I should’ve taken the time to blog this a few days ago when the Pirates were a little closer to .500 for the season - as of this morning they’ve slipped to 25-29 and are 8.5 back of the division leading Cubs. This time last year, they were 23-30 with manager Jim Tracy at the helm and en route to a 68-94 season, 6th in the NL and 17 games back of the lead.
Certainly the hopes, if not expectations of the Pirates faithful are that things will be different this go-round with John Russell at the controls. As of Tuesday, the mood in the clubhouse was still positive:
The Pirates blew a two-run lead in the eighth inning Saturday and trailed the Chicago Cubs — again — in the bottom of the ninth. Closer Kerry Wood was on the hill, and the bottom of the batting order was due up.
Yet, the mood in the Pirates’ dugout was hardly doom and gloom. Every player was on the top step, leaning over the railing and jawing, an unbroken line of black-and-gold warmup jackets.
“The guys were into it,” manager John Russell said. “They were picking each other up, continuing to put the pressure on, believing they can win. It was outstanding.”
In recent years, “We will” was little more than a hollow marketing slogan at PNC Park. This season, the catchphrase is gone — but the sentiment has come to life in the Pirates’ clubhouse.
“The atmosphere has been very different, even on the bench, every game,” outfielder Jason Bay said. “Stuff like that has been the difference this year. It’s nothing you can lay your finger on. It’s just … a different feel.”
Maybe that’s why Luis Rivas connected on an 0-2 pitch and lofted a sacrifice fly to tie the game, denying Wood his fourth save in eight outings against the Pirates. Maybe it helped Bay rip the game-winning single in the 14th inning.
The source of this quiet confidence, everyone in the clubhouse agrees, is Russell.
Certainly, a winning season would be a huge achievement for John and the Bucs - they’ve not had one since 1992, the year the Blue Jays won their first World Series. Here’s hoping that John can help the Pirates tack on at least 56 more wins over the remaining 108 games.
“I’m not a guy who’s going to crack a whip, or scream at ‘em all day long. I mean we’re going to have fun, but we’re going to do it right.”
