Pittsburgh Pirates Getting Ready for Truck Day

There are certain events that indicate that Spring is around the corner. Even while we may be buried under feet of snow, which is the case where I live, seeing that pitchers and catchers are about to report always finds a way to warm up the cold air. As I type this during a blizzard, any promise of warmth is certainly welcome.

Yet, before those players can appear in Spring Training and begin to get ready for the season, the truck must be packed and sent down to the team’s Spring Training sites. For the Pittsburgh Pirates, Truck Day happened yesterday, with the truck beginning to be packed on Thursday.

Of course, the normal items that one expects will be on that truck. Plenty of baseballs, bats, uniforms and shirts will be packed up, Sunflower seeds and bubble gum will be loaded by the case. Naturally, these are the staples for virtually every baseball team, as the only differences may be the brands of seeds and gum the Pirates are sending to Bradenton.

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Of course, there may be those ‘special requests.’ For the Pittsburgh Pirates, Neil Walker has become fairly known for having some interesting items sent down to Florida on the truck. Last year, according to Pirates clubhouse manager Scott Bonnett, Walker had a special pillow sent down to Bradenton. This year, the Pirates are shipping down a ping pong table.

However, that is not all that the Pittsburgh Pirates are sending down to Florida. The promise of hope, of the ability to build on their playoff appearances of the past two seasons, has traveled with them. While fans of every team feel hope this time of year, the Pirates are certainly one of the teams that should contend for the postseason.

For a bit more of a look into the Pittsburgh Pirates Truck Day, check out the video below. And, if you are like me, wonder about why one of the people packing the truck is wearing receiving gloves with the NFL logo, instead of batting gloves.