Bucs Steal Martin from Yanks, Headlines From Steelers

On the eve of a potentially make-or-break Steelers-Ravens game, rife with story lines, the Pirates stole the headlines, at least for a few hours.  That's not the biggest coup in this story, though.  

It's a far too familiar story in Major League Baseball.  All-star player available on the free agent market.  His current team apparently just doesn't have the money to make an adequate offer.  An opposing team swoops in, offers a chunk of cash, and snags the guy away.  Only this time it was the Pirates taking the player away from the Yankees!  

Former gold glove, all-star catcher Russell Martin, signs a two year, 17 million dollar deal with the Bucs!  Cheers Neil Huntington!  Well done. Hmmm I may be reconsidering my adamant stance against re-upping my season ticket package.  Martin has worked with McDonald and Burnett before.  By one man's measure, he was the second best catcher in the league at framing pitches from 2007-2011.  That is an invaluable skill!  At 30 years old, he's in his prime.  This move leaves Michael McKenry in the role he is best suited for, back-up catcher, rather than one he is far less qualified to play -- platoon catcher (or even, god forbid, a starter, yikes), which is also great news.

nice 'stache dude

Now, it is a lot of money, and who knows, it may have been better spent elsewhere.  But I think it is clearly a defensive upgrade, and he has the potential to hit 20 homeruns.  Plus it's only a two year deal.

I've collected a few other interesting articles:

• Another look at pitch-framing
• Another one, with fantastic charts and graphs
• Some counterpoints against the Martin signing
• New York Post coverage

Oh, and check this out.  Here's a list of available free agent catchers and their age. Martin is younger than all of them. Napoli can hit but isn't really a catcher.  Normally I would expect the Pirates to go for, oh I don't know, the Kelly Shoppach's of this list.  In fact, this entire list -- except for Napoli -- is exactly the kind of guy that the Pirates would normally get in this situation.  Hell, there actually are 3 former Pirates on this list!

• Rod Barajas (37)
• Henry Blanco (41)
• Mike Napoli (31)
• Miguel Olivo (34)
• Ronny Paulino (32)
• A.J. Pierzynski (36)
• Brian Schneider (36)
• Kelly Shoppach (33)
• Chris Snyder (32)
• Yorvit Torrealba (34)
• Matt Treanor

Cashing In!

I have a lot of cash in my paypal account from selling Pirates tickets this Summer.  It's time to cash in!  I have a birthday coming up and it's the holiday season, so, like it or not, I will be doing some shopping over the next month and a half.  In fact I already made my first purchase using some of my "Pirate Booty."  You'll never guess what it is....

I recently became a dude who wears hats again.  Wearing hats is somewhat universal for dudes.  You have caps for sports team, obviously; the whole hip-hop/urban cultural influence; dirty hippies have their rasta hats; 90's ravers and their visors; hunters wear hats; the trucker hat phenomenon; practical hats; status symbol hats; early 20th Century black-and-white Italian mafioso style hat sitting askew...  I think it satisfies an urge to collect something.  And it gives guys a way to "express themselves" by accessorizing in their own way.  You can  say something about your identity, your socio-cultural status, or just your mood -- with a hat.  I'm not saying it's who you ARE, but it is what you're wearing right there on top of your head, sometimes every day all day for a lot of guys!  

D-Train, the O.G. flat brim MLB guy?

Personally, I'm too fidgety to really rock a hat most of the time.  I'm more likely just to grab it  for certain occasions and constantly take it on and off or tug at it.  My return to hat wearing came for two reasons.  First of all, I realized why hats just started looking different... flat brims!  For years I didn't understand this.  I mean, it never occurred to me that there were just two different styles of "baseball cap" that were just shaped differently!  I can remember watching Dontrelle Willis pitch, and I'm like... how does he wear his hat like that?  Not why -- how?  How do you make it do that?  I just thought some people didn't bend their brim, but I didn't realize it was actually made differently. You really can't make a traditional style cap look like that.  

Anyway, I had stopped being a dude who wears baseball caps when I had long hair (and because, well, I'm a grown man, you know?).  In the early 2000's when I had lusciously long hair (and a few dreads) I did have a some very stylish rasta hats.  So a couple of years ago I started thinking in the back of my mind, Ok, I'm slightly on the look out for a hat.  If I find a hat that speaks to me, I'll check it out.  I had started to realize how the whole flat brim thing worked.  And then the Pirates hit first place for a day in the Summer of 2011.  By this point, I understood the fashion, I knew I was ready to get back in the game, and I felt like maybe it would be ok to wear a Pirate hat without shame -- the shame of giving my money to the Pirates franchise.

Having long hair at the time, I needed it to be a snapback, not fitted.  And just getting back into the hat wearing game, I didn't want to spend a lot.  Hats can cost 30 bucks or more, and I didn't want to spend that on something that might end up looking really stupid or ridiculous.

My very good friend Brandy, a graphic designer, works for a wholesaler in the Strip called Aim Gifts, and has access to unlimited Pirate/Penguin/Steeler junk, I mean gear, at a discounted rate.  Now, the Pittsburgh Pirates traditional baseball cap -- all black with the classic gold P -- is definitely classy.  So it became apparent.  The time was nigh.  She grabbed one of those classic Pirates hats, flat brim with a snap back, for me, and it has been a very solid item over the last 15 months or so.

But it's time to add to the collection.  My choice may seem odd, but I think it was a reasonable one.  This one is not about the actual team at all, but the style and the logo.  I love basketball.  I love music.  So check this out... 

Do you know what team this is?

Experiment Over

I thought that last drunken rant would be my last post, but I want to wrap things up. There is no completely new experience at PNC Park (yet).  This is still a pathetic sports team in many ways.  I'm glad I got to enjoy good baseball while it lasted for 2 months.  I don't regret the season ticket purchase at all because I was able to sell so many tickets and recover about two thirds of my initial cost -- still a great deal all around.  I will absolutely not be renewing next year (at the beginning of the season).  If they have another great first half, though, I will definitely consider it...

Absolute Garbage

Why did the chicken cross the road?  Because the fucking Pirates were on the other side and the goddamn chicken wanted to sweep those motherfuckers!!!

Absolute garbage.  Purely putrid.  Regurgitation.

As go the Pirates, so goes the Orange Kickball Squad (aka the PumKings).  Yesterday we (minus Gravely, Sylanski, Booth, Orenich, and Thovson) allowed 8 runs in the first inning and lost by the mercy rule a half hour into the affair.  It reminded me of the your Buccos, allowing untold first inning runs with runners on the base paths running rampant.  Absolutely rampant.

So today we put together a nice crew of young urban professionals to head over to the late afternoon 4 o'clock game -- you know, the businessman's special.  By the time we had our tickets in hand the Pirates were already losing 3-0.  We were still in the process of texting each other to meet up by the time the Pirates had relinquished a seemingly insurmountable early lead.  It was already 4 to nothing as we sat outside Dominic's pounding domestic beers (and the occasional gin and tonic).  Boooo.

But your battling Bucs made a game of it.  As we continued to get schwilly your Bucs fought back. Andrew McCutchen went yard to bring the game back within reach.  The Pirates even took a lead. We were in our seats crunching peanuts and sippin' brews as the Pirates went ahead 7-4.  

But that lasted about two and a half minutes.  The Pirates are, if you didn't already know, officially garbage.  Under .500.  Another losing season.  Deep, so deep, into the tank.  Absolute, irreconcilable garbage.

Good article

http://mlb.si.com/2012/09/13/nl-wild-card-battle/?sct=mlb_t11_a0

Who Wins More?

Great question posed on the Fan 93.7fm (and streaming online): Who wins more games the rest of the season, the Pirates or the Steelers? The Steelers have 15 games remaining and are, of course, a perennial favorite. The Pirates play 21 more games and have been just plain awful for the last 5 or 6 weeks (and 20 years). So who wins more this year? The Pirates still need 10 wins to guarantee the first winning season in 20 years and end the streak. That actually seems unlikely at this point. I'll take the Steelers to win 9 this season, and the Pirates to win, oh I don't know, 6 more games this year? Ugh, putrid.

Wild Card Standings

Garbage!!

Why do I end up going to the worst fucking games and selling the good ones?  Pirates are GARBAGE tonight.  Worst game ever.

Nice Night for a Ballgame

I think I'll go! What a great idea, I have season tickets, baby!

Graphs Updated: Playoff Chances and Overall Season Graph

The most important line is the blue line.  It's suffered it's worst month of the season -- we need to see it turn upward.

Two in a Row a Good Sign

After losing the first of three at home to Houston on Labor Day, the Pirates played well on Tuesday and Wednesday to stay within a game and a half of the last wild card spot.  They're hanging tough. In other positive news, our kickball team started off the season with a big win last night.  Props to the Orange Team.  Our first game of the fall season got off to a miserable start when the first kicker crushed the first pitch down the right field line for a homerun, but it was all Orange the rest of the way.  We even nailed a base runner at the plate, which is perhaps the most rewarding play in all of kickball.  There just isn't a whole lot better than throwing that red rubber ball at some dude as hard as you can and drilling him in the chest.

Wild Card Standings

Sales Thinning Out!

As an example of my previous post today, I wasn't able to sell my tickets for tonight's game.  That's the first time that's happened.  Every other game that I've sold (14 total) I've been able to sell on game day (if not already sold in advance).  Today marks the first time that failed.  It's starting to seem like the Brand New Bucco Experience is becoming defined as 'showing potential in the middle of the season for 1 or 2 great months but stumbling through August and September like it was 2006.'  I would still be interested in going to these games if 30,000 other people were.  I'd still be interested in rooting on the home team, the team that's a couple games out of the wild card with an entire month to play, if there were some other like minded fans out there.  That's not to say I don't get it -- I do.  Losing more than you win and drawing 15,000 fan does not make me want to go to the games either.  But being right there in a potential play off race in September, isn't that all you can ask for?  Isn't that exactly what you'd hope going into a baseball season?  I don't know, it's a week night, it's rainy, it's the Astros... but still... last week against the Cardinals there was no buzz either.  So don't blame the Astros.  The Pirates are the 7th best team in the National League.  The best 5 make the playoffs.  That's really really close, it's within reach.  Is football season already taking over?

Well... It's September

Well... it's September... and the Pirates are in playoff contention.  Somehow there's no buzz, though.  Maybe it's because they've lost 4 in a row.  Maybe because August was awful.  But still, I think many fans are victims of their own heightened expectations.  They've lost 4 in a row, are playing horribly, yet they remain a mere 2.5 games out of the wild card.  That's a good thing.  There's a month of baseball left and the Pirates are within striking distance of making the playoffs.  So why all the empty seats?  Why all the disappointment?

More on this later...

Should've Gone!!!

Wandy was locked in -- goose egg against the National League's best offense.  "El Toro" Pedro Alvarez crushing balls out of the park.  Just killing it.  Garret Jones continues to light up opposing pitchers, as he's done all month.  Damnit, I shouldn't have sold, I should've gone to the last two games!  Here's the thing with baseball.  You could lose 4 games out of every 10 and still be the best team in the league.  There isn't a single team in the American League right now with a better winning percentage than .600.  There isn't a single team in the AL that has won 6 out of every 10 games.  None!  Two teams in the NL have ~.605 winning percentages.  That's it.  That means, and this is no exaggeration, it literally means that if you went 6 wins and 4 losses out of every 10 games, you would be the third best team in all of major league baseball right now.  That's the thing about baseball -- with 162 games, 9 hitters in a lineup, a stable full of arms for pitching -- the best teams just aren't that much better than the worst.

It's not the NFL.  No one is going 13-3 or 12-4 (in baseball terms that would be 131-31 or 121-41, you know, it just doesn't happen).  There are no 11-5 teams.  Right now in all of major league baseball there isn't even the equivalent of a 10-6 team.  None, there are none!  The best records in all of baseball, the absolute best records, are equivalent to a football team winning about nine and a half games.  The absolute best team in baseball right now would not even be equal to a 10-6 record in football.

In baseball you can have 5 mediocre months and 1 great one and have a high seed in the playoffs.  You can go 13 and 12 five times over five months, then go 20-10 and you're in a position to win the division.  The NFL is "all about parity" but that's a parody.  If you want parity, play a 162-game season.

It's all doom and gloom for a month, but if you catch fire again, if you get hot, it can all start coming back together for you.  Now, I'm not saying that's happening yet with the Pirates.  No, I would say they're still smack dab in the middle of the worst stretch this year, but here's what I am saying.  It's not even September yet.  It's not at all in any way about scoreboard watching.  It's not, in the least, about what St. Louis or LA is doing.  Not yet anyway.  It's all about one thing.  It's all about you, getting where you need to be, playing how you need to play, putting up as many wins as possible.  It's not about the Reds, Braves, and Nationals.  It's all about the Pirates, day to day, winning more than they lose.

All you have to do is win more than you lose in baseball and, come September, you're a 5-game winning streak away from playoff contention.  You're right there.

That's why I bought the tickets.  That's why I'm supposed to go to game after game, night after night.  You're not going to see magical moments every evening.  Andrew McCutchen is not going to collect 3 hits, a walk, and 2 RBIs every game.  But if you go every night, if you go to 40 or 50 games over a season, you're going to see some magic.  You're going to see a Drew Sutton walk off homerun, a Clint Barmes grand slam, a James McDonald shut-out.  But that's why you have to go in bulk.  That's a lesson I am still learning.

We need to see the blue line go above the green line (and the yellow to go as high as possible).

Sales Update

After selling all 3 Cardinals games this week the sale scale has tipped well over 50% -- I've made back well over 50% of my initial cost.  I've attended 13 games, sold 13 games, and still have 13 games left. So things are in perfect balance as the Pirates head out on the road after tomorrow's series finale.  I've recovered 60% of that initial cost, having sold only 32% of my games.  

*It's not exactly a third, or 33%, as the 13-13-13 would indicate, because I have attended 1 free bonus game.

How Far WILL They Fall?

The Pirates need to finish 14-20 down the stretch to have a winning season.  I can definitely find 14 more wins on the schedule, but still, it's not an absolute lock at this point.  I have about a third of my games still left, and I've made back more than half the money I initially spent, so things are looking good from that perspective.

Sold Tickets to Cardinals Fans!

I am a bad fan.  I just sold my tickets for Wednesday nights game against the Cardinals... to Cardinals fans!  I got the text, and I'm like, 417 what's 417... uh-oh!  The thing is, right after they texted me, a 412 number also responded about the tickets.  I could have easily told the 417 that they were gone -- I hadn't responded yet.  But that's a different ethical problem -- you can't just skip the first person who responds and pick somebody else.  But of course you're not supposed to sell your tickets to fans of the opposing team.  An ethical dilemma....

Worst Stretch of Season Continues

The Pirates August woes continued this weekend at PNC Park against Milwaukee.  I sold Friday for 60$, went Saturday, which was great, including fireworks, and also today (Pirates gym bag give away).  Now they face the Cardinals -- one of the best teams in the National League.  Here's where they could fall completely out of contention -- possibly even before September first.

Worst stretch of the season continues...

Tomahawk Chopping -- Forgive Me for this One

Here's an interesting tidbit.  I would have been 13, 14 years old back when the Pirates lost consecutive National League Championship Series to the tomahawk chopping Atlanta Braves.  But I lived in Baltimore.  I wasn't a Pirates fan at all, I didn't have anything to do with Pittsburgh sports.  I was rooting for guys like Chris Hoiles and Mike Deveraux -- the Baby Birds.  I was living in a city without a football team and waking up at 7am Sunday mornings to watch Dutch League Soccer on ESPN2 -- way, way before watching European Soccer became trendy.   My brother and I would wake up at 7am to watch Feyenoord or Ajax play Einhoven or something like that.  Anyway, I was the same kind of sports fan then that I am now -- I loved the big story, the highest level of competition, who- or what-ever was achieving greatness, that's what I liked. I loved Barry Bonds, I can remember that.  Stay with me now. I also loved the Braves' story, going worst to first, but more on that later.

My little league pitching form = Tim Lincecum

This also happened to be the height of my own baseball career. I played pitcher and shortstop for the Towson Recreation Council Pony League Champion Rockies in the Summer of '92, my last great baseball season.  Josh Beck and I even threw a no hitter.

My Rotisserie League team, the Picklenoses, named after a line in The Humpty Dance, reigned supreme.  It wasn't even called fantasy baseball yet.  It was Rotisserie league.  The newspaper printed all the boxscores.  Every Sunday they printed the season totals, and you had to write your players' stats out on paper and add up their homeruns, RBIs, stolen bases, and batting averages yourself.  Luke Winternitz even did his stats on the back of a pizza box one week.  It was during the '92 season that I convinced my brother to trade me Barry Bonds for Andre Dawson. Make no mistake, I ruled the "Conneri" League -- so named for its founding families, the Connollys and Valeris.

My Dad occasionally traveled to Atlanta for work, and he would bring us souvenirs.  The Braves had just gone from worst to first in '91 and lost the World Series in 7 games to the (also worst-to-first) Minnesota Twins.  One day Dad showed up with foam tomahawks, which, I have to admit, were pretty cool.  We even pulled out the old batting helmet souvenir ice cream bowls for the Braves and Twins series.  So, without having any particular rooting interest, I found it easy to root for the Braves.

Yep, I had one, and used it

Pirates fans, you have to forgive me for this.  I was just a kid rooting for the moment.  I didn't care about either team.  But there we would sit, rhythmically waving the foam tomahawks, doing the chop, ohhhh-oh-ohh-whooaa-ohh-oh-oh-ohhhh-whoooaaa. OHHHH-OH-OHH-WHOOAA-OHH-OH-OH-OHHH-WHOOOAAA!  How could you not root for Francisco Cabrera, a guy who had like 10 total at bats that entire season? Yes I did just say that.  I did just say I did the tomahawk chop and rooted for little Franky Cabrera in my basement.  If that forever taints me in the eyes of Pittsburgh fans, too bad.  Besides, by the time he came up to bat the Pirates were doomed.  Everyone wants to blame Barry Bonds on that last play for not throwing out Sid Bream -- yes it might have been possible to get the runner out at the plate with a sharp and accurate throw.  But let me remind you of a few things.  That was just the last, not the worst, play.

Error!

Jose Lind made an error in that inning.  An actual fielding error. Bonds just failed to throw out a runner from second who was running on the pitch with 2 outs on a 3-2 count. How many guys have you ever seen thrown out at the plate on a 2-out single to left field on a 3-2 pitch?  Also, if Stan Belinda is your closer, you're screwed. He gave up the actual hit.  So I tip my hat to Francisco Cabrera, but now I root for the Pirates.  What can I say...

I'm not a native Pittsburgher. A lot of people who come here from out of town for college end up leaving again, but I stayed and continue to work at CMU. I was always a general sports fan, but gradually became a Pittsburgh sports fan. In life, I'm a fan of much more than just sports -- so I don't live and die by any team.  It's entertainment.  But I'm serious about my entertainment, and I have very high standards. There's not much more entertaining than high caliber professional sports.  Pittsburgh teams are as good as it gets.  Each Pittsburgh sports team has won me over in its own way. But let's be honest, they did it with winning -- winning in general and winning championships. The players, the teams, the games, the storylines draw you in, then the championships hook you for life -- just like the Steelers did in the 1970's to gain a national following.  Now I am all Pixburgh, black and gold, french fries on the salad.

I didn't even like football until about 2003. Hockey, please, I thought that was even worse. But I understand how great it is to have excellent franchises to root for.  I've come to learn that having  a great sports tradition and great teams to root for shouldn't be taken for granted. These teams cultivate a culture of winning and pride in their profession. I'm smart enough to understand when someone like Sidney Crosby comes along. If I was in Chicago in the early nineties and didn't like basketball, I would have been smart enough to check out Michael Jordan, you know?  So these great teams, with legitimate super stars and championship runs, with great leadership and great performance, won me over, year by year.  What they provide is the highest quality sports entertainment experience.  There is nothing better. It's totally worth my time, money, and emotional investment.  And it's fun!

I'm the kind of fan that thinks
Roethlisberger is more important
than defense ;-)

Even Pitt football, which sucks, gave me a defining moment in the 100th Backyard Brawl in 2007. The first time I ever watched a college football game, the 28 1/2 point underdog Panthers upset the number 2 ranked Mountaineers 13-9, to cost West Virginia a chance to play in the BCS National Championship Game. That's also a testament to me as a spectator.  I know what to watch, what to follow, what to engage with.  I had never watched a single college football game in my life, but I knew this was going to be good.  Although this is one I didn't watch, even the Pittsburgh Passion won the NWFA Championship in 2007. Yet over at PNC Park, the best stadium in the country, the best thing going on is Oliver Onion vs. Jalapeno Hannah and Nate McLouth bobblehead give-aways.  At least it used to be. At least it was ever since the stadium opened on the North Shore...

So here I am 20 years later, a fully converted Pittsburgh fan, 20 years after I was tomahawk chopping, 20 years since the teenage prime of my playing career. Is this the start of the prime of my spectating career? My fantasy team -- now the Penn Picklenoses -- is still in first place*.  I'm still fielding grounders (on the intramural softball field and PSL kickball diamonds).  And guess who the Pirates play the final series of 2012. Guess who might be the final hurdle along the road to a possible playoff birth, the last team the Pirates face in a season that promises to end the 19 year losing streak. ohhhh-oh-ohh-whooaa-ohh-oh-oh-ohhhh-whoooaaa. The Atlanta Braves. October 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, the last 3 games of the year. As long as Clint Hurdle doesn't call on Stan Belinda to save any of those games, I think the Pirates have a chance.


* Depending on when you read this, the Picklenoses may or may not actually be in first place, as the Greenlake Goons have stepped up the competition.  It's a two team race.

Regression Toward the Mean

You're familiar with the phrase 'regression toward the mean,' a colleague asked me today in the kitchen area on the 4th Floor of Newel Simon Hall.  Yes, I said quizzically, wondering how my clumsy attempt to refill the coffee pot represented a regression toward the mean.  Ah-hah!  He wasn't referring to the coffee. This loyal SeasonTicketsBaby reader was referring to the 2012 Buccos and my lovely graph.  Well, shield your eyes, folks, that's one mean regression!

Pirates have fallen under playoff pace but remain above .500

I have a great article lined up and ready to go -- just waiting for the right time to post it.  It's about me in the prime of my "career" 14 years old playing little league baseball and doing the tomahawk chop with a big foam tomahawk during the 1991 Braves-Twins epic World Series.  Native Pittsburghers, forgive me for it.

I've been waiting for a hot streak by the Bucs before I publish it, but maybe given the off day I will post it tonight.

Dropping Fast

Pirates fall out of a playoff spot for the first time in a while.  On a positive note, I've actually earned back almost exactly 50% of what I initially invested in the season tickets (baby).

Remarkable

The Pirates win in 19 innings over 6 hours (and Antonio Brown scores a TD on a 56-yard screen pass catch-and-run a moment later).  Now will the Pirates go on to win 10 in a row -- the opposite of last year, when they lost 10 in a row after a 19 inning epic loss to the Atlanta Braves? Props to James McDonald for his pinch hit single, and Wandy for his first Pirates win, in relief.

Tabata = Loser

Jose Tabata is just a loser, jeez.

Graph Updated Plus Playoff % Graph

Are the Pirates headed back toward .500?  Have they peaked for the season?  Or can they remain in wild card contention?  Will I be posting the rest of my games up on StubHub, or will there be something for me to go see when the next homestand begins?  I think I'm still going to get decent value out of these season tickets, baby. I've actually recovered 40% of my initial cost so far.

Here's another one.  Now, I'm not saying that ESPN's playoff predictor formula is any good, but it's something to look at...

take it for what it's worth

MC Frontalot / LLWS

Let's face it, most blogs suck.  Here's a minor tangent to the normal content of SeasonTicketsBaby, a great song by nerdcore pioneer MC Frontalot, called I Hate Your Blog. On another slight tangent, the LLWS started today.  You can watch most of the games online at ESPN3.  It's a great spectator event.

Muff74

Sold tickets yesterday to this email -- "Muff74" -- hah.

2012 Pirates Graph Updated - UGLY

That slope is getting very very slippery.

Foul Ball Central

Two games in a row with a foul ball!  Well, more like one and a half. Let me explain.

Here's the short version...

Monday night the people sitting in the row in front of me were so excited to be at the game, it was almost too much.  I actually thought to myself I hope they get a ball... A fourth inning foul fall ball hit on the facade above us and to the left.  It bounced back down and into the aisle.  It squirted past me and down under the seats in front of me -- right under these 4 touristy folks I was hoping would get a ball.  They didn't even realize where it was, though.  I could have grabbed it, but I tapped the guy's shoulder and pointed down.  He dove beneath his seat and emerged, to thunderous applause, with the ball. (videos below) The next night, Tuesday, a family sat in front of me.  The little boy had his glove on the whole time, ready to catch a foul ball.  Again, middle of the game, a pop foul ricocheted down from the facade above.  This time it bounced up off the concrete aisle and back behind me.  I shifted my beer to the left hand, reached up with my right, snagged the ball, and dropped it into that kid's glove before anyone knew what had happened.  More thunderous applause! (picture below)

Now the long version...

The first thing I usually do when I settle into Section 107, Row R, seat 19 on the aisle, is take a look around for any children sitting nearby.  No, not because I'm wondering if I need to watch my language.  I'm mentally preparing for a foul ball.  Who will I give it to if I catch one?   I want them to both  understand and appreciate what's happening.  Ideally they will have a homemade sign, poorly drawn, with bad handwriting, that they clearly made themselves.  They should have some interest in the actual game, not just dippin' dots.  I'm not saying that a six-year-old at a baseball game should have a old school walkman in their ear tuned to the game on 93.7 and  keep a scorecard with the pitch count.  No, a kid at a baseball game should indeed leave with sticky fingers, an expensive souvenir, and memories of mascots launching hot dogs into the upper deck.  But the kid I'm looking for, the kid who's going to get the foul ball that I catch, should display some interest in the game itself.

got a foul ball Tuesday and gave it to this young man

Foul Ball #1

(see videos below) Monday night, the first game of 4 against the Dodgers, there weren't many kids.  Maybe because it was Monday?  The only family with kids were Dodger fans.  It took me an inning and a half to decide, but I concluded that the group of three guys and a girl in the row in front of me were the most deserving of a souvenir foul ball, should one fall within my range.  As soon as they sat down each one starting taking pictures in every direction -- the field, the stadium, the city skyline, each other.  I think they even took pictures of each other taking each others' pictures.  One guy knew baseball and the Pirates pretty well but the other 3 were in complete awe of everything that happened.  "OHHHHHH," they would burst out when someone hit a pop up.  They turned around bug-eyed in their seats every time someone behind us would yell something like, "You suck, Barmes!"  They actually seemed emotionally touched when the stadium would unite in a chant of "Let's Go Bucs."  They were having an experience.

My seats are about 20 rows back from the field, just beyond first base.  I would barely call it shallow right field.  I like to call them "infield seats at an outfield price."  Anyway, it's prime foul ball territory.  I can get two different types of foul ball in my section, both from a right handed hitter.  One is a pop-up or line drive that lands directly in my section or nearby.  The other, though, the more common one, is a higher foul pop-up that hits the facade of the upper deck or club level and rebounds back down into section 107 or 108.  We get a lot of these.  Some people catch the foul ball hit directly at them.  Most don't.  Most foul balls that go into the stands bounce off of something -- a person, a seat, an aisle, a facade -- and eventually get scooped up by the third or fourth person who touches them.  When I visualize the play before it happens, as I was instructed in Little League to do, this is what I envision -- fouls balls bouncing off the facade back down into my section.

My seat is on the aisle, which gives me an advantage over most -- I can easily step out and glide up or down a few stairs to pounce on a ball bouncing on the concrete.  Foul Ball Number One did exactly that.  I totally could have snagged it, but I'm really glad these guys ended up taking home the souvenir.  

Foul Ball #2

Tuesday night there were a lot more kids at the game.  The perfect recipient was sitting right in front of me.  He peppered his father with questions the whole time.  He was a smart little one. "When there's a player on first base, and the batter walks," he asked, "can you try to get the runner out at second base?"  Good question, young man!  I had a feeling this fellow was going home with a ball, and I'm glad it turned out that way.  Same kind as the previous night -- just a high foul pop that rebounded down from the facade above.  You gotta be ready for those in section 107, Row R, Seat 19 on the aisle, season tickets, baby!

On a related note, I sold my tickets for tonight and tomorrow.

2012 Season Graph Updated

To be "in playoff contention" the blue line needs to be near or above the green line.  The yellow line is the best predictor of future performance.

SeasonTicketsBaby returns to PNC for Dodgers Series

I'll be back in Section 107, Row R, seat 19
on the aisle tonight

After selling my tickets for Saturday's and Sunday's packed games this past weekend -- the 113,539 series attendance was the second-highest for a three-game series in PNC Park's 12 seasons -- I'll be attending the next three games against the LA Dodgers.  The Dodgers, major winners at the trade deadline, come in with a revamped lineup and bullpen.  

It seems like I'm saying this every 3 or 4 days, but this has got to be one of the most important series of the season so far.  But the reason I keep saying that is because it's a pennant race.  It really is.  It's actually happening.  Each pitch, each inning, game, series, week is more important than the previous one.  The team's slogan this year could very well be "We Matter!"

Dodgers and Cardinals
are both playoff contenders

Sure, the spotlight has been shining on the Pirates for a while, but now it's getting brighter. Now it's mid-August.  Now you're facing other playoff contenders.  Now the fans have real expectations.  To exemplify this point: I turned the game off in disgust yesterday after it was five to nothing in the second inning, and was thrilled to tune back in for a nine-run inning.  

I'll be back tonight in Section 107, Row R, seat 19 right on the aisle. Love these season tickets, baby!

One terrible trend I'm hoping will end is the first inning homers allowed by the Pirates.  Four straight games they've allowed a homerun in the first inning!  22 total homers allowed in the first inning this year! The Dodgers' lineup will not make it easy.  How about this -- the best centerfielders in the league square off tonight -- Cutch and Matt Kemp, second in last year's MVP balloting.

Since my season tickets started the Pirates are merely 7 and 6 at home.  I want to see that ratcheted up a bit!

Nuns Flash Zoltan Symbol

The Pirates got some help from above the other day, as these nuns call on Zoltan.

Greg Brown's Call of Barmes Grand Slam

Here's a link to the "Mc" Effect, a great Pirates weblog, with an audio clip of a classic Greg Brown call on Clint Barmes's grand slam yesterday.  "Grannie time!"

Most Surprising Things

Great segment right now on 93.7 the Fan -- What are the most surprising or unexpected things about the Pirates in mid August (besides their record and place in the standings)?  Here's a collection of my responses and some that callers are giving.  I'll try to find a relevant link for each one to give you some bonus reading material... in reverse order of most surprising.

Click to enlarge ESPN's useless Cy Young Predictor

• One of, if not the, top bullpens in the league -- Here's an article from a couple weeks ago about the differences between this year's team and last year's team, highlighting the bullpen.
• A lot of sell outs -- Check out ESPN's MLB attendance stats.  The Pirates have averaged 26,769 at home this year, over 6,000 more per game than in 2010.
• Pedro top 10 NL in homeruns -- I'm not usually such a big ESPN guy, but here are NL batting leaders sorted by HR -- Pedro is tied for 9th.  He is really just in his first full season, and I think he will only get better.  
• McCutchen hitting .360 and leading MVP candidate -- Of course everyone expected him to be an all-star again and improve on his season from last year, but not lead the NL in wins above replacement (again, ESPN stats).
• Burnett a Cy Young candidate -- Check this out.  Here's another ESPN stat, probably completely useless, but who cares.  Cy Young Predictor.  Burnett makes the top ten, but Joel Hanrahan actually makes their top 3 in Cy Young rating, behind Johnny Cueto and R.A. Dickey. 
• Wandy Rodriguez a Pirate -- Whether positive, negative, or neutral, it's just not something I expected to have happened.  Here's a little blurb from the Chicago Tribune from yesterday talking a bout Wandy's impact so far.
• Pirates a homerun team in general -- It's been much better than trying to scrape runs together.  Overall the offense is just raking more and more.  That is definitely kind of crazy.
• Zoltan -- I doubt that anyone predicted a fictional bubble-wrapped cult leader flashing his hands in a Z symbol would be the "face" of the Pirates in 2012.  Here's the Post-Gazette's explanation.  The overall interest level around town is incredible.  To me that's just about the biggest surprise.  See video below.
• And the Number One most surprising thing ... Me having season tickets!

Whew, that come from behind victory including a 5 for 5 game from Neil Walker was a brief moment of relief in this 11-game home stand.  Maybe it will turn momentum a little bit.  We'll see...

Hopefully Paige, who bought by tickets today, enjoyed today's game!  Here's the boxscore.

Things Fall Apart

It's all over.  It's done.  Tag it and bag it.  Set it and forget it.  Mail it in.  Wrap it up, B.  Period.

Padres Win 11th Straight at PNC Park

The Pirates lose 3 in a row for the first time since June in Baltimore.  This is not good.

Huge Crowd 8-11-2012

Third largest crowd in PNC history tonight!

Follow-up Post

Let's follow up on some issues previously raised in the seasonticketsbaby weblog.

1. The theme of the blog -- Is there a new experience at PNC Park?  Will the Pirates remain competitive until the end of the season?  Was the season ticket purchase worth it?  Yes, yes, and yes, so far.  People are excited all over town; the Pirates continue to impress on the field; and my tickets are great -- really nice seats and easy to re-sell when needed.
2. Roster additions -- Are players like Wandy Rodriguez, Travis Snider, and Starling Marte contributing?  Starling Marte is like a McCutchen clone.  He hits the ball really hard and can fly.  Snider has contributed with the bat as well.  Marte is clearly not a leadoff hitter, and I probably wouldn't call Snider a number 2 hitter, but between the two of them and Neil Walker, they can hold down the 1, 2, and 5 spots in my lineup any day.
3. Starting Pitching -- Who will be the stopper and who will come back to Earth?  Burnett elevates his play (except for tonight) as McDonald struggles.  McDonald is at least having these half-good outings, which is an improvement, but still not verygood.  He'll show you 3 or 4 very sharp innings -- followed by, preceded by, or sandwiched between 2 or 3 awful innings.  So who knows.... Wandy has failed to impress so far.  He hasn't pitched that bad, but just hasn't  pitched particularly well.  He's pitched about as well as Kevin Correia, but the latter seems to end up finding ways to win while Wandy pitches just poorly enough to lose.
4. Cash Money Maker -- Am I able to sell some of my tickets and recover a percentage of the initial cost of the season tickets?  Most definitely.  This has become a popular ticket this summer and I can easily move all my weekend games for more than I paid -- but less than face value.  So far, I've had plenty of friends who want them, and a few that went to craigslist.  All have enjoyed Section 107 Row R.  I've been selling them for less than regular ticket price, but more than I paid for the season ticket price, so it's a deal for both parties.  I just completed an email transfer to Paige for Sunday afternoon's game against the Padres, which was very easy to do.  



The Esseys just posted this picture from my seats tonight!

5. Muhfuckin' Dippin' Dots -- What about the "Bobblehead Factor?"  Since PNC Park opened a decade ago the "Pirate experience" has been all about the side shows, the promotions, the fireworks, and beauty of the ballpark -- not about competitive professional sports.  I do see some of that changing.  Sure, people still go crazy for Bucco Plinko and constantly flow up and down the aisles to go get more hot dogs to stuff in their fat faces -- and that's fine.  I still want moms, children, and grandparents to  be able to go to the games.  I don't want an NFL atmosphere at all.  But I do see more of a focus on the game from most fans.  I see a lot more Pirate flags -- the big ones -- waving in the infield box seats after homeruns.  I see a lot more kids carrying homemade signs than I used to.  That's an important difference -- it shows that the kids are into the winning, into the players, enjoying the Zoltan symbol. 

This was easy

The real outstanding question, though is this -- was the bar set too high by the Pirates success in June and July?  Are too many people thinking playoffs or bust at this point?  There are so many questions.  They're the same questions that plagued me in May and June when I was deciding whether or not to buy the tickets.  A 4 or 5 game losing streak can take you out of a playoff spot in a hurry.  Would people stop wanting my tickets if that happened?  Would I want to stop going to the games?  How far would they have to fall before my interest starts to drift?  There are a lot of things going on around the Burgh in August and September.  Will the Pirates continue to be one of them?

They could start by getting a freaking hit tonight, Jesus!

2012 Season Graph Updated

Leveling off is ok, but are we starting to see a downward trend?  The blue line (games above/below .500) has remained either steady or sloped upward for most, if not all, of the season.  Run differential (the yellow line) was slowly getting worse for the first third of the season.  Then the offense switched on around May 25th and that line started going way up.  But has it peaked?  Will it come down again?  Turn back up?  Or will things just kind of stay level for awhile? What do you think?

Click on the graph to get a closer look.

Lame

The last 18 years of my life flashed before my eyes as James McDonald was allowing seventeen thousand runs in the 5th inning.  At least I caught a ~54 dollar buzz.  For christ's sake, though, 4 beers for 36 dollars, I could pop a couple pills of ecstasy instead, and then even a Pedro Alvarez strike out would feel oh so good!  Hah, sorry, this is my first ever drunken blog post.  Actually, I hate the word "blog," so this is my very first drunken weblog posting -- it's a journal, on the internet...a web...log.   At least the free t-shirt was good tonight. And the offense was huge again.  On a night when Neil Walker and Andrew McCutcheon went a combined 0 for 9, your Buccos still scored 9 runs.  And for all the ladies in SeasonTicketsBaby.com land, Jalapeño Hannah won the pierogi race, giving her 13 wins for the year, tied for first. Anyway, no more games for me this weekend, tickets sold for Saturday and Sunday. Time to start winning again!  I'll be back on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Regardless, I had a great time and it was an entertaining game!  And Juliet found her missing wallet, so that's a win.

Season Tickets Baby, Update

SeasonTicketsBaby.com update: Currently enjoying the Pirates' longest homestand of the season, 11 games against three Western Division opponents:

This free shirt Friday's a winner!

• Monday - I had exchanged this pair for 2 extras on the last homestand 
• Tuesday - Went to this game 
• Wednesday - Went again 
• Thursday - Sold to friend 
• Friday - Going tonight (free shirt Friday)
• Saturday (Styx + Zambelli) - Sold, thank God
• Sunday - Sold
• Monday - Going
• Tuesday - Going
• Wednesday - Going
• Thursday - Sold

So I will be using 7 out of 11 (6 attended, 1 exchanged) and selling the other 4 games.  Perfect!

Notes:

Aisle Seats - I definitely appreciate having the aisle seats.  I can dart right up for a nine dollar Magic Hat or Sam Adams Summer Ale during the Pierogi race 'n'at.  But, man, the flow of fans, especially at crowded games, can get annoying.  Having the aisle to my left means that anyone going up or down during an inning will walk directly between me and the field of play.  It's not just a problem of the aisle seat, though.  These in-game snackers, late arrivals, and stupid girls who just can't find their friends, are getting in everyone's way.  It's actually kind of fun when the inevitable berating begins.

This one girl stood on one step in the aisle, during the inning, looking both left and right (which are two totally different sections) for her friends.  She scoured every row.  Meanwhile there have been like six pitches thrown already.  (Yes, I'm switching verb tenses.) So she pulls out her phone, while still standing on the step, to call her friends to help her find the seats.  Normally the usher -- my regular guy is great, by the way -- would deal with this problem immediately, but he was occupied.  So she's holding her nachos in one hand and pink phone in the other hand, standing one step in front of my row. Finally people start hootin' and hollerin', and she turns around, disgusted at us, and says, "I'm trying to find my seats."  Oh we know you can't find your seats. That's the freakin' problem!  I'll try to snap some pictures of the most egregious offenders.  I have to give the ushers credit, though, for doing their best to address this problem...

Beers - Most games I tell myself I just won't have any beer because it's just so damn expensive.  I try to decide ahead of time -- I'm either all in or all out.  By "all in," I mean that if I am going to have a beer or two, I'm not going to let the price stop me.  So unless I'm prepared to buy two or three, I'll plan on just not drinking any.  Now, outside the stadium, on the Clemente Bridge side, outside of Atria's restaurant, you can get 3$ cans with weeknight 2$ specials.  So you can get 4 of these Straub cans outside for the same price as a Miller Light pounder inside. I'm wondering if I can just grab a couple of those cans at game time and shove them in my pockets.  It's not like they strip search you on the way in.  The other idea is just a soft pack cooler with a small false bottom -- and I could lay 4 beer cans along the bottom.

What do you think?

Sloppy Game, But a Win

Boy that was an ugly game, rife with errors, poor baserunning, moderate rain, player ejections -- and a bunch of homeruns by the Pirates, which is to be expected these days.  Neil Walker is legit. He leads all NL secondbasemen in offensive WAR (wins above replacement), which means he is the best hitter in the league at his position.  Robinson Cano is the only AL second basemen with a better oWAR.

If I felt like doing the research right now, I would investigate the following question: What infielder/outfielder duo from the same team has the highest WAR and oWAR?  Austin Jackson & Miguel Cabrera?  Melky Cabrera & Buster Posey?  Walker & McCutcheon have got to be right there near the top.  And that's a second baseman and a centerfielder, two guys who can also flash a little leather -- not a pair of sluggers at first base and right field striking out 150 times and costing 15 million dollars a year.

Think about this. McCutcheon is only 25; Walker 26. Pedro Alvarez is 24 and Starling Marte just 23.  Imagine those four guys playing out the primes of their careers over the next five to seven years at PNC Park, hitting 2 through 5 in the lineup.  That's legit.

Less than 20 games remaining to break the losing streak... 

Also, why doesn't Clint Hurdle pinch hit sooner for his starting pitchers?  Didn't Correia hit for himself tonight and then get replaced the next inning?  He hit in the bottom of the 6th and then didn't come out to pitch in the 7th, right?  Why wouldn't they send up Barmes to hit and double switch him with Mercer?  Because Clint Hurdle knew ol' number 69 was going to hit his first ever major league homer?  I doubt it.  Just because the bench was a player down with the demotion of Presley?  I guess...

Slip Slip Slidin or Playoff Bound?

Remember this play last year?  The end of the 19-inning game against the Braves, the longest game in either franchise's history, that ended on a blown call by the home plate umpire?  It was a loss that many associate with (or even blame for) the start of the Pirates' miserable collapse last year.  The collapse that began with 10 straight losses.


The 2012 Pirates, on the other, have been completely resilient -- so far.  They bounced back after a 3-game sweep in Baltimore to start a long stretch of interleague play in June.  A.J. Burnett has emerged as a true Stopper, ending 4 2-game losing streaks, and preventing several others. Andrew McCutcheon is still hitting .370 and it's August.

But are people still expecting a collapse?  Maybe "expect" is too strong of a word.  Do people fear a collapse?  I think many fans are wary.  Maybe "collapse" is also too strong of a word.  No one thinks Andrew McCutcheon is going to hit .216 the rest of the way, or that they will compile a .286 winning percentage over the last 2 months.

But do fans think it's more likely that they will win 83 games and fall out of contention -- or win 93 games and compete for the division?

Do fans expect to see a .500 team the rest of the way -- which is about what they've been over the last 2 weeks or so -- or a .600 team that truly contends for the division title?

Or are people trying not to expect anything at all, and just enjoy the moment?

As I mentioned almost a month ago in this blog's second post, I thought the Pirates had 2 goals for the second half: first, a winning season, second, to make the playoffs.  But really it's more complicated now.  Winning 82 games is almost a lock, so playoffs is the focus.  As Seasonticketsbaby.com reader Brian Knudsen pointed out, if you do make the playoffs, you don't want to find yourself in a 1 game winner take all wild card game.  Sure, as a Pirate fan I would take what basically amounts to a one game play-in match, but that's a scary proposition.  So let's look at all the possibilities.

The lowest accomplishment the Pirates could have this year is just having a winning season.

The next rung up would be winning the second wild card and earning a 1 game playoff on the road.

If you do make the playoffs as wild card, though, getting the first wild card and earning a home game could be a huge advantage.  With the Pirates record at home this year, and the way some of their pitchers have performed at PNC Park, I would be excited at the proposition of a one game playoff at home.  So that first wild card is a real step up from the second wild card.

The ultimate regular season goal of course would be a division championship.  I still think that is well within the realm of possibility.  The Pirates have a fairly deep roster now with the moves they've made -- although some would say losing Brad Lincoln is a major strike against the pitching staff, and the Reds could be the best team in the National League or all of baseball.

So what am I really saying in this post?  I'm just kind of waffling around all the different possibilities -- of which there are many.  I guess the point is this:

1.  The Pirates have been resilient to every obstacle they've faced so far this year

2.  That's not guaranteed to continue and some people remain skeptical -- that's reasonable

3.  I guess my goal as a season ticket holder for the second half is to see meaningful, competitive games as far into September as possible.  So far, there's no reason to believe that isn't happening.

When I previewed the second half schedule and made some predictions, I figured the Pirates to win about 87 games, so that's where I will hold my prediction for right now.