2013 Celebrate Fairfax Headliners

Major announcement that you're reading here first (unless you follow Celebrate Fairfax on Facebook or follow the bands). The Summerland Tour featuring Everclear, Live, Filter and Sponge is coming to Celebrate Fairfax on Friday, June 7th!



I don't think this video truly sells the show. Anyway, Everclear and Live were two of the biggest bands in the 90s. Live played a free concert at Ithaca College during my freshman year. They had just released the single Selling the Drama and didn't have a a big following at the time. I skipped the concert to play in an intramural soccer game. During my sophomore year, Live played a non-free show at Cornell and sold out. I didn't see Live then either, so I'm excited to see them in June. Meanwhile, Everclear performed a great show at Celebrate Fairfax about ten years ago. While either working or volunteering at the festival, I was asked to make copies of the set list for the band and crew. I'm letting you in on a secret. I made a copy for myself and still have it somewhere. Perhaps I can sell it on eBay for millions!

As for Filter, I really like Take a Picture. Random thought about this song: You think the lead singer has/had some issues with his father? I wonder if the song helped bring the two of them together.



I didn't think that I ever heard of Sponge, but I definitely recognize this song, Plowed.



Although the rest of the weekend's headliners haven't been announced yet, though I will post the information here when available, early bird tickets go on sale on April 5th on the Celebrate Fairfax website.

Interview With Cotter

When I announced that there would not be a Best Pittsburgh Sports Blog Tournament this year, I wrote that I wanted to interview my favorite former and current Pittsburgh bloggers. At the top of my list: Cotter of One For The Other Thumb. While OFTOT is no more, you can continue to follow Cotter on Twitter at @OFTOT.



Looking back on OFTOT, did you have a favorite moment in writing the blog?

Well, first of all, Sean, I take umbrage with your use of the past tense here. No, kidding…obviously OFTOT has been dormant for a while now, and there's no guarantee it'll ever be revived since I'm still getting routinely violated in the most uncomfortable of body cavities by work, AND I recently somehow managed to convince a woman to marry me (without any threats or coercion, thank you very much). Anyway, um, favorite moment? I guess if I had to pick one, it'd probably be when the Steelers won Super Bowl XLIII, mostly because that happened during my reign, and because the Steelers won the Super Bowl (again). But in all honesty, I loved every minute of writing OFTOT. And what I really enjoyed were things like doing MPIE, and basically any time I had the pleasure of interacting with my Steelers fan brethren because of some words I wrote on the internet. So, I guess what I miss most is the camaraderie.

Did you miss writing about the Steelers last season?

Yes and no. I mean, I guess at least I picked probably the best season in the last few to ignore blogging completely. I'm still not even all that sure about what happened last season. Was that real life? But overall, yes, of course I miss writing about the Steelers. And making childish videos and photoshops, and giving players stupid nicknames, and generally being a pillar of internet jagoffery. Some part of me will always miss it... /sad face with tear

This could tie in to the previous question. You remain very active on Twitter. Did you find that this kept you involved with the Steelers last season?

Absolutely. The whole reason I started OFTOT in the first place was so that I'd have a place that would be globally accessible to my idiot friends where we could talk about the Steelers and make jokes that should only be funny to 14-year-olds. At least if I could do the same thing on Twitter on gamedays, I guess I figured that'd fill the void as best as possible. PS - follow me @oftot (#ihavenoshame).

I think I first learned about your blog through your weekly Meeting People Is Easy (MPIE) feature where you asked people, generally other bloggers, simple questions about the Steelers, Steelers players, songs and more. How did you come up with MPIE?

Haha, I almost wish you hadn't ask me that question, because the answer reveals how completely unoriginal and borderline copyright infringement it was. So, I used to have a subscription to Sports Illustrated (the print version...how cute, right?), and every issue they'd do this thing they called the "pop culture grid," in which they'd ask four athletes a number of questions about random [stuff] and print their answers. I guess it was an attempt to humanize them. Anyway, I doubt anyone really cared about it in SI (because it was generally about as exciting as a 2x4 to the face), but I saw potential. So, I basically decided to rip it off and make it better - give it some attitude, and ask questions that might actually lead to interesting answers. Thus, MPIE was born. Actually, even the title was a wholesale copy job. I took it from a documentary I saw in college about Radiohead of the same name, which, PS, if you're into Radiohead, watch that [stuff] ahora. But yeah, I just thought it'd be fun to get to know pillars of the sports blogosphere, and especially OFTOT readers better by asking them the most inane questions I could imagine. And it was. For me. And probably no one else, hahaha.

I really enjoyed your pregame videos with Tecmo of PSAMP. Any chance for a reunion for the 2013 season?

That's a better question for Tecmo. I'm ready when he is.

With the Steelers coming off of an 8-8 season, what do you think the Steelers need to do this off-season?

Alright, so I actually waited to answer this question until most of the free agency grabassery was behind us, but, all I would say is - fill the holes. They now have a pretty clear idea of where they'll either need guys to step up, or where they'll need to draft someone. I'm more concerned with the latter than the former. I think having a kickass draft is a big time necessity this year. Get some guys who are ready to contribute at least in the next couple of years. That, and regain control of the clubhouse culture, because whatever happened last season was a joke. Also, confiscate all of LaMarr Woodley's internet-connected devices, and teach Antonio Brown how translate hashtag into English. But most of all, for Steeler nation - keep the faith. It's easy to be a reactionary. And believe me, it's not like I've taken any of this offseason's events without pounding a few beers. But, what would Mike Tomlin do? There is nothing to get fired up about until there's something to get fired up about. Let things happen, and hope for the best. One of the best things about being a Steeler fan is that no matter how you think things will go, the Steelers often surprise you when you least expect it. And with that, I bid you all adieu. Until we meet on the internets again, I love you all. And especially you, Sean. Adios, bitches.


Thanks again to Cotter for participating in this interview. Make sure that you follow him on Twitter.

Trivia Tuesday: NCAA Tournament Teams Edition

We're in the middle of the NCAA Tournament with some usual (Duke, Kansas, Ohio State) and unusual (Wichita State, LaSalle, Florida Gulf Coast) teams reaching the Sweet 16. Your challenge this week is to name the nicknames of the colleges that reached the NCAA Tournament listed below.

1. Wichita State

2. Albany

3. Florida Gulf Coast

4. San Diego State

5. Harvard

6. Iona

7. Pacific

8. Valparaiso

9. Akron

10. Western Kentucky

11. South Dakota State

12. Montana


As always please leave your answers in the comments section below and do not use the internet for assistance. Good luck!

Why Is This Night Different From All Other Nights?

Passover begins this evening, so it's time for eight days of matzo. Hooray!

Since Passover is here, enjoy these ethical questions from a non-Jew regarding purchasing Kosher for Passover Coca-Cola. [A List of Things Thrown Five Minutes Ago]

The answer to the title of this post is that Robert Morris is playing a post-season basketball game during the first night Seder. In case you missed it, Robert Morris defeated Kentucky. Even though the game occurred last week, this is still awesome. [ESPN, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Dan Shanoff, Yahoo]

Ranking the 68 NCAA tournament schools by the coolest person who went there. How does DJ Qualls rank above Robert Guillaume? [Sports Illustrated]

The guide to wearing ties includes the following statement: Finally, a tie that looks like a fish or is adorned with cartoon characters should be avoided at all costs...unless the wearer’s goal is to maintain celibacy. Not that I wore ties much during college, but when I did, they usually had Peanuts or Simpsons characters on them. In a related note, I didn't have a girlfriend for most of college. [Everybody Loves You]

Jerusalem's FC Beitar signed its first two Muslim players. Some fans weren't happy. Fascinating read about this. [Grantland & Sports on Earth]

The Reston band RDGLDGRN made their national television debut on Jimmy Kimmel Live. [Restonian]

Mr. Brame is about to live longer than Mozart. [Mr. Brame's Blog]

Make sure that you have a cup of wine ready for Elijah!

TMI Thursday: My Crush on the Pink Power Ranger

Today is the first day of the NCAA Tournament, so naturally, I'm writing about something completely unrelated. Although I either had class or my on-campus job during most afternoons when I was in college (approximately 100 years ago), at least once a week I was able to go back to my residence hall room before dinner. During this time, I turned on Animaniacs and laid down in bed usually falling asleep. When this occurred, I was often awaken by some type of battle featuring The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers on the television. I never quite figured out the plot, but if I remember correctly, there were six power rangers (not related to the New York Rangers or Texas Rangers) who would fight some type of giant robot or monster. I think the power rangers went undefeated.

Anyway, one of the power rangers was Amy Jo Johnson, the not unattractive pink ranger.

I had a crush on the pink ranger. Maybe not to the level of Debbie Gibson, but I was a big fan. I think I even tried to pass her a note in homeroom. A few years after her role on the Power Rangers, Amy Jo played Keri Russell's roommate on Felicity. Sure, she was in her late 20s at the time, but I guess she passed as a college freshman.

I haven't really followed Amy Jo's career since Felicity though according to IMDB, she spent the past few years in the Canadian TV series, Flashpoint. She is also the star and producer for the new short film Bent.

I also discovered that Amy Jo is on Twitter. At this time, I will not confirm or deny that I started following her. So, um, Amy Jo, will you follow me on Twitter?


You can read more about past TMI Thursdays by clicking here.

Random Ramblings

I cut myself shaving pretty badly this morning causing me to bleed my own blood on and off for nearly an hour. It's times like these when I would love to grow a Brett Keisel beard.

I'm about 75 pages until the end of Stephen King's 11/22/63. I'm not a horror fan, so this is the first Stephen King book that I'm going to finish. Despite being approximately 850 pages, it is an amazing book that I highly recommend. I guess I should probably update the "What I'm Reading" section of this blog.

Pope Francis is apparently a big soccer fan. As the Pope, can he tell Brazil to get him tickets for all of the Argentina games at the 2014 World Cup? My guess is yes and Brazil would also have to say yes, right?

I haven't filled out my NCAA bracket yet, and I really don't know what to do about Pitt. In my heart, I think they can Wichita State and the #1 seed Gonzaga. In my head, they'll probably lose in the first round, and I'll be disappointed.

Meanwhile, I'm really looking forward to seeing Kentucky play at Robert Morris in the NIT. I may need to find a bar showing this game and the Penguins-Capitals game side-by-side. Seriously, when was the last time Kentucky played a game at a venue that seats less than 3,500?

I had one of my worst experiences as a soccer referee over the weekend. During a tournament that included teams from well outside the DC area, I worked with two other officials that were very nice but completely overwhelmed and lacked the experience to work these game. I was and am embarrassed by some of the calls they made, but I really couldn't do anything about it. I agreed with all of the comments and criticism by the coaches, but I would never tell them this. Fortunately, the final score was 7-0 so the bad officiating didn't have an impact on the result. I sent an e-mail to the referee assigner with my thoughts though I haven't heard back and I'm not sure that I will. If that's the case, I'm not working for him again.

Kangaroo Video

Watch this video and try not to smile.



Yes, that's a kangaroo kicking a stuffed hippo. My favorite part of the video is the dog who is completely unimpressed by the kangaroo's actions.

This is now two blog posts featuring kangaroos in the past few weeks. (This is the other one.) Pretty soon, I'll have to rename this blog Sean's Kangaroo Ramblings! It's not as catchy as Pittsburgh Sports and Mini Ponies, which recently celebrated its 6-year anniversary, but it could work.

I Don't Understand Virginia Sometimes

I generally like living in Virginia, and more specifically, Northern Virginia. I live in an area with good schools and libraries. I love the fact that Wegmans is only a few miles away though a local Sonic would be nice. Plus, I rely on public transportation and that usually works well for me. (I now fully expect to experience an hour-long Metro delay tomorrow.) Now to the things that bother me. Virginia will be one of the last states to approve gay marriage though marrying your first cousin will likely stay legal forever. I can't say that I'm thrilled to be in a right-to-work state where I could get fired at any time. I also don't understand why there is a one-term limit for Governor when there are no term limits for state senators or delegates. I guess the legislature wants to make sure that they have the power.



Here's something else that bothers me. While this isn't new, I'm only getting around to writing about this now since Virginia Lt. Bill Bolling announced Tuesday that he would not run for governor as an independent. You see, there is not a statewide Republican primary for Governor, Lt. Governor or Attorney General. Instead, the candidates are selected at a party convention which essentially handed the Republican nomination to Ken Cuccinelli. This seems undemocratic! Why not let the people choose instead of the party elite? Anyone have a good explanation for this?

On a related topic, the Virginia Governor race is going to be brutal, and I'm not looking forward to the campaign and especially the ads.

North Korea Captures Psy (Express Fail)

The big news today is the potential instability between North Korea and South Korea. If you haven't followed the news, here is the basic information from Yahoo/AP:

North and South Korea staged dueling war games Monday as threatening rhetoric from the rivals rose to the highest level since North Korea rained artillery shells on a South Korean island in 2010.

Enraged over the South's joint military drills with the United States and recent U.N. sanctions, Pyongyang has piled threat on top of threat, including vows to launch a nuclear strike on the U.S. and to scrap the nearly 60-year-old armistice that ended the Korean War.

While this doesn't sound very good, the folks at Express apparently believe that war has already started and that North Korea captured the South Korean capital on Seoul. Even worse, the North Koreans are forcing arguably the most famous South Korean, Psy, to perform his follow up to Gangham Style in their captured land.

As always, please click here for all of your Express Fail needs.

Update 3/12/13: In Tuesday's paper, Express issued a correction stating that Psy will perform in Seoul, South Korea. Congrats to Express on correcting their mistake.

Friday Links & Videos

First off, it looks like my blog e-mail was hacked, so please delete any messages you may have received from me early Friday morning. Very frustrating. Not as frustrating are these links and videos. Enjoy!

With daylight savings taking place this weekend, can Congress or President Obama please consider abolishing this useless practice? [Sean's Ramblings; yes, I'm linking to something I wrote last year]

If you don't read Lemon Gloria, what are you doing with your life? This recent PG-13 post about nursing is one of the many highly entertaining posts. [Lemon Gloria]

My friend Neal Coolong interviewed Dick LeBeau [Behind the Steel Curtain + the interview outtakes]

Is Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood the greatest television show ever made? [AV Club] Joan Rivers is no match for Mister Rogers.



The Pittsburgh Pirates' minor league spring training roster does not include anyone named Sean. The major league roster also doesn't have anyone named Sean. This needs to change if the Pirates want to compete for the NL Central! [Pirates Prospects]

Speaking of the Pirates, the team's photo day is funny. [Bucs Dugout]

A nice poem by a father spending a great day with his daughter. [Away From the Things of Man]

Kegasus is not returning to the Preakness. It will be okay, people of Baltimore. [DCist]

Finally, add The Ironman to something that Hines Ward does that I'll never do.



Have a great weekend!

Essential Yinzer Giveaway Update

We have a winner in the Essential Yinzer Giveaway.



Number five is alive! Bram provided the fifth comment, so he is the winner.

Thanks again to Attorney Edgar Snyder & Pittsburgh Dad for putting together this contest. Please make sure that you check out their entertaining and informative video below.

Essential Yinzer Giveaway

In the 8+ years of Sean's Ramblings, I don't think I've ever used the word "yinzer" before. (Checks archives; found that I wrote yinzer once in a pop vs. soda blog post).

Anyway, on March 5th (that's tomorrow), two Pittsburgh icons will meet for the first time on live TV: Pittsburgh Dad and Attorney Edgar Snyder. On this episode of “No Fee TV,” Attorney Snyder will speak with Curt Wootton of Pittsburgh Dad, to discuss life in Pittsburgh and the impact of social media.

The episode will air live in Pittsburgh on the Pittsburgh Cable News Channel (PCNC) on Tuesday, March 5th at 7:30pm and re-airs on Saturday, March 9th at 12:30pm on PCNC. Those who live outside the Pittsburgh region can watch the video after the show airs on the Edgar Snyder & Associates YouTube channel.



In honor of this historic moment, I'm proud to host the Essential Yinzer giveaway where you can win the following prize pack:

• Pittsburgh Dad DVD
• Terrible Towel
• Edgar Snyder T-Shirt & Mug
• “N’@” bumper stickers and Pittsburgh goodies

To enter, please answer this in the comment section below: if you could ask Attorney Edgar Snyder or Pittsburgh Dad one question, what would it be? One comment/entry per person. Please enter by 7:00pm Eastern time Tuesday, March 5th (deadline extended!), and I will use Random.org to choose a winner. Please note that your question could be used during the live show!

By the way, although I only wrote "yinzer" once on this blog before today, I have written about Attorney Edgar Snyder multiple times.

Plus, enjoy a recent episode of Pittsburgh Dad.

Friday Videos

We're going all the way to Kuwait for the first video.



I feel like this video would be better if Gus Johnson or Kevin Harlan announced this table tennis match.

I don't know where this video takes place, but my guess is that it's not in Washington DC.



It is clearly never a good idea to bite an elephant's truck.

h/t Deadspin and KSK