Last week i shadowed a reporter from the Pittsburgh Post Gazette the paper which serves the 2.5 million people who live in and around Pittsburgh. I attended a NHL game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Ottawa Senators and was totally blown away by the access media have in this all action league.

First of all each NHL team plays at least 82 games a season and each match has wall to wall coverage on TV, Radio, online and in newspapers. The fans are crazy and before arriving in Pittsburgh the two thing's i could tell you about Ice Hockey was Wayne Gretzky and that the US and Russian's are always battling it out at the Olympics. I strutted around the Mellon Arena, affectionatley known as the 'Igloo', waving my all access media pass towards any steward that stood in my way. I sat high up in the rafters with my own Television, phone and assortment of drinks and nibbles. I was then given the most remarkable pile of paper i have ever seen, showing any stat you could deem desirable and then some. The americans do love their facts and figures!! The game started and soon the Penguins flew into a 3-0 lead. But as my other trip to the 'Igloo' proved to me you can never count out a comeback. They were winning 2-0 in my first ever game back in November against the New York Rangers, only to lose 3-2.Inevitably they suffered a crushing 4-3 overtime loss, but have recently recovered to claim the league title so all was not lost. I mingled with reporters from ESPN, Fox Sports Channel and CBS and gained as much information as i could gather. The press were treated like royalty and i for one am ready to make my trips to the 'Igloo' a more regular occurence. Yet one more surprise greeted me. With 5 minutes to go Shelly, the reporter i was working with, told me to grab my things and come with her. "Where are we going?" i asked "You'll see" she said. Somewhat perplexed that we were leaving 5 minutes from the end of the game with the score at 3-3 i followed her down winding corridors and soon found myslef deep beneath the ice outside the locker room of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Wow! But it was not just our private privelage, there was a stream of journalists, cameras nd microphone's on cue ready to plough into the locker room. We were there in the room as the players returned from the ice after losing to a sickening last minute goal. Skates flew, stick flew....in fact everything flew off as they vented their frustration. All in full view of the watching media. Seconds later i was helping to interview the goalkeeper who made a huge mistake to concede the losing goal. Imagine reporters from Sky, The Times or Five Live surging into the dressing room at Old Trafford after Van Der Sar has just chucked one into the back of his own net? Would Fergie allow it, i think not! I met all of the star players and they were surprisingly open. I asked other reporters if this was the norm and they said yes and told me how the club promotes this as they like to keep connections with the media close knit in order to enhance the coverage Ice Hockey gets comaped to Basketball, Baseball and American Football. This seems logical to me but i could never see it working in the Premier League. Ohhhhhhh how i told this story time and time again to my gobsmacked teammates and friends at Uni who worship the Penguins, jealousy was aimed at me from all directions. What a day at the 'Igloo, the penguins had opened my eyes to a whole new media world.

As I sit here gazing at the snow falling in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania the harsh reality of a North American winter sets in. The thermometer has struggled to get above 0 Celsius (or 32 Fahrenheit) since I returned from my 3 week whistle-stop visit for Christmas. Is it just me or do all English people still struggle at first to deal with the loss of all that unpredictable weather we receive on our fine shores? Ok, it's just me then. The confusion of hearing my alarm clock waking me up for football training at 6am stating that the temperature will be "a chilly and icy 32 degrees today", is startling, this is yet another factor which sets Britain apart from the rest. We measure the weather in Celsius and we drive on the left side of the road, Rule Britannia! A wry smile breaks over my face as I hit the snooze button.
I am use to a hailstorm in the morning, a foggy afternoon followed by sweltering temperatures; all capped off by an evening of driving rain and force 9 winds. Yet here the weather is much more predictable. I no longer need to glance out of the window to see which coat to deploy, every single day for the last month I have placed my huge Eskimo-esque coat upon my shoulders, complete with thermals underneath, and trundled out amongst the swirling snowstorms. Everyday im told that the real winter storms will begin soon; I look back in utter disbelief as my red raw cheeks are still frozen solid and aren't responding to the warmth of a cup of tea (one English tradition which certainly will never be lost in my eyes or anyone else’s!) The sad fact is i actually long sometimes to look out the window and hear the howling wind screeching up the Solent and see flimsy trees, fence panels and any other moveable objects fly before my very eyes.
Who would have thought it, as i wait for the bus and a huge snowball misses my head by inches, that i would trade this winter wonderland for gale force winds and hailstones on Weston Shore? But i would.

Being in the home city of one of the greatest NFL teams in franchise history certainly leaves its mark on you. I happily shopped around to choose a NFL team and I choose to be a New Orleans Saints fan, as their nickname is the "Saints", logical choice you may argue! As I proudly purchased and wore my brand spanking new hat around campus, I got cheap and dirty looks from all directions. I checked to see if I had applied deodorant, yep, I checked to see if I had anything stuck to my face, nope. What was causing the looks of utter disgust i was facing? Then it dawned upon me, the "crown" i had placed on my head had only been visible for a few minutes, yet the Steelers’ fans who roamed every nook and cranny in the Steel city did not approve. Remarkably i have been brave enough to don the hat on a few sporadic occasions since, and The New Orleans Saints, unlike the "Shambolic Saints" back home, have recently gone on a four game winning spree. Giving me some Leigh way to wear the precious cap. I asked my team-mates what was so bad about the Saints, they replied, "Nothing, they're just not from Pittsburgh, you live in Pittsburgh now you have to follow the Steelers!" The point I am trying to get across is the immense sense of pride Americans feel for their home country and particularly their home city or region. This patriotic nature could be embraced in England and certainly in Southampton, as the City still searches for that elusive WOW factor. Could the people of Southampton be trusted to supply this and come up with idea's which will transform the future of the city? I maybe have instilled some of this strong patriotism whilst being stateside. Continually I am asked if I am an Australian due to my accent, I talked about this in my first entry and these Americans still can’t understand my Hampshire Hog accent! This really does rattle me and I may have given one or two short responses on a regular basis, as I face this question on a daily basis! But let’s just say im proud to be a tea sipping, beer swigging,fish & chip eating, patriotic pom!!!

So folks, having been here for nearly two months now i felt it was time to indulge in one of America's great sporting traditions.... a night out at the ball park! I travelled the 10 minute journey to downtown Pittsburgh with my team-mates to watch The Pittsburgh Pirates against The St.Louis Cardinals. As I walked up the steps into this brand spanking new PNC arena, I gazed around in amazement at the many lights, colours and sounds which greeted me. Let me set the scene for you, one half of the stadium was left completely open when constructed, as the Pittsburgh city skyline was situated close by. The rest of the stadium was in a perfect "L" shape, holding over 40,000 screaming fans. The stunning view of skyscrapers lit up in front of me on a perfect September evening was a joy to behold. I suddenly felt as though I was the journeyman baseball player who had finally reached the big leagues!
The game got off to a slow yet boisterous start and I have to confess, I didn’t really know what was going on. Yet with my limited baseball knowledge and the fact that everyone was having a good time, I was getting good vibes from this baseball lark! The highlight of the evening for many was the mascot race, I guessed the winner correctly and duly picked up a dollar from each of my team-mates! Excellent! The whole feel-good factor surrounding the match was extremely uplifting and I looked around to see people of all ages at the game. People who argue that football is becoming to "Americanized" should come and take a look first hand at the excitement and energy that is generated through the way American sport is played. Maybe more of this could be injected to Saints games or football in general in England. Enjoyment is there for the whole family, and I for one had a great time. Pittsburgh is very much like Southampton, it is a city full of passionate people who are passionate about sport. And with a Professional Ice Hockey Team (Pittsburgh Penguins), NFL Team (Pittsburgh Steelers) and the nationally ranked Pitt Panther Basketball team present, I will surely be treated to many more delights of American sport in the near future.

Many people in the UK are asking the same question, is our society becoming obese? Due to the vast number of fast food outlets which now exsist across the British Isles, many feel this argument can be valid. Have our children grown up with ready meals, take away trays and fast food becoming second nature?
Well i cant answer that question but one thing i do know is that America's problem is alot worse than ours. Every restraunt i go to in Pittburgh, or when i am travelling to other parts of the country to play "soccer", offers a super size option for an extra 20 cents. "All you can eat $2" signs are bustling for position on the sidewalk of Forbes avenue. Every regular portion is bigger than our supper size portions in England. Vast swathes of overweight people stroll the streets at some times, normally in the evening as it could be to dangerous to venture out during the heat of the day!! So the outragesouly larger than life people who appear on shows such as Jerry Springer really are true, i have seen this first hand.
I am not stating the way they live is incorrect or judging anyone by no means. However i do feel that the social values surpressed by the US citizens will only further "inflate" this already overgrown obesity problem. Healthier eating and more exercise are the answers most people give when asked how to solve the problem of weight gain. Yet try and tell this to americans working 12-15 hour days just to pay the rent and have a decent standard of living. Ready meals, Burger King and sitting in front of the TV are simply part of everyday American life,this could lead to the route of the problem? This lifestyle also exists back home in England.
But yet again, hasn't this become part of everyday British life aswel? Are we another America in the making?

So, i have been in Pittsburgh for just over a week. Its been an experience to say the least and its only just begun. As i walk the streets of 5th Avenue and Forbes avenue cars rush past me in this sprawling city, characterised by its former "steel city" glory. Pittsburgh has european roots all over the place, the area just past the University is known as Polish hill, whilst there are huge german and ukranian. At the moment walking the streets of "the 'burgh" seems like walking through the Sahara dessert. The barometer has reached the high 90's ever day since i have arrived. The comments on my accent have flowed since day one, i've had them all. "Which part of London are you from?", to which i replied actually im not from London, cue the loud gasps from the "educated" american! Others have described my accent as being "cute" and "sweet" whilst the most annoying comment of all has been; "You are along way from home, how is Australia?" not once, not twice but several times this question has been posed to me.I simply reply im not from Sydney, im from Southampton.