Let’s just put it this way, I’m not going to Bradenton again this year.
“Lets just put it this way, Im not going to Bradenton again this year.”
Yep. Me too. I don’t go to PNC Park anymore. I used to attend 30+ games a year. I’d be a season ticket holder in a heartbeat if they’d field a respectable team. After seeing how they handled Aramis Ramirez, I doubt I’ll be one. I can see them having financial difficulties, but trading a promising 3rd baseman and resurgent Kenny Lofton to the Cubs for a strikeout machine, a fringe prospect, and a box of rocks kind of torqued me off. They could have gotten more. Since then, salary dumps are the norm. Anything resembling talent is traded away for a future that never comes.
I’ve been to a grand total of 3 games since 2007. I got tickets for free in all three cases and limited myself to two beers (for the pain). I did have my wedding reception down at PNC Park, but the Pirates really don’t get much from that believe it or not :-)!
Also, I just watched Game 7 of the 1960 World Series tonight ... man was that cool :-). My only memories of watching a Pirates World Series live are some faded ones of Teke kicking ass in all but one of his appearances. I was six years old then. I was a deranged, depressed teenager after our last playoff appearance. Now I’m just a “bitter clinger” when it comes to the Pirates :-). I flat out love the game of baseball ... the NFL is nothing but a joke circus anymore and I really cannot get into the NHL with its semi-annual rule changes anymore. I just cannot support the current owners as they are simply milking every last dime out of Taxpayer Park and doing little to improve the team.
I keep telling myself “someday”, but I fear that by the time Alvarez, Tabata, and McCutcheon start “dominating”, we’ll be trading them for rocks and shoelaces. What’s ironic is that we’ll probably have a dominating pitching staff in 2013 with the pitchers we drafted this year ... it’ll be just in time to kiss this potential offense goodbye. I have to admit that I really like the Pirates’ past few drafts, but they keep on failing at the major league level.