OT: The Pittsburgher Thread: 2022 Handball season has arrived!

[LeafSteel]

RIP to a Steeler legend and a true gentleman.

Franco Harris was a huge part of my childhood. We lost a great one today….

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

I can vouch for this. In the 80s my aunt went to work for a family friend who ran an exercise equipment shop on the north side. (It was at the bottom of Federal Street and what stands there now is a baseball park.)

Many Steelers players and retired players bought stuff from the business and a couple became first-name basis acquaintances of my aunt, who would tell me to stop by if she knew someone, especially Franco, was coming by on a given day.

Franco’s soft-spoken nature may have hidden a desire to be great on the field but off the field he was every bit the kind, gentle man he seemed to be. Somewhere I have a 5x7 he signed for me one of the times I met him. And a few years later, when I was working at the store myself in summers and holidays between college, I helped deliver and install a treadmill to his home over in the Mexican War Streets.

Wow Federal Street?

That’s my old stomping grounds. My friend and his sisters worked at Toula’s Hot Dog shop on Federal when we were teens. One of the most dangerous areas in the city when I was a kid though.

My hockey buddies and I grew up learning to skate on Lake Elizabeth right across the street from Federal.

We were cool with the Crips who controlled that territory and they liked to watch us skate/play hockey. Never harassed us and let us be.

That’s cool to hear about Harris though. Was Federal Street dangerous when you worked there?

Lots of gang violence there when I was a teen… shootings, stabbings, robberies, etc.

Edit: Looks like it hasn’t changed much:

Man stabbed on Federal Street in Pittsburgh's North Side

A man was in critical condition Monday night after being stabbed earlier in the day on a commercial section of Federal Street in Pittsburgh’s North Side, officials said. Zone 1 police and medics responded to a report of a man injured by a knife shortly after 4 p.m., Pittsburgh Department

triblive.com

Two injured in shooting along Federal Street

Pittsburgh Police are investigating after two people were injured in a shooting on Pittsburgh's North Side.

www.cbsnews.com

 

[Double-Shift Lasse]

Wow Federal Street?

That’s my old stomping grounds. My friend and his sisters worked at Toula’s Hot Dog shop on Federal when we were teens. One of the most dangerous areas in the city when I was a kid though.

My hockey buddies and I grew up learning to skate on Lake Elizabeth right across the street from Federal.

We were cool with the Crips who controlled that territory and they liked to watch us skate/play hockey. Never harassed us and let us be.

That’s cool to hear about Harris though. Was Federal Street dangerous when you worked there?

Lots of gang violence there when I was a teen… shootings, stabbings, robberies, etc.

Edit: Looks like it hasn’t changed much:

Man stabbed on Federal Street in Pittsburgh's North Side

A man was in critical condition Monday night after being stabbed earlier in the day on a commercial section of Federal Street in Pittsburgh’s North Side, officials said. Zone 1 police and medics responded to a report of a man injured by a knife shortly after 4 p.m., Pittsburgh Department

triblive.com

Two injured in shooting along Federal Street

Pittsburgh Police are investigating after two people were injured in a shooting on Pittsburgh's North Side.

www.cbsnews.com

It was not a great neighborhood but I was never there after dark so...? I never had any trouble. I am trying to recall Toula's but it's been a long time. I recall grabbing work lunches at a hole-in-the-wall barbecue shop with no seating and at a market that made deli sandwiches. Both were on the left-hand side as you came down from the top of the hill, probably around where Mike's Beer Bar is now. Around the same time my mom worked at Allegheny Methodist Church on North Avenue a couple blocks down from Federal towards Brighton, not far from Franco's home and right across from Lake Elizabeth. They had ministries for the homeless and for people trying to get clean (often the same people) but I don't recall any violence.

None of this is meant to suggest it wasn't a rough neighborhood. We knew there were drugs and gangs and that there were certain times of day and certain places you just didn't go, especially on the Commons. I worked there in the mid-late 80s as a teenager in high school and college. Not sure what time period you grew up.

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

It was not a great neighborhood but I was never there after dark so...? I never had any trouble. I am trying to recall Toula's but it's been a long time. I recall grabbing work lunches at a hole-in-the-wall barbecue shop with no seating and at a market that made deli sandwiches. Both were on the left-hand side as you came down from the top of the hill, probably around where Mike's Beer Bar is now. Around the same time my mom worked at Allegheny Methodist Church on North Avenue a couple blocks down from Federal towards Brighton, not far from Franco's home and right across from Lake Elizabeth. They had ministries for the homeless and for people trying to get clean (often the same people) but I don't recall any violence.

None of this is meant to suggest it wasn't a rough neighborhood. We knew there were drugs and gangs and that there were certain times of day and certain places you just didn't go, especially on the Commons. I worked there in the mid-late 80s as a teenager in high school and college. Not sure what time period you grew up.

If you were walking up Federal, Toula's was on the right, like 2-3 buildings up.

I grew up in the 90s when gang violence really started to surge there. It was pretty bad, but you didn't really let it control your life. When we went down to play hockey on Lake Elizabeth we never wore red (Bloods) or black (OGs) as a sign of respect for the Crips. They were always lurking around the Commons where the lake was.

We respected them and they left us alone and would talk to us about hockey and whatever.

We had a night rule also. If there was like 4-5 of us we tried to be out of there before the lights came on. If there was like 10-20 of us, we would just keep playing.

They had those vintage era lights from old Allegheny City that added to the aesthetics. It was so beautiful at night with the snow and such, always hated leaving if it was a small group of us, but we were street smart kids and knew being cool with some Crips didn't mean we were totally safe.

 

[Ben Grimm]

RIP to a Steeler legend and a true gentleman. Franco Harris was a huge part of my childhood. We lost a great one today….

Agreed and same here about my childhood. He was one of the best ever and the Immaculate Reception is arguably the most famous play in NFL history.

 

[Double-Shift Lasse]

Yeah that looks like the barbecue place I used to go, but I don't remember there being any seating. By the 90s I was graduated, married and living in Ohio. A lot has obviously changed there.

 

[ColePens]

This is a weird one. Anyone in Pittsburgh has probably seen him out and about. He was always doing the rounds of any sport event. He seemed in good health. Really sad.

 

[Al Smith]

Too bad about Franco; seemed like a great guy. Off the top of my head, favorite Franco moments/periods: 1. Of course Immaculate Reception - listening on the radio cause the home game was blacked out and my dad absolutely going crazy when it happened; 2. Super Bowl IX; 3. The great run of wins in 1976 after TB got hurt and the game plan was basically have Mike Kruscek give the ball to Franco and Rocky 1000 times a game; 4. Franco - then on the backside of his career - breaking the ankles of the execrable Cliff Harris in a long TD run in a 1979 win against the despised Cowboys.

 

[TimmyD]

Man that is just terrible news about Franco. I hope the Steelers go kick the Raiders ass now on Saturday night. It would be a great tribute to an all time franchise legend

 

[JTG]

Joe Greene was the standard by which the Steelers have been judged since he arrived in the league, but Franco was right there with him. Franco was very much like Mario has been - he's a guy who came to Pittsburgh and made it his lifelong home, remained a pillar in the community, and represented all that was good about athletes. I have been to many events where Franco attended, and he had always been nothing more than the epitome of graciousness and class.

Steelers Hall-of-Famer Franco Harris dead at 72

Pittsburgh Steelers Hall-of-Famer Franco Harris has died at the age of 72, just days before the 50th anniversary of the Immaculate Reception.

www.wtae.com

This game was supposed to be a fun environment. Now it’s just going to be depressing.

It's going to be super depressing AND maybe the coldest game ever played at Heinz Field.

 

[Buddy Bizarre]

I can vouch for this. In the 80s my aunt went to work for a family friend who ran an exercise equipment shop on the north side. (It was at the bottom of Federal Street and what stands there now is a baseball park.)

Many Steelers players and retired players bought stuff from the business and a couple became first-name basis acquaintances of my aunt, who would tell me to stop by if she knew someone, especially Franco, was coming by on a given day.

Franco’s soft-spoken nature may have hidden a desire to be great on the field but off the field he was every bit the kind, gentle man he seemed to be. Somewhere I have a 5x7 he signed for me one of the times I met him. And a few years later, when I was working at the store myself in summers and holidays between college, I helped deliver and install a treadmill to his home over in the Mexican War Streets.

I think that's the measure of someone: in this day and age, everything is scrutinized. But you can't find 1 person to say a negative thing about Franco.

Such a sad time mere days before getting your jersey retired...something the Steelers don't do often.

 

[Pens1566]

I think that's the measure of someone: in this day and age, everything is scrutinized. But you can't find 1 person to say a negative thing about Franco.

Such a sad time mere days before getting your jersey retired...something the Steelers don't do often.

That's just because no one is mentioning his support for JoePa after all the shenanigans came out. That feels pretty negative to me.

 

[Goalie_Bob]

That's just because no one is mentioning his support for JoePa after all the shenanigans came out. That feels pretty negative to me.

I'm sure Madden will be bringing it up at 3. He is/was very critical of Franco and the other people who wouldn't accept JoePa's responsibility in the Sandusky case. I'm sure he will be calling him Free Meal Franco.

 

[Pens1566]

I'm sure Madden will be bringing it up at 3. He is/was very critical of Franco and the other people who wouldn't accept JoePa's responsibility in the Sandusky case. I'm sure he will be calling him Free Meal Franco.

I don't listen to Madden. But I have been surprised to see no one even mention it as of yet. I was waiting to see if/when that would come up because as I recall it was a pretty big deal at the time.

I get not wanting to speak ill of the dead, but that was the most recent news he was relevant for.

 

[vodeni]

I don't listen to Madden. But I have been surprised to see no one even mention it as of yet. I was waiting to see if/when that would come up because as I recall it was a pretty big deal at the time.

I get not wanting to speak ill of the dead, but that was the most recent news he was relevant for.

I think that was driven more by his association with a out of town group during the Pens moving crisis. I was just recently at the game I think it was against Boston when Franco's presence was announced and both Madden and DK were lamblasting Pens for honouring him

 

[Pens1566]

I think that was driven more by his association with a out of town group during the Pens moving crisis. I was just recently at the game I think it was against Boston when Franco's presence was announced and both Madden and DK were lamblasting Pens for honouring him

I must have missed that. Still, possibly offending owners/fans of a sportball team dwarfs in comparison to defending someone that concealed a serial pedophile. At least to me.

But hey, now we've got 2 reasons to not be as sad ...

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

I must have missed that. Still, possibly offending owners/fans of a sportball team dwarfs in comparison to defending someone that concealed a serial pedophile. At least to me.

But hey, now we've got 2 reasons to not be as sad ...

I heard today is actually Paterno’s birthday. So kind of nuts he died today.

Also has been rumors for years Harris had Paterno’s missing statue in his basement.

Kind of weird if true, but who knows.

 

[Ginormousthumbs]

2 years today since Kevin Greene’s passing.
Really sad about Franco.

 

[Buddy Bizarre]

IR - All 22

 

[Double-Shift Lasse]

I had never made the connection that the Immaculate Reception happened about a week before Roberto Clemente’s plane crash.

 

[Buddy Bizarre]

I had never made the connection that the Immaculate Reception happened about a week before Roberto Clemente’s plane crash.

Willie Stargell was supposed to throw out the 1st pitch at PNC, but passed just before

 

[Goalie_Bob]

Yeah, didn't he pass away opening day? Just strange how connected life can be.

 

[Buddy Bizarre]

I predict the Steelers are going to destroy the Raiders. Too much emotion behind this game for them to not win

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

I predict the Steelers are going to destroy the Raiders. Too much emotion behind this game for them to not win

Who knows. Raiders have won something like 4 of the last 5 meetings. They seem to have Tomlin's number.

I suspect KP may not play well since he's coming off a concussion. Could just have that feeling because Roth seemed to always shit the bed when he was coming back after an injury,

 

[edog37]

I think that was driven more by his association with an out of town group during the Pens moving crisis. I was just recently at the game I think it was against Boston when Franco's presence was announced and both Madden and DK were lamblasting Pens for honouring him

I think that was driven more by his association with a out of town group during the Pens moving crisis. I was just recently at the game I think it was against Boston when Franco's presence was announced and both Madden and DK were lamblasting Pens for honouring him

Franco actively worked against Mario & the Pens. That coupled with his disgusting support for Paterno is why I have little respect for him. Condolences to the family & may he rest in peace but honestly, it’s a little overboard.