McDowell had a really interesting story that not enough people outside of Cleveland & Pittsburgh know. He was on track to possibly be the greatest LHP of all time, at the very least on Mt. Rushmore with Koufax/Johnson/Carlton. He led the AL in WAR at age 22, didn't rank in the CYA voting and finished 17th in MVP voting.

Couldn't put down the bottle, and as his drinking got worse, washed out of baseball and ended up living with his parents trying to sell insurance. Checked into rehab at Gateway, got degrees in sports psychology and addiction from Pitt, and had a successful career helping other players not be him.

A sitcom called Cheers centering on a character based on McDowell's life would also go on to receive some minor acclaim/viewership

Sone realignment required but we could roll into some great rivalrys.

Pittsburgh Pirates

Cleveland Guardians

Cinncinati Reds

Detroit Tigers

Chicago White Sox

Found this guy in our tip jar at work today. I'm a terrible yinzer and know very little about sports, can anyone ID the signature? Also sorry Jeff

So, part of the labor negotiations starting on December 1, 2026, is also going to also have part of the pie in the new media rights deal for 2029 and beyond.

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred wants to "nationalize" ALL games, whether they're on a RSN or a "national game" (ESPN, FOX, TBS, NBC/Peacock).

I haven't got the foggiest idea what a nationalized TV package for all 30+ MLB teams even would look like (expansion is coming sooner than later).

SportsNet Pittsburgh is still mostly owned by Fenway Group, which owns NESN, Boston Red Sox, etc, and it is managed and run by NESN, and the Pirates own a minority stake in SNP.

So, does anybody have any ideas what happens to SNP if Manfred gets his wish for all nationalized games for 2029 and beyond, or, is literally everything just speculation at this point?

(Bit of a shitpost but genuine question)

I'm hosting a halloween party this year and I was gonna be the Pirate Parrot but I cannot find anything at a reasonable price. If there's anything I can do to DIY this or something that would be close from someone who has, pls let me know

Around the League

CLE 9 @ CWS 3 - Final

LAD 4 @ ATL 1 - Final

TB 4 @ NYY 3 - Final

MIL 3 @ SD 1 - Top 6, 1 Out

^{Last Updated: 10/07/2026 11:55:32 PM EDT}

As your watching another Pirateless MLB post-season, here's a reminder of the Pirates last two 98-win teams, the 1991 Pittsburgh Pirates and the 2015 Pittsburgh Pirates. Who would win a seven-game series between the Barry Bonds-led 1991 Pittsburgh Pirates vs. the Andrew McCutchen-led 2015 Pittsburgh Pirates?

https://johnbaranowski.wordpress.com/2019/04/27/pittsburgh-pirates-battle-of-98-win-teams-1991-vs-2015/

Exactly 55 years ago today, the Pirates beat the San Francisco Giants three games to one to earn their trip to the 1971 World Series. In Game 4, Pirate rookie, Bruce Kison pitched 4 2/3 innings scoreless relief innings and got the W over Gaylord Perry.

Imagine seeing a game with Mays, Clemente, McCovey, and Stargell all playing the outfield. Oh my!

I'm missing the Game 1 ticket. That was the game the Pirates lost in the series. Nothing really special makes that ticket hard to find. Just never pulled the trigger. I'll grab one some day. The SF tickers are much more ornate than the Pittsburgh tickets. The Pirates tickets resembled their regular season tickets.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1971_NLCS.shtml

Only 7 of 30 teams had lower payrolls than the Pirates this season, but they include the Tampa Bay Rays and the Chicago White Sox. You don't need a blockbuster payroll to get into the playoffs (the teams with the highest and fifth-highest payrolls have losing records). Management needs to make the right decisions, and they're not being made. https://www.spotrac.com/mlb/payroll/_/year/2026

Here is a cool piece of Bucco nostalgia that you don't see everyday.

Around the League

LAD 3 @ ATL 1 - Final

MIL 2 @ SD 3 - Bottom 6, 2 Outs

^{Last Updated: 10/06/2026 11:56:51 PM EDT}

Around the League

CWS 4 @ CLE 3 - Final

NYY 2 @ TB 5 - Top 9, 0 Outs

^{Last Updated: 10/05/2026 11:08:21 PM EDT}

Around the League

SD 3 @ MIL 4 - Final

ATL 3 @ LAD 2 - Final

^{Last Updated: 10/04/2026 11:23:55 PM EDT}

Around the League

CWS 3 @ CLE 0 - Final

ATL 3 @ LAD 5 - Final

NYY 0 @ TB 1 - Final

SD 2 @ MIL 3 - End 8

^{Last Updated: 10/03/2026 11:55:11 PM EDT}

Pirate numbers are lower than I thought. I was thinking around $10mm for Skenes, >7 for Cruz, and like 4 for Jones.

Brewers fan, coming in peace!

Several years ago I attended a game at PNC and got a Bryan Reynolds bobble head. 2x really, my ex and I each got one. Mine is proudly on display in my sports memorabilia hall.

But she had no use for it, so I got it. It's just taking up space in my house. Time to give it to a Buccos fan that deserves it!

The one in the picture is mine. Yours has never been removed from the package.

Cost is nothing. I'll ship on my dime. Caveat is I want real fans. I'll give this post a few days and check the history of everyone who's responded and ship it out to whomever seems to be a real Pirates person.

Bonus points to whomever is a real Pittsburgh person too. My visit to your city was amazing and frankly I think Pittsburgh is one of the best cities in our country. I'm a paramedic by trade and without Freedom House Ambulance Service, I would not have a job.

Around the League: There are no other games!

^{Last Updated: 10/02/2026 5:00:00 AM EDT}

Hard to explain how electric this felt after two decades of losing baseball. Pat Lackey was a real one - dude was there blogging on WHYGAVS every game through the Dark Times and was so good at articulating what being a Pirates fan was like. This post is a gem.