Legacy is defined as an amount of money or property left to someone in a will. Other definitions include the long-lasting impact of particular events, actions, etc. that took place in the past, or of a person’s life. It can also include values and traits that you have instilled in your children. The example sentence is, he left his children love and respect. Let’s look at each individual example. You pretty much know if you have instilled values in your children on how they are living their own lives. If you die when your children are very young, then you really won’t know for sure how they will turn out. Most people know, especially today if they are going to have some kind of lasting impact on society. They may not know to what extent their impact will be, but they know that people will remember the things that they have done long after they have passed. This brings us to the last meaning of legacy, leaving someone money or property after you die. This is what a will is all about. I have never understood making sure that you leave a large amount of money to your children or grandchildren or anybody for that matter. You will never see what they are going to do with all that money. Wouldn’t it bring you more joy to see them use the money or gifts while you are alive, even if it would mean you may have to cut back some on your own lifestyle. Do people do this because they think that after they die, they will look down upon earth and see what happens when their loved ones get all of that money. Sometimes receiving a lot of money may ruin some people’s lives. If you give them money while you are alive, you would be able to see how they are handling it. To answer the question, I am leaving no legacy. I am giving my money to my daughter’s family while I am alive and giving more as I age. This is easy to do when your goal is to die a pauper.
Pirates Morning Report: All Is Forgiven When You Win
Final Score: Pirates 3 Cubs 2
Why The Pirates Won: This was a very big win for the Pirates that could have easily been a very embarrassing loss. The Pirates had 10 hits, 6 walks, but could only score 3 runs. They were 1 for 17 with runners in scoring position. They left 12 men on base. They had runners on base in every inning. They had 1st and 3rd nobody out in the top of the 8th but could not get a much needed run across the plate. Rowdy Tellez was up 4 times and made 6 outs. The Cubs only had 2 hits to go along with 4 walks and 2 hit batsmen but managed 2 runs. They scored on 2 sacrifice flies and were 0 for 4 with runners in scoring position. On the pitching side Mitch Keller went a solid 6 innings and threw only 83 pitches. The Pirates decided to go to the bullpen and this time it was a good decision. Both Colin Holderman and Aroldis Chapman threw clean 7th and 8th innings and looked dominate doing it. David Bednar came on in the bottom of the 9th and after 2 outs committed the cardinal sin of putting the tying run on base via the base on balls. Bednar got Patrick Wisdom to pop out down the line to shallow right field and Pirates escaped with a victory. All is forgiven when you win.
Key Moment Of The Game: The score was tied 1-1 going into the top of the 5th. With one out Andrew McCutchen walked. Bryan Reynolds hit a sharp ground ball that was knocked down by the 1st baseman, but he could not hold on to it. Reynolds was called out, but the call was overturned. Jameson Taillon then wild pitched the runners to 2nd and 3rd. He got the big strike out on Oneil Cruz to get the 2nd out. Craig Counsell then decided to make a pitching change. A little surprising considering Taillon had handled Connor Joe pretty well striking him out and popping him out in his 2 at bats. Unlike the Pirates’ move, going to bullpen, this did not work out. He brought in Hayden Wesneski who has been a solid reliever for the Cubs. He walked Connor Joe. Nick Gonzales ripped a 108 MPH single up the middle, giving the Pirates a 3-1 lead. The bullpen came through for the final 3 innings, giving the Pirates the series win.
Next Game: Tomorrow night, Giants in Pittsburgh. The Pirates start a stretch of 36 games, 18 at home and 18 on the road. They have 6 off days during this stretch. It will take them through the end of June and into the mid 70 game mark. They have shown some signs of life during these last 10 days. With all the off days this can only help the pitching. Will the Pirates ever put the best 9 players on the field. It remains to be seen.
Pirates Morning Report: Falter Was Up To The Task, Too Bad Shelton Wasn’t
Final Score: Pirates 0 Cubs 1
Why The Pirates Lost: It was a great pitcher’s dual as Barry (Not My) Falter matched the best pitcher in baseball Shota Imanaga pitch for pitch. Imanaga gave up 4 hits but 3 of them were of the very weak variety, only walked 1 and struck out 7, while throwing 88 pitches in 7 innings. Falter gave up 3 hits but one of those was another pop up that should have been caught. He walked 2, struck out 2, throwing 83 pitches in 7 and 2/3 innings of work. Shelton pretty much slept though another game. In the top of the 8th he did not pinch hit for Alika Williams with Oniel Cruz when a right hander was brought in to start the inning. Colin Holderman got out of the bottom of the 8th jam throwing only 9 pitches. He should have come out for the bottom of the 9th. Instead, David Bednar pitched and after one out gave up a double and the game winning single. Yes, there was the close controversial call at the plate that replay upheld. It was not as obvious as Matt Capps made it out to be. Capps also described Imanaga has having a nice start to his career. That is like saying Shohei Ohtani is a pretty good player. The question to ask about that play is why did Bart take the ball out of his glove in the first place. Just make sure you hold on to it. It was a tough loss but the Pirates certainly did not do much to try and win the game.
Key Moments Of The Game: The decisions of Derek Shelton. The lack of moves and some moves that he made were all bad. You could argue that he should have left Falter in the game in the bottom of the 8th. Yon Gomes may have batted if Holderman had not been brought it. Holderman wound up walking the more dangerous hitter in Michael Busch. Without question this game was kept from going into extra innings or being a Pirate win by the manager.
Next Game: This afternoon, Cubs in Chicago. Jameson Taillon will go to mound for the Cubs, another one that the Pirates let get away. The Pirates will counter with Mitch Keller who has had one great and one good outing in his last 2 starts. No matter what happens tomorrow the road trip at least has not been a disaster. In the 6 games, the Pirates have been competitive in 5 of them. That is not bad considering you are playing the top of your division. Having said all of that it would be nice to see a winning road trip and a series win. The next 36 games, the Pirates play 18 at home and 18 on the road with lots of days off. They play some great teams and average teams during the stretch. We are heading into June. This team needs to get on a roll.
Pirates Morning Report: We Now Need To Pray For Rain
Final Score: Pirates 9 Cubs 3
Why The Pirates Won: Two words, Paul Skenes. It does not get better than this, 6 innings, no runs, no hits, 1 walk, and 11 strikeouts. The Cubs only put 7 balls in play. Only one of those made it to the outfield. Back in the late 40’s and early 50’s the Boston Braves had this dynamic pitching duo of Warren Spahn and Johnny Sain. In 1948 they won 39 games. In 1950 they won 41 games. During that time frame the phrase was coined, Spahn and Sain and then pray for rain. Even though it does not rhyme Pirate fans better start thinking the same way. Jones and Skenes and then pray for rain. Yes, the Pirates bats did come alive and scored 9 runs, which was more than enough, even with the B squad bullpen shakily finishing up. Connor Joe led the way getting 3 hits, with both Jared Triolo and Yasmani Grandal having 3 RBIs apiece. Tellez did get a couple of hits and hit the ball hard his last at bat, but he still stinks. Same for Suwinski. Overall, a great day for the Pirates, winning the first two games of the series and improving to 21-25.
The Key Moment Of The Game: It was that first inning, baby. First batter 4 pitch strike out the last pitch 100 MPH four-seam fastball. Second batter 6 pitch strike out the last pitch 100 MPH four-seam fastball. Third batter 3 pitch strike out the last pitch 100 MPH four-seam fastball. After that inning you knew it was going to be the Pirates’ day. The Pirate broadcast booths were wetting their pants. Joe Block on the radio side said that this was Skenes’s 2nd major league start 248 times. Greg Brown on the television side was almost dumb founded because he did not have to make up stuff to come up with something positive to say about the Pirates. It was just flat out a great day for Pirates baseball. Enjoy it because today……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Next Game: This afternoon, Cubs in Chicago. Today the Pirates may be facing the best pitcher in baseball, Shota Imanaga. At the moment, he leads all of baseball in ERA+ with a whopping 429 and FIP at 2.28. He is left-handed which means there is a good chance that both Suwinski and Tellez will be on the bench. The man faced with the challenge of going head-to-head with this guy will be Barry (No Luck) Falter. Can the left-handed journeyman defeat the left-handed ace. If that happens it could be considered the win of the year. Of course, there is always the possibility it could rain. Excuse me, while I go pray.
Being Religious
Last week it was a fatted calf in the back yard. The neighbors were very upset especially when we drank the blood. We only do this about once a month because I am very religious and follow the Bible to the letter. Last month it was a huge hog and boy was that a mess. Just kidding, right, or am I? When I played baseball, I bunted a lot and that is called a sacrifice so there’s that. I have to say that I have not made any sacrifices in my life. If you look up sacrifice in the dictionary, which obviously the writing prompt did not, it gives the biblical definition first. There is the definition of something given up or lost. The example used is sacrifices made by parents. I am sorry I never looked at it that way. Give me a gold star. I did everything voluntarily and felt I was sacrificing nothing. The loss of life during war is the ultimate sacrifice. A lot of the time this is not done voluntarily. Death is the end of life. Death is the only true sacrifice. Everything else is just a choice that most of the time gives more joy than sadness. How can that be called a sacrifice?
Pirates Morning Report: Send Down Suwinski, DFA Tellez PLEASE
Final Score: Pirates 5 Cubs 4
Why The Pirates Won: A battling start by Jared Jones as he struggled through 6 innings giving up 3 runs, 7 hits, walking 0, striking out 7 while throwing 91 pitches. There were only two 3 up 3 down innings, but when he needed an out Jones was able to persevere. The Cubs were only 1 for 5 with runners in scoring position. The bullpen did the job, with very encouraging performances by Aroldis Chapman and David Bednar. Chapman threw 17 pitches, with 12 being strikes in a clean 7th inning. Bednar had a 3 up 3 down 9th with not even a loud foul being hit off of him. The Pirates offense thanks to a misplay in right field had just enough to pull out this tight win. What was not encouraging was the performances of Rowdy (They Are Putting Me In For Defensive Purposes?) Tellez and Jack (6 Swings And Misses, 3 Called Strikes, 3 Foul Balls) Suwinski. By the way that adds up to 4 strike outs in 4 at bats. Neither one should be playing in the majors at the moment. It is hard to win games with only 11 position players. Somehow the Pirates managed to pull out this game to improve their record to 20-25.
Key Moment Of The Game: Going into the bottom of the 8th the Pirates were leading 5-3 when Colin Holderman took the mound. The first pitch he hit the batter. Cody Bellinger on an 0-2 pitch hit a little dribbler in front of the plate. Yasmani Grandal’s throw was not good, but our defensive specialist Mr. Tellez made a half ass effort on trying to catch the ball. It got past him allowing the Cubs to have runners on 2nd and 3rd with no outs. Holderman got the next batter to hit a sacrifice fly and the score was 5-4. From the Pirates point of view, Holderman miraculously struck out Ian Happ who crushes Pirate pitching. Just to make things interesting he walked the next batter and fell behind 2-0 on Nick Madrigal. He got 2 strikes and then Madrigal hit a weak ground ball up the middle that Alika Williams made a nice play on to end the inning. The Cubs scored a run without getting a hit, but it could have been much worse. Bednar pitched the magnificent 8 pitch 9th and the Pirates escaped with the win.
Next Game: This afternoon, Cubs in Chicago. Paul Skenes makes his 2nd start and hopefully will be able to lead the Pirates to the 2nd win of the series. Last night was a huge win for the Pirates but can they keep the momentum going in of all places Chicago. It will be hard, especially when you have only 11 major league players to choose from to start the game.
Pirates Morning Report: Giving Up The Gopher Ball
Final Score: Pirates 2 Brewers 10
Why The Pirates Lost: About 2-3 starts ago Martin Perez was described as a pitcher who knows how to keep the ball in the ballpark on the opening of a Pirates broadcast. I guess they will have to come up with a new description of Perez. He gave up 5 home runs yesterday and the stats were amazing. Home Run No. 1 350 feet at 103 MPH. Home Run No. 2 370 feet at 104 MPH. Home Run No. 3 380 feet at 100 MPH. Home Run No. 4 425 feet at 106 MPH. Home No. 5 the grand finale, 441 feet at 108 MPH. Each one was hit longer was hit 100 MPH or harder. The last one, the crack of the bat was heard in Chicago. Nine runs on five home runs making the game a blast for the Brewers. Compare that with the last out of the game. Rowdy Tellez, 227 feet at 86 MPH. Statcast said that there was one little league park in Guam where that would have been a home run. The Pirates were not up to the task yesterday and fell to 19-25.
The Key Moment Of The Game: Any time Perez threw a pitch. In fact, things got so bad that the umpires were thinking of allowing Perez to use some kind of foreign substance to help him out. The Pirate broadcast booth was saying what a big game this was even though it was only May. Certainly, the Pirates didn’t feel that way, the way they played. The booth couldn’t get over the fact that Conner Jo leads the team in RBI’s despite playing so little. They must not realize how much the rest of the team stinks. Jo’s RBI total puts him around 60th in the league. After a promising start the road trip is now 1-2.
Next Game: Tonight, the Cubs in Chicago. For the next 2 nights, the big guns are going for the Pirates, Jones and Skenes. Could this start the turn around? Will Rowdy Tellez start all 4 games and extend his hitless streak to 0 for 35. I know he can do it if given the opportunity. He still has a long way to go to get to the 0 for 54 streak of Chris Davis. There is not much left to play for, so let Tellez go at.
Pirates Morning Report: The Total Priester Package
Final Score: Pirates 3 Brewers 4
Why The Pirates Lost: Quinn Priester pitched 5 strong innings giving up 0 runs, 3 hits, walking 2 and striking out 5. Unfortunately he pitched 6 innings. In the bottom of the 2nd he gave up 4 runs, 6 hits, including a home run and a double. You could say we saw the complete inconsistent Priester all wrapped up in one outing. Same thing could be said about the Pirates’ bats. Six of the nine players did not get a hit or a walk. They scored 3 runs on a double, home run and a home run. That was all the hits they got. They struck out 13 times. It was a tough loss that this team could not afford.
Key Moment Of The Game: The bottom of the 2nd when Priester could not shut it down. He got out of a 1st and 3rd nobody out jam in the bottom of the first and you thought there might be hope. After one out in the bottom of 2nd these hopes were dashed. BOOM, double, home run, single, single, single, and before you could say Rawhide Rowdy Tellez, it was 3-0 Brewers. A pop out and a single later it was 4-0. It only took 16 pitches to do this. At least Priester was efficient while getting blasted.
Next Game: This afternoon, Brewers in Milwaukee. Michael Perez goes for the Pirates today and he as not been that great his last couple of outings. The good news is the Brewers are going with a lefty so Tellez might as well stay in the hotel room. That way Shelton won’t be tempted to use him as a pinch hitter. Can the Pirates win this series, miracles do happen.
Pirates Morning Report: Surviving A Disastrous 8th inning For Big Win
Final Score: Pirates 8 Brewers 6
Why The Pirates Won: For the second time in the last three games the Pirates bats came alive. Led by Bryan Reynolds’ 5 for 5 night, the Pirates put 8 runs on the board. The long ball accounted for 5 of the 8 runs. Suwinski a 2 run homer, Grandal a 2 run homer and Reynolds hit the big solo shot in the top of the 9th to give the Pirates that 2 run cushion. Keller had an uneven but solid 6 innings of work, shutting out the Brewers, but danced through the raindrops giving up 8 hits, walking no one, while striking out 7. The bullpen, which is becoming a real liability for this team, gave up 6 runs in 2 innings. Bednar who pitched his best 9th inning in a long time and Holderman are the only two that seem to be able to get anybody out. The bad news is that guys that either were up this year or did well last year are struggling at the AAA level. Jose Hernandez ERA 9.00, Ryder Ryan ERA 3.86, which is not too bad, and Carmen Mlodzinski, who pitched well for the Pirates last year out of the bullpen, is having trouble with an ERA of 6.43. Will management do anything in this area to help shore things up? The short answer is no. Let’s enjoy last night’s big win which sent the Pirates to 19-23 and 5.5 games out of first place.
Key Moments Of The Game: The Pirates ability to keep adding on is what won this game. They scored in 5 of the nine innings, including 5 in the last 3 innings. The one big play came in the bottom of the 7th with two out. Josh Fleming, who did not look good for 40 pitches, gave up a 2 out double to Willie Adamas that scored the first two runs of the game for the Brewers. For some strange reason Adamas tried to go to third and Oneil (The One Hop Relay Man) Cruz nailed him at third base and the inning was over. The bonehead play may have cost the Brewers the game.
Next Game: Tonight, Brewers in Milwaukee. Quinn (Who Is Going To Show Up Tonight) Priester is going to start tonight for the Pirates. The best way to sum up Priester’s major league career is to say this year he has become inconsistent, which is quite an improvement. Are we going to see the quality start Priester or will we see the run an inning Priester? This should determine the outcome of tonight’s game.
Pirates Morning Report: A Game They Should Have Won
Pirates Morning Report: Pirates 4 Cubs 5 in 10 innings
Why The Pirates Lost: The Pirates could not come through when it mattered the most. This was a close, hard fought, well-played game. The Pirates had the game right in their grasp in the bottom of the 9th and failed. There was a lot to like about this game. It was the Pirates best defensive game of the year. They made no errors and made many spectacular plays that kept the Cubs off the board. If this would have been a win, the top of the 7th would have been the key moment of the game. Jack Suwinski and Oneil Cruz made great plays back-to-back to keep the game tied at 2-2. Barry (You Know What You Are Going To Get) Falter pitched his standard 81 pitch 6 innings just giving up a 2-run homer in the 1st inning. Even though his 6th inning looked pretty good, he was taken out again after a low pitch count. It is strange because right now the worst part of this team according to WAR is the bullpen. The Pirate bullpen ranks 26th and the four teams behind them are all in last place in their respective divisions. It is time to set the record straight here. The offense no question is abysmal, but this idea that the pitching is great is false. At the moment this is just an average pitching staff. In the three big categories, run prevention, true outcome results and ERA+, they are just a little above or a little below league average. Certainly, they are doing better than the hitters but this is far from some kind of an elite staff.
Key Moment Of The Game: This is really painful. The Pirates loaded the bases in the bottom of the 9th with 1 out and the score tied 2-2. Shortstop Nico Hoerner made a spectacular play on a ground ball to keep the winning run from scoring from second that saved the game. None the less, eventually, the Pirates loaded the bases with one out. Bryan Reynolds swung at the first pitch that was halfway between his big toe and knee just dribbling it out in front of the plate. They forced out the runner at home and almost threw Reynolds out at first. His mother was seen vomiting in the aisle. Oneil Cruz was able to work the count to 3-1, but then tried to pull a pitch on the outer third of the plate and flew out to right field. The Cubs scored 3 in the top of the 10th and the Pirates countered with a 2-run homer by Connor Joe, but it was not enough as the Pirates fell to 18 and 23.
Next Game: Tonight, Brewers in Milwaukee. This road trip of 7 games, may determine if this team has any hope of having a successful season. I not sure if even 3-4 will be good enough, but anything worse will certainly put the Pirates in a hole they may never get out. In the last 25 games the Pirates have scored over 4 runs just three times. The sad thing is, they lost one of those games, thanks to tonight’s starting pitcher Mitch Keller. He did have one great outing last time and he will probably need to do again if the Pirates are going to have any chance. How much longer are we going to have to watch Rawhide Rowdy Rally Killing Tellez. His last 7 games he is hitting .063. Steve Blass had a lifetime batting average of .177. Get the point.
The Goofy Game of Golf/Life Searching for the Answer 