Opinion
Perrotto: Forecasting Opening Day Mood at PNC Park
Poor Jim Tracy.
Rarely have I ever felt worse for someone in a baseball uniform than Tracy on the afternoon of April 10, 2006. It was the day of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ home opener and the first game managing the local nine for Tracy at PNC Park.
Tracy figured there would be cheers. His hiring was supposed to bring renewed hope for the Pirates after they fired manager Lloyd McClendon late in the previous season.
Instead, boos rained down upon Tracy and the rest of the Pirates as they lined up along the third-base foul line before the game. By happenstance, the Los Angeles Dodgers were the opponent and had won the National League West championship just two years earlier under Tracy’s tutelage.
Tracy thought he could win in Pittsburgh, too. Little did he know.
The Pirates opened the season by going 1-6 on a seven-game road trip and fell 5.5 games out of first place in the NL Central. A 14th consecutive losing season seemed inevitable and the crowd of 39,129 let loose with its frustration.
The Pirates might get the same treatment this afternoon when they play the New York Yankees in the home opener.
The Pirates are 2-5 after their season-opening road trip. That’s not the entire story.
The Pirates have looked sloppy and inept, a recurring pattern during manager Derek Shelton’s six seasons on the job. It is also clear that general manager Ben Cherington did not do enough in the offseason to build a competitive roster. The Pirates’ personnel moves give the appearance of an organization making things up as they go along.
While I realize there are 155 games left this year, the Pirates are already leaving everyone with the sinking feeling that this is another lost season for a franchise that has cleared the low bar of a .500 winning percentage just four times in the last 32 seasons.
Since general managers are not usually part of opening day festivities, Cherington won’t be part of the fans’ venting. Bob Nutting won’t be, either, if he stays in the owner’s box rather than stepping on the field.
However, Shelton won’t be able to escape the venom. He will be the first person on the foul line.
Social media and talk shows don’t always indicate the fans’ consensus feeling. However, I get the strong vibe that many fans have soured on Shelton, whose record is 296-419 in six seasons and whose relentless positivity is construed by some as a lack of accountability.
Two players who will be cheered are Andrew McCutchen and Paul Skenes. The former is a franchise legend, and the latter is just getting started on what could be a legendary career.
If I were a betting man, though, I’d take boos over cheers as the dominant sound during pre-game introductions.
It is sad that it has come to this again nearly two decades later. The Pirates, though, have only themselves to blame.
My hope – a massive “sell the team” chant starts as soon as Greg Brown starts speaking. So loud that he can barely be heard. Introductions start and the chants stop only briefly so fans can boo Shelton and any executive that is brave enough to be introduced. As players are introduced, the chants stop for applause, and then pick back up between each introduction. Paul Skenes gets a standing ovation. When the ceremony is done, the park refills with chants of “sell the team” that can clearly be heard on TV and lasts throughout the entire game.