I've been over the Mackinac Bridge in northern Michigan many times and this reaction from two English influencers is hilarious. www.detroitnews.com/story/entert...

For those of you who do not appreciate the Rooneys and how they run the Steelers, take a look north to Buffalo where the terrible way the Bills handled the firing of Sean McDermott turned the franchise into a dumpster fire and alienated the ever loyal Bills Mafia. www.theringer.com/2026/01/21/n...

One of the most iconic SPORTS ILLUSTRATED covers of the 1960s. From 58 years ago today:

Dorothy Slota was a Hoosier fan who could not afford to attend the 1967 Rose Bowl. She'd said would go the next time Indiana was there but died from cancer right as Cignetti took over as coach. Her son spread her ashes at the Rose Bowl and again at Hard Rock Stadium. wapo.st/49yNjq5

The official name of Miami's marching band is the "Frost Band of the Hour." I hope Pitt does not sell the naming rights for our band, the "Sheetz Pitt Varsity Marching Band" just doesn't sound very dignified. news.miami.edu/frost/storie...

A couple of thoughts on Indiana winning the CFP championship. 1) I think Pitt's rebuild in the early '70s that resulted in 1976 was tougher to achieve because it happened before the portal. 2) Cignetti's quick success will increase pressure on coaches to turn teams around quickly.

ESPN botched their halftime livestream. BOTH bands played towards the visitor's side, so of course all formations were upside down. Does the "Worldwide Leader" not talk to band directors? At least both bands were well miked.

Pitt guy gets signed by the QB depleted Broncos.

The sad story of Eddie DeBartolo, the mall magnate from Youngstown who built the 49ers dynasty but had to give up the team over a gambling scandal. www.sfgate.com/49ers/articl...

Now we know how the Beatles were able to have such long recording sessions. When the engineers wanted to go home at 5:30 PM they were given tea that was spiked with amphetamines. americansongwriter.com/they-dont-kn...

This is wonderful! John Fogerty performs a short live concert for NPR. www.npr.org/2026/01/16/g...

The plot centers around a child cruelly separated from his mother by an uncaring government. Sound familiar? The first episode is excellent! My concern is if Paramount's new management will tolerate this show.

For those of you obsessing over Pitt's losses in the transfer portal, Ohio State has lost THIRTY players. www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-f...

This is a moving story by @mikedefabo.bsky.social about Mike Tomlin's last team meeting with the Steelers. Grown men like TJ Watt and Aaron Rodgers in tears.

I'll be watching the Skycast and of course the Halftime Bands stream.

This article is an excellent itinerary for a pastrami tour vacation. Alas, none of the establishments are anywhere near Pittsburgh. www.thetakeout.com/2071053/best...

The lead of this "what does it all mean" story about the Steelers and Tomlin is classic. "A Pittsburgh Steelers coaching search feels something like a papal conclave, except papal conclaves are more frequent." www.theringer.com/2026/01/14/n...

NEW: The Trib is expanding. Starting Saturday, May 9, Trib Total Media will launch the Pittsburgh edition of the Tribune-Review, a new weekend print publication of general circulation dedicated to reporting specifically on the City of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County @triblive.bsky.social

A highfalutin political magazine is ripping off Bill Raftery's call of Jerome Lane's famous dunk as clickbait. www.thebulwark.com/p/send-it-in...

Nobody captured life in a white-collar cubicle hive like Scott Adams. Please note that I love his art but despise his politics. variety.com/2026/artisan...

If I can please rip off the opening line of "A River Runs Through It" by Norman Maclean: In Pittsburgh, there's no clear line between religion and football.

Steve Perry is an excellent teacher of wildlife photography techniques. I photograph football Panthers and these tips help me too. youtu.be/2qYKXFodx5U?...

Martyrdom of the Ten Thousand, by Albrecht Dürer, 1508 (detail), 📸 via @johnewing

Finally some good news out of Washington. Many of the cuts to the science budget are being reversed. Good not only for science but for Pitt which receives a *lot* of NSF money. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/10/s...

The baby on the cover of this Nazi magazine 1935 was selected by Goebbels as the ideal Aryan infant. Turns out she was Jewish. The portrait photographer submitted the photo as a prank on the Nazis. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/09/w...

The two surviving members of the Doors, John Densmore and Robby Krieger, have rerecorded "Riders on the Storm" with musicians from around the world representing many different cultures. This must have been bittersweet with the loss of Jim Morrison and Ray Manzarek. youtu.be/GSiuMgKmiyk?...

Indiana has *zero* 5 star recruits and goes after underrated players. Sounds a bit like Pitt's recruiting strategy. www.wsj.com/sports/footb...

Somebody ought to start taking bets on the date when Pittsburgh Mills will be demolished. triblive.com/local/valley... (Via TribLive)

The band of Ole Miss is great! They're big, march well, and you could tell they were really feeling the music.

I wish those yammering hyenas on ESPN would shut up so we could see the bands' pregame shows.

Consider what's happened to newspapers, this strip from 1935 has sadly not aged well.

I'm a huge Star Trek fan. This device was recently announced at CES and claims it can translate 50 languages. Sounds very much like Star Trek's universal translator. Wonder if it works with Klingon. www.cnet.com/tech/ces-202...

This is an excellent short documentary about Steeline, the official drum line of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Be sure to turn the volume way up. youtu.be/Gu5KwdQevsM?...

For some reason felt like listening to this. The original and still best Steelers fight song from 1973. youtu.be/fZcPj6NJEJQ?...

My goodness. This is why the NFL has such a grip on us.

@dicknixon.bsky.social sir: Just saw Tom Brady in a commercial for a company that makes mediocre (at best) pizza. Must need the money for child support.

Here's a story from an Indianapolis newspaper about former Pitt defensive line coach Charlie Partridge leaving the Colts to head to ND. Seems the Colts' line this year was OK but not great and first round draft picks did not develop as they had hoped. www.indystar.com/story/sports...

Bucs activate Calijah Kancey from IR, elevate Jason Pierre-Paul. www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootb...

Albert Einstein's worldview was very progressive for his time. When Marian Anderson performed in Princeton, she was barred from a segregated hotel near campus. Einstein invited her to stay at his house and they remained life-long friends. www.theatlantic.com/culture/2026...

Nancy takes a selfie in 1943.

On what he called his birthday (although he didn't know the exact date), we remember scientist & author Isaac Asimov, who became a fan and advocate of #StarTrek in its early days (after a rocky start) and yes, theorized Data's positronic brain. ##ScienceFictionDay

For some reason, Indiana calls it's band the "Marching 100" even though it appears they're much larger than that. Might I suggest the Pitt try something similar. Because of the number of STEM majors, I suggest the "2 to the 8th Power Band."

So wonderful for the Rose Bowl having the Indiana band perform the National Anthem unlike having an American Idle 2nd runner up. ESPN did a great job with the audio.

The Star Trek float in the Rose Parade carrying George Takei was preceded by a marching band from Japan. Not sure if this was planned or serendipitous.

If this keep up, tomorrow morning they're going to find bodies floating in the Mahoning River.

Will be looking for this float tomorrow in the Rose Parade.

Of course I'll be watching the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl. The kind people of El Paso offer the best experience to visiting bands of any bowl game I've attended.

This hint of new Star Trek from Kurtzman is encouraging. We've not heard anything about Star Trek TV since Paramount's sale. Keep in mind that Kurtzman's Star Trek is very progressive while Paramount's new management is not.

Beautiful official Pitt watch for only FIVE THOUSAND FOUR HUNDRED NINETY FIVE DOLLARS. A bit pricey for a humble state-related blue-collar school. Unsolicited advice: Use the money for a donation to the Pitt Band. www.mlahart.com/products/pit...