Don't take this the wrong way, please. I love Pittsburgh. I'm born and raised, and I'd never leave.
But man, are we the meekest of the meek when it comes to fan anger.
No, I'm not talking about flaming some commenting forum, spouting off on social media or barking at a talk-show host. Because that stuff, while cathartic, barely has any impact on the intended subject. And I'm definitely not talking about something as superficial as leaving one seat empty at the local stadium.
I'm talking about action. Real action.
When I was in Montreal a few days ago, I heard from several citizens that the miserable state of the Canadiens has inspired organized groups of season-ticket holders and even business owners all through Centre-Ville to demand the ouster of Marc Bergevin, the beleaguered GM. The team's failure impacts the local economy, the argument goes, and they pin that failure on Bergevin. So they're working through civic channels to urge meaningful change.
They aren't messing around. They aren't complaining to hear themselves complain.
Bergevin's going to get fired. Bank on it. It might not be entirely because of these people, but based on what I heard, they'll have had an impact.
In Ottawa ... well, check out that picture atop this column.
Fans of the Senators are so disgusted by the franchise's miserly owner, Eugene Melnyk, that 420 season-ticket holders got together, raised $10,000 through a GoFundMe effort and bought four billboards near the heart of Canada's capital bearing the Twitter hashtag #MelnykOut
Those went up over the weekend, the Ottawa media pounced all over it and, by yesterday, it was nationwide news.
Simple stuff, right?
Imagine the embarrassment for Melnyk, with his whole country now talking about how the Senators pawned away players from a roster that was a goal away from the Stanley Cup Final, how they dared to try to dump off Erik Karlsson, or how their front office and scouting operations are the NHL's smallest.
Maybe Melnyk will sell. Maybe he won't. But these people did more than complain.
You know what I'm getting at here, obviously. And you know as well as I do that the situations for the Canadiens and Senators aren't anywhere near as egregious as the dishonesty, mismanagement and destruction of trust that's happened to the 131-year-old local baseball institution. They aren't even comparable.
People around here prefer to exhort the media to make the difference, but that's failing to understand the dynamic. Reporters, per the job description, report on events rather than manufacture them. If we're creating the boycotts or billboards or whatever, then those events aren't news. And if we're the ones demanding the change, even within journalistic standards, then we're easily dismissed because ... you know, we write stuff like that all the time. I can write a trillion columns detailing Bob Nutting pocketing a $50 million check or Frank Coonelly blowing a TV contract or Neal Huntington swapping Neil Walker for a couple months of Jon Niese, and ultimately I'm nothing more than a talking point in the pile.
But when it comes to the citizens themselves, when they're organized, united by a common cause, that's the loudest voice of all. Always has been throughout human history.
Or hey, let's just keep complaining among ourselves. Because that's worked.
• Please don't ask for suggestions or endorsements. Again, that's all out of my domain. I'm sharing an opinion about a sports thing, which very much does fit into the job description. If fans of the Pirates ever get serious about having their favorite team run by competent, caring professionals, I'll write about it. If they don't, I'll write about that, too.
• It's not just on the public, either. The silence of the politicians on this subject, regardless of party or philosophy, has been a blatant abdication of duty. Never mind the tax dollars involved in PNC Park, as that's overblown. It's about protecting a civic treasure that belongs to all of us in a sense.
• If someone tried to take a wrecking ball to the Allegheny County Courthouse or dismantle the Duquesne Incline or dry out the Point State Park fountain, no one would stand for it. Not the people. Not the politicians. Everyone would flip out. But this goes on and we act powerless.
• Yeah, I can talk about actual baseball, too. I love the sport. I've invested a big part of my life in following and respecting this particular franchise and so many of its excellent people. But the current stewards have rendered emotional investment in the current situation to be flat-out senseless.
• Wait, one more, and I swear I'll move on: People like me are often accused of writing stuff like this because it gets all the clicks. That ticks me off more than I'm comfortable admitting. Because here's the truth: If the Pirates were run by competent, caring people, they'd win. And if they'd win, we'd get more clicks on all of our baseball content, not just the occasional screed like this. Think about it.
• On an infinitely more pleasant note ...
... there's nothing but superlatives to say for the Steelers closing in on Morgan Burnett.
Wait, you went to bed and missed that?
That's OK, Dale Lolley's got it covered in detail, and the football team will have its opponents covered far more diligently in 2018 than any of us could have envisioned at this hour yesterday. Morgan's not a peak-version Troy Polamalu, but he's undeniably the prize of free agency at the safety position and, if he should sign upon his visit to Pittsburgh today, it would be clear this was the target all along for Kevin Colbert from all that cutting and restructuring in recent weeks.
It feels prudent to hold off before going too far -- ink hasn't yet met paper -- but it's scintillating stuff to picture a secondary of Burnett, Joe Haden and steadily improving youngsters Sean Davis and Artie Burns.
• Nah, here's a little more, this of Burnett mic'd up for an NFL Films piece a couple years ago in Green Bay:
• If you didn't already like the Steelers' signing of Jon Bostic, his response to local reporters Monday when asked how he'll replace Ryan Shazier might do some swaying: “I would never say replace. He is a special player. I'm sure he is going to be back at some point. All I'm supposed to do is come in here and work hard."
Never hurts to add character, though no one can replace that on Shazier's count, either.
• Bryan Rust to the first line is an inarguable move on Mike Sullivan's part. He's got the speed, the skill, the smarts and the confidence to create with Sidney Crosby. Nothing not to like. But what jumps out most from the Penguins' practice lines Monday is Conor Sheary to the third line, alongside Derick Brassard and Phil Kessel. Because that one doesn't make any sense in lacking a straight-line forward to go to the net. Which leads me to believe this is setting the stage for Zach Aston-Reese to this spot.
• If the Penguins don't score five goals tonight in Brooklyn, they haven't given their best. That might not sound fair, but these Islanders have given up an NHL-high 3.6 goals and 35.6 shots per game, and they leave enough open ice -- especially through the middle -- that this should basically be like breakout drills in a practice. They're horrific defensively.
• Worried about the penalty kill?
The solution's actually academic. Some spoken words:
• The league's general managers met for three hours Monday in Boca Raton, Fla., and achieved nothing more than a stalemate on what currently constitutes goaltender interference. Frustrated and probably preferring a round of golf, they tabled the matter and hope to have at least replay guidelines -- not an outright rule change or clarification -- set up before the playoffs. Let this serve as a reminder that the referees are rarely, if ever, the root cause of such confusion.
• Same goes for the NFL and catches. If there isn't clarity at the league level -- and the Competition Committee will be tasked with that this offseason -- how can it be expected at field level?
• The Blue Jackets have won eight in a row. Sorry, was just looking for a way to seriously annoy you this morning.
