WHAT I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR!!!

I trust you are all recovered from the last two games against the Nats. There is no reason that the Nats should ever beat the hometown girls two games in a row, but they did. Lee wasn't supposed to get pounded the way he was against the team that gave Jayson Werth 126 million, but he was. I don't expect the Sillies to win every game, but they will need to do better. That means feasting on teams that might not even win the International League pennant. We need to move on because, starting tomorrow, three games will be played in the ballpark just voted as the best in the majors.

PNC Park truly is a wonderful ball park. The layout is great, especially the view of downtown. I love the traditionallhy styled uniforms that the hometown Bucs wear which evoke memories of when the Pirates were the class of the NL. I'll never forget the Clemente/Mazeroski led 1960 team that beat a much better Yankee squad in the World Series. The Yankees scored more runs in the series than the Pirates did and by all that is holy should have won - but they didn't after Maz punched his ticket to Cooperstown with his dramatic walk off home run in game seven.

I'll never forget the banana clad "We Are Family" Pirates led by Pops Stargell who beat the Orioles in the 1979 series. This was the same Pirate team that fielded the first all-black starting nine in the majors and had been the home of Dock Ellis when he threw a no hitter while tripping on acid.

I'll never forget the rush I felt when I put on my Little League uniform when I played for the Pirates. Our team was sponsored by Barson's Luncheonette and our uniforms were a copy of those worn by the then-current Pirates. We had black hats with a gold P, cream colored jerseys and pants, stirrup socks and, of course, we played on grass. I was the team's catcher, and actually loved the position. We didn't win many games, but we had a lot of fun and, after the games, we were treated to a water ice by our coach, Sid Pastner. We could have won more games, but Sid believed that every kid on the team should play in every game - including kids who were afraid of a 40 MPH fastball.

So, as you know, the Phillies begin a series tomorrow against my beloved Pirates. This is a series the Phillies should be able to win, especially since they will be fielding all of their starters for one of the few times this year. Victorino's return will help, especially if he picks up where he left off before vacationing on the DL. I have done some homework, and find that we shouldn't take my beloved Pirates too lightly. They actually statistically match up fairly well against the candystripers.

Leading the offense for the Bucs is Neal Walker who to date is hitting .273 with 37 RBI's. Andrew McCutchen has hit nine HR's so far, but has struggled with his average - much like some of our guys. They have actually scored more runs to date than have the Phillies, and are presently sitting in fourth place in the NL Central with a 26-29 record. This is respectable for a team that currently has seven guys on the DL, including two of their starters and their best reliever. Manager Clint Hurdle has the team playing hard and, while the Phils should win the series... Well, who knows? Especially after the pathetic showing in Washington.

The sad thing is that there will be plenty of empty seats at PNC Park, because this team gets virtually no support from their fans. Even now, you can pick up great seats if you want to make the six hour drive to Pittsburgh. This time of year, our great state is beautiful and you won't run into any snow or sleet when you go through the mountains around Somerset. Pittsburgh is a nice place to visit - it really is. I mean there are things to do there other than going to a Pirates game, and you can even breathe the air since they haven't made steel there in many years. I'm not trying to promote Western PA tourism, but most Philadelphians have no clue how nice PA's second city is these days.

In case you are wondering, I always got a large cherry/chocolate water ice after our games. A large back then cost less than fifty cents, and was a whole lot better than the stuff sold at Rita's today. [Editor's note - The LSF fan seems to believe that everything was cheaper and better "back then."]