A link to the past

I continue to be stunned by the performance of my Pittsburgh Pirates. Last year, I am led to believe, we had a promising first half, followed by a complete meltdown after the All-Star break. As I type this sentence, we have a 1.5 game lead over the St. Louis Cardinals, and are not only leading our division, we have the best record in baseball. Only a fool would be crowing with such a slim lead, and much can still happen in the 50 or so games remaining until October. But I have enjoyed myself immensely so far this season, and am still stunned that I happened to return to baseball, and to being a Pirates fan, at such a seemingly perfect moment. Again, kudos to my wife, who lingered on just the right game at just the right moment — it means much to me that I started following the Bucs at the start of the season when they scrapped the bottom of their division, and not after they had 60 wins under their belt.

I'm sure my grandfather is loving this. I didn't know my Mom's father all that well, as he passed away when I was 10 or so. My Dad's father was "Pap;" I called my maternal grandfather "Pap on the farm," because he was an ex-chicken farmer, and lived in a rural area of Pennsylvania. He and my grandmother relocated to Florida when I was 8 or so, and I think we visited him there one time before he died. While my father's father was the one who gave me a Willie Stargell bat, my other grandfather was, according to everything I have learned, much more of a die-hard Pirates fan. My mother has told me stories about how she used to be sent to bed at 8 p.m., very much against her will, and would lie awake in the next room listening to the games on the radio on the Pirate's home station, the storied and historic KDKA-AM.

Times have changed, but not that much. My own principle method for following the Bucs is not the family radio, or even our TV (although I have been blessed with being able to watch several games this year), but my iPhone, which carries the MLB's At Bat app. At Bat allows you to watch play-by-play descriptions, stream at least one TV game each day (or buy seasonal access to all of them if you have deep pockets) and, even better, listen to live radio broadcasts of the games for the bargain price of $3 a month. And If you're a Pirates fan, this means you'll be hearing the play-by-play on none other than good old KDKA.

Last night, as my wife and I cooked dinner, I plugged a speaker into my phone, and we listened to the Pirates playing the Rockies at PNC park. There is something indescribably magical about listening to a radio game; it doesn't have the immediacy of television, nor the instant ability to check player stats and monitor other games that smartphones, tablets and computers have. But there is something about hearing a game described as it happens by your home town announcers that has an anachronistic charm that is undeniable. When I hear a game on KDKA, I feel connected; connected to the thousands of fans around Pittsburgh who are listening along with me at that moment, and to generations of Pirates fans who heard games exactly the same way.

To my surprise, I also feel a strong connection to one Pirates fan in particular. More than once, as the friendly tones of the Pirates' announcers have filled my home, I have thought of my grandfather, sitting in his own living room all those years ago, listening the ups and downs of the Battling Bucs on KDKA, and been warmed by the thought that his grandson is doing the exact same thing 60-odd years on. It is a link to the past that I never expected, but am surprised and grateful to have found.