Daily archives: July 13th, 2009

What the Hell is Wrong with the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Owners?

I was originally going to title this piece, “What the Hell is wrong with the Pittsburgh Pirates?”  However, I thought better of that.

It’s not the Pirates.  It’s the owners.

It’s the owners who are hell-bent on screwing this team into the ground.  And then killing them some more.

Why do these idiot owners trade away their brightest and strongest athletes?

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has the sad news:

If nothing else, these Pirates careened into the All-Star break with a clear course: Barring a huge reversal, they will break the major professional sports record with a 17th consecutive losing season.

Easily, at that.

With their no-suspense 5-2 loss to Philadelphia yesterday at Citizens Bank Park, one in which Virgil Vasquez was knocked out after 1 1/3 innings and the offense again mustered precious little, the Pirates:

  • Were swept in three by the Phillies.
  • Completed a 2-7 road trip, part of a broader 3-11 slide.
  • Dropped to a season-low 12 games under .500 at 38-50 overall.

That record projects to 69-93 over the full season, which, of course, projects to history.

It’s not the kids’ fault.  This is a calculated decision on the part of the ownership to maximize their revenue, and screw the team and the fans.  These owners are ONLY about money.  They’ve decided there’s no chance they can win, so they do everything possible to kill this team’s chances of success, including trading away every good and great player who has played for the team over the past 17 years.

Are these owners idiots, or just stupid?   Or are they just plain greedy?   Is it really that profitable to run a lousy baseball team?

The Pittsburgh Pirates have a long, noble tradition.

Not too long ago, there were people of honor working with and for the Pirates.  I believe most of the men on the roster today are men of honor.

Robert Nutting, who the hell are you anyway?  What is your interest in baseball, and why to you treat the Pirates as the National League’s favorite farm team?

Why is Nutting taking this noble team and systematically running it into the ground?  Who is he on the take for?

And what would our Roberto say about all of this?


Simeon Sanders Served US in Iraq; Shot Dead in Harvey

simeon-sanders

His mother didn’t want him to join the Army.  She was worried about him fighting overseas.  But it was one of us in this country who shot Simeon Sanders dead in Harvey.

One of us. An American.

From the Sun-Times:

Sanders, 21, of Harvey, was shot and killed Thursday evening at 154th and Center Avenue in the south suburb while walking with his cousin. Sanders had been home on furlough to visit his family.

The cousins had just gotten french fries at a restaurant and heard men arguing — some on the sidewalk and some in a car, family members said. Wanting to avoid trouble, the cousins tried to cross the street, and got caught in the crossfire.

“They happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Simeon’s mother, Shannon Sanders, said Saturday while sitting in a room filled with pictures of their large, close-knit family.

Charges are pending against one man.  Police are seeking a second suspect.

I don’t want to talk about gun control.  Instead, I want to know why we can’t control ourselves.  Why do we use guns so freely?

In my classroom, I often tell my students that the United States is the most dangerous country on the face of the earth outside of a war zone.

Look at that young man staring back at you from eternity and ask yourself, “Why?”  Let’s just have a conversation about why this happened.  Twenty-one years old.  Shot in the back.