Joanne Rogers

Joanne Rogers passed away on Thursday at the age of 92. You may not recognize the name until you realize that her husband was the late Mr. Fred Rogers. I spent some time last night watching videos of her, primarily discussing Fred Rogers and Mr. Rogers Neighborhood for the terrific documentary Won't You Be My Neighbor? I've included some of these videos below. I also encourage you to check out her obituaries in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and The Washington Post. She had an amazing life and certainly had her own accomplishments. I don't have any personal stories to share about Joanne Rogers. With the craziness of the world, there's just something comforting and refreshing in hearing her speak and seeing clips of Mr. Rogers Neighborhood. 

I do want share some other thoughts that I saw online.

From Ya Jagoff 

So glad we had a chance to cross paths with you. Rest in peace. The neighborhood will miss you.

From Virginia Montanez (AKA Jane Pitt)

Many trying to figure out why our sadness at the death of Mrs. Rogers is hitting us so hard. It's because she has always been so wonderful at carrying on the legacy of Fred that she felt like one of our last tangible links to him. So we are mourning two people at once.

From my friend J:

So sad to hear the news of Joanne Rogers' passing. I was privileged to have gotten to know her while working at the PSO (Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra). My favorite memory is being with her in Europe for 10-days on our patron tour in 2017. She said her dream was always to hear the PSO in Europe and I am so happy to have been there with her for those concerts. Our world is a better place because of her.

RIP.

Major Announcement: Sean 2020

I'm concerned about the present state and future of our country. Too much division and not enough working together to find some common ground. I think I can help bring the country together. Therefore, I am proud to announce that I am forming an exploratory committee for the a 2020 Presidential bid. You’re probably thinking, Sean, why would I vote for you to be President of the United States? My response is that I created a comprehensive platform back in 2012, and I still stand by this today. (Well, except for the NHL lockout part since there currently isn’t a lockout, but as President, I pledge that I will ensure that there is no lockout or strike when the current agreement between the players and owners ends.)

You’re probably also thinking, we’re a divided country, so how are you going to bring us together? I have several ideas. The first is to force Tom Brady to retire from the New England Patriots after this Sunday’s Super Bowl. I realize that I may lose significant votes in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, and Maine, but I feel like I can win them back with this argument. The rest of the country is tired of seeing the Patriots appear in the Super Bowl, so forcing Brady to leave that team is an automatic win. For Patriots fans, don’t you want to see how the team plays without Brady but with Bill Belichick still as coach? This has been a hypothetical discussion for years. Now we can see it happen. Plus, can Brady win as QB for another team without Belichick? The country can really get behind this.

We can also bond on criticizing the Academy Awards for making the absurd decision not to nominate Won't You Be My Neighbor for Best Documentary. Instead, the Academy gave a nomination to Free Solo, even though we saw that movie 30 years ago when it was called Return of the Jedi.

I'm still not sure what we can do about this injustice. Maybe sanctions? Maybe it's just teaching the country about the legacy and importance of Mister Rogers.

You probably wonder why I'm announcing my candidacy now. It's still many months before the primaries and the Iowa caucus begin. (Something else we can agree on...caucus is a funny word!) Well, one year ago last week, I had surgery on my dislocated wrist. Many people thought I would never become a PGA golfer, compete in a tennis Grand Slam event, or pitch in a MLB game. Well, I proved everyone wrong. I mean, I haven't done any of these things (yet), but my wrist is as healthy as it's going to be, so I'm just waiting for the call.

This is the difficult part. I need volunteers to serve on my exploratory committee. Your important job will be to poll the country and see if I have a chance to compete. I also don’t have Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz money, so if you could contribute a few million dollars, that would be great.

I’m thinking that being on this committee will not be a very time-consuming endeavor!


The Brady-Belichick picture is from USA Today.

Won't You Be My Neighbor

On Monday, I went to the post office to mail something, and when that transaction was complete, I asked for a book of stamps. The post office employee then responding by asking what kind of stamps I wanted, and specifically mentioned the flag stamps next to the scale. When I asked if they had the Mister Rogers stamps, the post office employee lit up. It seemed like she wasn't having a good day, but she was genuinely excited about me requesting the Mister Rogers stamps.

She proceeded to tell me that the Mister Rogers stamps are currently the best sellers and told me a story about her daughter. Apparently, PBS had some fundraising drive where they were giving away the Mister Rogers "It's You I Like" special along with 30 episodes, all for a $72 donation. The daughter now wants this as an early Christmas gift.

This is simply another example of just mentioning Mister Rogers' name making people happy!

Pittsburgh Festival In Washington

Perhaps it's because Celebrate Fairfax is only days away, but I'm getting into the festival mood. I also realize that it's unlikely I'll be able to visit Pittsburgh this summer (this year?) and that makes me a little sad. Therefore, why not put the two together. That's right. I want to create a Pittsburgh festival in the Washington, DC area.

I could worry about the details like location (Dulles Expo Center?), insurance, security, etc., but today, I'm going to be an ideas man. There are thousands of Pittsburgh transplants that live in the Washington area (see the 2008 Steelers game at FedEx Field and the Post-Gazette series detailing Pittsburghers that moved away) and even more if you expand this to Baltimore. Why not celebrate our Pittsburgh-ness and expose the city to the greater Washington DC area?

The first step would be to partner with Visit Pittsburgh, the official tourism office for Pittsburgh. They are the experts on all the great things to do and see in Pittsburgh.

Here is what else this festival should have (some of this is unrealistic but others could definitely work):

- Food: You can't have a Pittsburgh festival without Pittsburgh food. Primanti's sandwiches, Quaker Steak & Lube wings, hot dogs from The O, Potato Patch fries, Peppi's Roethlisburger, pierogies, Eat 'N Park Smiley Cookies, anything from the Oakmont Bakery, Prantl's Burnt Almond Torte, Vincent's pizza, Sarris Candies, Dave & Andy's ice cream and lots of Heinz condiments. Yes, there will be Iron City beer too. I'm getting hungry!

- Some type of presence from current or former Steelers, Pirates, and Penguins. Heck, we can have some Riverhounds or Maulers too. Yes, I'll even allow a visit from Steely McBeam.



- We need to have some type of Kennywood exhibit. Maybe they can build The Racer or Thunderbolt for this festival.

- Music: Let's get Wiz Khalifa, Rusted Root, The Clarks and Mac Miller, who recently wrote "I am Pittsburgh" on Twitter.

- Admissions officers from Pitt, Duquesne, CMU, Robert Morris, Chatham, Point Park, and Carlow to help recruit high school students.

- Bring a dinosaur from Pittsburgh's Carnegie Museum. With the dinosaur hall at Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History closed until 2019, folks in DC will want to see a real dinosaur skeleton.

- An exhibit from the Andy Warhol Museum.

- A Mister Rogers and/or Daniel Tiger exhibit. Mr. McFeely could make the trip to DC again.

- Birds from the National Aviary.

- Have a giant poster showing the view of Mt. Washington where people can take a picture standing in front of it.

- Booths from some of Pittsburgh's biggest employers such as UPMC, Giant Eagle, Highmark, US Steel, and PNC Financial Services to recruit potential employees.

What else would you want to see at a Pittsburgh festival? Do you think this could happen?

Mick Foley Meets Franco Harris & George Washington

I was a big wrestling fan in the 80s. I attended a few live matches at Pittsburgh's Civic Arena and watched several Wrestlemanias at my friend Brian's house. This was during the heyday of Hulk Hogan, The Junkyard Dog, Jake "The Snake" Roberts, Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat and Andre The Giant.

Mick Foley arrived on the scene after I stopped following wrestling. However, I'm aware of Foley, not only from being a wrestler but also from being an author and appearing on television shows such as The Daily Show and Celebrity Wife Swap.

Foley was at the Pittsburgh Airport yesterday and posed with Pittsburgh legends Franco Harris and George Washington. Enjoy!

Spending day #156 of @IamSantaMovie #ShowMeTheSanta with #Pittsburgh's 2 greatest icons - Washington & Franco Harris. pic.twitter.com/fK4uuRh6zT

— Mick Foley (@realmickfoley) May 29, 2014

Foley tweeted that he appeared with Pittsburgh's two greatest icons. While Franco may be near the top of the Pittsburgh icon list, I don't think he trumps Andy Warhol, Mister Rogers or Roberto Clemente.

Found In My Basement: Mr. McFeely

While I realize that there are people out there that make fun of Mister Rogers and feel that he is the epitome of "uncoolness," I am not one of those people. Mister Rogers is a legendary Pittsburgher and has such great messages. I think I appreciate him even more now that I'm a parent.

One of the characters on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood is the mailman, Mr. McFeely, who may be best known for his catchphrase, "Speedy Delivery." Mr. McFeely actually visited my kindergarten classroom about 30 years ago. You would think that the picture below is from that visit. Nope. Check out the date.

Yes, I have an autographed Mr. McFeely picture from 2009 when I was already in my 30s. Mr. McFeely was in Washington as part of the screening of My Tale of Two Cities, and I had the opportunity to meet him and talk with him. I also have a picture with Mr. McFeely that appeared during my Facebook 10-year video.

In case you're wondering, I think I already lost this picture. Maybe it will be found in my basement again in another few years.

Click here for more items Found In My Basement!

Links, Links & Links (2200)

Welcome to the 2200th post here at Sean's Ramblings. Not too shabby from my humble beginnings to where I am now (which is basically the same place).

Great profile of Andrew McCutchen. [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]

Read this article from my friend Rabbi Rachel Kobrin about gay marriage. Completely unrelated to this article, she is probably the only Rabbi I know that used to regularly watch The Ricki Lake Show. [Huffington Post]

Although I don't have the time, resources or access, I would love for Sean's Ramblings to be like the DC Sports Bog someday. Here are several recent highly entertaining posts:

- President Taft's great-grandson with the Washington Nationals Racing Taft. Your move Lincoln descendants. [DC Sports Bog]
- This guy won't shave until one of the four major DC sports teams wins a championship. [DC Sports Bog]
- An interview with Verne Lundquist & Bill Raftery. [DC Sports Bog]
- Racing President Teddy helps a guy propose at a Nats game. [You guessed it: DC Sports Bog]

I love this picture from Deadspin.

Congrats to Mr. Brame on getting published. [Mr. Brame's Blog]

I never get tired of Mister Rogers stories. [Uproxx via That's Church]

Uncovering myths from a police officer [Ngewo's World]

Finally, in memory of Roger Ebert, I really enjoyed him and Gene Siskel walking around a New Jersey neighborhood on Letterman.

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!

Big Day

On the slim chance that anyone is reading my blog on Saturday, there are two big events that I need to share. First, today (Saturday, March 20th) marks the first day of spring meaning free Italian Ice at Rita's throughout the country. Visit Rita's website for more information.

Today also marks Won't You Be My Neighbor Day to celebrate Mr. Rogers' Birthday. Make sure to wear a sweater (which you may need after eating a cold Italian Ice).

My Tale of Two Cities and Sunday Links

As a reminder for folks living in the DC area, there is a special screening of My Tale of Two Cities, "a funny and heartfelt "comeback" story about coming home and the city of Pittsburgh, the real-life "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" tomorrow (Monday, March 16) at the AFI Silver Theater in Silver Spring at 7:00pm. That is one long sentence! Franco Harris, Mr. McFeely, Franco "Dok" Harris, who has declared to run for the Mayor of Pittsburgh, and Sean of Sean's Ramblings, who has declared not to run for the Mayor of Pittsburgh or any other city (yet?) will all be in attendance. 

Here is the movie trailer:  (UPDATE: This is the actual movie!)

Tickets are only $10, but are first come, first serve and may sell out. To reserve your seats, please email Natalie at mytaleoftwocities@gmail.com and specify the DC screening. More information about the film is available on the My Tale of Two Cities website. 

 Here are some other links and videos for your Sunday while you wait until the brackets are announced:

 - Steve Is Alive asks the Top Eight Mysteries of Pittsburgh. My favorite: "Who thought Franco Harris and George Washington were on the same level to share side by side statues of each other at Pittsburgh International Airport?" 

 - LiLu shares the places you must go to when you move to Washington. Sadly, since I live in the suburbs and don't get out much, I have been to less than half of these places. 

 - PSAMP found an online stock comic strip generator. 

 - Gilahi found a bare naked pole dancer. Actually, it's a bear naked pole dancer. This is completely safe for work or home. 

 - Congratulations to Cotter for his 1000th post on One For The Other Thumb! 

 - The USTA is looking for volunteers for the U.S. Open between August 29 to September 13, 2009. It probably helps if you live in or around New York. 

 - Finally, you know Jim Shearer from VH1's Top 20 Video Countdown and Yinz Luv 'Da Steelers. Well, he also puts out Yinz Luv 'Da Guins videos like this one: 

Major Announcement: Franco Harris and Mr. McFeely Coming to Washington

Pittsburgh is coming Washington! Actually, Pittsburgh is coming to Silver Spring, Maryland. As part of the annual "Won’t You Be My Neighbor? Day" in honor of Mister Rogers’ birthday, there will be a special screening of My Tale of Two Cities on Monday, March 16 at the AFI Silver Theater in Silver Spring. Tickets are $10, but are first-come, first-serve and may sell out. To reserve your seats, e-mail Cait at mytaleoftwocities@gmail.com and specifically mention the DC screening. Plus, there will be a special appearances by Steelers’ Hall of Fame running back Franco Harris, Mr. McFeely of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood and Sean of Sean’s Ramblings. (Shockingly, the organizers are not promoting the fact that I will be in attendance.)

Here’s a description of the movie from its website:

"My Tale of Two Cities" is a funny and heartfelt "comeback" story about coming home and the city of Pittsburgh, the real-life "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood", coming back to once again become "The City of Champions." The film, which stars some of the city's favorite neighbors including Franco Harris, Teresa Heinz Kerry, former treasury secretary Paul O' Neill, and many others, has struck a chord at a time when people and cities across this country are thinking about how to reinvent themselves for a new age and when it seems, now more than ever, we need each neighbor to make a difference.



I hope to see you there!

P.S. I've been waiting for an official e-mail that the event is on, but I can wait no longer! If I'm a bit premature in posting this, then I apologize.


Photo from the My Tale of Two Cities website.