Remember this?...

...I'd like to forget it! It's been 21 years, but...

THEY STINK NO MORE!

Sorry, EW! I couldn't resist borrowing your phrase!

Who wants to win a prize?

Here's the clue:

McClellan eventually concentrated his cavalry into a single division before Antietam, and placed it under Brigadier General Alfred Pleasanton, a West Pointer of the class of 1844 with service in the 2nd Dragoons under Zachary Taylor in Mexico.

In honor of international book week, grab the book closet to you, turn to page 52, and post the 5th complete sentence as your status. Please don't mention the title, and post the rules as part of your status. Have fun!

If you can name the book that the above sentence comes from, post your guess as a comment to this blog (not on my Facebook status). The first one to get it right will get the prize. 

Hint: It's one of the books that's visible in the above photo. (The name of the book can be read in the photo.)

How does this happen?

This is a bit of old news, but it's still relevant. I just wonder how this happens? You see rocks, you're up high, you should use common sense. It had a happy ending, but it could have been much worse. It's a sad state of affairs that the Fire Chief is like, "Yes, this happens often. No big deal!" Really?

Read about it here, and use caution. The rocks can be tricky, and I'm sure they're very unforgiving!

http://www.eveningsun.com/ci_23999878/climber-gets-stuck-devils-den-rocks

Just win a few, please!

1992 signaled the multi-year decline of the Pirates. The Steelers lost Super Bowl XLV to the Packers, got Tebow-ed in Denver, and have been mediocre ever since. The Penguins, after slaying the Red Wings have taken early exits from the playoffs, and even with a stacked team cannot get over the obstacles and back into the final round..

Fans in the Burgh still support their team, but there doesn't seem to be any electricity; there is not a whole lot to be excited about, or so it seems.

The 2011 Pirates were first in the division in July and seemed to be poised to end the streak. They didn't. After one of the most monumental collapses in sports history, the Pirates sunk back to where they seemed to be most comfortable, the bottom half of the NL Central. They finished a dismal 70-92.

Repeat in 2012. On August 8, they were 63-47. They lost 35 of their next 49 games to extend the longest stretch of futility in the history of North American sports. Shades of the three ALCS series in the early '90's re-appeared. The talent was there, but they couldn't quite finish.

The emergence of Andrew McCutchen as a powerhouse was taking place. A.J. Burnett got his career on track and showed signs of becoming the Ace the team had been looking for since the days of Doug Drabek. Clint Hurdle was at the helm, the crew was assembled, and the stars seemed to be aligned to end the journey of futility, and sail in the right direction. Yet, the ship continued to sink. 

So, how do you re-ignite the passion of fans who seemed to have given up hope and gotten tired of watching the same old story? Simple! One word; three letters. Win!

The Pittsburgh Pirates have finally ended the streak. At times this season they had the best record in baseball, and they've toyed with the division lead almost all season. A bit of a late-season slump may have put the division pennant out of reach, but there's a winning record, and the odds of post-season play look good.

Pittsburgh fans have hope. It was never lost, but just hidden for awhile. Now, it's uncovered. Fans that have become accustomed to seeing winning teams once again have one, and they're loving it! The city has "Pirate Fever!" The merchandise is selling, and people young and old are "Raising the Jolly Roger" and wearing their colors with pride.

Division champion or wild card seed, win or lose, the future looks good. The electricity is in the air, and the future appears to be well-lit. And I'm lovin' it!

Zoltan!

"The Outfield of Dreams"...

...before two of them became nightmares, made up one of the finest outfields in the history of baseball. Barry Bonds, Andy Van Slyke, and Bobby Bonilla added superstar punch to a powerful lineup. It was a team strong enough to achieve greatness; it was a team best remembered for coming up just short of the ultimate prize. It signaled the fate and the seeming demise of the once-strong Pittsburgh Pirates.

Barry Bonds as a Pirate was one of the best. He had speed, could field, and had power. He could steal bases and drive in runs. His potential soon turned to controversy after leaving the Pirates at the end of the 1992 season. An excellent player during the regular season, Bonds is best remembered by fans of the Buccos as a player who choked, repeatedly, in the playoffs.

Andy Van Slyke came to the Pirates along with Mike Dunn and Mike LaValliere in a trade that sent Tony Pena' to the Cardinals. Van Slyke was a powerhouse in the lineup and a looming presence in center field, but in the era of free agency, high salaries and declining attendance he left the Pirates in 1994. 

Bobby Bonilla was an error-prone third baseman who moved to the outfield with Bonds and Van Slyke after committing 67 errors in two seasons on the hot corner. Bonilla left after two failed playoff runs with the Buccos, and went onto to a colorful career with more than a bit of controversy.

Why do I mention these three? After 20 consecutive losing seasons, does anyone really care?

Three failed playoff runs, the departure of many talented players, and incompetence in the Pirates' farm system  led to many bleak seasons. There were last place finishes, 100 game losing seasons, and many names few even remember for the Buccos.

The Outfield of Dreams soon became the lineup of incompetence. While fans of good teams had visions of the World Series, Pirates fans began dreaming only of 82 wins. Would it ever happen?

Part 3 soon to follow!

Off topic, but still fun...

Pittsburgh has long been a sports town. Producing talent like Joe Montana, Mike Ditka, Dan Marino, Charlie Batch and Ty Law in the NFL (along with many others too numerous to name), Ryan Malone and several others in the NHL and even a few Major League baseballers, there's been a history of great talent coming out of western PA.

The Steelers have 6 Lombardi Trophies in their collection. Mario Lemieux has his name on Lord Stanley's cup 3 times and the Pirates have won several World Series. Names like Roberto Clemente, Honus Wagner, Terry Bradshaw, Mario Lemieux, Mean Joe Greene, and again numerous others are, and have been household names through the decades. Two of the most dramatic plays in Sports history have been made by Pittsburgh sports players, the "Immaculate Reception", and Bill Mazeroski's game 7 homer to win the World Series. There's been "The Steel Curtain", "Franco's Italian Army" and "Gerela's Gorillas". The Pirates were "Fa-mah-lee" and served up some "Chicken on the Hill With Captain Will", and Badger Bob Johnson made everybody believe that "It's a Great Day For Hockey!"

Pittsburgh fans support a winner, and in a small market city, the dedicated fans always came out to support their team in the sport of their choice, with the idea, "Well, there's always next year!", and usually there was. All teams slump, all teams under-achieve, and all teams disappoint fans with bad seasons, but in the Burgh, bad seasons tended to be few and far between, and very rarely were there more than two or three losing seasons in a row. Even the Pittsburgh Penguins, after suffering several lean seasons drafted well and re-built a winner in relatively short order.

Then, there are the Pirates. Division winners and potentially World Series bound in three consecutive seasons, they never made it to the World Series in any of the three. In 1992 the team learned two lessons, and the fans learned one more. The lessons the team learned are that you can't win it all without dependable relief pitching, and that players you may have given up on can come back to hurt you.

In Game 7 of the 1992 NLCS, Pirates' pitcher Doug Drabek pitched a monster of a game against John Smoltz of the Braves. Drabek pitched 8 scoreless innings, and the Pirates went into the 9th inning with a 2-0 lead. The World Series was within reach. Drabek tired, and was replaced by shaky-at-best relief pitcher Stan Belinda. In a play that will live forever in infamy in Pirate lore, no-name Francisco Cabrera got a hit off Belinda, and former Pirate Sid Bream scored what would be the winning run for the Braves. Bad knees and all, Bream got it done. 

The fans learned another, but different type of lesson. They learned that it would be 20 long years before they'd ever see another winning Pirate team!

More in Part 2.

Please excuse the delay...

...but the pumpkins are picked and I've returned to Hanover. Regular, on-topic posting will begin again tomorrow. Thanks for your patience.