Outside PNC Park on this otherwise glorious Easter afternoon in our Golden Triangle, scarcely a sound could be heard from within. Not along the Allegheny River walkway. Not out on Federal Street. Not up on the Sixth Street Bridge.
Small wonder. This was the scene on the latter:
DALI KOVACEVIC / DKPS
Of the officially announced attendance of 12,433, a big bulk of it was spilling out in the seventh and eighth innings, this despite the Pirates trailing by only three runs and, most ironically, before the home team would actually scratch out exactly that many in the ninth to tie ... and before falling in the 10th, 5-4, to the Guardians.
Hey, it's not like they were wrong.
Go away, I say.
Meaning the team itself, of course.
Just go away, as far outside our city limits as possible, for a while. Breathe a bit. Relax at the plate, in the field, on the mound, wherever necessary.
Andrew McCutchen had some remarkable stuff to say before the game yesterday in an interview with our José Negron and the Tribune-Review's Kevin Gorman, touching on topics such as Derek Shelton's inconsistent lineups, his social media post Friday critical of his usage and -- the one that really raised my eyebrow -- how the fans' recent venting of frustration has affected the players.
"I understand where they are coming from," he'd say of the fans. "I’ve been here long enough. I get it. I just hate it for the guys who haven't been a part of it and haven’t been here very long and guys just getting here and there’s a guy, like, ‘Man, these people seem pretty upset.’ No matter what, man, you got all that going on around you while you’re trying to focus on one thing and do well, it’s hard. Trying to filter out the negative and try to focus on yourself in that moment, it’s hard, it’s tough. You got guys who don’t play every day, showing up in the lineup with that cloud over them. The game is challenging in itself, but when you’re dealing with a lot of fans who seem to be fed up with the way things are going, it makes it a little more challenging. All we can do is try to do our best as a club to try and block it out and try to win the ballgame. But I can’t control how they feel. I just understand."
Don't gloss over that paragraph. Read every syllable. It's worth it. He's worth it.
All I'll add, unfortunately, is a familiar refrain: Fire everyone.
It's not just the 8-15 record. Nor the 1-8 record against plus-.500 opponents. Nor the historically pathetic offense, now batting .206 with one home run every 53.1 plate appearances. Nor the butchery in the field and on the basepaths.
No, this situation's become so bad in so many ways that this team would be for-real better off spending the coming week in Los Angeles, where they routinely get their brains blown out. I swear, if I've covered one such series at Dodger Stadium, I've covered enough to have Randy Newman's abominable 'I Love L.A.' ringing in my ears for all eternity.
But it's embarrassing that it's come to this. Beyond embarrassing.
Maybe Bob Nutting will finally hear, will finally have it resonate, what everyone's telling him. Now even the resident living legend.
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THE ASYLUM
DK: Just go away for a while
Outside PNC Park on this otherwise glorious Easter afternoon in our Golden Triangle, scarcely a sound could be heard from within. Not along the Allegheny River walkway. Not out on Federal Street. Not up on the Sixth Street Bridge.
Small wonder. This was the scene on the latter:
DALI KOVACEVIC / DKPS
Of the officially announced attendance of 12,433, a big bulk of it was spilling out in the seventh and eighth innings, this despite the Pirates trailing by only three runs and, most ironically, before the home team would actually scratch out exactly that many in the ninth to tie ... and before falling in the 10th, 5-4, to the Guardians.
Hey, it's not like they were wrong.
Go away, I say.
Meaning the team itself, of course.
Just go away, as far outside our city limits as possible, for a while. Breathe a bit. Relax at the plate, in the field, on the mound, wherever necessary.
Andrew McCutchen had some remarkable stuff to say before the game yesterday in an interview with our José Negron and the Tribune-Review's Kevin Gorman, touching on topics such as Derek Shelton's inconsistent lineups, his social media post Friday critical of his usage and -- the one that really raised my eyebrow -- how the fans' recent venting of frustration has affected the players.
"I understand where they are coming from," he'd say of the fans. "I’ve been here long enough. I get it. I just hate it for the guys who haven't been a part of it and haven’t been here very long and guys just getting here and there’s a guy, like, ‘Man, these people seem pretty upset.’ No matter what, man, you got all that going on around you while you’re trying to focus on one thing and do well, it’s hard. Trying to filter out the negative and try to focus on yourself in that moment, it’s hard, it’s tough. You got guys who don’t play every day, showing up in the lineup with that cloud over them. The game is challenging in itself, but when you’re dealing with a lot of fans who seem to be fed up with the way things are going, it makes it a little more challenging. All we can do is try to do our best as a club to try and block it out and try to win the ballgame. But I can’t control how they feel. I just understand."
Don't gloss over that paragraph. Read every syllable. It's worth it. He's worth it.
All I'll add, unfortunately, is a familiar refrain: Fire everyone.
It's not just the 8-15 record. Nor the 1-8 record against plus-.500 opponents. Nor the historically pathetic offense, now batting .206 with one home run every 53.1 plate appearances. Nor the butchery in the field and on the basepaths.
No, this situation's become so bad in so many ways that this team would be for-real better off spending the coming week in Los Angeles, where they routinely get their brains blown out. I swear, if I've covered one such series at Dodger Stadium, I've covered enough to have Randy Newman's abominable 'I Love L.A.' ringing in my ears for all eternity.
But it's embarrassing that it's come to this. Beyond embarrassing.
Maybe Bob Nutting will finally hear, will finally have it resonate, what everyone's telling him. Now even the resident living legend.
Want to participate in our comments?
Want an ad-free experience?
Become a member, and enjoy premium benefits! Make your voice heard on the Steelers, Penguins and Pirates, and hear right back from tens of thousands of fellow Pittsburgh sports fans worldwide! Plus, access all our premium content, including Dejan Kovacevic columns, Friday Insider, daily Live Qs with the staff, more! And yeah, that's right, no ads at all!
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