This weekends less-than-impactful walk off protest of the Pirates ownership wasn enlightening for the Average White Guy. I was humbled and matured this weekend. Although I didn’t learn anything I didn’t already know, I did confirm for myself things about this town which I  had refused to or didn’t want to believe were true. I thought I’d explain what humbled me, and what I’ve taken away from this weekend’s events.

Let’s start by saying that in three weeks, this protest went from a whisper which could have been lost in a stiff breeze to a nationally-covered event. The local media was all over it too. The Pirates threw us off their property for handing out flyers, had folks escorted from the ballpark for banners speaking ill of the team and its owners, and refused to televise the proteset. I’m proud to have been part of this, and the effort isn’t over; it’s just beginning.

The day went well. It started at PNC Park by handing out flyers to those who were headed for the park. Natalie was a machine, clearly handing out WAY more than I could! Good job, woman! Like I said I was asked to exit the sidewalk outside of the park. We convened in front of local bar and night club “Hi-Tops” for a rally, led by Andy Chomos, leader of the demonstration, with a keynote speech from 1971 World Champion Pirate pitcher Dock Ellis. Our many thanks to Dock for his support and assistance.

We broke around 6:30 and headed for our seats. I was immediately encouraged by the number of green shirts I saw. It looked like things might work out. I was hoping each green shirt could pull one or two folks out of their seats too which from where I sat would have looked really bad for the Nuttings on national TV.

We watched the Nationals take a 1-0 lead in the top of the first, and I thought if the Pirates were losing it might help the cause. In the bottom of the second inning, the Pirates scored 6 runs, giving them a 5-run lead just before we were set to walk off. I was a little nervous, but encouraged because if the fans would walk out when the Bucs were up by 5, it would send a really clear message. I was excited to see how the day’s protest would play out…

Jack Wilson grounds into the 6-4-3 double play to end the third inning. Showtime. Of course Natalie and me collect our things and head for the concourse. The rown in front of us was clad in green shirts, and they left too. All around the ballpark fans had delivered as promised. Once out on the concourse, it was a sea of green. There were other fans too. It was semi-crowded so I was encouraged. To see what kind of damage was done, I leaned back in for a second to see the empty seats. The message sent was unbelievable…

On Saturday June 30, 2007, the Pittsburgh Pirates fans spoke with one solid, unified, resounding voice. They sent a clear message to the Nutting family about how they feel about the current team, the past 14 years of losing, the art of stealing tax money in exchange for nothing, the lies, the deceit, and what can be done about it. The message? “We don’t give a shit.” Yes, that’s right. As we left our seats we left to the boos and hisses of apathetic, brainwashed fans, who crap on the notion that either a) Something should be done or b) Something could be done.

The estimates vary, but if I had to estimate for myself how many participated in the walk off, I’d have to say somewhere between 1200 and 1300. It was a far cry from the 8000+ we received email from confirming their commitment. In terms of percentage, the participation level refuted the Post Gazette’s poll which stated that 75% of the 14,000 people polled supported the movement. It was sad to see. If the Post Gazette poll was accurate you can take away from the results that Pittsburghers are gutless cowards. On paper, in a poll, or on a chat forum, they’ll talk game, but when it comes time to turn bark to bite, they’ll tuck their tales and run.

So how was I enlightened? Well, I learned that Pittsburgh isn’t a baseball town anymore. I think I always knew it, but I hated to believe it. The current group of owners extinguished the flames of any would-be true Pirate fan. They’ve lulled us to sleep and taught us that .500 baseball (an 81-81 record) is a good season.  They’ve convinced us that the future of this team in its youth. They’ve shown us that there is more to the game of “baseball” than just baseball; there’s cheap hats, cheat statues with bobbly heads, cheap blankets, grocery store card discounts, short-lived fireworks, man-sized perogies racing, a jumbotron which with attached cameras capable of picking a mullet out of a crowd, mini-bats, and other junk door prizes. They’ve taught us not to expect quality baseball, and to appreciate the ballpark and amenities first, and the team second. They’ve taught us they can compete without spending competitively, although it hasn’t worked just yet, but they have a 5-year plan. They’ve taught us that drafting the best player available isn’t always the best for the team. They’ve taught us that repetitive failure is a necessary part of the growing process.

Of course Pittbsurgh as a whole is apathetic to this whole thing. Nobody cares that they’ve been bent over a barrel and ass-fucked for 15 years (11 of those years by McClatchy and Nutting). Nobody cares that the Pittsburgh Pirates took $220 million+ of their tax money to build their profit-raking empire. Nobody cares that as long as fans are willing to boo and his those fans who actually give a shit, there is no chance for winning. Nobody cares about anything,

If you think I’m on an anti-Pirates/Ownership tirade, think again. This apathetic approach to life is sewn into the fabric of Pittsburgh. Pittsurghers are feeble-minded and apathetic. They’ll vote for a mayor because they talk the talk. Then they’ll bitch and moan about how bad the mayor is. Then…as if compelled by some force of nature, they’ll vote for that mayor again. Then, once the mayor’s term limit is up, and Pittsburgh can’t vote them in again, they’ll vote the same platform and party into office, to continue the cyclical stupidity. Pittsburgh has repeated every mistake it’s made for the last 50 years, and will probably repeat them again for another 50. Pittsburghers are notorious for not being able to take stock of the present situation, but relying on the judgement of others to think for them. It’s why Pittsburgh is on the decline.

Pittsburgh has - since it’s foundation - always lived and breathed as a blue-collar town. Pittsburgh is a dead steel mill town. It’s a sad reality people, but the mills are gone. Pittsburgh never moved past that. They never saw the world changing around them, and still behave as if lower middle class is ideal. It should surprise nobody when the local MLB team performs at the same level and is still embraced by the people of Pittsburgh. It’s shameful. You should want more for yourselves, your children, and your grandchildren. You should show that you care. Stop letting your neighborhoods run down, turn to drugs and violence. Stand up and be noticed. Make a difference. Affect change. Protesting the Pirates is only one small endeavor. You should be protesting almost everything around here.

Again, I’m wasting my breath. Pittsburgh is apathetic. They don’t care. Collectively, Pittsburgh is mindless. Pittsburgh is doomed to suffering. Sure, they’ll complain about how bad it is.  They’ll complain about how poorly things are run. Will they act to change things? No. Nobody cares. Pittsburghers will buy whatever they are sold, no matter what that is. And I believe there was one man who could have turned Pittsburgh around. One man stood as the salesman of the good that Pittsburgh could have been…

His name was  Bob O’Connor. While I’m republican, and O’Connor was a democrat, it seems odd that I might support him as mayor of Pittsburgh. Having met Bob on a few occasions, I can tell  you I was impressed. While he wasn’t in office long enough to have any real impact, I always thought Bob to have a great beat on the people of Pittsburgh, the city’s needs, and how to approach those needs in a manner which all Pittsburghers could tolerate or even support. He lived for the chance to run this town. He died while running it. And with his death, I believe so did Pittsburgh’s chance to turn the corner and become a great city again. I’ll miss you Bob.

I should end this discussion here. I’ve said my piece. I learned this weekend that Pittsburgh is satisfied with supporting a loser, having their money taken via taxes and tickets to support the wealth and well-being of a select group of businessmen. I learned that people are content to complain about problems, but not to act and alter the reality they dislike. I learned that Pittsburgh lacks ambition. I learned that people here are suckers for the slight of hand the Pirates ownership performs for them. Nutting is a pickpocket on a grand scale, and the people of Pittsburgh are pleased to be mesmerized by the pickpocket’s act, and couldn’t care less that it cost their wallet to be entertained. Pittsburgh, I feel sorry for you. All I can say is goodbye.