ALEXANDER: Here's The Deal With .500
There is no way anyone associated with the Pittsburgh Pirates, players, coaches, managers and front office personnel can mention .500 baseball as a goal. I get that.
Despite all of those long 18 losing seasons, .500 baseball is still mediocrity and no one should aspire to that. There is a rub though. While you don't celebrate .500 baseball, you do celebrate the progress that .500 baseball represents. It is indeed a means to an end.
The big question is, is it sustainable? Can the Pirates actually carry this or any win/loss total that would actually best the infamous Holy Grail? That would finally signify this interminable run of losing baseball.
I say dare to dream. Granted, I'm not sure this will be a relevant topic by Memorial Day or certainly by the 4th of July. So what? Let's talk about it while it is relevant and while the Buccos are an entertaining team to watch and follow.
I have no idea if the starting pitching will continue to be strong or if the bats will start to be more productive. What I do know is that I will be watching and wondering if we could possibly finally get past this ridiculous barrier of .500 baseball.
