Orioles fans, have you become disenchanted with eight ? possibly nine ? straight seasons of sub-.500 baseball? If so, take heart.
You could be Pittsburgh Pirates fans. The Pirates, on the verge of their 14th consecutive losing season, recently dropped a three-game interleague series to the Kansas City Royals, previously considered the worst team in the majors. That distinction now clearly belongs to the Iron City nine.
It didn?t have to be this way. In fact, according to Western Pennsylvania politicians, it shouldn?t be this way at all. This week, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette printed an op-ed piece by Robert Cranmer, who served as an Allegheny County commissioner from 1996 to 2000. Cranmer played a significant role in getting PNC Park built for the Bucs, armed with owner Kevin McClatchy?s promise that a new ballpark would allow the Pirates to generate the level of revenue required to field a winner. Ah, promises.
The Pirates ended up with what is perhaps the nicest ballpark in the National League ? and a continuation of lousy baseball.
Things have gotten so bad that a handful of fans have created a Web site ? www.iratefans.com (think “Pirate” without the “P”) ? so their fellow sufferers could have a place to vent.
When McClatchy fronted a group to buy the Pirates in 1995 for $85 million, he was the onlyprospective owner willing to keep the team in Pittsburgh. He wasn?t local ? he?s originally from Sacramento, Calif. ? and his net worth at the time was in the single-digit millions.
Still, he was willing to keep the team in the Steel City ? Peter Angelos? hometown, by the way ? although it was clear a new stadium would be required.
The ballpark got built, thanks to creative financing by some local politicians, including Cranmer. But the ballclub ? and McClatchy ? have been reluctant to open the vault. The Pirates consistently have one of the lowest payrolls in the game, and other than hosting next month?s All-Star Game, they have offered their fans little in the way of good times.
Adding insult to injury, the majority owners of the team recently announced that they?re buying the Seven Springs Mountain Ski Resort for about $100 million, showing a clear preference for ski wax over pine tar. Irate fans, indeed.
Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, a Western Pennsylvania native, has displayed interest in buying the Pirates (as well as the NHL Penguins), but McClatchy shows no signs of selling. In 10 years, his initial investment has grown exponentially, and at 43 years of age, he apparently plans to hang on to it a while longer.
Pittsburgh and Baltimore are both blue-collar towns. Beyond that, they share a mutual disdain for local baseball ownership. But, say what you will about O?s owner Peter Angelos, things are far worse in his hometown.
Bad times
» Baltimore (37-42) has finished below .500 for eight straight years
Worse times
» Pittsburgh (26-53) has finished with a losing record in 13 straight
Listen to Phil Wood every Saturday at 11 a.m. on ESPN RADIO 1300.
