A Clairton icon passes: Before we get on to the Steeler stuff, I would be remiss if I did not mention the passing of one of Clairton’s icons. When I was a lad and walked to school (did not take a ride on a school bus until I was 21) up St. Clair Avenue, I passed the Corner Store, Cities’ Service, Tomich Atlantic Service, the Blue Bird, Gazda’s Electric, Russo’s Hardware, and many other businesses, nearly all locally owned. Over the years most closed or sold out; some such as Beckavac’s, Clairton Hardware, Skapik’s, Clairton Sport Shop, and Russo’s Hardware were taken over by the next generation. We recently received word that Rose Russo passed away. She was so typical of Clairton families whose businesses provided the food, clothing, hardware, and even funeral services for our community. She was a wonderful woman who raised a great family. May she rest in peace.
Keeping in touch: I have been inundated with emails about the Steelers and Pittsburgh ever since the post-season began. My thanks to Bill Whitworth, Carol Walsh, Neil James, Jean Jordan Dorothy Valvo, Steve Rudish, Ralph Posmoga, Mitzi Buechele, Dee Martin, Kathy George, Doe Smoyer, Joe and Regina Klein, Mike Hollowood, Jay Graft, Bernie Stokes, Earl Maksin, Margie Porreco, Louise Taylor, Carl Blackburn, Geno Tolari, Anna Marie Bochter, Bob White, Maryann Achorn, Cal Sabo, Lee Weber, and all the other wonderful Clairton folks who sent along Steeler good wishes. My apologies if I missed your name. Below is a sample of the good words:
PITTSBURGH WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL ABOUT STEELER FOOTBALL?
Being a Steeler fan means so much more than football. It means being from a corner of the world unlike any other.
It means being from a place where the people are so tough-minded that they have
survived the Homestead strikes, the Johnstown flood, the Clairton Works explosion, and most recently the Etna Floods. These people have the DNA of hard work, in mills and mines, without the necessity of complaint. They live simply, with no frills. They don't have movie stars or fancy cars.
Instead, they have simple traditions like kielbasa, Kennywood, and celebrations.
They live in distinctive neighborhoods like Polish Hill and the Hill District and all of the surrounding counties. These people are genuine.
They don't have chic internet cafes and cappuccinos, but they have The Original Hot Dog joint, Primanti's, Eat n' Park and Iron City Beer. People from Pittsburgh don't have sunny beaches or fancy boats, but the rivers roll gently, connecting the small towns of people whose histories have been built on strength and humility.
People from Pittsburgh don't have the biggest shopping malls or the best nightclubs, but they'll take Friday night high school football and Steeler Sunday over anything.
Steeler football means so much more than you think. It symbolizes a Diaspora of generations who had the best childhood they could imagine. They ran free without a care or concern in the valleys of those Allegheny Mountains. Their blue-collar world was easy ... there was no one to tell them that they lacked material things. There was no one to tell them that they needed more.
As the steel mills closed and the jobs disappeared, some of these people had to leave. While the world benefits because they spread their Pittsburgh values, they long for their home where things were simpler and more pure.
They teach their kids about Jack Lambert, Lynn Swann, Terry Bradshaw, Franco Harris, Jack Ham, L.C. Greenwood, Joe Greene, and Myron Cope in hopes of imparting not just the knowledge, but the feeling that they represented.
They are everywhere, those Terrible Towels. They wave, not just for the team, but for the hearts they left behind.
They wave in living rooms in Fort Lauderdale and in the bars of Washington , D.C. They wave all the way to the Seattle Superdome! They wave for the Rooney family, whose values mirror our own - loyalty, grit, and humility.
They wave for football players like Jerome Bettis and Hines Ward, whose unselfishness and toughness have allowed sports to be about the game and the team.
Make no mistake that Steeler football is not just about football. I could not be prouder to be from the Pittsburgh area than I am right now!!
Even if you no longer live in the area, you have South Western Pennsylvania in your blood no matter where you go.
And deep down in your heart of hearts, you can still hear the Super Bowls of times past, the excitement in everyone's voices especially our fathers, cousins, and anyone else who gathered around the TV on Football Sundays!
Make no mistake, its just as exciting right now! It's not just about rivalries and who is better than the other; it's about family, tradition and roots! It's more than football, but its football at its finest! If you now live in Arizona , Colorado , Ohio , Indiana , California , Florida , Nevada , or Texas , be proud of where you were born and who your FIRST favorite football team was!
Go Steelers
Picksburgh GO STILLERS! Ah yes! "Picksburgh"
Yunz is from the Picksburgh area or maybe you grew up there if:
1. You didn't have a spring break in high school.
2. You walk carefully when it is "slippy" outside.
3. You often go down to the "crick."
4. You've told your children to "red up" their rooms.
5. You can remember telling your little brother/sister to stop being so " nebby."
6. You've gotten hurt by falling into a "jaggerbush".
7. Your mother or grandmother has been seen wearing a "babushka" on her head.
8. You've "worshed" the clothes.
9. I ask you to hand me one of those "Gum-Bands" an' you actually know what I'm talking about.
10. You know you can't drive too fast on the back roads, because of the deer.
11. You know Beaver Valley, Turtle Crick, Mars, Slippery Rock, Greentree and New Castle are names of towns. And you've been to most, if not all, of them.
12. A girl walks up to three of her girl friends and says, "HEY,YUNZ GUYS!"
13. You hear "you guyses" and don't think twice. Example: "you guyses hause is nice."
14. You know the three rivers by name and understand that "The Point" isn’t just on a writing instrument.
15. Someone refers to "The Mon" or "The Yough" and you know exactly what they're talking about.
16. You remember the blizzard o f 1993 (or 1976, or 1950, or 1939,or...) and remember not being able to go outside because the snow was over your head and you would have suffocated.
17. Someone starts the chant, "Here we go Still-ers!" and you join in the proper cadence, waving the appropriately colored towel.
18. Bob Prince and "There's a bug loose on the rug." hold special meaning for you.
19. You've either eaten a Farkleberry Tart or know someone who has.
20. You drink pop, eat hoagies, love perogies and one of your favorite sandwiches actually has coleslaw and French fries ON it.
21. You know what a "still mill" is.
22. You expect temps in the winter to be record-breaking cold and temps in the
summer to be record-breaking hot.
23. You know what Eat 'N Park is and frequently ate breakfast there at 2:00 AM
after the bar closed and made fun of people.
24. You order "dippy eggs" in a restaurant and get exactly what you wanted.
25. You spent your summers, or a school picnic at Luna Park , Kennywood, Westview, Sand Castle , or Idlewild.
26. You've been to the Braun's Bread Plant or Story Book Forest for a school field trip. We went to the Heinz plant and the Isaly's plant for Cub Scouts.
27. "Chipped ham" was always in your refrigerator when you was growin'up.
28. You refuse to buy any condiments besides Heinz unless a Pittsburgh athlete's picture is on the side of the container.
29. When you call the dog or the kids you shout, "Kum-mere" and they come.
30. Franco, Roberto, and Mario don't need last names and you can recite their exploits by heart.
31. Food at a wedding reception consists of rigatoni, stuffed cabbage, sauerkraut and polska kielbasa.
(from an IUP coop teacher over in Johnstown .)
It's winter in Pennsylvania
And the gentle breezes blow
Seventy miles an hour
At twenty-five below.
Oh, how I love Pennsylvania
When the snow's up to your butt
You take a breath of winter
And your nose gets frozen shut.
Yes, the weather here is wonderful
So I guess I'll hang around
I could never leave Pennsylvania
'Cause I'm frozen to the ground!!
A little blogging music Maestro… “Those Were the Days,” by Mary Hopkin.
Dr. Forgot
http://drforgot.com
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