Pittsburgh could have had it all with “The Dave”

I was born too late.

And no, even though I’m a local guy and have heard that Clarks song a… I was born too late.

And no, even though I’m a local guy and have heard that Clarks song a million times in high school and now in college at Pitt, I’m not singing when I say that.

I was born too late because I could have solved a serious problem here in my beloved hometown that is the Steel City.

But it seems it’s just too late now.

Let me explain.

As the losses continue to pile up and the hopes of what was going to be a fantastic season continue to fade away, the Pittsburgh Penguins, my favorite of the teams donning the black and gold in this city, seem to be getting closer and closer to leaving Pittsburgh forever.

Team owner, captain and twice its savior Mario Lemieux doesn’t appear to have a third franchise save in him. Lemieux told reporters this week that the Penguins’ lease with Mellon Arena allows them to entertain offers to sell the franchise as early as July (a year before the Penguins’ lease expires at Mellon Arena).

If the team is sold, it is likely they will not remain in Pittsburgh. Lemieux has made it clear that he doesn’t think it is possible for the Penguins to stay in the ‘Burgh unless the team gets a new facility (Mellon Arena is the oldest of the NHL’s 30 venues).

Lemieux knew this was an issue when he bought the team but never thought this issue would get to this point.

“It’s something I’ve been dealing with since 1999, when I bought the team,” Lemieux told the Post-Gazette on Tuesday. “We should be in a new arena right now, which we’re not; and it’s disappointing.”

I hear you, Mario.

However, I can’t entirely sympathize with the big guy. The solution to this problem was right under his nose when he took over as the Penguins’ owner, but he somehow missed it.

The University of Pittsburgh tore down Pitt Stadium in 1999, with plans to build a new basketball facility in its place. The Petersen Events Center was completed in the spring of 2002 and seats 12,500 people.

The Pete, as it has been called here at Pitt, is a beautiful facility. Any visiting coach or program will tell you it is definitely state-of-the-art. And it looks great in the background of my Panther Card, but there are a lot of problems with the Pete.

What gets me is that they built this great facility and so few students get to experience it. Sure, the Baierl Rec. Center is open to everyone, and it’s awesome, but have you ever been downstairs to the locker room?

I didn’t think so, but if you did spend the $25 per semester to rent a one-by-three-foot gym locker, you’ll know that if someone else is changing next to you, it’s crowded. It’s like trying to change in a phone booth, but with someone else in the booth with you. And you both just got done working out.

Bad smells and cramped locker rooms aside, though, it seems the major problem is the ineffective use of such a large space. Pitt Stadium held 56,150 people (around 20 percent of that could fit in the Pete). There seems to be vast, empty useless space all over the place (I guess construction was inspired by Posvar Hall).

If Lemieux and his investors would have discussed construction plans with the University and compromised a little, I don’t think the Pete would have any problems and the result would have been terrific. The result, let’s call it “The Dave Thomas Events Center” or “The Dave,” would have been a 25,000-person capacity NHL ice rink, Pittsburgh civic center and, most importantly to the University, the home for the basketball teams.

There would be very few nights “The Dave” would be empty.

It would host nearly 50 basketball games a year, between both Pitt squads and the occasional pro game that travels to Pittsburgh. It would house the 40-plus games the Penguins play a season (plus playoffs, and there will be playoffs and Stanley Cups before Sidney Crosby’s career is over, I just hope it happens in Pittsburgh). “The Dave” would host every concert worth seeing in Pittsburgh and play host to a number of other events that go on in the Steel City.

And all of this would be happening right on upper campus. Only a 10-minute walk from your South Oakland animal house or a five-minute walk from your dorm.

Not only would “The Dave” have allowed the Penguins to stay in Pittsburgh, it would have cost the University less money than the Pete because both the city and the Penguins would have gotten in on it. And that’s not even the best part – with a bigger facility there would have never been any of the basketball season ticket scandals or unhappy alumni because “The Dave” would be twice the size of the Pete.

But, it’s too late.

Dave Thomas is a senior staff writer for The Pitt News, and while some may confuse him with Superman, he hates changing in phone booths, especially when somebody else is in there with him. E-mail him at dthomas7224@yahoo.com.