Here Comes Stinky (One Sixty-Two: Day 132)

Writer’s note: One Sixty-Two is a season-long series of blog posts connecting baseball’s major-league players to life’s universal themes. Just as there are 162 games in a season, so there will be 162 posts in this series. Let’s play some ball.

Day One Hundred Thirty-Two: Andrew McCutchen, Pittsburgh Pirates

We were riding south on Route 206 in Central Jersey, and we couldn’t help but notice the big green truck beside us. Together, we read the white sign painted on this bulky vehicle:

“Stinky’s Septic Tank Pumping,” it read. The slogan beneath the company name followed: “We Know We’re Not Politically Correct.”

My girls couldn’t get over the silliness of the name: a company calling itself Stinky. For two kids whose dad has given them more than enough potty humor in their lives, this was a gold mine for all the smelly jokes. And it wasn’t make-believe: When you call that phone number listed on the truck, someone at the other end is going to greet you with something like a “Good afternoon, this is Stinky’s; how may I help you?”

So as our giggly car passed the truck and headed on our way (past the Turntable Junction Shopping Complex, mind you – what’s with these names?), I thought a little bit about what it must feel like to work for Stinky. You learn to deal with the jokes, of course, but in the end people will provide you with business if you clean those septic tanks well. But what if you don’t work for Stinky’s, but instead you work for the more figurative “Stinky”? What if you’re a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates?

The 18 consecutive losing seasons in Pittsburgh have been well-documented, as they should be since they make up the longest such streak in the history of major North American pro team sports. But this year, even as the Pirates promise they are finished with trading away prospects whose free-agent years are looming, and even as their young players begin to blossom, the 2010 season is just not going well. Today, as the Pirates lost again, they fell to 44-89, a record that brings their winning percentage below 33 percent. In games away from home, the Bucs have only 14 wins on the year. There may be better days ahead, but they’re hard to see from here.

So how do you feel if you’re Andrew McCutchen, the second-year player who is widely regarded as the most talented player on the Pirates right now? This season, McCutchen has a .277 average to go with 12 home runs and 28 steals. He is a force at the plate, on the basepaths and in centerfield. This 23-year-old is the kind of player you can build a team around.

But as the Pirates keep losing, how does McCutchen foresee his future in the big leagues? Does he hope, deep down, that he eventually gets to follow all those ex-Pirates players who were traded out of Pittsburgh before they became too expensive? Or does McCutchen truly hope that he is the sign of a new era, when the Pirates spend more money on their roster, build smart from within and become a National League power once again?

When Roberto Clemente, Willie Stargell and Honus Wagner played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, the team was not called “Stinky” too often. For an entire generation, however, it has been nothing but. It’s time to clean the tank once and for all, because if the Pirates lose a guy like Andrew McCutchen, then fans may see no reason to talk about this team with a semblance of political correctness. “Stinky” might even be a compliment compared to what would come next.

Handing Out Stars

I’ve been reading Barack Obama’s The Audacity of Hope lately. I’ve been watching some of his speeches as well. As a voter, I’m looking for a leader who strives for unity – between individuals, between cultures, and between groups of every kind. I like what I see from the senator, and I’ve found the audacity to hope he might actually win.

When I watch and read about pro sports, I don’t see nearly as much unity as I’d like to see from a profession that has so often prided itself on teamwork. I keep seeing fights between teams and even between players on the same team. I keep reading about athletes who are unhappy with eight-figure salaries. I read of relationships between Hall of Fame players and their teams disintegrating over nonsense.

It’s with this in mind that I’ve been thinking about the 1979 Pirates lately. Before they were a team that refused to keep their good players, the Pirates were a powerhouse. Nearly a decade after the death of Roberto Clemente, Willie Stargell led Pittsburgh to a ’79 World Series matchup with Earl Weaver’s mighty Baltimore Orioles. The Pirates had taken America by storm that year, as first baseman Stargell awarded stars to his teammates when they made a good play or had a good game, and the players placed these stars on their caps as if the stars were Cub Scout badges. The team also proclaimed Sister Sledge’s hit song “We Are Family” to be their anthem. This ballclub’s unity paid off well in the end, as the Pirates were able to keep their composure and rebound from a 3 games to 1 World Series deficit to win the World Series. Stargell and company were smiling the whole time, and they helped buoy a country galvanized by recession, terrorism and an energy crisis.

As the America of 2008 faces such similar challenges today, I look for signs of hope and unity. I hear Barack Obama, and I listen closely. I feel inspired. When I look over to the baseball field, I crave the sight of more selfless dedication to team on the diamond. I wait for someone to step forward, turn on some late-‘70s disco music and start handing out stars. Mr. Jeter, Mr. Varitek, Mr. Rollins, Mr. Pujols – what do you think? It’s worth a try. It’s a change I can believe in.