Steel Balls

It had been 18 years since my last visit to St. Vincent’s College. Before Steelers Nation Unite, there was the Steelers Fan Club. For joining a certain promotion you would be given access to field level passes at a training camp practice of your choice. Unfortunately this club disbanded shortly thereafter. Over the years I decided not to go since how can any experience compare to field level access.

In 2014 the Steelers held a joint practice with the Buffalo Bills at training camp in St. Vincent. In 2015, the Steelers were to return the favor. The Bills training camp is held at St. John Fisher College, located in the Rochester suburb of Pittsford, NY. It has been the summer home of the Bills since 2000 and is regarded as one of the top training camp sites in the NFL. Christina and I have friends in Rochester and we had been looking for a reason to visit…and this was it. I waited for the 2015 Steelers training camp schedule to come out. However, to my dismay, the Steelers wound up getting an extra preseason game. With the Hall of Fame game added to their schedule the Steelers scrapped their travel plans to Pittsford…and so did we.

In 2016 it was announced that the Steelers would host the Lions in a joint practice at St. Vincent. This time I would not miss it. One thing that would alter the plans was the weather, so I kept a watchful eye as far out as I could. I had not been to Steelers training camp in years, so I posted on Steel Balls if anyone had any suggestions on how to attend. That is when I got a message from Ben. He knew someone who worked at St. Vincent College. He put me in contact with them, and low and behold, I would be on the field level once again. Luckily weather would not be an issue.

We arrived on campus around noon that Tuesday. We were graciously invited to lunch at the college’s cafeteria. Our host led us over and as we entered the building two younger gentleman passed us. Christina was impressed that students would adorn their Steelers garb in support of training camp. That is when I informed her that they were ACTUALLY Steelers. Sean Davis, sporting his #28 Steelers sweatshirt helped me identify him. Next to him was Artie Burns. He was easily recognizable from having his first round face plastered on most Steelers sites.

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Rio Police Warn Olympic Runners To Avoid Miles 4 Through 23 Of Marathon Course

SPORTS NEWS IN BRIEFAugust 19, 2016
VOL 52 ISSUE 32   Sports · Olympics · Rio 2016

RIO DE JANEIRO—Recommending considerable precautions during the event, police in Rio de Janeiro issued a warning Friday advising all runners to avoid miles 4 through 23 of the Olympic marathon course. “For their own personal safety, all marathoners are strongly urged to steer clear of these particularly dangerous sections of the running route,” said police chief Fernando Veloso, adding that even when in areas of the course designated as safe, runners should stick to well-lit parts of the road and always run in groups with at least three or four other competitors. “If you absolutely must pass through any areas of the marathon course between miles 4 and 23, we ask that you make sure to let a family member know so they can alert the authorities if you don’t arrive at mile 24 within a reasonable mile time. However, we strongly recommend that runners make alternate arrangements for getting from the start to the finish line.” Veloso added that runners should not wear flashy, expensive running shoes in order to avoid unwanted attention, and are also advised to carry a fake wallet in their shorts in case they are confronted by a mugger.

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If you want to talk about anything other than football, do it here and here only. Thanks. Read the rest of this entry »

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