TFH 12/23: The Greatest Play, A Dynasty Launched

Before the 1972 regular season, the National Football League's Pittsburgh Steelers had never finished better than second in their division. They won the American Football Conference's Central Division that year to secure their first ever playoff berth, and their 11-3 record brought the franchise's record to a pathetic 179-273. That's a .396 winning percentage.

Forty years ago today, the Steelers played their first ever playoff game at Three Rivers Stadium versus the Oakland Raiders. Pittsburgh and the surrounding communities were dying economically in those days. The steel industry was collapsing. Related jobs in mining and transportation were also on the decline. Other manufacturers such as Westinghouse were also reducing their presence. The Steel City was in pain, and the rise of the Steelers to competitiveness was one of the few bright points.

With the 13th pick in the first round of the 1972 NFL Draft, the Steelers had picked Penn State's stand-out fullback, Franco Harris. Harris delivered on his first-round selection by racking up 1,055 yards and 10 touchdowns during the season. Little did the rookie know that in the Steelers' first ever playoff game, he'd become the focus of the greatest single play in the history of professional football: the Immaculate Reception.

One Moment in Time, A Cause Shown

One week ago, I was attending BlogConCLT, a fantastic event put on by the Franklin Center for Government & Public Integrity and FreedomWorks. As my regular readers know, the bulk of my content here is on the "Finest Hour" motif, and I don't weigh in on other topics as often as I'd like to. I'll admit, my original reason for going to BlogCon was selfish: I wanted to meet so many of the wonderful people I've interacted with via Twitter and other online methods in person.

I did accomplish that, and so many e-acquaintances I can now count as real friends. What I really took away from the experience though was completely unexpected.

Switching off the lights

Today's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette contains an article about the planned closure of three power generation plants in western Pennsylvania, and eight overall, over the next several years. The three coal-fired plants in my area represent 1,387 megawatts of capacity. They are owned by GenOn Energy.

Yes, these are old facilities. Some of the generating units are as old as 60 years. According to GenOn's own press release the closures of the eight generating stations is "because forecasted returns on investments needed to comply with environmental regulations are insufficient." These regulations are ones enacted since the beginning of the Obama presidency.

Naturally, environmentalists are cheering. These "dirty" coal plants are going the way of the dodo. Their thick black belching smoke won't be poisoning us anymore. As coincidence would have it, I had to drive past GenOn's New Castle Generating Station today; it's a 330MW capacity plant, and is on the closure list. What did I see?

2011 Pittsburgh Steelers - a Post-Mortem

As has been well reported, the Steelers lost to the Denver Broncos in crushing fashion Sunday night, ending their reign as defending AFC Champions. Here are my thoughts on what was actually a good season that probably ended too soon.

1) The Big Failure. Simple: losing both games against the Baltimore Ravens. The opening game was an embarrassment. Giving up a 92-yard TD drive at the end of regulation in week 9 for loss #2 wasn't a whole lot better. If they could have held on to their lead and won the week 9 game, they'd have finished 13-3, won the division, and have secured both a 1st round bye and home field throughout the playoffs by virtue of beating the Patriots in week 8. Ultimately, the course of the Steelers' playoff exit may have been decided on November 6th.

2) Some Rest Would've Been Nice. I realize hindsight is 20-20, but the Steelers didn't handle injuries well down the stretch. Roethlisberger should have been inactive to let his ankle heal fully. Again, go back to November 6th - they win that game, no question Big Ben doesn't play on a bum ankle.

3) Are they too old? Good question. They certainly looked that way on Sunday. Were the injuries to D-Line stalwarts Hampton and Keisel age related? Probably not, but neither of them are spring chickens from a football perspective. It's already pretty much assured that Aaron Smith won't be back next year after season-ending injuries two years in a row. Defensive captain and signal caller James Farrior just finished his 15th season. Hines Ward ends his 14th season (I think he'll be back) but that isn't a big deal because...

4) The Steelers have the best receiving corps in the NFL. Period. They don't have the best single receiver. They have the best unit. Antonio Brown: first ever in league history with 1,000+ receiving yards and 1,000+ return yards. Mike Wallace: nobody will out run him. Emmanuel Sanders: so long as he stays healthy, he's clutch. Jericho Cotchery came up with a couple of big catches in key spots, but won't likely return since he's an unrestricted free agent and with the Brown/Sanders/Wallace trifecta, the Steelers will use cap space and the dollars elsewhere. Prediction: Ward takes a pay cut and stays here. The alternative is retirement. He's loved here, and was around for the Rod Woodson departure debacle. I don't think he'll risk his good will with the fans.

5) Back to an "age" topic, what was up with Polamalu? No secret Troy had an off-year. What I found more disturbing than his lack of interceptions, forced fumbles, and fumble recoveries was his instincts seemed to be off. Throughout his career, Polamalu has had an awesome ability to jump plays or come out of nowhere to make a game changing play. He started looking better late in the season - I saw a lot of that Troy - but was way off the mark in the Wild Card playoff game. Hopefully, he gets back in the groove for next season...at age 31.

6) Let's hope Maurkice Pouncey isn't really fragile. Two seasons. Two late season ankle injuries. He also missed time during the season. The difference in the Steelers' O-Line is massive when Pouncey plays versus not. We need him healthy.

7) What next? With their loss Sunday, the Steelers locked up the 24th overall pick in the 2012 draft. I think they might be in the position of picking the "best available player regardless of position", but I think they'll shy away from a receiver. If I was making the pick, it would be a lineman - offense first, then defense.

Looking ahead to the 2012 season, the Steelers will get a rematch with the Broncos (figure that will be a Sunday Night Football appearance). If the AFC West is on the rise, it could be a tough schedule. Games vs. the Jets and Titans should be easy wins based on relative team situations. The games vs. the NFC East should be interesting too - the only walk-over is the Redskins.

What will 2012 hold? It's going to depend really on how the Steelers who suffered late season injuries (Rashard Mendenhall, in particular, not mentioned earlier) recover. Right now, I'm going to say they don't do as well as this year, finish 11-5 but win the division with a week 17 victory over the hated Ravens.

Occupy Pittsburgh - Yurting for Winter

The economic miscreants at Occupy Pittsburgh are trying to settle in for the long haul over winter, assuming they don't meet the same fate as the original occupiers in NYC. They apparently have realized that tents just won't cut it for the long haul. Winter is going to hurt if they can't have some heat to sleep with. To avoid the hurt, they're going to yurt.

Yes, yurt. What is a yurt, you ask? According to a website linked by Occupy Pittsburgh, a yurt is "a circular portable shelter used by Central Asian nomads for over 2000 years, recently adapted for Western use." Our local occupiers are asking for assistance building what they're calling "hexayurts". The occupiers want them because they are "wind proof, water proof, and safe for a heater installation." They are also looking for "creative floor ideas." Somebody evidently suggested that wooden pallets would be good, except that if they used pallets with spaces - i.e. most such items - "We may help the rats make a nest for winter." Glad they're worried about that. Plague and other rat-borne diseases can be a real bitch, particularly if you only have a tent and not a yurt to convalesce in. So then, what do our occupiers need to construct their yurts?

Before we get into materials, let's take a look at the occupiers' principles. The Occupy Pittsburgh General Assembly adopted the original Occupy Wall Street statement of purpose on October 12, 2011, no doubt with very fervent "up twinkles". Here's some of the things they stand against:

• They have taken bailouts from taxpayers with impunity...
• They have poisoned the food supply through negligence...
• They have spent millions of dollars...[to] look for ways to get them out of contracts in regards to health insurance...
• They continue to block alternate forms of energy to keep us dependent on oil...
• They continue to block generic forms of medicine...
• They continue to create weapons of mass destruction...

You get the drift. I excerpted the above because they speak to hypocrisy of the occupiers, for, what does it take to build a yurt?

Raja for Allegheny County Executive

Last night (11/2) I had the honor of attending a town hall-style campaign meeting of D. Raja ("Raja"), a local Allegheny County entrepreneur and CEO who is the Republican candidate for Allegheny County Executive in next Tuesday's (11/8) election. I wholeheartedly and enthusiastically support Raja's candidacy.

Raja is an immigrant to our great Nation. His success is proof of the American Dream: hard work and perseverance will lead to success. He graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in 1989 and from my alma mater, Carnegie Mellon University, with an MBA (with honors) in 2001.

Raja has published policy position papers in eight key areas that our county government must improve. I encourage my readers to check them all out via the link. The eight areas are:

• Jobs
• Taxes, Regulations & Fees
• Port Authority/Mass Transit
• Modernizing Government
• Fostering Innovation
• Pittsburgh International Airport Plan
• Education
• Senior Citizens

Here are my take-aways from Raja's policy positions, and the core of why I support him.

Perhaps President Obama should have stood here

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports that the crumbling Greenfield Bridge in the City of Pittsburgh will be replaced, with the existing structure being demolished by implosion in December 2014. Wait...what? Nothing to be done for three more years? This is ridiculous because this bridge has been falling down for about twenty years already.

I first came to Pittsburgh in 1989. I became an official PA resident in 1994. I got my first car in 1996, and at that time, used this particular bridge fairly regularly on my daily commute. It was falling down then. The bridge crosses over Interstate 376, known in Pittsburgh parlance as the "Parkway East". Take a look at the picture that the Trib used to illustrate the story:

The Greenfield Bridge is the arch structure. You'll notice that it has fabric netting wrapped around a large portion to contain falling concrete from the structure. You'll also notice the "bridge" beneath the bridge. What's that?

Well, sometime after the 2003 lawsuit by a motorist injured by falling debris, ostensibly from the city's bridge, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation used tax dollars to build a catcher for the debris - instead granting the money to, and working with, the City of Pittsburgh to fix the damn bridge!

This is government "efficiency" at its worst. Government at any level spends too much time on problems that it shouldn't try to fix, and almost as much time looking at problems it should be on top of and saying, "Sorry, not my problem!"

Transportation infrastructure is a responsibility of government, including the Federal government. I look at a "reasonable" interpretation of the Constitution, specifically Article I, Section 8, Clause 7:

[The Congress shall have power] To establish post offices and post roads

I'm sure the US Mail traverses most of our road infrastructure at one point or another. But, that really isn't the point. It's a city bridge, that crosses a US Interstate highway, that was built and is maintained by a state agency, that receives Federal highway dollars. In other words, it's a shared responsibility, and all have failed.

President Obama likes to stand near bridges that don't need repair or replacement while yapping that they do. Perhaps the next time he inconveniences our city with his presence, he can stand under this one and catch some concrete.

People Don't Starve Because of the United States

Yesterday, I heard Jim Quinn refer to an event that the school district (Pine-Richland) in which I reside held about two weeks ago on Friday, May 1. The event was sponsored by and raised money for Oxfam America and had the purpose of "raising awareness" of world hunger. The event was publicized in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on April 30 and was described as follows:

More than 100 participants will attend the Oxfam America Hunger Banquet at
Eden Hall Upper Elementary School, 3900 Bakerstown Road in Pine to experience a meal as a low, middle income or upper income global citizen. This event is one
of the thousands taking place across the country.

This is typical liberal symbolism over substance, but don't worry, the coverage gets worse. Today, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review has published a summary of the event:

On a recent Friday night, Pine-Richland senior Cassie Muzzonigro enjoyed a
sumptuous dinner at Eden Hall Upper Elementary School, where servers waited on her hand and foot.

Superintendent James Manley spent the evening on the cafeteria's cold tile floor eating rice with his fingers...

Sophomore Samantha Shipeck, who sat on the floor with her poverty-stricken
peers, said the experience was eye-opening. She played a Vietnamese farmer
surviving on loans from local money lenders who charged 30 to 40 percent
interest a month.

"It's not living another person's life, but getting a glimpse at what it's like," she said. "Even if I don't get into international relations or see any of these different countries, it's important to be aware of what's going on in the world."

The event was organized by high school students in Matt Roberts' Asian studies class. Senior Emily Sisk introduced her teacher to Oxfam America, an international relief and development organization founded in 1970 that creates lasting solutions to poverty, hunger and injustice.

Last summer, while attending a program sponsored by Americans for Informed
Democracy, Sisk participated in a hunger banquet. "I wanted to recreate it in this area because I know there are a lot of students who are politically active," she said. "I wanted to show them that they should go out and do things because it is possible to pull things off like this, to get an event together if you really try."

Raising awareness? No, the purpose of this event is to make us feel guilty for our prosperity.

Now, let's examine some facts:

First, some foundational information on population:
Estimated US Population, February 2009: 306 million
Estimated World Population, 2008: 6,707 million (6.707 billion)
Total non-US Estimated Population: 6,401,000,000

The United States Department of Agriculture, Foreign Agricultural Service has published summary statistics for the United States' agricultural trade. The statistics for calendar year 2008 paint a very interesting picture:

United States Food Exports: $115,437,000,000
United States Food Imports: $80,465,000.000
United States Net Food Exports: $34,972,000,000

So you don't have to do the math yourself, our net food exports are $114 per every person in the United States, and $5 per every non-US person in the world. Now, I know what you're going to say: "We're the richest country, and we're only exporting $5 per person of food to the rest of the world? That's a disgrace."

Well, let's look at the issue from the perspective of quantity, not cost.

I used the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service's statistical query engine to find out how much the United States exported of four key staple agricultural products to the rest of the world during calendar year 2008: corn, wheat, soybeans, and rice. This is what I found:

US exports of corn: 51,897,526 tonnes = 114,414,459,845 pounds
US exports of rice: 3,588,160 tonnes = 7,910,538,707 pounds
US exports of soybeans: 32,162,159 tonnes = 70,905,423,304 pounds
US exports of wheat: 29,099,778 tonnes = 64,154,028,874 pounds

Total US exports for those four: 116,747,623 tonnes = 257,384,450,731 pounds.

Two-hundred and fifty-seven billion, three-hundred and eighty-four million, four-hundred and fifty thousand, seven-hundred and thirty-one pounds of just four agricultural products were exported by the United States in 2008.

By the way, that works out to 841 pounds of exports for every man, woman, and child in the United States, and 40 pounds of exports for every man, woman, and child in the rest of the world. And again, that's just for corn, rice, soybeans, and wheat.

The United States already feeds the world. There are not starving people in the world because of our largesse, or wastefulness, or selfishness, or consumption. There are starving people in the world because many are enslaved in poverty by the tyrannical governments that rule over them. There are starving people in the world because starving, not to mention unarmed, populations can not rise up and challenge the power of the tyrants.

Perhaps our schools should be teaching our children how many more would be starving if it was not for the greatness of the United States, you think?

Pittsburgh Schools see the light

The Pittsburgh Public Schools have announced that 50 percent will no longer be the minimum grade given to students, and that students who don't complete assignments will be given zero. Why? Why are they going to risk the very psychy of these skulls full of mush by telling them they haven't achieved anything? To quote:

Some students have been refusing to complete assignments, telling teachers they'd take the 50 percent instead. Bill Hileman, a Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers staff representative, said "the No. 1 problem with the 50 percent minimum was the negative impact on student behavior."

This is Liberalism at its worst; tell people that they only have to do the minimum - or nothing at all - and guess what, that is all they'll do.

Can we all say together, "DUH!"

Who cares about the Constitution?

Pittsburgh's city council apparently does not. The council has preliminarily passed an ordinance requiring gun owners to report the theft of their weapons within 72 hours or face fines or imprisonment!

When asked for a reaction to this ridiculous measure potentially being at odds with Pennsylvania law, the Pennsylvania Constitution, and the 2nd Amendment to the United States Constitution, Councilwoman Tonya Payne of District 6 actually said:

"Who really cares about it being unconstitutional?"

Not only does this measure need to be defeated or vetoed, Ms. Payne needs to be removed from office.

Welcome back, Bishop Bob

The Right Reverend Robert William Duncan has been elected as the 8th Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh (Southern Cone) by today's special Diocesan Convention, having been previously deposed as the 7th Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh (Episcopal Church USA) by the forces of revisionism.

Welcome back! As ever, you and Nara are in my prayers!

Pittsburgh: We want NO flights!

Just saw this article from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that talks about the increased fees - taxes, that is - that will be imposed on airlines operating out of Pittsburgh International Airport beginning in January.

Southwest Airlines, one of my current favorites, is particularly incensed - as they should be.

Increase in landing fees? 34.8 percent.
Increase in terminal space? 35.9 percent.
Increase in ramp space? 191 percent!

Yes, Allegheny County is sitting on a white elephant - a top of the line hub airport with no hub airline. Yes, there are significant issues surrounding servicing the airport's debt.

Every time I'm at the airport, it is very depressing. The place is an absolute ghost town, even at peak travel times. Clearly though, travel originiating here is strong - the extended parking lot is usually mostly full, anyway.

Here's a suggestion for the powers that be: cut the fees for landing, terminal space, and ramp space, you dolts! Obviously RAISING fees hasn't exactly ATTRACTED airlines here. You want a new airline to take Pittsburgh seriously as a hub location? Make our airport the least expensive for airlines to operate from!

If you lower the fees, more airlines will operate and maybe we'd get a hub back, whether for passengers or cargo. If there are more operations, you'll get more fees. DUH!

Idiot of the Day Award

Thanks a lot Santonio, way to be a team player.

Suspension is a must. Whatever the league does to him, the Steelers should do worse.

Pray today for the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh

Today is the first day of the annual convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh. Tomorrow should bring the vote that will extract us from the heresy and apostasy of the Episcopal Church USA and into faithful association with the Anglican Province of the Southern Cone.

Convention should also restore the Rt. Rev. Bob Duncan to his calling as the Bishop of Pittsburgh.

Lord Jesus, please protect, defend, and guide the leaders both lay and ordained of our diocese as they meet and determine the future of Anglicanism in Pittsburgh. Let their hearts not be swayed or troubled by those who oppose. I pray especially for Fathers Paul, Terry, and Ethan, Deacon Marybeth, and our lay representatives Gene and Chad. May He be with you all. In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit be all honor and glory, now and forever. Amen!

He Who Would Valiant Be

The Rt. Rev. Robert William Duncan, rightful Anglican Bishop of Pittsburgh, has been deposed by the heretical Episcopal Church.

Bishop Duncan has been recieved as a member in good standing of the Anglican Province of the Southern Cone House of Bishops under the Most Rev. Gregory Venables.

I personally have been blessed, along with my family, by +Duncan's ministry. We will continue to be. In our hearts, he is still our Bishop! My prayers go out to Bishop Duncan, wife Nara, and to the members of the Diocese of Pittsburgh's Standing Committee - who are now the ecclesiastical authority here until our Diocesan convention early next month when assuredly the Diocese will realign with the Anglican Province of the Southern Cone and call +Duncan back as our Bishop.

Christ Jesus, please sustain your faithful servant and Bishop, Robert
Duncan. Continue to guide him in his ministry as you have so well to now. Please
be with our Diocesan Standing Committee as they lead us to convention in October and from there to our new association with the Southern Cone.

I close with the text of what I know to be one of +Duncan's favorite hymns, and it is so fitting. You can listen to it here.

He who would valiant be ’gainst all disaster,

Let him in constancy follow the Master.

There’s no discouragement

Shall make him once relent

His first avowed intent to be a pilgrim.

Who so beset him round with dismal stories

Do but themselves confound—his strength the more is.

No foes shall stay his might;

Though he with giants fight,

He will make good his right to be a pilgrim.

Since, Lord, Thou dost defend us with Thy Spirit,

We know we at the end, shall life inherit.

Then fancies flee away!

I’ll fear not what men say,

I’ll labor night and day to be a pilgrim.

Follow along with the whole situation at Stand Firm.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's article on Bishop Duncan's ouster is remarkably balanced and fair.

Prayers needed for the Church; Realignment Ahead!

Stand Firm reports that Episcopal Presiding Bishop Katherine Jefferts Schori is planning to depose my Bishop, the Rt. Rev. Robert Duncan, prior to the Lambeth Conference later this year.

Locally, the Coalition for Realignment has launched within the Diocese of Pittsburgh. To quote from their close of the initial letter to the Diocese:

We are convinced that we have a great future as faithful followers of Jesus, and that for the vast majority in our diocese, that future will best be served by realigning with part of that large majority of Anglican Christians around the world who are unashamed of the Gospel. "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes..." Romans 1:16

I'm proud that the Rector of my parish is one of the Coalition's steering commitee members.

Please pray for the church, for our Bishops +Robert and +Henry, for all faithful priests and deacons in the Diocese of Pittsburgh, and for the parishes - like my own - for whom 2008 will be a year of decision, action, and unabashedly standing for Christ's Gospel.

Good news for the Pittsburgh region

According to this breaking news story in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the long and not so slow contraction of US Airways' operations in Pittsburgh will stop, because the airline's flight operations center will reportedly be located here instead of two other potential cities! The Charlotte Observer is reporting that their city lost out; Phoenix was the other candidate city.

TFH 1/29: First Sergeant Leonard A. Funk Jr., USA

Today's installment of TFH is from the record of Medal of Honor citations, and is a Pittsburgh-area individual to boot:

Rank and organization: First Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company C, 508th
Parachute Infantry, 82d Airborne Division. Place and date: Holzheim, Belgium, 29
January 1945. Entered service at: Wilkinsburg, Pa. Birth: Braddock Township, Pa.
G.O. No.: 75, 5 September 1945. Citation: He distinguished himself by gallant,
intrepid actions against the enemy. After advancing 15 miles in a driving
snowstorm, the American force prepared to attack through waist-deep drifts. The
company executive officer became a casualty, and 1st Sgt. Funk immediately
assumed his duties, forming headquarters soldiers into a combat unit for an
assault in the face of direct artillery shelling and harassing fire from the
right flank. Under his skillful and courageous leadership, this miscellaneous
group and the 3d Platoon attacked 15 houses, cleared them, and took 30 prisoners
without suffering a casualty. The fierce drive of Company C quickly overran
Holzheim, netting some 80 prisoners, who were placed under a 4-man guard, all
that could be spared, while the rest of the understrength unit went about
mopping up isolated points of resistance. An enemy patrol, by means of a ruse,
succeeded in capturing the guards and freeing the prisoners, and had begun
preparations to attack Company C from the rear when 1st Sgt. Funk walked around
the building and into their midst. He was ordered to surrender by a German
officer who pushed a machine pistol into his stomach. Although overwhelmingly
outnumbered and facing almost certain death, 1st Sgt. Funk, pretending to comply
with the order, began slowly to unsling his submachine gun from his shoulder and
then, with lightning motion, brought the muzzle into line and riddled the German
officer. He turned upon the other Germans, firing and shouting to the other
Americans to seize the enemy's weapons. In the ensuing fight 21 Germans were
killed, many wounded, and the remainder captured. 1st Sgt. Funk's bold action
and heroic disregard for his own safety were directly responsible for the
recapture of a vastly superior enemy force, which, if allowed to remain free,
could have taken the widespread units of Company C by surprise and endangered
the entire attack plan.

First Sergeant Leonard A. Funk: January 29, 1945 in the face of the enemies of freedom, was your finest hour!

AC Judge Manning: Troubling Story

This article, "Judge Manning facing federal inquiry", troubles me. One of my dilemmas as a voter are those "judge retention" elections, where basically you get to say yea or nay on whether or not a jurist should remain on the bench. I usually don't cast a vote for those, since I don't know enough about the judges in question.

Allegheny County Judge Jeffrey Manning, however, is one that I always pull the lever for his retention. I've read about and followed some of the cases he's presided over, and by all accounts he is fair yet strict in applying the law to the letter as it is written.

I sincerely hope that the referenced investigation turns up nothing and that Judge Manning is vindicated of these allegations of preferential treatment to a defense attorney that he is reportedly friends with.

Local politicians with their heads in the sand, I mean, ice

This article and also this one are the latest from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on the saga of the wrangling with the Pittsburgh Penguins to try and get a deal done for a new arena before they become the Kansas City Penguins.

Let me get this straight: the state and local folks trying to keep the Penguins here are asking the team to help pay for construction of a new arena, then pay rent on the arena, then still share revenues produced by the arena, and also wait at least two or three years before they can play in the arena, right?

Meanwhile, there is a 95% complete, brand-new, state-of-the-art facility in Kansas City nearly ready and waiting, with 100% of the luxury suites already sold, that the team doesn't have to pay for, gets rent free, and gets the majority of revenues?

The locals then call their proposals either competitive or superior to KC's? Earth to Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, and Pennsylvania powers-that-be: DUH!

Mike Lange is going to be quipping "Elvis has just left the building" for real at the end of this season. The Penguins, in the Steel City, are soon-to-be history.

UPDATE @ 13:42: just saw that the P-G has added to one of the stories that PA Gov. Ed Rendell (a.k.a "Less Red Ed" or "Pinky") is now saying that if the Penguins don't accept their offer, TPTB are going to go whine to the NHL and its Board of Governors to prevent the team from moving and make them accept the Pittsburgh deal. Hmmmm, let's see... Kansas City = bigger market than Pittsburgh. Houston = bigger market than Pittsburgh. Just about anywhere else that's been mentioned as a possible relocation city for the team = bigger market than Pittsburgh. Just about anywhere else = better facilities, better deal. Once more, Earth to them: DUH!