At Pittsburgh Sporting News, we want to bring you the latest happenings around the Pittsburgh sports scene. While you can choose any other place to get the basic info, we want to give you a different look at the sports that are going on. One of the ways we want to do that is to connect the fans to the sports. We want your take on what is going on. At the most recent Pirates homestand, I interviewed fans before the game to find out their thoughts on the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The past two years, the Pirates have seen success that the city wasn’t used to. They made baseball relevant once again in a city where the Steelers and Penguins are the alpha and omega. Just when people started falling in love with the game again, the Pirates suffered back-to-back collapses.
“It was tough. It really was,” said Jason from Aspinwall. “I finally thought that baseball would be relevant again in the city.”
I think Jason’s sentiments would be echoed by many others. With a team that is performing well again, is Jason ready to buy in?
“I’m treading carefully,” he said. “I think the team definitely has the sustainability to keep it up this year and that they are much better. Unfortunately, I’ve said that the past two years. I’m going to be rooting hard for the Pirates, but I won’t get excited until August comes around.”
Jason, an older man, comes to every game with his friend Terry. They were here for the glory days when Pittsburgh won its World Series. They’ve not only seen a world championship team, but they’ve seen a winning team. Something that the younger crowed hasn’t.
“It sucks. There’s no other word to use except maybe embarrassing,” 19-year-old Dominic of Pittsburgh says. “You think that 20 years straight isn’t that bad, but then you realize people like me who are in college have never seen a winning team.”
It really does put it into perspective. 20 straight losing seasons is embarrassing. It’s the longest losing streak in North American sports. Why do people stay?
“I’ll be honest, there were years that I didn’t stay a true fan or didn’t come down to the park,” Jason said. “If I came down at all, it wasn’t for the product on the field, but it was because of the actual stadium.”
Well, that’s one reason. PNC Park was voted the most beautiful stadium multiple times by different publications. Two German fans, Björn and Ana, were making a trip across the country to see all of the stadiums in just 90 days. They said after 20 stadiums through, PNC Park was by far the most beautiful around.
There has to be another reason, right? PNC Park has been around for 11 years of the losing streak. What about the other nine years? What made people want to stay?
“I guess I would say hope. If you have hope, you’ll always stay,” 77-year-old Delores said. “My husband and I have been coming to games for over 50 years now. I’ve seen it all. I remember the glory days and I just keep the hope that we will see it again.”
Hope. It’s what it boils down to. For some, the hope rests on the shoulders of the front office that is often criticized by the media the whole way down to the fans. Is it fair? That’s for you to decide.
“They stink. There’s all of these free agent players each year and the Pirates don’t go after none of them,” Dale of Cheswick said. “You see these other teams shelling out millions and millions for Pujols, Hamilton, Lee; it’s ridiculous. Nutting is cheap and won’t go after the big names.”
While Dale may not understand completely the way that the league works, his thoughts are often close to others that we hear all of the time. They want the big names and want to spend whatever to get it. What they don’t get is the fact that as a small market and a team with the track record that they’ve had for the past 20 years, it doesn’t work like that.
One man, however, gets it.
“Do I wish the ownership has done more? I absolutely do,” 17-year-old Jordan of Pine Richland said. “I want the Pirates to get the big free agents. I wish I could come see Josh Hamilton and Jose Reyes play here each night. With the TV deals that happen around the league and the revenue sharing, it’s not realistic. Baseball is corrupt in the way that its run. Teams like Pittsburgh get the shaft. They have to build through the draft and try to hit with older free agents.”
Bingo.
If the Pirates end up blowing another great start to the season and end up under .500 again, what will the fans do? By that time, the streak will be old enough to go to SoHo after the game and purchase a drink. It would be 21 years old; a number that is sacred when talking about the Pirates.
“You know, if they collapse again, I’m done. I’m officially done,” Pat of Monroeville said. “I’ve said it the last two years, but I mean it this year. There is no reason for this team not to contend. I’m not asking for a World Series or even for the playoffs. I’m asking for mediocrity. It’s sad, but that’s what the city wants.”
Pat is right. Mediocrity is what the team has avoided for 20 years. After establishing a legitimate big league roster, many will feel the same way as Pat. Others, however, will stick around no matter what.
“It’s a tradition in our family to come down to Pirates games. I did it with my dad and now I’m doing it with my son in hopes that he will continue the tradition when he has his own kids one day,” Darryl of Plum said. “Do we want to see a winner? Yes we do. Without question. As I teach my son though, there’s more to the game than winning and losing. For us, it’s the experience of the ballpark. It’s the ability to use baseball as an escape from work, school or what have you. I remembered my time with my dad and I want my son to remember his as well.”
