In Pittsburgh, Joe Starkey writes Pirates fans "could flee" PNC Park if the team gets "off to a miserable start" this season. Pirates Owner Bob Nutting is "walking a tight rope, or maybe a plank, with the fan base." He is in "grave danger of alienating his most devoted patrons," as the payroll is down a "year after the average ticket price shot up and the team won a mere 78 games." Starkey: "That is a really bad combination." Fans "don’t need much reason to turn away for good." Failing to contend for a wild card this season would "probably do the trick for some." That is why this "feels like such a pivotal year" (PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, 4/7).
HOME RUN: In N.Y., Ken Davidoff writes the specifics behind former MLBer Derek Jeter's "pursuit of the Marlins -- its seriousness, Jeter’s contribution financially and his role structurally -- remain hazy to all besides a select few." MLB would "love it if Jeter, one of the game’s most transcendent and iconic players ever, got involved at the ownership level." Particularly with the Marlins, where the current ownership group has "experienced extreme turbulence with its fan base." Jeter would bring "pizzazz as well as some much-needed diversity to baseball’s ownership fraternity." Davidoff: "Approving a Jeter-centric ownership group would be a risk worth taking" (N.Y. POST, 4/7). In Miami, Greg Cote writes under the header, "Derek Jeter Is Everything [Marlins Owner] Jeffrey Loria Is Not -- And Just What The Miami Marlins Need" (MIAMI HERALD, 4/7).
THREE'S COMPANY: In Cleveland, Brent Larkin wrote the "dirty little secret is that the Greater Cleveland market is becoming too small, our demographics too mediocre, to forever justify being home to the big three of professional sports franchises" in MLB, NBA and the NFL. Because the region "isn't growing," Cleveland "will always have to overpay to keep them." The Indians are the "least greedy" of the city's three big league sports franchises, compared to the Cavaliers and Browns (CLEVELAND.com, 4/6).
