Eulogy: Here Lies The 2011 Pirates

It is with my deepest regret and most humble sorrow that I greet you here under these circumstances. Times like these are never easy, no matter how many times you have experienced it before.Last night, August 30, 2011, at 10:58 PM EST, the 2011 Pittsburgh Pirates lost their recurring battle with baseball respectability. After suffering a series of major setbacks following the All-Star break, the Pirates fell to the ML worst Houston Astros for the second straight night, this time by an embarrassing 8-2 count.

The 2011 Pirates had an out of nowhere run but appeared to be greatly slowed by an epic umpiring mistake by Jerry Meals on that other fateful night in Atlanta. Up until that point, though, the 2011 Bucs seemed as if they were going to beat the odds. They were given little chance coming into the season after being diagnosed as Pirates, official medical name baseballii suckitus, which is believed by most to be an incurable and untreatable form of a professional sports organization. But the 2011 Bucs were resilient and started the season strong by winning a series in St. Louis, the NL Central juggernaut that is a considered a small market in hockey and football, but does not seem to effect them in baseball; or the complete opposite of Pittsburgh.

The Bucs continued to play inspired baseball before dropping 6 straight games and receiving a second opinion from local experts saying that Small Market Syndrome was beginning to set in as well. This is also believed to be a debilitating disease, especially remarkable for a team playing the in the same town as two teams that are at odds trying to get UNDER the salary cap each year in their respective sports. But on May 18th, the mighty Bucs pushed back!

There was no quit in this bunch, who won 33 out of 54 games between May 18th July 20th. But as the outlook of a full recovery from being the Pirates was about the made, reality began to set in. The Bucs dropped 2/3 to the Cards before heading to Atlanta for a 4 game series. The Bucs took the first game and appeared poised to do so many times in the second game but they couldn't pull away. 19 innings later, the Braves went for the W, but the Bucs looked as if they were able to hold them off. Sadly, it only appeared that way. The Braves received a favorable call for umpteenth time in series history and the Bucs battle for hope began slip from their grasp.

These brave and admirable 2011 Pirates would lose 11 of their next 12 games following the Jerry Meals debacle. Despite taking 2 out of 3 from defending World Champ Giants, it appeared as if the Bucs had officially taken a turn for the worst. Smack in the middle of that 12 game nightmare, the Bucs sought reinforcements, only to see both of the acquired players be sent to the DL. The ugly pace continued by losing 3 straight in Milwaukee but there was a slight glimmer of hope after taking a series from the Cards. However, the Bucs lost a tough series to the Reds, again with some fishy umpiring, and then dropped 2 out 3 to Milwaukee again. With a series loss last weekend in St Louis, the Bucs were on life support and the prognosis was grim.

After dropping the first game of the Astros series in a come from ahead, snatching defeat from the jaws of victory fashion, the Bucs were in need of real miracle ( not a  phony "Texas' one) to put off the inevitable. But game 2 against the Stros only made it worse and machines have since been turned off. It is now that I somberly ask you to offer your memories of this special season, the one we all hoped, but never fully believed, would be different.

Also, IT WAS A FLUKE.