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Dunlap: Thanks Again, Pirates

This is the second season in a row.

The second time we sit here, the day after, with hearts ripped apart not knowing exactly how to feel.

The second time in a row we invested so much, we poured our whole beings into the Pirates and in a flash, comparative to the season, it's all gone.

This is also the second time in a row, in the day after, the best way to handle it --- for me at least --- is a thank you note.

Here goes …

+++++++

2 October 2014

 

Pittsburgh Pirates

115 Federal Street

Pittsburgh, Pa. 15212

 

Dear Pirates,

Thanks for 163 games.

Thanks for a magical march from all the way back to those Spring days in Bradenton until last night, when with hoodies and jeans --- all black, of course --- we crammed into the North Shore for one final act.

Thanks for a season that began so different than most of the others in my lifetime, a season that began on the heels of one that had finished with a winning record.

This season didn't just have hope; this season had a board --- last year --- with which to spring off of.

And, my, you Pirates, how you sprung.

This squad sprung to 88 wins and another trip beyond those requisite 162 games.

Thanks for all of it.

Thanks to the man commanding this, Clint Hurdle. With each painful step he took on that hip that will be replaced next week, we took it with him. We felt his agony, sensed his anguish.

But just like what built this great city, Mr. Hurdle never complained, he never crowed or grumbled. Instead, he pushed through, showed up for work and kept grinding.

What a man that Hurdle. What a Pittsburgh man, that Hurdle.

Same goes for Russell Martin. Thanks to him from the middle of our hearts.

So we don't know where precisely the relationship goes from here, but we know where it has been. He's our Russ and always will be, authoritative over that pitching staff and demonstrating that leadership so many of us hope to possess.

Thanks, Russ.

Hey, thanks for another season of Cutch, too.

What can we really say about that guy that hasn't been said --- or that his sunny smile doesn't say for him? Cutch has become our baseball face, our hardball insignia, but even as he's morphed into a logo and a brand has stayed so darn approachable and humble.

He isn't a Pirate. He is the Pirates.

Thanks, Cutch.

Thanks to the Pirates for showcasing Josh Harrison, too. We were enveloped by his story, caught up in The Summer Of J-Hay and, goodness, did it feel so good.

From a bench player to an MVP candidate and almost-batting champion, Harrison personified the underdog in all of us who never stopped fighting.

Hell, he personified the story of our region and this franchise --- hold us down for so long, but only so long, until one day we rise mightily.

Thanks, Josh.

Who knows the story of this franchise better than Neil Walker? Thanks to him, as well. With all the pressure of perpetually being that Hometown Kid --- and through an appendix that disagreed with him --- Walker lifted his game to another level. All the while, Walker was the first at the rail to sign an autograph, the last one to leave when fans wanted photos.

Neil gets us because he is us. Thanks to him.

Thanks, Pirates for Edinson Volquez and the reclamation project that turned into a workhorse. Sure, things didn't go as planned in the Wild Card Game, but he was pulled off a junkyard pile and turned into mainstay by another man we thank, pitching coach Ray Searage.

Enough can't be said of both or what Searage did with Vance Worley.

Thanks for allowing us to witness, right there in the middle of that diamond, Gerrit Cole turning into a brilliant young arm in this game. No one wants to win in crunch time more than he does; no one wants the ball when the stage is bigger.

People who talk a game are irritating; people who back it up with action are gamers --- thanks for Gerrit Cole, a true gamer.

Thanks, too, Pirates for your continual trust and patience with Pedro Alvarez.

No question he makes us crazy sometimes, but did you hear those cheers? Did you hear the applause when he was going through that rough patch?

As a city we sensed he could use 38,000 friends inside the ballpark when he caught an uneven streak and we gave him exactly that.

That's what we do as Pittsburghers, we rally around each other in a time of need --- Pedro needed the support this season. Thanks for allowing us to give it to him.

Thank you, also, for trusting Jordy Mercer with an everyday job and Travis Snider with an increased role down the stretch. Both performed admirably. One quiet and unassuming, the latter a knock-your-head-off bulldog who would fight --- and did on Easter Sunday --- at the first cross word. No matter your personality, you can probably identify a little with Mercer or Snider, so thank you Pirates for their presence.

There's Gregory Polanco and Starling Marte, as well --- our two young charming and everlastingly happy Dominican stars in the outfield. They gave us just a snippet this season of what the future could be here in Pittsburgh with that athleticism, speed and grace.

Thank you for that preview.

Thank you for the thought of what is yet to come with those two.

Thanks, too, Pirates for Francisco Liriano and an ability for him to show his best stuff down the stretch, coupled with Mark Melancon's aptitude for slamming that ninth inning door.

Tony Watson, as polite and well-mannered of a young man as you will find, thanks to the organization for making him a mainstay in that bullpen and helping him reach All-Star status. Watson doesn't tell you about it, he just does it. No frills, no gimmicks, all Pittsburgh resolve and determination.

Thanks for introducing us to Holdzkom. To be frank, I'm still not entirely sure what the hell a Holdzkom is, or what this cat is all about, but thanks for him --- he's that quirky piece every Pittsburgh family needs.

Oh, yeah, lastly, thanks to the front office for assembling this team.

Sure, many of us question you at times, but your steadfast belief in what you are doing has forced a change in this atmosphere for the better. Your steadfast belief and unwavering plan has allowed us to be active participants in something that we doubted might ever come around again --- winning baseball.

This winning stuff.

Man. Doesn't it feel good?

Sure has to me the past few years --- sure has to everyone in the city the past few years.

Let's do it again next season.

Only next time, let's do it bigger.

Sincerely yours,

Colin Dunlap

Colin Dunlap is a featured columnist at CBSPittsburgh.com. He can also be heard weeknights from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Sports Radio 93-7 "The Fan." You can e-mail him at colin.dunlap@cbsradio.com. Check out his bio here.

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