With Pitt's foray into the ACC, we figured it was time we go to know some of our ACC brethren. So each day for ... well, as long as we have them, we'll be posting Q&As with other SB Nation ACC blogs. The bad news? I'm lazy/tired/too busy (pick one) to get too creative here, so all ten questions were the same for every blog. The good news? That's still better than nothing.
Up today are our good friends over at From the Rumble Seat - SB Nation's Georgia Tech blog. Check them out. Answering questions on behalf of them is Nate Muller.
1. First, give us a little background on your blog. How/why did you get started? How long have you been at it?
The blog was originally started by a fellow who goes by Winfield Tufts, who held the annual title of Ramblin Wreck driver for the 2007-2008 year. It was originally called TheLegacyX3 because he, his father, and his grandfather (and later his two little brothers) all went to Tech. However, he changed it to From the Rumble Seat when he became the Wreck driver because he was now blogging "from the rumble seat" (The Wreck is a Ford Model A. which have rumble seats in the back. Thus, this name didn't really make much sense, but it was good enough). In the spring of 2012, he handed it off to Joey Weaver and myself, and a blogging empire was born.
2. So tell us a little about our ACC brethren. Besides maybe your own, of course, whose fans are the most hospitable? Who do Pitt fans need to avoid like the plague?
I haven't been to any away games, but I've heard stories about Clemson that are hilarious for their redneckery. For example, my friend fell down the steps whilst "sober" at the Clemson game last year and tore up his leg. After the game he was nursing his injury in the parking lot dressed in his Tech gear and a Clemson guy drove by in a HUGE truck and screamed "The library's that way, ya fuckin' nerd!" and then presumably screamed "roll tahde!" Miami is also terrible, because out of the 40 UM fans in the stadium 35 of them are angry thugs.
3. Again, leaving your school out, best road trip? And the place you wouldn't go even if given free airfare, lodging, and tickets?
I've never been for a football game (only for baseball and hanging out purposes), but FSU hands down. You've got to factor in the culture shock element coming from Tech though (because there are actually those "women" things at FSU), but every time I've been it's been a friendly atmosphere that's super intense and a lot of fun no matter which side you're on.
4. After dealing with John Marinatto in the Big East, we're pretty sure John Swofford's a genius, ninja, or both. Can you confirm/deny?
A bunch of people think Swoff's an idiot who's completely biased towards the NC schools, but I don't see it that way. He's locked up membership as much as anyone can (though I'm convinced crafty lawyers will find a way out of the grant of rights when the SEC/B1G come hollering for more ACC schools in a few years), he's bolstered revenues, and he's about to start an ACC Network. I think he's a pretty smart dude.
5. Okay, with that out of the way, what did fans of your school think about the additions of Pitt, Syracuse, and Louisville? It's okay - rip into us ... you won't hurt our feelings (much).
Obviously, I thought that Pitt and Syracuse were great additions on the basketball side of things; but was pissed off the conference decided to focus on basketball in this football-centric sporting society. The addition of Louisville alleviated this concern somewhat, but that program continuing last year's success is not a guarantee. If that doesn't happen, we're right back to square one in terms of football. Speaking of the football perspective, I think y'all can do really great in this conference if you can hold on to a damn coach for more than a few weeks :-).
6. For Pitt fans, Tony Dorsett is absolutely untouchable. Who's the athletic icon from your school (any sport) that we should never, ever make fun of?
REGGIE BALL. But seriously, If you ever try and touch Calvin Johnson, Clint Castleberry, or Joe Hamilton most GT fans will probably disassociate from you.
7. Not counting football and basketball, tell us a little more about a non/small-revenue program at your school that excels.
Georgia Tech baseball. Oh, how I adore baseball season. Beesball has been to the postseason 27 times in the past 29 years and became the first 8 (lowest) seed to ever win the ACC baseball tournament last year. They usually post a winning percentage somewhere in the high 60's, making them the only consistently good team that I root for (GT, Tampa Bay Bucs, and Orlando Magic fan). Needless to say, the baseball team's pretty endearing to a lot of folks around here.
8. While ACC fans (we're told, anyway) like to dress up to the occasion for games, Pitt fans are mostly the opposite. Even our most buttoned up fans are typically rocking a jersey (including the occasional Steelers jersey) or t-shirt with jeans/shorts for nice weather games. That goes for our ladies, too, by the way. Will that cut it for a game in your neck of the woods or do we need to try harder if we don't want to get mocked endlessly?
The only people who actually dress up are the greeks, in keeping with the old southern tradition of the football game as a classic social affair. We do this while simultaneously being abhorrently drunk, so I guess you could say we're self-defeatist. Most folks just wear polos and shorts; but lots of people wear jerseys and jeans too. Outside of the greek block in the student section you're not going to find any coats and ties, at any rate, so dress however the heck you want.
9. If we're in town, what do we need to eat and where do we eat it? Oh yeah, and give us a local attraction/touristy thing, if you can.
People will tell you to go to the Varsity. DO NOT DO THIS. Most of the food is pure grease; the only thing they have worth consuming there is the milkshake. Instead, try R. Thomas up Peachtree St. for tasty organic fare or Fox Brothers BBQ off DeKalb Ave. for the best Q in town. Both are about 10-15 minutes away from the stadium. Some of the best Guac I've ever had resides in El Scorpio taco bar a few blocks from the stadium, and Taco Mac is the definitive Atlanta sports bar and has over 300 types of beer available for purchase.
As far as stuff to do, the CFB hall of fame opens up next year and will be walking distance from the stadium. For now, though, the GA aquarium is a real treat (also walking distance from the stadium), with one of the world's largest indoor water tanks containing four freakin whale sharks! They also have dolphins (which perform a show), manta rays, and most importantly, penguins.
10. Pitt is known for its medical facilities and research - give us something non-sports related that's important about your school?
Engineering. Look up top engineering schools and Tech is in the top 5 at almost every single discipline, and we're very proud of that. We've got world-class facilities (both academic and athletic), and we're starting to get more and more girls now! I'd say we're happiest about the last one. We're also proud of the storied legacy of our 125-year-old school, and many of the traditions of old (like RAT Caps) are still integral to campus life.
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