Ready for an exciting finish?
Well, Pirate fans, all rested up over the All-Star break for what promises to be an exhilarating 74-game ride?
Your Buccos are back in session tonight at Miller Park to face the Milwaukee Brewers (and, yes, Ryan Braun, so tune up those vocal cords and starting booing now).
The Golden Triangle蘑菇视频 Boys of Summer have had a pretty good go of it through the first 88 games, winning 53. Unfortunately, the dreaded St. Louis Cardinals have won 56 of their 89 games for a 2陆-game lead.
A broader look at the National League standings has, believe it or not, more teams under .500 (8) than over (7), and three of those teams (Cardinals, Pirates, Chicago Cubs) are in one division.
But, to the team蘑菇视频 credit, their eyes are on the competitor ahead of them (St. Louis) than the three teams behind them (Cubs, New York Mets, San Francisco Giants). Any runner worth their salt will tell you never look back. Instead, train your sights on the runner ahead of you in an effort to pass them.
Yes, the wild-card playoffs are a gateway to the World Series, but division winners get hardware 鈥� a pennant 鈥� to hang in the stadium. Plus, they get more than one shot to advance through the playoffs.
The Pirates have that feel, at least to me, of the lovable family pet (i.e., dog). Sure, the endearing pooch might get your goat, needing to 鈥済o out鈥� in a rainstorm (but, given the weather this summer, that蘑菇视频 not the dog蘑菇视频 fault), barking at 6 a.m. for no apparent reason, or getting into a loaf of bread (Marvin was fond of that trick), but they give you the 鈥渓ook鈥� or make you smile and all is forgiven.
I鈥檓 not going to lie, I turned away from a couple of the games in the Cardinals series last week, but, like the lovable family dog, I tuned in because, well, they鈥檙e my team. And, the Pirates rewarded my loyalty with a couple killer victories.
How can you not like a crew like that?
My generation (under 60, but older than, um, eh, 39) was fortunate to grow and mature with the Pirates. I was just a babe when, on my mother蘑菇视频 lap, Bill Mazeroski rocketed his famous home run to beat the Yankees. (Oops, I might鈥檝e given something away about my age now. Oh, well.)
Roberto Clemente made playing right field honorable in the 1960s-70s for young baseball players in western Pennsylvania. I went through most of my elementary, high school and college education rooting for a team that always was in the thick of a pennant race.
Now, fortunately, this crew of Little League ball players have the opportunity to experience the same thrill of an exciting Pirates squad.
Should the management make some moves? Yes, every team has gaps, but I believe in not upsetting the apple cart. Now, if they can do so by cutting away some dead wood (oh, come on guys, you know who you are on the Pirates鈥� 40-man roster), give it a shot.
Otherwise, I suggest you sit back, stay patient, enjoy watching guys like Andrew McCutchen and Gerrit Cole, and just hope Greg Brown doesn鈥檛 go over the deep end when the Pirates win the Series.