Remember when poisons used to have a skull and cross bones on the label?
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Maybe sports fans can take a hint from the Pittsburgh Pirates logo. The Pittsburgh Pirates just set a record never matched in the major team sports, MLB, NFL, NBA, or NHL by losing seventeen seasons in a row. How bitter could this irony be than when highlights were shown of ESPN's 30th anniversary and thirty years ago the Pirates were World Champs to the tune of "We Are Family" led by Willie Stargell. The Pirates last winning season was with a young, slim up and coming superstar, Barry Bonds, before he became the hefty hulk from steroids. There was no Internet for wide use. Few carried cell phones. Who on earth would know ".com."
The Pirates pleaded their case as a small market team that could not compete. True, such towns are at a disadvantage, but Oakland, Minnesota, Tampa, Florida and others have all made the post season. In fact, the worst supported team in baseball that has cleaned its cupboard bare on several occasions, the Florida Marlins have two World Titles.
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The sad truth is winning means nothing to the current owners of the Pirates nor did it mean anything to the McClatchy regime previously. The once proud franchise has been treated as nothing more than an investment. Speaking of investments, how much did the public support the construction of PNC Park?
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The ghosts of Bill Mazeroski, Roberto Clemente, and Willie Stargell would haunt these greedy ogres to death if they had any soul of a sports fan in them.
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Look, it's very hard as a Baltimore Orioles fan to be putting the finger on the Pirates. We've set the mark for our 13th winless season just one loss away from a losing season. However, the Orioles have been more a matter of mismanagement especially during the Syd Thrift era before Andy McPhail arrived on the scene who surely has made it look like there will be winning seasons in the near future.
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Still, the purpose of sports is winning. The purpose of an automobile manufacturer is to build quality cars. There is no excuse, none, for the conduct of the Pirates owners.They are not unique; they're just the worst. Whether through greed or total incompetence, there are plenty of organizations in sports that have no clue what it takes to win. Look at the Detroit Lions, Los Angeles Clippers, and all those "start and park" NASCAR teams. Too bad in these sports there's not something like what happens in PGA tournaments where competitors must hit a certain mark to make the cut or go home.
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In Pittsburgh nothing was more certain on openning day that what they just accomplished would happen. As the season progressed, they unloaded every regular player with significant talent. Look at the outfield the Pirates put on the field to start the 2008 season. Where are they now? How many of those fellows wouldn't look great on most teams?
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Pittsburgh is one of the most passionate sports towns in America. Yeah, Ravens fans hate 'em, because we have so much in common. Who could ask for a more beautiful setting than PNC Park right on the river where splash homers can be clobbered? Put a good product on the field and PNC Park could be rocking with 30,000 fans a night. There are plenty of small towns who'd flock to their local pubs or huddle around their TV's watching Pirates baseball if their team resembled the 1979 "family."
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We note this embarassing record with disgust and dismay. All sports fans should be angry that a city like Pittsburgh should be robbed by such greedy bastards. We demand hustle and effort from our teams and if that's obvious, the true fan will be there through the good and the bad, but no bad spell can last seventeen years without some horrible motivation.
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Perhaps if the Orioles grow as they should and being close to Pittsburgh where our territories overlap in south central PA, West Virginia and western Maryland, it will help create a buzz to drive those bastards out of town and get local owners who commit to good baseball in Steel City.
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Right now, on this September eve as the 2009 baseball season winds down, we can almost guarantee the Pirates record of failure will hit at least twenty years, probably more unless the team folds.
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