The good feelings from last year's All-Star Game and strong second half have largely dissipated in 2007.
FSN won't show live footage of planned protest at Pirates' game Saturday
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The Pirates are doing their best to downplay the fan walkout scheduled for after the third inning of the team's game Saturday night with the Washington Nationals.
They have asked their television announcing crew not to discuss the walkout with the media. They have removed all comments about the walkout from their message board at pirates.com. They have the support of their television rights holder, FSN Pittsburgh, which does not plan to show the protest as part of its game coverage.
A near-capacity crowd of 36,000 is expected for the game, where Bob Walk bobbleheads will be given as souvenirs to all ticket holders. Organizers of the protest have asked fans to leave their seats after the third inning and stand in the concourse -- without purchasing concessions -- or leave the stadium. The protest is an attempt to draw national attention to the lack of success of the team, which is in the midst of a 15th consecutive losing season.
That national attention might be difficult to obtain.
The only television cameras allowed to shoot the game are from rights holders FSN and MASN (Mid-Atlantic Sports Network), which carries the Nationals' games.
The walkout will occur when FSN is on a commercial break. There is no compelling reason for MASN, also on commercial break, to show it to a Washington audience that would have little interest.
Todd Webster, who handles public relations for MASN, said, "My guess would be we wouldn't show it."
There are, however, alternatives for the local stations.
KDKA-TV has a "Tower Cam" on the roof of Gateway No. 1, where its studios and offices are located, that would give it a good, but not total view, of PNC Park. It would provide a view of fans leaving their seats and an indication of how successful the protest is.
"I don't see why we wouldn't use it," said Anne Linaberger, the assistant news director at KDKA.
WPXI and WTAE could use their news helicopters, as could KDKA, to acquire footage of the protest.
Contacted about the protest, Greg Brown, who will do the play-by-play of the telecast along with Walk, said, "I have been asked by the Pirates not to comment and refer all calls to Brian Warecki."
Warecki, the team's senior director of communications, issued this statement via e-mail:
"We greatly appreciate the passion of all of our fans and their freedom to express that passion in any way they choose."
One of the ways they might choose has been blocked. According to Andy Chomos, one of the leaders of the protest, the Pirates have been removing content about the proposed walkout for weeks. E-mails from frustrated fans to the Post-Gazette back up what Chomos said.
Shawn McClintock, the executive producer at FSN, said the decision not to show the walkout was a difficult one. As rights holder, FSN has a strong partnership with the Pirates, as they do with the Penguins. The success of those teams greatly reflects the success of FSN.
"In a number of ways, what we do is different than local news," McClintock said. "It's a fine line and it has softened over the years, and we had to come to grips with that.
"It's a tough call. One side of you says, 'It's a story.' The other side says that 'we're in this for the long haul and our livelihood can be affected.' The bottom line is we want them to do well. We also understand the average fan's frustration. We're frustrated, too, as fans and business partners."
Away from the game broadcast, FSN has covered the story. It covered the news conference the protesters had Tuesday and had reports on it that night on "Savran on SportsBeat" at 6:30 p.m. and "Pittsburgh Sports Tonight" after the Pirates' game.
McClintock said FSN will report on the protest on Pittsburgh Sports Tonight after the game Saturday.
(Bob Smizik can be reached at bsmizik@post-gazette.com.)
Pirates Notebook: Players' focus not on possible protest
Thursday, June 28, 2007
By Dejan Kovacevic, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
MIAMI -- No one in the Pirates' front office is commenting on the protest planned for Saturday night at PNC Park, where, organizers are hoping, fans will walk out after the third inning to show displeasure with the team's ownership and management.
But two of the team's most-tenured players said yesterday that, no matter what happens that night, it will be business as usual on the field.
"I don't feel anything about it," shortstop Jack Wilson said. "I've got a job to do, and that's to play baseball. Fans have every right to react how they want. I mean, if they get up and leave ... whatever inning that is, we still have to play the game."
He was asked how the players might perceive such a reaction, even if it, as organizers have stated, is not aimed at the players.
"Whether it's aimed at us or management or whatever, it doesn't deter from the fact that we have to go out and play the game," Wilson said. "Our focus is going to be on winning that game, not on how many people are in the stands or what they're doing. Our No. 1 concern will be winning that game."
Only a few players seemed aware of the planned protest, no doubt because yesterday was their 10th consecutive day on the road. And those who were aware seemed to know little about the specifics.
"People can do whatever they want when they buy a ticket," left fielder Jason Bay said. "I don't really have much else to say about it. I don't really know what the purpose is or what anyone would be trying to change."
Told that it purportedly is not aimed at the players, Bay added, "That would be my guess. I guess we'll just have to see how big a deal it is. Whatever it is, you don't want to be in this situation where something like that becomes the focus and takes away what happens on the field."
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