My grandfather is going through a project where he’s taking all of his 8mm film and converting it to DVDs. He has videos from the early 1930s through the 70s! This was of particular interest to myself: footage from a game in roughly 1960. At halftime of this particular game (against West Virginia I think) bands from throughout the Central PA area came to play on the field with the Blue Band. The student section even puts on a show with their version of the S-Zone, using cards. Open endzone, track around the field, Rip Engle as the head coach, Mt. Nittany looming in the background, and much more! Thanks for saving this Poppy!
Check out the love this video is getting on these blogs!
Brasserie Dupont, as we know it today, was founded in 1950 and is headquartered in Tourpes (Leuze-en-Hainaut), in central western Hainaut, Belgium. The buildings, however, actually date back to 1759, and it has been brewing continuously since 1844. Since the brewery became popular in America in the 80s, the brewery has focused on creating some of the best saisons in the world. A saison is traditionally made to be enjoyed in the summer. They are very light pale ales with a low alcohol content, and were traditionally brewed in farmhouses in Wallonia, the French-speaking region of Belgium, to refresh farm workers during harvest season. The style is really different, very earthy with lots of spice. Normally they finish dry with a touch of sweetness.
The offering I chose for this week is their Aves Les Bons Voeux, the full name meaning “With the good wishes of the Dupont Brewery”. It is a very high ABV saison, weighing in at 9.5%, and is rated very favorably on the online sites. It was the first of many on Super Bowl Sunday, where my Steelers fell short of capturing their 7th title. I found the beer to be have a hazy yellow pour with a nice thick white head. The head lasts forever and laces down the side of my glass beautifully. The smell has bananas up front for me, only a hint of the earthiness I alluded to earlier (often referred to as ‘funk’), and some spices as well. Very good smelling beer. The taste is really interesting and delicious. It contains/but is not limited to cloves, bananas, spices, and a bit of funk. A bit bitter and hoppy up front. Honestly reminds me of a tripel, a light Belgian style with typical high ABVs along with a nice fruitiness, and has a slight bitter finish. Only a hint of the alcohol, which is masked nicely by the taste. Light and bubbly, very refreshing. Overall I was really impressed by this one. I was worried that the high ABV would destroy the subtle tastes of a good saison, but this one has that and some nice qualities of other Belgian styles that I really enjoyed.
Last night my beloved Steelers held off a furious second half comeback from the Jets to win their Eighth AFC Championship 24-19, and are now looking to add to their NFL best 6 Super Bowl titles. The best part of this game for me? That I went.
I’m not going to recap the game, or talk smack on the Jets, I just wanted to share some thoughts now that I am almost a day removed from kickoff. It was definitely the coldest game I have ever attended. I was told the wind chill was 4 degrees, but I know it dipped down below 0 at some points. It is closely rivaled by the 2009 Penn State vs. Michigan State game in Beaver Stadium, which Penn State won and earned the right to lose to Mark Sanchez in the Rose Bowl, the same quarterback the Steelers held off yesterday. It was the largest crowd in Heinz Field history, 66,662 in total. I was also at the largest crowd in Beaver Stadium history, when Penn State rocked a top 20 Nebraska team in front of 110,753 people in 2002. Watching Franco Harris and Rocky Bleier hand the trophy to Rooney, Tomlin and Roethlisberger was really worth the price of admission (which is really saying something).
While I won’t be traveling to the Super Bowl, I will certainly be glued to my TV two weeks from now, let the waiting begin!
Here we go, Steelers, here we go! Pittsburgh’s going to the Super Bowl!
Last season Hines Ward and Troy Polamalu suffered from injuries that could have sidelined them from playing in crucial playoff games. Polamalu never missed a game and Ward was able to play in the Super Bowl because of a new and innovating treatment being used by not only those two, but also by a few MLB and Soccer players along with thousands of recreational athletes.
Well today is the day. I am leaving Tyrone for a few days to head down to Orlando to see Penn State take on LSU in the Capital One Bowl. We got in line for tickets earlier this month at 5am in frigid temperatures, we planned hotels and driving arrangements, now it is time for the fun. We will depart Tyrone somewhere between 10 and 11 and arrive at my Uncle’s House in North Carolina around 8pm. Follow me on Twitter as I tweet the experience as it happens.
I watched a lot of sporting events in the last decade. I was 12 when the clock turned from 1999 to 2000 and found humor in thinking I was the first person in the new millennium to say that the Steelers would win the Super Bowl. With that said, here is my list of my top sporting events since then. These are in chronological order, and they are admittedly heavy on the later part of the decade as I aged and usually include my favorite team winning.
2003 BCS Fiesta Bowl (2002 BCS National Championship Game) – Ohio State Buckeyes (31) vs. Miami Hurricanes (24) (2OT)
I know that you’re thinking I’m insane. Surely Lavar Arrington, Talor Battle, Kerry Collins, or John Capelletti were better athletes than this Hodge girl. But when you step back and think about it, what defines a great athlete? Utter dominance, constant production at the highest level, championships, national recognition, and success with honor would be a good starting point. Sure Arrington was dominant, if Megan Hodge suited up and ran head first into a ‘Lavar Leap’ I’m positive she would break in half (as would I, as would you most likely). And you would be correct in thinking that Kerry Collins produced at the highest level and John Cappelletti was nationally recognized as the best player in College Football in 1973, but none of them accomplished what Hodge did throughout a four year career. In fact, you could combine every award the aforementioned players have received and they wouldn’t stack up against the great Megan Hodge.
I know a lot of less knowledgeable fans will be voicing their displeasure now that it has been officially announced that Penn State will not be playing in a BCS Bowl game this season. They will be matched up with the Louisiana State University in the Capital One Bowl, January 1st, 2010 in Florida. However, I contend that this is a good thing for the Nittany Lions.
1. The matchup will have higher ratings than the Orange Bowl.
