THE BULLPEN

     Mrs. Black-N-Gold still isn't ready to write this article about your 2015 Pirates season. It wasn't supposed to end this way. Not this year Not again. For the second year in a row, the Buccos were blanked on their home turf in the Wild Card game.

     This year was going to be different, they assured us. The goal was to settle for nothing short of the NL Central division flag. This was a team of destiny. Who could forget AJ's return to Pittsburgh? Or Cervelli stepping up and playing an injury-free season to help us forget Martin? And don't forget how Kang came over from Korea to win the hearts of Pitttsburghers everywhere.

     This year saw a historic 4-5-4 triple play. It saw not 1, not 2, but 3 grand slams. 2 of them in the same week. 1 of those a pinch hit grand slam. There was the scoreless run by the pitching staff. 2015 also saw a new Pirates record for saves.  And don't forget that not 1 but 2 starting pitchers recorded at least 200 strikeouts this season.

     And then, of course, there were the 98 wins. Oh, we can't forget the 98 wins. You'd think a team with that many Ws would win the division. Now don't start going on about the Wild Card format, either. Mrs. Black-N-Gold is fine with a 1-game Wild Card. Where else do you get a game 7, right off the bat? It's not like the Pirates didn't know the rules going in. They had many chances to nab the top spot in the division. Back at the end of March, Mrs. Black-N-Gold even gave the Pirates keys to winning the NL Central title: Improve on the road. They did. Get off to a good start. They did not. Take care of business in the division. Again, they did not. They were 1 for 3. That's good for a .333 batting average but not good enough to avoid the Wild Card and the red-hot Cubs and Jagoff Arrieta.

     Don't get me wrong. Mrs. Black-N-Gold would like to thank the Bucs for another wonderful, fun-filled, action-packed season. It's just hard to do that when your 2 biggest division rivals are still playing. She'll do it anyway. Thank you Neil Huntington for continuing to get the most from one of the tightest budgets (and, therefore, one of the tightest owners) in baseball. You deserve Executive of the Year, for sure. Thank you, Clint Hurdle. Although there were many times when you tried to outsmart the game, with your double switches and your constant platoons, right down to the last game, you still managed to earn 98 wins. And thank you to the Pittsburgh Pirates. We laughed, we cried, we loved every minute of it.

     Mrs. Black-N-Gold is sure the names will change in 2016 but hopes that the outcome continues to improve. Sure, we'll hear from the front office in the offseason about how difficult it is to navigate a successful organization in the current MLB structure when you're a small-market team. That's not a question of right or wrong. It's just a hard, cold fact. And the Pirates will surely lose some players because they've priced themselves right out of Pittsburgh. But there should be players in the pipeline who are ready to step up to the plate. And there's talk that Pittsburgh is no longer the wasteland where players' careers go to die. On the contrary, the Bucs have developed a reputation as a desired free agent destination, especially for pitchers eager to re-start their careers under the tutelage of Ray Searage and Jim Benedict.

      So, thank you again, Pittsburgh Pirates. Baseball is alive and well and living in Pittsburgh, PA. Mrs. Black-N-Gold just hopes it stays that way. Let's Go Bucs!!!!!