Stanley McChrystal and the Racing Pierogi

A minor parallel today between the worlds of politics and sports: Gen. Stanley McChrystal commits the PR blunder of the year and is on his way to the White House to explain criticisms of the administration and the president he made in a Rolling Stone profile, his future as commander of the U.S. war effort in doubt ... only four days after the Pittsburgh Pirates fired a racing pierogi for making disparaging remarks about the team.

From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

Andrew Kurtz, 24, of New Brighton, one of the 18 men who take turns posing as pierogies in a crowd-pleasing race after the fifth inning of every game at PNC Park, was dismissed by the team Thursday because he posted disparaging remarks about the Pirates on his Facebook page...

Thursday, at 4:30 p.m., he posted a message aimed at team president Frank Coonelly, general manager Neal Huntington and manager John Russell. It read: "Coonelly extended the contracts of Russell and Huntington through the 2011 season. That means a 19-straight losing streak. Way to go Pirates."

One of these infractions is more serious than the other. Fox Business reported the pierogi situation this morning, and the presence of McChrystal's and Kurtz's errors in the same cable-news cycle may or may not perfectly encapsulate the literary definition of juxtaposition.