Monday, July 01, 2013
Halfway
I'm a nerd. So, it's exciting to me that last night at midnight we crossed both into the second half of the year and the second half of the Pirates magical season.
Nine wins in a row have vaulted the Bucs to the best record in baseball, the only team with 51 wins, currently 2 full games ahead of the Cardinals and 5.5 ahead of the Reds.
They have something like 4 straight sellouts, too, plus folks are coming out of the woodwork to talk baseball. I would like to think of myself not so much as a bandwagon fan, since I actually jumped on board fully before the season started, but well, I guess to some degree I am. I have not suffered along in caring about the last 21 years. In fact, at the beginning of that streak, I was glad, even though I was living here, then. In fact, I had a running bet with a friend for about 5 or 6 years that the streak would continue. That bet netted me my Beat Happening box set.
Now, I'm wondering about how I can get some playoff tickets. Last year at this time they were 7 games over .500. At the end of July, they were 15. They were only 9 over at the end of August and then a 7-21 September killed them.
Could that happen again? It doesn't *feel* like it, but I'm sure it didn't then either. They are already higher than they ever were last year. I hate the idea that as soon as people notice, then the bubble breaks, like Harvey the rabbit or something.
Still, right now, sneaking peeks at the score over a nice dinner, having my lovely wife crank her portable radio so we can listen to the game and having her root along, it's all great.
As great as Gaby Sanchez succeeding on his first stolen base of the season in the 14th inning last night to set up the winning run. They keep winning from unlikely places and deep resources. That's why I'm a believer this year.
(Except that as soon as I publish this, I'll have jinxed them, that is.)
Nine wins in a row have vaulted the Bucs to the best record in baseball, the only team with 51 wins, currently 2 full games ahead of the Cardinals and 5.5 ahead of the Reds.
They have something like 4 straight sellouts, too, plus folks are coming out of the woodwork to talk baseball. I would like to think of myself not so much as a bandwagon fan, since I actually jumped on board fully before the season started, but well, I guess to some degree I am. I have not suffered along in caring about the last 21 years. In fact, at the beginning of that streak, I was glad, even though I was living here, then. In fact, I had a running bet with a friend for about 5 or 6 years that the streak would continue. That bet netted me my Beat Happening box set.
Now, I'm wondering about how I can get some playoff tickets. Last year at this time they were 7 games over .500. At the end of July, they were 15. They were only 9 over at the end of August and then a 7-21 September killed them.
Could that happen again? It doesn't *feel* like it, but I'm sure it didn't then either. They are already higher than they ever were last year. I hate the idea that as soon as people notice, then the bubble breaks, like Harvey the rabbit or something.
Still, right now, sneaking peeks at the score over a nice dinner, having my lovely wife crank her portable radio so we can listen to the game and having her root along, it's all great.
As great as Gaby Sanchez succeeding on his first stolen base of the season in the 14th inning last night to set up the winning run. They keep winning from unlikely places and deep resources. That's why I'm a believer this year.
(Except that as soon as I publish this, I'll have jinxed them, that is.)
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