On that balmy October night in 1992 when Sid Bream slid safely home ahead of Barry Bonds' throw from left field to win the NLCS, I was probably watching cartoons or movies or something else. I don't have any memories from that night because I wasn't the least bit interested in sports.
Still, when the Pittsburgh Pirates record their 82nd win of the 2013 season and put an end to a shameful and depressing 20-year futility streak, I will probably be one of thousands of people to shed a fear tears of joy.
Since I first became interested in baseball, by far my favorite sport, I've always lusted for that magical 82nd win. I never got to see a game live in Three Rivers Stadium, but I've spent my fair share of nights somewhere in the dark blue seats at PNC Park watching a disappointing loss follow another disappointing loss.
There were plenty of seasons where I'd see a ton of games and only see one win if any.
I've lived through Lloyd McClendon ripping first base out and carrying it off with him, through Bobby Bradley, John Van Benschoten, J.J. Davis, and Jose Hernandez. I bid farewell to Aramis Ramirez, Jose Bautista and Brian Giles. I pinned my hopes on Jeromy Burnitz and Joe Randa, Chris Stynes and Randall Simon, Oliver Perez and Freddy Sanchez.
I remember 2003, probably the first year I paid rapt attention to the Pirates from beginning to end, when the team seemed like they might be able to break through behind crusty veterans Reggie Sanders, Jeff Suppan and Kenny Lofton.
That was naive. That team was a mess.
I was there in 2011 when Derrick Lee and Ryan Ludwick were supposed to help lift a so-so team to the playoffs for the first time in nearly two decades.
I was there last season as the team faded like a late-summer sunset and came oh-so-close with their 79 wins.
And I'll be there this week when, hopefully, Mark Melancon or--God willing--Jason Grilli put the finishing touches on the team's 82nd win. For any other franchise, that's simply another day at the office.
For Pittsburgh, there might just be a ticker tape parade down Fort Duquesne Boulevard.
82 wins means everything to my generation of Pirates fans who were too late to witness Willie Stargell anchor the 1979 Pirates as they won the franchise's fifth World Series and second of that decade.
We were too young to really appreciate the early '90s Pirates of Bonds and Andy Van Slyke, too young to remember when Bob Walk was on the mound and not in the press box and too young to truly have feelings about Sid Bream's dagger to the hearts of fans of the beloved Buccos.
82 wins builds a Fort Pitt bridge over the chasm of the last 20 years and connects the past we can barely remember with the future we look toward today.
For generations after mine, this is the first taste of baseball glory. It is savored with the same reverence that comes with a Steelers victory over Baltimore and carries the same significance as a Penguins win over the Capitals.
With the Steelers set to open their season next weekend, there's no talk of Ben Roethlisberger's fantasy value or Troy Polamalu's age as you walk across the Clemente Bridge on a balmy September evening.
It's about Justin Morneau's arrival, Pedro Alvarez's maddening talent and whether or not manager Clint Hurdle should be playing Clint Barmes or Jordy Mercer at short. It's about Wandy Rodriguez's elbow, A.J. Burnett's pies, and Francisco Liriano's miraculous return to dominance.
Starting with that 82nd win, the older generations of Pirates fans can finally pass the torch to us, the future bleacher creatures on the northern bank of the Allegheny.
Starting with that 82nd win, the Pirates officially inaugurate a new era in their history. In this new era, they will no longer be judged against the results of the last 20 years. They'll now be judged with the same critical eye that watches the Steelers and Penguins.
Now, contention will be the expectation and the World Series the goal.
Now, the real fun will begin in a city that has more than paid its debt to the baseball Gods.
Now, a new legacy will start. Hopefully it will be one that my generation and the others who will be old enough to remember it 20 years from now will be proud to pass on to our children and theirs.
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