Join the Hooters Rooters

A few weeks back, Stephon Marbury was visiting the Century III Mall to promote his new line of shoes, and your smart-mouthed host speculated that Marbury may have been signed by the Pittsburgh XPlosion. Well, the XPlosion did just sign Coleco Buie, but Marbury will be back in New York for another year of disappointing basketball with the Knicks.

While perusing the XPlosion website and checking their other links for future comedic purposes (such as a "store", filled with the five finest ABA league logo items on the planet), I stumbled on quite possibly the most absurd promotion in Pittsburgh sports history: The Pittsburgh XPlosion Hooters Rooters Bus. How this flew under the radar without comment to this point is simply unreal. This was a Blogger's Goldmine. I will let the XPlosion's website describe this experience in their own words:

"Before the game: Have dinner at your local Hooters, then ride the HOOTERS ROOTERS BUS to the game venue with the HOOTERS GIRLS!

During the game: Watch the Xplosion take on the best of the ABA in the special HOOTERS ROOTERS section with the HOOTERS GIRLS!

After the game: Ride the HOOTERS ROOTERS bus back to your local Hooters for the post-game party!"

Wow, I have about a million and one questions concerning this. Where do I begin? This is a team, that as far as their own website shows, looks like they average about 10 fans a game, with 8 of the 10 probably getting free tickets.

Any chance we can move the XPlosion to Kansas City?

So how many rabid XPlosion fans are planning an evening around not one, but TWO trips to Hooters, riding a bus with Hooters girls pretending to be interested in them, AND watching Armon Gilliam hoop it up? What does the attendance jump to, 15? Does Gilliam come back to Hooters for the post-game party and regale you with Jerry Tarkanian stories? Does anyone find it odd that this team not only has a scantily-clad "dance squad", they also have a cheering section of Hooters girls?

Most importantly- has anyone out there ever participated in this traveshamockery?

Here's some more facts you may not know about the XPlosion:

October 30, 2005 was proclaimed "Pittsburgh XPlosion Day". That Pittsburgh City Council sure has its priorities in order.
City Council was XPloding with pride last October

The XPlosion played the Steelers in an exhibition game on May 19. I've linked a photo of Louis Lipps on defense just for our devoted reader and commenting legend "Louis Lipps is My Homeboy".
Lipps inexplicably breaks into jumping jacks during the game

The XPlosion play in a division named after their owner, Freddie Lewis. Lewis played 11 seasons in the ABA and NBA and scored over 12,000 points, averaging 17 per game. He was a four-time All Star and a McKeesport High product.

The original Fred-Ex

According to their website, it sounds like the XPlosion are gearing up for season 2.0, so we'll have to keep an eye on their progress. Anyone out there who has been to an XPlosion game on on "the bus", please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section.