After their victory today in Houston, your 2011 Pittsburgh Pirates sit exactly 1/2 game out of 1st Place in the NL Central. For that reason, July 17 2011 is an important day.
The other reason? Once pumpkin hour hits tonight, the Bucs and GM Neal "The Real Deal" Huntington will have 14 days to do whatever it takes to WIN this division and land in the NLDS.
That's right folks, WIN. Not make .500, not "remain competitive" or its retard cousin "remain relevant". These Pirates are in this to win this. In the infamous words of Lou Brown in "Major League" - "It's all coming together Charlie!".
The team has exceeded all expectations to this point, and Clint Hurdle has gone from a manager given a shot to reclaim his career in baseball purgatory, to a Manager of a team in a pennant race. The fans have noticed, witness the 9 sell-outs at PNC Park this past month. Notice the continued attendance figures over 25,000 for each and every home game. The city has noticed. Pirates gear is flying off the shelves everywhere in the tri-state area. The Players are noticing it, excitement in the locker room is at an all time high.
Pittsburgh has become - ONCE AGAIN - a Baseball Town. How about a history lesson for you newbies?
In 1969, Chuck Noll inherited a job as Head Coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers. The job he took had been recently laughed at by Joe Paterno, the man Art Rooney originally wanted. In 1969, Noll inherited a roster that was full of nobodies - and Rocky Blier, Andy Russell, and Roy Jefferson. Pittsburgh WAS NOT a football town. It was a 110% Baseball town, and for good reason.
The Steelers were the laughingstock of professional sports until Noll took over. His amazing drafting and talent evaluation created one of the most powerful sports dynasties in history. He personally changed a baseball town into a football crazed city that lives on today 3 generations later.
Chuck Noll being hired as Steelers head coach was the crowning moment of that change.
2011 is the crowning moment in the metamorphosis of Pittsburgh into a dominate professional sports town in both football and baseball. The Pirates have arrived, set anchor on the North Side, and don't plan on leaving again for a looooong time.
Now, in the grand tradition of Art Rooney and Chuck Noll, Neal Huntington and Clint Hurdle stand at the doors of Steel City Immortality. If these 2 men can bring the Pittsburgh Pirates to a playoff berth, they will have essentially dug up the corpse that was Pirates baseball, and played a "Frankenstein" like rebuild of the longest downtrodden franchise in professional sports.
The date of July 31 2011 will determine whether or not we are at that point. Will the Pirates put their history behind them, and go all in for 2011? Will Neal pull off a deal to secure the help this team needs to fend off the Brewers and Cardinals and Reds in the NL Central?
Carlos Pena, Carlos Beltran, Jose Reyes, Aramis Ramirez......these are names that are out there amongst many. All would fill a major hole in the Pirates lineup and all would bridge the gap between the Bucs and the talent of the other teams in the division. Will the Pirates pull the trigger on a deal? Will they pull the trigger on a variety of deals, perhaps boosting the bullpen or the bench as well? Will they allow Paul Maholm to finish what he started in the Black and Gold?
Whatever happens over the next 14 days will define the Pittsburgh Pirates for decades to come. In Baseball, you win when you CAN. You play for tomorrow until tomorrow ARRIVES.
Tomorrow has arrived for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Just as in 1969, when the Pittsburgh Steelers were a sub-note in the annuals of Pittsburgh sports, just as Chuck Noll and Art Rooney turned that around and created a team that defined a city. In 2011, the Pirates are staring down the barrel of THEIR 1969.
The loyal fanbase of this franchise has lived these past 18 years with the team. Will this be the year that we see Pittsburgh become more than a great "football town"?
14 days for the next 18 years.
14 days for TODAY.
Let's Go Bucs!
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