Monday, November 2, 2009

Tale of the Tape: Pitt Panthers vs Syracuse Orange

Welcome to this weeks ToT. The Panthers of Pittsburgh will host our Syracuse Orange. The teams will do battle for a glowing orange, hot steel Tattoo.






Born on Date
Pitt: 1787 vs SU: 1870
Ottos Edge: Pitt... which was founded as Pittsburgh Academy, and later became Western University of PA in 1819. In 1845 a fire destroyed 20 blocks in Pittsburgh, including university buildings and records. In 1908 they finally became Pitt but were not a public university until 1966.

Not affected by the fire was…

Observatory
Pitt: Allegheny (1859) vs SU: Holden (1887)
Ottos Edge: SU… we moved ours around campus. They built a replacement in 1912.

Sticking with buildings…

Famous building
Pitt: Cathedral of Learning vs SU: Hall of Languages
Ottos Edge: Pitt... its the tallest educational building in the US (535ft, 42 stories) and 2nd tallest in the world. After a Pitt W it is illuminated in gold-colored lights (which should happen around sun down Sat).

While we are on learning…

Edumacation
Pitt: 56th vs SU: 58th
Ottos Edge: Pitt… barely beats us out

School known for
Pitt: UPMC vs SU: Newhouse
Ottos Edge: Pitt... the polio vaccine was developed there by...

Notable educators
Pitt: Jonas Salk, Mr Rogers vs SU: Pat Moynihan, Peter Weller
Ottos Edge: Pitt... wouldnt be such a beautiful day in the neighborhood without Salks work

A neighborhood is part of a city…

GPS (Location)
Pitt: Pittsburgh, PA vs SU: Syracuse, NY
Ottos Edge: SU... basically are the same but SU gets the nod for being in NY. PA sucks.

City Nickname
Pitt: Steel City vs SU: Salt City
Ottos Edge: Pitt... we are not bigger than US Steel.

Speaking of steel...

Carnegie
Pitt: Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh and Andrew Mellon alum vs SU: Carnegie Library
Ottos Edge: Pitt... but thanks for the gift Mr Carnegie

Some of that steel was used to build bridges, Pitt is also known as the City of Bridges having 446 of them. Which are needed to cross…

Bodies of Water
Pitt: three rivers vs SU: finger lakes
Ottos Edge: Push... not too annoying having to drive over a million bridges, but lake effect snow is no better.

And snow is a pain when traveling down the…

Mount
Pitt: Washington vs SU: Olympus
Ottos Edge: Pitt… they have an inclined rail to travel down in.

At one time in that area panthers used to roam, which is how they got their…

Team Name
Pitt: Panthers vs SU: Orange
Ottos Edge: SU… panthers are carnivorous so we are safe from being devoured

And from the name came the…

Mascot
Pitt: ROC vs SU Otto
Ottos Edge: SU... Otto cannot be eaten, I mean beaten
Mascots usually chill with the…

Cheerleaders
Pitt: multiple champs including 1992-1994 vs SU: nice to look at
Ottos Edge: SU… thats what they are there for

And they can be seen supporting the team at the…

No one, and I mean no one, comes into our house and pushes us around (Home Field)
Pitt: Heinz Field (65k) vs SU: Carrier Dome
Ottos Edge: Pitt... you can get ketchup at Heinz, you cant get AC in the Dome

Old Home
Pitt: Pitt Stadium 56k 1925-99 (home of Steelers from 1963-69) vs SU: Achbold Stadium 40k 1907-78 (3rd concrete stadium built)
Ottos Edge: Push… both were better off before (Pitt: on campus, SU: outdoor)

Pitt played at Recreation Park until 1899. Then moved to Exposition Park until 1908, followed by Forbes Field until 1924. In 1925 they started playing in Pitt Stadium, where they stayed until moving to Three Rivers for the 2000 season and have been at Heinz since 2001.

Sticking with history…

1st year of FB
Pitt: 1890 vs SU: 1889
Ottos Edge: Push... basically the same

All Time wins
Pitt: 661 vs SU: 677
Ottos Edge: SU... it is too bad that the 3 best traditional BE teams (WV, Pitt, SU) arent together dominating the conf

Which means we should all be competing to be…

Big East Champs
Pitt: One vs SU: Four
Ottos Edge: SU… I still dont understand how in the hell they were given the BCS slot in 2004

From conference to…

National Championships
Pitt: depends on who you ask vs SU: one
Ottos Edge: Pitt... 2 came after polls started (1937 and 1976)

The teams also compete for the…

Lambert Trophy
Pitt: Six time winner vs SU: Six time winner
Ottos Edge: Push… both are tied for 3rd all time, one behind Army and many behind PSU.

Also marking success is ones…

Bowl record
Pitt: 10-15 vs SU: 12-9-1
Ottos Edge: SU... its been too long since either team won a Bowl (2002 for Pitt and 2001 for SU)

Sticking with Bowls…

Sugar Bowl Shenanigans
Pitt: 1956 Bobby Grier was the first black man to play in the game vs SU: 1987 Auburn went for the tie ruining SUs perfect season
Ottos Edge: Push… there are no winners here.

In that 1956 game GTech threatened not to play because of Grier. Props to Pitt for holding their ground and demanding that Grier play. In the game (a 7-0 loss), Grier was called for a controversial pass interference call in the end zone. After the game Louisiana outlawed integrated competition and no black players participated in the Sugar Bowl until a Floyd Little and Jim Nance led SU team played in 1965.

It is wrong to hate unless its…

Penn State
Pitt: 42-50-4 vs SU: 23-42-5
Ottos Edge: Push… we are all winners hating State Penn. Both teams main rival was PSU but no longer play on a yearly basis.

Second biggest rival
Pitt: WV (Back Yard Brawl: 61-37-3) vs SU: Colgate (29-31-5)
Ottos Edge: Pitt... they also have a rivalry with ND and now have added the River City Rivalry with Cincy

And we can also consider each other rivals…

Head to Head
Pitt: 31 wins vs SU: 30 wins
Ottos Edge: Push… it will be only fitting for SU to win this year to tie it

Rivals usually play for a trophy. But trophies can also be an…

Individual Trophy
Pitt: Outland winner Mark May vs SU: TE trophy named after Mackey
Ottos Edge: SU… a deserving honor

And the most important individual trophy of them all…

Heisman winner
Pitt: Tony Dorsett vs SU: Ernie Davis
Ottos Edge: Push... both were pretty damn good

Other RBs
Pitt: Curtis Martin, Ironhead Heyward, Curvin Richards vs SU Jim Brown, Floyd Little, Joe Morris, Larry Csonka, Jim Nance, Moose Johnston
Ottos Edge: SU... easy win

Handing off to them is the…

NFL QB
Pitt: Dan Marino vs SU: McNabb
Ottos Edge: Push... neither could win the big one

QB that lead team to undefeated season
Pitt: Matt Cavanaugh vs SU: Don McPherson
Ottos Edge: Pitt... he has the ring

Other QBs
Pitt: Pete Gonzalez, Rod Rutherford, Alex Van Pelt, Tyler Palko vs SU: Marvin Graves, Wilmeth Sidat-Singh, Todd Philcox, Bill Hurley
Ottos Edge: SU… by a slim margin

And they pass it to the…

WR U
Pitt: Latif Grim, Antonio Bryant, Larry Fitzgerald, Greg Lee vs SU: Ark Monk, Rob Moore, Marvin Harrison, Kevin Johnson
Ottos Edge: SU... one is real the other is fake

TE
Pitt: Mike Ditka vs SU: John Mackey
Ottos Edge: Push... both were great

Skill players get the credit but just as important are the…

OLmen
Pitt: Mark May, Russ Grimm, Bill Fralic, Ruben Brown, Mark Stepnoski vs SU: John Flannery, Craig Wolfley, Jim Ringo
Ottos Edge: Pitt... nice blocking there

Joining them in the trenches are the…

DLmen
Pitt: Hugh Green, Chris Doleman, Bill Maas, Tony Siragusa vs SU: Dwight Freeney, Tim Green, Ted Gregory, Rob Burnett
Ottos Edge: Push… both teams have some great sack men, including Goose (as in eating)

Behind them filling the holes...

LB
Pitt: Ricky Jackson vs SU: Keith Bulluck
Ottos Edge: Push… both are underrated

DB
Pitt: Darelle Revis vs SU: Donovin Darius
Ottos Edge: Pitt... even though he plays for the Jets

Bobby Boucher (best current defender)
Pitt: Greg Romeus vs SU: Derrell Smith
Ottos Edge: Pitt... he will be hard to handle on Sat

And leading these players are the…

Coaches
Pitt: Pop Warner, Johnny Majors, Jimmy Johnson, Jackie Sherrill, Mike Gottfried, Marty Shottenheimer, John Gruden, Mike McCarthy, Joe Walton, Mike Ditka, vs SU Tom Coughlin, Ben Schwartzwalder, Coach Mac, HCRE
Ottos Edge: Pitt... in a landslide

Sticking with coaches...

Current HC and former OL alum
Pitt: Wannstache vs SU: Marrone
Ottos Edge: Pitt... he has Pitt where we hope to one day be

Former HC
Pitt: Walt Harris vs SU: Coach P
Ottos Edge: SU... one is a DC in the NFL, the other a QB coach of Akron

Sticking with sports staff...

Ralph Willard
Pitt: HC vs SU: Asst
Ottos Edge: SU… not surprisingly he was successful here, since Pitt has never done a thing in BBall

Staying with BBall...

The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh
Pitt: about Pittsburgh team vs SU: Marv Albert appeared in
Ottos Edge: Pitt… Pisces are the best. This happens to be McNabb’s fav movie.

If they did a remake of the movie you would likely cast a…

Crazy Sports Exec
Pitt: Mark Cuban, Pat Croce vs SU: Al Davis
Ottos Edge: SU… Davis was able to win a championship

Davis rules the Raiders like a…

King
Pitt: Friday VIII (Mr Rogers) vs SU: Otto III
Ottos Edge: SU… what kind of freaking king lives next to the train tracks?

Instead of a king we have…

Politicians
Pitt: Orrin Hatch, Rich Santorum, James Traficant vs SU: Al D'Amato, Joseph Biden
Ottos Edge: SU... ouch not the best group there, Pitt

Santorum is a contributor to Fox News Channel. Fox also employs…

Fox NFL guy
Pitt: Tony Siragusa vs SU: Daryl Johnston
Ottos Edge: SU... Moose beats the Goose

Other media guys…

Sports journalist
Pitt: Beano Cook vs SU: Bob Costas
Ottos Edge: Pitt… it is fun hearing his senile views

ESPN CFB guy
Pitt: Mike Gottfried vs SU: Dave Pasch
Ottos Edge: Push… not a fan of either

But I am a fan of midgets,

NFL battle
Pitt: a mini Ditka coaching a midget squad of da Bears vs SU: a Tom Coughlin coached Giants team using real giants
Ottos Edge: Pitt... a mini Ditka with a mini Fridge would still win

A mini fridge can store food from…

Let's put the women and children to bed and go lookin' for dinner! (Eatery)
Pitt: Primanti Brothers vs SU: Dino BBQ
Ottos Edge: SU... I will pass on the slaw

Primanti Bros have famous…

Sandwiches
Pitt: called hoagie vs SU: called sub
Ottos Edge: Push... as long as it tastes good I could care less what you call it.

What doesnt sound good is Chipped Ham, a local fav in Pittsburgh. It is very thinly sliced chopped ham loaf (which is a mixture of ham chunks and seasoning ground together and packaged in loaves).

The most important meal of the day…

Breakfast
Pitt: Eatin' Park vs SU: Denny's
Ottos Edge: Push... the only winner here is the toilet paper industry

You cant get TP but you can get a portable toilet at…

Dicks Sporting Goods
Pitt: HQ in the Burgh vs SU: started in Binghamton
Ottos Edge: SU… everything starts in NY.

If yinz get a portable toilet you may need Mr Belvedere (show took place outside Pittsburgh) to redd up. Otherwise your place will be trashy like Britney Spears.

Remember when she used to be an important…

Singer
Pitt: Christina Aguilera (native) vs SU: Vanessa Williams
Ottos Edge: Pitt… she was born in Shaolin. Wu Tang is forever.

Lets stick with singing…

Actor
Pitt: Gene Kelly (Singin in the Rain) vs SU: Peter Falk
Ottos Edge: Pitt… he was also in Achors Aweigh featuring this famous dance scene with Stewie Griffin

While we are on movies…

Screenwriter
Pitt: David Dalessandro (Snakes on a Plane) vs SU: Carl Gottlieb (Jaws)
Ottos Edge: Push… both were scary (SoaP for its acting and Jaws for the shark)

Jaws gave people a fear of…

Swimming
Pitt: several Olympians, won 19 mens and 9 womens BE Titles vs SU: what swim team?
Ottos Edge: Pitt… our program will be no longer

But still here is the…

Band
Pitt: Pitt Band vs SU: SUMB
Ottos Edge: SU… Pitts majorette squad is known as the Golden Girls. Not a good name choice. Do they need to be helped across the field?

While we are on bands…

Elastic Bands are called…
Pitt: Gum-Bands vs SU: Rubber
Ottos Edge: SU… I need help understanding Pittsburghese

Speaking of help…

Students helping students
Pitt: Pitt Pathfinders (host campus tours) vs SU: Goon Squad (help move new students in)
Ottos Edge: Push… people helping people, how existential

And finally this years category of the... wait a minute, we cant let those bastards from State Penn have the biggest ToT of the year. It wouldnt be right for either Pitt or SU. Onward we go.

While we are on getting things right…

Statues
Pitt: many Panthers vs SU: Saltine Warrior, ED
Ottos Edge: Pitt… they didnt "accidentally" have Nike shoes on their statues. The Millennium Panther dedicated in 2001 has a time capsule buried beneath it to be opened in 2051.

Someone who would set things right…

Manly Man
Pitt: Charles Bronson no explanation needed (native of Pittsburgh) vs SU: Thom Filicia who sets things, as in decorate
Ottos Edge: Pitt… I dont have a death wish and dont want to end up in the obituary section

Which is found in…

Paper
Pitt: The Pitt News vs SU: DO
Ottos Edge: SU… the late great Myron Cope (Steelers radio voice and inventor of the Terrible Towel) once worked at their paper.

Sticking with radio…

Howard Stern
Pitt: wife Beth O is alum vs SU: Frozen interned
Ottos Edge: SU... I don't think she is all that special.

Disc Jockey
Pitt: Adrian Cronauer (inspiration for Good Morning, Vietnam) vs SU: Bob Shannon
Ottos Edge: SU… Bob was big in the Burgh. He originated and hosted “The Sunday Night Oldies Party”. The show became the highest-rated in Pittsburgh radio history, with a 25% share of the audience.

While we are on parties…

Festivus
Pitt: Bigelow Bash vs SU: Mayfest
Ottos Edge: Push… we are all winners here. The Bigelow Bash is a spring festival and has nothing to do with the memory of Bam Bam Bigelow (although that would be cool).

Festivals often have (and the category of the week)...

Completive Eating Competition
Pitt: Ditka vs SU: Doug Marrone
Ottos Edge: SU... not only does Marrone beat him in eating, he was better with the Saints as well


And the Tattoo goes to...



The Syracuse Orange as they go marching into to Pitt and come away with a tight win.



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