We will...

I just realized something that almost completely blew my mind. It also gave me a reason to care about the rest of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ season, which, around the City of Pittsburgh, unofficially ends tomorrow (the start of Steelers training camp).

I heard last night that, despite some incredible pitching performances by Carlos Zambrano, the Chicago Cubs had only 39 wins so far this season. I couldn’t believe it. I said to Jen, who couldn’t care less, “I think that’s pretty darn close to the Pirates.”

Could Chicago really suck that bad? Has the White Sox World Series victory completely sucked all of the baseball karma in that city directly to the south side? I verified it on espn.com today, and it turns out that, yes, the Cubs (39-61) do suck almost as badly as the Pirates this year. The Pirates (37-66) trail the Cubs by only three and a half games for the coveted fifth-place slot in National League Central Division race.

With Jason "Jay" Bay and Freddie “Hit Man” Sanchez playing as well as they are and Ian Snell pitching as well as he is (I remember watching him in frickin’ Double-A just two years ago in Altoona), I think the Pirates have a legitimate shot of catching the Cubs and making that team look really, really pathetic.

It they did, I would find that extremely satisfying on a personal level.

One of the main reasons Jen and I decided to go to Chicago on our honeymoon was Wrigley Field. I wanted to see a game at historic Wrigley Field before they tore it down. The problem was that when we called for tickets to a Friday afternoon game, they were nearly sold out (don’t people work in Chicago?). Not to worry, though. They still had some bleacher seats available for $70 each. Each! If you don’t know how bleacher seats work at Wrigley Field, let’s just say that if you have a nice spot and you’re lucky enough to have an unobstructed view of the field, DO NOT GET UP, because those seats would then be game for anyone else with a bleacher ticket. It’s high-school-sports rules at good ol’ Wrigley.

When I heard the $70 news, I was kind of upset. Why the hell would I pay $70 to watch the Mets pound a team that was probably going to finish in fifth place in the NL Central? How could they justify that? I can go watch a barely crappier team get killed in a beautiful new stadium in a reserved bleacher seat for $14. And now it turns out that Pirates may not even be a crappier team than the Cubs? Shame on you, Cubs box office. Shame...

We Will… not finish in the basement.

So, purely for spite... Go Bucs!!!