The Bucs Are Back

What I looked like the last time the Bucs were winners.

Raise the Jolly Rodger!  It's over.  The Pirates will have a winning season.  Finally!  

The evening of October 14, 1992 still torments me.  Being a baseball obsessed 13-year old boy, I tried everything I could conceive of to convince my mom to let me stay up for the entire NLCS Game 7.   It didn't work and I was sent to bed with the Pirates leading the Braves 2-0.  Thoughts of seeing a Bucco World Series appearance danced in my head and there was no way I could sleep.  When the coast was clear I turned the television back on and watched in horror as the series collapsed.  I cried myself to sleep.

I never imagined that the next 21 years the Pirates would be so crappy.  One losing season after another.  In those two decades since the Bucs had a winning season I graduated high school and college, got married, moved out of PA and traveled around the world twice. Throughout the past 21 years I've remained optimistic every year.  At least until around June when the Pirates ship would start slowly sinking into the depths of another losing season.  I'd receive text messages on my phone informing me of yet another lose and yet another season where my favorite team would be the laughingstock of the baseball world.  

During these bleak times I've never abandoned the team.  I could have jumped on the Red Sox or Yankees bandwagon, Lord knows the Pirates traded enough of their talent to both teams over the years every trading deadline.  I never stopped wearing my Pirates gear.  Never stopped going to the games when I lived in Pittsburgh to see a horrible team play in a beautiful cathedral.  I never stopped root, root, rooting for my hometeam. 

Perhaps the most amazing thing about this streak ending is how it is happening.  I've always envisioned the Bucs would end the streak with a victory on the last day of the season and everyone would celebrate inside PNC Park.  Fortunately that is not the case.  This team is striving for way more than that and hopefully will break another streak that has been going the entire time I've been alive; 34 years since the last World Series title.

Let's Go BUCS!  

 

Barking in the Park

There are moments in life that I wish would last forever.  Last night, sitting in the outfield bleachers on a gorgeous summer evening with my wife and my dog watching a minor league baseball game was surely one of those moments. 

Anytime Kelly and I go out and leave Libby home alone I always feel a little guilty.  So whenever there is an opportunity to take her with us we take advantage of it and the Durham Bulls Bark in the Park event last night was just a spectacular time. 

Bark in the Park night is becoming an increasingly popular event at baseball stadiums throughout the country, both in the major and minor leagues.  If you love dogs and baseball like I do it's about as good as it gets.  The pooches are kept in the outfield section and there were dogs of all sizes and breeds in attendance, some even sitting in the actual seats with their companions.  It was especially entertaining when the PA announcer called for the crowd to get loud and cheer on the Bulls and the dogs joined in the cheering by barking their support.  

Libby had a great time meeting all the new four-legged friends and scavenging  the ground for any peanut shells or spilled nachos that were to be found.  I enjoyed being hit in the head by the tail of a friend pup sitting behind me as he wagged on with joy. 

The announced canine crowd was estimated to be around 500 and proved so successful that the Bulls are now going to be hosting a third Bark in the Park night this season on August 7th. We will be there one again I'm sure.

Believe'n Go!

Fall is in full swing and along with the changing leaves and crisp nights comes the baseball playoffs.  Seeing the crowds bundled up on a cool night reminds me of the baseball game I went to when I visited Kobe in 2006.

The moment I found out I was going to Japan there was only one thing on my bucket list of things to do: go to a baseball game.  We were lucky that the local Kobe team, the Orix Buffaloes, were playing that week against the Seibu Lions.  The experience was everything I hoped it would be.

We took the subway from the ship to the ballpark on a cool April afternoon.  It was funny that the first song we heard when we emerged from the subway was Journey's "Don't Stop Believing."  It turns out the Buffaloes were using that as their fight song that season and the gameday giveaway was a small flag with the slogan on it.

In a ironic twist, the two starting pitchers for our game were both American players.   Tom Davey started for the Buffaloes and Alex Graman for Seibu. The game turned out to be quite an entertaining affair.  It was very interesting to see how the cultural aspects of the game were different from seeing a game in the U.S.  And the actual game itself was very suspenseful and exciting.  It was a back and forth affair with the home team Buffaloes delivering a two-run go-ahead single in the bottom of the 12th inning to secure the win.

Not only were we treated to a great game but it was the crowd and the differences in the game that I found most entertaining.  The Japanese fans had their noise makers and chants, similar to American fans, but they also brought small balloons that each fan blew up and released into the air creating a sea of balloons whirling through the sky then falling back to the crowd.  There was also a two minute firework display after the sixth inning which was very odd since they went back to playing right after.  I have no idea if that is a normal thing or something that was unique to the game we attended but it was impressive.

Sadly when we return to Japan next year we won't be going during baseball season but I am very happy that we had the opportunity to see a game and experience America's pasttime with a Japanese flair.

The Buffaloes mascot  Ripsea #222, a young girl and Neppie #111, a young boy.

Japanese fans preparing to release their balloons.

The flame cannon that was shot off after a home run.