Busy, fulfilling weekend of sports
While most working Americans dial their lives down over the weekend, tending to chores around the house, catching a new movie release, spending time with the kids, or planting themselves down on an easy chair with TV remote in hand for two days of football, I did the opposite.
I had a whirlwind of sporting activity over the weekend and, by my figuring, a fulfilling, yet very tiring, chain of events.
A short night after fielding an evening full of football games blended into an early Saturday morning and a trip to Youngwood to watch the WPCC conference meet on the WCCC campus. Now, the WPCC conference meet wasn鈥檛 quite the spectacle of the WPIAL championships I cover yearly, but we had vested interest in this meet because one of the few runners in the men蘑菇视频 race happened to be my mom蘑菇视频 grandson, Jason Lohr.
Jason was one of eight runners in the 8K championship race. (So, the WPCC isn鈥檛 a big running conference with only CCAC and Penn Highlands CC sending two runners each.)
Conference champ Chase Poole pulled away from Jason and teammate Austin Mawn midway through the race and cruised to the finish line by himself.
Jason kept chugging to the finish line with an 8K personal best of 32:59. (Well, that蘑菇视频 what the coaches said. Uncle Jim had 33 minutes, but Jason蘑菇视频 sticking to the sub-33.)
Once I worked my way through yet more construction on Route 119, north of the city this time, my attention turned to Rachel Rohanna蘑菇视频 third round of the Symetra Tour Championship.
Rachel had a good round Saturday as I tried to keep track through the haze of my sleep-deprived afternoon.
The post-secondary alma mater football teams had a mixed day with Saint Vincent losing to Thomas More (Ky.), but IUP pulling out a big win against Cal U for the Coal Bucket.
I had another early day Sunday for a trip to Heinz Field for the Cardinals-Steelers game. (I鈥檓 very proud. Not once did I refer to the visitors as St. Louis. Yes, I am that old.)
I usually turn off the cellphone during games, but the one time I don鈥檛 鈥� it rings. The youngest of Bill and Louise蘑菇视频 children was on the other end, excitingly 鈥� and out of breath 鈥� proclaiming she was almost done and was going to do it.
鈥淭he almost done and going to do it鈥� was in reference to the Denver Rock 鈥榥 Roll Half-Marathon and the fact that she had cleared the 12-mile mark. Taken aback a bit since the first quarter was underway, I stayed on long enough for her to express herself and come back with 鈥渢he game蘑菇视频 going on鈥� and a 鈥済ood luck.鈥�
Well, Jenn became the third member of the family to complete a half-marathon, but the first to walk every step. She not only beat the roadblocks, but a few people, as well, finishing well under her goal of four hours, 3:48:02, although her clock time was 4:15:29. (Man, that corral was really far away from the start line.)
After the call, the Steelers managed to do what some football pundits (e.g., Rodney Harrison) believed to be impossible by holding down the explosive Cardinal offense, while putting up 25 points for their second win a row. (It should鈥檝e been the third in a row, but no need to rehash the painful past.)
Hindsight being what it is, maybe it would be 3-0 without Ben had Landry (not Laundry) Jones been given the job. Although he蘑菇视频 only played with guys who are no longer with the team throughout his career, Jones watched Ben go through the weekly motions and probably had a pretty good handle on the offense.
Jones was helped by the considerable athletic skills of Martavis Bryant, who made a fantastic catch in the back of the end zone and then turned a simple 20-yard pass route into a game-clinching 88-yard touchdown reception.
(Two games ago, longtime stats crew associate Gary Smith asked me how many first downs the Steelers needed to seal down a win against the Ravens. I said two and, of course, the Steelers made just one. I said the same thing against the Cardinals with the ball at the 10-yard line, but they only needed one with the long touchdown pass.)
QB controversy in the 鈥楤urgh? Nah, I think it蘑菇视频 a safe bet No. 7 will be sitting back in the shotgun this Sunday at the Jamaal Charles-less Chiefs.
After another harrowing trip through barrel-laden roads (Route 51 this time) where we nearly witnessed a road rage incident, I settled down just in time to catch the news that Rachel had indeed earned her LPGA card. So, one last phone call with a really excited young woman who reached her lifetime goal.
All in all, a busy, but very successful, weekend of sports.