Sneak Peek at Pirates Promotions

We had the opportunity to head down to the season ticket holder batting practice at PNC Park tonight. After taking a few cuts in the cages, we headed to the Hall of Fame Club for a light dinner. In the Club, they were playing a video on loop of the 2013 promotions.

There were four in particular that really stood out:

– A.J. Burnett Free Shirt Friday
Friday, April 12th vs. Cincinnati

– Andrew McCutchen Bobblehead
Saturday, April 20th vs. Atlanta

– A.J. Burnett Bobblehead
Saturday, May 18th vs. Houston

– Replica Sunday Alternate Hat
Sunday, June 16th vs. Los Angeles

The introduction of the new Sunday alternate jersey has been highly anticipated. There is a replica alternate jersey giveaway on August 4th, but they unfortunately did not have a picture of it on the slide show. That hat obviously looks nothing like this possible mock-up we found a few weeks back.

The yellow crown with black bill would certainly be an interesting look. Based on the picture, we assume it’s similar to the hat worn in the early ’70s:

The Pirates wore a comparable uniform back in 2011 when they celebrated the 1971 World Series:

However, this leaves us unsure of how the jerseys will turn out. They could be similar to the ones above, but who knows if they will to go back to that style.

Anyway, more of the promotions should be on display at PirateFest this weekend. Hopefully they reveal the Sunday alternate jersey as well.

Go Bucs

Pirates Release 2013 Promotional Schedule

The Pirates have released their promotional schedule for the 2013 season, as single games tickets are set to go on sale next week. The giveaways have been pretty “meh” the past few years, but nothing terrible. This year’s list appears to be pretty good; here’s a look:

Date▲	Opponent▲	Promotion
Mon, Apr 1	Cubs	Opening Day Magnetic Schedule All Fans
Fri, Apr 12	Reds	Free Shirt Friday All Fans
Sat, Apr 13	Reds	Zambelli Fireworks Night Scratch’n Win All Fans
Sun, Apr 14	Reds	Kids Day Raise the Jolly Roger Flag First 25,000 Fans
Fri, Apr 19	Braves	Free Shirt Friday All Fans
Sat, Apr 20	Braves	Andrew McCutchen Awards Bobblehead First 25,000 Fans Scratch’n Win All Fans
Sun, Apr 21	Braves	Kids Day Let’s Go Bucs Eco-Friendly Rally Towel Kids 14 & Younger

Date▲	Opponent▲	Promotion
Fri, May 3	Nationals	Free Shirt Friday All Fans
Sat, May 4	Nationals	Zambelli Fireworks Night Scratch’n Win All Fans
Sun, May 5	Nationals	Kids Day Kids Pierogy Umbrella Kids 14 & Younger
Fri, May 17	Astros	Free Shirt Friday All Fans
Sat, May 18	Astros	A.J. Burnett Camo Jersey Bobblehead First 25,000 Fans Scratch’n Win All Fans
Sun, May 19	Astros	Kids Day Kids A.J. Burnett Replica Camo Jersey Kids 14 & Younger
Fri, May 31	Reds	Free Shirt Friday All Fans

Date▲	Opponent▲	Promotion
Sat, Jun 1	Reds	FanJam featuring postgame concert Heritage Celebration Scratch’n Win All Fans
Sun, Jun 2	Reds	Kids Day Kids Pirate Parrot Soap Dispenser Kids 14 & Younger
Fri, Jun 14	Dodgers	Free Shirt Friday All Fans
Sat, Jun 15	Dodgers	Zambelli Fireworks Night Scratch’n Win All Fans
Sun, Jun 16	Dodgers	Kids Day Kids & Dads Replica Sunday Alternate Cap Kids 14 & Younger and Dads
Fri, Jun 28	Brewers	Free Shirt Friday All Fans
Sat, Jun 29	Brewers	FanJam featuring postgame concert
Sun, Jun 30	Brewers	Kids Day Kids Drawstring Backpack Kids 14 & Younger

Date▲	Opponent▲	Promotion
Fri, Jul 12	Mets	Free Shirt Friday All Fans
Sat, Jul 13	Mets	Zambelli Fireworks Night Scratch’n Win All Fans
Sun, Jul 14	Mets	Kids Day Kids Tumbler Cup Kids 14 & Younger

Date▲	Opponent▲	Promotion
Fri, Aug 2	Rockies	Free Shirt Friday All Fans
Sat, Aug 3	Rockies	New Replica Batting Practice Cap All Fans Scratch’n Win All Fans
Sun, Aug 4	Rockies	Kids Day Kids Pedro Alvarez Replica Sunday Alternate Jersey Kids 14 & Younger
Fri, Aug 16	D-backs	Free Shirt Friday All Fans
Sat, Aug 17	D-backs	Zambelli Fireworks Night Scratch’n Win All Fans
Sun, Aug 18	D-backs	Kids Day Kids Neil Walker Jersey Cooler Bag Kids 14 & Younger
Fri, Aug 30	Cardinals	Free Shirt Friday All Fans
Sat, Aug 31	Cardinals	Skyblast featuring Zambelli Fireworks and postgame concert TBD Scratch’n Win All Fans

Date▲	Opponent▲	Promotion
Sun, Sep 1	Cardinals	Kids Day Kids Earbuds Kids 14 & Younger
Fri, Sep 13	Cubs	Free Shirt Friday All Fans
Sat, Sep 14	Cubs	Zambelli Fireworks Night Scratch’n Win All Fans
Sun, Sep 15	Cubs	Kids Day Kids Fathead Jr. Wall Decals Kids 14 & Younger
Fri, Sep 20	Reds	Free Shirt Friday All Fans
Sat, Sep 21	Reds	Skyblast featuring Zambelli Fireworks and postgame concert TBD 2014 Magnetic Schedule All Fans Scratch’n Win All Fans
Sun, Sep 22	Reds	Kids Day Pirates Fleece Scarf First 25,000 Fans

First, it’s nice to see Free Shirt Friday back on the slate. The free shirts are an incredibly popular promotion, and they are starting to become a Friday night tradition at PNC. The designs are not known yet, but they should be on display at PirateFest (along with the other giveaways) like in past years.

Also, the bobblehead promotions really jump out at you when glancing over the list. The Pirates only had one bobblehead in each of the past two seasons (Neil Walker in 2011, Joel Hanrahan in 2012) despite their popularity. However, they’re busting out two for 2013 – Andrew McCutchen with his awards on April 20th and A.J. Burnett with a camo jersey on May 18. Both seem like really slick giveaways.

In addition to Burnett’s camo jersey bobblehead, the Bucs will also have a kids camouflage jersey giveaway on May 19th. This leads us to believe that they will wear their camo jerseys for a game or two next season, just as they did last year.

Another note about jerseys – there is a Pedro Alvarez “Sunday alternate jersey” giveaway on August 4th. Furthermore, there will be a “Sunday alternate cap” on June 16th. This seems to imply that a new jersey/hat combo will be introduced by the team in the near future. Really looking forward to see what the Pirates have in store.

The typical fireworks nights, Fan Jams, and Skyblasts are on the schedule again. The concert bands have not been announced yet.

The Jolly Roger flag and rally towels seem like solid giveaways, too. There’s a good assortment of kids Sunday promotions as usual.

It’s important to note that the Jolly Roger, Cutch bobblehead, A.J. bobblehead, and fleece scarf are only being given away to the first 25,000 fans. In the past, all promotions were usually given to all fans (except the kids giveaways, which are obviously ages 14 & younger).

We can’t wait to get our hands on some of these upon entering the gates next season. Only 134 more days…

Go Bucs

Game Recap: Pirates vs. Astros 5/11/12

Once again, it was a great night for some Bucco baseball in the city of Pittsburgh.

We weren’t in 134 tonight but had great seats that were real close to the action. Manager Clint Hurdle signing some autographs:

The umpires, including Jim Joyce, emerging from the tunnel:

James McDonald was on the bump for the Pirates tonight and had another great start:

First pitch was delayed a few minutes because of an extended meeting between managers at the plate.  The first inning went quickly, with only one baserunner combined.  James McDonald gave up back to back singles to start the second, and got Justin Maxwell to ground into a 5-4-3 double play.  Instead of throwing home to prevent the run, Pedro went for the double play instead.  A smart baseball move, but when you consider that the Pirates have trouble scoring more than 2 runs a game, every run the opposition scores is critical.

The Pirates went down 1-2-3 in the first 3 innings, striking out 5 times.  Jose Tabata started the fourth with a triple off of the Clemente Wall, just missing a cheap homer into the short porch.

Nate McLouth came up, just needing to make solid contact to get Tabata home.  He instead hit a jam shot pop-up to third, but the meat of the lineup was coming up.  After getting two strikes, Andrew McCutchen was just trying to make contact, and slapped a ground ball to short.  As Bud Norris wound up to pitch, the Astros third baseman and shortstop charged, and Tabata broke for the plate on contact.  Jed Lowrie was able to gun him down at the plate.  Cutch then got thrown out trying to steal second the next batter.

The Bucs had a perfect chance to score in the fifth, still down 1-0.  Rod Barajas led off with a double into the notch, and Clint Barmes slapped a single to right.  With runners on the corners, McDonald put down a sac bunt.  As Bud Norris fielded it, he looked towards Barajas at third to make sure he wasn’t going anywhere.  He botched the play, and JMac was safe at first to load the bases with the top of the lineup due up.  Tabata worked the count full, but whiffed on a fastball for the first out.  McLouth popped into the infield fly rule, and Cutch struck out swinging.  The fans weren’t happy, and rightly so.  The Pirates are struggling to score runs as it is.  With the bases loaded, no outs, and the top of the lineup coming to the plate, at least 2 runs have to score.  If they don’t start cashing in on chances like this, they’ll continue to be the worst offense in the league.

McDonald went 8 innings, and the last chance the Pirates had to score was in the bottom half.  Rod Barajas lead off with a single up the middle to get his first multi-hit game since August of 2011.  Josh Harrison pinch ran for him, and got picked off.  There wasn’t another baserunner for the Pirates, and they went on to lose 1-0.

Despite the tough loss, it was still another nice night at the ballpark.

Other highlights
– Team president Frank Coonelly sat next to us for a few minutes before being kicked out by those who had those seats:

– There weren’t any RBI in tonight’s game.
– McDonald went 8 innings, giving up just 4 hits and striking out 8
– Jared Hughes pitched a scoreless inning.
– The free shirt tonight was pretty cool, possibly the best so far.

Tonight’s Baseball Quiz:

Q: Which of the following Pirates never led the National League in ERA?
A: Doug Drabek

Additional photos:
– Tonight’s battery: James McDonald and Rod Barajas

– Andrew McCutchen at the plate

– Pedro Alvarez at third base

– Had a solid view as the pierogies exited the tunnel. Here’s Cheese Chester:

Star of the Game: James McDonald.  Gotta give it to JMac.  Even though he got the loss, he pitched a heck of a game and absolutely deserved to win.
Goat of the Game: The Pirates lineup.  Self-explanatory, gotta score runs when you get the chance.

Pirates (14-18) – Astros (15-17)

Win: Norris (3-1)
Loss: McDonald (2-2)
Save: Brett Myers (9)

BOX SCORE

Go Bucs

Poll #2-Most anticipated promotion?

2012 Pirates Promotions

Each season, we look forward to the giveaways that are given out at the gates at PNC Park.  The classic bobbleheads used to be popular collector’s items, but those have almost completely been removed from the schedule. Fireworks have always been a weekend tradition, although we don’t find those too interesting anymore. Free t-shirts have risen in the past couple years, especially last season as they moved from weeknights to Friday, sparking the popular “Free Shirt Friday” promotion.

Let’s have a look at this year’s line-up:

April:

Thurs April 5: Opening Day/Magnetic Schedule

Sat April 7: Fireworks/Scratch’n Win

Sun April 8: Kids Pirate Parrot Build-A-Bear Doll/Kids Day

Fri April 20: Free Shirt Friday

Sat April 21: Pirates Umbrella/Scratch’n Win

Sun April 22: Earth Day & Kids Recycled Cap/Kids Day

May:

Fri May 4: Free Shirt Friday

Sat May 5: Fireworks/Scratch’n Win

Sun May 6: Kids Pierogy Ceramic Bowl/Kids Day

Fri May 11: Free Shirt Friday

Sat May 12: Joel Hanrahan All-Star Bobblehead/Scratch’n Win

Sun May 13: Kids Neil Walker Replica Home Jersey/Moms Neil Walker Replica Pink Accent Home Jersey/Kids Day

Fri May 25: Free Shirt Friday

Sat May 26: Fireworks/Scratch’n Win Sun

May 27: Kids Andrew McCutchen Replica Camo Jersey/Kids Day

June:

Fri June 8: Free Shirt Friday

Sat June 9: Heritage Celebration/Post-Game Concert/Scratch’n Win

Sun June 10: Kids Sunglasses/Kids Day

Fri June 22: Free Shirt Friday

Sat June 23: Replica Cap/Scratch’n Win

Sun June 24: Kids Pirates Braided Necklace/Kids Day

July:

Fri July 6: Free Shirt Friday

Sat July 7: FanJam featuring Daughtry (“It’s Not Over”, “Home”, “No Surprise”)/Scratch’n Win

Sun July 8: Kids Pierogy Inner Tube/Kids Day

Fri July 20: Free Shirt Friday

Sat July 21: Fireworks/Scratch’n Win

Sun July 22: Pirates Visor (All fans receive)/Kids Day

August:

Fri August 10: Free Shirt Friday

Sat August 11: Skyblast featuring Zambelli Fireworks and act TBD/Scratch’n Win

Sun August 12: Kids Back to School Lunch Bag/Kids Day

Fri August 24: Free Shirt Friday

Sat August 25: Fireworks/Scratch’n Win

Sun August 26: Pirates Gym Bag (All fans receive)/Kids Day

September:

Fri September 7: Free Shirt Friday

Sat September 8: Fireworks/Scratch’n Win

Sun September 9: Kids Fathead Jr. Wall Decals/Kids Day

Fri September 28: Free Shirt Friday

Sat September 29: Skyblast featuring Zambelli Fireworks and act TBD/2010 Magnetic Schedule/Scratch’n Win

Sun September 30: Pirates Fleece Blanket (All fans receive)/Kids Day

There are numerous free shirts and fireworks, as well as a bobblehead featuring Joel Hanrahan. There is also a variety of kids promotions that will be given out each Sunday on “Kids Day”.

Hopefully we’ll be able to bring home a few of these collectibles this season.

Go Bucs