The Sid Beam Curse

My name is Victoria, and this is the first winning season for the Pittsburgh Pirates that I can remember  in my lifetime.

Sounds almost like an admission of guilt, doesn't it? I was only six months old in '92, which is an infamous season for Pittsburgh Pirate fans. After that season, the Pirates would start having a plethora of losing seasons. At first, I'm sure the reaction of the fans, while not happy, was something similar to "OK. It happens." But then the next year. And the next. And the next. The losing seasons kept continuing. At some point, someone had to stand up and say, "Oh shit."

The "Oh shit" attitude is the Pittsburgh Pirates I grew up with. I'll be honest. Even from my childhood, I knew that something just wasn't right with the Pirates. Teams should not lose that often. It is just not normal.

Yet, somehow, I could not look away. My summers were filled with watching and listening to the Pirates game. My family and I would head down to the stadium-many memories at Three Rivers Stadium, including going to the last Buccos game there-and the stadium wasn't always very crowded. When games started to get ugly, I'd watch many people leave. Not many family. I have never left a sporting event early in my life. Through thick and thin, right?

I have witnessed games lost by 20-odd runs, managers who picked up second base, and a blown call that ruined an epic game that went into two in the morning.

And now. I have seen the curse broken.

The Pittsburgh Pirates are more epic than the classic movie "Major League." We don't have an owner trying to move the team (to my knowledge). We do have a Pedro who can hit the long ball (but it seems like it's either him killing the ball or nothing). Instead of Jobu, we have the Zoltan. I don't know if there is some kid in the stands seeing angels, but I know number 21, the legend himself, Roberto Clemente, is watching over this team now. And probably shaking his head at the shenanigans of Steve Blass in the booth. Clint Hurdle doesn't have Lou Brown's 'stache, but he does always have a huge wad of gum in his jaw.

Put all of this together, and apparently this is the equation to a winning season. I'm not knocking it.

When the Pirates won magical number 82, I'm pretty sure I scared my roommate with my reaction. But years from now, I'm pretty sure I will remember where I was when they won that game.

I've witnessed the Pirates at their worst. Now, I'm seeing the start of something new. The Pirates have gone from being the joke of the MLB to playoff contenders. I am not thinking past playoffs. That concept itself is magical.

This is what sports are all about. Eye of the tiger, or in this case, Zoltan. The curse has been broken. It's a little bit harder to get Buccos tickets now, which is both weird and annoying. But I can't wait to see where they go next!