The Streak: Loveable Losers Countdown, 15-11

Remember how I used to think countdowns are kind of trivial?  Well, turns I was wrong.  They're kind of fun to do (though I still think the difference between 16 and 11 is pretty subjective), and turns out the blogosphere likes 'em too.  I think my pageviews yesterday doubled what they had been for the rest of the month combined.  If you write it, they will come?

Anyway, we're back into the second installment of the countdown.  This was actually pretty fun to put together.  Pittsburgh has always been an interesting sports town - sure, there are lots of fair weather fans, but there the city also has a strong streak of rooting for the blue collar, hard nosed guy who just...isn't all that great.  Think of Rudy without the annoying Notre Dame connections.

15) Pokey Reese - 2002-03

Reese was one of those "latest, greatest" free agent signings.  The Bucs were coming off an incredibly underwhelming 2001 season, and Reese himself had been pretty disappointing in '01 just a year after the Reds had refused including him as the centerpiece of the Ken Griffey trade.  Speed, decent pop, and amazing defense.  Good bounceback candidate, right?

Well...kind of.  His average continued to slip, and with it went the pop and steals.  Pokey played some fantastic defense, and was a blast to watch.  But we all know Gold Gloves aren't reeeally about defense. 

He managed to win a ring with the Sox in '04, but like so many other Bucco free agent signings, he was out of baseball after that.

14) Ricardo Rincon - 1997-98

Rincon didn't even play in the states until his age 27 season, jumping to the Bucs from Mexico.  But he undoubtedly proved to be the gift that keep on giving.

Before the '99 season the Bucs traded Rincon to an insanely deep Cleveland team for Brian Giles.  Giles put up some of the best single seasons in franchise history before being dealt for Jason Bay and Oliver Perez.

Perez kicked a laundry cart, was banished from the face of the planet, only to work his way back into the graces of the universe where he was allowed to become a lefty specialist.  Jason Bay his balls really far (though never into a river nor a bay), until being traded for a bunch of players who didn't pan out and current late innings reliever Bryan Morris.

So for those of you keeping score at home: Ricardo Rincon = Brian Giles, Jason Bay, Oliver Perez, and Bryan Morris.

We can only hope eventually Morris will be dealt for another wave of prospects, keeping the Legend of Ricardo alive.

Along the way he also delivered the greatest moment of the late 90's for the Pirates, teaming up with fellow Mexican League import Francisco Cordova for a no hitter

13) Jose Bautista - 2004-08

Admittedly it is a bit strange to see a former MVP on the list of lovable losers.  But Bautista spent pretty his entire Pirates career in the dog house.  GM Dave Littlefield decided to leave Bautista unprotected during the 2004 Rule 5 draft, setting in motion a comedy of errors that would see him suit up for 4 teams and rack up just 88 ab's during the 2004 season.

Bautista always looked like a solid player (though nowhere near the level he would reach with the Blue Jays), but was always blocked by...somebody.  Despite his versatility, able to play the corner positions, he managed to get blocked by Jeromy Burnitz, Matt Lawton, Joe Randa, Jody Gerut, Nyjer Morgan, and the Energizer fucking Bunny at various points in his career.  He saw significant action for a few seasons, but was set to be a non-tender candidate before being traded up north.

The lesson here?  The Pirates aren't allowed to have nice things.

12) Delwyn Young - 2009-10

Delwyn Young makes the list for pure effort.  Young came to the Bucs from the Dodgers in exchange for $1.  No there aren't zeroes after that.

You know how sometimes trades say PTBNL or cash considerations?  Sometimes that's the nice way of saying, "here, take him."

Delwyn Young came to the Pirates as an outfielder.  And not a great one at that.  But the combination of sheer desperation on both parts (Aki Iwamura came to the club looking more like Hideki Irabu, and Delwyn recognized that he had to do anything and everything if he wanted to stay in baseball) ended up in Delwyn Young making 52 starts at second base.

You know, the one that is definitely not in the outfield.

You couldn't help but cheer for a guy who was willing to quite literally do anything he could to stick on a big league roster, even if the results occasionally left something to be desired.

11) Josh Fogg - 2002-05

He's just one of those pitchers that...existed.  He didn't do anything exceptionally well.  He didn't throw hard.  Or even average.  He didn't have great movement.  Or stuff.  Or...any talent that would appear to make you a successful baseball player.

And some days that showed.  But Fogg was perhaps the Pirates most consistent starter for most of the mid 00's.  He was fun to watch, because he didn't seem to be too far from that 3rd starter you faced in high school.  Yet...this guy was in the big leagues.

And yes, if you're still keeping score that is yet another player in the "Unspectacular Ex-Pirate Who Managed to Have Postseason Success for Another Team" category.

The Streak: Lovable Losers Countdown, 20-16

You can cite all the fun facts you want or namedrop as many obscure players as possible when discussing the Pirates now broken streak of losing seasons.  Yes, it sucked.  A lot.  But just because the players wearing the black and gold weren't exactly Cooperstown bound doesn't mean there wasn't some fun baseball to watch.

I'll be counting down the 20 lovable losers that put on the Pirate uniform since 1993.  They won't be the best, and they won't be the most recognizable.  But (in most cases) they were still fun to watch.

20) Sean Burnett - 2004, 2008-09

Burnett makes the list for sympathy points.  A first round pick in 2001 out of high school, Burnett blew through the Pirates system, making his major league debut at 21 in 2004.  And then he blew out his arm.  He was instantly a fan favorite in 04, though his 13 starts had mixed results.  You couldn't help but root for him as he made his way back to the majors as a reliever in 2008.  His stay would be short lived, getting shipped out in the 2009 mideseason trade for Joel Hanrahan.

19) Charlie Hayes - 1996

Hayes was one of a long line of aging, declining veterans who latched on with the Bucs.  His '96 season wasn't particularly noteworthy, except for how it ended.  Catching the final out of the World Series...with the Yankees.

18) Brad "Big Country" Eldred - 2005, 2007

Nicknamed Big Country for his light tower power, he put on quite the show in the minors in 2005, hitting 40 homers between AA, AAA, and the bigs.  Of course that pesky inability to make contact would kill his major league career.  But those home runs...those were fun to watch.

17) Steve Cooke - 1992-94, 1996-97

From highly regarded pitching prospect to poster boy for the rebuilding Bucs.  Cooke broke in as a reliever down the stretch with the 92 NLCS team, and posted an impressive rookie campaign as a starter in '93.  From there, injuries derailed his career.  Pitchers and Pittsburgh did not mix well, in case you couldn't tell.

16) Jermaine Allensworth - 1996-98

Allensworth was the first of a long, long line of wiry, speedy centerfield prospects who never ended up being more than a flash in the pan.  A minor league batting champ, his speed and ability to hit for average never really translated in the majors.  But his '98 Topps photo is absolutely awesome.

What's this? A winning season?

I know I'm a couple days late here, it's been a pretty big week for the Pirates.  For the first time that I can appreciate, the Pirates have clinched a winning record.

And continuing my streak of awesome luck, I spent the past week sans internet while waiting for service to be set up in our new apartment.  So while the rest of the bandwagon fans were tweeting, facebooking, and of course actually watching win number 82...I was relegated to watching score updates on ESPN mobile.

So perhaps it was for the best.

I can't argue that having a winning season isn't a big deal.  I'm 25 years old.  The last time the Pirates walked off the field during a winning season, I was four years old.  The last time the Pirates were a winning team, I had no concept of what baseball was, and my life was likely consumed by stuffed animals, Disney movies, and those oversized LEGO blocks.  I had not yet graduated to the normal sized LEGO.

So yes, it is a big deal.  But winning 82 has never been the goal, and never should have been the goal.  Maybe a winning season or two sprinkled in would have eased some of the jokes on local and national sports casts.  But would it have fundamentally changed the way I love the team, or the way the past two decades played out?  Sure, winning the division during the '97 Freak Show team could have prevented rushing Aramis Ramirez to the majors, or given Jose Guillen some extra time to develop in Pittsburgh.  Maybe in some strange butterfly effect world a series of standings shifts leave the Pirates drafting a series of budding superstars in the late 90's, altering the team's fate.

But truthfully, my identity as a Pirates fan for the entirety of my life has been tied to loving a losing team.  It had almost become a point of pride, as the rest of the city rode the Steelers and Penguins bandwagons, I faithfully clung to my team.  And I don't say that in a pretentious way, but simply to say that I think most Pirate fans who followed the team over the past twenty years learned things that perhaps many fans never learn.

When you follow a winner, it can be easy to focus on the end goals.  People can recount every moment of championship seasons, yet the Steelers Conference Championship losses and the games preceding it fade from memory.  Penguin fans focus in on a messy playoff exit, rather than the dominant regular season leading up to it.

Pirate fans haven't had that luxury.  There was never a season that I said "the team looks like a contender this year."  Most years, we knew there was a 90+ loss club sitting in front of us.  So you learn to appreciate the little things.  Not just the walkoff homer, or shutout.  You appreciate a diving stop in the hole, or a runner thrown out at home because they may be the only thing you really have to cheer about that game.  Or that week.  A save is something bequest by the baseball gods, not a foregone conclusion.  And a quality start?  That word takes on a whole different meaning when you might get one a week.

This season has been a magnificent ride, and the final weeks will be an amazing ride.  But it's something new.  Something different.  And if we slip back into another two decades of losing after this year, it won't make me love every second, every pitch of this year any less.

Topps Team Set Countdown, 62-56

I've never really been a fan of rankings, or lists in general.  Perhaps that's because I see the world as more fluid.  Or maybe I just don't like making decisions.  But really - if we're ranking the top 1000 songs, how much space is there between number 643 and 644?  Lists are almost almost arbitrary, and driven by personal preference or inherent bias.

But the damn things are fun...

I'll be ranking the Topps Pirate team sets.  The judgments are admittedly beyond subjective. Certain rankings may be driven entirely by sentiment, with utter disregard to anything having to do with the actual cards themselves.  The rankings have nothing to do with the set as a whole - I'm focusing exclusively on the Buccos in the set, so my own rankings on a "full set" list would probably be entirely different.  But hey, I said these things were subjective didn't I?

These type of things are always great to debate, and I'd love to hear from other team collectors (or anyone else for that matter) how my rankings would match up with the order for your team.

62) 1988 Topps

I really don't think it could get any worse than '88 Topps.  Dull posted spring training photos, or players standing around.  Terrible late 80's uniforms.  Awkward picture frame borders.  This set makes '91 Fleer look pretty.  Really the only thing saving the set is the colorful Future Stars label on this Lind card.  Even then...blah.

61) 2006 Topps

2006 was a great year for me.  The Pirates hosted the All-Star game.  I started college, and found myself a mere 15 minute walk from PNC Park.  I was at games just about every night, and it wasn't difficult to scalp a ticket on the Clemente Bridge for $5 an hour before game time.

Topps decided that my fond memories were best not memorialized in cardboard, though.  The 2006 set is just atrocious.  The design is actually decent, though perhaps an acquired taste.  But it's spring training jerseys galore.  Take a look at this Jeromy Burnitz card.  Photo cropped too close.  Awkward batting post.  Horrible armpit stripes.  Beautiful chain link fence backdrop.

Ok, now keep in mind this card was in series two.  Giving Topps a few full months of baseball to...do anything.  Anything.  The cards that do feature game photos all feature the Pirates pinstriped home Sunday alternates, presumably coming from one or two games.  The late 2000's marked a real decline in photo quality for Topps.  So of course the most logical thing to do was to give them an exclusive license.

60) 1968 Topps

I don't really have any explanation for this one.  The awkward burlap looking pattern could have been a nice update on the '62 set, and provided a little bit of color.  But...what's up with the giant purple bingo marker in the bottom corner?  Mix in some dull posed shots, and it's a real yawner.

59) 1999 Topps

You know Topps, it didn't have to be like this.  This photo is perhaps the best you'll see in this entire countdown.  Interleague game from the first season of interleague play in 1998?  Awesome.  Jason Kendall sliding in to second hard?  Sweet.  The sweeping gold border even works pretty well on this shot.  Hell, the team set is full of great action shots, as if said "hey, go grab that stack of photos we aren't using for Stadium Club." 

So why so low?  There are a whopping ten Pirate cards in both series.  Ten.  1-0.  You know, when you ask your little cousin how old he is and he holds up both hands?  Yeah, imagine one card on each finger.  Then take down four fingers on each hand, the outermost two on each side.  See where this is going?  That's exactly what Topps said to Pirate fans in 1999.

58) 1977 Topps

There isn't much to say about the 1977 set, because there isn't much happening in the '77 set.  It's too similar to the superior 1974 set.  But with an awkward waving pennant in the top corner.  What happened?  Did cookie monster take a bite out of it? 

57) 1966 Topps

Remember that really boring strip on the 1988 set?  Well here's its daddy.  For all the craziness of the mid '60's, Topps managed to keep things pretty uptight when it came to their cardboard.  Guess they weren't really marketing to the peace and love crowd.  Thankfully they didn't make the same mistake in the '70's.

56) 2010 Topps

Did I mention blah?  2010 was a rough year for the Bucs, and the set is highlighted by such standouts as Andy LaRoche, Lastings Milledge, and Steve Pearce.  This was only the third year of the ongoing run of white bordered monstrosities that I think we'll all remember as the Dark Ages.  The logo and left side color splash overwhelms the card, a tidal wave ready to sweep over the photo.  The team font (not even a logo!) seems awkwardly thrown onto the card, while the position is dwarfed, cowering in the corner for its life.  The only thing saving this set is the inclusion of some nice action shots, including this Paul Maholm featured above.  I believe this is also the only shot of the Pirates black alternate jersey for a few years to come.

I Love the 90's

I've gone on ad nauseaum about how bored I have been with the offerings thus far in 2013.  There have been cards I've liked, and the Pirate team sets have been a nice improvement on past years.  But there just hasn't been any single card that I said "I must have this!"

So, as they tend to do, my hobby dollars keep trying to find their way back into my bank account.  But instead, they keep finding ways to escape towards fun new pursuits. 

I was scanning sportlots the other night to see if any new Jack Wilsons were added.  No luck on that front, but I did come across some rare 90's parallels at dirt cheap. I couldn't get them in my card fast enough.

This 1999 Upper Deck MVP Gold Signature /100 came my way for a little over $2 shipped.  Considering how tough these were to pull, and I was giddy as a schoolgirl.  MVP was basically a continuation of the Collector's Choice (94-97) and UD Choice (98) sets, carrying on the Silver Signature and Gold Signature parallels.  The set was a lower cost release with a fair number of shiny, kid friendly inserts, and some tough to pull game used and autographed cards. 

The gold signature didn't come out great in the scan, but really pops with the card's black/gold color scheme.  I may have to spend more time on the newly redesigned sportlots - I used to use the site exclusively for my commons needs, but clearly there have been some rarer cards added at amazing prices since I last shopped there.

Minor Matters: Brad Corley - The Player Collection That Never Was

Once upon a time, I was a player collector first and a team collector second.  My progression of player collections has pretty exclusively featured light hitting middle infielders: Warren Morris, Lou Collier, and then a super-collection of Jack Wilson.

As my collecting interests grew, I thought it would be fun to take on a new player collection.  What better way than to dig deep into the minors and catch a guy as he started his pro career.  Coming out of the 2005 draft, I didn't have the pockets to pursue first rounder Andrew McCutchen.  But slugging second round pick Brad Corley seemed like the perfect fit - a power hitting college bat with only a few cards, it would be the perfect start to a super collection.

I probably don't need to say much about the McCutchen guy.  Corley on the other hand...he put up nice power numbers, slugging 16 homers and 100 rbi's in his first full pro season in 2006.  But that line was capped off with an unsettling 109 K's and a hollow .438 slugging percentage.  As he rose through the minors, the K's got worse, batting average slumped, and the power never went from above average to exceptional.

By 2009, Corley was out of baseball at age 25, topping out at AA.

I built up a nice collection, including all colors of refractors, a few press plates, and some newfound player collecting wisdom.

Browsing ebay last week, I noticed an auto of Corley from 2006, when his promise still seemed strong.  I always enjoy minor league cards, even if the players don't quite make it all the way.  For $1 and free shipping,I got myself a nice reminder of why I have 8 Blue Refractors of a guy who never made it above AA.

Finally, some new mail

It's been quite some time since I've had a mail day.  What little buying I have done over the past two months has been largely relegated to COMC.  But I snagged this beauty off ebay for $4 shipped.  Hague doesn't look to have any future in the Bucs organization, and there isn't a lot of demand for RH light hitting first basemen. 

Pirates always look nice on the black or gold bordered refractors, but sadly the player selection has been pretty slim in recent years of Topps Chrome.  But after being left out of countless Bowman and Topps auto checklists over the past few years, it's nice just to see a Pirate auto.