Rodkey commits to Indiana

Got this e-mail this morning from the father of Gateway senior-to-be offensive lineman Colin Rodkey ... seems he is headed for Bloomington, and coach Terry Smith has churned out yet another Division I recruit:

We just wanted to inform you that Colin Rodkey, a Junior offensive tackle at Gateway HS, has given a verbal commitment to play football for the University of Indiana, Bloomington. He had a dozen offers, and whittled them down to WVU, Army and IU. After a week long tour of offer schools in late June, he decided to verbally commit to the Hoosiers. We are pleased with the quality of the education Colin will receive, the level of play and competition he gets to experience in the Big Ten and the coaching staff at Indiana, they're honest, straight-forward and committed to the athletes development and education.

Thanks for your time
CJ Rodkey

Remember this fella?

Remember a real butt-kicking fullback/nose guard from the Shady Side Academy football team in the late 1990s named James Ruggiero?

Well, my brother, also a Shady Side Academy alum, alerted me that Ruggiero was going to be on the television show American Gladiators....and he was last night. Ruggiero wasn't just on, he was also victorious and is still alive in his quest to win the title.  

Ruggiero, who also played football at Kent State now lives in Yucca Valley, Calif. and you can read his 'official' bio from American Gladiators here.

You can see Ruggiero again on the tube when the last semifinal and final round air Aug. 4 in a two-hour special. Replays of all episodes can be seen at NBC.com.

Ruggiero was part of the Post-Gazette's 1998 Fabulous 22 team.

Here is the entire list:

1998

Rod Rutherford, Perry, QB; Trent Wissner, Blackhawk, RB-DB; William Ferguson, Woodland Hills, RB-DB; Chris Siegle, Shaler, QB-DB; Adaryl Akins, New Castle, LB; Ian Alexander, Shady Side Academy, RB-DB; Robb Butler, Perry, RB-WR-DB; Pat Cain, New Castle, TE-LB; Dave Campbell, Franklin Regional, RB; Jesse Cramer, Belle Vernon, RB-DB; Brian Eyerman, North Allegheny, QB; Nick Fisher, Mars, OT-DT; Chuck Griffy, Perry, RB; Brian Guzek, South Park, RB-LB; Dan LaCarte, Charleroi, TE-LB; Rick LaVelle, North Allegheny, TE-DL; Nick Marmo, New Castle, OG-DT; Maurio Medley, Shady Side Academy, WR-LB; Matt Morgan, Plum, OT-DT; Mike Patitucci, Brownsville, QB-DB; Darryl Robinson, Schenley, RB-LB; James Ruggiero, Shady Side Academy, FB-NG.

Get on the double dutch bus ... NYC just did

There really isn't much I need to say...you can read it all here. But, I am calling out WPIAL executive director Tim O'Malley. Please, Mr. O'Malley, add this as a WPIAL sport:

Double dutch will be a spring sport this coming school year, once basketball season is over and there is space in the gyms.

School officials say the introduction of double dutch to the calendar should get hundreds of students participating in an enjoyable aerobic activity.

Darche Jackson makes a move

Not often is there girls' basketball news in late-July, but I've got some for you today.

I spoke to Darche Jackson on Sunday evening after receiving an email from a source that informed me she was transferring from Wilkinsburg High School to Penn Hills High School. And sure enough, Darche confirmed that she has, indeed, left Wilkinsburg and will her senior year of school --- and play her senior year of basketball --- at Penn Hills.

She summed it up very simply, saying, "We moved to a new house in Penn Hills. That was the reason I transferred."

You can read the whole story here: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08210/900043-361.stm

With 33 days left before high school football season ...

I am back from vacation and, thanks to this place:

I came home with considerably less of this stuff:

But, oh well, you will have that.

True story, I did see Pete Rose, though, which I guess was a good thing. Something is for certain, it oozes with coincidence that I saw Charlie Hustle in a casino considering his, um, history involving wagering.

Enough about my vacation (on which, for the record, I did not get married) and let's get to the subject at hand: high school football is just 33 days away.

For today, let's visit something else that makes high school football in this region great --- the food at the refreshments/concession stands.

Over the years of covering high school football, I have eaten just about every refreshment stand fare imaginable.

From the ordinary

To the ultra-tasty

To the pierogi, which is downright sublime at some refreshment stands

Now it is time for you to step up and tell me what you like as refreshment stand fare and who has the best in the area. And don't give me this business such as, "The hot dogs are good at Monaca" or "North Allegheny has good nachos." That is not acceptable, you need to tell me exactly why you are making a specific claim and exactly how good these certain items are.

So do me (and the high school football fans of this region) a favor and make a post on here and enlighten us as to the one item that you recommend on a Friday night. And remember, you cannot be too specific.

If you need to, here is where you can sign up for a Varsity Blog account: http://community.post-gazette.com/user/CreateUser.aspx

Vacation time

Well folks, it is vacation time for me. I am headed out of the Burgh to Las Vegas for a week or so with my lady.

My checklist is as follows:

1. Spiderman Arm Floaties  

2. Zinc for protection from the sun   

3. A swimsuit

4. Straight cash, homey

5. Comfortable walking shoes

6. More straight cash, homey

Alright, I think I have everything I need.

It will be a nice respite and when I get back, it will be time to really get down to business, working to make this year's high school football preview section even better than last year's high school football preview section. 

I'll be back in town next Sunday, July 27 and I'll bring you up to speed on how my trip went then and also get back rolling with these daily blog posts.

Oh, and one more thing for all the people who have been whispering about this, hear me now:

I AM NOT GETTING MARRIED ON THIS TRIP TO LAS VEGAS. I have read enough Norman Chad to know that putting off marriage for as long as possible is probably the right move. So, I won't be paying a visit to the place pictured below, or any such establishment.

Later.

See you on the 27th.

With 41 days left before high school football season ...

We look at something today which I still don't get --- the Gatorade Shower. Yes, it has become enough of a cultural phenomenon, that it even has its own Wikipedia entry. Don't believe me, well, click on this link.

There is actually a flub over how the whole thing started. Some say the whole thing was born on Oct. 28, 1985, when then-New York Giants coach Bill Parcells got dumped on by Jim Burt.

But STOP!, not so fast my friend --- Former Chicago Bears defender Dan Hampton has a beef with that claim. 

Hampton says he invented the shower in 1984 when the Bears dunked Mike Ditka upon clinching the NFC Central.

 How does this pertain to a high school sports blog you ask? Well, I have an answer for you. It seems to me that Post-Gazette photographers through the years --- particularly Matt Freed and Peter Diana ---  have mastered the whole "dumping Gatorade on the coach" shot and have snapped a few great ones as football teams celebrated just after wins. All that said, I dredged a few of them up from the archives and here you go (to be accurate, three of the four look as if they are just plain water):  

JEANNETTE COACH RAY REITZ, 2007 PIAA CLASS AA CHAMPIONSHIP

CLAIRTON COACH TOM NOLA, 2006 WPIAL CLASS A CHAMPIONSHIP

THOMAS JEFFERSON COACH BILL CHERPAK, 2006 WPIAL CLASS AAA CHAMPIONSHIP

ALIQUIPPA COACH MIKE ZMIJANAC, 2003 WPIAL CLASS AA CHAMPIONSHIP

 Hey, remember, your feedback is what will make this new blog really sing ------ To post you must register, you can do it here: http://community.post-gazette.com/CreateUser.aspx

With 42 days left before high school football season ...

Today, I bring you something else you should love about the local high school football scene: South Stadium Cupples Stadium.

This place is a true gem; a field within the city limits, where you can see the city skyline from the top of the bleachers and, perhaps the best thing about the place is the ability to walk to a restaurant and grab something to eat before or after a game.

Now, I know parking down there is terrible and sometimes you have to fit into a spot like this: 

But parking aside, the place is centrally located, it is easy for just about everyone to get to and it has always been my contention that the WPIAL (even though it is not a WPIAL venue) and PIAA should use it to play more playoff games.

Who knows, it is just a thought.

With 43 days left before high school football season ...

We love high school football. Really, we do.

But, we love stories about old Steelers fans just as much. 

That is why, today, I share with you something I shared with Post-Gazette sports department web sensei Dan Gigler yesterday, among other things, he is the curator of the Post-Gazette's Blog n' Gold blog.

Simply put, it is Aunt Agnes, a lady I kind of know.....emphasis on kind of. 

She goes to the same tailgate party I attend (when I am not working) when the Steelers have home games.

The following is an email I got from my friend Mary Joyce yesterday, the undefeated, untied, unscored upon Queen of the North Side. Anyhow, here was the e-mail she sent ... and no, this is not a joke. Totally for real. I am speechless :

From: M.J. (mj.xxxxxx@xxxxx.net)

To: cdunlap@post-gazette.com

Re: Aunt Agnes

Wanted to share this picture with all my friends .... This is MY DAD's Aunt Agnes Falls .... She will be 90 years old in September and in prepration of her 90th birthday, she got her 1st TATTOO !!!

With 44 days left before high school football season ...

Today, we take a look at something else great --- a great website, pahelmetproject.com

Where else can you get art of just about all of the football hemlets in the area.

There are the great, such as Burrell and Mars:

There are the plain, such as Upper St. Clair and Norwin:

And then, oh yes, then there are the Florida State ripoffs such as Mohawk, Shady Side Academy, Penn Hills, Monaca, Penn Trafford, Peters Township and Seneca Valley:

But they are all great in their own way. And they all can be found at pahelmetproject.com, another thing that makes high school football in Western Pennsylvania great.