Hope springs eternal (Bucs win opener!)

I promise not to do this too often, but I want to note that the much maligned Pittsburgh Pirates won their opening game yesterday, rallying with four runs in the ninth to beat the Cardinals in St. Louis. The game report is here.

The Pirates will almost certainly this year break the record for futility, the most consecutive losing seasons by any pro sports franchise, but there is some reason for hope that the new management has a clue and the team could be more competitive in the years ahead.

As Walter said, I kept my Pirates loyalty through years of living in other cities. I've seen quite a few Pirates games at Wrigley Field, Shea Stadium, Candlestick Park and PacBell Park (now AT&T), and elsewhere including a few games at the beautiful new PNC Park in Pittsburgh. Last year, Twyla (my daughter, age 23) and I were at PacBell and they put us on camera between innings wearing our Pirates caps.

Here's a picture of Twyla and a friend, not that day but on a similar occasion several years earlier.