows that even Pitt’s administration feels we’re inferior enough. Or, as Panthoor said in the comments:

Man leaves Pitt for mighty Nebraska…Man falls on face, Pitt hires him back.

As I said in the comments, I’d much rather see winning sports teams first and foremost — the logo and identity issues are of very small importance in comparison. However, Pederson addressed the issue briefly at the press conference yesterday.

“It is Pitt,” Mr. Pederson said, “In 1996, this was a different place and, to some extent, we were fighting then for everybody’s attention, so we made decisions then that we thought were in the best interest of our program and we were very proud of the association with the city of Pittsburgh, which we feel is unique because the city and the university are so intertwined. That’s why we made the decision back then.

“But we’ve been through enough logo changes around here for now, and I like our uniforms, I like our look so we are going to worry more about supporting our teams now.”

We’ll see how long he sticks to that attitude.

I’m calm, I’m collected. How that office chair went through that window, I have no idea.

I haven’t been drinking to a stupor — though I thought about it — nor did I break my computer in response to the news. I have been trying to do a lot of things in the real world, so I can be clear for the trip to Morgantown. Never even got onto the computer to this point. I had left a message for one of my friends who was going to the game as well early in the afternoon. About an hour later he called me back while I was on my way to take my kid to a check-up at the doctor. That’s how I had the news broken to me that Pederson was rehired as AD. After that he broke the news to me about the Wannstedt extension.

Wow. Way to completely take the little bit of excitement and energy I had for the Backyard Brawl and crush it. Neither of us were joking when we both brought up the idea of bailing on the game completely. If not for the fact that someone else went to the effort of getting the tix in the first place, we probably would have.

This is what I said back in October after Pederson was dumped by Nebraska and there was some speculation that maybe Pitt might contact him.

Pitt and sequels just don’t work. This is not about wanting a Pitt guy/gal as the AD — I don’t particularly care. I want the best person for the job. Not someone the Chancellor already knows and may be comfortable with dealing.Pederson did a lot of good and some bad while at Pitt. He wasn’t the god/savior some make him seem for dragging the primary teams in the athletic department into the modern era, improving the facilities and finally getting a new basketball facility constructed. Nor was he the devil for changing the colors, logo and name and tearing down Pitt Stadium. For the most part he was a good athletic director who provided and acted in a way that helped Pitt. That doesn’t mean he should be brought back now that his alma mater has said “buh-bye.”

I’m sure there will be a column in the next day or two suggesting that it would be a good idea to bring back Pederson. That he would provide the energy to the athletic department and will make the hard choices, etc.

Feh. That’s just code for dealing with the only major public concern regarding the athletic department. Right now the issue is about the football program and its direction. Does the baseball program need shaken up? How about the men’s or women’s basketball? No. I don’t think so.

The athletic department could probably benefit overall from someone aggressive and with personality. It doesn’t, however, need the overhaul and makeover as before. Things have changed.

Bringing back Pederson would be taking the easy way, rather than being serious about looking for a new AD. It would also be one more sign that the athletic department is being run via proxy by Chancellor Nordenberg.

[Emphasis added.] And of course, there was the obligatory column from Ron Cook.

With the almost immediate decision that Wannstedt would get a 2-year extension, that would ostensibly take him into 2012 season. That this is happening means that we know who is really running the athletic department and that no Athletic Director hired would have had a say in the decision.

Hell, the press release announcing the re-hire of Pederson practically made it explicit the relationship.

Together they orchestrated a major revitalization of Pitt athletics that resulted in nationally ranked programs and state-of-the-art facilities. Today, that team was reformed as University of Pittsburgh Chancellor Mark A. Nordenberg announced the return of Steve Pederson as Pitt’s athletic director.

I have no animosity to Pederson, on a personal level. Don’t know the guy. I just don’t like trying to do sequels. It reeks of Pitt not seriously looking for the best candidate for Athletic Director. It’s about the guy the Chancellor likes. It means that Pitt never conducted much of a search. That the search committee got used.

I’m guessing the next news will be a new contract for DC Paul Rhoads.

Just around 10:00 this morning, the Post-Gazette broke that Pitt will bring back Steve Pederson to fill the vacant athletic director position. He held the position at Pitt…ahem, excuse me…”Pittsburgh” from 1996 to 2002. One thing he’s remembered for is lobbying (rather successfully) for the change from “Pitt” to “Pittsburgh” — other things include getting rid of Pitt Stadium, building the Petersen Events Center, moving to Heinz Field, and hiring Jamie Dixon Ben Howland.

And then he left for Nebraska. He was gone in an instant. And that was it, until the Huskers football team fell apart under coach Bill Callahan, who was hired by Pedersen. He was fired back in October, and here he is now.

The hiring seems like it came out of nowhere, and it looks like Pitt didn’t even interview any other candidates, something that some people won’t be happy about.

Many more reactions to come over the next few days.

Update: First day and he’s already extended Wannstedt’s contract.