tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-980010523927297374.post3979799992365412456..comments2023-11-02T03:56:06.817-04:00Comments on FeinsteinOnTheBrink: The Record-Breaking Pirates -- a Real ShameJohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10418812412651310398noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-980010523927297374.post-38242266705016228182009-09-17T15:53:20.970-04:002009-09-17T15:53:20.970-04:00I can remember when finding a Pittsburgh Pirates c...I can remember when finding a Pittsburgh Pirates card in a pack of baseball cards was a coup.<br /><br />Now, they would barely be considered good enough to stick in the spokes of your wheel.<br /><br />And yes I realize how much that last comment just dated me.Jaynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-980010523927297374.post-84635154547308573022009-09-09T17:58:35.935-04:002009-09-09T17:58:35.935-04:00are all of you blind? including the reporter??? ...are all of you blind? including the reporter??? this is the first season that the Pirates have ever "cleaned house". keeping bay, nady, wilson, sanchez, mclouth and the rest amounted to no winning seasons. paying 8 million to sanchez and 6 plus to wilson sound like good deals to you people? this is only Neil Huntington's second season as the GM and i applaud what he is doing. why pay average veterans top dollar when they cant bring your city a championship, much less the playoffs. the pirates ARE spending lots of money on the draft and on their scouting... just like the Rays, the Twins and even the Marlins operate. Wake up people and realize that this is the best thing that has happened to Pirate baseball in almost two decades.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-980010523927297374.post-84827524892390633102009-09-09T14:26:59.250-04:002009-09-09T14:26:59.250-04:00Thanks for writing this. As a long-time and faith...Thanks for writing this. As a long-time and faithful Pirates fan all I can say is that my sense of optimism follows the seasons: Giddy, bright and new in the springtime, slowly becoming dry and parched during the summer, and inevitably withering and becoming cold as fall approaches.<br /><br />I'd love to see a playoff game in PNC Park. Many are the late innings (after a 3-run home run has put the visiting team in a comfortable lead) where I sit and look around at the unoccupied rows of blue seats and imagine the roar of a full house and the crisp night air of an October ball game.<br /><br />I just don't know if the current ownership will ever deliver that playoff game to Pittsburgh. It's a shame.Marketing Slimeballhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12948746468573811449noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-980010523927297374.post-2944544493598143152009-09-08T16:47:38.361-04:002009-09-08T16:47:38.361-04:00The Reds are a really good candidate. And the Tig...The Reds are a really good candidate. And the Tigers showed briefly they could be, but the situation in Detroit is so grim, or seems to be, that maybe the best is behind them. I don't see how they can support 3 major franchises going forward.<br /><br />After that, I'd have to argue that the NFL has so much turnover that almost every team outside the Raiders has a shot in a 5 year period, so sleeper doesn't necessarily apply to them. <br /><br />In the NBA, the Celtics were, but they have awoken. Only wish they still played in the old Garden. And for that sake, the Bulls in Chicago Stadium.Jimnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-980010523927297374.post-7292378372238584332009-09-08T16:07:13.241-04:002009-09-08T16:07:13.241-04:00To me, the definition of a "sleeping giant&qu...To me, the definition of a "sleeping giant" is a team that has been a powerhouse before, and loved by their city, but through lack of competitiveness and\or poor management (the two tend to go hand-in-hand)has become practically irrelevant in their city. Some recent examples would be the Minnesota Twins at the start of the '00s and last year's Chicago Blackhawks.<br /><br />The 2 "sleeping giants" in baseball I can think of are the Reds and Orioles. Cincy is a town that loves baseball but the incompetent management can't or won't put a winner on the field. And it seems to me that if the Orioles could win again consistently, people would flood Camden Yards. But people hate Angelos, he messes up the team, and they are stuck in a division with the Yanks and Sox. It is hard to envision them being able to be consistently competitive in that division. <br /><br />In football, I don't know if the sleeping giant tag can apply because most teams sell out anyway (in most years, maybe not this year), whether they are good or not. Not a lot of cities get apathetic over their NFL teams completely. The Raiders may be a candidate, but nothing good is happening there while Al Davis is in charge. Maybe Detroit. People in MI want them to win so bad, but have just become so used to it never happening.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-980010523927297374.post-17696565087418333452009-09-08T15:19:45.222-04:002009-09-08T15:19:45.222-04:00In reference to the topic, and Ed. O's comment...In reference to the topic, and Ed. O's comment....what are the greatest sleeping giant pro sports franchises? Pirates are definitely on there. The Penguins already proved that winners can return to glory with fans.<br /><br />Who else in baseball...maybe KC? In football and basketball, the list seems pretty short too.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-980010523927297374.post-82796288902290184802009-09-08T14:57:38.084-04:002009-09-08T14:57:38.084-04:00If I were a mega-rich person looking to buy a MLB ...If I were a mega-rich person looking to buy a MLB club, this would seem to me like a sleeping giant, as absurd as that sounds. If you get the right person in the GM chair, put some money into scouting, and really TRY, that could be a great place. Pittsburgh is one of the 2 or 3 best sports towns in this country. Its phenomenal. I think they want to love the Pirates again. <br />The problem has been that they don't even try. They collect their revenue sharing, keep drafting in the top 5 and taking guys rated in the 30s, and then paying them accordingly. Until management truly cares about winning, nothing will change unless they get really lucky.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-980010523927297374.post-44448207691261640782009-09-08T13:01:47.367-04:002009-09-08T13:01:47.367-04:00I'm a Pittsburgh native and life-long Pirate f...I'm a Pittsburgh native and life-long Pirate fan currently living in Laurel MD. (My first memory I can put to a time and place is of riding in the car with my father, listening to Bill Mazeroski's home run win the 1960 World Series.) I have considered getting the MLB Extra Innings TV package so I could catch Pirates' games, since they're never on national TV. It's a hard decision. It's hard to get caught up in each year's team, only to see the players most integral to that team get traded every July. I'm still ,oyal, but they're going to have to let some people stay, and bring in people to fill a few holes, before I'm willing to extend myself much.<br /><br />It shouldn't be too hard. I mean, are the Orioles and Nats likely to pry loose my affections any time soon?Dana Kinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01350344882342624735noreply@blogger.com