PIRATES TRENDING IN WRONG DIRECTION WITH NO CHANGE IN SIGHT

It was a pretty lousy weekend for the Buccos in St. Louis. If two walkoff wins by the Cards wasn’t enough, the Pirates nearly got no hit on Sunday by Michael Wacha. The Pirates have now lost four straight series and have dropped eleven of their last fifteen games. This team is trending in the wrong direction and there’s no reason to believe things are going to change.
• Felipe Vazquez’s blown save in St. Louis the other night was a new low for the Pirates. The Buccos had a three run lead going to the ninth and then watched their former untouchable closer blow it again. Vazquez had blown four of his last five opportunities entering last weekend. Clearly something isn’t right with him. If he’s injured the team needs to put him on the disabled list. If it’s something else they need to find out what’s wrong and try to fix it.
• Austin Meadows deserves to be in the lineup every day. He nearly bailed out the Bucs with his ninth inning homer Saturday afternoon to tie the game. The kid looks like he’s been in the big leagues for a while. Until he falters, play him every day.
• I wrote recently how the Pirates are really struggling at the gate. This past week the Pittsburgh Post Gazette wrote about the attendance issues. It’s not a pretty picture. PNC Park is more than half empty on many nights. It’s pretty obvious that fans are staying away, and that some of it is due to frustration with owner Bob Nutting and his unwillingness to spend to improve his team. It’s one thing when I write about it in this blog. When the PG also writes about it, then you know it’s a subject worth writing about.
• For the first time this post-season, the Vegas Golden Knights have their backs to the wall. They’re down two games to one in the Stanley Cup Finals. I’ve always believed that Game Four is the most important game of a series when it’s two games to one. This is a must game for Vegas. If they win they have a great chance to win the Cup. Lose, and I just don’t see Washington blowing a three games to one lead. I’m still pulling for Vegas, but at this point I like the Capitals’ odds of skating off with their first ever Stanley Cup.
• I’ve enjoyed doing the sideline reports for the Indiana High football games since my return to Indiana in 2014. My first year on the job I got to see the Stapleton brothers, Riley and Dylan, play together. They were sensational. Their Dad told me a few weeks ago that Dylan is headed to James Madison and will get to play with his brother again. Dylan must sit out this coming season, but will play the following year when Riley is a senior. The Stapleton brothers are great kids and terrific athletes. I look forward to following them again.
• The Golden State Warriors are a machine. They’re half way to another NBA title. Steph Curry’s performance in Game Two Sunday night was one for the ages. I’m not sure you’ll ever see a better shooting exhibition anytime soon. Though the series returns to Cleveland, the Cavs still face more than an uphill climb. I can’t see the series going more than five, and wouldn’t be surprised if Golden State pulls off a sweep.
• I’ve always wanted to see Lebron James and Steph Curry play. Since they’re meeting head to head in the NBA Finals, I bit the bullet and bought a ticket for this Friday night’s Game Four. I’m not a big NBA guy at all, but these two are worth the price of admission. I was lucky enough to see Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Koby Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal play. I’ve always regretted that I never saw Michael Jordan as a pro, even though I saw him hit the winning shot for Carolina in the NCAA Title Game in 1982. I’m glad I’ll get to see these superstars go face to face on basketball’s biggest stage.
• I’ve seen some boneheaded plays in all my years of watching sports. The one committed by Cleveland’s JR Smith at the end of regulation in Game One was right up there. The Cavs had a chance to win the game at the end. How Smith could rebound the ball and move away from the basket, and then claim he knew the game was tied, is beyond baffling. Cleveland needs every break they can get in this series if they are to compete with Golden State. They could have, and perhaps should have, stolen Game One.
• RIP Bruce Kison. The former Pirates’ pitcher passed away over the weekend. I’ll always remember “Buster” for his incredible performance in Game Four of the 1971 World Series, the first ever World Series night game, when he was just a rookie. Kison was also a key performer for the champion 1979 We Are Family Pirates. Kison was fearless on the mound. I still remember the time Mike Schmidt of the Phillies charged the mound and Kison held his ground. Bruce Kison will be missed.