Seriously, why? (Do I still watch?)

This post is in honor of my best friend, who asked me a fantastic question when I bemoaned that the Pirates continued to lose game after game after game. My longtime friend, very wisely, asked, "Seriously, why do you and my parents still torture yourselves like that?" A later conversation that began as I bemoaned that I was tired of the Pirates losing so, so many games prompted the same question, albeit in different words, from my very wise friend. "Why do you still watch?" she asked.

And thus, this post--as I told her it would be--springs to creation as a result of her prompting. Anyhow, seriously, these are the reasons I kept watching the 2007 Pirates, in no particular order.

Freddy Sanchez: The defending batting champion struggled through the start of the season before beginning to mash the ball after the All-Star break. Sanchez isn't just a good player; he's a good player who's also fun to watch. Plus, he actually seems to care. He shows emotion, whether it's smiling after getting a big hit or anger after striking out--and say whatever you will of baseball players who show emotion, but it's one of the reasons I love Freddy Sanchez. Also, on the 2007 Pirates, you really couldn't beat a player who actually possessed the mental and physical capacity to play hit and field at an All-Star level.

Tom Gorzelanny: For most of the season, Gorzy was the team's most consistent pitcher who gave his team a chance to win every time he started a game. It was beautiful to read fans of other teams (cough, Chicago Cubs, before last weekend, anyhow) moaning about having to face "that kid." What was even more beautiful was how "that kid" evolved into a consistently good pitcher who somehow managed to win 14 games on a team that's in the running to finish the year as one of the worst, if not the absolute worst, in all of MLB.

Ian Snell: Seriously, how does a pitcher who's currently ranked in the top ten in the NL in both innings pitched and strikeouts, along with an above league average ERA of 3.76, not manage double-digit victories? Since I'm remembering why I kept watching the Pirates now, just let me say this: When Snell's on, he's really, really good, and his stuff makes him incredibly fun to watch. And even during those games when Snell struggled and I wanted to cuss and yell and rant and moan, Snell was still worth watching. In the midst of his dominant starts, I was seeing potential realized, a gorgeous, wonderful thing; whereas even in the midst of struggles, there was usually a strikeout or an out or something, a small sliver that was still good. Whether it was during a game or reading quotes after a game, Ian Snell was pretty much consistently exciting, and in those many starts of giving up 2 earned runs or less when excitement combined with excellent pitching, that's what I call a recipe to be savored--at least for this fan.

Matt Capps: High heat. Good stuff that can still get better. Excitement. Competitive fire. Controlled emotion. A great interview who was always accessible and very much a stand-up guy. Oh, and very, very young. A guy who at times made fans of other teams (teams actually in playoff contention, too) wish their own closer would get the last three outs of a game with 12 pitches and 12 strikes. Oh, and those 12 pitches and 12 strikes, in addition to being both really, really good, exciting, and invigorating--hopefully they're merely a portend of what will later be. But enjoying the present, imagining the future, and watching batters whiff on high heat, 'twas a very, very pleasurable viewing experience.

Progress and Hopes of Progress: Prior to his back troubles, Paul Maholm had a string of really good starts. Adam Laroche rebounded nicely from his s-l-o-w start to the season. And, of course, other than actual statistical facts, there's always the hope for progress in that, well, maybe, Zach Duke will again, just once, pitch like he did in 2005. Maybe Bullington and JVB will pitch at a level closer to, if not commensurate with, their lofty draft status. Perhaps the players who began last season as AAAA players are now--if not above average MLB players--at least average MLB players. Perhaps a dormant offense will outscore every other team in the majors for a month.


You Never Know: You never know when you'll watch a player who you still don't believe should be in the starting lineup for a decent major league team make a phenomenal catch that saves three runs. You never know when one of those young starting pitchers, or even one of those veteran pitchers your club's former general manager loved to accumulate, will pitch a very good game. You never know what you might see, and because there's a chance you could see something good, most likely something you could never accurately predict or should have dared to dream of anticipating, you just keep watching, even when mired in the midst of another long season of losing.

Of course, as I'd probably admit to my best friend, in addition to my theme of enjoying talented players performing as talented players should and enjoying good showings from the team as a whole and other individual players, I should probably confess that watching the Pirates is probably just a rather insane--and even in the midst of losing, quite cathartic--addiction. And much as there were moments when I wanted to throw in the towel, I still found myself clicking on box scores and flicking on the television.

And really, in these five enjoyable aspects of this 2007 Bucco season, well, these five things provide the answer to my best friend's completely sincere question. Really, those moments when real live big league talent shows out in the form of winning games, no matter how rare, are why it was difficult to stop watching.

Given my moaning and groaning which prompted my best friend's question and this post, however, I'd love for much more real live big league talent to show out in the form of winning a lot more games.