All Aboard the Caravan

Hey everyone,

This weekend is PirateFest weekend and that means only one thing... The Annual Pirates Caravan will be held this week. Members of the Pirates Roster and Staff will travel around the Tri-State area greeting fans, signing autographs and talking about the upcoming season.

The stops lead up to Friday when PirateFest, the big indoor fan fest takes place all weekend at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. If you are a Pirates fan it is the place to go for autographs, giveaways, merchandise and much more for all ages.

The team usually makes an appearance at the Johnstown Galleria attracting fans from around the area. They will do so tomorrow night. Last year I attended and the line was the longest it has ever been. Andrew McCutchen   was in town last year which brought out a big crowd.

It is great to have the Pirates come out to this area and other areas where for some fans this is the only chance they get to see their favorite team in person.

I encourage everyone to go out to the stop closest to you, visit with the players and staff, show your Pirates Pride.

For the complete caravan schedule

http://pittsburgh.pirates.mlb.com/pit/community/caravan.jsp

On A Side Note: 

- The Johnstown Tomahawks have a busy weekend ahead with the Hanson Brothers coming on Friday and Penguins Chris Kunitz and Matt Cooke along with the Stanley Cup on Saturday. The team is coming off a successful road trip so if you can come out for one or both games, they would appreciate it as they take on Division Leading Jamestown.

Ed

-The Flood City Sports Fan

Big Win for the Panthers

A win over a team that came in with a 3-8 record and a 1-6 conference record. This may not normally be seen as a big win but for the Pitt Panthers, it meant so much for a team who has had so many issues in the past year. The biggest reward of the win is becoming bowl eligible. Not only does the team get to play in a bowl game, but they also get the reward of some extra practices to work to prepare and improve for next year.

The 27-3 win was a good one as the Panthers stepped up and dominated both sides of the ball. It was great to see Tino Sunseri get to 3,000 yards passing and Ray Graham get to 1,000 yards rushing. Both have had their ups and downs but they always come out fighting.

Now the waiting game begins. The Panthers are going to a bowl game but there are no guarantees about which one. There are projections of the Beef O'Bradys Bowl, the Pinstripe Bowl (vs WVU) or dare I say it the BBVA Compass bowl for the 3rd straight year. Guess we will have to wait and see.

Ed
- The Flood City Sports Fan

Trip to Nashville

Hey Everyone,

This will be the first post of two tonight. I will be posting a Pitt Game Recap later. I have made it to the beautiful city of Nashville, TN. I will be attending the Baseball Job Fair this week but I will also be checking out the city. As part of the Job Fair, I get to attend the Baseball Trade Show as well.

The trip down was fun for me. Being a sports fan it is cool to see all these different stadiums and venues. It started in Cincinnati, OH where I got an up close look at U.S. Bank Arena, Paul Brown Stadium, and Great American Ballpark. All three are nice venues and I liked how the arena and the ballpark were connected by the walkway over the roadway below.

Next, as we made our way through I was able to get a glance of Champion Window field in Florence, KY. For those not familiar with the importance of this, you would have to know the history of the Independent Baseball team known as the Johnstown Johnnies. The Johnnies moved to this stadium and became known as the Florence Freedom.

The next place we went past was Kentucky Speedway in Sparta, KY. I was amazed that you could see it so well from the road. The additional parking lots added after the issues at the track in 2011 were also visible from the highway.

As I made my way into Louisville, I was able to see Louisville Slugger Field and Papa John's Cardinal Stadium. Both looked like nice facilities and I wish I had time to stop and visit them.

Finally we arrived in Nashville and one of the first buildings you can see is LP Field, home of the Tennessee Titans. I was impressed by the two large scoreboards on each side of the stadium

 

Finally, we decided to visit the Country Music Hall of Fame in downtown Nashville. The museum itself was very interesting and had a lot of cool memorabilia and artist momentos. The museum was also located across from Bridgestone Arena, Home of the Nashville Predators.

I hope to post in the next few days with updates of things I see here in Nashville and any cool experiences I have and I make my way through the PEBO Job Fair and the Baseball Winter Meetings.

Ed

-The Flood City Sports Fan