Southern Yinzer

OMG - IT’S HAPPENING!!

Hello from New York. I’ll be at Citi Field tomorrow for the Pirates’ regular season opener against the Mets. Here’s where I’ll be writing. This is Book-Rule Bucs, the new home for my newsletters and written coverage: open.substack.com/pub/bookrulebu…

Happy Skenes Day to all who celebrate! Let’s Go Bucs! 🖤💛🖤💛 🏴‍☠️

Wally Backman

Could we make this the #Pirates Sunday home alternates?

Meet Under Armour's newest athlete: Konnor Griffin 🏴‍☠️

@Jason_Shetler Solid group!

The Indianapolis Indians are going to have a ton of new faces to begin the season. Offseason additions: Jhostynxon Garcia Dominic Fletcher Tyler Callihan Davis Wendzel First time in AAA: Konnor Griffin Esmerlyn Valdez Termarr Johnson Mitch Jebb Wilber Dotel Antwone Kelly

RT @steelers: We're getting closer to the NFL Draft in the Burgh 🙌 RP for your chance to win!

@Pirates Boys are ready for business! Let’s Go Bucs!

Suited up. 👔

3/23 A huge THANK YOU from Anna Maria 🏝️🌊☀️⛱️ Good morning all - Our Prader-Willi HotStove Fundraiser was a big success. 🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼 The night was amazing! We hit a 5R HR. Thank you for being a part of it! Sometimes THANK YOU doesn’t seem like enough….however THANK YOU! THANK YOU for your donations! THANK YOU for your prayers! Our Prader-Willi kids and families send you all a big hug! 🫂 You are making a difference in the lives of others. We love you all! Clint Still time to donate….😎 2026hotstove.givesmart.com @Cliff_Wolf @qualityatbats @PWSAUSA

Breaking News: Okay, So That Happened I was up pretty late last night. As a guy who wakes up ridiculously early (like 2:30 am most days), I’m usually not one to see much beyond 9pm. If I'm still up at 10pm, it usually means something’s wrong, like a sad phone call in the middle of the night, or puking food sickness, or weighty concerns for the world. So what was I doing pacing my office as the clock struck 11pm last night? Just as I was drifting off to sleep, confirmation of Hunter Barco’s path forward dropped in my lap. It isn’t worth getting into how that occurred -- I intend to protect my source publicly -- but suffice it to say, I had a choice to make: to publish or not publish. The information had been shared in the thread of another post I started, very nonchalantly, and it didn’t come with any caveats. So I posted my first ever BREAKING item, shared it with Colin Beazley with PG to confirm it, and waited. This was not particularly hot gossip. The only part of the roster that remained undetermined was which two were going to the pen of those still in the mix: Barco, Mike Clevinger and Jose Urquidy. An announcement surely would have come today or tomorrow regardless. But in that moment, it felt invigorating to be a part of breaking news early. As the likes and reshares climbed, all that remained was to get it confirmed. The Role of Traditional Journalism I’ll be sharing a series soon on the state of Pittsburgh sports journalism, but suffice it to say, the loss of official channels is concerning. Sharing news like this with Colin, known as a 'tip,' typically leads to a formal process of confirming the rumor with team spokespeople. Someone with authority and credibility has to actually reach out to the team and share the facts: someone shared this tip, is it factual or not? Even if everyone involved wishes the team could just announce this today as expected (which is how this felt), there is a journalistic obligation to help information reach the general public. Gatekeeping would trade on core journalistic values. Given that the tip originated from my own post, and I had already posted it to my followership, I assumed I’d get solo attribution as having published it first, but Colin informed me that others had seen it as well and had passed it on. So despite my role in it, I’m acknowledged alongside the other guys. Stolen valor. 😀 Wah waaaah... I offered proof of the source and exclusivity to PG for it, and only asked for a follow in return. To-date, Colin has been reluctant to follow me back. A Brief Foray Into Actual Reporting This was probably something that won’t be replicated anytime soon. I’m a guy without access to much primary research or sources. No one with the Pirates is inviting me down to spring training, offering me on-field access, and lining up players to sit in fold-up chairs for me to interview. I use freely accessible data and my own keen instincts to try and create meaningful content that helps people make sense of the team, its moves, and our relative place in the league. I use primarily statistical analysis, but look for narratives that tie it all together. I publish one substantive column each day, and I own that it is opinion content. But make no mistake, I am also one of those quasi-journalists. My morning column is called The Early Shift. I write for what is becoming an amazing group of people with whom I'm forming real relationships and belonging. While it is an unpaid role, I approach it the same way I do other professional pursuits. I am not a hobbyist. My content is, I think, strong. I have a voice and personality and I enjoy crafting every post from scratch. I’ve been accused, by people with that access I mentioned above, of being an AI-driven content creator. It is the sort of base accusation meant to wound me. People who question the motives of hand-in-glove outlets benefitting from chummy relationships with the team they purport to cover don't tend to win friends with said content creators. For other people who see a regular diet of 700-word columns every. single. day. it must seem like there is no way someone with a day job like me could create the content I do. This despite having previously published background on my process and my professional skills. I think that’s particularly true of young Millennials and Gen-Zers who believe (incorrectly) that the only medium that matters is video. Long form written content has largely disappeared, and the people that do provide it have neck beards half their age calling them names, throwing terms like 'AI slop' around. It's the only way to compartmentalize what I'm doing here. It helps them be dismissive of it. An Outsider’s Perspective But see, that’s why outsider journalism is so important. Systems -- all kinds of systems including government, corporations, member-organizations, and yes, sports teams -- seek to minimize risk and eliminate criticism. If those who are purportedly covering them journalistically fly too close to the sun, that creates win-win-win frameworks that tend to benefit the subject matter being covered. Criticism is healthy and good. We should question the official statement on anything. We should interrogate what we are being told. Blind compliance is not healthy. The people who do are often labeled rabble-rousers, and treated poorly by the people benefitting from the way things are. That's a story as old as time. For now, I'm riding high in this stupid little weird world I've created for myself. This has been such a fun diversion, and folks, I am just getting started. Last night carried me pretty close to 1,000 followers, my goal for March. Just 27 more follows to get to the promised land where surely I will will the respect of my fellow quasi-journalists and be extended the courtesies afforded others of their ilk. Right? Guys?

You have to have a uterus to have endometriosis…which means you’re a female. No man cosplaying as a woman can experience endometriosis. Full stop.

As a woman who spent her 20s in pain from endometriosis I find this grossly offensive. A biological man cannot understand the physical and emotional toll of gynaecological conditions. We are going backwards

I have stage 4 endometriosis. Today I've been in absolute agony with nausea, hips, back, even my shoulders in pain. This disease is brutal, chronic, incurable and it exclusively affects women. And yet, once again, a biological male, LARPing as a woman, has been appointed as a spokesperson/representative for endometriosis. Women are being erased from our own suffering. Our pain, our bodies, our disease. OURS!! Appointing a man, who can NEVER experience this isn't inclusion, it's invalidation. We deserve advocates who actually live this reality. This is NOT ok!

@mearshannah_ @SNPittsburgh @Pirates In every interview/spotlight piece I’ve seen of Billy Cook, he seems like such a kind, gentle soul. No ego, very humble. Happy for him that his hard work has paid off to make the opening day roster. Let’s Go Bucs! 🏴‍☠️🖤💛

“Some meetings are hard. This one is not going to be.” Billy Cook reflected on his conversation with manager Don Kelly about making the Pirates’ Opening Day roster. 🏴‍☠️👏

RT @JenniferSey: Make women’s sports XX again.

@harvardplayer Dale Berra…now that’s a blast from the past!

Only four more days until Pirates open regular season play on March 26 #Pirates

RT @GMBCSuperfan: The Myth of Sending a Prospect Down for Seasoning Konnor Griffin is getting sent to AAA ostensibly to acquire the theore…

GEN X DEFINED: - Currently 45-60 - Currently looks 30-40 - Will Throw Hands - Words can't hurt us - Great work ethic - Zero tolerance for stupidity

Wish we could watch Skenes & KG together! 😭