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		A’s: The Pittsburgh Pirates are in town By Jerry Feitelberg June 25, 2010

	The Pittsburgh Pirates arrived in town to play the A's in the final series of interleague play for the 2010 series. The A's have played the Pirates 2 series since interleague was started and have won all 6 games. The Pirates have been just woeful since 1993 as they have had 17 straight losing seasons and looks like the Pirates will continue that tradition. As of the game tonight the Pirates have won 25 and lost 47 and reside in last place in the National League central division 15 games behind the St. Louis Cardinals. Two former A's , Bobby Crosby and Octavio Dotel, are on the Pirates' roster. The Pirates have a long history. They were established in 1876 and have been in the National League forever. They have had great players over the years. Honus Wagner, Pie Traynor in the early days. The Pirates played in the 1st World Series. That series was played in 1903 and the Pirates lost to the Boston Red Sox. The Pirates won the World Series in 1925 and then faced the New York Yankees in the 1927 fall classic. The 1927 Yankee team was one of the most powerful teams ever. The Pirates were no match for the Yanks who were led by Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Bob Meusel also known as "Murderer's Row." In the late 40's and early 50's, the Pirates had a home run slugger, Ralph Kiner, who led the league in homers for 7 straight seasons and became a Hall of Famer. The Pirates didn’t have much talent at that time and were mostly cellar dwellers. Their fortunes changed later in the decade as the Hall of Famer, Roberto Clemente joined the team and With bob Friend, Vern Law and Elroy Face , the Pirates made it to the World Series in 1960 and faced the Yankees once again. It was a weird series as the Yanks outscored the Pirates but the Pirated prevailed in game 7 as Bill Mazeroski hit a home run to end the game and win the series. It was the first time in baseball history that the series ended on a walk off homerun. The Pirates remained competitive in the 60' and 70's. They returned to the World Series in 1971 and 1979. They were champs in those years. In the late 80' and early 90's they had Bobby Bonilla and Barry Bonds on their team but they didn't win the league championship series. Bonds left after the 1992 season to become a San Francisco Giant. The 1992 season was the last winning season for the Pirates. It must be tough for the Pirate fans as the club continues to play losing baseball. The Pirates have a new stadium and the fans deserve a winner. Note- Baseball witnessed another no-hitter tonight. Edwin Jackson of the Arizona Diamondbacks tossed a gem against his former team, the Tampa Bay Rays. It was the 4th no-hitter this season. Ubaldo Jimenez, Dallas Braden, Roy Halliday and , now ,Edwin Jackson.