It was a great day at the ballpark for the Pirates’ home opener Thursday.
I didn’t go.
I’m getting prepared for that area being under martial law — worse yet, Roger Goodell’s iron fist — when the NFL Draft comes April 23-25.
I can’t wait to stay away. Or till it’s done.
That said, enthusiasm for the Pirates is off the charts.
That traffic cone gimmick is a keeper, even if it is selling dumb to dummies. Like the “Green Weenie.”
Given even the slightest provocation, Bucco Fever comes to a quick boil despite a thieving owner, rotten GM and 47 years of nearly uninterrupted failure. Pittsburgh wants so badly to believe in the Pirates. (That’s inflamed by fanboy media.)
But it was a little over six months ago that the citizens were chanting “SELL THE TEAM!” and loudly demanding the GM be fired.
But Konnor Griffin’s in town, and suddenly the unwashed are trusting the same men who were targets of their vitriol to see things good.
Maybe they will.
More accurately, perhaps Griffin and Paul Skenes will.
If Griffin, 19, realizes his potential quickly, will Pirates fans more vocally tire of Oneil Cruz, at 27, not realizing his?
There’s currently an odd dynamic among Pittsburgh’s sports teams.
The Pirates have Griffin and Skenes. Duos like Griffin and Skenes are quite likely to produce.
As baseball data maestro Travis Sawchik pointed out, these Pirates are similar to the 2012 Washington Nationals with 19-year-old phenom Bryce Harper and 23-year-old ace Stephen Strasburg. That era’s Nationals made the playoffs five out of eight seasons and won the 2019 World Series.
The Pirates might actually be closer to championship contention than any of Pittsburgh’s teams.
But the Penguins have a plan that’s very visibly working.
Their first playoff spot since 2022 is likely, they’ve got a lot of draft picks and prospects in the pipeline, and 18-year-old Ben Kindel and 25-year-old Egor Chinakhov are having breakout seasons.
The Steelers seem the last in line. A ship without a storm.
They might eke out another postseason berth in the coming campaign, running it back despite changing coaches. (You’ll be shocked how little is different.)
But while the Pirates and Penguins both embrace youth and young stars, the Steelers are begging 42-year-old Grandpa Game Manager to please, please play another season. And letting him drag out his decision till all other quarterback options have vanished besides those in-house.
It’s quite the contrast.
Aaron Rodgers’ hold on the Steelers is remarkable.
The Steelers cut Franco Harris.
Hines Ward wanted to play longer. The Steelers said no.
Troy Polamalu wanted to play longer. The Steelers said no.
Ben Roethlisberger wanted to play longer. The Steelers said no.
Rodgers has not even one percent of the significance to the franchise that those mentioned do. He’s barely been here, and lost a playoff game that saw him throw a pick-six to cap off the scoring in a 30-6 home defeat to Houston.
But the Steelers will wait forever for Rodgers to decide, and for a second straight offseason.
Why?
Because Rodgers is perceived as the Steelers’ best chance to win the opening game of the new season. The Steelers never think past their next game.
Bucco Fever is an odd disease.
It seems a younger fanbase, dominated by Gen-whatevers, treat any modicum of success (or even its promise) as an excuse for a revenge tour against those perceived to have wronged the Pirates. (Ahem.) Being insufferable runs rampant.
But then, when small-market chickens come home to roost, revenge cuts both ways: “SELL THE TEAM!”
They believe that the greatest moment in Pittsburgh sports history is Cincinnati pitcher Johnny Cueto dropping the ball in that 2013 wild-card game.
Never mind Bill Mazeroski’s Game 7 walk-off home run to beat the New York Yankees in the 1960 World Series to cap off the biggest upset in MLB history. They weren’t alive for that, so it’s just a rumor.
Bucco Fever is a heady brew.
I like it. In a perverse fashion.
And with every road in Pittsburgh constantly under repair, traffic cones won’t be hard to find.