Photo from Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
My friend Larry (a Mucking Fets fan) and I (Pirates fan) had this very conversation back in April. April, that magical time when everyone has a chance. Well not really, but it’s nice to have optimism for at least as long as opening day. He was smacking down his hometown team and asking me about the Bucs’ chances. I explained how I don’t get pulled into dreaming anymore. See the Pirates have just completed their major sports record, 20th consecutive losing season. While some blame ownership, or the leagues revenue disparity or poor drafts followed by a lack of player development, I blame my niece. The last time the Pirates had a winning season was the year she was born. Then Sid slid and the slow, elongated pain began. She has never witnessed a winning season for the Bucs. A never ending Band-Aid being pulled off a not yet healed wound. A wound requires 108 stitches to close. Even a beautiful new ballpark only relocated the pain a few hundred yards up the Allegheny River. And boy does the pain continue. September of this year is being referred to ‘Collapse II’ after the Pirates went 7 and 22 to finish below .500 yet again.
Fast forward to the Texas Rangers. It looks like their high water mark may have been game six of the 2011 series. I still remember Jill Jumping up and saying, ‘We just won the……..” as she watched the ball go wide right of Nellie’s glove and bounce off the right field wall. Follow that with this year’s squandering of a 13 and a half game division lead. Baseball is all about numbers and history. So it was baseball poetry that the A’s beat the Rangers in game 162 to win the west. That day was the 61st anniversary of Bobby Thompson’s shot heard round the world – “The Giants win the pennant, The Giants win the pennant." Thompson’s homerun completed a 13 and a half game comeback as well. Sometimes the pain just keeps coming.
The center field philosopher Andy Van Slyke once said,
"Every season has its peaks and valleys. What you have to try to do is eliminate the Grand Canyon.”
The Pirates have been in the canyon 20 years and counting.
The following video is how baseball should be (retread Friday’s Note reference), it almost gives me hope for next year - almost: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1WXtbUEWcA
On a lighter note, remember Monday is National Perogie Day or as they call it in Pittsburgh – Monday.
