| Pittsburgh Pirates 2008 Opening Day Roster | ||
| Lineup | Name | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nate Mclouth | CF |
| 2 | Freddy Sanchez | 2B |
| 3 | Jason Bay | LF |
| 4 | Adam LaRoche | 1B |
| 5 | Xavier Nady | RF |
| 6 | Ryan Doumit | C |
| 7 | Jose Bautista | 3B |
| 8 | Jack Wilson | SS |
| 9 | Tom Gorzelanny | P |
The 2008 MLB season has come to a close, and it was another miserable summer in Pittsburgh with the SOP, Same Old Pirates. As always fans flocked to the "Best Ballpark in America" to cheer on their Buccos. The team started out slow with an 11-16 April, but picked up rather quickly in May. The team was getting hot and hanging on in the central division race.On June 12,2008 after defeating the Washington Nationals 7-5 the Pirates were sitting pretty at 33-34. Fans began asking themselves, Could this be the year the Pirates crack .500? Are the Pirates really 1 game under .500 this late in the season? Turns out this was the closest the Pirates and their fans got to a .500 season. The Pirates were still contending come July, and were still strong entering the all-star break with their All Star Centerfielder, Nate Mclouth. As the summer got hotter the Pirates got colder. July was nearing a close and every Pirate fan knows what that means, time to rid the team of all possible talent. After parting with Jason Bay to Boston, Damaso Marte and Xavier Nady to the New York Yankees, the Pirates were back to their old ways. After losing 3 all stars and gaining young player in return the team started losing more and more. With the front office pulling a "youth movement" in trying to turn this team around It seems the Pirates fan base is quickly dwindling. I am a strong believer in this front office and I am a die hard Pirates fan. The team has suffered a Major league worse 16 consecuative losing seasons, and it seems anymore that Pittsburgh is just a stop for players to mature then move on and have exellent careers. The Pittsburgh Pirates got a glimpse at some hope this fall when watching the 2008 Fall Classic. The Tampa Bay Rays were the latest story to go from worst to first taking on the almighty, and powerful New York Yankees and Boston Redsox. The Rays advanced to the World Series and proved that having a big payroll doesn't always win ballgames. With the Pirates entering the 2009 MLB season. There are still many questions out there, Could this be the year we crack .500? Was Nate the greats season just a fluke? As the winter drags on and the sun begins to rise on a new Pirate's generation, only time will tell what these young bucs can do.
Built a strong farm system at the AA and AAA levels Develope a strong starting rotation Find a middle of the order power bat Players to watch for in '09
THERE WAS NOOOOOOO DOUBT ABOUT IT, RAISE THE JOLLY ROGER
© 2008 Anthony Jarusinski