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bcimmet · 01-04-2004, 06:46 PM

The Journal of Christopher Quinn (2b, Pittsburgh Pirates)

SEPTEMBER 6, 2004

One fact that was lost on me when I first arrived is the fact that the Pirates are in a pennant race. They were tied for first in the division with a 70-60 record (same as AAA Plainville). Since then, they’ve gone 3-2, and are still holding on to first place (or at least a piece of it).

The big news of the day is that I made my debut on the field against Houston. I was put in as a pinch-runner in the bottom of the eighth inning. It was a tie game. Porras grounded out to third, and Ortiz grounded out to second to open the inning. Baltasar Pena singled, and I went to run for him. Alfonzo Sato hit a two-run homer to give us the lead, and the tiny little footnote to that event was that I scored a run, and got my first tick on the major league stat sheet. If ever I’m in contention for the career record for runs scored, we’ll all remember that this was the first one.

As we’re still fighting for the division, I certainly don’t anticipate seeing much action. But this was a good move – Manager Ralph Lemon put the young speedster in to run for the veteran slugger. The only potential backfire was if we didn’t score, and needed Pena’s bat later in the game. But we won, and we’re still moving forward.

SEPTEMBER 8, 2004

It’s pretty weak to chronicle every event here, but so far I don’t have a lot to discuss, so I might as well focus on the minutiae of this career.

I played in the field for the first time tonight. It was against Philadelphia. I went in as a defensive replacement in the top of the 9th inning. We were leading 5-3. First ball hit went way over my head, and rolled to the wall – a double. Pilly’s shortstop grounded to me on the next play, and I turned the out easily (fielding percentage of 1.000 thank you very much!). After that, it was downhill for Bob Temples, our closer. He’s been pretty solid this year, but blew it here. He walked Philly’s next hitter, and then gave up a monstrous 3-run shot to George Suarez. We couldn’t score in the bottom of the inning, and the game was gone.

We’ve got a 2-game lead on Houston for the division; our magic number is 23.

SEPTEMBER 15, 2004

We’re barely hanging on in the division, having gone 1-3 in our last four games, and 6-7 since the start of September. We currently share first place in the NL Central with Houston. This is winner-take-it, because either Colorado or San Francisco (in the NL West) will get the Wild Card spot.

I’m starting to get used to being here. These guys are just guys. Yes, they’re professional ball players, but they’re just guys like I’m a guy. It’s a matter of doing the right thing at the right time in front of the right people. There’s nothing magical about it, to tell you the truth.

Got a phone call from Otter today – he read me stats from the Minor League Reports. Apparently, I led National League AA in batting average (.351). I finished fourth in OBP (.401, just behind Barrett Bays), and fourth in stolen bases (35). Otter’s back in Montreal, working for the scrap metal factory. Again, he’s unclear on whether he’ll return to Pennsylvania in the spring to play again for the organization. He has a girlfriend back in Montreal, and he only got to see her when we played there, or in the winter. It doesn’t seem worth it, to him. He wants to start a family. Maybe if baseball took off, and he made a major league team – even for one season, he’d have enough money to start a family.

Where’s my drive for a family? I think I want this baseball world to be my family, at least, for now. I’m focusing my energy so tightly on working out and batting practice, I can’t imagine sparing a moment for a relationship. Not now. Call me crazy. I’m a 20-year-old single guy, and what do I do in my free time? Lift weights. Swing a bat. Watch video tape.

SEPTEMBER 19, 2004

We’re slipping away from the division, two games behind Houston now, with 14 games to go. I got my first plate appearance, and I’d just as soon forget that it happened. We were leading Atlanta 4-2. I came out in the bottom of the 8th inning to pinch-hit, and struck out on three swings. Yay.

We won the game, and that’s what matters. But I wanted something more substantial for my first time at the plate. Hey, at least it will get better from here. (I hope.)

01-04-2004, 06:46 PM	#20
bcimmet Registered User Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: New York City Posts: 65	The Journal of Christopher Quinn (2b, Pittsburgh Pirates) SEPTEMBER 6, 2004 One fact that was lost on me when I first arrived is the fact that the Pirates are in a pennant race. They were tied for first in the division with a 70-60 record (same as AAA Plainville). Since then, they’ve gone 3-2, and are still holding on to first place (or at least a piece of it). The big news of the day is that I made my debut on the field against Houston. I was put in as a pinch-runner in the bottom of the eighth inning. It was a tie game. Porras grounded out to third, and Ortiz grounded out to second to open the inning. Baltasar Pena singled, and I went to run for him. Alfonzo Sato hit a two-run homer to give us the lead, and the tiny little footnote to that event was that I scored a run, and got my first tick on the major league stat sheet. If ever I’m in contention for the career record for runs scored, we’ll all remember that this was the first one. As we’re still fighting for the division, I certainly don’t anticipate seeing much action. But this was a good move – Manager Ralph Lemon put the young speedster in to run for the veteran slugger. The only potential backfire was if we didn’t score, and needed Pena’s bat later in the game. But we won, and we’re still moving forward. SEPTEMBER 8, 2004 It’s pretty weak to chronicle every event here, but so far I don’t have a lot to discuss, so I might as well focus on the minutiae of this career. I played in the field for the first time tonight. It was against Philadelphia. I went in as a defensive replacement in the top of the 9th inning. We were leading 5-3. First ball hit went way over my head, and rolled to the wall – a double. Pilly’s shortstop grounded to me on the next play, and I turned the out easily (fielding percentage of 1.000 thank you very much!). After that, it was downhill for Bob Temples, our closer. He’s been pretty solid this year, but blew it here. He walked Philly’s next hitter, and then gave up a monstrous 3-run shot to George Suarez. We couldn’t score in the bottom of the inning, and the game was gone. We’ve got a 2-game lead on Houston for the division; our magic number is 23. SEPTEMBER 15, 2004 We’re barely hanging on in the division, having gone 1-3 in our last four games, and 6-7 since the start of September. We currently share first place in the NL Central with Houston. This is winner-take-it, because either Colorado or San Francisco (in the NL West) will get the Wild Card spot. I’m starting to get used to being here. These guys are just guys. Yes, they’re professional ball players, but they’re just guys like I’m a guy. It’s a matter of doing the right thing at the right time in front of the right people. There’s nothing magical about it, to tell you the truth. Got a phone call from Otter today – he read me stats from the Minor League Reports. Apparently, I led National League AA in batting average (.351). I finished fourth in OBP (.401, just behind Barrett Bays), and fourth in stolen bases (35). Otter’s back in Montreal, working for the scrap metal factory. Again, he’s unclear on whether he’ll return to Pennsylvania in the spring to play again for the organization. He has a girlfriend back in Montreal, and he only got to see her when we played there, or in the winter. It doesn’t seem worth it, to him. He wants to start a family. Maybe if baseball took off, and he made a major league team – even for one season, he’d have enough money to start a family. Where’s my drive for a family? I think I want this baseball world to be my family, at least, for now. I’m focusing my energy so tightly on working out and batting practice, I can’t imagine sparing a moment for a relationship. Not now. Call me crazy. I’m a 20-year-old single guy, and what do I do in my free time? Lift weights. Swing a bat. Watch video tape. SEPTEMBER 19, 2004 We’re slipping away from the division, two games behind Houston now, with 14 games to go. I got my first plate appearance, and I’d just as soon forget that it happened. We were leading Atlanta 4-2. I came out in the bottom of the 8th inning to pinch-hit, and struck out on three swings. Yay. We won the game, and that’s what matters. But I wanted something more substantial for my first time at the plate. Hey, at least it will get better from here. (I hope.)