The Backyard Blog

The Backyard Blog

It's the week of the 100th Backyard Brawl. It's also a week of bad Pitt/WVU jokes and good fun. In that spirit, we'll offer random fun here this week from PG staffers Rick Shrum (Pitt) and Jon Schmitz (WVU). Send your own Brawling contributions to brawl@post-gazette.com, then scroll down to read your letters.

WVU fight song | Pitt fight song

Rick Shrum -- Dec. 3

Yeeeeeee-hawwww!!!!!!

How 'bout them 'Eers? The world expected them to ramble for a gaggle of touchdowns, but the gaggle turned to gag -- and BCS suddenly meant Burned Couches Saved.

Pitt partisans, take heart. Hoopies fans can now relate to your mid-March hoop miseries -- to your annual angst over unfulfilled promise.

How, in the name of Don Knotts, did this happen? How, Mountaineers maniacs, did your 28 1/2-point favorites collapse? What happened to that offensive juggernaut, which was going against a Panthers defense that had been occasionally sturdy this season, but a sieve too often?

How could your team come out flat, in a game of this magnitude, against your despised arch-rival?

Oh, despite this apparent indifference, the Mountaineers still could have won. There was the injured thumb that severely reduced Patrick White's playing time, then his effectiveness. He's a worthy Heisman candidate, and had he played the whole game. ... And Pat McAfee simply doesn't miss a chip-shot field goal, let alone two.

Still, Pitt deserved this 13-9 triumph Saturday night that -- if not for a couple of despicable holding calls -- should have been more decisive.

Linebacker Scott McKillop -- who should be an All-American -- was magnificent along with his defensive mates. Much-beleaguered Dave Wannstedt outcoached Rich Rodriguez. And freshman LeSean McCoy was the Real McCoy.

Hey. there's a name all Hoopleheads oldeer than 50 recognize. Shouldn't you have had a Hatfield shadowing him?

I truly wish the Mountaineers the best in in the Fiesta Bowl against Oklahoma. This is a talented team and Rodriguez and his staff do an exceptional job, especially with Western Pennsylvania talent that seems to get lukewarm interest from Pitt.

I'm also hoping -- another dig coming -- the mascot doesn't shoot off a thumb, as happens every 10 years or so.

As for my Panthers, I haven't been this proud since their 1982 Sugar Bowl win against Georgia. Outstanding job, guys.

Yeeeeeee-hawwww!!!!!!

Jon Schmitz -- Dec. 3

As the Mountaineers prepare for the national champio ... (insert sound of needle scraping across record here).

As I wandered the WVU campus Saturday before the Backyard Bummer, the palpable mood was that the game was a formality, a certain slaughter. Myself, I had seen the forecast for sleet and freezing rain later that night and had contemplated an early departure from Mountaineer Field to return to Pittsburgh, as soon as WVU had run up enough of a score. And yea verily, the football gods rose as one and smote the smug Mountaineers and their fans, including this blogger.

While the sports pundits might be inclined to fawn over Pitt's game plan, this was more of a classic case of the heavily favored team committing enough early miscues to embolden the underdog and set the stage for the surreal. Pitt deserves credit for seizing the moment.

The omen I won't forget came in the first quarter, when the Mountaineers missed a third-down conversion deep in Pitt territory as wide-open receiver Darrius Reynaud slipped and fell and the pass sailed over him. A moment later, WVU kicker Pat Miss-a-few, I mean McAfee, bollixed his second short field-goal attempt.

The missed kicks, the penalty just before halftime that gave Pitt its first points and the fumbled second-half kickoff put just enough shotgun pellets into the Mountaineers' feet. From there, Pitt was the better, more inspired team, and after that, only some untimely penalties and Pitt Coach Dave Wannstedt's curious decision to kick a field goal from the 1-yard-line kept the flickering flame on the Mountaineer couch alive.

Congratulations, Pitt. This one hurt. It slid nicely into the No. 2 slot on this sports fan's all-time bitter disappointment list, still a distant second to Game 7 of the 1992 National League Championship Series.

Years ago, when the Mountaineers were stumbling and bumbling early in a game, and a big play was called back because of a penalty, a WVU fan bellowed out what could be our motto: "WHUT NOW??????"

What now? Well ... this.

I'd still rather be a Mountaineer than a Panther any old day, and that will never change. One final tip of the coonskin cap to the Pitt team. We owe you one.

Rick Shrum -- Nov. 30

What do you say to a West Virginia football player in a three-piece suit?

Will the defendant please rise?

Thank you, Pacman Jones and Chris Henry, for providing arresting developments on and off the field.

These former Mountaineers are talented enough to not only play in the NFL, but excel there -- Henry catching passes, Jones slapping them away. It's too bad -- for them -- the word "arrested" applies in another sense: development.

You're millionaires, guys. Act like a couple of them. Quit destroying yourselves.

It's difficult to be compassionate toward athletes, and former athletes, of rival schools who get into trouble. Oh, the grief I took in the 1970s and early '80s when it seemed at least one Pitt player a week was being charged with stealing a stereo, rasslin' in the Wooden Keg, tackling an 11-year-old paper boy or something equally heinous.

I have to admit a measure of satisfaction over the ex-Hoopies' travails, and borderline glee over the legal turmoil that has engulfed the program at Penn State, the football school I hate above all others. Too many "forty-eight-fourteen" digs from Nits fans, way too many sanctimonious scoldings of "Our kids don't get in trouble."

Do something constructive, PSU folk. Get rid of the icon/coot who destroyed the rivalry with Pitt and is now undermining the juggernaut he had built.

College football is rife with players who run afoul of the law. It happens at so many schools. What's most deplorable about that is these guys have been pampered since early high school, and have so much GIVEN to them -- foremost a free education -- yet they lack the maturity to behave civilly.

They are adults, but to be fair, they are young adults with unprecedented freedom and so much temptation. They are kids in many ways, so they are going to be naughty on occasion. Like so many other students.

Jones and Henry, however, are too old for that, their deeds way beyond naughty. I'd prefer that their worst transgressions were being Mountaineers.

Jon Schmitz -- Nov. 30

I never thought it would sink to this.

West Virginia is listed as a 28 1/2-point favorite in Saturday night's Backyard Brawl. Earlier in the week it had fallen to 28 points. I hope all you Pitt bettors get in late and get that extra half point.

I think you'd have to go back to the Cignetti era at WVU, or farther, to find the last time the odds in this game were so stacked. I thought Buddy Q made a good point when he wrote in this blog that the Brawl is an "endangered species" because Pitt has fallen so far.

When you see a drowning man, you throw a rope. With some reluctance, I'd like to offer some CPR suggestions for the Pitt program to bring down those point spreads in the future. Not that I'd mind if Pitt stays right where it is.

--Lose the coach. When Wannstedt did his little tap dance as Pitt was courting him three years ago, I was fearful that he wasn't going to take the job. I was elated when he did. He hadn't exactly set the world on fire as an NFL head coach. What Pitt needs is not a "big name." It needs to find an obscure, gung-ho assistant coach somewhere who has no previous ties to Pitt and will come in with a fresh perspective.

--Relocate. Demolishing Pitt Stadium was the right thing to do. Moving to Three Rivers Stadium and then Heinz Field wasn't. The Duquesne basketball team learned what a bummer it is to play in an oversized major-league facility. It's got to kill Pitt to have prospective recruits attending games with 25,000 people scattered about in the stands. It would take some doing to wriggle out of their Heinz Field lease and finance a new, smaller stadium, but that should be a long-term goal.

--Play Penn State, not Grambling. If Pitt has any prayer of filling whatever stadium it is in, it must improve its home schedule. Reviving the series with Penn State would be a giant first step. Maybe if they send JoePa flowers or a box of candy or something, he'd sit down and talk.

--Engage the students. The most vocal, spirited part of any college football crowd is the student section. At WVU, football tickets are free to students. Demand has been so great that they have a lottery -- for Saturday's game, according to WAJR Radio in Morgantown, 14,616 students requested tickets. There are 12,500 student seats. Given the cost of tuition, admission to all athletic events should be free for students.

I don't really believe Pitt will do any of the above, but that's fine. I'm sure most Mountaineer fans won't mind giving the 28 points next year, either.

Tomorrow the blather gives way to the Brawl. It's been fun blogging with all of you. I hope fans on both sides will enjoy the game and celebrate or commiserate with style, class and restraint.

As Jack Fleming used to say, so long to Mountaineer fans everywhere!

Rick Shrum -- Nov. 29

OK, West Virginia jokes about teeth, shoes and moonshine are tired and lame. Jon and a number of his e-mail supporters have told us so.

Here's a tired and lame, but appropriate, response: The truth hurts.

Speaking of tired and lame ... Jon, a sensible person for a Mountaineer -- most of the time -- and an exceptional journalist, went on a rant yesterday about Pitt.

He ripped the campus, the Cathedral of Learning, the lack of originality -- everything is "The Pitt Something" -- and the absence of an on-campus stadium.

These are revelations. Pitt students and alums have slung arrows at these targets for years.

The campus is ultra-urban. I hated dodging cars every 50 minutes. But you get a great education and you can play a lot of football on the Cathedral lawn.

If you want an expansive, rustic campus AND a superb school, shell out the bucks and go to Virginia or William & Mary.

The Cathedral? We called it the Tower of Ignorance. Except for the splendid Nationality Rooms, the place is ugly.

For years, I actually thought the building was black. That was a byproduct of Pittsburgh's lifeblood at one time -- steelmaking. It was a small concession to what had been the fabric of our city.

The Cathedral, thankfully, got the good, soapy bath it had needed for years. Some West Virginians should do the same.

And, no, Jon, not all of my classes were in that building. Not even half, even though most of the writing courses were there.

Pitt Stadium -- God rest its decrepit soul -- was a dirty, smelly dump with poor sight lines. But for a 19-year-old, there wasn't a better place to waste a Saturday afternoon.

Besides, it was a much better home for the Panthers than Heinz Field, which is miles from campus and doesn't have the character Pitt Stadium had. Oh, to make those much-bemoaned strolls up Cardiac Hill again.

Agreed, The Pitt News does not sound as romantic as the WVU student newspaper, Athenaeum. But what the heck is an Athenaeum? Isn't it a village south of Nitro?

Tired and lame? We'll have some new brickbats tomorrow.

Jon Schmitz -- Nov. 29

All right, kiddies, gather round the wood-burner ... the ole man wants to tell ya 'bout the greatest Backyard Brawl of them all ... hand me that bagga Mail Pouch.

It was nineteen hunnert and seventy-five, and the Mounties had a bunch of guys who weighed maybe 210 -- we didn't have 320-pounders back then -- and the coach was Bobby Bowden -- yep, that Bobby Bowden. The Mounties and Pitt -- gawd, how I hate to utter that obscenity -- was both in the national polls, and ABC was in town to broadcast the game.

That was a big deal -- you didn't have cable and 400 college games to choose from back then, just one or two. Keith Jackson was the announcer -- yep that Keith Jackson. The Pitt coach was Johnny Majors. I think he left to become prime minister of England for a while, and then went back to Pitt to coach some more, but that's beside the point.

The students crowded the gates before 10 a.m., and almost all of 'em had a bottle a hooch strapped somewheres on 'em, because back then, you didn't stand around in the parkin' lot sippin' a Coors Light. There wasn't no Coors Light back then, and no tailgating, cuz the old Mountaineer Field didn't have any parkin' lots. Nope, you smuggled the demon rum into the stadium and mixed it up with the Coca-Cola that the kids sold in the stands. They wouldn't say "Git yer Coke," no, it was "Git yer mixer."

Everyone was about half-lit by the time those guys from Pitt -- gawd it hurts to say that word -- took the field for pregame warmups. Them bums had lost to Navy a week or so earlier -- funny how some things never change -- so we all whistled "Anchors Aweigh" to greet them. The Pitt kicker started practicin' his place-kicks and booted one that landed in the bowl end of the stadium, and a student rushed over and grabbed the ball and started a game of keep-away as the Pitt trainers tried to git it back. Man, we was in the mood.

The game, well much of it is just a blur. But it was 14-14 with just a few seconds left, and we thought for all the world that we was gonna be kissin' our sisters, which is what some dimwit would always say after a tie. We didn't have overtime back then, mind you.

Ten seconds to go, and Danny Kendra launches a Hail-Mary pass to Randy Swinson and next thing you know, Bill McKenzie is runnin' onto the field to try a kick. He launches that ball, and it's still on the way toward the goal posts and half the student section is running onto the field -- they didn't pepper-spray us for runnin' on the field back then, mind you. The kick was good and the Mounties won, 17-14, and the rest of the student body climbed down onto the AstroTurf -- we DID have that back then, mind you -- and danced and sang "Country Roads" and celebrated.

Up in the press box, Jack Fleming, God rest his soul, shouted into the radio microphone: "There's a mob scene out on the field! The Mountaineers, the Mountaineer fans, what a mob scene!" You can hear the recording (msnsportsnet.com/jackfleming/) on that newfangled Internet. We didn't have no Internets back then. And we tore them goal posts down -- that wasn't a capital crime back then, the way it is now.

Anyways, that night out in Sunnyside they burned everthing they could git their hands on -- couches, TVs, bed frames -- I think that was the first time we started celebratin' by burnin' stuff. And the Mounties went on to the Peach Bowl, and they felt sorry for Pitt so's they let 'em play in the Sun Bowl. And Coach Bowden, well, he got hisself a sweet gig at Florida State.

It's all different now, kiddies. Now we win this here Backyard Brawl, and we're in the National Cham-peen-ship. We didn't have that kinda thing back then. Oh, heck, Pitt did -- in fact, the very next year they won the durned thing. Gawd, that hurt.

But kiddies, that was then.

This is now.

Rick Shrum -- Nov. 28

Don Ireland had been a colleague for nearly a decade, a part-time sports reporter for the Pittsburgh Press before it folded, then the Post-Gazette afterward.

He was a congenial, common-sense guy with a wry wit who, as it happened, was from Turtle Creek, a few miles from where I grew up. We got along famously even before I realized he had a meat-thermometer-size needle for West Virginia University.

That came out in 1994, when D.I., as everyone knew him, became P.I. -- personal icon to me. He was the public address announcer at Pitt Stadium, a guy with a smooth, measured delivery who made Panthers football more entertaining.

The Mountaineers were in the process of dealing Pitt another Backyard Bawl, a demoralizing defeat. Then there was a lull, an ideal opportunity for the wise-cracking Mr. Ireland to say what he had been planning for, perhaps, years.

"Attention fans. There is a tractor in the parking lot with its lights on. License plate E-I-E-I-O."

I was out of town that Saturday and wasn't aware of his utterances until I was at work the next night. Assistant managing editor Tom Birdsong, a WVU grad who had attended the Brawl, came over, flames flaring from his nostrils.

"That PA guy you have is a jerk," Mr. Birdsong said after relating the joke, which -- depending on the side you were on -- was either ingenious or remarkably nasty and bigoted.

Tom failed to add that Mr. Ireland, while reminding fans of the no-smoking policy at the stadium, said the banned items included corncob pipes.

I left Tom abruptly, went to a secluded spot of our library and howled for five minutes.

D.I. was a hero to Pitt Nation, but vilified in The Mountain State. There was such a firestorm of protest from the 'Eers faithful that he resigned. Pitt reinstated him the next year.

Mr. Ireland now lives in Denver, about 1,300 miles from the Brawls. He had a lot of initial regrets about his behavior that day, and the term "West Virginia" still makes him uneasy.

But 13 years later, he laughs about it. So do a lot of people. Many others should have done the same back then.

Jon Schmitz -- Nov. 28

I've lived in Pittsburgh for nearly 30 years since graduating from West Virginia University. I love the city, and have gradually learned to cope with its few shortcomings -- a lousy road system, sleet storms in April, an arcane governmental structure. But I still hate Pitt.

Unlike Rick, who secretly wishes he had taken the opportunity to matriculate at WVU, I've never had a shred of remorse about not spending my college years in Oakland. All the cool kids from Pittsburgh went to WVU, and still do.

For openers, there's the Pitt "campus," if you can call it that. Where I come from, there's a term for a learning institution that has most of its activity/classes in one big building. It's called high school. WVU has three picturesque, tree-shrouded campuses connected by an innovative and unique transit system. Pitt's campus has a forest of parking meters and a cavalcade of belching buses.

At WVU, the newspaper is The Daily Athenaeum. The WVU student union is the Mountainlair. The WVU marching band is the Pride of West Virginia. At Pitt, you've got the Pitt News, the Pitt Union, the Pitt Band. See a trend here, maybe a lack of imagination? The WVU yearbook is the Monticola. I don't know what the Pitt yearbook is called; I'm guessing it's the Pitt Yearbook.

Pitt no longer has its own football stadium. It has to borrow one, and it's about four sizes too big. The old Pitt Stadium was a lousy place to watch a game, and on top of that you had to cope with whatever ham the university had put behind the public-address microphone. One year it was a harness track announcer of some local repute who insisted on shouting "BE THERE!!!!" after every announcement, until you wished you were anywhere but "THERE!!!!" Another time, the announcer entertained the crowd with phony announcements intended as putdowns of West Virginians -- hilarious stuff about illegally parked tractors.

The only redeeming thing about the Pitt campus has nothing to do with Pitt -- it's the remnants of Forbes Field that were preserved happily when the university bulldozed the rest of the ballpark.

But I accentuate the negative, and I must congratulate Pitt for one thing -- for finally finding the money to wash off the Cathedral of Learning. It was either that or offer the place as a movie set for "The Addams Family Goes to College."

Rick Shrum -- Nov. 27

What do you call 32 students at West Virginia University?

A full set of teeth.

It's one of the five best jokes of all time.

When you are a Pitt alum, it's difficult to embrace anything positive about the Mountain State -- and not just the party-hearty, furniture-burning university in Morgantown, where hangover is a distinguished major.

When you are a Pitt alum, you are proud of your school and the dentists it trained to tend to the many West Virginians in need. You are proud of Jonas Salk, whose polio vaccine was a tad more beneficial to the world than the acting talents of Don Knotts, WVU's most prestigious grad.

Mr. Limpet, indeed.

When you are a Pitt alum, you learn to despise WVU athletic teams and disparage anything that begins with or is linked to West Virginia. Even if what you say, what you feel, isn't true.

I know that West Virginians wear shoes. Some of them.

Grudgingly, I admit that much of West Virginia is beautiful, and the majority of WVU people I've encountered have been quality individuals. Including my esteemed colleague, Jon Schmitz, who -- truth be told -- is a Virginia native.

Amazingly, I came within the thickness of this page of going to the dark side many years ago. I have West Virginia roots, sort of.

Until I was 6, I lived in Uniontown, a region I still embrace but which, lamentably, has always been a suburb of Morgantown in my mind.

My dad, also from Uniontown, graduated from West Virginia Wesleyan. He played football briefly, and one of his teammates was Ted Cassidy, Lurch on TV's "Addams Family."

Then, as a sophomore at Pitt-Greensburg -- a two-year branch at the time -- I was prepared to finish my education at WVU. I was beginning to schedule classes when I relented and chose Pitt's main campus.

Thankfully.

Now it is Backyard Brawl Week again. And as pessimistic as I am about the Panthers' chances Saturday in Morgantown, I will be rooting passionately.

If Pitt somehow wins, I will kick off my shoes and burn the family room couch -- in celebration and as a sarcastic testament to the 'eers.

Rick Shrum is a 1975 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, a lifelong Pittsburgher and could not afford to go to college so he chose Pitt.

Nov. 27 -- Jon Schmitz

What do you call 32 University of Pittsburgh students?

Last Saturday's football attendance.

For the WVU-Louisville game on Nov. 8, Coach Rich Rodriguez urged WVU fans to dress in gold. The result was an impressive spectacle -- Mountaineer Field was a sea of gold.

When I tuned in the Pitt-South Florida game on Saturday -- momentarily, just to see how far behind the Panthers were -- I saw another sea of gold.

Empty Heinz Field seats.

The apathy of Pitt's football fans, and the bitterness that manifests itself in tired, old jokes about teeth and shoes and couches, is understandable. It's gotta be frustrating when you can't beat a bunch of hillbillies, or hoopies as you call us.

Since Jeff Hostetler scampered into the Mountaineer Field end zone on Oct. 1, 1983, to give WVU a 24-21 victory and end a seven-game Pitt winning streak in the Backyard Brawl, the Mountaineers have pretty much owned the Panthers, winning 15 and losing 7 (with two ties).

It was during the height of that long-ago Pitt winning streak that sports columnist Bob Smizik suggested in print that WVU surrender and stop playing Pitt because the WVU program would never catch up with Pitt's.

In that spirit, I would like to suggest that the 100th meeting of Pitt and West Virginia on Saturday be the last. The University of Pittsburgh could discontinue football and refocus on dentistry, or cost-effective construction of basketball arenas. Or at least water down its football schedule to match up with more comparable opponents.

Say Toledo, or Ohio U., or Navy.

In the meantime, I will enjoy this week of volleying with my much-esteemed colleague Mr. Shrum, who reputedly was on hand for the first WVU-Pitt meeting in Morgantown on Oct. 26, 1895, a game won, of course, by the Mountaineers. Rick is known at the Post-Gazette as a dedicated, devoted sports fan and salt-of-the-earth gentleman, in spite of his stunted collegiate upbringing.

Jon Schmitz is a 1978 graduate of West Virginia University who has lived in Pittsburgh since then, owns shoes and has a mostly full set of teeth.

The readers write ...

Dan Skantar, Oakdale

Pitt fans, let's set a spell and fess up.

Admit it. We can trade insults with those barbarians to the South all we want, but at the end of 4 quarters on Saturday, two immutable truths will remain: (a) the final score, and (b) the fact that football is the only sport that truly matters to us.

Football defines us as Western Pennsylvanians. Frankly, my blood curdles when I think of where Pitt's program was 25 years ago relative to West Virginia's and how far Pitt has fallen since. In 1978, Pitt stomped WVU, 52-7. Nowadays, Mountaineer fans salivate at the prospect of hanging another 52 points on Pitt, as they've done a few times lately. While Dandy Don Nehlen was quietly building WVU into a perennial top-25 program, Pitt's bumbling administrators boziked the top-20 Panthers into Temple-on-Three-Rivers. WVU plays for BCS bowls; we search for a path out of the wilderness.

So we can crack jokes about West Virginia's smoldering furniture and dental challenges and shallow gene pool till doomsday -- it won't mean a thing if Pat White & Co. roll the Panthers as expected. Legions of WVU fans will howl all the way to the BCS title game, waving "Where's Pitt" signs back at us.

Non-football comparisons are a poor salve for the pain of losing. I'm sick of hearing about how many more players Pitt sends to the NFL than WVU; it only makes me angrier that they underperformed in college. The objective is to win your games; any player who matriculates to the pros is gravy. WVU, reeling off another 10-win season with a passel of under-recruited, coached-up football players, gets it.

Likewise, spare me statistics about how many dentists Pitt graduates; who donates to the Panther Club to watch somebody perform a root canal?

And another thing -- can we please lay the "Penn State is our real rival" talk to rest? They ain't playin' us as long as The Ayatollah of Nittaniola is alive, so forget about reviving that series for at least 20 more years. Hasn't WVU slapped Pitt enough times to earn our respect, admiration and hatred? I sure think so.

I feel about West Virginia the way the late, great WVU announcer Jack Fleming felt about Pitt. I hate 'em because they are there -- today, tomorrow, to infinity and beyond. Mountaineer Spirit and the cool WVU band and the Maniacs and even the dude with the rifle are what college football is all about -- and I despise them. Every defeat to those guys feels like a blade through the ribs.

I pray that the Panthers will play more like Hugh Green and less like Hugh Grant, smite the stinkin' Mounties and spare the lives of futons all over West Virginny. Otherwise, it's gonna be a long, cold winter.

Win or lose, I love this Brawl. Hail to Pitt!

Patrick, WVU Class of 1997

Pitt fans are completely delusional about their sports teams. They are exactly like Notre Dame fans. They want to talk about Tony Dorsett and Dan Marino like they're still playing and Pitt is on top the same way we get to hear about Knute Rockne and the Gipper. Wake up people and smell what you're shoveling! Most of my friends who are Pitt fans were already talking about basketball in September because it was quite obvious the football team and their loser coach were going nowhere. There is no consistency at Pitt and any tradition they once had is gone!

I was reading the blog and can't believe the venom and overt jealousy they display. When all you have to talk about is farmers, cows, and things that happened 30 years ago, you really have to sit back and examine where you're going with it. To all the idiots out there bragging what a great academic school Pitt is, I like the head count on Rhodes Scholars. That says it all! I graduated from WVU and was near the top of the class at one of the most prestigious medical schools in America (no it wasn't PITT!!). So if all your stupid comments make you feel better about how sad your football team is, remember hate and envy are only inches from love and admiration.

LET'S GO MOUNTAINEERS!!!!!!!

Mike, Washington D.C., WVU Alum, 2004

Twas the night before Pittsburgh, when all through my mind,

Were visions of couch burnings, both yours and mine.

Firemen were resting and acting quite lazy,

But they knew that things were about to get crazy.

The players were nestled, Markell did his dreds,

While visions of Bourbon Street danced in their heads.

There were Quinton's gold teeth, Larry's son in his lap,

While the quarterback made noises to sound like a cat.

When down in the end zone there arose such a noise,

They sprang from their homes and called all their boys.

To the field they flew, fast as Devine,

Making sure to pick up the offensive line.

The invaders had arrived at the stadium early,

These Panthers were looking noticeably surly.

There was a point to this late-night trip through the hills,

They were out on the field doing defensive drills.

With a dapper old coach who combed his mustache,

You knew in a moment it must be Wannstedt.

He'd made his name as a defensive master,

And he whistled and shouted for them to run faster!

"Watch Slaton! Watch Schmitt! Watch Reynaud and White!

Watch option! Watch bubble! Could be a rough night!

Let's stand at the goal line and build a big wall,

And keep them from their shot to play for it all!"

As they began to believe his bold rally cry,

There was a flash and a pop up high in the sky.

They reacted the same, with a quick double take,

What they saw made them stop in their cleats and quake.

On the top of the stadium a man made his stand,

As he calmly adjusted his Nike wristbands.

He said "My name's Rich, as you surely know,"

Then ran down the bleachers with Mountaineers in tow.

They were dressed all in gold, from their heads to their feet,

And they looked like they'd win a 12-team track meet.

A bundle of plays he had in his book,

And there was no mistaking that confident look.

Pitt's eyes, how they widened! Their hearts, how they pounded!

All for the biggest game since this brawl was founded.

One side had momentum, the other desperation,

This battle wouldn't wait for the eyes of the nation!

Caridi was roused from a much-needed sleep,

So were Hickman and Hertzel, the last with a bleep.

They brought their pens, paper and elaborate prose,

To witness this battle of bitter old foes.

It was dark and cold, your breath you could see,

But that didn't stop the kickoff of Pat McAfee.

The tackle, of course, came from an old Hawk named Emery,

And so started this game that would soon be a memory.

They spoke so few words as they went to work,

But score after score drove the visitors berserk.

The Mountaineers rolled, as was expected,

While the Panthers backed off, clearly dejected.

There was a Gatorade shower that gave poor Rich shivers,

While no one seemed happier than one Vaughn Rivers.

They exclaimed after singing about Almost Heaven,

"Well see you in New Orleans on Jan. 7!"

Mike, Berkeley, Calif.

As a huge Pitt fan, it pains me to read the letters from WVU fans and realize that they're right. Having Lousaka Polite in the NFL and playing for a good school doesn't equal wins against West Virginia or anyone else for that matter. Tony Dorsett is my favorite of all time, but this isn't 1976, and it's taken me a while to deal with that we're not an elite program. West Virginia is. I don't know how - It's not a great academic school, not a particularly pretty campus, ugly stadium, but Rodriguez has built a winning program. I don't feel bad about that as a Pitt fan; I root for WVU when they aren't playing Pitt, because I want to see them represent the Big East.

Their Sugar Bowl win over Georgia a few years back was a huge boost to the entire conference. I'm sure many Panthers fans will agree with me that WVU isn't even our biggest rival; Penn State is. I hate Penn State so much, and someday this great rivalry will be renewed. But it's hard to hate the Mountaineers. They're like a little brother. Let's bring back the old uniforms with the script Pitt and build a winner.

Buddy Q, Point Marion

As a longtime Steeler fan I once said, "The best thing about winning the Super Bowl in Detroit was bringing the trophy home through Cleveland!"

As a lifelong Mountaineer fan let me say, "The best thing about playing for the college national championship is plowing over Pitt to get there!" It's Christmas come early.

And make no mistake, it will be ugly for the Pitt Nation on Saturday. The four TD spread might not be enough.

I love this rivalry and no matter how distasteful it can get, it's still great for all the fans and good for our local college football. However, Pitt is so bad the Backyard Brawl is an endangered species. Reading through this blog, I find it humorous that Pitt folks are citing their great dental school, and comparing who has more NFL players, and even trying to make WVU's partying reputation a negative thing.

I guess with the Panthers being so bad you have to look for positives somewhere, no matter how far-fetched they may be. To be honest, I wish Pitt was a better team because the Backyard Brawl has become so WVU-dominated that the outcomes are always predictable: WVU wins, Pitt loses. In other words, the rivalry is diminishing because Pitt is so embarrassing. Throughout this year, every Big East school in the conference cracked the BCS Top 25 except two: Syracuse and Pitt. The Panthers are even tarnishing the Big East Conference. For the Backyard Brawl's sake, try to field a competitive team sometime soon before WVU's football rival becomes UConn and Pitt's becomes CMU.

Let's go Mountaineers!

I graduated from GSPIA in 1985 and have since treasured my time in

Pittsburgh as some of the best years in my life. I've traveled the ountry since then for my job and I haven't met people more genuine or friendly, albeit with a tough candy coating, than Pittsburghers.

As an RA in Tower C, I made great friends and learned to love Oakland.

One memory that stands out was a road trip to Morgantown to see Pitt and WVU play the Backyard Brawl. When we walked in to a bar just off campus for a few pregame libations, the entire place stopped and stared as we stood in the doorway when the door slammed with a loud bang. We had momentarily forgotten we were wearing Pitt shirts with something suggestive written across the backs of the shirts about 'Eers... (I'll skip the details) We slunk in to the place and ordered. A few local patrons demonstrated their WVU credentials by suggesting we do some interesting things. The words flew back and forth as the beer flowed and we developed a bit of Dutch courage to stand up and sing the praises of Pittsburgh. Well, we won the crowd over with our intestinal fortitude, as it were. From that point on, we drank for free and made some friends in that ratty bar that Saturday. No one says anything bad about the people of WV to my face. Say what you want about the team, but West Virginia folks are good folks in my eyes. I have since traveled there for work over the years and always love my time there. I live in Maryland now and follow Pitt sports as best as I can and always look forward to the Backyard Brawl. I just don't hate the 'Eers anymore like I used to.

But I still HATE Penn State with a passion!

GO PITT!

Nicole

While the above two articles are each very humorous in their own way...I have one question for you:

Where would you rather spend your time?

Option #1: In a dentist chair with some guy you probably don't know picking at your teeth while it makes that horrible scratching sound, while he plays a great game of 20 questions with you when he knows you can't answer him clearly because your mouth is wide open...OR!

Option #2: Hanging out with some WVU fans who, in many cases even if you are a Pitt fan, will offer you a "frosty beverage"?

I choose the "frosty beverage" over the dentist any day

...and as a side note...I have beautiful teeth :o) Thank you

GO MOUNTAINEERS!

John

I have a B.A from West Virginia and a J.D. from Pitt. I went through this same shameless, unsubstantiated, anecdotal and libelous assault on West Virginia before the WV / Maryland game. Result, WV 31, MD 14. Rick, you're pushing worn out and lazy journalism. If you don't like the scores of the games, try Rhodes Scholars -- West Virginia 25, Pitt 5. Can't we all just get along?

John C. Anderson, Lawrenceville, Ga.

Pitt has hung on to the coattails of the Marino era for so long, it must be embarrassing for them. They have mostly stunk up the football landscape since then, occasionally being a little better than mediocre. But not often. They tore down their dilapidated football stadium and now play to empty seats at Heinz Field. The football experts claim that they have great recruiting classes, but here they are with a losing season. Again.

Meanwhile, WVU is getting all the press, playing on TV before packed stadiums everywhere they go. Heisman Trophy candidates. Great school spirit. Conference champions yet again. I could go on and on.

See you Saturday night, Pitt. Remember to all stay together.

Steve D., Pittsburgh, Pitt Class of 2002

16 to 9

That's the number of current drafted NFL players from Pitt vs. West Virginia. So WVU produces better college players. Big deal! They run a glamorized high school offense which produces very little NFL caliber talent. If the numbers aren't convincing enough, take a look at some of the names:

Pittsburgh:

H.B. Blades, Linebacker Washington Redskins

Ruben Brown, Guard Chicago Bears

Torrie Cox, Cornerback Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Darnell Dinkins, Tight End Cleveland Browns

Larry Fitzgerald, Wide Receiver Arizona Cardinals

Nick Goings, Running Back Carolina Panthers

Gerald Hayes, Linebacker Arizona Cardinals

Andy Lee, Punter San Francisco 49ers

Rob Petitti, Offensive Lineman St. Louis Rams

Lousaka Polite, Fullback Chicago Bears

Hank Poteat, Cornerback New York Jets

Darrelle Revis, Cornerback New York Jets

Clint Session, Linebacker Indianapolis Colts

Shawntae Spencer, Cornerback San Francisco 49ers

Charles Spencer, Offensive Tackle Houston Texans

Kris Wilson, Tight End Kansas City Chiefs

West Virginia:

Anthony Becht, Tight End Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Marc Bulger, Quarterback St. Louis Rams

Chris Henry, Wide Receiver Cincinnati Bengals

Antwan Lake, Defensive Tackle New Orleans Saints

Corey McIntyre, Fullback Atlanta Falcons

Jerry Porter, Wide Receiver Oakland Raiders

Todd Sauerbrun, Punter Denver Broncos

Gary Stills, Defensive End Baltimore Ravens

John Thornton, Defensive Tackle Cincinnati Bengals

And these are just the current players. If I was to go back into the history books and compare those names, that would be even more comical.

It's pretty sad when the best current WVU alum's most impressive statistics are being arrested 4 times in 14 months (Chris Henry). So enjoy Pat White and Steve Slaton now while they are at WVU because you aren't going to see much of them once they turn pro, that is unless you like to attend team practices.

WVU might get the best of Pitt in the college ranks, but I'm pretty sure those multi-million dollar signing bonuses that Larry Fitzgerald and Darrelle Revis have cashed in on more than make up for their losses in the Backyard Brawl.

James

Q. What does a Pitt grad say after graduation?

A. Thank you, please drive through.

I would like to thank Steve D. for the list of current players in the NFL from both schools. It's obvious that he put a lot of work into pulling that together, and I think it's valuable information. Of course, I guess when there aren't many people coming through his window at McDonald's, Steve has time to do that kind of research.

Seriously, though, this is a great rivalry for everyone involved. A friend of mine who played at WVU said he would rather lose 11 games and beat Pitt than win 11 and lose to them. I think that says it all!

Robert T., Bellingham WA, WVU 1987

Poor Steve D. must have been an Econ major at Pitt. Obviously he

doesn't understand numbers, or at least quality vs. quantity. Of

course, everyone knows WVU has a far superior Accounting department.

Will, Mountaineer in the South Side

To Steve D.: Why does it seem that all Pitt fans have to argue about are things outside the college football game? These athletes are there to play college football and get an education, and that is what they do. How does going to the pros have any impact on the college football season and the Brawl? So Pitt has more alum in the NFL (mostly overrated talent), but what does that say about the lack of being able to put a team on the field that can compete in the Big East? It has always been my opinion that Pitt puts together a nice recruiting class. However, they are always overloaded at skill positions, while lacking a strong overall recruiting class at ALL positions (Where's the linemen?). College football is about putting a complete team together that fits a system, and that is what WVU is all about. Mountaineers 38-17. Go 'EERS!!!!!

Jim M. Mason, Dallas, TX

To Steve D. If Pitt fans' enthusiasm has been reduced to watching former players on Sunday, we now know why Heinz Field is empty for Pitt games. Obviously, the talent is being wasted in Oakland. Personally, I can't wait to see WVU's "glamorized high-school offense" rout the lowly Panthers and their former NFL coach.

By the way, Coach Rod's offense is being imitated by most successful resurgent college programs across the country: Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, to name a few.

Larry, WVU 1983

While Pitt has every reason to be proud of the number of former players who are now playing in the NFL, as a WVU fan, I am most pleased with the accomplishments of one former Pitt player who went on to glorious heights at the professional level and has returned to make a similar mark at his alma mater.

Who might that be, you ask?

Why, Dave Wannstedt, of course! He was a loser with the Bears, a loser with the Dolphins, and he is now working that same magic at Pitt!

Jeff Cobb, WVU Class of 1989

When a team's fan base has resorted to comparing the numbers of current NFL players on Pitt and WVU, as Steve D. of Pittsburgh did, you know you have hit the bottom of the barrel when it comes to having something for the fans to truly cheer about.

First come the hillbilly-hoopie-inbred putdowns, followed closely by the "our school is better than yours" superior academic gobbledygook. When all of that dries up and you're watching your team get pulverized by the Mountaineers -- yet again -- then it's time to drag out the NFL alumni statistics in one last-ditch effort to prove that your program is still a viable member of college football. That somehow the Panthers still matter.

Pitt matters this Saturday only because 3 million Buckeye fans will be pulling for a miracle to transpire in Morgantown. And they matter to the WVU fandom because through them lies WVU's opportunity to play in the national championship game. Pitt? They can't even play for a winning season at this point. They are truly playing the only role they can at this time: spoiler.

It is truly sad how far Pitt football has fallen. I hope that somehow, some way, Pitt (and Syracuse) manage to climb out of the pit they currently find themselves in. The Big East needs them.

Andy H.

It's a nice rivalry but it's not THE rivalry for Pitt... that's Penn State -- always will be. It means more to WVU fans than it does Pitt fans. WVU is Pitt's biggest rival on the schedule, but ask a Pitt fan who they think is their biggest rival and most will still say Penn State.

Don't get me wrong, the Backyard Brawl is a good rivalry game -- much better than the "River City Rivalry" is and will be -- but its passion is more one-sided. I am a staunch Pitt supporter, but I root for WVU and the Big East. I don't know many WVU fans who root for Pitt on other occasions. This game isn't anything like Ohio State-Michigan, Auburn-Alabama, Army-Navy, etc. It's second-tier.

Get Penn State back on the schedule, then you'll see Pitt fans foam at the mouth and curse an opponent. Let's just call this the Backyard Skirmish.

Chuck Mason, WVU Class of 1977

On Saturday, West Virginia University can take a giant step toward national respectability as a college football power.

Quite fittingly, it is Pitt that WVU must defeat in the 100th anniversary of the Backyard Brawl.

Just as the time Major Harris destroyed Penn State to vault the Mountaineers into the national championship game of the 1988 season against Notre Dame, Pat White can run West Virginia into the national championship game against either Missouri or Ohio State -- depending on how the Big 12 Championship plays out -- through directing the Mountaineers over Pitt at Mountaineer Field.

I cannot wait.

I stood in the stands in 1975 and saw The Kick. Definitely a moment to cherish as a WVU fan.

Years later, I saw Harris injured in the first minutes of the Notre Dame game, and with that separated shoulder, all hopes dashed for a possible WVU victory.

Now, several more years later, the stage is just about set again.

WVU has eclipsed Pitt in football and basketball. These are two programs headed in opposite directions.

While WVU put 66 points on Connecticut, I would like to see 100 against Pitt -- to mark the anniversary, of course, not out of meanness.

And also to let the rest of the nation take notice: WVU is ready for the collegiate crown Jan. 7.

Dan McBride, WVU '84

Enough cheap jokes and pot shots! (OK, just one more -- Q: How many Pitt freshmen does it take to change a light bulb? A: None, Changing a Light Bulb is a sophomore course at Pitt.) It's time to look at the facts to objectively determine collegiate superiority.

Category: Home Football Stadium. Pitt Stadium was a dump, with a running track around the field that pushed the stands too far away from the football field. If you were unfortunate enough to sit in the end zone with the long jump and high jump areas, you were even farther away. The Panthers now play in someone else's home. (Sorry, Heinz Field is all Steelers.) Don't even get me started on the playing surface. WVU has Mountaineer Field, a terrific college stadium that keeps getting improved almost every season. The new Hall of Fame there is something to behold. The playing surface doesn't need to be replaced twice a year, either. Advantage: WVU

Category: All Time Backyard Brawl Record. Pitt leads 59-37-3. WVU could win the next 22 games in a row, and that would only tie the all-time series. Advantage: Pitt

Category: Recent Backyard Brawl Record. At some point, ancient history has to be recognized as being ancient history. Don't tell me anything else about Marshall Goldberg or Ira Errett Rodgers. WVU is 13-6-1 in the past two decades vs. Pitt. In my lifetime (since 1962), WVU leads 23-20-2, and that includes a Pitt seven-game winning streak from 1976-1982. Advantage: WVU

Category: Heisman Trophies. Pitt has Tony Dorsett. WVU is still waiting for its first winner. Advantage: Pitt

Category: Former Quarterback Super Bowl Wins. As great as Dan Marino was, he never won the Lombardi Trophy. Jeff Hostetler quarterbacked the New York Giants to victory in Super Bowl XXV. Most Pitt fans, and many WVU fans, are also Steelers fans, and every one of them realize how significant Super Bowl wins are. Advantage: WVU

Category: Sudler Trophies. From sousafoundation.org: "The purpose of the Sudler Trophy is to identify and recognize collegiate marching bands of particular excellence that have made outstanding contributions to the American way of life. The Sudler Trophy will be awarded annually to a college or university marching band which has demonstrated the highest of musical standards and innovative marching routines and ideas, and which has made important contributions to the advancement of the performance standards of college marching bands over a number of years." Sudler Trophy scoreboard: WVU 1, Pitt 0. Advantage: WVU

Category: Mascots. A Panther has claws. The Mountaineer has a musket. Plus, human mascots that show their real faces are way cool (see also Notre Dame, Southern Cal, Florida State). Colleges with human mascots that use cartoony costumed characters ... well ... suck (see Nebraska, Michigan State). Advantage: WVU

Category: Colors. WVU's official colors are Old Gold and Blue. However, the sports teams wear yellow since it looks better on TV. Pitt's colors are Blue and Gold. However, they current wear a Vegas Gold (aka Old Gold) and refuse to wear the sweet mustard and blue with script Pitt uniforms from their '70s glory years. Advantage: Push

So, when we break things down scientifically, we see that WVU holds a decisive 5-2-1 advantage, and we didn't even get into fight songs (Hail West wins), co-eds (WVU again), signature buildings (I love Woodburn Hall, but can see where the Cathedral of Learning would be tough to beat), or logos (the flying WV rocks). Almost Heaven wins out easily over hospitals and parking garages. Remember, the numbers don't lie.

Let's Go Mountaineers!!!

Jason, Pitt 2007

59-37-3. Enough said.

From Jandk7

Dec. 1 (AP) -- Pitt fails to show up for Backyard Brawl

In an apparent attempt to avoid humiliation, the University of Pittsburgh football team failed to show up for this year's nationally televised game with top ranked WVU. Although the schools are only 73 miles apart, Pitt coach Dave Wannstadt claimed that "Our team bus driver got really, really, really lost." Big East officials are investigating and admitted that the struggling Panthers may be disciplined.

Mark , WVU '84

Steve D. -- Nice list. Wikipedia is amazing isn't it? Make a copy and hang it on your wall and watch it Saturday night. It sounds like you will be very entertained.

Andy H. -- The '90s called to remind you that THE rivalry you speak of does not exist on 11/27/07. You're going to have to get Uncle Rico's time machine and set if for at least 1990 to be safe. Oh heck, while you're at it, why not just go back to 1976 and pretend like you don't know what it's going to be like when you get to 2007 for the second time. And what Pitt fan are you talking about anyway? It can't be the couple hundred thousand or so who have graduated since the last time you played PSU.

To the other seething, sorry, hapless and unoriginal purveyors of tired, old cliches about teeth, shoes and shine....come up with something new. Oh, and let's be fair too. You're always comparing Pitt, sorry, the University of Pittsburgh, to the whole state of West Virginia as if the rest of Pa. did not exist. Well, it does, and guess what? It's got more than its fair share of hillbillies and yahoos. You know it to be true. On the 364 days a year when you don't have WVU to put down, you look down on your own Pa. neighbors to the south in Washington County and Greene County. I know this to be true because I grew up in Washington County. And that's not even getting into central and northern Pa. Oh, and toothless and shoeless folks exist in Pa....even in blessed Pittsburgh. You know this. You see them all the time, on your campus, downtown, under bridges. And we haven't even gotten into Philly. Yes, Philly is actually part of Pa. Heck, Pa. might have more toothless, shoeless hillbillies than West Virginia when you think about it. It's OK. It's got to be tough having eastern Pa. and central Pa. folks looking down their noses at you. We Mountaineers know how you feel. We understand.

One thing we don't understand is what all this has to do with football. You see, at WVU we love our school and our football team. And those of us who went to school there love the state, even if we must live and work up here. We stand behind our school and team whether they are winning or losing, no matter who they are playing. You guys should try actually going to your games. The team might start to win more. Come to Morgantown and see how we do it. But then, why bother, huh? You don't have THE rivalry anymore. If that's the only way your stadium gets filled, it's probably PSU fans that are doing it. Your biggest game in years, except for Dolphin Dave's first game a couple years ago, was WVU last year and at least half of the 50,000 fans there that night were WVU fans. The only thing better than WVU thrashing you year after year is the thought that JoePa might live to be a 100 and deny you THE rivalry for at least 20 more years. That is sad. Boo hoo. See you in 2027. By then you'll have even alums in the NFL and the dental school will be bigger, and the Cathedral of Learning will be dirty again, and maybe you'll even be PITT again. Yeah, you were better, and it was more fun when you were just PITT. The University of Pittsburgh just ain't working for y'all.

GO 'EERS!

First published on November 27, 2007 at 12:04 pm