The Washington Generals of Baseball
Pirates executed in Chicago

On baseball game days in Chicago, Wrigley Field is not a regular major league baseball park, instead it becomes a Roman Coliseum.

The original Roman Coliseum was capable of seating around 50,000 spectators and was used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles such as mock sea battles, animal hunts, executions, and re-enactments of famous battles.

Wrigley Field  built in 1914 for the Chicago Federal League baseball team, the Chicago Whales can play host to over 42,000 spectators at their 1060 W. Addison Street location today counting those hanging from nearby roof tops.

Sunday was a good example of the present day use of Wrigley Field, the current tenants, the Chicago Cubs toyed with the Pittsburgh Pirates until the eighth inning.  Then Emperor Lou Pinella strode to the top of the dugout steps and appealed to the masses who jammed the stadium. They had guzzled beer and consumed hot dogs all day enjoying the fun, but when the Emperor sought their pleasure, they rose from their seats and gave the thumbs down signal. Emperor Pinella responded and two towering homeruns sent the Pirates down to defeat.

However, the sad fact is that this scenario will be repeated each week  until the last day of the season, September 28th in San Diego.  Because of recent trades, the Pittsburgh Pirates have been reduced to the status of the "Washington Generals of baseball."  The Generals were formed in 1952 by Louis "Red" Klotz, and were designed to provide deliberately ineffective opposition  for the Harlem Globetrotters' comedy routines on the basketball court.  That is now the fate of the Pirates.  They will be led into coliseum after coliseum until September 28th providing a public spectacle for howling fans as their favorite team beats up on the Pirates.

They are called the Pittsburgh Pirates, but they are yet another example of absentee landlords sucking the marrow from the bones of a once proud organization.  Look around the field now and what do you see, nothing but duct tape holding together the infrastructure of the team.  Most teams have players at all positions, the Pirates have bodies that once played for other teams but were discarded to the scrap heap.  They fill our positions, they play hard and do their best, but they are no match for the opposition.  And so just as the Washington Generals set records for the most losses by a basketball team, the Pittsburgh Pirates will establish losses for a major league baseball team. And when the current owners take the money they made in Pittsburgh and move on, the next owners will give away the remaining players who have major league ability.  But you can count on one thing, stop any Sunday at a ball park in St. Louis, Milwaukee, Chicago, etc and you will find the local fans howling with delight as the "Washington Generals of baseball" are led on the field for yet another execution.  A sad epitaph of what promised to be a successful season when the team assembled in Bradenton back in February.  But then we had players and we had promise.  Now we have neither.  We are the "Washington Generals of baseball."