The Pirates Sunday School Bulletin

The stunned Capitals fans was satisfication enough for me.  I can’t even post pictures.  It was too pretty.  Also posting could be considered boasting and all I really want is, well, for the Pirates to turn this around.

We didn’t get to hear much about the game except for the first three innings.

The Pirates had baserunners in each of those innings.

Freddy Sanchez set a personal record with two steals during that stretch.

And the Pirates recorded no runs.

Please pray for our Pittsburgh Pirates today.

All I want for my birthday is a Pirates victory.  And it can happen anytime this week and it will be fine with me.

An interesting link by Bugs and Cranks today, and as I read it, the column makes sense.  One would think JR would have concerns about his job, but it appears that the Pirates are making no changes whatsoever.  The Bucs had a hitters meeting yesterday, but nothing really resulted, and apparently it was a very short meeting.  The B&C link  is here touches on ousted DBack Manager Bob Melvin, a former catcher.  By far, the position played professionally by ML managers was catcher:

AJ Hinch
Eric Wedge
Joe Torre
Mike Scioscia
Fredi Gonzalez
Joe Girardi
Bob Geren
John Russell
Bruce Bochy
Don Wakamatsu
Jim Leyland
Joe Maddon

Looking ahead at the Cards and Rockies is daunting.

Of course we knew we would be hearing it soon enough….

Pujols is hitting .370 with 37 home runs and 111 RBIs in 133 career games against the Pirates. Pujols is about the only slugger who hasn’t been linked to the juice….a radio report by Tim from the X asked if he was the greatest slugger of our time, or just the greatest slugger to never get caught?

Cards manager Tony La Russa laughed when asked how Pujols might react to being under more scrutiny.

“Good,” La Russa said. “Bring it on. That’ll make him even greater.”

The Rockies are coming to town Friday with the old man, Todd Helton.  Everyone thought the bad back would accelerate the process of saying goodbye to Helton’s career.  He is making $52+million through 2011 even though his homers were declining…he hit 15 in 2006, 17 in 2007 and just seven last year in only 299 at bats.  Also he hit under .300 which he hadn’t done since he was a rookie.

But since the surgery, Helton has responded by hitting .337 with three home runs and 17 RBI.  The Rockies have lost three in a row.

They want to streak too.  Todd Helton is back, and here is a cool story.  This is the link.

Like Hines Ward, Helton sleeps in a hyperbaric chamber in an effort to preserve his body.  “It definitely takes away some of the soreness,” Helton said. “It definitely doesn’t hurt. I do anything I can to help.”