The Pirates’ future is now

Today marks the first day of September, and football is definitely in the air.

Pitt has… Today marks the first day of September, and football is definitely in the air.

Pitt has finally named a starting quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger jerseys are starting to pop up everywhere in Pittsburgh, and even Deion Sanders is coming back to join in the fun.

As much as everyone is gearing up for football, I won’t be watching it just yet. (Unless it is a Notre Dame game, of course.)

Instead, my attention will be fully focused on the Pittsburgh Pirates and how they will finish out their roller-coaster ride of a season.

In case you haven’t noticed, (as I write this) the Bucs have a record of 61-69, which for any regular team would be on the borderline of a dismal season. However, that statement doesn’t hold true for a team that hasn’t had a winning season since 1992, when Barry Bonds graced the outfield of Three Rivers Stadium in a Bucco uniform.

The wait for just a .500 season for us die-hard Pirate fans has seemed like an eternity thus far. It has stretched through the loss of key players, salary dumps and the unforgettable Cam Bonifay era.

So with the season winding down and the Pirates only eight games out of an even record, why hasn’t the whole city of Pittsburgh been jumping for joy?

We do have a few reasons to jump now, and even more reasons to believe that the word “playoffs” is just around the corner for the youngest team in Major League Baseball.

For instance, I would like for anyone to send me an e-mail notifying me of a more dominant left-handed pitcher than Oliver Perez — other than Randy Johnson.

Having trouble thinking of one? How about Mike Gonzalez? He is in the Pirate’s bullpen and is likely in line to become the next closer when Jose Mesa ships off after the season is over. If you haven’t seen his numbers on the year yet, I would suggest you take a look and be seated while you do.

A crop of pitching prospects await to fill in the starting rotation behind Perez and Kip Wells, ranging from former first round draft picks John Van Benschoten and Bobby Bradley to big-time late rounders Ian Snell and Zach Duke.

It’s also easy to see that the loss of Brian Giles has been totally forgotten now that Jason Bay has surely won over everyone’s emotions and should be a no-brainer for National League Rookie of the Year, no matter what Khalil Greene of the Padres happens to do the rest of the season.

Pleasant surprises along the way — such as Jack Wilson’s bat finally living up to potential and Jose Castillo getting accustomed to “The Show” after a rough jump to the majors straight from AA — have added some excitement as well.

Throw in the fact that Jason Kendall is no longer a defensive liability and his bat keeps rolling to make his outrageous contract seem somewhat tolerable, and you’ve got yourself a solid core for a team.

However, with all the positives that the team has put together, some negatives will follow around General Manager Dave Littlefield for the rest of his career. Draft decisions with the No. 1 pick will always be scrutinized, as well as players left unprotected in the Rule V Draft, but the opinions of many on each and every so called “mistake” will stand right next to the brain trust of a losing team and are something they will have to deal with.

Make no mistake about it, though; the progress the Pirates have made this year should not go unrecognized in the baseball world, especially in their own hometown of the ‘Burgh. Like I said, it has been a while since we have had a winner here and things are now starting to look good.

I am urging you all to tune in and hope for a .500 season for the Bucs and even witness the turnaround first hand by attending a game or two at the nicest ballpark in all of the major leagues.

As for the future of the team — when the time comes sooner than you think — remember this column and be ready to jump on the bandwagon, because I will be driving it all the way to the playoffs.

Who knows, maybe we could even meet the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the World Series, just as long as B.J. Upton doesn’t make Mr. Littlefield look like a fool for not selecting him with the 1st pick in the 2002 draft.

Alan Smodic is a columnist for The Pitt News and can be reached at ams85@pitt.edu.