Radio Baseball and Who are These Guys?

When I was a kid, I listened to Doug Drabek's almost-but-not-quite no-hitter on the radio on an hour plus ride back from an amusement park. Ever since then, I've always loved to listen to baseball on the radio. Don't get me wrong, I like going to the games (but I don't like giving the Nuttings money, and yes, I know that by still following the team, I'm an amazingly ineffective hypocrite) and I like to watch on TV, too. But there was something about that night when I was about eight years old. Something about my heart breaking when my then-favorite pitcher lost his no-hitter late in the game. Something that ingrained the fact that baseball, as it was for my father and grandfather before me when they listened to the Pirates capture pennants on the radio, is a great radio sport.

That being said, I turned on the radio to listen to the final game in the Rockies-Pirates series. Fortunately, Bob Walk was the color man today, so I didn't find myself nearly so ingratiated as I was on the previous day by John Wehner. The Pirates do what they have been doing more frequently lately: They jump out to an early lead and get solid starting pitching. Freddy Sanchez even walks (seriously, if this walking thing turns into a habit, that increase in on base percentage has to be good, right?).

But the Buccos make me nervous. After all, it's Coors Field. And Jim Tracy just has to put Chacon into the game when the Rockies still had the opportunity to open the floodgates. Amazingly enough, Chacon doesn't give up a run. Amazingly enough, the Pirates win three out of four games in a series from a .500 baseball team.

Seriously. What team is this? The Pirates were back to some old tricks today, leaving men on base all over the place. But the solid starting pitching, the bullpen not blowing leads, and actually hitting the baseball and scoring runs, it's a very new concept for me. One that makes me want to type out all kinds of funky stuff on my keyboard to signify my utter confusion.

But I don't think my confusion will last long because if following the Pirates since '87 has taught me anything, it's that all of this hitting and pitching is not going to last. Soon enough, reality crashes in the form of the hitting not working (I saw a glimpse today with the runners left on base) or the pitching not working (and I no longer count Armas as one of the "pitchers" despite the fact he takes the ball every fifth day because he shouldn't be back next season). And given that the Pirates have been winning more than losing lately, the only correct conclusion comes, and comes fast: Look at this team's record. Reality should be coming crashing in very short order.

Just, please, not tomorrow. I like Ian Snell. Plus, at least allow me to believe, for another series or two, that the line in this week's Sporting News about Gorzo, Maholm, and Snell all making "big strides this season" and being "bargain" fantasy picks next year is actually true. Still, I know the truth--and being a Bucco fan means reality crashes. I'm just hoping for a soft landing--e.g. still growth with some legitimately "young, inexperienced" players--in the midst of that crash back to earth.