Pitt Associate Athletic Director for Media Relations E.J. Borghetti is mad on the Internet. More accurately, he’s mad in the newspaper, which is measurably worse.

It all began innocuously enough last week with Penn State alum David Garth’s weekly column in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette titled “I love Pittsburgh except for the things I hate,” which called out the city for having too many bike lanes, parades, and its “blue-collar” roots. And then there was this:

Pitt football fans

Speaking of being stuck in the past: Pitt football fans actually believe the program has tradition. Maybe 30 years ago it did. Its current tradition is a half-full Heinz Field for its games and a new head coach every other year. Maybe Pitt fans annoy me because I’m a Penn Stater, but maybe they do because they don’t live in reality. Do the Pitt sports-information people still claim to have nine national championships in football?

Shots. Fired.

I’ll be honest, Garth was asking for it. Bike lanes are pretty neat, Yinzers are right to take pride in their blue-collar-ness, and parades aren’t too bad. But Garth’s drivel pales in comparison to the lack of self-awareness displayed by Pitt’s Executive Associate Athletic Director for Media Relations (how’s that for a title?). Borghetti volleyed back in his own Post-Gazette column a few days later called “A Penn Stater seems worried about Pitt.” To wit:

Perhaps the real source of Mr. Garth’s grouchiness is that after 16 long years, his alma mater, Penn State, can no longer avoid Pitt on the football field. The origin of hate is fear, and he undoubtedly sees that Pat Narduzzi is building a tough, tenacious and, yes, blue-collar program primed for championships at Pitt.

Blue-and-white colored glasses cannot shield him from the approaching storm. The program that produced homegrown legends Ditka, Dorsett and Marino (among many others) has reawakened — just in time for Sept. 10, 2016.

He can stay home the day a parade is held to celebrate Coach Narduzzi bringing a 10th national title to Pitt.

I’ll give us Penn State fans this: When we’re bad, we know we’re bad — perhaps to a fault. Pitt won one more game than Penn State last year and the athletic director is already calling for National Championships, while Penn Staters are calling for the coach’s head. Nonetheless…

Penn State wins since 2011 (under crippling sanctions): 38
Pitt wins since 2011: 33

See you all on September 10.