Issue One: Pirates problems
The Pirates reinstated the fired pierogi ... what a joke ("Pirates Put Pierogi Back in the Race," June 23). He should have never been fired. What ever happened to freedom of speech in this country? Seems to me that Pirates management is very thin-skinned.
This could all be stopped if the Pirates fielded a winning team. As a lifelong Pirates fan who will always be a Pirates fan, I am sick and tired of the attitude of management toward the fans. We seem to be building a strong young team, but that was done before. Everyone is wondering who will be traded next.
After seeing Joe Brown, general manager of the 1960 championship team, taking part in ceremonies at the June 19 game on television, it made me realize what good management is like. That management took one of the worst teams in Pirates history and built a champion and contender for the next 20 years.
Current management needs to stop worrying about the bottom line and PR and build talent and keep it.
DON KEMMLER
Whitehall
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Loss of respect
Driving back to Pittsburgh after a recent weekend in Chicago, I noticed a small article in the Chicago Sun-Times about the Pirates firing an "outspoken pierogi." The article mentioned that one Andrew Kurtz was fired for posting "disparaging remarks" on his Facebook page about contract extensions for the manager and general manager.
Before I read this article, I had taken in a Cubs game at Wrigley. Sitting in the "friendly confines" I glanced at the scoreboard. Most baseball fans know the scoreboard is still manually operated, and being the relic that it is, it does not have room to post all the games. This means when all major league teams are playing, somebody has to make a decision as to what games will not be followed. Obviously, the Pirates vs. Indians game was one of three games not to be displayed.
While I was certainly not surprised, I was dismayed that the Chicago Cubs think my hometown Pirates are irrelevant. The Cubs haven't won a World Series since 1908 and were eight games under .500 and a mere seven games ahead of the Pirates when I was at Wrigley. One would think that when the Cubs are deciding which games not to follow that teams in their own division would make the cut.
I applaud Mr. Kurtz and continue to lose respect for the current Pirates ownership (that's assuming I had any left). The Pirates record speaks for itself. After what I witnessed at Wrigley Field, I would think that Bob Nutting should be happy that somebody is at least thinking about his organization and that they still have fans willing to dress up as a pierogi.
ERIC WILTROUT
Lawrenceville