The 31,000 mile Steelers road trip.

[stillers4me]

Friday, October 29, 2010 06:57 PM
Written by Dan Gigler http://blogs.sites.post-gazette.com/templates/pg_twn/images/emailButton.png (http://blogs.sites.post-gazette.com/index.php/component/mailto/?tmpl=component&link=aHR0cDovL2Jsb2dzLnNpdGVzLnBvc3QtZ2F6ZXR0ZS5jb 20vaW5kZXgucGhwL3Nwb3J0cy9ibG9nLW4tZ29sZC8yMjEzNC1 hdXN0cmFsaWE%3D) http://blogs.sites.post-gazette.com/templates/pg_twn/images/printButton.png (http://blogs.sites.post-gazette.com/index.php/sports/blog-n-gold/22134-australia?tmpl=component&print=1&layout=default&page=)


Many people claim to be devoted Steelers fans, who would travel any length to see the Black & Gold play -- anecdotally, I've personally met folks from England (http://www.post-gazette.com/multimedia/default.asp?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipid=4539522), Italy (http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09137/970552-66.stm) and Korea (http://www.post-gazette.com/multimedia/default.asp?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipid=4358269) and Mexico (http://www.post-gazette.com/multimedia/default.asp?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipid=4357853) who have traversed continents and oceans to see the Steelers -- but I think we have a new record holder.

http://blogs.sites.post-gazette.com/images/stories/Dan_Gigler/battaglia.jpgAnthony Battaglia (right) of Melbourne, Australia traveled 31,664 miles over a month-long vacation that took him from his home to Genoa, Italy, where he visited family, to New York, to Pittsburgh, and back. To put that in perspective, that's just shy of 7,000 miles more than the circumference of Planet Earth (24,901 mi.).

Along the way he went to a Steelers bar in Rome, a Steelers preseason game, a Steel City Mafia event, the regular season opening win over Atlanta, the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and a Steelers bar in Hoboken, N.J., plus tours of Pittsburgh, Chicago, Cleveland and New York City while in America............

http://blogs.sites.post-gazette.com/index.php/sports/blog-n-gold/22134-australia?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

[stillers4me]

Anthony is registered here on SU as Woodson_Downunder

[Devilsdancefloor]

that is awesome!

[ALLD]

That is what I want to do when I retire.

[Borski]

....traveled 31,664 miles over a month-long vacation......that's just shy of 7,000 miles more than the circumference of Planet Earth (24,901 mi.

If the circumference of Planet Earth is 24,901 mi, then how is 31,664 miles, 7,000 miles shy of the circumference? Seems he went over.

[Merchant]

There's a Steelers bar in Rome? wtf lol

[Kaeg]

If the circumference of Planet Earth is 24,901 mi, then how is 31,664 miles, 7,000 miles shy of the circumference? Seems he went over.

Just shy of 7000 miles MORE than the circumference. :drink:

[Borski]

Just shy of 7000 miles MORE than the circumference. :drink:

Gottcha! ok, sorry bout that, I was just confused. thanks!

[stillers4me]

There's a Steelers bar in Rome? wtf lol

La Botticella
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09137/970552-66.stm

[tube517]

A Louis Lipps sighting! What a dream trip.

[Merchant]

La Botticella
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09137/970552-66.stm

That is awesome.

[Galax Steeler]

Looks like he had a good time and more.

[solardave]

QUOTE=Merchant;80123]There's a Steelers bar in Rome? wtf lol[/QUOTE]

I hear the Pope drinks there cause he's a Steelers fan!:sofunny:

[Woodson_DownUnder]

Looks like he had a good time and more.

had some good luck and some bad luck..

Good luck #1: Getting a member of facebook to drive from Kentucky to Pittsburgh to show me around in his Steelers BEAST truck.

Good luck #2: Connections (free on the day) to enable me to visit the Steelers facilities.

Good Luck #3: Calling up a cab that arrived at exactly the time it was scheduled.. only it wasn't supposed to be my ride and it also happen to be the driver's (Ray H) intention to head to Ohio anyway coz he hadn't been to either Hall of Fames.

Good luck #4: Tasting my first Primanti Bros sandwich without paying for it..


Bad Luck #1: No cell phone... really need one or you're BUTKUS.. could of easily hooked up with a few of the folk who asked 'where I was??' on several occasions during my 2 week stay in Pittsburgh.

Bad luck #2: Buying tickets to the Atlanta game from a scalper only to find they were located at the non preferred end of the stadium so I wasted an hour trying to scalp them!! and then upgrade them.. missed out on Tailgating!!

Bad Luck #3: No gameday Steelers present on the day I visited the Steelers facility. Would of been great to meet Dick LeBeau and quiz him about SB XLIII on whether he delibrately allowed an open field so Fitzgerald can SCORE the go-ahead score to save TIME for the Steelers.

Bad luck #4: After returning from the bar... finding someone of the Steel City Mafia had eaten the rest of my Primanti Sandwich..

[stillers4me]

So are you home now, or are you still globe trotting???

[Woodson_DownUnder]

So are you home now, or are you still globe trotting???

Certainly am. I've been to/ entered 8 states of the USA.. Bucket List would be to visit all of them... of course that would at least another 21 Steeler games.