The Hunger Games: Merely an Appetizer

Over the weekend I went to see the much hyped and anticipated movie, The Hunger Games at Loews Waterfront Theater. I was expecting a packed house even though the movie has been out for a few weeks and being at 10:40 on a Saturday night. Surprisingly, I was one of 12 in the theater. Regardless, I was eager for the movie to begin. The Hunger Games is based on the book by Suzanne Collins and from what I was told previously, "you should read the series of books before seeing the movies."  I am not sure if I was fortunate or not, but I did not invest the time in the books simply because I wanted to see what the brew-ha-ha was about.

I can separate The Hunger Games into 3 distinct parts:

Part I: The Set-up: Through a few short readings the viewer was put up to speed with the background of what the Hunger Games are, how and why they are played, and how "tributes are selected."  I always like any movie that begins or ends with a reading of the background or what happens after a movie finished so my hopes were high. Following this, the main characters emerge and we are quickly brought into the training for the games and the characters concerns. At this point I was very excited and getting into the movie.

Part II: The Hunger Games: This is where the movie lost me. The Hunger Games are played in an "arena" for all people in the Hunger Games world to view and cheer on their "tribute."  This part contained little to no meaningful dialogue and really frustrated and bored me. I really dislike extended fight scenes and I grew tired and choose to close my eyes and hope to take a snooze. I asked my wife to wake me when any dialogue began. She did and I was glad that we moved on. Although, I did watch some of the fighting I was disappointed that there was no killing actually shown and most people seemed to die of events not related to the Hunger Games. Also, the arena was strikingly similar to where the vampires and werewolves meet to fight in the Twilight saga.

Part III: The Conclusion and Love Story: This is where I really lost all hope for this movie. I can't stand when good stories (or bad stories) needlessly turn into love stories. The movie had a chance to salvage itself, but alas teen love blossoms and becomes the focal point of the movie. Now I know why high school girls were so in love with a post-apocalyptic society with fighting to the death. Enough is enough.

I went into The Hunger Games with very high expectations and that may have been why I was so disappointed with this movie or it could have been that I am not a 16 year old girl. I am also glad that I did not spend time on the books after this flop.

Pills gives The Hunger Games 2/6 Irons.

Restaurant Reviews: NOLA on the Square

Trying to figure out a place to meet someone on a first date is sometimes tricky for a Pittsburgher on a chilly spring evening.  Do you play it safe and go somewhere everyone has been? Or try one of the newer trendier spots that have been sprouting up throughout revitalized Pittsburgh neighborhoods?  Well, I chose the latter and suggested NOLA on the Square located in Market Square.  Market Square has undergone some major work over the last couple of years and this work has led to the transformation of the square into a European style piazza.  The $5.1 million renovation project that was completed in the fall of 2010 consists of new restaurants mixed with classics like Primanti’s and the Oyster House, facelifts to existing buildings, and the rerouting of vehicle traffic to promote outdoor seating and social gatherings.  NOLA is just one of the many recent additions to the historic square.

NOLA on the Square is a New Orleans themed restaurant that opened during the summer of 2011.  Features of the restaurant include outdoor patio seating, spacious bar area, and quieter dining room.  My date and I decided to go for drinks and chose the bar area to converse.  The bar was very lively, a jazz band was playing and Downtown Pittsburgh was surprisingly crowded on a Wednesday evening.  The drink menu was very diverse.  Bourbon St inspired cocktails made for an interesting and fun activity.  My date went with a Hurricane to start then went with the Bourbon Street Blues.  The bar service was exceptional, upon noticing her dislike for the strong flavor of bourbon the manager took it back and removed it from our bill.  I on the other hand selected beer from their large selection of draft and bottled beers.  We did not order meals, but we did notice Crispy Fried Alligator listed on NOLA’s appetizer menu.  Upon seeing this we immediately decided to order a plate.   The appetizer of alligator was very good with a different taste and texture that was foreign to me; it did not just “taste like chicken.”  The taste is difficult to describe; it was a bit chewy and sauce made it a little spicy.  Louisiana style entrees make up the remainder of the menu and curiosity in this cuisine is making me want to go back for a full meal. (For reviews of food click here)  NOLA is a bit on the pricey side but is on par with other trendy restaurants located in the Cultural District and Market Square.

Crispy Fried Alligator

NOLA on the Square is a nice compliment to the new-look Market Square and is a place I’d be willing to try again sometime.  I really enjoyed the atmosphere and design of the restaurant.   It was also nice to see a bustling Market Square on a weeknight.  Is the image of Downtown Pittsburgh as a ghost town after 6pm now a memory?  Let’s not get ahead of ourselves but additions like NOLA are a good start to resuscitate downtown nightlife.

Cheers! Hurricane, pickle and all

Pittsburgh Craft Brew Week!

Pittsburgh Craft Brew Week

Celebrate with some suds -- It's the beginning of Pittsburgh's craft brew week. 

Stretching from April 20th to the 28th, there's plenty to do including beer tastings and tasty meals.

Make sure to add the calendar of events to your schdule, it's sure to offer many fun times to the newcomer and the grizzled 'brew week' veteran alike.

Pirates Season Preview

Coming of last year's surprise run to first place in July and subsequent epic collapse to a typical 4th place finish, this year's season looks to be a pretty pivotol point for the current era of Pirates baseball.

On the one hand, there is still some lingering excitement over last year. McCutchen is locked up until at least 2017 and seems like the safest option for buying a jersey since Jason Bay. And the additions of A.J. Burnett, Erik Bedard, Clint Barmes, Nate McLouth, Casey McGehee, and Rod Barajas offer the most tangible example I can remember of actual offseason upgrades.

On the other hand, the 2011 collapse was pretty impressive and only reinforced much of the entrenched cynicism in the minds of many could-be fans. Pedro Alvarez, who desperately needs to work out if a postseason run into August or September is going to happen any time soon, is walking a perilously thin line between potential breakout candidate and certified bust. And, the arrival of the best prospects in the system still look to be a few years down the road.

In my mind, the Pirates season is going to be defined by whether or not they can avoid looking like a joke at any point. While last year's run was great and was the perfect spark plug for re-igniting the interest of lot of people in the city, I think a lot of people look at the 19-42 record after the devastating loss to the Braves on a bad call in the 19th inning as more representative of the "real" Pirates. Even if the Pirates could just equal last season's 72-90 record via a more balanced path, I think the perception in the city would be that of a maturing team that is on the right path. An early stumble that puts them immediately out of contention or a late season collapse that undermines the reast of the season could kill any goodwill that's been built up with the local fan base since Clint Hurdle's arrival.

With that said, here's my quick take on how the season could go:

If things go right:

• The additions of Erik Bedard and A.J. Burnett allows the staff to maintain through September. When things were clicking last season for the starters, the Pirates were at their best. It was their inability to stay good that ultimately killed us last season. Injuries, fatigue and inexperience ultimately proved too much in the last third of the season. While Bedard is a Pirate only because of his inability to stay healthy, if those two can be the steadying presences that were lacking late last year, you have to like our chances of winning more than 8 games in August. Plus, by exchanging those two for Maholm, the Pirates have a seven-deep rotation of Bedard-Burnett-McDonald-Morton-Karstens-Correia-Lincoln, not to mention a few promising candidates at AAA Indianapolis.
• McLouth and McGehee give the Pirates the luxury of depth. Depth is one of those underrated factors that the Pirates have been missing for years. Recently, if a starter went out with injury for even just the minimum 15-day stint on the DL, that pretty much spelled doom. There was no competent option waiting in the wings. So while Barmes and Barajas may or may not be upgrades over Cedeno and Doumit/Snyder, having better spare parts may be the more meaningful upgrade.
• Pedro is at least competent at the plate. Since Pedro was drafted, he's been counted on to become the slugger the Pirates need him to be. A majorly disappointing 2011, however, has a lot of people ready to write him off. Maybe he's not destined for superstardom, but he can't be a strikeout machine and liability defensively at third base. If he can just become a competent hitter in '12 with the ability to go deep at any time, the added depth to the lineup alone that he represents would be a boon to the team's chances to win on any given day. Turn it around completely and become the middle-of-the-lineup power hitter we so desperately lack, and the Pirates chances at .500+ and late season contention become that much closer to a reality.

If things go wrong:

• Pedro is a black hole in the lineup. I may have only listed him third amongst the keys to success, but his potential for failure could be the most significant factor in a season flop. If Pedro can't hit and can't field, the team is eventually going to have to do something about it, most likely by starting McGehee. Not only does this scenario mean our lineup is just as impotent as always, it significantly downgrades the depth that is so key to success.
• Presley-McCutchen-Tabata don't take another step forward. The starting outfield looks to be the one area that this team might actually be ahead of the MLB curve. If those three starters mature, plus McLouth as the fourth outfielder, and prospect Starling Marte waiting for a late season call up, the Pirates suddenly find themselves with a position of strength. Include Gorkys Hernandez in that equation and maybe there's even an opportunity to exploit another team's OF need to win a trade, a la the Penguins flipping Goligoski for Neal last year. However, if Presley and Tabata in particular can't take the next step into real major leaguers, and we're still just mediocre everywhere.
• Neither Morton nor McDonald emerges. Both have potential to be a top three starter, but neither have shown they can do it for more than brief flashes of time. You gotta think that at least one of them needs to really take a step forward if the staff is going to be asset that it can be. If both flounder, things could unravel quickly.

Other things to look for this season:

• With a new collective bargaining agreement constraining draft spending, do the Pirates lose the one edge they've had over the past five years? We'll find out in June.
• With Pujols and Fielder gone and the division's biggest douche, Ryan Braun, possibly off the juice, does a weaker division possibly mean a few extra wins just based on strength of competition? That'd be nice.
• With as promising of a top 10 prospects list that we've had in years, can the organization actually develop talent? I know I'll be keeping an eye out on the farm system, particularly last year's top two picks Gerrit Cole and Josh Bell and the other potential top-of-the-rotation talents Jameson Taillong and Luis Heredia.

So there's a look at the 2012 Pirates season. I'm a big believer in depth and that's where I think the Pirates finally have done something meaningful for the short term prospects of the big league team. That, and some optimism that McCutchen, Pedro, Morton, McDonald, Presley, and Tabata can be better in aggregate in 2012 than in 2011, and I think the team exceeds last year's win total of 72 wins. And if I'm in for a penny, I might as well go in for a pound. I'll say the Pirates finish the 83-79, finally break the 20 year losing streak and finish just ahead of the fourth-place Brewers, just behind the Wild Card winning Reds.

Van Halen 2012

When Van Halen comes to Pittsburgh, it's more than just a concert. It's a rare event that, alongside stadium implosions and any day at Kennywood, allows for a fully immersive experience within true Yinzer culture. With that in mind, let's recap the Blast Furnace experience attending Van Halen 2012 this past weekend.

The scene is set at Shale's Cafe on 5th, just across the street from Consol. The bar is packed, the bartendering service is lousy, and most people are paying $3 for Coors Light instead of taking advantage of $2 Duquesnes and PBRs. Van Halen classics are playing loud (with the occasional Kool and the Gang hit mixed in) and the buzz is building. In addition to a girl wearing a VH-branded racing jumpsuit, a guy in a Pittsburgh Polish T, and a table of very guidoish-looking types, there was this guy:

Wearing a mesh belly shirt and performing constant air guitar, this was exactly the guy you'd hope to encounter at Van Halen. By the time we decided to move over to Consol, he had managed to end up on some guy's shoulders, taken the pit guard off of our friend's crutch and used it as a fake penis, and got yelled at by the bar tender for using the crutch to smack the ceiling fan.

As for the show itself, it was mostly what you'd hope for. We were entering the area just as Kool and the Gang were wrapping up their set, so our timing was pretty impeccable. Van Halen rocked loud and hard through a set of mostly just their hits, with a few songs from their new album thrown in for good measure. Nothing from the Van Hagar era.

I'd venture to guess that if you were going to see Van Halen for the first time in the post-Hagar era, now was as good as any time to do it. Eddie Van Halen is apparently still on the wagon and the reviews say this tour is more polished than their previous reunion tour in 2007.

The show may have been the loudest concert I've ever experienced. I think that's typically a badge of honor for both the band and the fans, though I think I prefer the volume down just a notch if it means I can hear the guitar just a little bit clearer. After all, seeing Eddie play live is the real attraction. For audience members such as myself, who appreciate Van Halen, but aren't the biggest fans in the world, we mostly wanted to be able to say we've seen one of the greatest guitar players of all time perform live. And in that regard, the show did not disappoint.

Highlights for me mostly revolved around the guitar moments: an opening of Unchained followed by Runnin' With the Devil, well-known hits You Really Got Me and Hot for Teacher, and the culminating moment, EVH's Eruption guitar solo into Ain't Talkin' Bout Love and Jump. Eruption alone was worth the price of admission.

Lowlights included a 10 minute interlude in which David Lee Roth strummed acoustinc guitar and narrated home video of himself training his dogs (really) and just the overall feeling that the show is very tightly scripted, best highlighted by the quick run off at the end and immediate raising of the lights to let you know that there would be no encore.

All in all, seeing Van Halen live in town is something every self-respecting, rock-n-roll loving Pittsburgher should take the opportunity to do the next chance they get. And don't forget to wear you concert tee and denim jacket.

For a more nuanced, musically-appreciative look at the concert, make sure you check out Scott Mervis's review in the PG.

The Blast Furnace's One Year Anniversary

Pittsburgh it's time to celebrate.  The Blast Furnace turned 1 on March 25.  We started slow and ended slow, but had a lot of fun in between.  We had over 20,000 page views over this time period from countries all over the world.  Over the year, we have seen some of our favorite restaurants and bars close, sports teams win and lose, profiled some of our favorite 'celebrities,' reviewed our hot spots, and reported on strange Pittsburghers acting well, like.....Pittsburghers.  Surprisingly our article Furries Invade Pittsburgh was our most viewed.  So to recap, here are some of this contributors favorite and most popular stories.

1.  Famous Pittsburgh Mustaches:  This one drew national attention when it was referenced by the Huffington Post's article on America's Most Mustache-Friendly Cities.  This article was very enjoyable to research and write about, seeing all these glorious mustaches on a daily basis and having celebrities showcase their upper lip hair to a national audience.

2.  Lenten Fish Fry Reviews - It is that time of year again for a true Pittsburgh tradition....fish sandwiches.  Former Pittsburghers just can't seem to find a great giant fish sandwich in their new town, well Pittsburgh has plenty of them.  We have our favorites and many are reviewed here.

3.  Where have you gone Matrix? - One of the Blast Furnace's favorite meeting places in our 20's, sadly it is no more.  Dancing, 50 cent drink night, and all around good times. 

4.  The Best Bar in the Burgh......Kopy's - Another classic hangout.  Cheap drinks, darts, jukebox, and friendly service make this South Side bar our favorite.

5.  Gene's Place, an Instant Hit - Wondering around Oakland in our early 20's and discovering Gibbons Beer.

6.  Pittsburgh RibFest Underwhelms and Infuriates - We've all seen and experienced the annual RibFest, this article describes the event perfectly.

This Blast Furnace blogger hopes year 2 will be just as exciting as year 1.  Pittsburgh is a special place with unique people so there will never be a shortage of stories and experiences which we all can relate.   I challenge all contributors to keep on researching, writing, and commenting to make this a regular stop for curious Pittsburghers.

Battle for Shell won by the 'burgh

Shell Oil

In another round of economic victory in Pittsburgh, Shell Oil announced its intentions to build its petrochemical "cracker" facility in Beaver County.  Western PA beat out the likes of West Virginia and Ohio in securing the contracts from Shell.

This ends a long courtship by the three states that saw each respective governor travel to Houston to pitch their bid for the new plant. 

Although this will bring the prospect of new jobs and economic prosperity, the realistic threat of environmental consequences looms largely in the background of the announcement.  Despite repeated assurances by large shale corporations that fracking poses no environmental threat, public opinion varies on the topic.

The most notable of these is the threat toward groundwater contamination, brought largely to light in the documenatry Gasland.  The director argues that fracking leaches carcinogenic and hazardous compounds into the groundwater, which could forever contaminate life-supporting watersheds.

With this announcement comes the realization that the company that was created by oil profits will now have five cracker plants domestically.  Shell continues to become a larger player in the Marcellus Shale development.

It is expected that the construction of the plant will require 10,000 new employees, and will require several hundred full-time exmployees once fully operational.  There has been no news regarding the potential of an office location at the industrial site.

Carnegie's Teenie Harris Exhibit

I recently visited the Carnegie Museum of Art to view the popular exhibit, "Teenie Harris, Photographer: An American Story" and was very enlightened.  Charles "Teenie" Harris (1908-1998) was a highly acclaimed African American photographer for the black newspaper the Pittsburgh Courier from the mid-1930s through the mid-1970s.  Mr. Harris captured images of politicians, celebrities, and daily life in Pittsburgh's Hill District neighborhood.  Nearly 1,000 of his estimated collection of 80,000 photographs are on display in the museum and are projected on the walls and organized into seven different categories (each 24 minutes in length):  "Crossroads," "Gatherings," "Urban Landscapes," "Style," "At Home," "The Rise and Fall of the Crawford Grill" and "Words and Signs."  In the adjoining gallery, all 987 black and white photographs are displayed on the walls organized by year with the option of a headset to hear descriptions of selected photos.  Computers are also set up to click through all the images with small narratives.  The final gallery of the exhibition is dedicated to an in-depth evaluation of Harris as an artist. 

Since I had the time I sat through the projection display of Mr. Harris' work.  I found "Crossroads," "Urban Landscapes," and "The Rise and Fall of the Crawford Grill" most interesting.  Crossroads featured some of America's most influential figures such as Martin Luther King Jr., Muhammad Ali, Presidents Eisenhower and Kennedy, MLB and Negro League stars, and famous jazz musicians that visited the city.  Tennie's photographs were mostly taken in the Hill District, but sections of Oakland, the East End, and Homestead are some of the towns also on display.  This exhibit is not only a history of African American life, but also a history of Pittsburgh and the transformation from thriving neighborhoods to eventual urban blight.  It was fascinating to see a bustling Hill District with businesses like the historic jazz club, the Crawford Grill, in its heyday.  The controversial construction of the Civic Arena also played a role in the changing landscape of the Lower Hill.

I highly recommend "Teenie Harris, Photographer: An American Story," but act fast as the exhibit ends on April 7, 2012.   Anyone interested in history like me will not be disappointed.

25 Greatest Simpsons Episodes

To Commemorate the 500th episode of The Simpsons, The Blast Furnace gives you the Top 25 Greatest Simpsons Episodes of All Time:

1. Last Exit to Springfield (4.17):  Mr. Burns revokes the dental plan from the power plant's union contract, and when Homer realizes that he'll now have to pay for Lisa's new braces, he leads the power plant employees on a strike, while Mr. Burns struggles to put an end to the rioting.

2. Homer vs the Eighteenth Amendment (8.18):  Bart gets drunk during a St. Patrick's Day Parade, provoking the city government to enforce a two-hundred year old prohibition law. Rex Banner, an Elliot Ness-type character, takes over the police force to help enforce the law, since Wiggum failed to do do. Meanwhile, Homer decides to make money for himself as a bootlegger, calling himself "The Beer Baron."

3. Homer the Great (6.12):  Homer becomes a member of a mysterious organization called the Stonecutters and is heralded as "the chosen one."

4. Marge vs. the Monorail (4.12):  After receiving a considerable donation of money, the people of Springfield decide what to spend it on. Enter Lyle Langley, a jocular salesman who gets Springfield hooked on a monorail system. After the monorail is up and running, and with Homer as the conductor, it's time for the maiden voyage. Little do the people know they have just boarded a one-way train to Hell. 

5. Homer at the Bat (3.17): Homer and his co-workers qualify the plant's softball team for the league final, but Mr. Burns hires 9 professional MLB players to win a $1 million bet.

6. Duffless (4.16): After Homer is arrested for DUI, and loses his driver's license, he is put to the ultimate test when Marge pressures him to give up beer for a month.

7. Two Dozen and One Greyhounds (6.20):  Santa's Little Helper has puppies, and Mr. Burns schemes to steal them and make them into a coat.

8. Team Homer (7.12):  Homer starts a bowling team with Moe, Apu and Otto, but when Mr. Burns discovers the team was funded with his money, he insists on joining. Meanwhile, Springfield Elementary introduces uniforms.

9. Mr. Plow (4.9):  Homer buys a truck with an attached snow plow after he destroys his car, and to pay for it, he starts a snow shoveling business, calling himself Mr. Plow. It all goes off without a hitch, until he finds himself in competition with The Plow King, a.k.a. Barney Gumbel. Now begins the winter of discontent.

10. Homer's Barbershop Quartet (5.1):  After the kids find a record with Homer's picture on it, he recalls the story of how he achieved fame in the 1980s with his barbershop quartet The Be Sharps.

11.  Flaming Moe's (3.10):  Moe claims that a drink that Homer invented is his own. After the drink makes the bar a local hot spot, Moe gains a number of fair-weather friends but loses Homer's friendship.

12. I Love Lisa (4.15):  Feeling sorry for Ralph, Lisa sends him a Valentine card. Having developed a crush on her, Ralph invites Lisa to go see the Krusty the Clown show. She accepts but after Krusty asks them if they are boyfriend and girlfriend, Lisa lets Ralph know that she just wants them to be friends.

13. Rosebud (5.4): Mr. Burns goes on a desperate quest to recover his cherished childhood toy Bobo, a bear which is now in Maggie's possession.

14. Who Shot Mr. Burns?: Part 1 and Part II (6.25/7.1):  Mr. Burns steals oil from Springfield Elementary, and one day, he is shot, with no indication on who did it.

15. Trash of the Titans (9.22):  After a feud with the Springfield refuse collectors, Homer decides to run for Sanitation Commisioner.

16. A Fish Called Selma (7.19): Washed-up movie star Troy McClure is pulled over for driving without corrective lenses, and forced to go to the DMV to get his eyes checked. While there, he meets Selma, who he asks out for dinner. Spotted by a reporter, he quickly realizes that being seen in public with a woman will grab enough headlines to revitalize his career, leading to a whirlwind romance between him and Selma.

17. Much Apu About Nothing (7.23):  Anti-Immigration fever sweeps Springfield, which threatens to lead to the deportation of of Apu, until Homer decides to reject the mob mentality, and help him become a legal citizen.

18. And Maggie Makes Three (6.13): Homer recounts the story of Maggie's birth when the kids ask why there are no photos of her in the family album.  Homer must give up his dream job working at the bowling alley to support the new addition to the family.

19. A Streetcar Named Marge (4.2): Marge wins the lead in a musical production of "A Streetcar Named Desire,"in which Ned Flanders plays Stanley Kowalski. Marge is infuriated by Homer's brutishness and insensitivity during preproduction, until he sees the play and reveals to Marge that he has grasped its meaning. While rehearsing, Marge sticks Maggie in the Ayn Rand Day Care Center, where her pacifier is immediately taken from her, and a la "The Great Escape", she must struggle to win it back.

20. Cape Feare (5.2): An anonymous letter writer makes ominous threats to Bart. The Simpsons discover they were sent by Sideshow Bob who, when released from prison, harasses the Simpsons and then attempts to kill Bart with a machete. But Bob's vanity foils him yet again.

21. A Star is Burns (6.18):  Mr. Burns hosts a film festival in Springfield to improve his image. Film critic Jay Sherman, of "The Critic" is invited, and stays with the Simpsons.

22.  Bart After Dark (8.5):  Marge leads a crusade against a local burlesque house after she discovers Bart working there.

23. Brother from the Same Planet (4.14): After Homer forgets to pick up Bart from soccer practice, Bart joins a mentor program called Big Brothers presenting himself as an orphan, and is assigned a big brother called Tom. When Homer finds out, he joins the program too as a big brother.

24. The City of New York vs Homer Simpson (9.1): Homer must travel to New York to get his car back, which is illegally parked at World Trade Center Plaza.

25. El Viaje Misterioso de Nuestro Jomer (8.9): Marge's fears that Homer will embarrass her at the annual Springfield Chili Cook-Off again, are reaffirmed when after tasting various bland samples of chili, he comes across a specialty made by Chief Wiggum laced with hallucinogenic Guatemalan peppers. The chili sends him on a psychedelic journey where he meets an imaginary Coyote spirit guide(voiced by country music legend Johnny Cash), who urges him to find his soul mate, causing him to doubt that he should've ever married Marge in the first place.

Honorable Mention:  Homer and Apu (5.13), Deep Space Homer (5.15), Hello Gutter, Hello Fadder (11.6), Whacking Day (4.20), Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire (1.1), Dancin' Homer (2.5), Lisa the Iconoclast (7.16), Homer the Heretic (4.3), The Last Temptation of Homer (5.9), Brush with Greatness (2.18), The Homer They Fall (8.3), and Radio Bart (3.13)

This was a very difficult list to compile as one could probably make a Top 100 list and still not be satisfied.  There are so many classic episodes that I wanted to include (i.e. Colonel Homer, King Size Homer, Weekend at Burnsie's, Two Bad Neighbors, and You Only Move Twice), but I had to stop somewhere.  The Simpsons really hit their peak in Seasons 4-8 and you can see from my list Season 4 might be the best.  Most of my favorites revolve around Homer and Mr. Burns.  Songs, guest stars and town hall gatherings stood out most to me over the years.   While the Simpsons doesn't produce the same quality of episodes as above it is still very watchable and I'm hoping they stay on for many years to come.

South Side Soup Contest 2012: A Spoon Full of Flavor and Fun

On Saturday, February 18 a few other members of The Blast Furnace and I were able to partake in the 2012 South Side Soup Contest which ran from 12:00 PM until 3:00 PM. I have never been to the event before and I was eager to try a soup contest, especially because one of my favorite episodes of The Simpsons is the Chili Cook-Off episode. Imagine roughly 1200 yinzers armed with plastic spoons, a lanyard with a punch card, and a map of the South Side detailing 21 locations serving various soups on a beautiful sunny day in mid-February. The Soup Contest is a partnership between the South Side Local Development Company, the Brashear Association, local businesses, and restaurants. Yinzers and businesses were basking in the glory of a walk through the South Side in mid-day.

The cost of a ticket via Showclix was $14.99 in addition to a required food donation to the food pantry. Participants checked in at the Southside Works Cinema or the WYEP Radio Station. We checked in at the Southside Works and were able to move at a comfortable pace all the way down to 10th Street and try each soup along the way. The lines were never too long and we were able to enjoy the inside of shops that are usually closed during night time drinking hours. Everyone was friendly and only a few places were missed because they had ran out of soup before the 3:00 PM finish. I was expecting to get a miniature bowl of soup at each location, but we were only given about half of a Dixie cup at all of the locations. Although the soups lacked size they made up for it in taste. Each powerfully flavored soup was unique and enjoyable.

The winners were announced today and luckily we were able to try all of the soups that won. Even though I thoroughly enjoyed the winning soup, Pineapple Tomatillo Habanero, my favorite did not make the list, the Stuffed Pepper Soup. I am not surprised that the Lin's Asian Fruit Soup won for most unique, but this was less than enjoyable because it tasted too much like a simple pre-packaged fruit cup from Giant Eagle. I thought the Pizza Soup was a new, unique idea that tasted very good. Honorable mention goes to The Brew Bunny, which was a mix of East End Brewery's Big Hop and rabbit meat, and finally I enjoyed the soup prepared by Local Bar + Kitchen which was served with a piece of grilled cheese.

All in all it was a great day to experience both for the soup and atmosphere. No Yinzer is truly certified without making it to this event at least once in their lives.

"Sullivan and Son," new Pittsburgh based TV show

Watch out Yinzers a new TV show set in a working class Pittsburgh bar has been picked up by TBS and will air ten episodes starting this summer.  "Sullivan and Son" is a sitcom that stars Pittsburgh native comedian Steve Byrne as a man who leaves his job as a New York lawyer to come back to Pittsburgh to run a family-owned bar.  The bar is owned by his parents, Jack Sullivan (played by Dan Lauria made famous by "The Wonder Years," and mother played by Jodi Long ("Eli Stone"), who are preparing to sell the bar and retire until Steve returns home to take over.  The popular bar that Byrne's character, Steve Sullivan,runs is the unofficial town hall of the neighborhood filled with locals and regulars.   

The show is executive-produced by familiar Hollywood names Vince Vaughn, Peter Billingsley (A Christmas Story and Iron Man) and Rob Long (Cheers).

ACC Announces New Division and Scheduling Format

The Atlantic Coast Conference released the schedule and division format for when Pitt and Syracuse join the conference. The expanded 14 team conference will continue with the Atlantic and Coastal divisions that were previously in place for football and add Syracuse to the Atlantic division and Pitt to the Coastal division. The league will play a nine game conference schedule with each team playing its divisional foe once and having one primary crossover partner each year; Pitt and Syracuse will play each other every year. The remaining two slots will be filled with rotating opponents from the opposite division.  Here is the new breakdown:

Atlantic:
Boston College
Clemson
Florida State
Maryland
NC State
Syracuse
Wake Forest

Coastal:
Duke
Georgia Tech
Miami
North Carolina
Pitt
Virginia
Virginia Tech

Basketball will consist of an 18 game schedule; each team will play one primary partner twice a year and every other league team four times over a three-year cycle. Pitt was named Maryland’s primary partner. The other pairings are Virginia - Virginia Tech, Syracuse - Boston College, Duke - North Carolina, North Carolina State - Wake Forest, Florida State - Miami, and Clemson - Georgia Tech.

My thoughts:
As a Pitt fan I am happy to see them placed in the Coastal division with some of their more traditional opponents, Virginia Tech and Miami and like how the cross-over rival will be Syracuse. A nine game league schedule will make it difficult to play strong out of conference opponents each year.  I am hoping that this will not disrupt the annual game between Pitt and Notre Dame.  Leaving the Big East for basketball will be a little sad due to intense rivalries that were developed with UConn, Georgetown, and Villanova, but it will be nice to watch Pitt play Duke and UNC every year. Having to play Maryland twice every year is a little disappointing. I would much rather see Syracuse twice instead, but I suppose the ACC needed to give Boston College some sort of rival being that they are so isolated. I am looking forward to the move and hoping it happens sooner than later.

Bar Reviews: Mario's East Side Saloon

Every Pittsburgher is well aware of the classic South Side bar Mario's.  Mario's South Side Saloon is one of the first bars that you go to when you turn 21 and where you take out-of-towners to capture the Pittsburgh bar scene.  Yes, it is overcrowded and loud, but it is a Pittsburgh staple that one must visit.  To capitalize on the popularity and success, Mario's ownership opened a second location in the Shadyside area in August of 2011.  Mario's East Side Saloon moved into the old building that housed Doc's Place for many years on Walnut St., a prime location for bar goers. 

I finally got around to visiting the bar and was shocked at the transformation from Doc's to Mario's.  Mario's tried replicating the South Side bar with the sports themed stained glass windows, brown paneled walls, and stained wooden booths.  It is even a bit dark and dingy inside like the Carson St. bar.  TVs adorn the bar area which made for an almost perfect viewing of the Penguin game that was on the night of my visit.  A shuffle board table and team trivia are also new features of the bar along with updated menus and daily drink specials.  One complaint I had of Doc's was the bar being placed in the center of the main floor which caused much congestion during peak hours when trying to navigate to another area of the establishment.  Mario's resolved this problem by moving the bar against the side wall allowing for a wider passage without constantly excusing yourself and bumping into people.  The outdoor deck has been remodeled making for a nice night outdoors in the summer months.  Doc's place always had very high drink prices (think $13 pitchers of Yuengling), I found Mario's to be about average for Shadyside.  I unfortunately did not sample the food, for reviews click here.   

I always enjoyed going to Doc's for the outdoor deck and atmosphere and I was shocked to see Doc's boarded up when I passed by last summer so I was pleased to see a new bar take its place.  I recommend making a trip to Mario's East Side Saloon.  It is a good option for watching a sporting event which Shadyside desperately needed.

Top Complaints by Pittsburghers

Pittsburgers, as we know, love to complain whether it be calling into local talk shows, talking with your buddies at the local watering hole about some jag you encountered, or chit-chatting with strangers.  Here is a list of some of the topics we love to complain about:

Traffic:  Between sitting on the Parkway East waiting to get into the Squirrel Hill Tunnel, gridlock at the intersection of 51 and 88, constant construction on Rt. 28, coming to a grinding halt on the Parkway West atop Green Tree Hill, or navigating the confusing and congested Downtown streets, Pittsburghers get perturbed the most over traffic.  We all have secret short cuts to try to avoid these nightmares, but a lot of the time you just can't avoid it.  Why entering tunnels suddenly makes drivers hit the brakes, nobody quite knows.  Pittsburgh traffic has even caused one frustrated driver to spoof Maroon 5's "Moves Like Jagger" with his song and video "Move Ya Jagoff." 

The dreaded Squirrel Hill Tunnels

Weather:  Pittsburgh has weather for everyone:  rain, snow, sleet, hail, and sometimes even sunshine.  Residents complain in July and August when it is hot and humid and detest the snow and below freezing temperatures in the winter months.  Pittsburgh also has very few sunny days, so planning that picnic orthe trip to the Arts Festival is always tricky due to the abundant rainfall that the region receives.  The same neighborhoods et al continue to get flooded each year, ahem Millvale and Mon Wharf, which causes much heartache for residents and commuters. We have even seen some small tornadoes recently.  The weather also contributes to the always present potholes on Western PA roadways that drives commuters bonkers.   

Just a typical day in Pittsburgh

Politics/Politicians:  Former County Executive Dan Onorato was chief villain for a while when he instituted the drink tax. This tax was supposed to kill the bar business and popular binge drinking as we know it.  7% of a few bucks?  Seems like bars are busier than ever.  Mayor Luke Ravenstahl for his adolescent and moronic behavior.  Former Gov. Ed Rendell for "favoring" Philadelphia.  The Pittsburgh Post Gazette (PPG) endorsed Tom Corbett for Governor due mainly to his support of privatizing liquor stores.  Now everyone, including the PPG, strongly opposes his policies on gutting education, not regulating the natural gas industry, voter ID laws etc.  And of course, we have the Marcellus Shale.  The pro-business population wanted fracking bad, but now that it is here these people don't want drilling anywhere near their community.  We want to have our cake and eat it too.  Property assessments.....enough said.

Mayor Ravenstahl Tebowing

Parking:  Finding a parking spot for an automobile stresses many out.  Going to a sporting event?  Where in the world is one to park?  PNC/Heinz Field spaces are shrinking by the year.  Uptown..... fogetaboutit!  This problem causes many people to leave whatever game they are attending early, no matter the score, importance of the game, or time or day...."gotta to beat the traffic." Oakland, South Side, Downtown...you better get your folding chair ready to save your spot while you're out.

Don't you dare even think about moving that chair courtesy of boringpittsburgh.com

Sports:
Steelers - Offensive Coordinator Bruce Arians is the one to blame if, 1) the defense lets up a 98 yd game winning drive in the 4th quarter 2) the offensive line is constantly injured and lacks talent 3) Not playing smash mouth "Steeler football" when you have unreliable running backs and offensive lineman.  (Note: Arians was finally let go after the 2011 season)
Upset with national NFL "experts" not ranking Roethlisberger as the top QB in the league. 
Roger Goodell for conspiring against the Steelers with fines and suspensions. 
Phil Simms and his biased color commentary during a Steeler game.

Penguins -  Sidney, Sidney, Sidney....his concussions, toughness, and future are popular fodder for fans as he continues to miss games due to the violent blows he has taken over the last two seasons.
Fans taking it personally if Mario Lemieux isn't regarded by "experts" as the greatest hockey player to ever grace the ice; being ranking # 2 or # 3 is just too ridiculous to comprehend.
Jaromr Jagr......boooooooooo!

Pirates - There is legitimate reason to be upset here, 19 losing seasons, cheap owners, and poor management.

Ugggghhh!

Pitt Football -   Getting to the elusive "next level," attendance, building an on-campus stadium, and bringing back the classic script uniforms

Classic Pitt Stadium and one of the best college uniforms of all time: the blue and mustard gold "Pitt Script"

Pitt Basketball - Final Four anyone?

So.....let us conclude that there are a lot of things to complain about.  But, talk to someone who left Pittsburgh and moved to another city.  Ask them about St. Patrick's Day celebrations, parades to celebrate sports' championships (if the city has a major sports team), fireworks, amusement parks, ethnic foods, fish sandwiches.....They miss their city.  Yes we love to hate our city.

Riverhounds Climb on Sinking Barge

Pittsburgh has seen its fair share of redevelopment in recent years and it looks as if at least one more construction project will hope to give Pittsburgh a new image. The Post Gazette reports that plans for a new soccer stadium have been revealed at Station Square for the Pittsburgh Riverhounds soccer team which is a member of the United Soccer League.

The idea to build a roughly 7,000 seat soccer only stadium in Pittsburgh is not just surprising, but more importantly ridiculous. As you know Blast Furnace members keep a keen eye on local sports and I had no idea that this team even existed anymore. I have quite the history with this team as well and can explain why this stadium makes no sense. The year was 1999 and the Riverhounds were looking for a place to play their games and they settled upon my Alma Mater, Bethel Park High School. I had the distinct pleasure of working for the "Hounds" as an usher and set-up/tear down employee. The Hounds were lucky to get 300 fans in their inaugural season here in Pittsburgh. The pay was great as an employee, but the quality of soccer was below poor and the owners seemed as if they were running a YMCA team rather than a professional team. To add to that point, at one game we had Brandi Chastain attend a game and sign autographs...who was her personal bodyguard and security...that's right, yours truly. At that game, they were lucky if they hit 500 fans.

Pittsburgh can barely get full attendance at Pitt basketball games consistently and could never support an NBA team, yet low level minor league soccer feels that it can do well? I feel that after this move Pittsburgh will "unleash the hounds" to a more soccer friendly city.