Pittsburgh Associates
Encyclopedia
Pittsburgh Associates was a consortium of the City of Pittsburgh and local businesses which owned the Pittsburgh Pirates
from 1985-1996. It was spearheaded during a dark year for the ball club with national media focused on the Pittsburgh drug trials
where many former Pirates as well as other major leaguers were brought up on Federal drug charges for offenses through the early 1980's. The Pirates had gone from contention and World Series victories as recently as a few seasons ago, to a 100 loss team and just as the long time ownership of the Galbreath's were looking for a new buyer, cities such as New Orleans and Portland were making attractive bids.
The Associates were spearheaded by popular Pittsburgh Mayor Richard S. Caliguiri and some prominent corporate leaders of such companies as Westinghouse and PPG
. It assured that the club would stay a Pittsburgh tradition while a new long-term buyer could be found to keep the club in the city.
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
from 1985-1996. It was spearheaded during a dark year for the ball club with national media focused on the Pittsburgh drug trials
Pittsburgh drug trials
The Pittsburgh drug trials of 1985 were the catalyst for a baseball-related cocaine scandal which resulted in the harshest Major League Baseball penalties since the Black Sox scandal of 1919...
where many former Pirates as well as other major leaguers were brought up on Federal drug charges for offenses through the early 1980's. The Pirates had gone from contention and World Series victories as recently as a few seasons ago, to a 100 loss team and just as the long time ownership of the Galbreath's were looking for a new buyer, cities such as New Orleans and Portland were making attractive bids.
The Associates were spearheaded by popular Pittsburgh Mayor Richard S. Caliguiri and some prominent corporate leaders of such companies as Westinghouse and PPG
PPG
PPG may stand for:* PPG Industries, a U.S. manufacturer, and its PPG Place office complex* PPG tankette, a Soviet armoured vehicle* Pacific Proving Grounds, a former US-operated nuclear test site* Palm Products GmbH, an audio synthesizer company...
. It assured that the club would stay a Pittsburgh tradition while a new long-term buyer could be found to keep the club in the city.