The Pittsburgh Pirates just sent out a press release with all of Monday’s Opening Day festivities. The biggest highlight was that Barry Bonds and Jim Leyland will be on hand to present awards to Andrew McCutchen and Clint Hurdle.
Bonds (1990 and 1992 NL MVP with the Pirates) will join Dick Groat (1960 NL MVP) to present McCutchen with his 2013 NL MVP award. McCutchen’s mother, Petrina McCutchen, will be signing the National Anthem. She last sang the National Anthem before the Wild Card game against the Reds.
Leyland (1990 and 1992 NL Manager of the Year with the Pirates) will present Hurdle with his 2013 NL Manager of the Year award.
The Pirates will also have Jack Wilson on hand to present the 2013 NL Silver Slugger awards to McCutchen and Pedro Alvarez. Wilson won a Silver Slugger in 2004 with the Pirates.
Francisco Liriano will also be recognized as the NL Comeback Player of the Year.
The Pirates will also have a moment of silence for members of the organization who have passed away in recent months. That includes Pirates alumni Ralph Kiner, Johnny Logan, Eddie O’Brien and Preston Ward along with Pirates minor leaguer Evan Chambers and long-time Pirates beat writer Charlie Feeney. Ralph Kiner’s son, Scott, will throw out the first pitch.
+ postsTim is the owner, producer, editor, and lead writer of PiratesProspects.com. He has been running Pirates Prospects since 2009, becoming the first new media reporter and outlet covering the Pirates at the MLB level in 2011 and 2012. His work can also be found in Baseball America, where he has been a contributor since 2014 and the Pirates' correspondent since 2019.
So let me get this straight. It’s Opening Day in Pittsburgh, the team is honoring those who were awarded with being the best in the NL last season. And to help make the day as special as possible for those who worked so hard to win the awards, they are flying in former Pirates, who also won the same awards, to present said awards to them. And there are some fans who actually believe booing is the appropriate response? Seriously!!!????
Philadelphia has no patent on fans who can be a$$holes skliesen.
MLB consulted teams as to how to deal with the steroid issue in the early 90s. The ENTIRE sport, including owners and fans, participated in this shadow era of baseball. Let’s admit this, and more on. I would politely applaud Bonds, and let it go.
Also, let us NOT denigrate this award to the all-too-deserving Andrew McCutchen. This is his moment, let us not tarnish this ceremony due to our spite of Mr Bonds.
The important call of the day will be, “PLAY BALL!”
I absolutely love the fact that Bonds will be there opening day. It’s beyond time to get over the fact that he left after ’92 and move on. The guy won 2 MVP awards while with the Bucs. If it weren’t for him there’s a great chance the losing streak would have been longer than 20 years.
Barry Bonds was a great player, no doubt. Barry Bonds the person was just the opposite. Had Barry’s personality translated to his baseball ability, he would’ve never made it past T Ball.
I try to block out those years he was a Pirate and try to only think about the other guys. In a way, his leaving for SF, was a blessing in disguise. I can’t imagine what it would’ve been like having to put up with this a$$hole all of those years. I don’t care HOW many HRs he would’ve hit. looking back, I just wished we could’ve traded him for a nice package of players before he left.
So yeah…if I’m there, I’m booing him, because, as a fan, I can.
Leefoo : I hope you realize that by doing that you will really embarrass McCutchen,his family and all of his young and old fans ? I would consider that more than a little.
http://pbc-asylum.blogspot.com/2014/03/2014-pirates-season-record-predictions.html
JAL’s season predictions for anyone that used to participate at PG in the past. Anyone welcome of course.
the PG ? Does anyone under 50 still read their baseball commentary ?
I don’t think many over the age of 50 still read it. Kind of why we left and built our own place.
I can’t even believe that “booing” Bonds is even part of this discussion for some. We are all fallable human beings. We all make mistakes. I would ask every person on this page, have you done everything right in your life? Don’t answer…I already know the answer. I for one, am glad that the Pirates are such a classy organization, that they see their history and ALL of the people who contributed to their long, illustrious history (the good and the bad), in the context of FAMILY. I just wish that former MVP Dave Parker (who is apparently ill) could be there as well.
Love Bonds. I think this is awesome. Best player ever.
Having Bonds present on opening day is the equivalent of a sauerkraut and hard boiled egg f@rt in a small crowded elevator.
Today the MLB and MLPA issued new guidelines for cheaters.
How fittingly for the announcement that the player who perhaps benefited the most from the cheating will be attending opening game ceremonies came on the same day.
It would be fitting for Greg Brown to ask BB what his feelings are about the new guidelines in the interview that will undoubtedly happen at some point during the game.
The players who benefitted most during that era were McGwire,Sosa, A-Rod and a few others. Bonds was head and shoulders above all of them BEFORE that era,and would have been a HOFer if he wouldn’t have got into that stuff.
He benefitted the most because he unfairly holds the home run record which Hank Aaron was cheated out of.
Without the juice he may have hit around 500 at the most.
I really wasn’t taking up for him when it gets to the PED issue Mike,just pointing out that he was one hell of a ball player long before he got into the late 90’s,where those other players weren’t all that till they juiced up.
Totally agree with you and that is what makes it so sad .
I just wonder how good the team would have been if they had kept Moises Alou on that team. In fact, thinking about that makes you think about this teams potential outfield and that happiness that Marte is locked up and not traded away as some people were suggesting over the offseason on chat boards…
Bonds, VanSlyke, and Bonilla = Marte, McCutchen, Polanco ????
McCutchen and Marte have already signed long term contracts, surpassing the duration of Bonilla and Bonds. This current duo duo has also (helped to) revitalize a moribund franchise. Add in the expected greatness of Gregory Polanco, and I can see this trio rivaling Roberto Clemente, Matty Alou and Willie Stargell.
One thing is for sure, Bonds is a lightning rod. I still have the newspaper clipping when he was first called up and his quote said something like, “I’m 24 and by the time I’m 26 we’ll have a championship in Pittsburgh.” – and we did. I will always be grateful for Bonds and the other great players who provided a lifetime of awesome memories of baseball in my youth… geez I just loved Drabek and Smiley!!!
One thing about opening day, I think it would be great to get someone special to also present Liriano with his award. Not sure who… any ideas???
BB: How about Steve Blass to handle the award to Francisco Liriano.
And, like him or don’t, BB was the best I ever saw at Three Rivers and PNC, and I still remember No. 597 in August 2002 at PNC on a Saturday night. His hand to eye coordination was so far beyond everyone else, even in the pre-roidal years. He wanted to return to the place where his dad Bobby and Godfather Willie played, and I could not blame him for that. As it turns out, that was when the Pirates started to “sell out” to go as cheap as possible, and it took 20 years to get back to that point.
How about Roger Clemens ?
++++emjay.
Vernon Law won the Sporting News Comeback Player award in 1965. If he was feeling good and living locally, it would be a great choice. But if he’s not, then it’s understandable for them to do without the Deacon. In any case, Liriano is the only player to win the award twice. He can just hand it to himself.
I think it’s fantastic that Bonds will be back. He was always my favorite player as a kid, even after he left Pittsburgh. I have no understanding why a Pirate fan would boo him. It’s not Barry’s fault the team decided to pay a far inferior Van Slyke instead of Barry. And he’s certainly not the first or last jerk to play for the team.
Do you think that people dislike Bonds because he left Pittsburgh?
Take off your rose tinted glasses.
You know a lot of people think that Al Capone was a great businessman but I guess if you don’t pay taxes, rub out your competition and deal in illegal products it isn’t hard to make a lot of money.
I guess it’s up to each individual to determine who they look up to.
I just don’t know how to look up to somebody when your gaze is down around your ankles.
I respect the fact you are a Bonds fan so why can’t you respect the fact others don’t like him. And bad news for you son but defensively Bonds couldn’t carry Van Slykes equipment bag.
I don’t disagree with you on the defense, but you can’t possibly think that overall Van Slyke was even close to as good as Bonds. Bonds AVERAGE annual WAR as a Pirate was 7.16 (4 years at 7.9 or higher, topping out at 9.7). Van Slyke’s BEST year he was worth 6.4 WAR.
And I didn’t say I don’t respect people for not liking him…I said I couldn’t understand why someone would boo him.
I agree with the fact Bonds was a great player and I really am not big on booing any athlete as long as he is acting like a professional. I hope the Pirate fans as a whole show some class and not boo him. This event is really about honoring some players and a manager who deserve it and if the fans boo him it really dishonors the event and what it is about more than it does Barry Bonds.
Buck Farry Fonds! Buck Farry Fonds!
Back during the 1990-92 playoff series, I tried to market the Barry Bonds sandwich. It was an empty over-priced hot dog that fell apart when you applied heat to it.
Anyone who boos Bonds is just stooping to the same low level they all claim to be above
You would have to dig a hole that reaches China to get to that level.
Looks like that POS Bonds is on his tour to try to make over the image that he cultivated for 20 yrs.
Some a$$wipes will do anything to get into the HOF.
Gawd the Bucs know how to ruin what should be a great day.
Love the fact that Jim is involved hate the fact that Bonds is involved .
Thank you, my sentiments exactly!