I just heard an alarming stat, and I don't use that word often. The Pirates have hit into a double play in each of their 22 games this year. Now, you can blame ownership and the General Manager for the past 15 years of sub-.500 baseball (they haven't had a winning record since 1993), but a double play in every game? That's a lack of focus and can be blamed solely on the players themselves. Possibly the manager has something to do with it, but these days with the ridiculous amount of money players make and the egos that are built because of that, I'm not sure how much a manager can control with regards to an individual player's will to play.
A double play in every game so far. That's horrible. This goes back to the point I made about Matt Morris, who also happens to be a bad Pittsburgh Pirate. It's a happiness thing. There's no way these Pirates players are having a good time playing baseball. That might sound a little too cute to be a legitimate reason they aren't playing good baseball, but it's likely true. They play in front of less than 15,000 people a night. 22 consecutive games hitting into a double play is not about having bad players, it's about having unhappy players, unfocused players.
3 comments:
Wrong - the Pirates have averaged around 22-23K a game since they opened PNC in 2001 (the high was over 30K in the first year and the low was just under 21K). This year they are averaging 13K, and are hurt in this early part of the season by the fact that 1) the Pens are one of the favorites in the NHL and 2) ITS BEEN 15 YEARS OF HORRIBLE PRODUCT.
Blaming the fans for not coming out because players lack a "will" to play when they are rewarded handsomely to do so is absurd, and excuses their inability to execute to the level that should be expected in the Major Leagues.
If you'll re-read the post, I think you'll find that I didn't put all the blame on the fans. It's a lack of focus from the players, in my opinion, which may be a direct result of apathy from the fans.
it's to the fans credit for not coming out for this fraud, but it's only human to be beaten down by The Worst Organization In Professional Sports. many players have come through town in the past 15 years and it always turns out the same: before long their performance sags. (for those who remember, it's just like the pre-Lemieux Penguins.)
i don't think it would be any different if it were us in those uniforms. pity Jack Wilson.
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