On Saturday, Marty and I attended the Pitt vs. New Hampshire game in Pittsburgh. Admittedly, the experience was quite different than those from our younger days. I remember looking forward to Saturday home game days, trudging up "Cardiac Hill" to the back of the old stadium where the Student section entrance was located. Back then we had benches to huddle on, but I don't recall sitting much. We had a great time regardless of the weather, and it was a refreshing break for me, from my stringent engineering curriculum.
Today, the Peterson event center stands in the spot of the old stadium, and the University football team shares Heinz Field with the Pittsburgh Steelers. This means that students now hop busses into the North Side rather than walking to the stadium. There is much hoopla along the river front with games and DJ's offering entertainment. Everyone, including the students, is guaranteed an actual seat rather than having masses huddled together. The entire experience is filled with constant visual stimulation.
From the grand entrance of the Pitt Band to the emergence of the players from the locker room, one cannot help but be caught up in the excitement. When the Pitt players enter the "red zone", the two Heinz ketchup bottles above the scoreboard flip open their lids, and they begin to tilt downward, getting ready to pour red streams which "fill up" the scoreboard with red, in anticipation of a touchdown.
I'm sure that the fans never tire of hearing the bottles opening! At least I know that I didn't!
But, what I found the most fun was the entire stadium, at the end of the third quarter, breaking into song along with Neil Diamond, singing out "Sweet Caroline". Words cannot describe the experience.
Back in our younger days, Pitt was ranked #1 and Tony Dorset was the star of our college days. But, I have to tell you, attending a Pitt game today is a whole lot more fun than what it used to be. But, then again, I don't have to worry about cracking open "the books" to study later in the day, either. That automatically makes it more fun!
Great memories, Barb..., and what a fun "new" experience to go to the game without having homework to do. I like that! I went to one Pitt game back when you were there and I was at Chatham. It was Pitt vs. Navy so that I could see Bobby Powers play and meet up with him for a short visit after the game. That's an afternoon I'll never forget.... So glad you and Marty had fun! As I repeat often, "what's the use of living if you're not having any fun!"
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