Yeesh!

You’d think that after losing almost non-stop for 40 years, Pirates fans would have a sense of humor.

“If you don’t laugh, you are going to cry.” That type of thing.

Based on my Twitter feed this week, I guess I’m wrong.

But they aren’t alone in their anger. Steelers and Penguins fans are right there with them.

It’s quite the spicy array of responses this week in “U mad, bro?”.

Here’s an angry Penguins email from “ALB.”

“What do you think about Sully scratching Sid, Geno, Letang, Murray, etc. for a game just to wake up this team?”

What do I think? I think they’d lose. That’s what I think.

I know. They have been losing a lot anyway. I get it.

But, seriously, c’mon. How would that move help the team?

And replace those guys with who, exactly? Put Juuso Riikola at forward? Make Chad Ruhwedel the backup goalie?

Yes, the Penguins need to wake up. Yes, the star players need to wake up more than anyone.

But this recent groundswell of opinions from the masses that the Pens are somehow better off without their star players is insanity.

The Penguins are not better off when their stars such as Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang are in the press box — injured or as healthy scratches.

They are better off when their star players play with discipline, responsibility and structure.

And that’s where they are failing of late.

I recently completed a series of Steelers columns called “Believe it or Not.”

Over five days, we looked at a number of public statements from head coach Mike Tomlin, team president Art Rooney II and general manager Kevin Colbert. Topics such as the Steelers insisting that Ben Roethlisberger will be better than ever despite his elbow surgery, their confidence in the backup quarterbacks, Bud Dupree staying in Pittsburgh and James Conner returning to his 2018 form.

During the series, I got an email from “WBrown.” He prefers that I never question the Steelers.

“I may not always agree with everything, the team does. However, I do have faith in the decisions they feel they have to make.

Believing them or not believing them has never been an issue for me. Either you do, or you don’t. It’s just as simple as that.”

Right. And in the cases of their professed confidence in their backup quarterbacks and trying to tell me Roethlisberger will be “better than ever” after the surgery, I don’t believe them.

In your words, “simple as that.”

If you want to believe everything they say all the time, be my guest. But then there’s no point in reading my columns, or any opinion piece published beyond the team’s own website.

Honestly, some Pirates fans still believe in everything the local baseball team does because they won a World Series back when Jimmy Carter was president.

How has that worked out the last 40 years?

Or — more to the point about the Steelers — how has your blind acceptance of everything they do worked out these last two non-playoff years?

When I bet you also thought they had the answers.

January has been pretty boring around these parts since 2017, right?

I also had an entry in that series saying the Steelers are right to stay away from investigating a reunion with Antonio Brown.

Despite his recent attempts to mend fences with the organization.

“Rodney” disagreed in this email.

“Let’s be clear. The Steelers will not be any better with Ben back and no true number one receiver. So the Steelers better start having some conversations about getting Brown back, or a receiver of his caliber. If this doesn’t happen you can be assured of another 8-8 season.”

You know they were 9-6-1 in 2018 and missed the playoffs with Brown, right? And you know that they missed the playoffs with him in 2012 and 2013, too?

And that Roethlisberger never won a Super Bowl with Brown?

Yeah. You do know that. But let’s bring him back anyway because you probably have his jersey and the word #Boomin’ somewhere on your Twitter account.

And a blonde mustache. I bet you have a blonde mustache. You do, don’t you? Just admit it. Send me a pic. Let the whole world see its magnificence.

Someone on Twitter calling themselves “@PiratesStrong” (oh gawd, puke!) took exception to the video I mocked that featured two Pirates getting thrown out at home plate at the same time.

Yeah lets just ignore the absolute bomb from Oneil Cruz AGAINST the wind. That’s fine. pic.twitter.com/lUENPyQDFI

— Pirates.Strong (@PiratesStrong) March 9, 2020

You know what? Yes. I’m going to do that.

Yes. I’m absolutely going to do that.

When two guys somehow manage to simultaneously get thrown out at home on the same throw to the plate, I will — every time — ignore some guy hitting a double off the wall in a spring training game.

Every time. Write it down.

But if your greater point is Oneil Cruz appears to have some talent and we all should get excited about him, I agree.

In fact, I bet the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers are more excited than anyone! Licking their chops, in fact, for when he becomes a free agent.

Or when the Pirates inevitably decide to trade him for a piddly return, in the middle of his career.

Just like Gerrit Cole.

I got a profane Twitter message from a guy named @BackerBucco for making fun of the play. Here’s the edited “fit for print” version.

“You know nothing about baseball so keep your stupid comments to yourself and comment on your beloved Penguins circling the drain.”

Actually, I’ve been ripping the Penguins for the last 10 games. My sarcasm knows no limitations, sir.

You make a compelling argument, though. After all, the franchises have been nearly equal the last 25-30 years or so.

I mean, like, almost identical, right?

One team has won five titles and hasn’t missed the playoffs since 2006. The other one won a wild-card game.

Once.

Yeah. Pretty much the same legacy of late, I’d say.

Oh, and as far as me not knowing anything about baseball? Well, I know they lost 93 games in 2019. And I know they’ve lost their starting center fielder and top relief pitcher from last year, on top of that.

So, you show me how much you know about baseball. How many do they lose in 2020?

I’m going to go with… MORE! Maybe up to 10 more.

On Twitter, I said that these Pirates are so inept, they’ll figure out a way to get themselves thrown out at home twice on the same play again in the regular season.

This guy is very excited to take me up on that bet.

I’ll actually bet my right hand this doesn’t happen again this season https://t.co/CeMxmlonlk

— BUCNProblem (@BUCNProblem) March 9, 2020

Well, @BUCNProblem, when you lose your right hand, the Pirates will probably sign you as a free agent and tell us why you are a perfect fit for the back end of the rotation.

---

Copyright ©2025— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)

---