A good Pirates win over the previously undefeated White Sox. Mike Kane threw five shutout innings (deftly escaping a 1st inning, bases loaded, no outs jam). The Bucs slowly accumulated runs -- one booming double and a lot of little things done well -- and then our veteran twirler Richie Knaupp got on the bump for the first time this season to close it out. That was nice to see, since there had been concern about Richie's injured shoulder.
Manager Bob Yakatan was away, so I stepped in to steer the ship, though with this group of guys there's not much to do. As Jim Jordan used to say, "We're all professionals here." Thing is, I think he believed it.
The Pirates have four rookies this season. Collectively, I don't think they've played ball in 87 years. Though the veterans on the club refuse to learn their names -- we call them "bilge rats" and "scurvy dogs," mostly -- the rookies have infused us with some fresh-faced enthusiasm, playing with glad hearts, and reminding us once again how fortunate we are to (still!) play the game.
The White Sox sure looked (and sounded, and felt) like a team to me. They came to play as a unit. The field was in dubious shape from a late-afternoon rain, but we hung around, did what we could, and waited for the Big Old Sun to do its work, which it did. Great cooperation from Reid Shephard and the whole White Sox team, along with umpires Todd Hunsicker and Don Dunham, to get the game played. Thanks all.
Nice write-up, Jimmy P. Your comment about Jimmy J made me laugh. He definitely believed we're all professionals and that's the way he approached and played the game his whole life - you gotta love 'em. Man - I know we all miss him - I sure do. Your posting reminded me of that and I know it touched a lot of us - thanks. Congratulations on the Pirate win. It's good to see the rookies on your club are getting some hazing. Jim Dalton and the rest of the Sox - sorry you took your first loss but you guys have succeeded in making big improvements to your club and more wins are coming, as you know.
