Actually, I didn’t see much “abuse” from the AYCE customers. It’s not as if there was some enormous guy walking back and forth the entire game with four burgers in his hand at all times.

I guess the Nats weren't in town.

Freddy Sanchez banner for their kid

Pirates fans should have their children taken away.

It’s not as if there was some enormous guy walking back and forth the entire game with four burgers in his hand at all times.

Hey, Livan plays for the Twins now!

Hey, Livan plays for the Twins now!

Screw you RB, I win!

Screw you RB, I win!

Yeah well, I have an as-yet-undecided form of revenge for when we go out on boozin' after the 7/18 game. So screw you!

Yeah well, I have a as-yet-undecided form of revenge for when we go out on boozin' after the 7/18 game. So screw you!

Ha. I'll just bring up a blow-up goat and you'll be too distracted with lust to carry out your plan.

Here's the deal with Pirates fans. When the Pirates are losing, the fans do nothing, because we all assume the Pirates are going to lose, so it's as if everything is going according to plan. However, when the Pirates do something good, the fans notice, and cheer for a couple minutes, after which they become silent again. Also, in the ninth inning if the Pirates have the lead, and there are two outs, they stand up and make loud noises. However, if the Pirates are losing, the crowd makes no noise at all in the ninth inning, unless the Pirates get two men on base, at which point it becomes conceivably possible that they might come close to having an 0.1% chance of winning the game.

In general, the crowd does nothing, whether or not the loudspeaker is urging them to do something. Which could be seen as better than some crowds I've heard about, which react like automatons to whatever the P.A. system suggests would be a good idea (generally involving meaningless cheers at random points in the game).

Also, the crowd boos if
A) Barry Bonds comes to the plate
B) A Pirates pitcher walks the bases loaded or gives up two straight walks.

Given the fact that the Pirates haven't played a meaningful game since 1993 or whatever, the only problem I see with this scenario is that the tickets are too high and the crowd is limited to those who express their apathy in boring ways. What I'd like to see is a scene like circa- 1980 Indians and Mets games, where there are 40,000 empty seats at every game and half of the guys in the stadium are random 25-year-old drunks who show up at the game because it's the only place where they might become locally famous just for getting into a drunken fight or heckling people shirtlessly. That would at least be memorable apathy for the casual fan.

There are people who will vote in the upcoming election that weren't yet potty-trained when the Pirates last played a meaningful game.

Why should there be anything but apathy for the team itself? All-you-can-eat-burgers is simply a better product than the Pirates have been.

Given the fact that the Pirates haven't played a meaningful game since 1993 or whatever

October 14th, 1992. I was eleven. I consider that day the end of my childhood.

You nailed it, Crispix: Pittsburgh fans, in general, cheer for winners and are completely apathetic to losers. Instead of being competitive, the ownership group is more content to turn turnstiles with mindless promotions and media appeals to the blue-collar nature of the city.

"Instead of being competitive, the ownership group is more content to turn turnstiles with mindless promotions and media appeals to the blue-collar nature of the city."

So, funny story. My immediate boss just announced on Friday that she's leaving to spend more time with her family (two young kids - I don't blame her at all). They already had a new guy lined up, brought him in today... and it's the Pirates' former director of marketing. The guy who came up with the Pierogie race and all that stuff.

I still haven't decided how I feel about it.

The Pirates' real fans stopped coming to the games years ago. You can't blame them.

For God's sake, look at the Penguins. As soon as they showed a hint of starting to be good again, the fans poured out of the woodwork. They have maybe the worst arena in the NHL, and fans just packed that place out, and the tickets are crazy expensive.

I kind of like that about Pittsburgh fans: They refuse to patronize the thieves that own the city's baseball team.

So, funny story. My immediate boss just announced on Friday that she's leaving to spend more time with her family (two young kids - I don't blame her at all). They already had a new guy lined up, brought him in today... and it's the Pirates' former director of marketing. The guy who came up with the Pierogie race and all that stuff.

I still haven't decided how I feel about it.

I would target him for every cruel joke I made and physically strike him whenever possible. Not that I dislike Pierogie races or anything; it would just be a manifestation of my frustration with the baseball team I love.

But you should never let him get away with Chris Duffy night happening after Duffy snapped and disappeared. Or the new Bucco Boy. It would be almost as much fun as working with Steve Phillips.

But it's such a cool stadium.

I still haven't decided how I feel about it.

Go with "badly".

But it's such a cool stadium.

I'm actually thinking of going out there this summer to catch a game and find some random golf course to play on over a weekend.

The Duffy thing's not a fair nit to pick. My boss left before the '03 season, and Duffy was still two years away from even making the majors at that point.

I'm actually thinking of going out there this summer to catch a game and find some random golf course to play on over a weekend.

Go play Quicksilver.

The Duffy thing's not a fair nit to pick. My boss left before the '03 season, and Duffy was still two years away from even making the majors at that point.

Didn't live here for a while so I missed a few, but wasn't their slogan "We're working on it" at one point in the late 90's or early 00's?

The guy who came up with the Pierogie race and all that stuff.

I still haven't decided how I feel about it.

Would lunch hour pierogie races in the company cafeteria (is there one?) be a good thing for morale?