Top Pittsburgh sports moments of the last 15 years
So i (Chris) fully intended to do the series of Pittsburgh sports moments throughout the month of August.
However, I got a job writing for the sports section of a newspaper and immediately had to dive in to high school football coverage — thus having no time.
I wanted to do a post for each moment, but couldn’t I figured I’d at least present the list for everyone.
So the following are the top 10 Pittsburgh sports moments of the last 15 years. It’s a list that’s tailored toward the younger generation of Pittsburgh sports fans.
We’ll start with #10 and work our way to #1…
#10 — Francisco Cordova’s no-hitter
Finding a way to work the Pittsburgh Pirates in to this equation of 10 memorable moments was tough.
For most of our generation, the management and ownership have turned us off from the organization. Point in fact, most Pittsburghers have a second favorite team in Major League Baseball. You can’t say that for football or hockey in this town.
Nevertheless, there was a moment that stuck out in my mind that I had to add. It’s something that stuck out in my mind as memorable and exciting in the midst of nearly two decades of horrible baseball.
Francisco Cordova took the mound on July 13, 1997, with probably no expectations of what he was about to accomplish.It just so happened he provided Pittsburgh fans with the greatest Pirate performance we’ve seen over the last 15 years.
Honorable Mention – Pitt Stadium’s Final Game
The final game at Pitt Stadium still hasn’t ended. In fact it never will.
With nine seconds left and Pitt leading the Notre Dame Fighting Irish 37-27, Pitt fans rushed the field and refused to leave. It’s almost fitting that one of the most historic stages in college football will continue to live on forever.
As a fan in attendance that night, I can speak with confidence about the atmosphere that night — Nov. 13, 1999. The stadium was packed with over 60,000 fans as the 8th largest crowd for a football game in school history.
Sure, neither Pitt nor Notre Dame were having championship caliber seasons like both programs had become famous for. However, both teams were fighting to go down in history as the last team to win at the fabled stadium in Oakland.
In fitting fashion, Pitt won, sending Pitt Stadium off in victorious fashion. Although with nine seconds left to play, the game will live on forever.
Honorable Mention – Three Rivers Stadium Implosion
A new generation of Pittsburgh sports fans have witnessed two Super Bowl wins, a Stanley Cup, the fall of the Pirates and countless other memorable events. We at Pittsburgh Puck Talk have put together our list of the ‘Top 15 Pittsburgh Sports Moments of the last 15 years.’ Today is the first day of the series, with the Implosion of Three Rivers Stadium being Moment #15 …
Three Rivers Stadium was demolished on Feb. 11, 2001, after 30 years of hosting both the Pittsburgh Pirates and Pittsburgh Steelers. It alone was responsible for more memorable moments in Pittsburgh sports than any other venue in the city’s history.
Three Rivers Stadium
From Roberto Clemente’s 3,000th hit to the Immaculate Reception, the city of Pittsburgh earned great fame for the events that happened there. After its opening on July 16, 1970, Pittsburgh came to be known as the City of Champions because of the success both the Pirates and Steelers had while playing in Three Rivers Stadium.
To get a good feel of how much history actually took place at Three Rivers, here are some facts about the stadium:
Top 15 moments of the last 15 years
For many of us, the last 15 years in Pittsburgh sports are our history.
A new generation of Pittsburgh sports fans have witnessed two Super Bowl wins, a Stanley Cup, the fall of the Pirates and countless other memorable events. We at Pittsburgh Puck Talk have put together our list of the ‘Top 15 Pittsburgh Sports Moments of the last 15 years.’
It’s a series that will start on Monday and run for three weeks. We will post a new moment every day from Monday-Friday each week.
We’ve been working long and hard on this project for months now and feel we’ve got the definite Top 15. And remember, it’s a list for the new generation of Pittsburgh sports fans.
The series will start with 5 honorable mentions and then progress in to a Top 10. We hope you’ll stop by to check it out and that you enjoy the work we’ve put in to them.
It’s just another way to enjoy a glorious offseason.
–
Chris | PPT
Pitt football recruit list — July 4th update
So it’s summer time, which means little to no hockey news other than free agency, rookie camp and training camp.
We’re not just Penguins fans here, though they take full priority over everything else. Many of you are the same way, so this summer we’ll be posting other Pittsburgh sports news to keep things fresh and give our readers something to look at.
This post will be a work-in-progress. As Pitt football signs more players for the recruiting class of 2010, we’ll post it here along with a short bio of each player. We’ll also include our opinions on each player.
The list is up to 11 now. The newest recruit is another wide receiver. His name is Andrew Carswell and he is from Sto-Rox High School in McKees Rocks, PA.
Weekly Rant: Boycott time
For whatever reason, the Pittsburgh Pirates’ organization thinks it can keep trading away talent and still have fans.
The trading of Nate McClouth early in the season was a big deal. This was the guy that many fans were able to look at and say, ‘OK, there’s the guy we’re building around.’
Then Tuesday, the Pirates trade away Nyger Morgan — the guy supposed to fill McClouth’s spot. What’s worse, he will be replaced by a guy in Lastings Milledge that has played in just seven games, has a batting average of .170-something, and has been a cancer in the clubhouse for several teams.
Morgan was a pleasant surprise to most fans, stealing 18 bases and batting near .300 as a leadoff guy. Finally, we had leadoff batters that could get on base.
Not anymore. Click read more for priceless dialogue from shortstop Jack Wilson. We are starting a movement to boycott the Pirates. Please join in.
A Confusing Top 10
Yahoo.com had a piece run yesterday that just baffled me. They listed the Top 10 Worst Cities to be a Fan.
A large part of the equation that decided the standings was based on each city’s team’s records. They also combine that with the median household income in those cities. The results will surprise you.
Here are the top five:
1.) Miami
2.) San Diego
3.) Indianapolis
4.) New York
5.) Cincinnati
An Early Look at the 2010 Winter Olympics
As the Summer Olympics come to a close this weekend, the spotlight shifts to Vancouver in 2010 for the Winter Games. This means only one thing: the best hockey on an international stage. Players playing for pride and for their home country. An opportunity for players who may never reach the Stanley Cup Finals to play for possibly the greatest championship on the planet. An opportunity for players who cannot reach the NHL to showcase their skills in front of the world. The Winter Olympics highlight some of the greatest team-driven hockey we can ever witness, creating moments like Gretzky’s pass to Lemieux for the game-winning goal in the 1987 Canada Cup, which is considered one of the greatest moments in hockey history. The greatest players in the world playing on the same team, and even on the same line. These are the games that every hockey fan hopes to see.
Weekly Rant: Mario Lemieux vs. Brett Favre
With all of this Brett Favre nonsense going on, it makes me appreciate being from Pittsburgh and being a part of the strong tradition and heritage of this city.
The most iconic athlete to ever play in Pittsburgh, in my mind, is Mario Lemieux. He was the most consistently great athlete for the longest period of time in the history of all of Pittsburgh’s sports teams.
Also, he has done more for sports in the city than anyone else. Lemieux has saved the Penguins repeatedly, and most recently assured that hockey will stay in Pittsburgh for the long term. None of this can be said for anyone else.
Team Info
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Regular Season Stats:
Points: Sidney Crosby — 43 pts. (22 goals, 21 assists)
Goals: Sidney Crosby — 22
Assists: Evgeni Malkin — 24
PIM: Matt Cooke/Mike Rupp — 54
+/-: Sidney Crosby — plus-14
GAA: Marc-Andre Fleury — 2.31
SV%: Marc-Andre Fleury — .911
Atlantic Division Standings:
1. New Jersey Devils: 25-8-1 (51 pts.)
2. Pittsburgh Penguins: 25-10-1 (51 pts.)
3. New York Rangers: 16-16-3 (35 pts.)
4. New York Islanders: 13-16-7 (33 pts.)
5. Philadelphia Flyers: 15-17-2 (32 pts.)
