PIRATES TAKE 2 OUT OF 3 vs RED SOX

Pirates fever, eh.

I’m hearing that it’s beginning to spread. You know things are getting better when the local TV newscasts start pumping it.

You also can be pretty sure that, when the local news is interested, it’s going to be overhyped.

Let’s not take anything away from the fact that the Pirates took two out of three from the Red Sox and, if you’d like, go ahead and enjoy the closest thing that we’ve had to a competitive MLB team in almost 15 years

But, it’s June 26th and the Pirates are one game over .500.

That’s a hell of a lot better than what most people expected, but this is baseball. They play 162 games.

I have to admit that I thought they would be eight or 10 games under .500 by now.

But I refuse to celebrate any team that’s one game over .500 at the halfway point of the season. The fact that I’m supposed to have caught a fever over a team with a record like that is just another indication of how pathetic the Pirates have been.

Call me when there’s a salary cap.

Date: June 26, 2011

Categories: Sports

Tags: Boston Red Sox, MLB Baseball, Pirates Fever, PITTSBURGH PIRATES

Comments RSS TrackBack 29 comments

Reply

Bobzilla

in June 26th, 2011 @ 20:02

The Pirates’ division is so pathletic, they could actually accidently win it.

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John Steigerwald

in June 26th, 2011 @ 20:19

That’s why there are owners in MLB who want to have two 15 team leagues with no divisions. It makes it more likely that the big market teams (who get the big TV ratings) will make it to the post season.

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Parker39

in June 26th, 2011 @ 20:18

Just hung up with my brother who follows the Pirates closely and lives and dies with them. I told him to wait and see what happens at the trade deadline, are we going to get rid of Hanrahan or Walker or McCutcheon or all three?

The Pirates M.O. for the past 15 years has been trade anyone who shows some legitimate talent and get more “prospects”. I’d really like to get excited about this season but they’ve fooled me too many times in the past for me to allow it.

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Bob Riddle

in June 27th, 2011 @ 10:22

Can you please site examples of this “legitimate talent” that they have traded away? Tell us what players you would’ve kept as GM.

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Parker39

in June 27th, 2011 @ 22:42

Jason Bay, Jose Batista, McClouth, Freddie Sanchez, Jack Wilson, and I haven’t been to a game in 6 years and don’t even follow the team closely!

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Erik

in June 28th, 2011 @ 21:07

Other than maybe Freddie sanchez I disagree with everyone on your list. Plus they offered Freddie a deal and he turned it down.

If you dont follow the team that closely how do you even know that these guys were worth it?
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Bob Riddle

in June 29th, 2011 @ 08:05

So clearly you do not know the Pirates M.O. as you claim…

Bay, McClouth (I’m trying not to laugh since you included him), and Wilson have done nothing since they left. Bautista certainly was not considered “legitimate talent” when he was traded, since he bounced around with several teams. Sanchez has been solid, but he was essentially replaced by Neil Walker, who is much younger with more upside.

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Tony D

in June 26th, 2011 @ 21:09

I never thought of it that way, but you’re right. It’s kind of like what we talked about last football season with the Seattle Seahawks. If there were no divisions, they’d never have made the playoffs. With the kind of realignment baseball is talking about, it would be virtually impossible for the Yankees and Red Sox to miss the postseason.
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jethro bodine

in June 26th, 2011 @ 22:47

People,,,,people listen up !!!!!! JUST WATCH THE GAME !!!!
i live and die a pirate fan. But look around in baseball and in other sports, you cant win all the time. sure the pirates have sucked for a long time , the steelers did for how long before franco caught the ball out of the air and the pens were bad before mr mario came to town and we are lucky that ping pong bounced our way to get sid the kid. Is this baseball season a fluke or something to start and get excited about?? regardless whats ahead for us this season or next im taking some advise from mr john steigerwald and ill JUST WATCH THE GAME and when i do, here is some advise for free ENJOY IT BABY.

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Parker39

in June 27th, 2011 @ 07:21

Touche’ Jethro, I have to hand it to you, excellent point.
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Goose

in June 27th, 2011 @ 08:01

Stag, I hear you about the Pirates, but I must say at least now I’m not totally disgusted when I look at the standings.

Of course, it’s pathetic when Pirate fans have to be pumped up about being “average”, but at least it’s better then watching soccer.

Which I did yesterday. . .I watch five minutes of soccer.

I discovered that they have made soccer in America, more annoying.

Apparently soccer fans think it’s cool to chant or “buzz” throughout the ENTIRE game! Think Uvulas

Like I said; I watched it for five minutes and the entire time the crowd was singing some stupid “soccer song. . .”

Can someone in your audience explain – the reason soccer fans need to constantly be making some kid of noise? –

Could it possibly be that the sport is so freaking boring that going to the game to see what the “noise of the day” is part of the “experience”.

Maybe it’s because you get to cheer about an exciting play every 32 and half minutes?

Beat ‘em Bucs!

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George Bertha

in June 29th, 2011 @ 04:54

I haven’t decided what is more exciting to watch, a soccer game or hubcaps rusting, lol!

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Mike V.

in June 27th, 2011 @ 06:38

Somewhere inside of them, the Pirates have a 15-20 game losing skid. We just haven’t seen it yet.
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GeeWhiz

in June 27th, 2011 @ 07:33

You should change the name of this website from JustWatchtheGame to KillJoy.com. Seriously, the Steelers made the Super Bowl, and the post here was how the GB receivers would shred the Steelers D. The Pens made the playoffs, got home field advantage and all I read were stories about Martin St. Louis here. The Pirates have been competitive for the first time in 18 years, had one of their biggest weekends in a real long time and you rain on that parade too. I’m not going to say you were wrong with the stories you posted, but what’s it like having that little gray cloud floating over your head all the time?

Ironically, you glorify Canadian and arena football. Probably the most boring forms of the sport ever concocted. High scoring? Sure, but basketball has a lot of scoring too, so as far as I see it, it’s basketball with pads and I’ve never fallen asleep watching NFL games as I have watching the Pittsburgh Power play. I have no clue what the TV ratings are for either, but I never see nor hear any articles about them all that much from the any media outlet, not that I’m complaining.

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John Steigerwald

in June 27th, 2011 @ 12:01

I was right about the Steelers.

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Dr. Phibes

in June 27th, 2011 @ 08:44

Gotta hand it to you John. If you couldn’t get excited about Pirate baseball this week then your disdain for MLB must be genuine. I don’t agree with you and think you’re cutting off your nose to spite your face, but you do practice what you preach.

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John Steigerwald

in June 27th, 2011 @ 12:00

The better they get the more likely it is that their players will go somewhere else. It’s not about the Pirates with me. It’s about MLB. It’s a joke.

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Chris Hanzes

in June 27th, 2011 @ 11:43

Hey John

The Pirates took 2 out of 3 from the Red Sox (who BTW have the 3rd highest payroll in baseball).

The Pirates are over .500 in late june for the first time in ages.

The Pirates are 4 games out of 4th place and a game out of 2nd.

The Pirates have won already more road games than last year.

Clint Hurdle has got these players believing and energetic.

The Pitching has done 1,000,000,000 times better than last year.

And the Pirates went 6 games under .500 have been on a sort of tear at 21-15 since, a 94 win pace.

I’m gonna hold judgement until later in the season but c’mon
John. Enjoy it while it lasts.

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John Steigerwald

in June 27th, 2011 @ 11:59

It’s MLB. Even if it lasts it won’t last.

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slrpea

in June 27th, 2011 @ 13:15

I am just as fed up with MLB and have not watched one game on tv this year, but I am in town this week and attended a game as part of a weekend wedding celebration for a friend. I have to say that, for that one game, the atmosphere was great and it made me miss what baseball is all about. Just a shame it won’t last and MLB doesn’t care one bit.
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Mike from Boston

in June 27th, 2011 @ 15:11

Went to the game yesterday and had a great time, until the 7th inning. The Buccos put up a great fight until two painfully glaring errors reminded us all that they’re still small fish in the big money pond of the MLB.

Had it not been for McCutchen’s wild overthrow past 3rd base and Cedeno choking on a routine play to 2nd, it would have been a sweep.

The Pirates’ pitching, normally laughable, wasn’t all that bad. There wasn’t a home run all game by either team, not even when Ortiz came in as a pinch hitter and looked like he was gonna knock that ugly UPMC sign off the Steel Building.

It was fun to watch the Pirates actually play competitive baseball, but John’s comment “even if it lasts it won’t last” is a big ole Bingo. They’ll be irrelevant by the time the All-Star break rolls around. And no matter how much short range success they may stumble upon, it isn’t sustainable in the bloated corrupt MLB system.
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Jim

in June 27th, 2011 @ 16:00

If a heavywight fighter was pitted up against an overmatched bum for 30 straight fights I’m thinking the bum would get in the occasional lucky shot. Maybe even knock him down once or twice. But I wouldn’t waste my time or invest money in watching those 30 fights just to be able to say I’m a loyal fan of the sport. Baseball has a system that is just about the same as far as fairness. Fairness is what sports are all about. If there are any truly great players on the Pirates, they will be bought by the big boys eventually. It’s just a matter of time. This is reality not pessimism. It makes me sick that the sport I grew up loving has deteriorated to this. And what’s worse are those who enable by actually pumping money into this type of system. Because of you – it will never be corrected. You are the same people who probably don’t want the kids keeping score in little league games. Believe it or not kids have more fun with real competition. Imagine how fun it would be if MLB had real competition.
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Ken Hart

in June 27th, 2011 @ 17:16

I don’t get how people could disagree with John here. We’ve seen this movie before, the pirates will continue to suck as soon as they can and use the first half of this season as an excuse their their time is “just around the corner”, just keep paying money to see the games and be a part of the turnaround.

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Ken Hart

in June 27th, 2011 @ 17:19

So, half my comment got cut off and it’s very hard to read. John, is it possible for users to edit/delete their comments?

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John Steigerwald

in June 27th, 2011 @ 20:46

NO.

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Donald

in June 28th, 2011 @ 01:34

The bottom line is that as long as MLB retains it’s current structure; small market teams will not be able to sustain any success.

That makes it hard to let yourself get attached to this particular year’s team.

Which is bad. Because sports is all about getting attached to YOUR team due to the PLAYERS attracting you.

When small market teams lose their good players, and they always do, it makes it tough as a fan to get yourself all emotionally attached when you know the gut-punch is coming.
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Cambot

in June 28th, 2011 @ 20:25

Personally, I’ll be satisfied if they can play .500 the rest of the way. That’s not much of a goal but after 18 sub-.500 seasons it would at least be an improvement.
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jethro bodine

in June 28th, 2011 @ 22:18

Im so tired of hearing people and all these talk shows bitch and whine, (all i want to see is a 500 record) . PEOPLE !!!!!!!!! sure its nice to have a winning record, but in my eyes its what place your in and games in front or close to the place of first. all of baseball is weak, water down from what it should be. yes there is talent in the big league BUT not like it once was. when the bucs had that 1971 team come back to town, bob robertson said, the team they had in 71 even the back up’s were good enough to start on any other team then. Today the current team only has a few players if that , can start on any other team. what im trying to say is there is something special starting to happen here. yes there is pieces to the puzzle missing yet but with todays teams, i care less how much money the yanks or boston spends to put a so called winning team on the field. the pirates will be ok and even if they lose more games than they win record wise they have a chance to win a wild card and who knows. look at the brewers 9 games over 500 and have a 4 game lead in central,,,,,,,,,,,if the bucs keep playing like they are and they can get there studs back in the line up,,,,,mark my word !!!! instead of standing around over at the old wall in oakland this fall eating pop corn and hearing the replay of that famous game 7 as maz smacks it over the left field wall we will be watching this team on tv in the series instead. ok, people laugh at me and say dream on,,,,,but there is that chance and that feel in the air. remember you heard it right here on john’s AWESOME SITE. if you dont think so, JUST WATCH THE GAME, and see for your self !
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George Bertha

in June 29th, 2011 @ 04:50

John, even I am starting to watch the Pirates more and I’m stuck out here in Phillies/Orioles country!!!!

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