No Steelers game, no anger in “U mad, bro?” this week, right?
Not so fast. There are plenty of other things to get upset about. And this week, most of them apparently have to do with the Pirates.
Specifically, an ex-Pirate name Gerrit Cole.
Oh, and an ex-Penguin named Marc-Andre Fleury.
“White Wolf” wasn’t happy that Brian Metzer and I talked about Marc-Andre Fleury’s shutout against the Penguins… in our first podcast after Marc-Andre Fleury’s shutout against the Penguins.
Just 36 hours later.
No pen’s fan wants to hear about a fleury shutout, not one! He is no longer a penguin and we don’t want to hear about him! Pick a more interesting topic! ?♂️ He was traded move on for god sakes!! Sick of hearing it!
— Wh!T3//0Lf13 (@WhiteW0lf6913) October 21, 2019
Uh, Wolfy, Fleury was the opposing goalie in the Penguins most recent game. It was a hockey podcast. What should we have talked about?
Mario Lemieux’s hair products? Sidney Crosby’s favorite snacks? Evgeni Malkin’s musical tastes?
Thou dost protest too much, Wolf. You sound like a Steelers fan who was pretending not to notice when Antonio Brown got signed by New England.
Bitter. Petty. Small. And in denial.
Joe responded to a web poll I posted about Gerrit Cole’s success with the Astros. I think he understands what we are going for in this weekly segment.
I’m mad. He should still be here. And the Pirates could / should still be competing. But they’re not and we all know why.
— Joe Risacher (@joerisacher) October 22, 2019
There ya go, Joe! Be mad. Admit it. Venting online is chicken soup for the soul.
I’m surprised more people didn’t vote “I’m mad.”
Be mad at Cole for not fulfilling his potential here. Be mad at the coaching staff for not extracting his full talent in Pittsburgh. Be mad at the owner for not paying to keep him here. Be mad at the general manager for failing to get a better haul from Houston in return for him.
Sure. It’s Twitter. I get it. If you vote “I’m happy for him,” you feel magnanimous and like you’re a better person. Totally enlightened.
But not Joe. Good for him for acknowledging his feelings.
John emailed about the column I wrote comparing Pittsburgh’s reaction to Cole’s postseason success to how we viewed Fleury’s two years ago.
“May not love him like Fleury, but I am rooting for him both just because I want to see him succeed — as well as how much worse his success makes the Pirates look. I have been gone for a while from them and can’t see myself coming back (MLB in general is unappealing anymore as well.)”
I can’t challenge much of that, John. I feel ya.
The one thing I’d debate, though, is that the quality of the games in this postseason has been highly appealing.
Houston’s clinching ALCS Game 6 and Game 1 of the World Series were two of the best games I’ve watched in years.
During Game 1 of the World Series, the Mr. Rogers movie trailer aired during a commercial break.
That made me melancholy.
So I sent out a tweet that bemoaned how much I missed all the Pirates who have been standing out for their playoff teams this fall.
It’s clear David senses my emotion.
Won't you be my neighbor?
— David Benson (@davebenson36) October 23, 2019
Yes, David. I will. And much like those guys, after a few good years, I’ll move to a better house and leave you with a much less-cool neighbor to replace me.
It appears @RedneckVikng82 (awesome handle, by the way) wasn’t as enamored of my sentimental side.
Hudson? The guy we traded for Dickerson and then was cut?
— Thor of the Beer Belly (@RedneckViking82) October 23, 2019
You’re right. I should be happy with that debacle the Pirates rolled out of the bullpen this season instead. My bad.
Look, if your larger point is that Daniel Hudson wasn’t good as a Pirate, you’re right. But none of those other guys were as good in Pittsburgh as they have been in their new cities. So, let’s not just pick on Hudson.
Plus, I said “Land of Make Believe.” Let me have my moment with King Friday and my own fantasies.
