My son remains a Jason Bay fan, and with the omnipresence of the Bosox on tv, it works out ok. But there is no substitute for having a first rate player playing for your favorite team. It is sad to see the Pirates having to trade good players to acquire a number of good prospects. But that is baseball. It is done not because the Buccos are "small market" but because they are a bad team with little talent in the system. This is due to many years of really poor management, not to the team's location or fan base. As the original post noted, the sad state of a ball club can send devoted fans back to the past to revel in ancient glory. I wish I could put my heart into the contemporary club like modern Red Sox and Braves fans can, but I can't. On the other hand, when I look back to my first 13 years following the team (67 thru 79) I consider myself very lucky.
|