Pirates pitcher Jim Rooker was victimized by a Bert Blyleven prank involving a pig’s head before Game 6 of the 1979 World Series. Blyleven bought the pig head at a nearby meat market.(AP)

1984-1985 - Mario Lemieux Poster Commercial

Andrew McCutchen vs. Deion Sanders

CSC TV-5 1983 Pirates Special (Part 1)

CSC TV-5 1983 Pirates Special (Part 2)

CSC TV-5 1983 Pirates Special (Part 3)

First World Series night game 1971 Baltimore Orioles Pittsburgh Pirates ...

WPMT Fox 43 - Pirates vs. Expos commercial - July 1990

NATV: Mike "Spanky" LaValliere - Athlete of the Week

Heyward runs over Miami

No Mas Presents: Dock Ellis & The LSD No-No by James Blagden

MLB - 1979 Pittsburgh at Atlanta (Part 2)

MLB - 1979 Pittsburgh at Atlanta (Part 1)

Pittsburgh Pirates Manny Sanguillen gets inducted into the Latin America...

Pittsburgh Penguins victory parade cost city $73K

Champs AND Frugal: (link)

Handsome boy modeling school

Pens make there pick

RIP

From Our Dumb Century

Hope (part 1)

(Tony Farlow/MiLB.com)

Calvin Anderson of our A ball WV Power, puts on a show at the Sally all star game

HR Derby Video

Walk off hit

How do I loath thee

Down 5-0, Bucs score 4 in the ninth, get bases loaded, full count, tying run 90 feet away......

do I need to finish?

Sano sweepstakes turning strange

From the Fanhouse:

MLB looking into Sano, "including doing a DNA test to prove that he is related to the woman assumed to be his mother due to allegations from the Twins that Melania Jean Sano had a child that died at birth that Sano may be impersonating in an attempt to appear younger."

Weird

Franco kin rushing to mayoral pick

From the Pittsburgh Business Times

Pirates Want Everyone In Pittsburgh To Stop Staring At Them

Via the Onion

Scheming Developer dupes Pens Champ

the good name of Real estate development takes a hit today:

Gonchar ensnared in scam

Real estate tycoon dupes 19 players

reads the headline in today's Post Gazette, the money was used "on gratuitous parties that were attended by former New York Yankees stars Roger Clemens and Reggie Jackson, according to a lawsuit."

Jesus, if your money isn't safe in Mexican Golf Resort Development,
where is it?

Orioles - Red Sox tomorrow

We're heading to Camden Yards tomorrow, hopefully to see Manny's magical 500th home run

game used Van Slyke jersey on ebay!

from 1994, so it has the all star game emblem.

3-0 and in 1st

Who knows when I'll be able to say that again, so I'll take this chance to gloat..The bucs are in first place after 3 games.

Gorzo was OK, so was the defense..and the offense was well, OK as well..we won largely due to terrible D by the Stros..but no one will remember at the end of the year, and i'll take the W.

In other news, the Pirates can no longer use the express checkout lane at Dr. Andrews office as they've sent there, christ who knows...5th-6th pitcher to him for Tommy John surgery..Good Luck to Brad Lincoln on his rehab.

The X Man Cometh

A big Huzzah to Xavier Nady for carrying the Bucs in the clutch the past 2 nights.

Last night he jacks one early and bloop singles the winning run in the 8th..my preseason prediction on honest wagner that he would finish the season with single digits in homers is looking brillant.

Bucs are sitting at 2-0..Gorzo on the mound tonight and hopefully he can rebound from his, "I gave up beer for lent" shitty spring training

I take it all back..

Is that what I have to do? Bitch about the Bucs so they can ultimately come back to win in the most improbable of ways? fine, so be it...

Bucs win off of Mclouth, Nady and Bay homers in the 8th, 9th and 10th

The Bitterness Returns

A big thank you to MLB.com for allowing me to watch every Goddamn Pirates game once again this year.

Bucs-Astros..We never win in Enron\Haliburton\Minute Maid field so I shouldn't get all worked up, right?

That of course won't happen and I've cursed Jason Bay's name three times so far in the past 80 minutes.

And it seems like every other opening day for the Bucs except the Reggie Sanders year..we cannot hit. Period. A weak tit lineup.

DSL went down!

my DSL connection went down, so no posts for awhile. The guy said it was due to "corroded cable connectors".....Sure, works for me.

to make up, I'll try to think of some great in depth analysis of DL's trades without using the words "plunder" or "embarrassment".

I'm actually in the minority in that I like Shawn Chacon, I've watched him come up as a Rockie and think he can be a good starter. Nonetheless, I'll miss Big Craig Wilson.

Today, Duke and Prior on the hill as the Bucs go for three in a row

Wilver Dornel preparing endorsement for Pa Governors race

Wilver Dornel, up and coming Pirates blog with, literally, 10's of visits per month, is preparing it's endorsement for the Governor of Pennsylvania.

The stipulation: Said endorsee must cause as much public outrage over the Pittsburgh Pirates ownership groups' lack of attempts to stay competitive in it's marketplace, despite the taxpayers of Pennsylvania's attempts at accomodating ownership with the means to become viable with its' product.

Whomever meets the stipulation by September 1st to it's fullest interpretation will receive the FULL endorsement of Wilver Dornel.

Swannie, it looks as though you're a little behind in the polls. I suggest you get on it; you could use a Willie Horton (right)

IrateFans to Attend Monday’s Live Broadcast

From IrateFans.com:

Members of the grassroots movement IrateFans will be in attendance when ESPN Radio’s nationally syndicated “Mike and Mike in the Morning” show broadcasts live from Pittsburgh’s SoHo restaurant from 6 to 10 a.m. Monday, July 10, 2006. Hosts Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic will broadcast from the restaurant, located on Federal Street across the street from PNC Park, as part of Major League Baseball’s 2006 All Star Game festivities.

“There’s no better time to draw attention to the plight of the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball fan than in the next few days, when hundreds of the world’s leading baseball reporters gather in Pittsburgh to cover the All Star Game and its related events,” said event coordinator and media contact Ed Costello.

IrateFans is calling for the team’s current ownership group to make an honest effort to field a winning team or, failing that, to sell the team as soon as it feasibly can. The group believes that nothing less than an authentic commitment to winning baseball would serve to repay the team’s fans, the citizens of the region and of the state for everything they have done for Kevin McClatchy and his partners.

More than 400 people have already purchased IrateFans tee shirts. Additionally, the IrateFans web site (www.iratefans.com) has received more than 22,000 site visits since it was launched a little more than a month ago.

Bucs win a one run game!

HiYoooo! Pirates win 3-2 against the Phillies. Bucs score on a Bay double and a couple sac flies with Gonzo coming in to slam the door in one of his more impressive outings. Snell picks up his 8th W of the season. It was also nice to hear Harry Kalas (right)do the play by play. Takes me back to my youth listenin to him and Richie Ashburn; fond memories, except when he called Mike S(sc)H(m)I(d)T's 500th HR, which happened to be a Walk off Grand Slam against, I believe, Larry McWilliams and our beloved bucs.

Bucs lose, lose lose, lose....

I've been on vacation..but not much has changed. Jose Castillo apparently loafed to 1st on an 8th inning ending double play that would have scored the tying run a few days back. other than that, same old shit. All Star break approaching, which will fire up the rumors of whether the team will firesale afterward or sell the team or both

We're almost at that time of year..

For the annual Pirate firesale. I'm hoping for more Jeff Suppan kinda deals and less Jason Schmidt trades. on the Radar:

1) Craig Wilson
2) Kip Wells
3) Jeromy Burnitz
4) Joe Randa
5) Roberto Hernandez
6) Sean Casey

Casey's a long shot but I'd be stunned if the top five are around in August

13 and counting..

Bucs lose in typical fashion: by A) losing by one, B) blowing a lead and C) making it interesting in the 9th before pissing it away.

Freddy goes 3-5 with a triple in his usual stellar performance

A new team record

With the 4-2 loss tonight, the bucs tie the team record with it's 12th loss in a row. The sox made it interesting with some baserunning lapses, otherwise this one coulda been 10-2. As far as I see, we're one loss closer to getting our awful manager canned.

What could have been...

On the day that Jim Tracy leads the Bucs to there 50th loss, the man also in the mix for the Pirates job lead his squad to there 50th WIN. Congrats Jim

10 straight for the home team!

That's right, our first 10 game losing streak in almost 4 Decades after another 7-0 drubbing to Tracys former employers. The latest loss puts us at the 50 L mark for the season which projects to the 3rd worst in Franchise history, behind the 1890 Pittsburg Alleghenies who went 23-113, and the 1952 Pirates 42-112.

Today Kip Wells v Brad Penny. the last 11 game losing streak? 1955

It gets worse as the Chicago White Sox and Detroit Tigers bring there beatin sticks into PNC over the next week and with a manager who loves to firmly place blame on his players while taking credit when things go right, morale has to be buried deep in the Ol Bucs outhouse

Jose Deleon Watch

Ollie Perez goes for loss # 10 tomorrow, putting him on pace to surpass an infamous Pirate mark; Jose Deleon's 19 loss season in the mid 80's.

Go Get em Ollie!

Bucs swept by the Royals

not much to add to that headline. 8 straight losses and I think the worst of the pirates teams the past 13 years. This is a true embarrasment and makes me pine for steelers training camp

Pat Meares

The wounds must have healed a bit too well for the bucs front office from the Pat Meares extension. You Remember..Signed to a 4 year extension while on the DL wih a wrist injury..the same injury that would finish his career and strap the Bucs with his moderately high salary..well, fool me twice. Sean Casey, oft injured aging veteran has been put on the to do list for management to get an extension done. Umm...Hmmm, I can't help but think that Maybe, Just Maybe, there may be a better option in Free agency than Casey at 6 - 8 million per year

Littlefield sorta endorses Sanchez

From the AP:

"General manager Dave Littlefield gave the organization's first public endorsement of INF Freddy Sanchez as the regular everyday third baseman. Sanchez took over the job when 3B Joe Randa injured his foot May 2. Sanchez has responded by hitting .403 in his last 24 games and was second in the National League in batting average (.351) going into Sunday's contest. ``In this business, very few things are set in stone,'' Littlefield said. ``And even when they are set in stone, they aren't set in stone forever. It's easy to see when Sanchez is hitting .350 and playing way he's been playing, we need him in the lineup and he deserves to play. That's pretty clear-cut.'' ... Littlefield said Randa, who was signed to a $4 million contract in the offseason, would likely begin a rehabilitation assignment with Triple-A Indianapolis by the end of the week. ... Long-term, Littlefield said Sanchez could be in a mix with 2B Jose Castillo and 3B/OF Jose Bautista for playing time."

So, I'm curious what Randas and Burnitz will be here in the future while Freddy, Jose and Jose Platoon?

There is one thing set in stone though,under Littlefield's regime to beat out an overpaid veteran you need to hit at least 100 points better than him. Freddy-yes...Craigger-no

Chris Young dominates former team

We could sit by the campfire and talk all night about why the pirates have been so shitty for so long. There is the Ramirez trade, Derek Bell and the chain of awful washed up free agents we've brought in through the years.e.g Simon, Stynes, Randa etc.,and of course, the prospects that never pan out (A Brown, E Brown, M Cummings J Davis J House W Young and of course C Hermanson)..but the Chris Young trade is an underrated topic when it comes to Buc-stupidity.

To Recap: We draft Young, pay him a handsome signing bonus by Pirates standards, then trade him to the Expos for Matt Herges. We then cut Herges in spring training. Herges goes on that year to post a (approx,)2.75 ERA with 2 teams. Littlefield said we traded Young because they were thin in middle relief, although they had Damaso Marte..but traded him. fast forward to 2006, and Young returns to pitch 2 hit shutout ball against his former organization.

Steelers greet Pres..

GW Bush took a 14 minute break from ruining the country to greet Super Bowl XL Champion Steelers. My only question is how did K Jeff Reed weasel his way up to the front row?

Pictured: Kicker Reed, Weightlifting buddy Big Hamp and the pres

Jason Thompson

One of the "greats" of the 80's Bucs, now has a hitting camp

http://www.jasonthompsonbaseball.com/video.html

Bucs swept by DBacks

A loss last night and a loss today..Jason Bay continues his red hot hitting with his 6th long ball in six days..He's our Ralph Kiner!

The Mid 80's Pirates. Cont...

My favorite buc as a kid..Johnny Ray.Strange how I feel closer to these teams from watching this shitty, shitty 2006 Team

The Mid 80's Pirates.

If there is one thing that, IMO, is worse than the current Bucs, it's those mid 80's Bucs..Well, I'm going to take a little time to pay homage here..starting with one of my favorites.

http://www.sixtolezcano.com/

Check out his site..maybe buy an autographed card for 4 bucks. C'mon ya cheapskate!

In other Good News....

4 months ago, Chris Duffy was the next Andy Van Slyke. Then this guy came along(right) and changed his swing and stance to be more of a leadoff. Today Chris Duffy, age 26, is considering retirement.

Post Gazette: "The stress from faltering in the early part of the season had taken a sharp toll on Duffy, the sources said, to the point that he had become tightly wound on and off the field and had questioned his desire to continue his career.

In stark contrast, one of the sources said, Duffy was describing relief bordering on joy shortly after deciding not to report to Class AAA Indianapolis when the Pirates optioned him there May 14."

Jim Tracy: further ruining baseball in Pittsburgh

40 plus games into his Pirates tenure and Jim Tracy has garnered "wost manager in my lifetime" status..which is no small feat considering the man he replaced..His Pet players from his 2004 Dodgers, Burnitz and Hernandez, look as though they have taken baseball lessons from the 1919 Blacksox..they have been, with exception to Derek Bell and maybe Chris Stynes, the worst Pirates i've seen since the mid 80's..and they are either playing every day or getting key late game AB's

Tracyball is what it was called in March..a good eye at the plate, taking walks, not striking out and baseball fundamentals driven into the players heads...Bullshit. none of this has happened.He has shit for baseball brains

"The Wheels have fallen off."

John Wehners words..not mine. Mine would have had more F words in it..

So Ollie Perez pitches shutout ball for 6 and gives way to Marte..In the eighth,tie game, the Dbacks have 2nd and 3rd with one out..They hit a fly ball to right field that Burnitz drops, scoring a run. E9 if your scoring.. Next batter K's which would have ended the inning..but instead comes Craig Counsell who meekly hits back to the pitcher.. who wildly throws past 1b into rightfield, wherethen Burnitz goes to pick up the ball, and promptly falls on his ass, ball bouncing past him to score 2 runs.

This sequence summarizes the 2006 Pittsburgh Pirates

Bucs break out the bats

Raising the spirits of Josh Gibson and his fellow Homestead Grays..The Bucs propelled by 4 Long balls, 2 by Jason Bay, help overcome Ian Snells shaky 5 innings of pitching.

McClouth lead off the Game with a solo shot with Castillo adding one as well

Twinnies ballpark approved

A big Huzzah! for the Twins as they landed there long overdue Stadium.

Sabathia Dominant in Bucs Loss..

ya know..I live in MN, my wife is a Red Sox fan so instead of always writing about the Bucs Losing...I think i'll start writing about the Twinnies and Bosox as well..just to keep things positive

Freddy Sanchez, my choice for our lone All star spot, jacked a nice HR for the only run of the game

Bucs Squander 6 -0 lead; lose to Redstockings

I'm blessed that this was a day game and therefore unable to watch. Bay connects for a Grand Slam, Freddy Sanchez goes 3-5 to up his BA to an astounding .345 (the same Sanchez who Mgr Jim Tracy refused to start over Joe Randa, despite the Visible gap in talent)besides that....pretty much stunk

In other news..OF Chris Duffy refuses his minor league assignment

Bronson Arroyo: Professional Ballplayer and Amateur Fuckstick.

When he's not making us wince by doing the "white boy corn row thing" (Right) or pressuring someone into listening to his shitty music..Bronson Arroyo makes dumbass comments.."If I can't stand on the mound and feel comfortable against that lineup, then something's wrong with me," Arroyo said shortly after giving up four runs in six innings to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Was it this level of stupidity that jettisoned Bronson from Boston? If you don't remember, Arroyo played the sucker, signed for a hometown discount because he wanted to stay in Boston, and the Sox immediately traded him.