Category: Rants a.k.a. Commentary || By

In case you've been living in a cave for the past several days, "PittGirl" --- the anonymous blogger whose Burgh Blog captured the hearts of thousands of Pittsburghers with her snarky commentary on politics, life, the Steelers and other weighty topics --- revealed her real name last week.

This was greeted with front-page coverage in both of Pittsburgh's newspapers and stories on TV and radio.

The Tribune-Review almost broke out the "WAR IS DECLARED" style headline type that it's previously reserved for such scoops as the news that Russ Grimm was the new coach of the Steelers.

The announcement even made CNN.

Many of those same media outlets did follow-up stories the next day when PittGirl --- whose real name turns out to be Virginia Montanez, 35, of North Huntingdon Township --- was dismissed from her job at a Pittsburgh non-profit agency that deals with many of the same elected officials that The Burgh Blog has been deftly skewering for four years.

. . .

You may remember that Tube City Almanac two years ago correctly guessed that PittGirl was from North Huntingdon, which led to people actually threatening me for "outing" Montanez.

Sorry, but when she mentioned that she lived 16 miles from downtown Pittsburgh and then started posting pictures of the North Huntingdon Giant Eagle and Berks' Men's Wear (the official sweater-vest supplier of Tube City Online), well, she was just daring me to note that she was from North Huntingdon, or as we like to say, "the McKeesport suburbs."

Naturally, when the news broke that PittGirl was Montanez, several (OK, two) people emailed me to ask if it was true that I had figured out who PittGirl really was.

I replied, no, I hadn't, and that actually ... I didn't really care.

. . .

Make no mistake --- I think Montanez is a talented writer. I also think she's demonstrated beyond a reasonable doubt that blogging provides a chance for independent voices to have an impact.

Think about it: With some free software and probably $200 worth of bandwidth, she's generated more buzz since 2005 than any of the Post-Gazette's stable of highly paid columnists. (And a little birdie tells the Almanac that PittGirl has been seen inside 34 Blvd. of the Allies, which could mean that she's about to move on up to the big time, to a deluxe apartment, or at least cubicle.)

But I just don't understand the fascination with her or with her real identity.

I'm really, truly not the least bit jealous. You may recall that I wrote a book, and I've been on TV, radio and in print promoting the dad-blamed thing, so it's not like I'm attention-starved.

. . .

Wasn't it enough for her to be writing funny things? Does knowing her real name make her any funnier? Does knowing that Little Richard's real name is "Richard Penniman" make "Good Golly, Miss Molly" a better song?

(And who owns more stiletto heels, Little Richard or PittGirl? But I digress.)

Also, without being unkind, PittGirl --- for all of her talent --- wouldn't be a celebrity in any other city. Try to imagine Chicago newspapers and TV reporters breathlessly announcing the identity of an anonymous blogger.

For that matter, I'm not sure she's a big celebrity in Pittsburgh, either. If I went to Monroeville Mall or Olympia Shopping Center and stopped the first 10 people I met, could eight of them correctly identify PittGirl as a local blogger?

. . .

Maybe the problem I'm having is that Pittsburgh is such a small media market that our reporters are obsessed with trivial nonsense --- and don't otherwise dig very hard for any stories that aren't Steelers related.

Honestly, with hard-hitting stories like last week's PittGirl revelations, it's hard to understand why newspaper circulation is in freefall, and why TV news viewership is down, too.

(Personally, I blame Google and Craigslist. Damn you, Craigslist!)

But since the media seems to be so hard up for blog-related news, I guess I should finally reveal my secret, too.

I've actually been writing for Tube City Almanac under a pseudonym for all of these years.

Yes, I'm actually the late Sen. William D. Mansfield. Alert Jim Lokay!