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What About Pirates Country?

What About Pirates Country?

 

So, Kennywood Park announces their big secret. They took out the log jammer last year, which stopped a lot of people from using the same old constipation jokes, year after year. Of course, isn’t that what Kennywood is about, reliving memories? When the snow is on the ground and your freezing cold, you have something to look forward to.

The new ride, “The Steel Curtain” looks impressive. A Steel coaster with more inversions than any other coaster in the world. It’s dedicated to the Steelers and not only that, it will be part of the new “Steelers Country” section of the park. What better combination is there if you’re a native of Pittsburgh? A great amusement park and first class Football organization that you grew up with.

I’m thinking, why stop there. Shouldn’t there be a part of the park dedicated to Bob Nutting’s Pirates? There has to be some room in an abandoned part of the parking lot or some old picnic grove grown over with weeds.

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Not A Great Visit

Not a Great Visit 

 

After twenty years of losing and heartache, it’s fun to be paying attention to baseball in Pittsburgh as Labor Day approaches. During many of the lean years I lost interest before Memorial Day. Baseball was always my favorite sport growing up and it’s good to see the Pirates in the pennant race once again.

This past Tuesday would have been the great Roberto Clemente’s eighty-first birthday. He was my favorite player as a child. Yeah, I know, the fact I saw him play makes me really old. But with age comes wisdom…along with a lot of aches and pains and hair growing in places where it shouldn’t. I try to hang out with people that haven’t aged as gracefully as me. It makes me feel better about myself.

If you’re too young to have seen him play, the stories you hear are not exaggerations. He was that good. Other worldly would be the best way to describe him. He’s the best I’ve ever seen. There were no performance enhancing drugs back then. Sure, a lot of the players were wired on speed and Dock Ellis pitched a no-hitter on acid, but no steroids.

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Bet On It

Bet on It

 

On Thursday afternoon I drove over to the North Side…sorry, it’s now the “North Shore.” I can’t get used to it. You just don’t think of a river having a shore. Plus, if we’re having the “North Shore,” why isn’t Southside the “South Shore?” Maybe changing the name would cut down on public urination on weekends.

I was going down to the new “Burn” cigar lounge on North Shore Drive…again, can’t get used to it. When I arrived, there was a parking spot right in front. I was expecting to drive around for twenty minutes looking for a space and there it was right in front of where I me.

I couldn’t believe my luck, which immediately disappeared when I went to pay at the parking station. It was 3:30 and I was informed my car would be towed if it was there after 4. The reason was a special event was happening that night.

Do you know what the special event was? The Pirates game starting at 7. In case you don’t remember, the score was 8 to nothing Arizona in the third inning. What kind of special event is that? That’s like I come to your birthday party and spit in your face.

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Don’t Blame Us

Don’t Blame Us

 

Do you feel responsible for the Pirates not being in first place? According to General Manager Neil Huntington, it’s our fault. He was quoted this week saying the money the team can spend is based on revenue from attendance. That means, since attendance is down, they can’t do anything to put a winning team on the field.

Seriously? You’re going to try and lay a guilt trip on us? I can hear my mother when we were kids and broke something.

“I guess we can’t have nice things in this house.”

“We’d like to have a good team, but if nobody is going to show up, why should we bother?”

Yes, attendance is down this year. It’s down big time. Monday night was the smallest crowd in June in the history of PNC Park.

“Good!”

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