DONORA78

 

 

 

 

DONORA78

3^rd Street

By Swissvale72

 

 

Was going to hold off writing until tomorrow, after the whole weekend had concluded but I was too damn impatient, too frenzied with playoff possibilities.

 

First, permit me an aside, a digression.� Made a whirlwind trip to the Burgh this weekend, for a funeral service for my friend, Nick, whose passing I referenced on this site several times.� Saw people I hadn�t seen in two decades.� Was some appropriate levity�.at the conclusion of the service, a song was played, with the announcement that it might have been the first song that Nick ever heard, sung by his mother�..on came The Carpenters �Close to You.�� From the back, we were whispering that if Nick was looking down on the service, he�d be saying��What the Fuck are they doing, playing this bullshit!�� Then�.someone from up front, said aloud��The Carpenters�.what�s this!!�� Anyway�caught up with Jay (President of his Class), Richie (a Zoning Board nitpicker) and Henry (the QB my senior year of high school�.whose dad, my first coach was a trip!) at a Swissvale barroom, over a few pints of Yuengling�s.�

 

Another digression, Henry�s dad�Henry, Sr., my first coach in Junior High.� I fucked up with my guard-tackle gap responsibilities our first game in 9^th grade.� Edision Jr. High ran 2 consecutive plays through this vacated area for huge gainers.� Next week, prior to the first home game, we have a pep rally.� Henry Sr. gets all the players on stage, goes down the line�says a few nice words about all of us�.comes to me�..�Vigs (my nickname back then) stunk like shit last week!!� He doesn�t play better this week, his ass�ll be on the bench.�� This, in front of the whole school.� But�I was not surprised�.was actually expecting it�sounded right to me!!

 

Henry, Sr. was also the high school basketball coach.� Silenced the crowd one day, �caue he had the temerity, in 1971, to start 5 black kids�..Dillard brothers, Epps cousins, Scales kid�challenged anyone in the crowd to come down to the floor, tangle with him.� Was on TV later that year, criticizing Ligonier for freezing the ball the whole game in an effort not to win, but to not get blown out.� Swissvale won, 19-1.

 

Was a poignant, bittersweet weekend�..first bitter, ended sweet.

 

Anyway�.Steelers!!

 

We�re still alive!!� Hopefully, Indy beats Cinci tonight�.we�ll be even more alive.� Here�s what needs to happen then, most simply.

 

Christmas Weekend:

NYJ lost AT Miami

JAX lose to NE

Cinci lose AT Denver (although we benefit from this game going either way)

 

New Year�s Weekend:

JAX lose AT KC

Buffalo lose AT Baltimore

 

And, oh yeah�.all of these things don�t go our way�.still a margin for error, should Oakland beat the Jets in the finale, or should SF win at Denver.

 

The above list, though�.what can�t happen!!� Again, Steeler brother and sisters�.not confident, am hopeful.

 

Of course, we need to win�..and I�m not overly impressed with the trio of wins we�ve had over the dregs of the league, none with their top QB.� I was certainly not impressed with the triple 3 & outs we had to start yesterday�s game.