Smart Food

In conjunction with the Pirates food and beverage / gate policy I've decided to bring my own snacks tonight. Usually I don't buy a lot of food at the park. I love getting the crab fries, but they cost 10 bucks, and you can't get a "small." I love Primanti's, but I'd rather save that for a night out drinking in the South Side rather than outside at the park on a steamy August evening. And for something like a hot dog or burger, it just pains me to pay ballpark prices for mediocre (at best) food. A lot of times I grab a slice of pizza on the way home, after crossing the Clemente bridge into downtown. (Two fifty for a big slice! Great deal, but I have to wait till after the game)

After suffering through a free hot dog last week, I figured why not just grill my own Hebrew National all beef frank before the game tonight? So I had a grilled hot dog with steamed veggies (broccoli and carrots from my garden), and I brought peanuts, cajun sesame sticks, and red grapes with me. 

All Aboard the Pirate Ship?

As you may know, last year (2012) I bought season tickets for the second half after the Pirates showed they could compete. This blog -- Season Tickets, Baby -- documents a new, changing experience at PNC, a shift in perspective. It hopes to follow a fan base refocusing -- from fireworks and free t-shirts to pennant races and trade acquisitions; from dippin' dots to developing prospects.

I felt satisfied with my purchase last year. I got about a month and a half of good, meaningful games, and I sold enough tickets to make back most of my original cost. But the late season collapse (twice) -- coupled with increased ticket prices this year (seriously?) -- left me convinced I shouldn't re-up my package. My thinking leveled out over the off season, feeling good about Russell Martin, a full year of Wandy, etc, but still didn't think it wise to purchase a package at the beginning of the new year. Why not wait again like last year and see if they demonstrate the ability to compete at a high level consistently?

Now ticket prices have settled down a little bit. No, I'll never get outfield box seats for 12$ a ticket again -- tremendous deal last year -- but it came down from 24$ to 21$. Last year I bought the remaining 45 games -- every home game left -- but right now the full season prorated package only gives you 30 games. I don't know why they don't give the full package, but I actually like it better this way, given the price increase. In other words, I can pay closer to the same overall price, and just get two thirds as many games -- rather than getting the same number of games at a significantly higher cost.

Approaching the midway point this year it sure looks like the Buccos will stay in it. (All of the "Are the Pirates for real this year?" talk started in May, and the team has only improved since.) Of course, it looked that way last year, didn't it? But you can see the obvious differences in this year's team: Russell Martin and Starling Marte; a legitimately powerful Pedro; lock-down, playoff caliber bullpen; an incredibly deep starting rotation; and Andrew McCutchen hasn't fully heated up yet.

The Pirates, on June 28, 2013, reached first place in the NL Central, passing the Cardinals for the best record in all of Major League Baseball, nearing the halfway point in the season. That certainly bodes well. Ruhl well, as we say in the 'Burgh.

Let me consider a few reasons not to buy, though. One, if Tricia starts grad school in the Fall she probably won't attend games with me in September :-(. Two, the Pirates pitching can not sustain this level of run prevention. Three, it's the freakin' Pirates. Three solid reasons, to be sure, but not enough to make the risk outweigh the reward at this point...Let's buy! I think. What do you think?

Love the Pirates Hot Start!

Now, you have to admit, the voyage on the Titanic started off great, with people mingling and drinking hot toddies. Obviously we know how it ended: icy cold, face down, ass up. So, while I love the Buccos' great opening month of April, let's not raise the Jolly Roger so far up our own ass that we can't see the big picture.

All signs look good, though. Well not all. They started the season a miserable 1-5 with absolutely no hitting. And even during the recent 12-4 stretch we've seen some awful starting pitching. But, 1) I'm exaggerating the negatives, and, 2) the positives far outweigh these negatives ... so far.

As you know from last year, the decision of whether or not to buy a season ticket package weighed heavily on my mind during the first half of the season -- until finally I gave myself the go ahead around the midway point. I decided before the season started this year, based on two factors, that I would have to play wait-and-see again before even considering buying in. If you combine the terrible, miserable, awful garbage baseball to which the Pirates reverted in August/September 2012 with the franchise's decision to significantly raise ticket prices this year, you can see why. 

Let me sum up the ticket price increase the following way: for the exact same seats that I had last year it would cost me twice as much (per ticket) to get the same package this year. Last year I got a pro-rated full season ticket package in July, for all the remaining home games, at 12$ per ticket, for tickets whose face value was 24$ (lower outfield box seats near first base). That turned out to be an absolutely great deal! Going into this year, for the exact same tickets, they would have cost 24$ per ticket after the discount! In other words, this year's discounted price (for the full season package) has the tickets priced the same as last year's face value price. Doesn't that seem insane when you put that way??? 

I guess it just shows how great a deal I got last year. Speaking of last year, that reminds me (and here's a warning: this post is about to take a turn). Fucking A, that was the year for god's sake, ugh!!! Losers!! Sixteen games over .500 with 2 months to play ... the worst collapse in baseball history?!? Twenty consecutive years of losing -- the longest such stretch in modern professional team sports history ... first, you totally blow the season, and then you go and jack up the prices?! 

This post started in a positive way ... and it concludes with the following sentiment ... It's Riverhounds time!!! Let's just hope there isn't yet another blog in my future.