Even guys like Matt Morris could never deter our love for the Buccos
"When is training camp starting?" I have to admit, it's very refreshing to not have hard that once this summer even in jest. The Pittsburgh Pirates are just one game behind the Milwaukee Brewers for first place in the NL Central division and even if baseball fans in general haven't noticed, you can rest assured that the fans in Pittsburgh have. This city has a buzz around it like none I've ever seen. A Steelers Super Bowl appearance or a Penguins Stanley Cup Final appearance can't even compare to what's going on right now in the Steel City.
Critics have said that the Pirates lost a generation of baseball fans during their nineteen years as the perennial laughing stock of Major League Baseball, but it has been quite the contrary... as if there were any question.
The fans of Pittsburgh have been loyal to the Pirates through the bad times and the... other bad times. Where people got the notion that the Pirates had fallen into obscurity is beyond me. Yes it's easy to assume that after years of mounting frustration people may jump off the bandwagon for good, but if you believed that then you shouldn't be writing about Pittsburgh at all.
For those of you that have lived in Pittsburgh or followed the local sports teams from afar know that the love for the Pirates has never faded. Even in the worst of the worst years, fans still follow their beloved team until the bitter end, always holding out hope that the lineup we field on September 30th will give us a glimmer of hope for the future. Talk shows have always been lined with callers just itching for the chance to talk about the team's top prospects (or to put down the team's front office).
Anger is one thing. Apathy is another. People have always cared, even the kids. Look out at the crowds from night to night and take a gander at how many teenagers and young adults are out there. These are the people that have never seen their team have a winning season, never experienced a pennant race, never have even thought of a World Series. But that same crowd comes out every night, cheering not just for a Pirates homerun or a Pirates hit. They cheer after every strike thrown by Jeff Karstens and cheer every sacrifice bunt by Chase D'Arnaud. Heck they even cheered Alex Presley for getting thrown out trying to stretch a single into a double! Those are the little things that can get a team's momentum surging and things only experienced baseball fans would know to cheer for.
I personally attended game seven of the Penguins most recent playoff series against the Tampa Bay Lightning. I also attended the June 24 Pirates game against the Boston Red Sox. Which do you think was louder? You would probably guess the Penguins game if you didn't already see where I was going with this. With PNC Park split almost evenly with Pirates and Red Sox fans, the place had more of a playoff atmosphere than any game I've been to at Consol Energy Center. That is in no way a knock against the Penguins, only a testament to the Pirates fan base.
For those who have said Pittsburgh isn't a baseball town, you haven't been paying attention. So please allow the people of Pittsburgh to open your eyes and show you just what a sports crazed town it is. There will always be room for three teams in the hearts of Yinzers no matter how much they may disappoint us from time to time.
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Well my young blogger, the Jolly Roger bandwagon is getting full and I'm getting crowded! I have seen the Buccos win World Series and I've also seen them lose for a long time! But...win or lose I've always have worn my Pirate stuff proud (just a little prouder now)! Just like the Pens (a team I love also) it seems like it's the "in thing" to do nowadays. In Philly, the baseball team was an afterthought to the "Iggles and the Phlyers" until they boosted a payroll equal to the "Yankmees!" Obviously what I'm getting at is I always get sick of the bandwagon jumping that goes on when teams flourish. The real fans are the ones that stick with them through rain or shine. This is not a total knock on all the "fans" who attend games now (and it is great to see) but we're Pittsburgh Proud and not from some God forsaken city as "Philthydelphia!"
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