The origin of the term 'Lunatics,' for anyone who'd ever ask, is this: Commenters in our community who followed the Pirates began to call each other that in the earliest days of this venture and, like the Pirates' nickname itself in the late 1800s, an initially derisive term became both beloved and accepted.
That's it. We didn't even come up with it. You did.
Well, as if further proof of lunacy was required, over the past couple weeks, when I've been critical of this team's fan base for constantly passing the buck on trying to effect change atop this organization -- you know, waiting for Mark Cuban's white horse or waiting for Major League Baseball to take action or, worse by far, yelling at reporters -- what I've seen, heard and read of late has been ... yeah, pretty much unprecedented.
I'm told there's another walking protest being planned by the Canyon and Carter Swartz for Oct. 27 through Downtown and over to PNC Park. It'll start at noon on the City Hall steps along Grant Street, continue here to our HQ/shop (their idea), then proceed to Market Square and finally to the Sixth Street Bridge and across.
I had this sent my way yesterday regarding a drive to post multiple billboards in prominent positions throughout Pittsburgh, one that's closing in on $10,000 collected:
Fundraiser has over $9000 raised.https://t.co/dVb6IemxDc@PatMcAfeeShow @mcuban @Dejan_Kovacevic @MichaelKeaton#Pittsburgh #Pirates #Sellthetean #OurTeamNotHis
— Derek (@InHotPersuit) October 18, 2024
There's also a push to get fans engaged with local government, specifically the Sports and Exhibition Authority that owns the stadium. There's a Nov. 14 meeting of that board, and I'm told they want to hear from fans on this general issue. Contact Gabe Mazefsky on this front: gmazefsky@gmail.com
On our end, being a news outlet, we're committed to covering the Pirates as what they are, rather than what they pretend to be. Connor Williams, who'll head that project for us, will start Monday. And our readers who've committed to supporting this specifically targeted journalism, have been ... wow, I don't even know where to start. Let's just say that people have really, really gotten behind this beyond-our-budget venture.
If you're interested in learning more, I'm here: DK@DKPittsburghSports.com
MILITARY DRIVE AT 553!
Our annual Military Drive, in which we give out 1,000 free subscriptions to those who've served in our Armed Forces, had another wonderful week with 121 more committed for a total of 553. The deadline, as always, is on Veterans Day, Nov. 11, so there are three weeks to go.
If you'd like to contribute, too, here's how: Buy a military subscription for $20 (one-third of the regular price), enough to cover a full year for any veteran. However many you'd wish to donate, even if it's just one, email me directly at DK@DKPittsburghSports.com to let me know, and Dali will do the processing.
INSIDE THE WORKS
• Nothing new to share on the not-yet-visible 2.0 version of this app/site, built by our friends at BoomPress. It's still being tested, including by us. Next step will be to ask a few longtime readers to do their own testing. I know I've been saying that for a couple weeks now, but it's really coming.
• Among the components we're testing is a dramatic upgrade to the commenting system that, among many other new features, alerts you when someone's replied to you. Similarly, you can address someone specifically in an initial comment to ensure that person sees it. And there's easy additions for photos, videos and a nearly limitless array of pre-made GIFs.
• I switched up the recently installed Site Stuff Feed into what I'm calling a DK's Grind Feed, and the views/results have been really encouraging. Plus, I'm enjoying this way, way more. It's all my stuff, written and spoken and everything else, all in one spot. It'll still appear in the appropriate team feeds, as well.
• Everyone loving being ad-free? If you're not there yet, it's only for paying subscribers. If you aren't subscribed yet or if your subscription's expired: This is our subscribe page. From there, make sure you're logged in, tap on the link, and thumb down to the bottom for the SUBSCRIBE button to buy/renew at the monthly or annual level. We also offer mega-discounts, as ever, for student subscriptions and senior subscriptions.
• If you believe you have an active subscription AND you're seeing ads, just log back in, and they go poof. If you have any issues with this at all, email: Help@DKPittsburghSports.com
• Grateful that so many of you continue to leave us good reviews on outside platforms. Feel free to add your own on our Google business listing, our Apple and Spotify podcast channels and, arguably most important, our own app, whether it's the Apple or Android version. These make a difference.
BACK TO BUSINESS
• Our page-view numbers for the past week were 907,510, with 30,162 unique users over the most recent full seven-day span, Oct. 11-17. Our most-read original piece was my column on the Penguins' historic Tuesday night, at 15,725 views.
• On the multimedia front, our podcast downloads for the past week were exactly 99,000, and our YouTube video views were 199,198.
• Our company social media accounts are at 57,786 followers on X, 47,086 on Facebook, 33,504 on YouTube, 15,707 on Instagram, 5,352 on Threads, and 1,521 on TikTok.
• We make mistakes. If you see one, email: Typos@DKPittsburghSports.com
• Our HQ/shop merch is available online. The Downtown shop itself's open Tuesday-Saturday, 12-6 p.m., plus every Steelers game day!
• Anything you need, email: Help@DKPittsburghSports.com
• Thanks for reading and, as ever, for your support of this proud independent venture.
