Big Lead Sports Bar

9/27/2010

Pirate News and Notes



A few links on everyone's favorite 100-loss team...


A full video from Game 7 of the 1960 WORLD SERIES previously unknown to exist was found in Bing Crosby's wine cellar last December

The former part-owner of the Pirates was too nervous to watch the game, so he and his wife flew to Paris and he listened on the radio. He hired a company to record Game 7 by kinescope, and the five-reel set is the only known complete copy of the game. 

An agreement has been reached that will allow the MLB Network to broadcast the game in December, and a DVD hosted by Bob Costas will be sold in the future. I must say, this is an absolutely awesome story. [NY Times*And yes, I know this was last week's news, but it got lost in the shuffle with Pitt/Miami, the Pens game and Steelers-Bucs. My bad.

The Pirates wrapped up their 2010 home slate on Sunday against Houston, and believe it or not, attendance was UP over 2009. The Pirates averaged 19,919 while drawing 1,613,399 in 81 home dates during 2010, up slightly from 1,577,853 in 2009. 

The attendance for the final three-game series against Houston was 70,389. For a 100-loss team. Unreal. [ESPN]

PEDRO ALVAREZ was named the National League's Player of the Week for the period spanning September 20-26. During those six games, Alvarez collected a Major League-best 13 RBIs, while batting .417 with two homers, four doubles and four runs scored. He's the first Bucco to win the award since Ryan Doumit in June, 2008.

For the season, Alvarez is sitting at .249/.324/.449 with 14  HR and 58 RBI in 90 games for the Pirates. [PittsburghPirates.com]

RYAN DOUMIT sounded awestruck by the Pirates' fans' show of support of Sunday:
 
"It's enough to get your imagination going, like, what's it going to be like when we start winning? It's no secret that there's a following for the Steelers and Penguins wherever you go in the country. And I know the Pirates' fans are out there. I know that. We need to start winning, and it's going to be a lot of fun," he told Dejan Kovacevic. [PG]

Mondesi's House: The Director's Cut (more links, commentary, etc: twitter.com/mondesishouse
Email: mondesishouse@gmail.com

6 comments:

MJ said...

I'm not sure if I missed it, but have you refused to write about the second demise of Stan and Guy? I know you are paid by the competition, but this is still a Pittsburgh story.

Nate said...

@MJ: Given that Don is paid by the competition, I feel it would be uncouth for him to cover that story. It would seem like one media outlet gloating about the failures of another. Just my two cents.

Chip said...

Yeah, even Mark Madden, the undisputed king of Pittsburgh radio, didn't say much about ESPN. And his remarks were brief and rather magnanimous considering his shabby treatment by the station he kept afloat. But he did say "WXDX would rather I not talk about it" so I guess people paid by one station like him or Don aren't supposed to talk about another station.

Oh and I'm very pleased to hear about the Pirates attendance. It restores my faith that Pittsburgh does indeed have REAL sports fans. I'm glad the whiners who always post on blogs like this or Smizik's are in the minority and their stupidity is not shared by the rest of the public. I only wish when the Pirates get good that every one of those chronic complainers were banned from ever setting foot in PNC for their disgusting disloyalty to our beloved hometown team.

Anonymous said...

I feel that REAL fans by definition are the ones that were raised on this team's losing ways, watched them lose for 18-straight years, and are part of that generation that never saw them or were too young to remember them winning.

I'll say it again, 18 years. A feat that has never been reached before in terms of consecutive losing seasons in the history of professional sports. If you ask me, it's my birth right to complain about what they do. The only thing I know when it come

Anonymous said...

*comes to the Pirates is losing.

Koz said...

I don't think anyone is any less of a fan for refusing to attend games at PNC Park under this regime. After this much losing, I don't blame anyone for boycotting and not contributing to line the pockets of irresponsible ownership. On the other side of the coin, if you want to attend, well that's your right too.

This isn't like the Rays who as David Price tweeted last night are on the verge of clinching the toughest division in baseball and only had 10,000 fans in attendance. That is truly sad.