PITTSBURGH - Sean Cannon does everything in a big way, especially partying. "People act like I invented partying," explained the 39 year-old high school principal from Shaler. "Hell, I didn't invent partying. Let's just say I made it what it is today, that's all."It was little wonder that yesterday, with the biggest sporting event of them all being broadcast, Cannon, a life-long Steeler fan, wanted to do it up in a big way. "I decided to have a few hundred friends over for the Super Bowl, so I needed a TV big enough to do it justice," said Cannon. "I thought to myself, the Pirates have a pretty nice-sized screen over at PNC [Park] that nobody's using. So, I decided to borrow it." Late Saturday night on the eve of the Super Bowl, Cannon's crew of 12 men hoisted the Jumbotron from the PNC Park scoreboard, gently lowered it onto a flatbed truck and drove it to the gymnasium of Cannon's school. Cannon hooked up the cable, and the party was a huge success.
"When the Steelers got off to such a crummy start," Cannon said, "I thought maybe I jinxed them by showing them on that Jumbotron, given that it's so accustomed to showing losers." But the Steelers somehow managed to pull out a victory, and the Jumbotron was a big hit. The only problem occurred with the half-time show. "When Mick [Jagger] showed up in a close-up on that big screen, seven people passed out," said Cannon.
With 1:27 to go in the fourth quarter, one of the party guests approached Cannon to ask where he had gotten the Jumbotron. It was Kevin McClatchy, the Pirates' CEO. "I 'fessed up," said Cannon. "And Kevin was great about it. In fact he kind of likes the idea of keeping the damn thing out of PNC Park. It'll keep him from having to look at the Pirates so much."
