Jealousy-Fueled Contempt
By Rob Rossi

I am angry. Please, join me.

Few occurrences in professional sports should have inspired greater anger among western Pennsylvanians than the Detroit Tigers hosting to the World Series.

OK, maybe Forest City "winning" Pittsburgh's coveted stand-alone slot license… but other than that, the previously lowly Tigers chasing a pennant ranked just below the Steelers' sorry start.

Sure, the Tigers were a nice story-especially for Pirates fans so desperate for something to cheer that they resorted to backing an American League club with a handful of ties to the last great era for the Pirates.

Forgive me if I cannot recognize that line of thinking.

Bar Waitress: Don't you love the Tigers?

Exhausted Writer: Not really. Why?

Waitress: They have so many Pirates.

Writer: Used to be Pirates. Not anymore.

Waitress: But if the Tigers won, with all those guys from the Pirates, it would be like the Pirates winning.

Writer: Actually, the Pirates winning would be like the Pirates winning. Waitress: You're missing my point.

Actually, every supposed fan of the Pirates that cheered for the Tigers simply because they employed Jim Leyland, Andy Van Slyke, Lloyd McClendon, the ghost of Honus Wagner, and Willie Stargell's high-school gym teacher-those fans are the ones missing my point.

Family Ties should not have made these Tigers the adopted sons of desperate Pirates fans.

True Pirates fans should have looked at the Tigers and demanded to know why the bliss that went down in Detroit this past season had not found its way to Pittsburgh.

Basically, true Pirates fans should have looked at the Tigers with great envy and jealously-fueled contempt.

If turning around the Tigers was as easy as it seemed, why are the Pirates stuck in some hellacious neutral-gear?

The Tigers had not been remotely competitive recently. Then, they hired Leyland and they were playing in the World Series.

I am not suggesting that the Pirates would have won a pennant had Leyland been hired instead of Jim Tracy.

This argument is not about Leyland; it is about a commitment by an organization to take the necessary steps to field a championship-caliber club.

Such is where the Tigers and Pirates most greatly differ.

The Tigers spent close to $90 million in 2006. The Pirates were halfway there. The Tigers made moves in free agency for A-list players. The Pirates overpaid for Jeromy Burnitz.

The Tigers trusted their young and talented pitchers. The Pirates messed with Zach Duke's mechanics.

The Tigers demanded winning. The Pirates just said, "We will."

Notice anything?

Sigh. Now I'm just depressed.

Are you with me?

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