How ‘Bout Them Buccos?

Every once in a while I’ll switch horses and write about baseball, my favorite sport as a kid. With fresh ideas about our Penguins scarcer than a 1943 steel wheat penny? This is one of those instances.

To borrow a line from the immortal Harry Doyle in the celluloid hit, Major League, “in case you haven’t noticed” our Pittsburgh Pirates are playing some splendid baseball. Following on the heels on an ugly five-game losing binge, the kind Steel City baseball fans have become all-too-accustomed to, the battlin’ Buccos have gone 12-6, including series victories over the Blue Jays, Red Sox and now the Dodgers, the defending World Series champs.

In the process, they’ve reached the rarified .500 mark (51-51) under rookie manager and Pittsburgh native Don Kelly, who replaced Derek Shelton on May 8 after the Bucs plummeted out of the starting gate at a disgraceful 12-26 clip.

That’s a ton of improvement in relatively brief time. Is it real, or merely a case of smoke and mirrors?

I believe the former. Despite the pervading negativity that surrounds the club like an impenetrable shroud, Kelly has his charges playing competitive, fundamentally sound baseball.

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