The Stanley Cup Final is heating up after the Nashville Predators came back to even the series at two wins each. While the national media seems to be raving about the atmosphere and crowds in Nashville, at least two members of the Pittsburgh media are none too pleased.
Jeff Verszyla, “Pittsburgh’s chief meteorologist” and the host of a Pittsburgh Steelers kids show on KDKA-TV, kicked things off in advance of the Predators’ 4-1 blowout of the Pens in Monday’s Game 4, tweeting that he was “really getting tired of hearing about Nashville’s fans” and that “one Stanley Cup Playoffs does not make a Hockey Town.”
i’M rEAlly gEtTiNg tIrEd oF hEaRiNg aBOuT nASHviLLe’S fAnS…sUppOrTiNg a tEAm iN oNe StAnLeY cUp PLayOFfS doEs nOT mAkE a HoCKeY tOwn pic.twitter.com/SVJQ96DwnI
— Andy (@pucktails) June 6, 2017
I actually don’t mind Jeff here. I just love this Spongebob meme – and we’re based out of Nashville, so OF COURSE if we’re going to get in on the fun, we’re taking the side of the raucous Preds crowd.
But, you know what – put yourself in Pittsburgh’s shoes. All that the national media is talking about is the environment in Nashville. Yeah, I’d probably be a little salty about that if the roles were reversed. Namely, because I hear Pittsburgh is a fantastic city to visit. Great hockey culture, football crazy, beautiful baseball park – it’s not really all that different from Nashville.
In general, I love to see people talking shit in competitive situations. Engaging in creative banter is hilariously entertaining to me – like a mental game of chess. So, I read Jeff’s comments and I think, “awwww, buddy – here we go. Let’s do this.” But, it’s all fun and games. At the end of the day, if the dude was sitting in front of me, I’d buy him a beer and welcome him to Nashville. It’s all good.
Some of these replies I’m reading, man – we Preds fans just need to calm down a bit. This perceived small market sleight just makes us seem like a group of butt hurt whiners. There’s no need to be so combative and hateful. No offense to Jeff here, but what does it matter that a Pittsburgh weatherman is tired of hearing about Preds fans?
And, in case you’re wondering – no, this isn’t just a Preds fan base issue. This happens year in and year out among Tennessee Titans fans as well. I’m not sure where this obsession with national media coverage came from. But the fact that the Titans don’t get primetime games or that a weatherman from another market is tired of hearing about our fans has absolutely no effect on what is happening in the city. It shouldn’t affect your enjoyment of what’s going on here.
Why does this have to become Pittsburgh vs. Nashville, anyway? Believe me, there’s enough room in the world for both to be excellent cities.
Anyway, Jeff’s totally wrong about everything he’s ever said and definitely jealous of the electricity that is Nashville, Tennessee. 😉
But, Dan Kingerski is taking it to a different level:
Dan Kingerski, who talks Pens on 93.7 The Fan and the PGH Hockey Now website, then took things to another level on Wednesday, burying in a piece on Matt Murraya suggestion that Nashville is pumping artificial crowd noiseinto Bridgestone Arena.
Presented without any edits, Kingerski’s claims:
I’m convinced the Bridgestone Arena is using the PA to amp crowd noise. Facts–the arena plays warm-up and in-game music at 110-112dbs, as measured by my own device. At the height of the crowd mania in Game 4, I believe my radio trained ears heard the pops and cracks of over-modulation. Lastly, the sound levels are never shown in the arena, unlike every other arena in which I’ve covered games.
Why would the “record holder” not show the sound level? The loudest the sound meter (on my iPhone) hit was about 114dbs. 114 is a great number and the crowd is engaged for a full 60 minutes. People don’t leave 10 minutes early to hit the bars or beat traffic.
However, I believe I call “bunk” on the 130dbs claim, at least achieved organically. However, the Predators are welcome to prove it.
Yikes.
You can trust Kingerski’s “radio trained ears,” you can refer to measurements from The Tennessean that paint a quieter picture of the Arena’s still-roaring crowd or you can presume someone else in Pittsburgh isn’t too pleased that the Steel City is being outdone both on the ice and in the seats, where small-market loyalty has exploded onto the national spotlight in Nashville.
This is just weird. It’s not really trash talk…..if you go after this guy, what do you have to gain? You can say “no – you’re wrong,” but he seems like the type of guy who wants to argue rationally with facts and stuff and there’s just no place for that here. Plus, no one wants to be the guy that engages the 9/11 truther on Facebook. You tell them they’re crazy and you just end up down this rabbit hole.
But, first of all, I don’t recall ever seeing a 130dbs claim. Second, you can come to any home game of the season and hear a crowd this loud. This isn’t a new thing, Dan. It’s not like they’re just trying to ramp things up on this Cup run for publicity. And, I’m not sure the organization really cares that much about what the meters say – they didn’t have the Guinness Book of World Records people there the game after they clocked in at 126dbs.
Actually, you know what, I’m going to back out of this rant now – I’m not going to talk shit about Dan. I’m afraid he might show up at my house in Nashville and take me back to Pittsburgh in a freezer.
Go Preds.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. A strong advocate of GSD (get shit done) and #BeBetter, he’s down to talk Tennessee Titans and Alabama Crimson Tide football over a beer any day. Check him out covering the WWE for WrestlingNews.co. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley, @WrestlingNewsCo
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