Despite the snowfall two hours before the game, the sun came out and Opening Day went as planned. On this day, April 5, 2012, the Pirates hosted the Philadelphia Phillies. Wait, that's not right. While it is 361 days later than their opener last year, the Pirates looked the same as they did against Roy Halladay and the Phillies. The Pirates lost its last year's Opening Day contest to the Phillies by a score of 1-0. They were able to muster just two hits in the game and wasted a seven ... Read More
2013 Pirates predictions
Can you smell it? No, it's not the leftover ham from Easter, it's baseball season. Despite the shady forecast for Opening Day, baseball is actually here. Fans in Pittsburgh know baseball. Don't let them fool you. Despite 20 straight losing seasons, the fans are passionate. They wouldn't rip the team, call into talk shows or say 'they are done' if they didn't care about the game or the team. They've also seen what success can look like. Now I'm not going to go into it, but you know about the ... Read More
Pirates to implement leadership group; Who belongs on it?
In his Sunday column, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review writer Dejan Kovacevic had a one-on-one interview with Pirates Manager Clint Hurdle. In the column, Kovacevic goes on to say how the team still has Hurdle's back despite the back-to-back late season collapses. In order to ensure that the players know that Hurdle has their back as well, he is doing something that very few - if any - other coaches/managers do it sports. "Near the end of this spring training, Hurdle will ask his players to vote on ... Read More
Are Pirates one player away from a dominant outfield?
Several sites have put out their "Best Outfields in Baseball" list after the Atlanta Braves recently acquired Justin Upton. This move has solidified the Braves at the top of these lists. Atlanta now has BJ Upton, Justin Upton and Jason Heyward. Other teams to show up on the list include the Los Angeles Angels of Aneheim, Los Angeles Dodgers, St. Louis Cardinals, and Washington Nationals. There are other teams that round out the Top 10 that are solid in maybe two positions and iffy on the thrid ... Read More
Why Starling Marte gives Pirates fans hope
If you're a Pirates fan and someone asked you to name the biggest bright spot on the roster, most likely you'll spit out two words: Andrew McCutchen. Now look a couple years into the future. Picture a possible future Hall of Famer in McCutchen standing in center field and then look just a little bit to your left. There you'll find Starling Marte. Marte has the potential to be up there with the likes of Bryce Harper and Mike Trout, the two rookies who took Major League Baseball by storm this past ... Read More
Andrew McCutchen enjoys offseason, but remains focused
To say the 2012 Pittsburgh Pirates season was a roller coaster for the team and fans alike would be a tremendous understatement. You all know the story by now. A team that is 16 games over .500 in August just collapses like we've never seen before. Ok actually, we saw the same thing take place in 2011, but not to this magnitude. There is one man who stayed consistent throughout the season for the Pirates winning awards and becoming exposed to a national audience. Don't let the recognition or ... Read More
‘Tis the season of giving for Andrew McCutchen
It's a common misconception that athletes assume the responsibility of being a role model for young kids once they make it to the pro's. With the amount of times they appear in the news for negative off-field antics, it could be easy to lose hope that good guys still exist in the professional sports realm. For Andrew McCutchen, however, he embraces his role of a role model and with the holiday season upcoming, he's ready to give the community more than just their first winning season ... Read More
Are The Pittsburgh Pirates Allergic To Winning?
After today’s loss to the New York Mets, there is absolutely no margin for error if the Pittsburgh Pirates hope to end their 19-year losing streak. If the Pirates truly want to crush their fans hearts in style, they should win four games then lose the last two and finish just below the mark. That seems to be how they do things around here. Look at the fact they got to 16 games over .500 and most experts, including myself, thought there was no way in hell even the Pirates could blow such a ... Read More
Who Says Cheaters Never Win?
I’m sure you’ve all heard the phrase “Cheaters Never Win.” Apparently that’s not always the case. Major League Baseball has announced that Melky Cabrera, who is currently serving a 50-game suspension for using a banned substance, will in fact be eligible to win the NL batting title. One player of local interest, Andrew McCutchen, currently trails Cabrera by seven points (.346 to .339) and doesn’t have much longer to make up the ground. If Cabrera wins, he will have done it despite missing ... Read More
The “Dude” Who Cried Wolf
A few days ago Cincinnati Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips took to his Twitter account (@DatDudeBP) after a 14 inning victory to accuse one of the Pittsburgh Pirates of shouting something racial at him. He used the hashtags #RealTalk and #Racism to emphasize his point. There’s only one problem with that, none of the Pirates said any such thing to him. So much for “Real Talk.” Naturally the Pirates player in question, pitcher Jared Hughes, quickly and rightfully defended himself but ... Read More