Cup of Joe: Starkey on sports in 400 words or less
When did the Pirates start doing the right thing all the time?
Their streak of competence continued Thursday when they recalled super prospect Konnor Griffin from Triple-A Indianapolis in time for the home opener Friday against the Baltimore Orioles (it’ll just keep going if they sign Griffin to a long-term deal).
This was the proper call, the obvious call, and I’m not sure there are words adequate enough to describe the difference between last year’s home-opener vibe and this year’s.
Remember last year’s?
You had fans booing the manager during pregame introductions. You had a plane flying over the stadium with a “Sell The Team!” banner and people chanting the same words during an embarrassing 9-4 loss to the New York Yankees. You had everything but a stadium employee beating a fan with a belt (that would come later).
Things only got worse. There’s no need to rehash the string of calamities on the Bucco Brick-paved road to 91 losses. But maybe, just maybe, that marked rock bottom. Or brick bottom.
And maybe the unprecedented level of fan rage is what needed to happen for Bob Nutting to get off his behind. The Pirates actually signed some good players during the offseason. Nutting finally cracked $100 million on the payroll.
Be sure of this: The place will be hopping with excitement, rather than rage, when the Pirates take the field Friday.
Be sure of this, too: It can pay to stink in pro sports. That doesn’t mean bottoming out always works — just look at the Pirates, who haven’t won a playoff series since 1979 — but it absolutely presents opportunities that mediocre teams miss.
Being horrible is what led directly to the Steelers’ dynasty of the 1970s, plus their last two Super Bowls (they had to go 6-10 to get Ben Roethlisberger). It led directly to every single one of the Penguins’ five Stanley Cups, in the form of Mario Lemieux and Sidney Crosby.
Part of the deal when you stink is that you have to get lucky and stink in the right years. Which is to say, years when generational talents are available. And maybe win a lottery on top of that.
That’s how the Penguins landed Crosby. They were lucky enough to get Evgeni Malkin as the second pick a year later.
Griffin and Paul Skenes could be the Pirates’ version of Crosby and Malkin, although in Skenes’ case maybe not for long in a sport without a salary cap. That makes it imperative to enjoy the moment.
And what a moment it’ll be when Griffin takes the field Friday.