DOWNTOWN - City and state police have been meeting since the All-Star break in anticipation of raucous celebrations of the Pirates' first winning season in 20 years. Officials hope to avoid rioting that has plagued many other sports cities, win or lose, in recent years.
"We are flying blind on this one," State Police Commander Bob Brenneman said today. "It's really hard to figure what Pirates fans will do with 20 years of pent-up frustration."
No such planning is done for the Steelers, Brenneman said. "I won't say people have become blase, but after six Super Bowl wins, I think there's more of a quiet satisfaction with Steelers fans. We don't even bother gearing up for that - we just stay home and watch the game along with everybody else."
Brenneman also thinks it's possible that the 81-win mark may just pass quietly. "There's been a lot of talk about making the playoffs, so maybe people will hold off till then," he said. "But then again, if they keep going with this losing streak, we may not have to worry about any celebrations at all."
