Have to hand it to the Reds

[IABucFan]

First, let me say that I enjoy this board. You guys are very knowledgable fans. I'm impressed. But, as a Pirate fan, I also just want to acknowledge your team. Are you guys ever going to lose??? Honestly, I've never seen the Bucs play this well for this long, and you guys won't give an inch! This is shaping up to be a good race, but my goodness, we've won 9 out of 11 and I think we've dropped a game in the standings in that span.

Congrats on a great year and I hope the rest of the pennant race is as enjoyable as the first 100 games have been. Can't wait for next week!

[wvreds]

Thanks and best of luck to you as well, also thinks for being an intelligent poster and not some troll :thumbup:

[Who Dey Time]

First, let me say that I enjoy this board. You guys are very knowledgable fans. I'm impressed. But, as a Pirate fan, I also just want to acknowledge your team. Are you guys ever going to lose??? Honestly, I've never seen the Bucs play this well for this long, and you guys won't give an inch! This is shaping up to be a good race, but my goodness, we've won 9 out of 11 and I think we've dropped a game in the standings in that span.

Congrats on a great year and I hope the rest of the pennant race is as enjoyable as the first 100 games have been. Can't wait for next week!

Love to see the Pirates doing well. It's been a long time for Pirates fans (us Bengals fans can relate). Next weekend should be fun!

[Stray]

Cannot wait for our series coming up, should be fun.

[MrRedLegger]

Are you guys ever going to lose???.....Can't wait for next week!

I think each side is saying that. Both teams just keep winning and since no ground is being made up or expanded it makes it for very interesting baseball. Next weekend's series is going to be HUGE

[Knightro28]

2012 Pirates have a 2010 Reds feel. Flaws, but after such a long period of drought, who cares? Enjoy the ride. There seems to be much much much more griping after that one winning season though.

[R_Webb18]

if the pirates were not in nl central id prob root for them. seem like a likeable team.

[IABucFan]

Believe me, I'm enjoying it! I became a Pirate fan living in the middle of Iowa back in the early 90s. I was just a kid then, but I couldn't stand the Twins, Cubs, or Cards, so I picked a team and stuck with them. Sometimes I think I should have picked a different team. But, I stuck with them through guys like Ron Wright, Chad Hermansen, the Bronson Arroyo, Chris Young, and Aramis Ramirez giveaways, the flash-in-the-pan seasons of guys like Kip wells and Oliver Perez, the 2003 Rule 5 draft fiasco, the drafting of Daniel Moskos over Matt Weiters, signing guys like Chris Stynes, Pat Meares, and Derek Bell in desperate attempts to win 75 (what Bucco fans came to call the "drive for 75), and the list goes on and on.

I do see a lot of similarities between the Bucs and 2010 Reds. Kind of like what you guys are maybe experiencing this year, I think Pitt's best days might be in front of them. I kind of feel like we arrived a year too early to the party. I think once Marte gets established, and our young pitching develops (Taillon, Cole, and Heredia especially) they could have a nice four or five year window where they are competitive.

Anyway, I really enjoy this board. I don't post much, but I like getting another perspective. I get a lot of info from some good Pirates boards, and Pittsburgh media, but I really enjoy reading what fans of other teams have to say. I find their insight to sometimes be more valuable and a truer barometer of where a team really stands.

[OldRed1966]

IABucFan, your Pirates are playing great ball. I think the Wandy trade will help. How concerned are Pirates fans about the recent struggles of McDonald?

[IABucFan]

Mixed...personally, I'm not too concerned, but I'd kind of like to see him have a start skipped, and let Correia start in his place. I think he's showing a little bit of fatigue. He pitched on regular rest (or close to it anyway) after the AS break, and one of his last starts before the break, Hurdle let him get a complete game against the Twins. I think he threw something like 120 pitches. Tomorrow's definitely a big start for him though. If you can't look good against the Astros, well...

Anyway, personally, I think McDonald will be OK. Honestly, I'm more worried about Rodriguez. He had five walks tonight (but, in his defense the HP umpire was incredibly inconsistent tonight, on both sides). I do feel confident though with any of the five guys in our rotation (six if you count Correia) taking the ball.

['69]

Believe me, I'm enjoying it! I became a Pirate fan living in the middle of Iowa back in the early 90s. I was just a kid then, but I couldn't stand the Twins, Cubs, or Cards, so I picked a team and stuck with them.

You're alright. :thumbup:

It is really good to see a seriously good Pirates team. Reds fans want to see them fall off but I've been saying there are no signs, in fact they seem to get more tenacious as the season progresses.

[BigPoppa]

Welcome to the board. I like the Pirates, and I'm glad to see them and their fans enjoy a taste of success. I'm rooting for Pittsburgh to be just ever so slightly less successful than the Reds.

[cooperlamar]

Like others, I'm happy for the Pirates as well. I'm going to at least one game next weekend and it should be an awesome series - close to sell-outs already for all 3 games.

If the Reds can't win it all this year, I'll be rooting for the Pirates.

[IamRV]

Will take an incredible implosion for either team to not be in the playoffs.

[BluegrassRedleg]

I'm genuinely happy for the Pirates. They're long overdue, and it reminds me of the "good ol' days." Now if we can just get Kansas City and Baltimore going, too... :)

Also nice to see one of the absolute best parks in MLB starting to fill up. That was the biggest shame of the Bucs' struggles -- that fantastic yard being empty every night was sad.

[IABucFan]

You guys just keep winning! I'm really looking forward to this weekend. This will be the biggest series the Pirates have played in 20 years. Honestly, I like your team. I think you guys have a lot of stand up players that are easy to root for. The Reds have a great future in front of them, plus a great present.

[bounty37h]

My first MLB game I ever went to was in Three Rivers in Aug of 1983. I was a Bench fan and my parents drove me up from NC to see them play the Bucs for my birthday, think I saw his last career road homer? My parents lived in Pburgh before moving to NC in the 70's, so they were happy to return and see the city as well. We sat by a lot of the Penguins who were at the game also. While I hope you lose just enough that we win the division (and of course this series), I do hope you continue to play good ball.

[HometownHero]

Good to see rival fans that aren't *****s like most every Cards fans.

[Red in Atl]

Mixed...personally, I'm not too concerned, but I'd kind of like to see him have a start skipped, and let Correia start in his place...

Welcome to the board and Good luck to the Buc's. As another small market team, I can't root against them. Accept during the obvious.

I was disappointed to see Correia's comments after the Wandy trade. Asking to be traded, because he wants to start? Really?

It saddens me to see that kind of "me first" mentality in today's younger players. I hope some veteran pulled him aside and let him know how freakin' lucky he is to have a job, especially on a team that's making a real run.

I say they should ship his but to the Astros and see how much he enjoys "starting".

[BungleBengals]

I like the Pirates as well. Can't believe we have the best record in the MLB and are still only 3 games ahead of the Bucs.

We are hopefully going to win the division, but at least you will have the NL MVP in McCutchen :beerme:

[The_Mudshark]

You guys just keep winning! I'm really looking forward to this weekend. This will be the biggest series the Pirates have played in 20 years. Honestly, I like your team. I think you guys have a lot of stand up players that are easy to root for. The Reds have a great future in front of them, plus a great present.

Good too hear from an opposing fan, and it is good to see two teams that for years were NL Central afterthoughts leading the division together. I also love having "Clutch McCutch" on my fantasy team.

Another thing we can all agree on is how great it is to see the red birds seven games out of first place as of today. :beerme:

[P.E.R#14]

You guys just keep winning! I'm really looking forward to this weekend. This will be the biggest series the Pirates have played in 20 years. Honestly, I like your team. I think you guys have a lot of stand up players that are easy to root for. The Reds have a great future in front of them, plus a great present.

I would love to see the PIT/CIN rivalry renewed. It's been too long and maybe it's time for the Redbirds to fly off the radar for a while.

I agree with a few others. If the Pirates weren't in the division, I'd be pulling for them a little more than I currently am. At least you've almost guranteed a winning record this season!!

Have to mention how nice the new stadium is in Pittsburgh. Saw a concert, not a ball game, but great stadium and better view! So nice.


Go Reds!

[arkimadee]

You guys just keep winning! I'm really looking forward to this weekend. This will be the biggest series the Pirates have played in 20 years. Honestly, I like your team. I think you guys have a lot of stand up players that are easy to root for. The Reds have a great future in front of them, plus a great present.

Just curious, what board do you use at Pitt? I've looked at a couple of boards but wasn't sure what the main one was.

[IABucFan]

Just curious, what board do you use at Pitt? I've looked at a couple of boards but wasn't sure what the main one was.

I assume you mean which message board? The only one I frequent is www.onlybucs.net. It's a good site, much like this one. They have similar posting rules and it's mostly hardcore fans, who passionately follow the team. It's nothing like say, the ESPN boards.

Anyway, I can't tell you guys how pumped I am for this series. Thanks for the kind words regarding the Pirates. I've waited a long time to see a Pirates team play meaningful baseball into August (kind of last year, also 1997, but that was more a product of the N.L. Central being really bad in 1997 than the Bucs being competitive). I wish I could be in Cinci this weekend, but I'll be tuning in on MLB.tv.

To the previous poster mentioning Correia...I agree with you. I think the general response from Pirate fans to his rant was, "Don't let the door hit you on the way out." That said, I've never been down on Correia, personally. I don't think he's a world-bearter by any stretch of the imagination, but he's consistent. He'll keep you in games, take the ball every fifth day, and eat some innings for you. That's really all I'm looking for out of my fifth starter. If I were Clint Hurdle, I would have kept him in the rotation and gone with a six-man rotation, trying to prevent some fatigue among all of the starters.

I am certainly a little more concerned about McDonald today than I was a few days ago, ditto for Bedard. I think both have it in them to pitch well, but they are also both inconsistent, so you never really know what you're going to get. I think, going forward, one of the keys to the success/failure the Pirates will have will be Jeff Karstens. He kind of burst onto the scene last year, and missed a good chunk of this year with an injury. He's pitched well since coming off the DL, and his arm should be fresh, due to the injury. If he can keep pitching well, that will be a nice complement to go along with Burnett, and hopefully, Rodriguez and McDonald.

Good luck to you guys, even this weekend. I like the Reds...too young to have seen the 70s, but I respect the Reds organization, and I also like seeing another small-market team succeed the right way. I'd love to get 2 out of 3 this weekend, but with the way you guys have been playing, honestly, I'll be happy if we don't get swept.

Peace!