The sun goes down slightly earlier today, slipping over the edge of the city a little more quickly than it did just a few weeks ago. The summer - a fleeting time of frolic and play - is giving way again to beautiful autumn. I saw my first orange leaf yesterday, a sign of things to come.
In baseball terms, this means another chapter is quickly coming to a close. Many of us will begin to say goodbye to our boys of summer, especially those with no postseason aspirations.
Inspired by the immensely talented Katie Heindl’s ‘Exits’ series, which you should be reading, I am starting the “Seasons” series here at Junk Ball Lovers Club. Each week, and some weeks twice, you’ll receive a small essay-like post for each team in baseball over the coming months and into the offseason. These will be free flowing: some focused on the city, others on a team’s history and others still on what the team represents today.
Because I just wrote about the Washington Nationals, we will be skipping them for now. We will start with the teams outside of playoff contention and, by this point, officially eliminated.
First up is the Pittsburgh Pirates.
My favourite baseball picture was taken in Pittsburgh. It wasn’t taken in PNC Park (which is gorgeous) and it wasn’t taken in Forbes Field (which is iconic). The photo is from the top of the Cathedral of Learning building at the University of Pittsburgh in 1960.
In the photo you can see students, in what would have then been fairly casual wear but today would be considered more formal, dancing and cheering as the Pittsburgh Pirates defeat the New York Yankees in the 1960 World Series, the only walk-off Game 7 homerun in baseball’s rich history. I love this picture because it captures a city, a spirit and a genuine love for baseball in a way that few can.
I like to imagine these students can’t afford to go to the game. Or maybe more realistically, are too busy with their studies. I think about how little they could see from that height, but how it was still worth being there to dance and celebrate.
I don’t know their names and I don’t know what they went on to do. I do know that if they’re alive today, they’re senior citizens. Do they still like baseball? Do they still love the Pirates? I bet they do.
Pittsburgh is a working-class city that continues to evolve when it could have just as easily quit. They could have called themselves a casualty of an ever-modernizing world and become a decrepit former steel city. Instead, Pittsburgh rolled with the punches to become one of the more hip cities in America. Yes, I mean it.
The first time I visited Pittsburgh, I didn’t know what to expect. The mountains were a surprise, which is more a reflection of my poor geography grade in high school than anything else. And then, you see it: the yellow bridges. The Roberto Clemente Bridge. The Andy Warhol Bridge. You instantly know you are in a city that celebrates its heroes.
Coming from a working class city also known for its steel production myself, I instantly felt at home in Pittsburgh. I know these people and I know what is important to them. Pittsburgh teams matter to the people of Pittsburgh because the teams are a reflection of them. When everyone looked down on them, they could point to their sports teams with a sense of pride.
Pittsburgh, like my small city of Hamilton, is known for its civic pride. They don’t take no guff and once they’ve accepted you, you’re a Yinzer for life (look it up). Pittsburgh celebrates its icons with murals, museums and, as previously mentioned, the iconic bridges. People from Pittsburgh love being from Pittsburgh.
It’s why the Steelers remain one of the most popular teams in the NFL. It’s also why, despite decades of poor performance and an owner who refuses to give them a chance, the Pittsburgh Pirates retain a loyal fanbase that far outweighs the product they have put on the field.
The Steel City is dead. Long live The Steel City.
Onto more pressing things: There is no conversation about the current state of Pittsburgh Pirates baseball without discussing Oneil Cruz, one of the most captivating baseball players to debut years. He has the limbs of an NBA point guard, the arm strength of a starting pitcher and the speed of a track and field star. As a physical athlete, hes as unique as there is in baseball.
Cruz is consistently catching headlines with his otherworldly stats and is, by any measure, the most fascinating player on the Pirates. The problem, of course, is the lack of fascinating players around him. They are a mish-mash of spare parts, a team made up of players that other teams did not want. Sometimes that can be fun when mixed with the right crew of young players (looking at you Baltimore), but more often it is a weird mess with little focus. There is no identity to the current incarnation of Pirates baseball and has not been for a long time.
As long as they have an owner in place who refuses to make the Major League investments necessary to compete, there is little hope for Pirates’ fans.
Owner Bob Nutting would disagree with this, I’m sure. He would tell you how important it is for him to win and that he would love to see Pittsburgh Pirates baseball return to its former glory. He would also tell you about how much money he has already put into the Pirates. I’m sure all of that is true, but even when they have had chances to win, including the mid-2010s when they were a mildly successful franchise, there was little investment made into the major league club and, subsequently, they were booted from the National League Divisional Series in multiple years.
Progress is fleeting and all of the hard work those teams did to gain back the trust of fans went away with every future superstar that was traded. It feels as if the Pirates have a top-10 farm system almost by accident, as is bound to happen when you’ve got draft picks near the top of the order every year.
This isn’t to say they are completely void of competent players. Bryan Reynolds is a star in the making and has been a savior for the Pirates throughout this season. Ke’Bryan Hayes is an excellent third-baseman with the skills to be a franchise player if he can continue to develop.
If you’ve interacted with me on social media, you know my love of quirky soft-hitting infielders. For the Pirates, that’s Michael Chavis. He rides a scooter to the stadium and writes in a journal regularly, what’s not to like?
I hope there comes a day when the Jolly Roger is raised again. I hope the team is able to acquire an owner who is willing to make the financial investment in this team to help them prosper. I hope I’m alive to see it.
God knows Pittsburgh deserves it.
Great read! I had a fantastic time in Pittsburgh for the series over Labour Day weekend. The Pirates are definitely up the list of my favourite NL teams. And that ballpark. Wow.
Great stuff! I’m a fan of old sports photos and the one you shared is so cool!