Originally posted by grotty:
I'm shocked & impressed that you know that much about the lowly Pirates.
My dad and grandfather (moms side) are both from Pittsburgh, and despite the fact that I was born in Anaheim, I was raised a Pirates fan and have deep appreciation for the Pirates and the Angels. It made for some pretty harsh memories of baseball in the 80's and 90's. Hendu and Francisco Cabrera still bring me to tears. My two first sports memories are game 6 of the 79 world series (with apologies to the O's fans) and the 80 Superbowl in LA. The Steelers are the only football team for me.
Andy Van Slyke is half of the vansmack nickname I aquired as a kid - you can guess where the smack part comes from...
Anyhow, I buy the MLB package every year just so that I can watch the Pirates and the Angels despite never living in Pittsburgh and having left Anaheim nearly a decade ago. Two teams that always seem to play hard despite being subjected to baseball's disparity problems (until this year of course) were always worth my dollars.
You could make an all-star team out of former Pirates that they couldn't afford to keep. Kip Wells and Kris Benson (bless you venerable for that - I had never seen it) will likley be dealt before the trade deadline, but the offense looks the best its been in years. Craig Wilson, Jack Wilson, Rob Mackowiak, and Jason Bay are putting up all-star numbers. I thought Daryle Ward and Jose Mesa were washed up? And Oliver Perez is downright nasty. Please deal Kendall and resign Wells, that's all I ask....
