Heading to PNC Park to write a full column tonight, but before that happens …
Carlos Danger: Hi, DK. Since the site’s inception, which column had the most views? And which game thread had the most comments?
The most viewed without any assistance from the wrong end of the commonwealth came that same month, a Jan. 2 Friday Insider that made waves regarding both Troy Polamalu and Simon Despres. Never had one quite like that, before or since.
The biggest day, of course, came when the Penguins acquired Phil Kessel. Nothing else even orbits that solar system. Monster day. Damned near brought the site down.
Of our top 50 columns since the start of the year — and bear in mind, for fairness, that the Steelers have been out of season the entire time — 28 have been about the Penguins or NHL, 16 have been about the Steelers or NFL, six about the Pirates or Major League Baseball.
As for comment counts, that’s not something we’d track. Heavy participation is welcome, as it translates into retention, and we’ve obviously invested a lot in making the commenting platforms of good quality. But it doesn’t illustrate traffic at all, and it’s not something that interests advertisers.
____________________
shaman103: Where do you play Josh Harrison?
DK: Well, if you’ve seen Josh Yohe’sreporting from PNC Park this afternoon, you’ll know there’s already a plan in place from Clint Hurdle, and that’s to basically have Aramis Ramirez and Neil Walker give up at-bats at third and second base, respectively, while rotating five starters through three positions.
To be candid here, that’s a lot of moving parts to process fully within the hour of the announcement. My first impression is that it’s wonderful the Pirates are sticking by Jung Ho Kang, as had been reported in today’s Friday Insider. He’s earned that. I’m a lot less enamored of over-committing to Jordy Mercer and of interrupting Walker, who’s very much a streaky type. And we’re not even bringing up first base, which probably also will go the platoon route, given that Michael Morse is in there tonight for Madison Bumgarner. So there’s a lot there, a lot to see before any real judgment can take place.
Here’s how I feel for right now: The Pirates do need to get better defensively. I can appreciate that as much as anyone. But sorry, Mercer isn’t Ozzie Smith. And if this team is going to take on its own hard identity in time for the postseason, it’s far more likely to be one of a team that can hit rather than one can defend. So build from your strengths.
Which is to say, don’t bench your cleanup hitter for your No. 8 hitter.
____________________
Snake: Pretty sure that Mario Lemieux is a big proponent of having two superstar centers. So say this season doesn’t go well and, at some point, the team is sold to a new owner. Do you think Evgeni Malkin might be in danger of being shipped out?
DK: I normally zip right past the hypothetical questions, but your opening portion there has a good bit of relevance.
When the Penguins are sold — and no, there’s nothing new on that front despite my repeated attempts to learn more — Lemieux will remain a vital, visible part of the process. That’s very much in his DNA, very much his intention. And given Lemieux’s presence — I mean that in the strongest sense possible because he’s got a powerful one just by being in the room — he’s going to retain a voice, as well.
If I’m Joe Zillionaire and I buy the Penguins because I was really good at playing the hedge-fund market, it doesn’t mean I’m qualified to establish hockey philosophy. And if Lemieux is in the room, I’m still asking him a lot of questions. Same goes for Ron Burkle, to a different degree, as he’s become a much better and more involved owner than most people seem to realize.
Mario’s no dummy, to say the least. He’s going for the bucks, but he’s also going to put himself in a position where he can influence the franchise that bears his legacy.
____________________
Lumbergh: To the Historical Uniform Department: I’ve long wondered, and done my own casual research to no avail, did Roberto Clemente ever wear a Pirates jersey with his name on the back?
I think the answer is no, but it’s hard to prove something that never happened. I feel like the merchandise the Pirates and others sell with his name is a misrepresentation, and I appreciate it more when fans around the country only need the “21” to conjure memories and tell stories.
DK: The Pirates first added names to the back of their jerseys in 1979, so the obvious answer is no, Clemente never wore any Pittsburgh jersey bearing his name. Here’s the entire history of their uniforms, culled from the team’s official media guide.
There are so many faux jerseys in all sports at this point — including those officially branded by the teams and leagues — that relevance like what you’re describing is barely a passing thought, it appears.
But rather than brandishing the consumer for that, put the blame where it belongs: Major League Baseball needs to retire No. 21 across the board and recognize Clemente for the Latin American icon, as well as the baseball icon, that he was and continues to be.
Here’s a column I wrote on that four years ago, in consultation with the Clemente family.
Here’s my sad follow-up a year later that the family gave up the fight.
____________________
cbattin: DK, did you ever get a chance to interview one of your childhood heroes? And what was it like to interview him/her?
DK: I did, but the answer will disappoint you.
I interviewed — by phone — Colin Moulding, bassist/singer for XTC, the best band that ever was, way back in 1988. I was doing music reviews on the side back then, sitting at my desk inside the Post-Gazette building and shaking like a leaf. I absolutely could not believe I was speaking with the same voice I could hear in all those songs I loved and still do.
Athletes don’t have that effect on me and never have. Once you’ve met and gotten to know Lemieux — did both a long time ago — it’s all downhill from there. Brilliant artists and musicians, by contrast, have always felt larger than life in my world.
Shout out to the loyal pens fans who consume everything written about them.
Sorry, baseball. If there were not a zillionaire amount of games at 3+ hours each with a majority of innings resulting in 0 runs then maybe you would get more intriguing to read.
I'm saying this as a reader of most columns and skimmer of most articles on the Pirates.
Snake
8-21-2015, 6:14 pm
As opposed to the majority of boring 2-1 hockey games...
fried003
8-21-2015, 6:19 pm
clutch & grab hockey can be quite the snoozefest.
Nick Humbert
8-21-2015, 6:21 pm
Yet baseball is printing money and the 4 out of 5 working adults do not know where NBC Sports is located. Advocates for professional teams in Pittsburgh do not need to tear down one team to bolster another.
fried003
8-21-2015, 6:17 pm
" Do you think Evgeni Malkin might be in danger of being shipped out?"
He likely has a a no-trade & no-movement clause in his contract so it wouldn't be that easy to trade him (or any other player) without the player agreeing to the trade. If the player wants to stay, the only recourse is healthy scratch, but why do that to the highest paid guy?
Excellent point. I should have researched that before asking. Just looked it up & he definitely has a no trade clause.
DJ
8-21-2015, 8:44 pm
Geno MUST be kept.
Now if we could only convince him to be more of a sniper and use his hands/shot more often, even if stationary.
DJ
8-21-2015, 10:00 pm
. . . want tad more 'Corey Perry' from Geno this year.
Nick Humbert
8-21-2015, 6:19 pm
I would love to know the breakdown of Penguin article reads of people who live in Pittsburgh vs other cities. I live in northern VA around hundreds of Pittsburghers and while most people like the Pens, they do not have the interest-level of the Steelers/Bucs.
If god was one of us is actually pretty cool for a pop song.
Skip
8-22-2015, 12:24 am
Not bad at all, Bubba. God Shuffled His Feet by Crash Test Dummies is another one that comes to mind.
Lumbergh
8-21-2015, 6:36 pm
Thanks for linking to the Clemente articles, I remember them and I really love the idea of only the award winners being permitted to wear 21. I hope it picks up steam with the new commissioner. Perhaps a vocal, forthright, independent, intelligent mouthpiece with his or her own site would be helpful to the Clemente family. Man it must be great to not have bosses.
As far as MLB slapping Clemente's name on all manner of sweatshop crap for their own monetary gain, I like to think that the Roberto I know (I was born after his passing) would have put a stop to it before it started. Yes, MLB has every right to make their money, but when dealing with the legacy of such an important humanitarian, we as consumers also have the right and responsibility to adhere to that legacy as best we can. If we're going to represent it, we should represent it.
Follow up question if you have time. Or maybe Josh could chime in. I notice as you link to your old articles it's always to the Trib's site. Is there ever a time where those articles become your intellectual property? Maybe you could have an archive here?
The purist in me appreciates linking the original source. Also, I think that it's extremely professional of DK. Plus, as DK has stated, he doesn't view them as competition because they aren't in the same business. Ethical kudos, DK
Ryan18
8-21-2015, 11:22 pm
No I understand that. And I agree with you on that aspect. I guess my question is more of a formality. Who owns that content? DK? The Trib? Is it like music in that it reverts back to the writer after a certain amount of time?
Dejan Kovacevic
8-22-2015, 8:39 am
The content is that of the employer. In perpetuity. Same goes here. It's work-for-hire. At the same time, the Internet offers linking to anything. Simple as that.
dmmccormick
8-21-2015, 7:10 pm
XTC. Senses Working Overtime. Great band and song!
[email protected]'s an obvious mistake in the last Q right before the words "...the best band that ever was..." Not sure what's supposed to be there, but for right now it just has the letters "XTC." Can't wait to see what band you meant to insert there.
Hard to find better lyrics than those in terms of that brilliant message. Have to wonder if Matt and Trey used this as inspiration for the main song in the fantastic "Book of Mormon" that I FINALLY got to see this summer.
Tony Chiu
8-22-2015, 2:11 am
DK: Some years back, my journalist daughter did a phoner to get tertiary quotes from Carly Simon about some other singer. The conversation was, by mutual consent, recorded. Back then everyone was trying to figure out whom Ms. Simon thought "so vain." For some reason, the two kept chatting on and on. And then,Carly sang the song a capella. I deeply regret reporting that for one of the isolated times in my daughter's career, her tape recorder glitched...
Interesting song-never heard it before. I think it is a very healthy thing to wrestle with the hard questions that life demands us to ask. It would be "head in the sand" living to not deal with the problem of suffering in this world. There are plenty of songs in the Bible where the musicians did an awful lot of complaining and questioning to God. They are called Psalms. The big difference being that the Psalm writers nearly always found their way back to "but I'm just a shortsighted human...I choose to trust You." I hope these musicians have found hope along the way in understanding that God hasn't promised us a quick trip into shore but rather, to be our anchor in these storms here on planet earth.
Nothing wrong with benching your cleanup hitter for your number eight hitter when your cleanup hitter should actually be hitting seventh, as is the case with Ramirez.
August 21, 2015
Five Qs at 5: Most-read, J-Hay, Mario, Roberto
by Dejan Kovacevic • Five Qs at 5 • Penguins, Pirates, Steelers
Heading to PNC Park to write a full column tonight, but before that happens …
Carlos Danger: Hi, DK. Since the site’s inception, which column had the most views? And which game thread had the most comments?
The most viewed without any assistance from the wrong end of the commonwealth came that same month, a Jan. 2 Friday Insider that made waves regarding both Troy Polamalu and Simon Despres. Never had one quite like that, before or since.
The biggest day, of course, came when the Penguins acquired Phil Kessel. Nothing else even orbits that solar system. Monster day. Damned near brought the site down.
Of our top 50 columns since the start of the year — and bear in mind, for fairness, that the Steelers have been out of season the entire time — 28 have been about the Penguins or NHL, 16 have been about the Steelers or NFL, six about the Pirates or Major League Baseball.
As for comment counts, that’s not something we’d track. Heavy participation is welcome, as it translates into retention, and we’ve obviously invested a lot in making the commenting platforms of good quality. But it doesn’t illustrate traffic at all, and it’s not something that interests advertisers.
____________________
shaman103: Where do you play Josh Harrison?
DK: Well, if you’ve seen Josh Yohe’s reporting from PNC Park this afternoon, you’ll know there’s already a plan in place from Clint Hurdle, and that’s to basically have Aramis Ramirez and Neil Walker give up at-bats at third and second base, respectively, while rotating five starters through three positions.
To be candid here, that’s a lot of moving parts to process fully within the hour of the announcement. My first impression is that it’s wonderful the Pirates are sticking by Jung Ho Kang, as had been reported in today’s Friday Insider. He’s earned that. I’m a lot less enamored of over-committing to Jordy Mercer and of interrupting Walker, who’s very much a streaky type. And we’re not even bringing up first base, which probably also will go the platoon route, given that Michael Morse is in there tonight for Madison Bumgarner. So there’s a lot there, a lot to see before any real judgment can take place.
Here’s how I feel for right now: The Pirates do need to get better defensively. I can appreciate that as much as anyone. But sorry, Mercer isn’t Ozzie Smith. And if this team is going to take on its own hard identity in time for the postseason, it’s far more likely to be one of a team that can hit rather than one can defend. So build from your strengths.
Which is to say, don’t bench your cleanup hitter for your No. 8 hitter.
____________________
Snake: Pretty sure that Mario Lemieux is a big proponent of having two superstar centers. So say this season doesn’t go well and, at some point, the team is sold to a new owner. Do you think Evgeni Malkin might be in danger of being shipped out?
DK: I normally zip right past the hypothetical questions, but your opening portion there has a good bit of relevance.
When the Penguins are sold — and no, there’s nothing new on that front despite my repeated attempts to learn more — Lemieux will remain a vital, visible part of the process. That’s very much in his DNA, very much his intention. And given Lemieux’s presence — I mean that in the strongest sense possible because he’s got a powerful one just by being in the room — he’s going to retain a voice, as well.
If I’m Joe Zillionaire and I buy the Penguins because I was really good at playing the hedge-fund market, it doesn’t mean I’m qualified to establish hockey philosophy. And if Lemieux is in the room, I’m still asking him a lot of questions. Same goes for Ron Burkle, to a different degree, as he’s become a much better and more involved owner than most people seem to realize.
Mario’s no dummy, to say the least. He’s going for the bucks, but he’s also going to put himself in a position where he can influence the franchise that bears his legacy.
____________________
Lumbergh: To the Historical Uniform Department: I’ve long wondered, and done my own casual research to no avail, did Roberto Clemente ever wear a Pirates jersey with his name on the back?
I think the answer is no, but it’s hard to prove something that never happened. I feel like the merchandise the Pirates and others sell with his name is a misrepresentation, and I appreciate it more when fans around the country only need the “21” to conjure memories and tell stories.
DK: The Pirates first added names to the back of their jerseys in 1979, so the obvious answer is no, Clemente never wore any Pittsburgh jersey bearing his name. Here’s the entire history of their uniforms, culled from the team’s official media guide.
There are so many faux jerseys in all sports at this point — including those officially branded by the teams and leagues — that relevance like what you’re describing is barely a passing thought, it appears.
But rather than brandishing the consumer for that, put the blame where it belongs: Major League Baseball needs to retire No. 21 across the board and recognize Clemente for the Latin American icon, as well as the baseball icon, that he was and continues to be.
Here’s a column I wrote on that four years ago, in consultation with the Clemente family.
Here’s my sad follow-up a year later that the family gave up the fight.
____________________
cbattin: DK, did you ever get a chance to interview one of your childhood heroes? And what was it like to interview him/her?
DK: I did, but the answer will disappoint you.
I interviewed — by phone — Colin Moulding, bassist/singer for XTC, the best band that ever was, way back in 1988. I was doing music reviews on the side back then, sitting at my desk inside the Post-Gazette building and shaking like a leaf. I absolutely could not believe I was speaking with the same voice I could hear in all those songs I loved and still do.
Athletes don’t have that effect on me and never have. Once you’ve met and gotten to know Lemieux — did both a long time ago — it’s all downhill from there. Brilliant artists and musicians, by contrast, have always felt larger than life in my world.
This is ‘Dear God.’ It was XTC’s biggest hit.