Pittsburgh Pirates

It's been a while. Quite literally! My apologies to readers of my work, past and present. Now I'm back in the saddle. The year is 2012 and those followers of the Pittsburgh Pirates are in unchartered waters, so to speak. I'm speaking of the Pirates being in first place in the National League Central Division at the All-Star break. It hasn't been this exciting around the Pittsburgh region in a long time! For those who were around during the early 1990s, you understand what kind of excitement can be created by a winning baseball club. That team won three straight division titles, but could not get over the hump in the National League Championship Series. After 19 years, this franchise is back on top and the bandwagon is filling fast. For those of us who were alive for the last World Series title, 1979, we know how crazy this area can get when there is a winner in baseball. This is what those in our generation wish for the younger generations. The excitement is just as intense as when the Steelers win a Super Bowl or the Penguins win a Stanley Cup. Winning baseball has returned to Pittsburgh, yet there are those naysayers who are waiting for the other foot to drop. Not this year. When a team has been down as a long as the Pirates have been, you have to learn how to win. Last year's collapse was a result of players not knowing how to go the distance. They understand that now. This is what makes 2012 different. There are no guarantees of a division title or a playoff berth, but a winning season is in the cards. There is also the matter of an attitude and confidence in the clubhouse. That's important. Chemistry, a winning clubhouse, a close clubhouse, those are elements that cannot be ignored. There is still another half of baseball to be played, but this team is on the right track.

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