Guest Blog: 82 by Greg Zyhowski

82

by Greg Zyhowski

82 in Pittsburgh; no, not the number once worn by 4 time Super bowl champion John Stallworth. Not the number of regular season games over which a few big hockey superstars delivered 3 Stanley Cups to Pittsburgh. This is a number that has danced away from the Pittsburgh Pirates for 20 Baseball seasons. For those who remember the last time the Pirates had a winning season, well it was a while ago. The Billboard charts in 1992 featured House of Pain and their new song Jump Around. Billy Ray Cyrus was complaining about his “Achy Breaky Heart.” Hey at least now in 2013 he has a good reason to have one.

In 1992 the Pirates were also very high on the baseball charts, just 3 outs away from a trip to the World Series in fact. After 8 innings of shutout baseball in game 7 of the NLCS the Pirates watched a 2-0 lead disappear thanks to an Atlanta rally in the bottom of the 9th. It was a tough loss but Pirates fans had no idea what was coming.

The Pirates had their moments. In 1997 a couple stars like Tony Womack, and Al Martin brought some fun back to Three Rivers Stadium, at least until August. Then the wheels fell off. In 1999 the Pirates flirted once more with a winning season only to see it slip away finishing 78-83.

 In 2001 Pirates fans got to watch their Bucs play their inaugural season at beautiful new PNC Park during which they watched the Pirates lose 100 games. That same year former Bucco Barry Bonds, who was now essentially working as both a player and mascot for the San Francisco Giants, hit 73 HRs en route to his MLB record 762*. No doubt that made everybody in Pittsburgh feel warm and fuzzy inside. The only real highlight of the 2001 season might have come when Pirates skipper Lloyd McClendon decided to steal first base, his first steal of any base since 1992. 

It’s crazy to think that a 20 year old baseball fan in Pittsburgh went their entire life without seeing a successful winning baseball team in their city, but that’s the reality. It’s not like anyone in their 20’s did not get to see some outstanding players during that time. Just to name a few Jason Kendall, Brian Giles, Freddy Sanchez, Pokey Reese, Kenny Lofton, Derek Lee, Jack Wilson, Kris Benson, the list goes on and on.

 Some fans went their entire lifetime without seeing record sellouts. Okay besides maybe the last game at Three Rivers Stadium. Perhaps a few fireworks or bobble-head nights or an All-Star game in 2006. Fair to say younger fans got a taste of what a pennant race felt like in 2011 and 12. Of course we know how that ended. Avalanche!

Now a year later here we are in 2013. Have you been around town lately? If you are not from the area I’ll paint a picture for you. “Bucco fever,” symptoms include wearing Pirates’ gear every single day, hanging skull and crossbones flags everywhere, and sticking decals on your cars. And now you want tickets? Good luck, well unless you want to stand. Remember when you could get into a Pirate game for 10 dollars? Remember when you couldn't even sell your ticket? Not now. Not this year. You see this is a foreign concept to that 20 year old fan and probably any fan under 30.

For the Pirates it’s been a long time coming. No doubt this is a magical year. People really got on the Pirates the last two seasons, and they had every right to. Looking at it a different way what we saw was a young team. A team that with solid management, ownership and a couple key veteran pieces would finally shatter a 20 year curse over this town. 

Remember in 2010 Clint Hurdle wanted to reunite a city with its baseball team? Well in 2011 his team brought the city out to the ballpark again. In 2012 they made this city believe, and in 2013 they made a franchise relevant again. They finally got 82. Now there is an empty space above the press box at PNC Park, fill it.

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