Tuesday, October 1, 2024, was the 11th anniversary of the Pirates’ exciting and demon exorcising 6-2 victory over the Reds in the 2013 National League Wild Card Game at PNC Park.

Countless dignitaries–including the pitcher who recorded the final out in that game, former Pirates closer Jason Grilli–weighed in on the anniversary and shared their memories of that electric night 11 October 1s earlier.

And it was a special night. My friends who were there for the game have said the sell-out crowd on hand that evening at PNC Park was the loudest, most intense and most impassioned they had ever witnessed or experienced at any sporting event. Local sports reporters–including the recently retired Ron Cook–have said the same thing.

Of course, living in the cynical times that we now do, many others–including local sports shock-jock Mark Madden–spent the entire day mocking that game from 11 years earlier and the fans and media members who celebrated it.

Is it sad that a wildcard playoff victory from over a decade ago–one where the biggest highlight was of Reds pitcher Johnny Cueto dropping the baseball while standing on the mound (supposedly because of the relentless “Cueto!!!” chants)–is all Pirates fans have to cling to now?

Perhaps. But is it cool to mock it? No. What else are we supposed to do, not celebrate that moment? Sports are all about memories; without them, what fun is it to watch games?

That wildcard victory over Cincinnati was not a championship (duh!), but that’s not the point. That game is so near and dear to Pirates fans because it put the final nail in the coffin of the 20 years of losing that preceded it. True, the Bucs ended the losing streak during the regular season, but if they had lost that game to the Reds, a team that spent the season mocking them for their inexperience and enthusiasm, it would have been a huge letdown.

It may have hindered the Pirates’ growth. It may have caused them to go into a tailspin instead of appearing in two more wildcard games the following two seasons.

No, the Pirates didn’t go on to win the World Series in 2013. In fact, they lost the NLDS to the hated St. Louis Cardinals in five games. But the Steelers didn’t win the Super Bowl following the Immaculate Reception in 1972. They didn’t even make it to the Big Game. Instead, they lost to the Dolphins in the AFC title game one week later. Yet, it’s been 52 years, and we still talk about the time the late, great Franco Harris caught that deflected football just before it hit the turf of old Three Rivers Stadium and raced 60-plus yards for a touchdown and an improbable divisional-round playoff win over the hated Oakland Raiders.

The Immaculate Reception was an exorcise of the 40 years of futility that the Steelers had experienced prior to 1972. The Pirates wildcard victory over Cincinnati was the same thing. That’s why the fans were so intense. That’s why, as Grilli put it when he appeared on 93.7 The Fan on Tuesday, the Reds weren’t just playing the Pirates on the evening of October 1, 2013, they were taking on the entire city of Pittsburgh and Bucco fan base.

Unlike the Immaculate Reception, the Pirates wildcard victory didn’t spark a dynasty. Instead, Pittsburgh lost that same game the next two years–getting shutout at home each time. Owner Bob Nutting then dismantled the roster, and they’ve been trying to recapture that magic ever since.

Is it the fans’ fault that Nutting is such a notoriously cheap owner? Would a new owner fix things? I don’t know, but I will say that I’ve experienced four Pirates ownership groups since I became a fan in the 1980s, and none of them were freespenders. In other words, it’s more a systemic issue. Much like systemic issues in society, some people beat the odds to become something better. Some live ordinary lives. Some turn to a life of crime.

Unfortunately, Nutting has chosen the worst path when it comes to how he runs his baseball team. He’s figuratively the Pittsburgh Dad of small-market baseball owners with how unwilling he is to spend even a penny.

Again, what are we supposed to do as fans? Bury our feelings?

It’s impossible to do, at least forever. I love the Pirates just as much as I love the Steelers. Thousands of Pittsburgh sports fans feel the same way. Unfortunately, we’ve become numb to those feelings due to countless losing seasons and last-place finishes over the past 40 years.

I often forget how much I love the Pirates. Say what you want about Nutting and his cheap ways, but baseball’s seemingly permanent financial system is and has always been the real culprit.

It’s why I keep those feelings I have for the Pirates buried deep within my soul. Now and then, like on the anniversary of that wildcard victory over the Reds on October 1, 2013, I allow myself to feel good things about the Buccos.

I want to feel good things about them again. I want to experience Buctober once more. I want to see the Pirates play in a best-of-three wildcard series. Better yet, I want them to win the National League Central Division and earn a bye into the second round–the best-of-five National League Divisional Series.

Tuesday was the start of MLB’s 2024 postseason. The best-of-three wildcard round kicked off with a slate of baseball games that lasted from the afternoon through the evening. I so wanted the Pirates to be one of those teams participating.

Maybe next year, yeah?

You can mock Pirates fans if you want. You can accuse them of falling for the con. But what would Steelers fans do if the NFL suddenly decided that revenue sharing and a salary cap were no longer the way to go? What if the league adopted MLB’s financial model?

Penguins fans almost had to make that choice about 20 years ago before a work-stoppage paved the way for a salary cap and made it easier for NHL teams in cities like Pittsburgh to compete.

Sports fans usually can’t choose which teams they like. We’re often stuck with the feelings we have for them from the time we get into sports as youngsters until the day we leave this world.

Instead of mocking Pirates fans, how about having some compassion and empathy?

After all, we’re all products of our sports environment.