The 2004 offseason was pretty uneventful until it was golf outing time. This year’s 4^th Annual SHAT Golf Outing was held for the first and the last time @ Lindenwood Golf Club in McMurray, PA. Once again, Marty Connelly, Mike Speca, Ron Bauer and Bob Spray provided the labor to allow 26 Foursomes gathered on August 14^th to tee it up and support the Make a Wish Foundation. Over $4000 was raised through generous sponsorships and donations. On the course, the Joe Rosato foursome claimed the title with an absolutely outrageous -17 score that will be permanently under investigation. Let the trophy show that the officially recognized winners are Terry Jenkins, Joe Lipinski, Mark Tomlinson & Len Iorio as well as Tom Spray, Bob Spray, Phil Spray and Bob Strauss. Both foursomes finished with legitimate (-13) scores. A good time was had by all until the uppity management at the course decided that they should shut down the bar early to get us out of their establishment. After spending $10,000 with their course, that is not how you treat your customers. Thanks for a great time but we’ll never be back. Lindenwood is the first recipient of an official SHAT business ban. F-U!

As the season approached, it became apparent, that Pitt was going to be hurting. Gone were All-World WR Larry Fitzgerald and starting QB Rod Rutherford. The OL, always a sore spot on Walt Harris coached teams, looked to be very weak at best and there was nothing resembling a stud RB to replace previous year starter Brandon Miree. The question of how some of the new replacements: Tyler Palko, Greg Lee, Ray Kirkley, etc. could handle the roles of starters loomed.

The season’s first game was set for the road at South Florida which was cancelled by Hurricane Frances. This set the anticipation level even higher for the opener against the Ohio Bobcats. Gable & Tomino rolled out another of their famous spreads. The Pittsburgh Bulk (kind of an opening day tradition) complete with Primanti Style sandwiches, Fried Fish Sandwiches (the propane tank worked this year) was a hit along with the pierogies, kilbo and hot sausage. Missing from the earlier day tailgate preparations was Chief Assistant to the Commissioner’s Office, Aaron Kushner. The reason for this is that he was busy getting married to his now wife, Lori. They were able to stop by the tailgate on the way to their reception to celebrate with the group. Congrats to the Kushners. The onfield action was nothing to get excited about. Pitt while winning the game 24-3, managed only 200 yards total offense, including 49 yards passing from super-recruit Tyler Palko. Not exactly the type of effort everyone was looking for on opening night, especially against a MAC Conference team.

Game #2 against the Nebraska Cornhuskers brought insanity to the tailgate preparation. Friday’s weather called for rain. It did not call for massive flooding throughout the Pittsburgh area. SHAT’s official beer supplier Carnegie Beer Supply (aka – Staffa’s) was hit hard by the roaring river once known as Chartiers Creek. This sent the SHAT crew into emergency beer find mode at 8:00 in the morning. (There aren’t many beer distributors open @ that time of the morning). Brian Kappeler (who would go on to assume a huge role in helping out during the season) and Dan Blocher did the honors of driving out to Oakland and hitting the UBC for two kegs. They arrived at the tailgate only moments after the rest of the group and the party was on. Gable delivered the fan favorite Beef Day. As is always the case with Beef Day, there were no leftovers to be had. The onfield action was once again subpar to be kind. Due to the prior evenings flooding, there was a very strange atmosphere in the stadium. Boats and Jet skis that were still attached to docks rolled along the river in the background. Pitt’s offense was once again inept for the first half. Tyler Palko struggled mightily much to the disbelief of Big Lar who had been screaming for two years to put him in over Rutherford. The only highlight of the first half was Marcus Furman’s 96 yard kickoff return for a touchdown. Big Lar now fully disgusted with Walt Harris, declared himself retired until Walt was gone, and exited the building after halftime. Palko seemed to find his groove in the second half and Pitt mounted an exciting 4^th quarter comeback that fell just short due in part to unprepared players not knowing who was supposed to be on the field during the two minute drill.

Week #3 brought us our third consecutive home game and tailgate. While we enjoyed an Italian Day feast in the parking lot, the prospect of losing to a Division 1-AA team like the Furman Palladins never entered into anyone’s minds. Darin McHenry picked up the Richard Petty Experience Award as well as SHAT Head of the Week, by smashing into a parked car while he was pulling into the lot. Not the way you want to start off your day. Big Lar’s Walt Harris boycott lasted all of one half of a game before he returned to the tailgating scene. The reason, his grandson Luke was attending his first ever game, so he was back and listened to much harassment. He probably wished he had stayed home after watching what was to become one of the most embarrassing games in Pitt Football history. The Panthers trailed 31-17 after 3 quarters and required a late td to send the game into overtime where they eventually won 41-38. Pathetic! The Fire Walt Harris Band Wagon (which I have been driving for 3+ seasons) was now loading up with passengers. Even the always Pitt Positive, Tom Spray, blew a gasket and let it be know that “We’re F$%*IN’ Awful!” This game also marked the first appearance of the F. WALT jersey, put together by the same company that brought you F. PATERNO. It was hoped that it would not be necessary to bust this shirt out, but it became apparent early in the game that it was going to be worn.

The following two games were on the road. Paul Bonetti, Bob Fay, Mark Thompson and Scott Thompson attended the UConn game @ Rentschler Stadium and got to witness Walt Harris’ all-time greatest play call – the infamous 3^rd down slide. Unbelievable. The Panthers went on to lose to the Huskies giving them their first win against anyone real since they joined the Big East. The following week Pitt struggled mightily against the Temple Owls in front an empty stadium in Philadelphia before squeaking out a win late. Thank God we don’t play this team anymore. They are the ultimate thorn in Pitt’s side.

Week #6 was back at home against the Boston College Eagles. Rain was in the forecast for Steak & Shrimp day. This also marked the wedding day for SHAT Tailgaters Marty & Gretchen Connelly. Things were not looking up early in the day as both tents were needed to stay dry. Big Lar was back on his self imposed strike leaving us without our regular Steak & Shrimp griller. To make matters worse, Gable & Tomino were stuck in massive traffic by the Squirell Hill tunnels and running way behind schedule. Brian Kappler stepped up as a pinch hitter and began the grilling duties until the two seasoned cooking veterans arrived. All in all, the tailgate was a huge success as a good crowd was on hand, despite the weather. Earlier in the week, Walt Harris’ agent had made a few derogatory remarks about the Pitt program and Walt never refuted them, so the scene was set for an ugly mess the rest of the season. Thankfully, the players didn’t quit like their coach had and Tyler Palko delivered one of the greatest hits in Pitt History when he lowered the boom on BC DB Peter Shean, knocking his helmet off during a sideline collision that ignited the players and the crowd. The Panthers went on to knock off the Eagles in OT after Josh Cummins booted a FG on Pitt’s possession followed by Thomas Smith’s fumble recovery during BC’s possession. New hope was on the horizon as Pitt collected its fourth ugly victory of the season to go with two losses.

Week #7 brought the Rutgers Scarlet Knights to Heinz Field. It also was Major Meat Bulk Day in the parking lot. With its magic now gone, the Hamkey was back for a noon kickoff game. It was complemented with fried steak, fried pork and sausages on the grill. ESPN + made a surprise visit and filmed the SHAT tailgate as part of its pregame intro. While we feasted on tons of grilled meat dishes, a man who often wears an old school #90 jersey (J. Bruner) feasted on Irish Car Bombs. He was trying to make up for missing two consecutive games worth of action…and make up for it he did. This might have been the first time someone ever predicted that they would be SHAT-Head of the week and followed thru with it. This is where I’ll leave part of the story out but this became simply known as the men’s room stall incident. One of SHAT’s all-time classic booze stories. All you have to know is that the man claimed SHAT-Head of the Year honors with this performance. On the field, Pitt was putting up points as fast as Bruner hammered down Car Bombs. Joe Delsardo made an insane TD grab early in the game and Josh Lay had a monster interception return for a touchdown that put the game out of reach as the Panthers went on to an easy 41-17 victory.

Week #8 saw the Panthers on the road in Syracuse. This was originally a planned roadtrip for Kurt, Pat and TRS. After the UConn & Temple showings, this became a stay home and watch it on tv game. The Panthers dropped another ugly one at the Dome 38-31 in 2 OT putting the season very much in peril once again.

Week #9 the Panthers headed for South Bend for what was supposed to be the last time at Notre Dame in the series for the foreseeable future. (Jeff Long ended up inking an eight game extension with ND the day before this game). Ron Bauer, Chuck & John Lucci (who had the biggest mittens ever made with him) Jim Zaunick and Pat Thompson along with John/Diane Galovich, Bruce/Michelle Kreutzer, John Byrne, Rico Spagnol, Laura Leslie and Lisa Douds were among the group that made the trek to witness what was to become the highlight game of the season for Pitt. Tyler Palko threw for an amazing 5 touchdown passes (the first player to ever do that @ Notre Dame Stadium) and along with Erik Gill, led the Panthers to a last second 41-38 victory in front of 80,000 whining ND fans who claimed that they got screwed by the refs all game long. (Open your eyes crybabies; they got as many calls as Pitt did). Palko also became the first player to drop an F Bomb on NBC while being interviewed on the field at ND Stadium. The Panthers record now stood at 6-3. By the way, those of you who went on the 2001 trip to ND, the Double Deez bar in Goshen, IN that we went to while in town is still there and now resembles the fictional bar The Double Deuce in the movie Roadhouse. It was so bad in there, it was scary. 

Thanksgiving night brought us to our final tailgate of the season against the Mountainqueers of Morgantown. The normal 150 lbs of meat was not available to the tailgaters as this tailgate began immediately after most people had finished their Thanksgiving dinners. The Shannons in spirit of the holiday, fried a couple of turkeys to add to the atmosphere. Booze as always was provided, and went quickly including the Cherry Vodka mix that was an instant sellout. The traditional awards ceremony was held and we froze our butts off as we had some snow flurries mixed with chilling winds. Pitt once again won the game late as Tyler Palko scored on a two yard keeper late in the game. Some solid defensive play and some bad coaching decisions by WVU Coach, Rich Rodriquez , allowed the Panthers to stay close and pull out the victory late. All of a sudden, Pitt, with their record now standing at 7-3, had a chance to go to a New Year’s Day, BCS Bowl Game. The following week, Pitt got the help they needed when Syracuse (decimated by injuries) went in and smoked BC giving the Panthers the tiebreaker they needed to claim their first ever Big East Football title (even though they finished in a 4 way tie for it). A crushing 43-14 win over South Florida guaranteed their spot in the Tostito’s Fiesta Bowl to be played New Years Day in Tempe, AZ. (The Panthers appearance in this game had to be a nightmare for the BCS board and ABC).

An early Merry Christmas present was dropped on Panther Fans on December 23^rd as Jeff Long officially announced that Dave Wannstedt would take over the Pitt Head Coaching duties effective immediately after the Fiesta Bowl. All I can say, it’s about F’n Time! 

While Pitt’s representation of the Big East in a BCS Bowl might have been a nightmare for the media and sponsors, it wasn’t a nightmare for those ready to witness a “real” bowl game live. SHAT veterans, Dan Blocher, Tom Spray, Ken/Heidi Gianella and Pat Thompson made the trip. Also attending were Mike Naumuk and Gerry/Maggie Delon. A good time was had by all. Highlights of the trip were the two hour free happy hour available at the Chaperell Suites Hotel that we stayed at in Scottsdale. (Let’s just say they served up a lot of free beer to the Pitt fans in attendance). Some good bar hopping and the giant pregame tailgate party led to some excellent F Paterno photo opportunities including one with the voice of the Panthers, Bill Hillgrove. Then the game started. Ughh! It was evident early on, that Pitt had no chance against Utah and their freakish fans. (They are a weird bunch). The Utes went on to crush the Panthers 35-7. It was never close. The highlight of the game was when the scoreboard showed 0:00. At that point, Walt Harris and his asinine play-calling were no longer in charge with the reigns being handed over to ex-Pitt great Dave Wannstedt. This would only begin the nightmare for TRS, Blocher & PT. They were on their way to Las Vegas for another couple of days of entertainment following the bowl blowout. Once in Vegas, the weather didn’t cooperate, raining the entire time. All three came out on the short end gambling. PT came out charging in Black Jack then both he and TRS turned into Chevy Chase during Vegas Vacation. Blocher elected to avoid the tables but got to feel the sting of the Mandalay Bay Sports Book as Virginia Tech blew up the spread in the Sugar Bowl against Auburn with an 80 TD pass in the last 2:00 of the game costing him a nice payday. The next day got better as we headed to the airport only to find out that a piece of the engine tube on our plane had fallen off somewhere during its flight into Vegas. Since it was USAir, they of course didn’t have any other planes available. We had originally scheduled cheaper flights that went from Vegas to Pittsburgh to Philly. With a chance to save $400 each, we decided that we would jump off the plane in Pittsburgh and head home. Kind of tough to do though when the flight gets cancelled. So now with limited options to get anywhere, we boarded the direct flight to Philly. This was followed by a 6 hour drive home, which was highlighted by rain the entire way back to Pittsburgh. What a day. It was still a fun trip, but this was one of the longest days ever and has already earned the three of us, Ultimate Road Warrior Awards for 2005.

Wannstedt has done a great job of recruiting and selling the program so far in his brief tenure. With excellent secondary and linebacking corps, look for the defense to be much improved. Tyler Palko is the goods and will only get better throwing to Greg Lee & Company. The addition of Rashad Jennings at RB can only help things on offense. With a weak Big East schedule, Pitt can really do some damage this year if they get off to a good start.

 PT