Pirates All the Rage

Media outlets all over the information superhighway have focused their spotlights on your Pittsburgh Pirates this week, as they enter September in first place, poised to make the playoffs after 20 losing seasons. Take a look at some of the articles:

• The Sporting News has a great photo gallery called "Pirates Lowlights: Two Decades of Frustration Come to an End"
• Yahoo Sports says "Determined Pirates Press on After Ending 'Streak'"
• Andrew Mccutchen lands on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Yikes.
• Let's hope he doesn't land on the disabled list now, CBS Sports warns. 
• Bleacher Report posted a nice blurb.
• This Sports Illustrated article chronicles 20 of the worst moments over the last two decades.
• USA Today ran a great Marlon Byrd article.
• ForTheWin called the Pirates yesterday's "big winner."
• ESPN's E:60 has aired an Andrew Mccutchen episode.

Dawn of a New Era

I want Pennant Races
NOT Pierogi Races!!

The future of Pirates baseball has officially arrived. Now, technically speaking, even though they reached 81 wins, they could end up 81-82 by finishing the season in a tie for the final Wild Card spot and then lose the 1 game playoff, thus perpetuating the all time world record of futility and general suckiness for another year. But that won't happen.

Well on their way to their first winning season since 1992, your Pixburgh Pirates find themselves not only sitting on 81 wins, but sitting atop the NL Central, 2 games ahead of the Red Birds and three and a half in front of the Red Legs.

Two years ago I bought a 10 game package in July/August, hoping to usher in the new era of Pirates baseball. Last year when they strode into the all-star break like a Clydesdale I bought a prorated full season ticket package for the remaining 40+ home games -- poised, I thought, to finally welcome winning to PNC Park for the first time ... ever. But, as you all know too well, they fell straight in the pooper.

But as the win totals climbed from 55 to 72 to 79 over those years, this franchise started to taste success. Now, they hadn't devoured it. They didn't even really bite into it. Even to say they tasted success takes a stretch of the imagination. Let's say they licked it. After licking success during 2012 (and subsequently vomiting all over themselves), they've finally come all the way around to getting a full taste this year. The Pirates, the Pittsburgh Pirates, have ended their 20 season losing streak and all but guaranteed at least a wild card playoff appearance, leading the division by 2 and the wild card by a stout 11 games.

By the end of the week I will have ponied up over $2,000 to secure my playoff seats for 10 potential home playoff games. Right now they still have 11 home games left in the regular season, and I probably plan to attend all of them. Why not, right? Yes, maybe even the 2 remaining SkyBlast and Fireworks games. The countdown to 81 has ended, and by the time the Bucs return for their final homestand of 2013, they will have officially secured their first winning season in over 20 years. Now begins the countdown to the playoffs. And perhaps -- gasp -- the countdown to November...