Pittsburgh Passion game 2

April 25, 2009
Newman Stadium, Wexford, PA
Pittsburgh Passion v. Baltimore Nighthawks
Final score: Pittsburgh 49, Baltimore 0.
I don't know what happened in the second half because we left at halftime. What? The score was 35-0 and we wanted to get home and watch 'Vicki Christina Barcelona' that netflix had kindly sent us.
Amanda Haeg, seen here, scored at least two touchdowns. Oddly, there's no game recap up yet at the official Passions website. Not even a tiny box score. Forget about any other sort of coverage of the game because all of the print media in town ignores them. I should take a notebook with me and just jot down highlights so that my posts about the games don't seem so pointless. In this game it seemed like almost every play had some sort of highlight as we dominated Baltimore completely on both sides of the ball. MK was taking pictures, and she did use a monopod this time so they're less shaky. She's improving week by week, I think :)
Next up: Away game at the undefeated DC Divas. Should be a tough game, but I'm betting that the defense will step up. Jo Jo Warner is just a phenomenal linebacker with tremendous instincts, anticipating plays, getting into the backfield to sack the QB or stuff a run. She's a lot of fun to watch, and hopefully Saturday night she'll have a big game for us! I don't worry too much about our offense. Lisa Horton is the best QB in women's football. She throws the ball like it's on a zip-line.
Good luck defeating DC!

Pittsburgh Passion, week 1

April 18, 2009
Saturday 7pm
Pittsburgh Passion v. Detroit Demolition, Newman Stadium, North Allegheny High School, Wexford, PA
Final score: Pittsburgh 29, Detroit 6
The Passion never trailed. They scored on the game's first two possessions: The Demolition gave up a safety after their first set of downs on a bad snap near their own endzone, and then Passion QB Lisa Horton scampered for a touchdown, culminating a successful offensive drive down the field.
TDs were also notched by Wilma Walton, Lori Johnson, and Amanda Haeg for the Passion, in that order. The Walton TD was off a slightly under thrown pass from Horton. Walton was breaking for the endzone along the sidelines when she looked back over her shoulder for the ball, the Demolition defender mirrored her position, when suddenly Walton stopped dead in her tracks, the D-back ran right past her, Walton gathered in the ball and the rest is all glory!
Oh, I can't say enough how exciting and fun these games are, how the level of play is outstanding and well worth the trip to the stadium and cost of admission. More fun than roller derby, which is really saying something!
The Passion have moved from their previous venue at Cupples Stadium on the south side of Pittsburgh up to the north hills suburbs of Pittsburgh. MK speculates that it's because of more parking and a larger seating capacity. We guesstimated the attendance at roughly 5K for the season opener. A raucous crowd that cheered wildly for every TD, break away run, sack, and interception. I was hoarse the next day, but that just meant that we had a fun night!
One bit of absurdity to liven the evening: The song stylings of Groundskeeper Joe Tucci. Yes, he was introduced by that full name. I've never heard the National Anthem delivered quite the way that he sang it, and his halftime rendition of God Bless America should be on youtube, to counter balance the awesomeness of Susan Boyle. Not since Joe Cocker has anyone so completely thrown themselves physically into singing a song. It was like he was having a seizure, flailing about, trying to grasp a key out of thin air and hang on to it for a moment. We tried not to laugh out loud, I mean, these are honorable songs afterall, but damn.
I hope Groundskeeper Joe Tucci sings at this week's game too! Bring on the Baltimore Nighthawks!

Pittsburgh Passion Documentary

The Pittsburgh Passion's season starts on April 18th, but that's not the only thing the team has to be excited about: PITTSBURGH PASSION, A FEATURE FILM DOCUMENTARY, NOMINATED FOR A 2009 BILLIE AWARD IN JOURNALISM

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Wednesday, January 28, 2009 Contact: Jen Yee backlightprod@gmail.com LOS ANGELES -- Pittsburgh Passion, documentary feature film, has been nominated for a 2009 Billie Award in Journalism. The Billie Awards honor extraordinary contribution to media coverage and insightful portrayal of women and girls in sports. With special honoree, Dick Ebersol, Chairman of NBC Universal Sports & Olympics, and special performance by Sir Elton John, the winners will be honored on Wednesday, April 1, 2009, at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California, home of the Hollywood Golden Globes. A program of the Women's Sports Foundation, trustees include Billie Jean King, Sheryl Crow, Laila Ali, and Holly Hunter. Pittsburgh Passion gives an inside look at the realization of women's professional football in the United States and follows the pioneers who overcame all physical and historical odds to build a new sport for a nation. It documents the ever impossible 2007 perfect championship dream season of the Pittsburgh Passion women's football franchise. Pittsburgh Passion was produced by Back Light Productions LLC, a Los Angeles based motion picture production company committed to producing stories that enrich, inspire, and dignify the goodness of the human experience.