MVN: Most Valuable Network

Manifesto

We the people of Pittsburgh believe in our baseball club. We proudly recognize the long history and tradition of our franchise and know the Pirate front office will soon field a winning team at PNC Park. Our daily blog posts reflect a certain faith in Neal Huntington, leader of a Pirate Revolution.




About Pirate Revolution

(A New Pirates Generation and Pittsburgh Lumber Co.), ("82") and (Bucco Wire) blogged about the Littlefield-era Pittsburgh Pirates teams before those efforts gave way to less painful endeavors.

We're back at it in time for the second year of Neal Huntington's term as general manager. We believe that better days lie ahead, and we're prepared to chronicle the team's journey back to playing meaningful baseball games.

Pirate Revolution is a blog affiliated with Most Valuable Network. Be sure to check out Pittsburgh Lumber Co. and Sandlot Swashbucklers, two more Pirates blogs posting on MVN. Learn more about Pirate Revolution's authors at our Revolutionaries page.




Frequently Asked Questions

What is Most Valuable Network?

Most Valuable Network (MVN) is a collection of sports blogs that covers MLB, NBA, NCAA, NFL and NHL teams, fantasy sports and extended sports (such as auto racing, boxing, golf, mixed martial arts, soccer and tennis).

The network can be broken into three distinct parts:

• A hub for staff content, MVN Outsider, where bloggers are paid a stipend to post regularly about their assigned topics,
• Communities for teams and leagues in which blog readers can easily digest all the content being posted on the network about their areas of interest, and
• Blogs maintained by sports fans on a volunteer basis.

While Pirate Revolution's authors are members of the network's staff and contribute to MVN Outsider, this blog falls into the third category listed above. We write about the Pirates because we're fans with opinions to share.

Learn more about MVN at the company blog.

What's all that stuff in the navigation and sidebar?

At the top of the blog, you'll find drop-down menus that point you in the direction of MVN's community pages. We have a community built for every pro sports team, whether or not MVN has an active blogger for them currently.

You'll also see a place for the site's registered users to sign in up there. There's a page that describes why you might want to open an account with MVN. One of the perks of MVN accounts relevant to Pirate Revolution is the creation of a personal profile. With an MVN profile, you can reserve a certain handle for commenting and bookmark posts you've enjoyed.

In the blog's sidebar, you'll notice links to recent posts made at MLB Outsider and to MVN communities relevant to the Pirates--those for NL Central and Pittsburgh sports teams. If you like what you find here, hopefully you'll check out the other content MVN has to offer.

Was there really a need for another Pirates blog?

We think so. While we read and respect all of the great writers listed in our sidebar, none of their blogs seem to convey the message that we've adopted as our so-called manifesto.

Are other blogs hopeful that the Pirates will win soon? Without a doubt. But it doesn't seem as if anyone else has gone as far out on a limb as we have. We're crazy enough to believe that this team can figure out how to win, and soon.

At the same time, we will support that manifesto with comprehensive analysis. We'll qualitatively and quantitatively examine the Pirates' system from top to bottom, showing that help is on the way. We've built relationships with bloggers for each of our division rivals, and we'll track how the Pirates' future projects in comparison to the competition's. Most importantly, it's our intention to connect with individuals who have some say over what happens between the lines and let those folks tell you in their own words why it's time for a Pirate Revolution.

So what can I expect to find here?

One post per day, we can promise. Podcasts and other multimedia content uploaded regularly, generally released on Sundays. Unique voices brought in on a regular basis: It's important that we acknowledge all viewpoints. In time, hopefully a vibrant community of like-minded fans expressing thoughtful opinions.

Anything I won't find?

Game threads, at least for now. Other Pirate bloggers have those nailed. That's not to say we won't write about games: We'll just hold out for the more interesting tidbits. In general, expect Pirate Revolution to take a big-picture view of the team.

Is that Ron Howard on a bad hair day in your blog logo?

No. It's this guy mashed up with that one.

Kind of violent, isn't it?

We used the image not because of any political beliefs, but because, as Wikipedia says, it's become "a ubiquitous countercultural symbol." In this specific instance, we're part of a sect of optimistic Pirate fans who are in the minority in Pittsburgh. Che Huntington and Co. are moving in a positive direction, and we'd like to help spread that message.

Revolution schtick is pretty thick.

That wasn't a question.

Anything else you'd like to add?

Nope, that just about sums it up. If you have any lingering questions, feel free to contact us.