Walkout by Pirates fans gets blacked out by FSN

The
Pirates are doing their best to downplay the fan walkout scheduled for after
the third inning of the team’s game Saturday night with the Washington
Nationals.

They have
asked their television announcing crew not to discuss the walkout with the
media. They have removed all comments about the walkout from their message
board at pirates.com. They have the support of their television rights holder,
FSN Pittsburgh, which does not plan to show the protest as part of its game
coverage.

A
near-capacity crowd of 36,000 is expected for the game, where Bob Walk
bobbleheads will be given as souvenirs to all ticket holders. Organizers of the
protest have asked fans to leave their seats after the third inning and stand
in the concourse — without purchasing concessions — or leave the stadium. The
protest is an attempt to draw national attention to the lack of success of the
team, which is in the midst of a 15th consecutive losing season.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette