A New Era of Pirates Baseball

Those Battlin' Buc's

  The energy is different, the names of both the coaches and players have changed and so has the attitude of these 2011 Pittsburgh Pirates.  After nearly a generation in which the organization had to continually dig itself out of  poor personnel decisions, cheap ownership, poor coaching and false promises to it's fans, the Pirates seem to be poised to make a move into the middle. The crowded ranks of MLB's average teams. All that said, I remain cautiously optimistic and remind myself that it is only May. But, I still can't resist the visions of fighting for a playoff spot in late August and September.  
  These Bucco's have a certain energy surrounding them, an aura so to speak. They are winning the games they used to lose and getting the breaks. No matter what sport, all teams that try to break through to that next level go through it. In football, it's a team like Tampa Bay or Arizona finally going to a Super Bowl. In basketball, it was like the Chicago Bull's landing Michael Jordan and growing with him. And in Hockey it was like our beloved Penguins drafting Mario Lemieux to completely change the culture of a futile franchise. An example of this sports karma, so to speak, went on display last night during Jose Tabata's "catch" in the eighth inning against the Dodgers. If it's ruled a trap, the Pirates probably don't win the game against the troubled Dodgers. The Dodgers are going through ownership troubles of their own and MLB has taken over operations of the team. That hasn't even happened here. But, that's sports and one could say the Pirates and the Dodgers have changed spots in the landscape of MLB. 
  We've seen special teams and seasons before in Pittsburgh where things just seemed to the right way. It's the "benefit-of-the-doubt" factor that teams must earn . For example, the Steelers's phantom touchdown against Miami last season that gave the Steelers a one-point win on the road.That Miami win became a even bigger win at the end of the season when it came to playoff seeding.  Big Ben's QB sneak that was ruled a touchdown in Super Bowl XL. And, Sidney Crosby leaving game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals with an injury, with his team down 1-0 to the defending champion Red Wings, only to watch his Penguins pullout a 2-1 win and capture the cup. 
  These Pirates have this type energy and momentum going for them. An energy that won't come  from opening up a checkbook.  A much needed change for a team that has had the grayest of clouds hanging overhead on the sunniest summer of days. I don't see this team playing for just a .500 record. This team wants to win. The Battlin' Bucs have as many wins as the Rangers and the Giants to tie last year's World Series teams with 18 wins. Remain in third pace behind perennial division leader St. Louis and last year's upstart Cincinnati Reds. The Buc's won the series against both teams earlier in the season. But as all Pirates fans know the true test will come against Milwaukee. The Pirates will travel to brew-town after they wrap-up this series against L.A. I like this series for the Buc's for a number of reasons. But, the main one is that it's on the road where the Pirates are 11-8 this season.