Five Reasons to Love the Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pittsburgh Pirates are in the middle of a gauntlet.

If you ever pledged a frat,  you might know what I mean.  If you ever had a week of finals and didn’t study until five in the morning–on the day of the final–you might know what I mean.

The Pirates have faced some of the best pitching in the game of baseball and more are in line to take their turn at the Bucs.  It really is hell week for the 2011 Bucs.

And the light at the end is shaded by some guy in a Philadelphia Phillies hat named Hulk Worley.  But if you put a little tape on those glasses he would look like the dork you cheated off of during that final, so yeh, don’t be afraid.  Embrace your love of the Pirates, or if your team is out of the race get on the bandwagon.

Here’s why we love watching this young team go toe-to-toe with the best:

Pirates tweets.  There are  witty, smart Pirates fans like Matt Bandi.  And passionate,all caps typing guys like RTJR.  Guys like 3rdBoss.  And then clowns like me.

Pirates videos.   Seriously….just hit BucTown or Hoist the Colors or Bad Things Man or ….a hundred or so others to get rid of those Braves blues today.

Bob Nutting.  The Pirates owner. This guy paid somebody who screwed up and put the wrong scores from the 1960 World Series on the beer steins giveaway last year.  Seriously.

The guy paid someone who actually botched the plaque on the Bill Mazeroski statue.

The guy told David Littlefield yes when big Dave asked if it was ok to acquire Matt Morris.

Seriously, though, with just over 100 games played in 2011, Nutting went from the Riddler of Pittsburgh to Batman thanks to his young Pirates team.

Select Pittsburgh media. These guys can flip a switch in a moment. One day they will say Neil Walker isn’t a Pittsburgh guy. A few weeks later they act like it never happened. Whoever is writing the check gets their love, just ask Paul Alexander how it works. But deep down, whether it’s the guy who broke the Dock Ellis story or the guy on your radio every morning, the media has a love for the Bucs–they just hate admitting it.

The 2011 Pittsburgh Piratess are a total freak show.

They’re young.

They have absolutely no business being where they are today.

Their heart is as big as the Batman logo on the Highmark building.

Their utter desire to win despite a consistent desire by their coaching staff to give away outs is admirable.

It’s maddening to see this team pushing a shopping cart in the buyers aisle at the trade deadline.  It’s a position in the NL Central standings where I never thought they would be considering all of these injuries.  The Pirates are taking their lumps from their Major League frat brothers, giving out their fair share too, but most of all giving Pittsburgh, all of Pittsburgh, a team to be proud about again.

That’s more than enough for me.  It should be enough for you too…go ahead jump on.  Just please don’t stare.  Freaks don’t like that shit.

Follow RumBunter on Twitter