July 19, 2004
Cry Me a (Three) Rivers
Word on the street is the 2006 All-Star Game is headed to Pittsburgh, which beat out San Francisco and Phoenix for hosting duties. Apparently, the Buc-os were able to convince Chairman Bud that an All-Star Game would help boost the team’s dismal attendance figures (though fielding a competitive team can also help). And that was enough to persuade Bud to end Pittsburgh’s seemingly endless 12-year drought between All-Star Games. (By way of comparison, next year’s host — the Detroit Tigers — haven’t staged an All-Star Game since 1971.)
I’m willing to take Major League Baseball at its word that Pittsburgh got the nod over San Francisco because Giants games are already well-attended and Pirates games are not. And I’m almost certain that the fact the Pirates play in a taxpayer-funded stadium while the Giants defied MLB’s welfare-state mentality by paying for stadium construction all by their lonesome had nothing to do with the fact that San Francisco is still waiting to host its first All-Star Game in 20 years.
After all, why would anyone question Bud Selig’s integrity? It’s not like he’s the sort of guy who only cares about rewarding toadies and cronies, right?
