Two hour delay chatter

Fred Honz Man, KDKA Radio airbag, is talking about the two-hour delay for Monday morning. The Honz Man and I don't generally agree.

Fred hates the 2 hour delay. I love it. But, when you look at his objections, few hold up.

He said, more productive nations are cleaning our clock due to work ethic. Well, I was in Beijing on 8-8-08. The city and the nation came to a stand still. And, rightly so. The sports event is a time to focus and be in the moment. To be present. These are rare opportunities. And, it is historic.

Sports provides lessons for kids. I'm going to keep my kids up to watch the game, guilt free. They'll sleep a little extra the next morning and then we'll get onto our day and learning.

Few people make a living at sports as sport stars, so said the Honz Man. I say, some do. Even on the KDKA news just prior the tourism people in Tampa are happy to have a boost of 60% in hotel stays due to the Super Bowl. That is an economic impact, not just from the players on the field. Lots and lots of people are making money because of the Super Bowl beyond the players. The waiters, pizza makers, soda vendors, tourism industry, t-shirt vendors and so on.

I raised the point that Eat'n Park is going to be closed when the game is on. Fine for them. They are able to do as they wish.

Sports are, in part, about relationships. Another part of sports is 'time.'

While I'm strongly in favor of the 2-hour delay for Pittsburgh, I would not be happy with a National Holiday for the day after the Super Bowl.

An email went to the radio station and was read about making it Super Bowl SATURDAY. Wonderful idea. Why not play the game on Saturday, rather than Sunday. Heck, I'd be happy to have a 3 pm or 4 pm game.

Staying up to 10:30 pm is just too late for my kids. Our normal get ready for bed time has been 8 pm. The elementary school kids are not able to check out at 10:30 and be expected to perform on Monday.

Some of the bars on the South Side are going to be closed on Sunday -- so as to avoid the troubles that might follow in the wake of the game. Fine.

Those with regular jobs who can't get extra time and need to deal with the kids have advance warning with this news, this week. The worst is a 2-hour delay with no advance notice.

Fred should worry more about the yahoos that will take to the streets in a drunken rage to celebrate under the nose of the police, helicopters and road blocks. That's where plans and cool is necessary -- as well as an advance understanding. Get naked and streak will get you a lifetime sanction that won't let you be a teacher, drive a bus nor work in a hospital. Ouch.

This is not about making an 'excuse.' Wrong. This is about being prepared, being proactive, being prudent. There won't be any excuses come 10 am.

I've been very critical of Mark Roosevelt and certain elements of Pgh Public Schools in the past. This is one area where I think he and the cabinet have done a great service to the city and the quest for education. Lessons can and should be learned on Sunday night.

A two-hour delay is NOT like calling off for the day. It is a delay. We do want to make sure that Monday is productive, but that it starts later.

What other school districts have called for a 2-hour delay for Monday, Feb 2?

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