tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9108520133795628754.post7344569336778940605..comments2023-10-29T10:11:53.672-04:00Comments on Battlin' Bucs: Waiting for SpringMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04854315904173219584noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9108520133795628754.post-2486087693057837642013-10-10T12:44:54.289-04:002013-10-10T12:44:54.289-04:00In 2008-2009, we had a new owner that gutted and r...In 2008-2009, we had a new owner that gutted and rebuilt the team from the bottom up. Every year since 2010, we’ve improved. We got a taste of first place in 2011, a outside-looking-in view of the playoffs in 2012. This year, we seem to have two of our starting pitchers on the DL at any given time, had to fall back on unproven starters such as Gomez and Cumpton, broke the emergency glass and called up Cole, lost our closer for a third of the year, lost our second best position player down the stretch… and still won 94 games. The pessimist in me thought we’d win the last three games in Cincinnati and drop the one that really mattered. The Pirates proved me wrong. And so did the fans. I never saw PNC Park as alive as I did in the wild card game. I took you’re attitude that every win afterwards was a bonus. The fact that we will retain much of the 2013 team next year plus have the guts to go after a Morneau makes me think this isn’t a fluke and this is just the beginning of a five year stretch of good baseball. <br /><br />Everyone remembers the immaculate reception in 1972 because it was a point where a team emerged from obscurity and moved to bigger things. Nobody talks about the Steelers losing to mighty and undefeated Miami the next week. I think we can look back at that wild card game in the same sense. <br />Davehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13150792970138123909noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9108520133795628754.post-67146225143276837282013-10-09T23:37:04.847-04:002013-10-09T23:37:04.847-04:00Bummer, for sure.Bummer, for sure.defgavhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15338984361942309651noreply@blogger.com