Three thoughts on the Pirates
Three Thoughts on the Pirates:
1. Eerily familiar
The attendance for Wednesday蘑菇视频 game between the Baltimore Orioles and Chicago White Sox was zero, which, of course, was a major league record.
The game was played behind closed doors at Camden Yards because of safety concerns about rioting in Baltimore.
It was not long ago that the Pirates hosted a game with nearly the same atmosphere, though it has already been forgotten in time.
That was on Sept. 24, 2009 when they lost to the Cincinnati Reds 4-1 at PNC Park.
The attendance was 15,892 鈥� number of tickets sold 鈥� but there were no more than 500 fans in the ballpark. It was so quiet that you could hear the players calling for fly balls.
The game coincided with the opening of the G-20 summit and the arrival of many prominent world leaders. Pittsburgh residents were asked to stay indoors and others were discouraged from coming into the city because of the potential for violence from protesters.
While some protesters clashed with police, it was nothing like what happened in Baltimore this past week.
The protesters did accomplish keeping almost everyone from having to watch the Pirates鈥� 95th defeat of a 99-loss season.
2. Due diligence plus
The Pirates are rightfully proud of their scouting department as it has been instrumental in the major league team making the postseason each of the last two years and the organization having a strong farm system.
However, the scouting department took things to a new level Wednesday at Baltimore when just two major league scouts risked their potential safety to attend the game.
One was from the Pirates.
3. Best wishes for Gibby
Thoughts and prayers go out to former Pirates outfielder Kirk Gibson, who disclosed this past week that he has Parkinson蘑菇视频 disease.
Gibson蘑菇视频 brief stint with the Pirates in 1992 did not go well as he never showed the intensity he was so noted for while starring for the Detroit Tigers.
Acquired from the Kansas City Royals in a spring training trade, Gibson hit .196 with two home runs in 16 games, admitted his heart was more in developing real estate holdings in his native Michigan, and was released.
That蘑菇视频 the only blemish on an otherwise stellar career that included him winning the National League MVP in 1988 and NL Manager of the Year in 2011.