Thoughts About A Star

Dan and I had the opportunity to attend Piratefest this past weekend at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center downtown and as we were walking around the floor checking out different booths, I couldn't help but imagine what an event like this would have been like back in the old days. When the Pirates had players that were true legends. How would the likes of Honus Wagner, Ralph Kiner, Pie Traynor, Manny Sanguillen, Roberto Clemente and Willie Stargell conduct themselves at an event like this? How would the event itself be different?

This is in no way a knock on any of the current players, but the whole atmosphere on Saturday had a slight "non-event" feel to it. Of course Maz drew the focus of most fans, but as for the rest of the activities going on, one could just drift their way past them and not really extend a second glance. Maybe it's because we're both older now and the youthful excitement of meeting the guys you see on television has faded away. But I do think that if the Pirates had a legitimate Hall of Famer in the lineup, the event would somehow feel different.

Speaking of Roberto Clemente, Dan and I couldn't help but chuckle as we looked at some old baseball cards from the sixties that said Bob Clemente on them. Something about Americanizing his legacy seems grossly inappropriate. It's strange, but even thirty seven years after his death, if you walk around the city on a gloomy afternoon, you can almost feel the city still mourning over the loss of it's once beloved hero. His legacy certainly echo's all over downtown, including on the mural underneath the Blvd of the Allies on Ross Street. But most notably, he's still the first thing you notice when you crossover the bridge named after him on your way to PNC Park.

When this franchise finally turns the corner and regains its once proud reputation that was earned by the stars of generations past, maybe then an event such as Piratefest will live up to the hype that such a fanbase so justly deserves.