So Pennsylvania Governor Woof has struck again.
The Toronto Blue Jays baseball team is not allowed to play at Rogers Centre, the Jays home stadium in Toronto, because the Canadian government, from what I understand, wants to limit international travel due to the coronavirus. So The Blue Jays were looking for a new home to play the shortened MLB season, which is going to be somewhat of a joke anyway with the implementation of several new Little League rules. Anyway, they are going to play, and the Blue Jays thought they had found a temporary home for this season of unprecedented, uneasy, troubling, concerning, nauseating times: PNC Park in Pittsburgh.
PNC Park, it’s a beauty, eh?
But to the “rescue” comes Gov. Woof, with the help of his trusty sidekick Thing. In an effort to save the Commonwealth, and coincidentally ruin the baseball season for Toronto fans and would-be fans living in The Burgh, as well as discourage any potential for desperately needed revenue for Pittsburgh, Woof and Thing put a halt to the solution. They claim allowing the Blue Jays to play in PNC Park will jeopardize the health of PA residents by having more MLB teams travel to PA.
Thing’s statement: “To add travelers to this region for any reason, including for professional sports events, risks residents, visitors and members of both teams. We know that this virus does not discriminate, and can even make professional athletes very sick. We are committed to protecting the health and well-being of all Pennsylvanians.”
Of course, they do not have the same concerns about the Miami Marlins, located in the newly minted COVID hot spot of Florida, playing in Philadelphia. In fact, several danger-zone cites host baseball teams that are in the Phillies division, including the New York Mets, New York Yankees, Washington Nationals, and Atlanta Braves, all of whom will visit the City of Brotherly Love.
Philadelphia bias over Pittsburgh? It’s a long-standing issue in PA, especially from an Allegheny County point of view.
Woof’s putting the kibosh on the Blue Jays playing at PNC Park is silly for several reasons. Baseball teams fly on chartered planes, which limits their interaction with civilians. No fans are allowed to attend games. Players are tested routinely, every 48 hours I think. And apparently the Toronto team would not be flying internationally to go home since it’s only a 60-game season, meaning they’d probably be staying in their “home” city of Pittsburgh.
This is clearly a show of government power. Woof & Thing are stopping this arrangement simply because they can. It’s a shame because it could have meant tax revenue for the Pittsburgh area since visiting professional athletes pay a “jock tax,” or a “nonresident facility usage fee.” Now, don’t get me wrong, that’s a completely horseshit tax that shouldn’t be levied, but it exists. And even if that tax is waived, the players gotta eat, right? Imagine the windfall for local restaurants from a major league team’s takeout or curbside pickup.
Maybe someone on the other side of the aisle in Harrisburg can take a Louisville Slugger and knock some sense into the PA Politburo, but don’t bet on it.
This will not be Gov. Woof’s last strike. He has a lot of foul balls.
So grab a Crown Royal (I heard the peach is awesome) or a Labatt Blue (for the Jays, get it?) and wish Toronto well. The season starts in a couple of days, for crying out loud!
See you next time.
essential stooge 