People are supposed to protest the ownership of the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday night.
Joe Tuscano, assistant sports editor for our newspaper, The Observer-Reporter, has written a column about the efforts. Click here to give a read.
Personally, I've managed to avoid paying a cent toward the Pirates ownership this year after attending probably an average of 20 times a season since PNC Park opened in 2001. Fool me six years ...
Congratulations to Frank Thomas (500 home runs) and Craig Biggio (3,000 hits) on reaching their respective milestones yesterday.
I've heard debate today about Biggio's qualifications for the Hall of Fame. Oh, come on! Just because the guy wasn't hitting balls into the ozone with the frequency of McGwire, Sosa and Palmeiro, let's not diminish his accomplishments. He's a very well-respected player who has put in 20 years with the same team, a rarity not only in these nomadic times but in major-league history.
By the way, he has hit 286 home runs so far. He also has scored 1,821 runs, hit 658 doubles (tops among active players) and stolen 413 bases to go along with a respectable .282 lifetime batting average. And he's done all that from switching his position from catcher to second base to center field, then back to second base.
He might not make it on the first ballot, but when all is said and done, Craig Biggio deserves a plaque in Cooperstown.
Trivia question 46 (courtesy of Bruce Brown): Who was the last 20th Century player to appear in 120 games in consecutive seasons for the same manager, but on different teams? Hint: He was an All-Star as a player and as a manager. Answer at bottom right
Showing posts with label protest. Show all posts
Showing posts with label protest. Show all posts
Friday, June 29, 2007
Monday, June 25, 2007
Irate fans
I've heard some mixed opinions on the planned protest of the Pirates coming up on Saturday at PNC Park. But in my opinion, the guys who are organizing it are showing that there still is interest in baseball in Pittsburgh, and those who still care are, to borrow from the late Peter Finch, mad as hell and not going to take it anymore.
In a nut(ting)shell, the protest is planned for Saturday's game against the Washington Nationals. The objective is for people who are in attendance to walk out after the third inning, after they've collected their Bob Walk bobbleheads. But for those who don't want to give the Pirates ownership their money on Saturday, the organizers of the protest are planning activities on the public streets outside the ballpark (which, itself, came about pretty much with public money, apparently so that whoever ran the baseball team could turn a profit regardless of the product on the field).
Anyway ... supporting the protest is a group with a really catchy name for its Web site, Irate Fans, featuring a logo that sort of looks like there's a "P" in front of "Irate." Give credit where it's due when it comes to creativity. The site has been in place since last spring, and the publicity surrounding the protest really must be generating some hits these days.
Kraig Koelsch, one of the leading Irate Fans, forwarded this information regarding the protest planned by Fans for Change:
Hello everyone,
As you may have heard by now, Fans for Change will hold a formal press conference on Tuesday, June 26th at 2:15pm near the Roberto Clemente statue on Federal Street. At this time, we will officially announce our plans and objectives for the evening of Saturday, June 30th. All regional media outlets have been informed and will be in attendance.
We ask that all supporters of Fans for Change join us (if possible) on Tuesday afternoon, adorned in a green shirt, as a visual representation of the strength that we have gained in the span of less than two weeks! Our group presence will vividly illustrate the strength and passion of fans that truly demand and deserve change.
Remember, this movement is a team movement, and together we have power in unity.
We look forward to seeing you on Tuesday afternoon if you can make it.
Sincerely,
Seanpittsburghforchange@yahoo.com
So, if you're not doing anything tomorrow afternoon ... unfortunately, I am, so I won't hear firsthand what the Fans for Change have to say. But I'll pass on the information as I get it.
At any rate, the protest should be picking up a lot of steam following the Pirates' horrific showing on the just-completed West Coast trip, an interleague nightmare that included:
• Being shut out by a pitcher, Seattle's Jeff Weaver, who entered the game with an ERA above 10.
• Being shut out by another Mariners pitcher, Felix Hernandez, who seems to have a lot of potential but also seems to be injury-prone.
• Choking away an early lead and losing to the Los Angeles ... Anaheim ... whatever they're called, in extra innings.
• Giving up 10 runs to the Angels in a game started by Ian Snell, who has been mentioned as a possibility for the Pirates' representative in the All-Star Game (as if they deserve one).
• Tying the game in the ninth but blowing it in extra innings, giving the Angels the most victories in the majors to this point in the season.
Yeah, it's getting easier to protest. It's also getting easier to stay away from PNC Park while the Nutting ownership is reaping the profits. For Pittsburgh-area baseball fans, there's a viable alternative down the road in Washington, PA, with the Frontier League Wild Things. Read more about them in Chris Dugan's blog.
And unless you're protesting, you might want to consider steering clear of PNC.
Trivia question 43: Who was the second pitcher to win a World Series game for the Phillies? (The first was Grover Cleveland Alexander.)
Friday, June 22, 2007
Oh, happy day!
Joe Saunders has to be smiling today. Or at least he will be, when he wakes up on Pacific Daylight Time.
Saunders, who turned 26 last week, is living every pitcher's dream: He faces the Pittsburgh Pirates tonight. Because of injuries in the Angels' rotation, Saunders has been called up from Triple-A Salt Lake City specifically for that purpose.
What a way to return!
Saunders actually has pitched very well when Los Angeles or Anaheim or whatever they heck they're called has used him as a spot starter this season, posting a 3-0 record with a 2.22 ERA. In 19 lifetime starts, he's 10-3.
The Pirates, meanwhile, are traveling down the coast from Seattle after being shut out in consecutive games, the latter marking the major-league-leading eighth time Pittsburgh has failed to score.
At least they were dominated last night by an up-and-coming pitcher, Felix Hernandez, who got back on track after some injuries to even his record at 4-4 and lower his ERA to 4.00. The previous game, the Pirates were shut out by Jeff Weaver, who managed to get his ERA below 9.
Pittsburgh did manage to scratch out six singles and a double against Hernandez and closer J.J. Putz. The Pirates also showed their typical lack of discpline at the plate, striking out 10 times while walking just once.
Here's a note from the Associated Press on the Pirates' ineptitude against certain pitchers this season: "The Pirates, next-to-last in the National League on on-base percentage and owners of its second-fewest hits entering Thursday, made another struggling pitcher happy. Four of their last five shutouts have come against Kyle Lohse, Kameron Loe, Weaver and Hernandez, who were a combined 5-22 until they got well against Pittsburgh."
Joe Saunders hasn't been struggling, but he sure must be happy nonetheless.
When the Pirates return home, "fans" (or more accurately, people who like baseball but are disgusted) are staging a protest.
A site called IrateFans.com contains information about the protest, as well links to relative articles that have been written about bottom-line, no-commitment-to-winning approach by the team's owners, the Nutting "clan."
The June 30 protest might be worth a trip over toward PNC Park, even if you don't spend a dime to get inside the place and give the Nuttings any of your hard-earned cash.
Saunders, who turned 26 last week, is living every pitcher's dream: He faces the Pittsburgh Pirates tonight. Because of injuries in the Angels' rotation, Saunders has been called up from Triple-A Salt Lake City specifically for that purpose.
What a way to return!
Saunders actually has pitched very well when Los Angeles or Anaheim or whatever they heck they're called has used him as a spot starter this season, posting a 3-0 record with a 2.22 ERA. In 19 lifetime starts, he's 10-3.
The Pirates, meanwhile, are traveling down the coast from Seattle after being shut out in consecutive games, the latter marking the major-league-leading eighth time Pittsburgh has failed to score.
At least they were dominated last night by an up-and-coming pitcher, Felix Hernandez, who got back on track after some injuries to even his record at 4-4 and lower his ERA to 4.00. The previous game, the Pirates were shut out by Jeff Weaver, who managed to get his ERA below 9.
Pittsburgh did manage to scratch out six singles and a double against Hernandez and closer J.J. Putz. The Pirates also showed their typical lack of discpline at the plate, striking out 10 times while walking just once.
Here's a note from the Associated Press on the Pirates' ineptitude against certain pitchers this season: "The Pirates, next-to-last in the National League on on-base percentage and owners of its second-fewest hits entering Thursday, made another struggling pitcher happy. Four of their last five shutouts have come against Kyle Lohse, Kameron Loe, Weaver and Hernandez, who were a combined 5-22 until they got well against Pittsburgh."
Joe Saunders hasn't been struggling, but he sure must be happy nonetheless.
When the Pirates return home, "fans" (or more accurately, people who like baseball but are disgusted) are staging a protest.
A site called IrateFans.com contains information about the protest, as well links to relative articles that have been written about bottom-line, no-commitment-to-winning approach by the team's owners, the Nutting "clan."
The June 30 protest might be worth a trip over toward PNC Park, even if you don't spend a dime to get inside the place and give the Nuttings any of your hard-earned cash.
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