After splitting the season’s opening series in St. Louis, the Bucs rolled into Great American Ballpark and were rained out of Friday night’s game against the Reds. I personally dislike rainouts because a.) I don’t get to watch baseball that day and b.) it screws up the rotation and the schedule of which player gets a day off. It was likely that Ryan “The Punisher” Doumit would have been given the day off on Friday after having caught all of the team’s first four games, but since Mother Nature decided to intervene, Doumit started on Saturday instead of being given a day off. And man, did he ever deliver. Doumit launched his first career grand slam as the Pirates trounced the Reds, 10-2.

But it was Nyjer Morgan who set the tone. As he has done quite often so far this season, Morgan was an absolute maniac on the basepaths. Morgan was 3-for-4, drove in two runs and scored another. Morgan also drew a walk and stole two bases. Paul Maholm, the winning pitcher who absolutely sparkled while the game was still close, said Morgan accounted for “five extra runs.” I honestly didn’t think Morgan would start out like this, in fact, I thought he would be a hole at the top of the order. I’m glad to say that – so far – he’s proved me wrong. When Morgan gets on base, the Bucs can score runs…and when the Bucs score runs, well…you know the rest!

Nyjer “The Catalyst” Morgan has been the Bucs’ biggest offensive weapon so far in 2009. One can only hope his success lasts for more than the first 7 games.

Which brings me to Sunday’s game…The Bucs got shut out, 2-0. Now, it would be foolish to say that the offense was anything near good enough because it wasn’t, but Morgan again had a huge game…Snell pitched well, but the Buccos ran into the buzzsaw known as Aaron Harang. He completely owns the Pirates when he pitches. And he did yet again to the tune of a complete game shut-out. The only scoring came on Snell’s lone bad pitch of the afternoon, a mistake that Brandon Phillips crushed into the left field bleachers for a two-run homer. That sent the Bucs home to PNC for the opener having split their first two series.

The game did have one historic bright spot for the Buccos: They turned their first triple play in 16 years! (Check out the video here).

Here is the MLB.com write-up on the history of Pirates’ triple plays:

“It was the first triple play for Pittsburgh on the road since July 31, 1968, in, coincidentally, Cincinnati at Crosley Field. The Bucs amazingly turned the feat twice in ’68 at Crosley, also accomplishing it on April 18.

The last time the Pirates turned a triple play was Aug. 10, 1993, vs.
St. Louis when Gregg Jefferies hit into a triple play, Jay Bell to
Carlos Garcia to Kevin Young.”

THE HOME OPENER

Before the game, the Pirates honored the three fallen police officers who were senselessly gunned down in Stanton Heights on April 4th by a deranged idiot who, among other mental problems, believed that the Obama administration was going to “take his guns away.” 

Being home with my two newborn babies has allowed me the opportunity to watch afternoon Pirates games. Now, I would watch them at work, too as I am a faithful subscriber to MLB.tv, but watching on a 42-inch plasma is preferable to a 17-inch Macintosh. Besides, it allowed me to pay attention to all of the pre-game ceremonies. The tribute to the fallen officers was moving. Even though I no longer live in the area, I still feel a part of everything that happens there. The Pirates did the right thing by honoring those brave men with a somber but beautiful bagpipe rendition of “Amazing Grace.” The Bucs also wore Pittsburgh Police caps in the field. All of it was fitting and tastefully done, but certainly I’m not alone in wishing that such a ceremony would never have been needed in the first place. Those men died protecting their community, but such a senseless act of violence should never have occurred.

Pirates manager John Russell and all of the Bucs wore these caps during the home opener in tribute to the three fallen officers.

After the police tribute, the Buccos honored Steve Blass for 50 years with the team. I love Steve Blass. He is a Bucco through and through and his steadfast dedication to the team first as a player and, for the past 24 years, as a broadcaster is one of the things that makes being a Pirates fan great. All of the losing aside, we have tradition and guys like Blass are everyday reminders of what this franchise once was and what it can be again. If you look at the 1971 World Series, Blass was the best pitcher and if not for Roberto’s amazing series, probably would have won the World Series MVP. Blass pitched two complete games and was on the hill for the final out of the Series…in short, he was absolutely dominant having surrendered only two earned runs in 18 innings pitched. Congrats to Steve Blass for his half-century as a Bucco!

Former Pirates’ ace Steve Blass was honored before the game for 50 years with the team. Congrats to Blassie…here’s to another 50, my man!

ZACH DUKE IS BACK!

I said I’d need to see more out of Zach Duke before I believed he’d regained his 2005 form. Duke is close to convincing me…very close. The lefty threw a complete game shutout in the home opener as the Bucs cruised, 7-0. When I say Duke was efficient, that could qualify as the understatement of the season. The southpaw needed only 120 pitches to cut down the Astros’ order. At one point, Duke retired 15 of 16 hitters. So far this year, Duke has only allowed one earned run in 15 1/3 innings pitched and he became the first Pirates pitcher since “The Candy Man” John Candelaria to throw a shutout on Opening Day. Duke got plenty of offense from the surprisingly hot Adam LaRoche (three hits including a two-run homer) and Fred Sanchez (three doubles).

Zach Duke and Ryan “The Punisher” Doumit celebrate after Duke’s complete game shutout of the Astros. Duke was masterful, allowing only four hits while striking out five.

HOUSTON TAKES THE SERIES

The good times didn’t last long, though as the Astros bounced back to beat the Bucs on Wednesday and Thursday. Though it had been six years since Mike Hampton last faced the Pirates, the oft-injured lefty flashed his usual brilliance against the Bucs, striking out eight over six innings while not allowing a run as the ‘Stros coasted, 4-1. On Thursday, Jeff Karstens looked terribly rusty (his first scheduled start was rained out in Cincinnati) and the righty surrendered an early two-run lead before leaving the game with the score tied at 3-3. Sean Burnett relieved Karstens and promptly gave up a monster three-run homer to Bucco killer Lance Berkman which made the score 6-3. The Pirates tried to threaten a couple of times, but double play balls in the 6th and 8th and a Nate McLouth staring strikeout in the 7th essentially doomed the Pirates to a 6-3 defeat.

Lance Berkman, who holds the third-highest batting average against the Pirates of any active opponent (behind Todd Helton and Albert Pujols) blasted the game-winning three-run home run off Bucs reliever Sean “The Mirage” Burnett. The Bucs have lost three of four and host Atlanta starting Friday.

PENS WIN, PENS WIN!

In a rematch of last season’s Eastern Conference Finals, the Penguins hosted the ******** Philadelphia Phlyers for Game 1 of their first round playoff match-up and absolutely destroyed the Broad Street Boylovers, 4-1. The game was a statement, that statement being: “Hey Philly, we’re about to take you out behind the woodshed and Old Yeller your sorry ***. So deal with it.” (Video Highlights of Game 1 here!)

Crosby with the Prince of Wales trophy (not touching it, of course – hockey jinx!) after the Pens demolished the Phlyers in last year’s Eastern Conference Finals.

Sid Crosby, Geno “MVP” Malkin, Tyler “The Tiger” Kennedy, and Mark “Instant Once-in-a-Blue-Moon Offense” Eaton all scored to give the Pens a convincing victory on home ice. Call me cocky, but I think the Pens win this series in five games. Fleury was absolutely too strong in net and the Pens dominated every statistical category in Game 1 (hits, faceoffs, shots on goal, power plays, time on attack). The Pens have been the hottest team in the NHL over the past 25 games and the Phlyers have been just the opposite having played their way out of home ice advantage in the season’s last week. The Phlyers were the NHL’s most penalized team in the regular season and they took penalties early and often in Game 1.

It’s about to get ugly, Philadelphia. Be prepared to whine some more…but hey, at least you have the Phillies. What I wouldn’t give to have my team win a World Series in my adult lifet
ime…still, that doesn’t stop me from taking joy in whupping anything and everything Philadelphia. Game 2 is tonight…Let’s go Pens! I will be enjoying both the Pens and Pirates during the 7 pm – 10 pm time slot. I love this time of year!

Brooks Orpik introduces mullet-headed Widdle Scotty Hartnell’s ugly mug to the Mellon Arena glass during the Pens’ Game 1 throttling of the Phlyers.