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Rizzo's lament.
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I sit and stare blankly at the television screen.
There is a baseball game on, but it means little to me. My passion for Major League Baseball faded some time ago. The team which represents my city is a fallen power. One of the oldest franchises in the game has not seen the postseason since I was three years old. This is a team which has conquered the baseball world five teams, but I never experienced that. Older people in the region fill me in on their rich history, but I find there stories hard to believe. No one can truly appreciate those memories without having witnessed them.
Bill Mazeroski's homer to beat the Yankees in 1960, the great Roberto Clemente and some skinny guy named Barry Bonds all helped the carry the Pittsburgh Pirates to success, but I never saw it. The only Pirates I have ever known have been a poorly managed team which blames finances, not their incompetence, for their failures.
The Yankees and Red Sox of the World with their gigantic payrolls are the examples cited. But for some reason, on this night, I have trouble finding a rationale that says small markets can not compete. In the past 20 years, the small markets have managed to have success by properly managing their rosters. The Oakland A's, Minnesota Twins and Florida Marlins have all fielded competitive teams by drafting competently.
In short, the Marlins did not sign David Bell and Raul Mondesi for millions of dollars when they were clearly past their prime. The Twins did not trade away the organizations best home grown offensive talent in years for 30 cents on the dollar, like the Pirates did when they dealt Aramis Ramirez to the Cubs. The A's did not trade 2/3 of the most productive outfield in baseball and a talented, young left handed reliever for prospects who may or may not pan out in the future.
Xavier Nady has had a 6 RBI game and showed some power with the Yankees. Jason Bay has flashed some glove and made a big hit since joining the Red Sox. Nice they will enjoy the pennant race because few in the city they just came from will.
I stare at the screen, watching the Pirates jump out to yet another early inning lead, but it does not ease my worries. 3-0, the scoreboard reads, only after a half inning. The Pirates offense once again is giving their pitching staff plenty of support. But my worries lie with an inexperience and incapable pitching staff. Surely they should be able to shut down a Diamondbacks squad which is commonly referred to as being offensively challenged.
It was a nice thought at least. But my troubled thoughts came to fruition over the course of the game.
However, starter Yoselan Herrera trots out to the mound. He is 1-1 with a 9.82 earned run average in five starts. Sigh. He lasts 1 1/3 inning and allows three runs. That's right; our starting pitchers have trouble making it out of the second inning. The game is tied.
A 3-0 advantage dissipates into the Arizona desert. The first place team in the National League West determined not to lose to the Pirates. But for some reason, I decided to continue watching and extend my torture.
In the third inning, my hope once again returns. Doug Mientikiewicz homers and the Pirates once again lead 4-3. The Pirates managed to actually cling to this lead for nearly three whole innings before disaster struck once again.
Jason Davis, who had given the Pirates a few solid innings, began to struggle. Skipper John Russell decides to let Davis stay in the game even though he had pitched three innings. Davis allowed two runs and the Diamondbacks never looked back. The continued to shell the worst bullpen in baseball for 8 more runs over the rest of the game.
And yet I watched because this is what I am accustom to. In Pittsburgh no one expects much from the Pirates. As much as they hate to see teams in the city lose, the Penguins, Steelers and Pitt Panthers will erase any thoughts of the Pirates breaking the Philadelphia Phillies record for consecutive losing seasons. No one would expect anything else from this bunch of players.
That's why my passion for baseball has faded. The local team has not inspired me. Their is no player from my generation who little kids imagine being. The last truly great player in Pittsburgh is hated. Few like Barry Bonds, but most people will have to acknowledge him as one of the greatest Pirates of all-time. Behind only Clemente as the greatest.
But herein lies my problem. I continue to sit and stare blankly at a TV watching a team who loses year in and year out with no great players to tune in and watch.
This has killed my passion for America's game.
But I still watch. Hoping tomorrow will hold a better future than today.
Hope springs eternal.
