Today puts the wraps on another year of Pittsburgh sports chronicled by yours truly, and much like 2006 and 2007, it's been an interesting one. It started with the Winter Classic on New Year's Day and closed with the Sun Bowl on New Year's Eve, with a Stanley Cup appearance, March Madness, and a pending Super Bowl run in-between. As a sports fan, you can't ask for much more than that.
There were 768 posts on Mondesi's House in 2008 - an average of about two per day. They took on all shapes, sizes, and forms: interviews, field trips, recaps, top 10 lists, retrospectives, contests, and my take on the news of the day. We even had some guest writers. It was an eclectic mix.
Much like the transition from 2007 to 2008, you can expect some major changes in 2009, from the design to the content. There will be a heavier concentration on longer, original posts, which means we probably won't reach the 768 mark for a second consecutive year. It will have a different look, with the focus on quality over quantity. There is definitely some work to be done.
Before we can move on to 2009, we have to close the book on 2008. So let's sift through those 768 posts to recall exactly what happened...
We said goodbye to: Marian Hossa, Ryan Malone, Gary Roberts, Jason Bay, Xavier Nady, John Vanbenschoten, Colby Armstrong, Matt Morris, Ty Conklin, Bryan Bullington, Jose Bautista, Damaso Marte, Willie Reid, Jeremy Bloom, Paul Ernster, Sean Mahan, Najeh Davenport, Georges Laraque, Jarkko Ruutu, Alan Faneca, Clark Haggans, Allen Rossum, Brian St. Pierre, Adam Hall, Darryl Sydor, Lanny Frattare, and Bob Smizik.
We said hello to: Marian Hossa, Pedro Alvarez, Doug Mientkiewicz, Rashard Mendenhall, Limas Sweed, Dennis Dixon, Jonathan Baldwin, Pascal Dupuis, Andy LaRoche, Craig Hansen, Brandon Moss, Jeff Karstens, Ross Ohlendorf, Jose Tabat, Mewelde Moore, Justin Hartwig, Miroslav Satan, Orpheus Roye, Byron Leftwich, Eric Godard, Ruslan Fedotenko, Sean McHugh, Keyaron Fox, Phillipe Boucher, Janne Pesonen, and last but not least, Rinku and Dinesh.
And we again said "You're still here?" to Jack Wilson.
There were interviews, like the creator of Jump the Shark, Pittsburgh's own Jon Hein, in March. I chatted with Steelers VP Art Rooney Jr. in July. A few weeks later, we tracked down ESPN 1250's Top Fan, Chris Mueller, and then ESPN's "Steve is Live", displaced Pittsburgher Steve Braband. September had sit-downs with Pirates Postgame host Rocco Demaro, as well as Pittsburgh legends Stan Savran and Guy Junker.
There were only a few field trips, but they were all a lot of fun: a Steeler charity basketball game in April, a day in the Pirates' All You Can Eat seats in June, and finally, the Steelers-Browns regular season finale at Heinz Field.
But rather than bog you down in link after link, let's tell the rest of Mondesi's House's 2008 story in photo form. Thanks for a great year, and have a healthy and happy 2009.
There were 768 posts on Mondesi's House in 2008 - an average of about two per day. They took on all shapes, sizes, and forms: interviews, field trips, recaps, top 10 lists, retrospectives, contests, and my take on the news of the day. We even had some guest writers. It was an eclectic mix.
Much like the transition from 2007 to 2008, you can expect some major changes in 2009, from the design to the content. There will be a heavier concentration on longer, original posts, which means we probably won't reach the 768 mark for a second consecutive year. It will have a different look, with the focus on quality over quantity. There is definitely some work to be done.
Before we can move on to 2009, we have to close the book on 2008. So let's sift through those 768 posts to recall exactly what happened...
We said goodbye to: Marian Hossa, Ryan Malone, Gary Roberts, Jason Bay, Xavier Nady, John Vanbenschoten, Colby Armstrong, Matt Morris, Ty Conklin, Bryan Bullington, Jose Bautista, Damaso Marte, Willie Reid, Jeremy Bloom, Paul Ernster, Sean Mahan, Najeh Davenport, Georges Laraque, Jarkko Ruutu, Alan Faneca, Clark Haggans, Allen Rossum, Brian St. Pierre, Adam Hall, Darryl Sydor, Lanny Frattare, and Bob Smizik.
We said hello to: Marian Hossa, Pedro Alvarez, Doug Mientkiewicz, Rashard Mendenhall, Limas Sweed, Dennis Dixon, Jonathan Baldwin, Pascal Dupuis, Andy LaRoche, Craig Hansen, Brandon Moss, Jeff Karstens, Ross Ohlendorf, Jose Tabat, Mewelde Moore, Justin Hartwig, Miroslav Satan, Orpheus Roye, Byron Leftwich, Eric Godard, Ruslan Fedotenko, Sean McHugh, Keyaron Fox, Phillipe Boucher, Janne Pesonen, and last but not least, Rinku and Dinesh.
And we again said "You're still here?" to Jack Wilson.
There were interviews, like the creator of Jump the Shark, Pittsburgh's own Jon Hein, in March. I chatted with Steelers VP Art Rooney Jr. in July. A few weeks later, we tracked down ESPN 1250's Top Fan, Chris Mueller, and then ESPN's "Steve is Live", displaced Pittsburgher Steve Braband. September had sit-downs with Pirates Postgame host Rocco Demaro, as well as Pittsburgh legends Stan Savran and Guy Junker.
There were only a few field trips, but they were all a lot of fun: a Steeler charity basketball game in April, a day in the Pirates' All You Can Eat seats in June, and finally, the Steelers-Browns regular season finale at Heinz Field.
But rather than bog you down in link after link, let's tell the rest of Mondesi's House's 2008 story in photo form. Thanks for a great year, and have a healthy and happy 2009.
MONDESI'S HOUSE: 2008, IN PICTURES
1 comment:
Happy New Year, Mondesi.
My vote for MONDESI'S HOUSE PICTURE OF THE YEAR 2008 is for the guy with the shiner who got in a fight at a wedding.
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