Number of Wins Needed to End the Losing Streak

Previewing 2 Second Half Goals

The second half of the Pirates season opens tonight in Milwaukee. Let's take a look at just what it would take to reach two specific goals:

Will the streak end?

       1) to have a winning season
       2) to make the playoffs (Playoffs?!?).

The Pirates record currently sits at 48-37. For a completely average 81-81 record they would only need to win 33 of their remaining 77 games. That's it. They could win 34 and lose 43 -- have a losing record in the second half -- and still have a winning season overall. Still end the 19 year streak of losing. The longest such streak in pro sports history. That's a number we'll want to keep in mind -- 34 more wins.

What about making the playoffs? (I repeat, Playoffs?!?) This year an extra team gets in. A fifth team in each league! The second Wild Card. Now the two wild card teams square off in a one game playoff for the right to enter the "regular" playoffs with the 3 division winners. It could take 92 or more wins to win the Central Division, but what about one of these wild card spots? Over the past few years the 5th best team in the NL has had about 88 or 89 wins. 88 wins has you knocking on the door of the playoffs. That means the Pirates only need about 40 the rest of the way. Say this with me, They can go 40-37 in their remaining 77 games and have a great chance to make the playoffs.

Zoltan

So I do think they have a reasonable chance at reaching one or even both of these goals. Even if they end up somewhere between 81 and 90 total wins but don't make the playoffs, they will at least have stayed competitive till nearly the end of the season. That's what really matters -- at least at first, at least for now, at least for someone who bought season tickets and wants to see 38 meaningful baseball games. Staying relevant through an entire 162 game baseball season would be a remarkable feat for the Pittsburgh Pirates.  Relevance into mid-September would validate my season ticket purchase.

I'm going to define relevant as being within 3 or even 4 games of a playoff spot.  The entire demeanor at PNC Park changes when the Pirates are relevant.  The air feels different.  The chatter sounds different. The Pirates have a chance to play meaningful baseball in September, and if they do, that ballpark will be alive.  That possibility is still two months away, but that possibility is what I'm paying for.  I've given my money over to Zoltan. You should do the same.

These guys believe. Do you?  Comment below!

Season Tickets for the rest of 2012!

Outfield Box, Section 107, Row R, on the aisle

My heart skipped 19 beats -- one for each year of losing -- as I gave my credit card number to Kevin, my Pirates rep dahn at PNC Park. ...Four Four Three Oh... Was I really ready to buy the second half full ticket plan? ...Seven Nine Three Three... 38 Pirate games? ...Six Six Eight One... This was my chance to hang up. Get ready for Steelers training camp. Maybe watch golf. ...Expiration date? ...Three digit security code?

It was done.

Congratulations, Joe...

Oh my God.

We're excited to have you on board for the second half...

Fucking A. Bob Nutting now has my entertainment dollar. A whole lot of my entertainment dollars. I was ready.

I bought in with a 10-game package last year during July, the one successful month of Pirates baseball. It was fun. It was crowded. It was loud. It was Joel Hanrahan saving meaningful games. It was... Major League Baseball. And it mattered (for a month). Ephemeral, yes. And August and September were extremely enervating. Nevertheless, Pirate fans had a taste, and it tasted good.

When you're a kid, your goal is to play in the major leagues. When you're an adult, your goal is to watch the major leagues. But I moved to Pittsburgh in 1996 and there hasn't been real major league baseball here since the Great Barry Bonds roamed left field. I'm not sure if I would call it a plan, or a goal, but I've always wanted to be a season ticket holder for a winning baseball team. But when? Wait until the Pirates start winning and then get on board the next season? No, that would risk missing a magical first winning season. What if it was a 95 win playoff team that came out of nowhere? So maybe try to anticipate a winning season and get on the bandwagon at the beginning? But that wouldn't make sense with the Pirates. You'd risk buying a full season plan for another 65 win season, year after year (after decade).

Phenomenal View of the infield at an outfield price!

For the first half of the 2012 major league baseball season the decision to buy Pirates season tickets weighed heavily on my mind. I'm way (waaaay) over going to PNC Park just to eat footlongs and Boooo as loud as possible. That's only fun when the tickets are free and you only go twice a year. And if you don't care about seeing competitive professional sports.

But I do, and last year, for those 2 weeks in July, that's what I saw. Competitive, professional, sports. So I was ready. I had my entertainment dollars lined up to hand over to Bob Nutting. But was he ready? Are the Pirates ready?

That's the question this blog hopes to answer over the next 3 months. Is there a Brand New Bucco Experience at PNC Park? I'm the next generation of season ticket holders, so I'm about to find out...