Positive About Pittsburgh

Over my 13 years in this town, I have met some people who don’t have a positive image of the town they live in. From the city itself, to its traffic to its lack of culture, some people who live here just “poo poo” it.

Now I know why.

This morning’s “USA Today” has an article about our city called “Pittsburgh Forges Ahead”. While it’s supposed to be a positive spin out the “New Pittsburgh”, it winds up slinging more barbs about the ‘Burgh than bouquets. One quote from a visitor from Seattle in the first paragraph says it all: “Pittsburgh’s pretty. Too bad it has such a bad image”.

A bad image. That’s apparently what the rest of the planet has about Pittsburgh, but I’m not sure why. We’re about to turn 250 and undergoing a renaissance like none seen before. You know we have been chosen as “America’s Most Livable City” and such …. and yet, people out the region still think that a trip to Pittsburgh won’t amount to much more than a time warp ride back to the turn of the century. The 19th century.

I am living proof that Pittsburgh is a city with which you can fall in love. I came here 13 years ago, before Pittsburgh’s current boom, and dreaded the prospect of spending 3 years of my life here. I was from the east coast and the reputation of Pittsburgh was of that “Steel Town”. However, through my time spent here, which now totals 13 years, I consider myself fortunate to be a part of the place.

The city from the North Shore: One of the more underrated views of Pittsburgh ( courtesy : Associated Press )

I love the people, the teams, the neighborhoods, the quirks and the craziness. I love a town where you are only one relationship removed from any resident. OK, I hate the traffic which seems to be getting worse year after year, but right now there is no place I would rather be. This is more than where I live. This is my home.

I think the solution to converting the country’s thinking about our town is to keep getting people to visit. One weekend in Pittsburgh may not make you a “Pittsburgher”, but it will make you see what we see about our town. Whether it’s another major sporting event, a convention or if you invite an old college friend to come visit, get people to come to this town. One stay is guaranteed to change any person’s mind.

It changed mine.

A Profile in Courage

It was the worse news you could imagine to start your day.

John Challis,  student from Freedom High school who graduated just last month, has terminal cancer. This morning, we learned just how long his life will be. Doctors have given him just one week to live.

Just writing those words causes my heart to ache and my emotions to stir. While he’s far from being the world’s first terminal cancer patient, he is someone we have all gotten to know over the past few weeks though the stories that have been told about him the media …. and now, to see a young man full of life and hope suddenly being told he has a week to live is the cruelest thing I can imagine. However, I think that John will handle this last est bit of devastation with the kind of maturity and bravery rarely seen by people his age … or any age.

I have never met John in person, but I have watched him through the stories we have done on him in the past few weeks. His inspirational graduation message, his tour of duty in the Pirates clubhouse serving as manager for the day and his meeting with his baseball hero, Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees. At each stop, he has taken in the moment like he’s smelling a rose that has newly blossomed. While taking in each moment, he has left something at each stop: a message of hope and life.

We all like to think if our days were numbered we would live our life as bravely and as dignified as John Challis has. In reality, we do not know how we would handle such a fate until it happens. John Challis has handled it in a way that makes him more than a role model and more than an inspiration. He is, in my mind, a hero and that is the ultimate compliment I can pay him.

I do not know how he will spend his last week and frankly, it’s nobody’s business but his. However, if his actions over the last few months is any indication, he will live it to the fullest and enjoy every moment and every breath.

Our tribute to him should be to live our lives in the same deliberate way.

A Deep Divide

I thought I would wait until all the craziness died down before blogging about the most recent campaign trail  flap: the comments from the reverend Jesse Jackson concerning Senator Barack Obama … and perhaps the bigger issue at play here.

For those of you who might not remember, Jackson was caught on camera saying that Obama is “talking down” to black people and he wanted to cut of a rather sensitive portion of the Senator’s anatomy. I think that’s a bit much for someone who disagrees with Obama on a point of policy, but that’s me.

Rev. Jesse Jackson & Senator Barack Obama: A deep divide over an issue that should unite the pair

The issue in which Jackson took aim at Obama was the Senator’s contention that African-Americans, and young African-American males in particular, need to take responsibility for their lives and their actions. More to the point, young black males need to stop having children out of wedlock and, if they do, they need to become providers for the children and the families they have created.

Duh?

I cannot believe anyone has a problem with Obama’s contention. Sure, young males of all racial backgrounds have become dads out of wedlock, but statistically, the rate is higher among African-American males. I commend the Senator for taking a public stand on an issue of social responsibility in the midst of a close campaign for the top office in the land. Let’s be honest, it’s not going to win him any votes among the larger electorate since the majority of voters are not African-Americans. The majority is more concerned with the war and the economy than whether another child is born without a dad. That maybe a cold truth, but it’s still a truth.

The Senator is not “talking down” to African-Americans, he’s talking to them and confronting the younger part of the demographic with the challenge to reverse a history of poverty and single-parent homes. How could anyone disagree with that? Sounds like the Reverend Jackson is more worried about losing his moral high ground and status in the African-American community with such critical comments of Senator Obama.

Comedian Dennis Miller once quipped that parenting was the hardest job in the world, but the easiest one to get. In his wordsds “just screw up once and it’s yours”. In many ways, he was right. One moment of misplaced passion can bring a life into the world and can change the life of two people forever. I think Senator Obama’s call for personal responsibility on the part of young black men should start even before they become fathers. It should start before they take that step that brings that life into the world.

As for the Reverend Jackson, perhaps his call for emergency surgery is correct. But instead of removing a part of the Senator’s anatomy, maybe he needs to have something done to his own body. Perhaps brain surgery is in order.

Cover Story

The most interesting moments on the morning show are often those you never get to see. I’m speaking about what happens during the commercial breaks.

While we are paying the bills running commercials, the studio will often be alive with discussion from politics to what we all did that weekend. Today’s topic: men’s magazines.

That’s right, the folks on the morning show crew debated the pros and cons of men’s magazines. You know what I’m talking about GQ, Maxim, Esquire and Details. I will admit I do read some of these publications, but for various reasons. I read GQ because of the great articles and the occasional fashion tips. Maximis something I don’t read because of essentially what it is: a soft porn magazine posing as a men’s magazine. Then, there is Details. Demetrius gave me a free publication because he got a free one as well.

I have to tell you, Details doesn’t offer much at all. Bad writing, boring articles and fashion tips for those of you making over $100K and live in Los Angeles. The only reason this latest issue got our attention was one rather interesting article, perhaps the only one I’ve ever seen in the magazine.

Entitles “Are You “That Guy”", it has a list of 56 items that if you do them, folks will roll their eyes at you. Now, I never think I’m “that guy”, but about 15 of those 56 items relate to me. Here’s a look at some of those things that might make me “that guy”:

      * You initiate fist bumps

     * You have a downloaded ring tone

      * You call your friends and colleagues by their last names

    *  You refer to any last-stop bar as “the 19th hole”

Of course, I was in a state of panic when I started realizing that I had so many of these traits, but then I took a deep breath and thought about it. Men’s magazines, and womens publications as well, play to your fears. The fear of not being cool, not being trendy and not having the “hip” new look.

Truthis, very few of us could afford half the stuff in those magazines and if we tried to live that lifestyle, our lives would be more about possession than it would be about our passions. Let’s be honest with ourselves, these magazines paint a picture of cool that few of us can hope to achieve and since when do they have the moral authority to determine if I’m “that guy”?

It was a interesting debate about an unexpected subject this morning. Just thought I would share some of the behind-the-scenes stuff with you. Of course, after hearing this you might wonder about us. Don’t worry. We’re all pretty normal for the most part.

I’m blaming it on caffeine, which will make you do strange things at five in the morning.

What Time Is It Again?

I know our viewers get into a routine and when it changes, it can throw folks completely off their game. So I thought as a courtesy to those who take the time to read my blog, I would let you know what’s going on that might have you scratching your head in the coming days.

Wendy Bell is home getting to know the two newest additions to her family, her twin boys. While she is away, I will be filling in for her spot on Channel Four Action News at 5pm oppositie MIchelle Wright. I’ve done this turnaround from time to time in the past and I always get a few calls and e-mails from people wondering is that me in the mornings and the evenings or if I might be on tape.

Hanging with Michelle Wright. It must be 5pm.

In truth, working the 5am and the 5pm is fun and enlightening. It’s interesting to see how a story which may begin at 5am that day develops and is told when 5pm comes around. Take the fire in McKeesport from Friday. We covered it live as “breaking news” when we had little detail at 6:30am. By the time I came back for the news at 5pm, I was able to hear the stories told from the residents’ perspective and we also learned that fire alarms were ignored because they go off “all the time”.

This temporary assignment will likely be more physically demanding than mentally taxing. Consider this schedule: I wake up at 2:15am, get to work at 3:30am and anchor from 5am to 7am. I’m usually out of here by 9am but return by 3:30pm and anchor the 5pm show. Best case scenario, with rush hour traffic, I”m home by 7pm. That means a lot of quick naps during the day and not much time to play golf during the week.

Then, there is the mental part of it. I have already had those moments when I’m in the studio and I look at the clock and say out loud “is it 5am or 5pm?”. The running joke in the newsroom is that if it’s 5, then Andrew is working.

Still, I’m excited to help out the station is this unique way in the coming weeks. It’s just another new experience for someone who’s still learning the ropes. I just hope that one morning when I’m half awake I don’t turn to Kelly and call her “Michelle” by mistake.

Courage in the Morning

The one thing about my job that makes it different from anything else is its unpredictable nature. I come to work every morning not knowing what is going to happen or what will unfold. It could be good news or bad. It could be a matter of life or death.

This morning about 6:15, Kelly and myself were winding down a normal Friday broadcast after a long Thursday night at Kennywood when real life suddenly came out of nowhere at hit us smack in the face. Sky 4 was over a raging fire in McKeesport. An apartment building had caught fire and began burning. Covering fires are not exactly a new experience for us, but it’s what happened while the fire was burning that took our breath away.

Sky 4 zoomed into a part of a building where firefighters were bringing a ladder to the the 5th floor. Kelly and myself watched and narrated as the firefighter climbed up, grabbed a child and took him to safety. Then, several residents climbed down that same ladder and all the while the fire was burning nearby. According to the resident who handed the child to the firefighter, they were trapped and 30 more seconds and they would have perished in the flames.

It was courageous on the part of not only the firefighters, but also the residents. To risk life and limb to save one another was nothing short of amazing …. and I had a front row seat to watch this drama unfold. This is “reality” TV and unlike the TV show, it truly involves life and death.

This is what makes what we do so amazing. You just never know what the day will bring. This day brought an example of courage and bravery like I had never seen before … and can only hope to witness again someday.

The End of the Innocence

I think I have finally seen the end of childhood innocence.

A story in today’s New York Times signals the end of childhood as I know it and I know my frame of reference goes back to the late 70’s and early 80’s, but this is ridiculous.

Let me give you as briefest synopsis I can. A group of kids in Greenwich Connecticut often get together to play wiffle ball, a version of baseball played with a plastic ball and bat. The kids found an abandoned lot in their neighborhood and decided to turn it into a makeshift “field of dreams”, building an infield, an outfield wall and putting up a homemade scoreboard. For their show of creativity and ingenuity, they are being attacked by residents for noise, lawyers for using town-owned land and the local government for not securing a permit before building.

OK, let me get this straight: Because they decided not to wait for their parents to create a field and a sports program and went about on their own, they are somehow breaking the law and hurting the community at large? Here we are often criticizing children for not showing their own initiative and not getting out and being active and these kids are being read to the riot act because they didn’t check with local zoning laws before building their playground?

I could go on and on, but the point of this story is just how absurd we have become that we don’t allow our children to create anything on their own. We created leagues for them, create practice schedules and drive them to their scheduled events like they are professional athletes. Heck, can anybody remember the last time their child actually got together to play with the neighborhood kids in a local sandlot without having to have it be “arranged” or “scheduled”?

It probably says less about parents and children and more about our society. Gone are the days of unorganized play, replaced by organized activities. Gone are the days where kids create worlds of fantatsies, replace by questions and concerns of an entire community when it comes to liability and safety.

This story may be taking place in Greenwich Connecticut, but I can see it happening in any community in this area … and that is sad. Wiffle ball was one of my favorite childhood games and what I would not have given to be able to turn an unused piece of local land into my own personal Fenway Park. I can only hope that the days have not passed where today’s kids can do the same.

“Fire Safe” Cigarettes

As news reporters, we are asked to keep our biases to ourselves .. and I think I do a fairly good job of that on the air with most of the critical issues of the day ( politics, etc ). However, I do have one bias I’m not afraid to admit: I hate smoking.

This, of course, is a problem when you are married to a smoker but it’s the whole habit that drives me crazy. I hate the smell, the taste and the after effects of smoking. Let’s be honest: smoking is not good for you and will take years off your life. I don’t care what the tobacco companies say or what stats they try to throw my way. In addition, it’s just disgusting.

That being said, imagine my suprise this morning when Ashley DiParlo reported the story about “fire safe” cigarettes!

In case you have never heard of “fire safe” cigarettes, and prior to this morning I had not, the premise is a cigarette that is supposed to go out after a brief period of inactivity. The paper of the cigarette allows it to put itself out. Why would anyone make a cigarette like that? It’s designed to prevent those who smoke in bed ( why anyone does is an absolute mystery to me ) to keep from burning the house down when they fall asleep. Such “accidents” are among the leading cause of house fires.

While I congratulate the state and the cigarette makers for coming up with a cigarette which won’t kill everyone in the house immediately, it will still kill you and everyone else over time. Sure, you don’t burn up in a fire, but lung cancer can’t be a better way to perish.

I guess cigarettes will always be with us and anything that can make them “safer” should be welcomed, but the technology only takes away the imminent danger. The long-term threat is still there and you’ve just given smokers a license  sit in bed and kill themselves one cigarette at the time.

Hardly a “safer” cigarette.

A Good Time with the Guys

I hope everyone had a wonderful 4th of July weekend … and managed to miss as much of the rain as possible.

Since Sharon went away for a girl’s weekend in Michigan, I stuck around here and decided to do a guy’s weekend and for me that means golf. Four guys, three days …. and 72 holes of golf on four courses. Our journey took us from Peters Township to Bridgeville … and from Sewickley to Uniontown. Somehow, during the golfing marathon, we missed all the rain.

The best thing about playing with “the guys” is that it’s nice to be able to bound with the fellows and talk about all the things that perhaps only a guy can understand. Women understand what I am talking about. There are some things your husband is never going to get, things only a woman can understand, no matter how much you try to explain it to him. The same is sometimes true with the men, ladies.

When a group of guys get together and spend three days together, the first thing you do is forget to take picture because you are so busy. I meant to snap a four-some shot on Sunday and never got around to pulling my camera out of my bag. When guys get together, it’s also about telling jokes - some of which I can’t repeat here.

Most of all, it’s about bonding with a group you share something in common with. While you wife will always be your best friend and confidant, your close buddies will be your second most-trusted friends. They are there through the good times and bad, they know many of the experiences that you have gone through because they have gone through them as well. Here’s to my guys … Joe, Gary, Chuck and Terry … thanks for a great weekend of golf and camaraderie. Just wish I could have scored a little bit better.

A Holiday Surprise For You

For all of you decided to actually check what’s new on my blog this Holiday weekend, I have a surprise for you. A gift of sorts.

Today’s New York Times has a great article in which they spent 36 hours in Pittsburgh … and what they discovered will surprise even long-time residents. They discovered some new restaurants, hotels, shops and boutiques you may want to visit.

While none of us is thrilled with this sudden “stay-cation” or being locked into our local area because of high gas prices, the Times story has some ideas that may give this old city we live in a new feel.

Check it out this weekend … and we’ll talk next week!

Celebrity Sleaze

If you have been watching Channel 4 Action News This Morning for a while, you know my feelings on celebrity news. While I understand that many of you like to hear about your favorite stars, for me it’s a form of torture to have to detail the exploits of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt. I mean, really, why should I care if she’s having twins … and how does what Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes baby look like affect my world?

Mr. & Mrs. A-Rod: Splitting up. Is Madonna the “mystery woman” in all this? Why should we care?

Well, now we have reached a new form of celebrity sleaze: the inside story of celebrity sex scandals. This morning, we reported on the maritial split between Yankee slugger Alex Rodriguez and his wife as well as the rumor that A-Rod has been hitting the sheets with married pop star Madonna.

Peter Cook & Christie Brinkley: Headed for divorce, but not before the steamy secrets coming streaming out of the closet. Is it more than I need to know?

And then, there is the scandal involving Christie Brinkley and her husband who not only allegedly has a on-line porn addiction, but also is alleged to have paid of high school girl $300K for sex.

OK, I’m going to rant here so be warned. 

Why do I need to know what goes on in the bedroom of the rich, famous and unstable? Why does anyone care about who is sleeping with whom? Isn’t there enough drama in the world without having to get the blow-by-blow bedroom shenanigans of the stars? I’m just not sure why this has always been intriguing to normal, well-adjusted people. I know I don’t care because frankly I’m not in the bedroom when Madonna and A-Rod allegedly carried on their tryst. The only way I’m going to care … is if the deal ends up netting me tickets for the All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium in two weeks.

I realize the world of news means providing you a wide cross-section of what’s happening in the world, but what’s the relevance of the stars’ sordid sex lives. Believe me, being in a normal relationship with one person is hard enough. How A-Rod manages to fight with his wife, carry on with the Material Girl and hit .300 is beyond me.

Still, these tales must be of interest to the majority of the population. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have E!, Entertainment Tonight, People and the like. Far be in from me to second guess the interests of the American people.

On that note, have a Hapy July 4th!

It’s Your Turn

It’s amazing this world I blog in. 

I can blog about world peace, the Presidential race, global warming or Steelers training camp and it elicits nary a response. However, I wrote a few lines about my love for my dog “Boobaloo” and his TV debut last night on “Test It Tuesday”, and the e-mails have not stopped coming. First, here’s Colleen:

   “I have told you this before but we feel the same way about out baby. It’s wonderful to see a man who cares so much about his four-legged family member.

Colleen, thanks for the kind words. You will be happy to know I’m not the only one in the male species who cares about his four-legged friend. The trick is not to let it overtake the passion you have for your two-legged partner in life.

Then,there was this note from Missy:

    “I just read your blog about “Boo”. When I saw the promos about “Test It Tuesday” I yelled into the other room to my fiance “Hey, It’s Boo with Andrew”. He laughed and said “You know the name of his dog?”

I can envision Missy’s conversation with her husband-to-be and the guy sitting there wondering why in the world his fiance knows the name of the dog owned by some guy on TV. To Missy’s fiance, no need to worry. Women just love pets. Just be sure you remember some key things: her birthday, her favorite color ….

Connie chimed in:

 

     “Are you sure “Boobaloo” is your dog and not Kelly’s? Boo does not look like an Andrew Stockey dog!”

 

This is why you can’t judge a book by its cover. While Kelly has a couple of dogs that may actually be bigger than she is, I have a small furry bischon/poodle. What it proves is that just like your husband or wife, you can never plan or predict who you will end up with. It was circumstances that brought our dog into our lives. I will say I do get stares from the guys when I walk my little dog but, at the same time, the girls love coming up and petting “Boo”.   Finally, some sweet words from Susan:

     “Our 4 dogs are our family, all were rescues but we believe that they rescued us. They are truly gifts from God. Break a leg, Boobaloo! With admiration Susan, Pat, Jake, Annie, Emmie and Tucker.”

Wow! “Boo” has four new friends. I wonder if he will be able to handle life as a TV star? I hope so. I don’t know if Sharon can handle two huge egos inside the house. Thanks for all your e-mails … and yes, I’ll keep writing back to each and every one of them.

 

  

“Boo” Makes His TV Debut

He’s always putting on a show around our house … and tonight, our dog “Boobaloo” makes his Pittsburgh TV debut tonight as my co-tester on “Test It Tuesday”.

This seemed to be a natural since the subject is this pet stain remover called “Urine Gone”. I could just test it myself, but I thought having my dog as my partner on this would make the test more interesting and perhaps a bit more personable.

I was not sure “Boo” would like the cameras, but photoghrapher Eric Hinnebusch did a great job getting “Boo” to look into the lens and more than a few times he actually stood up and stared when the camera light comes on.

Boobaloo: My dog, my friend and tonight, my co-star

I have to admit, it made me smile to see him on camera as I went through the videotape that we shot. From the way he plays with his toys to the way he completely ignores me, all the video made me smile and .. at times .. it made me almost want to cry. I guess it’s because when I look at him, I remember finding him chained up eight years ago behind an apartment building on the north side. He was cold, emaciated and scared. We took him in and gave him love and, in return, he gave us the greatest gift we could have ever been given - the love of a pet.

I hope you watch “Test It Tuesday” tonight at 5 and I hope you keep in mind as you watch that the dog who sits by my side as I test the product is one of greatest gifts that I have ever been given … and I know that my life is better for having “Boo” there.

Our Daily Two-Way Conversation

When I arrive at 3:30 in the morning for work ( yes, that is how early is how up and no, it’s not much fun at that hour ), I always pour through my e-mails. No lie, I usually have about 40-50 per day. Some is junk e-mail, some is legit business and then, there are the letters from you. Without fail, I will usually have 5-10 e-mails from blog readers on a daily basis.

I think that’s the best thing about the blog … and more to the point, the world we live in today. We get immediate feedback on everything and it’s not just from anonymous faces and people. Every e-mail has a name and a face to it.

Sometimes those e-mails can be critical of myself or the TV station. I remember an e-mail from a viewer who was not at all happy that I read the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue and promptly said she would never watch me again. I had another from a person who wondered where my career was going now that I was covering the “Furrie” convention.

There are those from people who are complementary of the work we do. E-mails from those who love the chemistry of our morning team, like when we make mistakes and act goofy and think of us as part of their morning routine.

I have to say that more than anything else, I love hearing from all of you. When I get an e-mail, I return it as soon as possible and try to spend as much time writing back as it appears that person spent writing to me. Believe it or not, it’s your responses that got me into updating my blog on a daily basis and when I feel I have nothing to say, it’s you that inspires me.

Just wanted to share those thoughts and thanks for making writing this blog a two-way experience.

Face to Face with the Furries

The fur has started flying downtown.

If you haven’t noticed it, you soon will. Three thousand people have descended upon Pittsburgh for Anthrocon 2008, a convention that celebrates the lifestyle of the furries. For those not aware of furries, these are people who revel in the human-like characteristics of animal from the cartoon and comic book world. This often involves wearing animal-like tails or ears or even going so far as to wear and entire fur-covered costume.

It’s quite a sight to see … and I got an up close and personal look at the furries on Thursday as I was assigned to cover the annual furfest as conventioneers checked into Pittsburgh.

Before I discuss some of the oddities, let’s talk about some of the more nomal occurances at this event. Anthrocon brings up to $2M into the local economy at a time where there is very little going on. They have been here three years and have been embraced by the local business community. Anthrocon participants tell me they love Pittsburgh and it’s people and given the natural glances and curiosity they often receive, furries tell me they feel right at home on the Three Rivers.

Face time with the Furries: I got up close and personal with the members of Anthrocon 2008

Now, to the strange stuff. Only about 15% of these folks actually go with the “full furrie look” as it were and wear the costumes which can run into the thousands of dollars. While there have been rumors that this furrie convention is no more than a cover-up for a sexual fetish involving animal costumes, the truth is those that do subscribe to that belief are most likely in the minority. Most of the people here are adults who are just living out their childhood fantasies and that fantasy world happens to involve animals. Is it different? Yes. Is it wrong? Probably no more than people like me who are into golf and wear the items our favorite golfers wear. We are just dressing up like our heroes.

My take on all this? These are people who happen to like animals - really like animals - and they come to this convention to share their passion with kindred souls. In the end, it’s just a group of people who have found others that share a common trait and it gives them a feeling of belonging. Isn’t that what we are all searching for?