Buccos fans check-in!!

[Pghfan987]

Hello all Buccos fans!

My name is Mark and I live in Latrobe. I am 20 years old and have been a loyal Pirates' fan my whole life. One of my earliest Pirates memories is Sid Bream in '92. My favorite current Pirates are Jack Wilson and Jason Bay. My all-time favorite Bucco is Roberto Clemente. (I know, not terribly original, but I always admired him.) I have been eagerly anticipating an above .500 season from the Bucs since I was 7. I think it could be soon. I sure hope so.

I was just wondering what other Pirates fans are here! I post a lot on Current Events and History of the Game, but this Buccos' forum seems to be pretty empty most of the time. Just post to say hi, if you like!

LET'S GO BUCS!

Mark

[Bucco Fanatic]

yo i just registered on this site today for something to do. Im a HUGE pirates fan from Slippery Rock, PA. Im 21 years old and my friends call me crazy for even dreaming of that 500 season this year. Personally i think its well within reach especially with the addition of some veteran bats like Randa, Casey, and Burnitz. Well i just thought id pop in and say hello and introduce myself.

Later

[Pghfan987]

Excellent, excellent.

This forum is really different than something like mlb.com. The people here are really knowledgable and committed. There are some great debates between the greatness of historical player, current superstars, and all kinds of stuff.

I sure hope this is the Pirates' year. There is always hope, but a lot of things would have to go right. Oliver Perez would have to be the ace he was in 2004, Zach Duke needs to be somewhere near the level he was last year, and Casey and Burnitz need to be productive. Gonzo could be a great closer, and Bay is the best player the Bucs have had in fourteen years. I don't expect much from Randa.

Mark

[scootermojo]

hey mark,

i'm 31 and live in north versailles just 10 to 15 minutes from pittsburgh. i'm sorry to hear that one of your earliest memories is of sid bream in '92...aaarrrggghh! god, i still get depressed thinking of that one!

yeah, i think that pirates look poised to finally get over the hump into .500 plus ball but that may still be a year or two away but i still have hope. i'm excited to see how the pitching will do this year with all the lefties, if duke can show he's the real deal and hopefully see perez can put it all back together to see if his 2004 season was a fluke or if the 2005 season was a fluke...he didn't look too bad in the WBC.

i think jason bay is going to turn into a really, really good player and might be the one to make us forget about bonds and give us hope for the future. his improvement over his rookie of the year performance was nice to see in that he wasn't another fluke and it looks like he's close to being a 30/30 guy. jack wilson may never hit again like he did in 2004 but he's a hell of a fielder and alone with castillo they make a helluva combination in the middle infield.

i think mcclendon was a lame duck manager and was shafted into a no win situation but i think it's a good decision to bring in tracy for the manager. watched them yesterday on tv and they looked sharp!

[Bucco Fanatic]

I have a feeling Duke will be just as productive this year. Just an interesting thing to think about (doesnt mean a whole lot) but i took part in 3 fantasy drafts and Duke was drafted in the top 60 each time. The groups i play in are serious competitors so they did a little homework on the kid. Thats not to say he wont fall flat on his face, but as a pirates fan it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside:gt

[Astros4Life]

i think yall could make a run at a 500 record...i think yall could pass the cubs for 3rd place what with prior and wood hurt...good luck...and if ur wondering the pirates are my second favorite team behind the astros (always has been) and having been to your stadium id say that PNC is a great place and its just waiting for a good to great pirate team to play there

[Goooooo]

I just registered lastnight. This site is great.

[Wagner33]

I'm back again for another season...

28, orginally from Churchill, PA (just outside Monroeville), but now live in Arlington, VA. Been a Pirate fan for as long as I can remember and I'm pretty excited for this upcoming season. I'll try to get back to PNC Park for as many games as I can this season. Luckily for me, my girlfriend was supernice to me this year by buying me tickets to the Bucs/Nats series here in DC. I can't wait!

LET'S GO TO WORK!!!

[BeatEmBucs]

I'm here, living in regent square now, and often seen at PNC Park (look for the gold 79 Bucs jersey in Section 142 all Saturday Night games this year, and a few others) Looking forward to the season ahead. I think Tracy's optimism has excited this team, and if the pitching can meet (hopefully exceed) expectations it looks like this is the year we get over 500, and build the foundation for a bright future!

[steveironcity]

Im from Carnegie. I went to about 20 games last year, and hope to make it to some this year.

[Hank_Venture]

Hello, been a Bucs fan since 1978.

I like the addition of Sean Casey and hope that Jim Tracy will be a far better manager than McClendon (he couldn't be any worse). However, going 0-3 against Milwaukee isn't what I consider to be a good start.

GO BUCS!!!

[Old Hoss Radbourn]

It's great to see a lot of Pirates fans here. I don't see the Bucs much anymore, but I still try to follow them as much as possible. I grew up in West Virginia and was fanatic about the Bucs growing up. I started watching them in 1965 when I was 7 years old. I can remember watching them on KDKA on opening day in 1966 against the Braves (it was their first game in Atlanta). Matty Alou led off that game for the Pirates and Felipe was the leadoff hitter for the Braves. I didn't miss a single pitch that season, either on the radio or TV. I can even remember that two of the sponsors were Atlantic Richfield gasoline (a few years before they became ARCO) and Iron City Beer. Later on I was able to see a few games at Forbes Field and Three Rivers. And still later, in the late 1980s and early 1990s, I was sports editor of a newspaper in West Virginia and spent a couple of weekends each summer in Pittsburgh photographing the games. After my high school graduation, I could have gone out partying, but the Bucs and the Expos were on, so I went home to watch the rest of the game. What a baseball nerd I was!

Of course, Roberto Clemente was my hero. I cried like a baby when my mom woke me up on New Year's morning of 1973 to tell me he had died in a plane crash. Some of the other players I can remember right off the top of my head in those earliest days were Stargell (of course), Bill Mazeroski, Gene Alley (what a great double play combination!), Bob Bailey, Jose Pagan, Jim Pagliaroni, Bob Veale, Donn Clendenon, Manny Mota, Vern Law, Steve Blass, Roy Face, Jerry Lynch, Al McBean, Woodie Fryman, Don Cardwell and Tommie Sisk. Jim Bunning even spent a year or two with the Bucs at the end of his Hall of Fame career. Later on, in the 1970s, there were Al Oliver, Bob Robertson, Dave Cash, Rennie Stennett, Richie Hebner, Manny Sanguillen, Vic Davalillo, Dock Ellis, Nellie Briles, Bruce Kison, Bob Moose, Luke Walker, Richie Zisk, Dave Giusti, Freddie Patek and Jim Rooker.

And, of course I remember those two great World Series victories in the 1970s over the Orioles (who were always my favorite American League team growing up).

Alas, through so many years as a sports writer and editor, I learned to be neutral and lost my fanaticism. Now I'm more just a baseball fan than a fan of any particular team. But I always keep a place in my heart for the Bucs and it saddens me that the club has been down for so long. I hope they can get things turned around. :)

[Old Hoss Radbourn]

And I forgot to mention how much I miss listening to Bob Prince broadcast all those games in the late 60s and early 70s. When I first started listening, his broadcast partner was Jim Woods ("The Possum"), who left for the Red Sox. Later on his partner was Nellie King, who later became athletic director at Duquesne.