The Town With the Low IQ
By Rob Rossi

Shockingly enough, there is an undercurrent of speculation amongst those "in the know" that has the elected officials of our great city and county hoping that the Penguins actually take the soon-to-come generous offer from Kansas City.

The thinking, apparently, is that Pittsburgh is a three-sport town… but that an NBA franchise as that third sport would better serve the region.

Shocked? Don't be.

Such backwards thinking is the rule when it comes to the region's politicians. Great and many are the examples of these pseudo-leaders jumping to grand conclusions based on gut feelings.

Does the redevelopment of Fifth and Forbes ring a bell? If not, how about that spiffy, always-in-use convention center?

Greater is the evidence of these elected officials shunning solid ideas.

Remember, elected officials voted down Sophie Masloff's original plan for a baseball-only yard to house the Pirates.

Had they not done so, PNC Park might have been built in time to save Pirates fans from the indignity of what will surely become 14 consecutive losing seasons. Pittsburgh would have been one of the first Major-League cities to have a new ballyard, which might have made the franchise more attractive to potential buyers in 1996. Buyers with real money to spend.

Only could a short-sighted goof elected in this region-heck, this state (Ed Rendell)-possibly think an NBA team would "work" in Pittsburgh, especially at the expense of losing the Penguins.

It's far time that the old-school cronies who run this region wake up to some truth: Pittsburgh is more of a hockey town than the seniors are willing to admit.

More to the point: People who never dream of voting will surely turn out at the polls for years to come if this team leaves for Kansas City-a sad scenario that becomes more possible with each passing day.

Then again, change rarely happens in local politics. Though it was refreshing to see voters chase some of the politicians who voted themselves a pay raise in this past election, it was just as discouraging to discover that many kept their jobs.

Sigh. The future, if you please:
o Pittsburgh will get a new arena… just probably not in time to save the Penguins.
o Somebody will realize that the relic that is Mellon Arena is costing this region more money than it brings in, and then formulate a case for a state-of-the-art facility.
o Having missed the gravy train that will supposedly solve everything (slots, baby!), the tax payers will be left to front for this new building.
o Said new arena will need a main tenant and Pittsburgh will be left in the uncomfortable position of bidding for either an up-for-grabs NHL club or hoping against hope that the NBA comes this way. An improbable scenario to be sure… well, anywhere except here, sadly.

Rob Rossi covers the Pirates for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.