"The Freak Show" season

For whatever reason, after the famed Pirates division-winning teams of my youth fizzled and left for greener pastures, so did my interest in baseball--for a few years. The 1997 season, dubbed "The Freak Show" by announcer Greg Brown, brought back my fevered interest in the Bucs. (I suppose it's easier to justify being a fair-weather fan at age 14--though only slightly.) That was the year of Kevin Young, Al Martin, Jose Guillen, Cordova and Rincon's combined no-hitter, and, my favorite Pirate that year, Smilin' Joe Randa. Our payroll was only $9 million, and I can remember when Jon Lieber struck out Albert Belle, the $10 million man, three times in a game. It was the last year we actually made a deadline deal to help us in the short-term. It was the year that almost .500 almost secured us a division title. And it's being wonderfully remembered by P-G writer Paul Meyer.

Check out the story so far here, here, and here.