I get it. Everyone hates the owner. Or the front office. Or both.
I also get this: Josh Bell is booming his way toward a baseball season for the ages, among the most beautiful in the 133-year history of the Pittsburgh Baseball Club. And the only thing missing so far is ... Pittsburgh?
No, I'm not going to wag a finger at low attendance. And anyone who accuses me of such, know that I'll bite back. Almost anything related to attendance at PNC Park should be pinned on Bob Nutting's cheapness, on Frank Coonelly's condescension, on Neal Huntington's drafting, developing and Chris Archer-ing. Those three deserve the bulk of the blame for this divide between our city and our baseball team. And in turn, those who legitimately stay away based on principle are justified in doing so.
But still, that doesn't make it any less uncomfortable to witness.
Seriously, check this out:
That's what Bell faced when Melky Cabrera tugged him out of the dugout for a curtain call after he blasted, one, two, three more home runs in the Pirates' 18-5 annihilation of the Cubs on this remarkable Monday night at PNC Park.
There are a handful of fans in that section right there cheering. A few standing. A couple Cubs fans seated and staring blankly. Another couple Cubs fans cheering respectfully. One child -- one -- off to the right in Pirates gear.
Total official attendance: 17,772
Percentage of those wearing blue: Probably 60-plus
So first off, major props to those hardy souls who stood and roared loud enough that Melky's act wasn't in vain. Imagine if there hadn't been any plea for a curtain call. Fans throughout the place, particularly in the upper decks where the most diehard season-ticket holders have long been rooted, really did the job.
But sorry, uplifting as that aspect of it was, I couldn't help but wonder how different this might be if Bell were a football or hockey player in this town atop his craft. Because that's where he is right now: He's leading all of Major League Baseball with 77 RBIs, 10 more than anyone else. His 1.035 OPS is fifth-best. His 57 extra-base hits is the most by any National League player to this stage of a season since Hank Aaron's 57 in 1959. And he's got 25 home runs through 82 games.
That last one alone should have captured the imagination of our city.
He's the first left-handed hitter with three home runs in a game since Willie Stargell in 1971.
He's on pace to become the first with 40 in a season since Pops' 44 in 1973, and it isn't exactly a mathematical reach to suggest he could threaten Ralph Kiner's record 54 from 1949.
Listen to these names. Look at these names:
We've all heard the tales of how fans at Forbes Field wouldn't leave until Kiner's final at-bat, no matter the score. We worship everything about Clemente and Stargell.
There's something truly special taking place here. Right now. Not 30, 40, 50 years ago. Right now.
But because of that divide, people can't bring themselves to make it to the stadium to applaud this extraordinary, exemplary young man. They just can't. Because of the mess that's been made by the stewards of this civic institution. The citizens trust the Steelers, trust the Penguins and, when those teams have players atop the NFL or NHL ... well, we don't have to guess at the response. It's exactly what we see year after year after year.
Heck, for that matter, we saw it with Andrew McCutchen in his MVP year, 2013. At least a modicum of trust had been restored between city and team at the time ... until it was burned right back down again after a rotation of Ryan Vogelsong, Jon Niese, Juan Nicasio and Jeff Locke was prescribed after a 98-win season in 2015.
This is what's left. They did this.
After Archer doused Bell with Gatorade during his postgame, on-field TV interview that's also pumped through the stadium speakers, Bell was asked what message he had for the fans who showed their appreciation for him on this night. He answered, "Thanks for everything, and see you tomorrow!"
No, he won't. Not with the overwhelming majority. Except maybe a ton of those Cubs fans filling Downtown hotels for the full series.
• Yes, if this is the first thing you're reading on the site/app this morning, I did write about Bell's brilliance and the game. Full, extensive column, actually. But this hit hard, and I'll be damned if I wasn't going to share.
• Nutting was at this game. Watched almost all of batting practice. Probably hung around and watched the game, too. I'm just sharing because I'm asked a lot if he's even there. He is. Quite a bit. It just doesn't move the needle.
• Barely anyone booed the Cubs' Addison Russell despite Russell being a repugnant person. I bring this up not so much to revisit Russell's sickening case of domestic violence but to point out, in addition to what's above, that Pittsburgh has so, so few baseball fans who pay attention to baseball storylines beyond the Pirates. It's been that way forever, and it hasn't changed. I guarantee not a fraction of local fans in the crowd knew anything about Russell.
• That said, give it up for Marian Corkos down in Section 117:
And a bunch of us in 117. Loudly. I have NEVER before booed a player and I’m here for every game.
— Marian Corkos (@PALakerMama) July 2, 2019
• Everything I heard at the ballpark on this day powerfully suggests Felipe Vazquez isn't being traded. And I mean powerfully. Which is good. While a Vazquez move might make sense at some point, it's not while he's got three years of affordability and, for that matter, while the current front office would be executing that trade. More time benefits the franchise, for sure.
• How many runs are too many runs when Joe Maddon's in the other dugout?
Brandon Tanev. - MATT SUNDAY / DKPS• I've watched a lot of Brandon Tanev in Winnipeg. You won't like this player. You'll love him.
He's fast, his fire never goes out, he's as tough as he is durable, he's a top-unit penalty-killer and he's skilled enough to have pitched in 14 goals and 15 assists from the Jets' fourth line this past winter. There's literally nothing there to knock. And judging by the collective reaction of Manitobans on social media yesterday, he'll be sorely missed up there, with fans worried they've lost one of their most consistent performers.
The $3.5 million salary is high for bottom-six, and the six-year term is wild. But top-six and bottom-six designations don't mean much to a team with an ample existing top-six group. All that matters is filling needs around the core.
Tanev fills a bunch of them. You'll see.
• Jim Rutherford's stance on the contract mirrors my own: “You either give the player close to what he wants, or you don’t get the player. We felt so strongly about Tanev that we were willing to go as far as we had to go to make sure we got him."
Rutherford told our site in Vancouver he had one target if he could go to the outside: He coveted a forward who'd bring everything Tanev brings.
That's it, man. Get the player.
• The Rangers kept up their dramatic offseason upgrade by grossly overpaying Artemi Panarin -- though, again, they got the top player in the free-agent class, so hats off -- but the biggest development from this perspective was the Canadiens trying to pilfer Sebastian Aho from the Hurricanes as a restricted free agent.
Oh, my. That never happens, in large part because of an unspoken collusion among teams not to force financially weaker teams to break their bank.
Here's how it works: The Canadiens made Aho a stunning offer sheet of five years at average annual value of $8.454 million. The Canes, of course, can match. Maybe. But if they can't afford it -- and that's what Marc Bergevin clearly is envisioning -- the Habs get their player and have to give up their top three picks in the 2020 NHL Draft. A price anyone would pay for Aho.
Let's see how Tom Dundon, the fairly new, often-bombastic owner responds in Raleigh. One upbeat winter doesn't make a franchise solvent, and Dundon might have to reach into the family trove. Not many owners are willing to do that.
Be sure that a ton of other teams are hoping he is.
• After reading the above item, thank every star in your solar system the Penguins signed Jake Guentzel -- five years, $30 million -- when they did this past December. Because if anyone had done that to them over Guentzel, they wouldn't have the cap space to match even if Mario Lemieux and Ron Burkle matched, which they surely would.
• It's disappointing to read, per Dale Lolley's exclusive reporting, that the Steelers aren't yet engaged in extension talks with Joe Haden. Yes, cornerback careers can fall off a cliff at a certain age. I don't see Haden, 30, as one of those. He's too smart, too tough out there and, most important, he's been more than able to keep up with anyone since his arrival.
Doesn't need to a bunch of years. A good guaranteed chunk ought to do it. So do it.
• Best wishes to Charlie Batch. The planet knows few finer people.
MATT SUNDAY GALLERY
Pirates vs. Cubs, PNC Park, July 1, 2019 - MATT SUNDAY / DKPS