sports terminology, and I've looked up three-peat and hat trick, etc. I think I'm on steady ground when I make this suggestion.
Three-Peat Triple Crown Hat-Trick
Hah! Starbucks with their non-fat triple-venti half-caff light carmel drizzle terminology has got nothing on me.Pittsburgh 2009 : Primed for the Clean Sweep
Look at 2009 in Pittsburgh Sports so far:
Steelers win Superbowl
Penguins win Stanley Cup
Pirates win World Series
You know what MeatLoaf says: Two out of three ain't bad.
But imagine if you will, if Pittsburgh won all three.
It's quite possible. We haven't even crossed the All-Star break yet.
Let's work the numbers, just like the elderly tycoon and the ingenue. We know the outcome is possible, we just need to determine the price.
Could the Pirates win the World Series if we gave them $100 million? Absolutely.
Could the Pirates win the World Series if they found $50 million? Definitely.
Could the Pirates win the World Series if they were given $30 million? Yes.
Could the Pirates win the World Series with $25 million? Probably
Could the Pirates win the World Series if they were given $20 million? Maybe not.
How about if they found $5 million? No way.
My point is, there's a cash value at which the Pirates could buy the World Series. (I learned this from the NY Yankees.) I'd like to hear from some baseball fans just what they think that number would be. We don't need a powerhouse for the next three years - we just want to rent some talent for 120 days. How much would it cost?
According to Forbes' List of the 400 Richest Americans, these local folks would certainly be among those invited to participate:
- Richard Scaife would consider kicking in
- His sister, Cordelia Scaife is probably good for a check
- Teresa Heinz could certainly advance some cash.
- Richard Simmons, chairman of Allegheny Teledyne, should be invited.
- Art Rooney would put some skin in the game.
- Joe Hardy has always been community minded.
- Joe's daughter, Margaret Hardy Magerko, CEO of 84 Lumber, should be good for a share.
- Henry Hillman would not want to be left out.
- Paul Mellon's brood must be good for a piece of the action.
- Stanley Druckenmiller, former PNC analyst, now runs a fund for George Soros.
Hey - there's more to fund raising in the Burgh. Let's approach UPMC and Highmark. If they agree to donate $10M each, we'll promise not to ask them for something in the future. It'll be like Another Pittsburgh Promise. Now we've got $50 million.
Naming Rights Do they want it to be the Giant Eagle World Series, or the Shop N'Save World Series? We're not playing favorites, we'd just like one of them to be recognized. I'm just saying.
Simultaneous wins in Football, Hockey, and Baseball - it's never been done.
If not now, then when.
If not by us, then whom? (my respects to Rabbi Hillel the Elder)
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2 comments:
Hell, I'd kick in. So would a lot of ordinary folks. There's another $1mil easy in small $20-$100 donations from regular fans.
Let's not forget, also, that Mr. Stanley Druckenmiller tried to buy the Steelers. Which would have been a terrible tragedy, seeing the Steelers leave the Rooney family. But new ownership would be the best damn thing to happen to the Bucs since the 70's. Real new ownership that changes the way business is done, not this torch-passing BS we saw a couple years ago.
The spouse and I wrote letters to Mark Cuban awhile back, begging him to save our team. But now that he's got insider-trading problems, no way would Major League Baseball let him own a team. But if one of those wealthy, sports-inclined locals would come change our team's whole vision... well, it wouldn't get us the World Series this year, but it would start us back on the road to being better than a laughing-stock.
Mark Cuban is a pirate so it's natural fit.
Jacques Lafitte
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