It's the Pirates' year -- really!

By Johnette Howard | ESPN.com

http://espn.go.com

June 27, 2013

Neal Huntington and I have patched things up. You read it here first. The Pirates' GM didn't actually know I was mad at him. But that's neither here nor there. It's all over now -- that's the important thing. It all started two years ago when the Pirates' record streak of losing seasons was at a mere 18 years, not the current 20, and Huntington declared the Pirates "buyers" for a change at the trade deadline. Us! Buyers! Being a native Pittsburgher and lifelong Pirates fan, I immediately dialed Huntington up -- there were only 17 shopping days left, after all -- and he responded to my question about whether he might try to pry free-agent-to-be Jose Reyes away from the Mets despite the hefty price tag this way:

"Ha ha haha ha ha!"

"That's not a no!" I almost sang.

"That's not a yes, either," Huntington shot back, laughing some more.

[+] Enlarge

AP Photo/Mark J. TerrillRussell Martin, left, and Jason Grilli found the right combination to strike out Mike Trout and beat the Angels.

It was funny then. It was admittedly pie-in-the-sky dreaming. You may recall what happened next. The Pirates collapsed in the second half of the 2011 season. Reyes stayed put and won the batting title before moving on. The 2012 Pirates also started well, but they cratered late in the season, too. And just like that, two more painful chapters were added to the Herculean job of being a Pirates fan, a heavy-lifting existence for two decades now. Crabgrass wishes it was as tough to kill as we are.

As I've pointed out here before, the franchise's luck is so bad we've had the only man to throw 12 innings of no-hit ball in a game and lose (Harvey Haddix), the only man to claim to throw a no-hitter while on LSD (Dock Ellis), and the only man in MLB history whose alias became "The Weiner Whacker." (That would be Randall Simon, who was arrested by Milwaukee police and served a three-day suspension in 2003 for clobbering the Italian Sausage with a bat during the Brewers' always riveting between-innings race.) Mario Mendoza, the guy the Mendoza Line of hitting futility was named after? He was ours, too. I've always believed Pirates fans have a special kinship with the Kansas City Royals faithful, who live in a sort of small-market parallel universe over there in the American League, knowing our paths are never, ever destined to cross for anything important like -- stop, you're killing me! -- a World Series.

Good one.

So why is all forgiven now? Because the Pirates are off to an even better start this season and it is time to stride boldly toward the sunshine, that's why.

The Pirates' 48-30 record as of Thursday tied them with NL Central rival St. Louis for the best mark in baseball. If the season ended today (Can it? No, seriously …), the Pirates would be a playoff team -- in which case the city might just as well line all the walkways in Point State Park with handrails, because people would be so intoxicatingly happy they might just absentmindedly walk into the river on their way to PNC Park. And all the paddle wheels might just fly off the Gateway Clipper boat fleet. And even the Roberto Clemente statue might crack a smile.

It would be like skies opened and it started raining Willie Stargell bobbleheads as angels sang.

As it is, the winning has already been so dizzying, Pirates announcer and '71 World Series star Steve Blass said it feels "kinky." Then he was smart enough not to elaborate.

The point is, the Pirates making the playoffs just three years after losing 105 games would mark the sort of seismic shift in destiny that has been flowing against them since a date that every die-hard Pirates fan can recite as easily as their birthday:

Oct. 14, 1992.

That's the day that Barry Bonds -- two words that are still better left unspoken in Pittsburgh -- forgot he was a Gold Glove left fielder and failed to throw out plodding Sid Bream at home to lose Game 7 of the National League Championship Series against the Atlanta Braves. This, though Sid ran like a whooping crane.

And that was the last time the Pirates were relevant before now.

The way the Pirates' past two seasons have ended has naturally made people skeptical that they will avoid another face plant.

But I am not afraid to believe, because I already have seen the bookend to the streak that Bonds started -- a new cosmic sign that this season will be different.

It happened Sunday. Top of the ninth in Anaheim. The Pirates were seeking to finish off a sweep of the Angels and they rallied for three runs, went ahead by four in the top of the 10th, then hung on for an all-hands-on-deck 10-9 win when Jason Grilli, their 36-year-old journeyman closer who is having the season of his life, struck out Mike Trout with two men in scoring position.

Then Grilli screamed like a man with 26 saves and a 1.82 ERA is permitted to. Thank you very much.

The Pirates went on to Seattle and polished off a two-game sweep there, too, overcoming an 11-strikeout day by Felix Hernandez with another ninth-inning uprising Wednesday.

Even before all that, there were signs change is afoot.

Over the winter the Pirates outbid the Yankees for catcher Russell Martin.

[+] Enlarge

Otto Greule Jr/Getty ImagesSweeping the Mariners on a night King Felix pitches: That calls for celebration.

(That is not a typo.)

Pirates star outfielder Andrew McCutchen has also signed a six-year deal to stay.

And nobody forced him to.

It hasn't been hard to see how these Pirates are winning this much.

Grilli and setup man Mark Melancon (who has a 0.94 ERA) give the Pirates one of the best bullpens in baseball.

Third baseman Pedro Alvarez is third in the NL in homers, with 19. Outfielder Starling Marte (22 steals, 24 RBIs) is a terrific spark plug with a WAR ranking better than Domonic Brown's or Ryan Braun's. McCutchen is playing well. And look out if Neil Walkerreally heats up.

The Pirates are getting quality starting pitching too. The staff has a nice mix of experience (A.J. Burnett,Francisco Liriano), depth (Wandy Rodriguez, Jeff Locke) and youth (rookie Gerrit Cole, if he and his 100 mph fastball aren't sent back to the minors to stop his arbitration clock).

Locke is a red-hot 7-1 with an ERA (2.05) that is just a fraction higher than Mets sensationMatt Harvey's league-leading mark of 2.04.

Pirates pitching coach Ray Searage has had a terrific impact. Manager Clint Hurdle, who arrived in 2011, has enough can-do optimism to float the entire organization.

Of course, the number-crunchers have thrown out persuasive reasons why this fast start will not last. The Pirates' offense ranks only 19th in runs scored. They've already had a whole lot of magic go their way. They've rallied for 11 wins in games they trailed after the seventh inning.

But what if that scrappiness underscores that this Pirates team is weary of the losing seasons, too?

Something that Melancon recently told Pittsburgh Tribune-Review columnist Dejan Kovacevic was more encouraging proof of why this season can be different: "I've never been part of a team where every man hangs on every pitch the way we do," Melancon said.

That's already true daily, and it's only June?

Excellent.

So Neal Huntington -- all is forgiven.

But you, Barry Bonds?

No. Not you, too.

The price for Kris Letang; Penguins re-sign Chris Kunitz

By Sean Leahy | Puck Daddy 

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy

June 27, 2013

The Penguins announced that Chris Kunitz has been signed to a three-year, $11.55 million extension. Kris Letang has reportedly been offered an eight-year, $54 million dollar deal.

Are Kris Letang’s days in Pittsburgh numbered? Just like Jordan Staal a year ago, the Penguinsdefenseman is entering the final year of his contract and will be looking for a substantial raise; a raise helped by being named a Norris Trophy finalist this past season.

The negotiations are still in the early stages between Letang’s agent and Penguins general managerRay Shero, with last report being no numbers having been exchanged yet. But with the NHL Draft this coming weekend and all 30 GMs in attendance in Newark, Shero’s phone and ear will be busy from his colleagues kicking the tires wondering just exactly the price would be for the 26-year old Letang.

According to Rob Rossi of the Pittsburgh Tribune Review, that price would be a roster player, a first-round pick and a top prospect, or two roster players if there isn’t a preferred prospect available. Rossi reported Thursday that the Toronto Maple Leafs would be a place Letang would be happy to go to if a trade was the end result.

Letang does not have a full- or limited-movement clause in his contract, and he has not requested a trade.

He reiterated Wednesday that his focus is on working out a new contract with the Penguins.

However, Toronto has emerged as a potential destination if there is a breaking point with the Penguins, the sources said.

That package would be similar to what Shero got for Staal last year a day after the now-Carolina Hurricanes center reportedly rejected a 10-year, $60 million offer from the Penguins. Of course, Staal had an eye on joining brother Eric in Carolina. Letang would prefer to stay in Pittsburgh, but with the Penguins' cap situation, would he be willing to leave plenty of money on the table to take a discount and stay, thereby allowing Shero to build a stronger team?

Now comes the question for Shero: does he pull the trigger on a trade before next season begins if an extension can't be worked out, or does he (and Letang, for that matter) go into a potential lame duck season?

There's no rush to get something done at the Draft this weekend. The Penguins don't pick until No. 77 overall, but the summer is shaping up to be a busy one with GMs wheeling and dealing. Shero can take his time trying to lock in Letang to something long-term, while at the same time scoping trade possibilities if things go sour.

Once numbers begin getting exchanged between Letang's camp and Shero, that's when the fun, or fireworks, will start.

And while waiting for the Letang negotiations to really get going, the Penguins announced they've re-signed Chris Kunitz to a 3-year, $11.55 million extension. It's a modest raise from the $3.725 million he'll make in 2013-14 and a signal to soon-to-be unrestricted free agent Pascal Dupuis that they want to bring back that top line that was so effective last season.

Follow Sean Leahy on Twitter at @Sean_Leahy

Is Pirates' bullpen being overworked?

By David Schoenfield | ESPN.com
http://espn.go.com/blog/sweetspot
June 26, 2013

The Pittsburgh Pirates continue to win -- six in a row after beating the Mariners 4-2 with two ninth-inning runs on Wednesday and finishing off a 7-2 road trip against the Reds, Angels and Mariners. 

With a makeshift rotation filling in the gaps with A.J. Burnett and Wandy Rodriguez currently on the disabled list, manager Clint Hurdle and pitching coach Ray Searage continue to go to the pen early and often. They pulled starter Jeanmar Gomez, in his first start since coming of the DL, after just 81 pitches and five innings, but with a 2-1 lead Hurdle wanted to put the game in the hands of his relievers. Justin Wilson did allow a game-tying home run in the sixth to Raul Ibanez, but Vin Mazzaro pitched two scoreless frames and Mark Melancon got his second save filling in for Jason Grilli. 

[+] Enlarge

Jayne Kamin/USA TODAY SportsJustin Wilson ranks No. 3 among relievers for total pitches.

Gomez has made seven starts after beginning the season in relief, but those 81 pitches were actually his most so far. That's the philosophy Hurdle and Searage have followed all season: It's never to soon to go to the pen. 

"He gave us the innings we needed and got to the part of the game we're hoping to get to with the lead." Hurdle said. "He was effective again -- real nice job." 

The Pirates are averaging 3.55 relief innings per game, second most in the majors behind Toronto, but the Jays have had to use their pen out of necessity; until recently their rotation had been awful. The Pirates actually have the second-best rotation ERA in the majors. 

The Pittsburgh bullpen is now 18-10 with a 3.06 ERA. But is it being overworked? Only Astros relievers have thrown more pitches. But let's look at the individuals and focus on total pitches rather than innings. 

Justin Wilson: 723 pitches, No. 3 in majors 
Jason Grilli: 585 pitches, No. 28 
Tony Watson: 575 pitches, No. 31 
Vin Mazzaro: 556 pitches, No. 44 
Mark Melancon: 537 pitches, No. 56 
Bryan Morris: No. 14 since his April 30 recall 

That's five in the top 60 when the statistical average would suggest two, plus Morris, who has thrown 32 innings in 21 games since April. Wilson has been the workhorse, but the rookie lefty was a starter in the minors, not that that guarantees he'll hold up all season. Melancon is on pace to appear in 81 games and Grilli 78, but as you can see from the pitch totals Melancon in particular has been very efficient, averaging just 13.7 pitches per outing. 

I wouldn't say the bullpen is being overworked, but I would say it's something to watch. You don't want a repeat of what happened to the Braves in 2011, when the bullpen had the third-most innings in the majors but tired down the stretch and went 3-9 in September as the Braves blew a playoff spot. Grilli, after giving up five hits and three runs in his last outing, was given a third straight day off, so maybe you're seeing Hurdle back off him a little. 

Everyone think the Pirates need to add a bat, and they probably do. But acquiring another trustworthy bullpen arm would be a cheap addition as well.

Anyone want to be part of this?

Pirates shortstop Jordy Mercer makes a play next to Brandon Inge before a sparse crowd in May at PNC Park.

About Dejan Kovacevic

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Sports Columnist Dejan Kovacevic can be reached via e-mail

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By Dejan Kovacevic
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
http://triblive.com/sports/
Published: Thursday, June 27, 2013, 11:00 p.m.

If they'd built the Taj Mahal to house two-ball juggling acts, all this might have made sense.

It might have made sense that PNC Park, almost universally acclaimed as the planet's prettiest baseball facility, could have become a Cathedral of the Damned. Home to the worst franchise in sports. Host to one relevant event — an All-Star Game — in its dozen-year existence. That happy place Pittsburghers fill up only for huge helpings of bobbleheads, bad bands, Zambelli fireworks and zany game-show interludes.

Well, that ends right now.

Or at least it should.

This season, at long last, is exactly why those dignitaries stuck shovels in the North Shore dirt in the spring of 1999 and, for better or worse depending on your economic leaning, dug $270 million deep into the tax coffers to get it done.

And if you ask me, this season — no, this series and this Friday night game between the Pirates and Brewers — represents the onus finally flipping onto Pittsburghers to do their part.

Look, personally, I couldn't care less if PNC Park is packed or empty on this night or any other. The only party that profits is the Pirates.

I'm merely pointing out that this is how it was supposed to work.

PNC was designed with the smallest seating capacity of all the new stadiums toward an aim of creating what sports executives call “ticket tension,” meaning the public feels more urgency to buy in advance fearing a sellout. Once the tension heightens, the tickets are bought up and — theoretically, anyway — player payroll rises, too.

So far this season, even with payroll at a team record $70 million and stirring team performance, it hasn't worked at all. Through 38 home dates, nearly half the schedule, the Pirates have only four sellouts and are averaging crowds of 23,203, or 61 percent of capacity. That average ranks 23rd out of Major League Baseball's 30 teams, and it's down 1,652 from the same point last year.

For further perspective, you don't have to look far.

The Cardinals, tied with the Pirates for the majors' best record at 48-30, rank No. 3 in attendance with an average of 41,558 at Busch Stadium. And if you think market size is a factor, think again. The St. Louis metropolitan region ranks No. 19 compared to Pittsburgh's No. 22, according to the Census' 2013 figures.

The Reds, currently the third wheel in this wonderful Central Division race, rank No. 15 in attendance with an average of 30,750 at Great American Ballpark. Cincinnati's metro size ranks 28th.

Even the Brewers, in the midst of a miserable summer, rank No. 13 in attendance with an average of 31,449 at Miller Park. Milwaukee's metro size is among pro sports' smallest at 39th.

To an extent, I get it.

The Cardinals, Reds and Brewers all opened this season with larger season-ticket bases. That's critically important. The Pirates won't reveal the exact size of their base, but it's believed to be in the range of 10,000 full-season equivalents. That's a lot of extra tickets to sell.

I also get that 20 years of losing capped by two Epic Collapses tend to be mildly discouraging, to be kind.

I also get that we're spoiled as a sports town. The Steelers have been contenders for the better part of four decades. The Penguins have been blessed with some of the NHL's top talent for three decades.

At the same time, what the Pirates have done this summer hasn't exactly sneaked up on anyone. It's been going on for months. That's offered ample opportunity to add to group sales, even partial-plan season tickets that are still available for as cheap as $250 for 30 games.

I'll save you the math: That's $8.33 per game, pretty much what you pay for a movie and popcorn.

If you want field-level seats, those will set you back all of $12.33.

For the opening game this weekend, with Gerrit Cole pitching, thousands of individual tickets could still be had online for as little as $12 as of Thursday night.

What's the wait?

Late Wednesday night, during the Pirates' flight home from Seattle, A.J. Burnett's always colorful Twitter account included the following exchange:

@740JZD: “PNC Park better be packed this whole weekend!”

@wudeydo34: “Right! Why shouldn't it?”

The latter was Burnett. And as hot-button an issue as baseball attendance can be for Pittsburghers, nary a disputing syllable was tweeted in return.

That's because he's right.

We're talking first place.

Best record in baseball.

Six-game winning streak.

Prized prospect throwing 100-mph heat against a hated nemesis.

If not now, then when?

Read more:http://triblive.com/sports/dejankovacevic/dejancolumns/4246079-74/pirates-season-game?printerfriendly=true#ixzz2XVaHaiKQ 
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Hometown of Conway savoring Jeff Locke’s Pittsburgh Pirate success

By MICHAEL SANSERINO
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.unionleader.com
June 25, 2013



CONWAY — Shadows start to creep up the southwest slope of Rattlesnake Mountain as Alan and Pam Locke settle into cushioned wooden chairs on their front porch. In a few minutes, their son, Jeff, will step on the mound at PNC Park, about 600 miles away, to pitch against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

But they have no plans to watch.

“We don’t even have the baseball channel,” said Pam, a slender, middle-aged woman with long blonde hair.

It’s not that they aren’t interested. In fact, they already had talked to Jeff on the phone earlier in the day, and their son gave them a scouting report on the only team to beat him this season.
“Remember,” Alan told his son, as he often does when the two are separated, “I’m always in your back pocket.”

Instead of watching Jeff pitch, Alan usually will sit in front of his modest wooden home and watch as cars pass. Or he’ll chop wood, piles of which are twice his height and dot his yard.

“I get too nervous,” said Alan through a thick New England accent. Tattoos crawl up and down his arms, including a black and gold “P” on the inside of his wrist.

For Jeff, this is home. And that word might mean more to him than it does any of his teammates.
Cradled between peaks of the White Mountains in northern New Hampshire, the Mount Washington Valley is like a painting lifted from the walls of an art museum.

Those born here rarely leave. And those who visit never want to.
“Are you kidding me?” Jeff said. “There’s no reason to leave. It’s like vacation all the time up there.”

He never took a plane ride until he visited Florida as a high school senior. He never left the Eastern time zone until he was 23 and making his second major league start in California.

The valley is a destination for many, but a home to few. Including the villages of North Conway, Center Conway, Kearsage and Redstone, there are about 10,000 year-round residents in the town of Conway.

“It’s small,” Jeff said. “But it’s everything you could want.”

The area attracts skiers in the winter, climbers and paddlers in the summer and explorers in between. Mount Washington dominates the landscape. At 6,288 feet, it’s the highest point in the Northeast, and its fierce winds curl over the summit and whip the valley.

But they never detract from its majesty.

“Sometimes I have to pull over when I’m driving, just to look,” said Bill Jones, president of the Mount Washington Valley Cal Ripken Youth Baseball League. “I’ll slap myself just to make sure I still live here.”

With tourism by far the area’s primary industry, hospitality is as much a means for living as it is a way of life.

Those who know Jeff — and now, even those who don’t — are bubbling with excitement over the success of this star left-hander who led Kennett High School to a state championship appearance during his senior season, 2006. Some swear Kennett would have won had Jeff been able to pitch, instead of being kept off the mound by New Hampshire Interscholastic Athletic Association pitch limits. Named the New Hampshire Union Leader All-State Baseball Player of the Year at the end of that season, he remains the only two-time winner of the award.

Locke, who started for the Pirates Tuesday night against the Mariners in Seattle, leads National League starters with a 2.01 ERA and is tied for the team lead in wins at six. Only Boston’s Clay Buchholz (1.71) has a lower ERA in the majors.

Residents are shelling out hundreds of dollars for special TV deals that will let them watch Pirates games in Red Sox country. Students at Kennett are wearing more black and gold than usual.

“You walk down the hall, and it’s black and yellow all over the place,” said Noah Weeder, a substitute teacher at Kennett who was one of Jeff’s teammates. “Well, it’s Bruins, too. So it’s a mix of black and yellow and black and gold.”



Shared vision

Pam Locke tries to stay more connected than her husband when Jeff starts. She follows all of his outings online, and she is curled up in the living room, the computer in front of her on a low table, watching each pitch on an animated game tracker. On this Friday night, however, her plans have been compromised.

“I can’t get it to work,” she said, as she clicked around her browser window. “It keeps freezing.”

In the meantime, Alan strolls around his property. In one garage he has two motorcycles, the titles to which Jeff gave him as a retirement present after Alan had spent most of his life detailing cars at the GM dealership down the street. Another garage bears the battle wounds of countless days when Pam would sit on the porch and Jeff would pelt the facade with pitch after pitch.
That is, until Alan came home from work. Then, come rain, sleet or snow — and there was a lot of snow just 100 miles south of the Canadian border — the two would play catch to hone Jeff’s baseball skills.

“That’s all he did,” said sister Corie, 11 years Jeff’s senior.

Here, the Lockes have made their home for 36 years, first living on the land in a mobile home. Now there is a two-story wooden house adorned with balls, bats, jerseys, lineup cards and photos of Jeff’s career.

“Everything’s basic around here,” Alan said.

“No, everything’s baseball around here,” Pam corrected.

While playing catch is a pastime for many fathers and sons, it was a profession for the Lockes. Jeff was just 2 years old, swinging his left arm to grab pieces of wood when his father first thought he might have some talent.

So Alan pushed his son. And Jeff never pushed back.

“They had a special bond between the two of them,” Jones said. “It’s not too often a 6- or 7-year-old kid and his dad share the same vision. And they did.”

“Jeff wanted it,” said high school teammate and childhood friend Todd Frechette. “He loved baseball, so it was easy for him to have his father push him.”

“He never resented it,” agreed fellow teammate Robbie Knox.
Between phone calls from friends and family, Pam finally gets her laptop computer up and running.

“You’re not going to believe this,” Pam said. “But Jeff’s only thrown 27 pitches over three innings.”




High school star

Almost every week, Jeff gets a call from Lloyd Jones, sports editor at the Conway Daily Sun. For many in the area, his articles are their best way to keep up with Jeff, whom he has covered since he pitched for the North Conway Royals in the Cal Ripken League.

“He hasn’t changed a bit since I met him,” Jones said.

Jeff is still the quiet and friendly guy who always threw hard, though most in the valley claim he threw harder in high school. Many remember those games Jeff’s senior year when dozens of scouts lined the backstop at the high school baseball field, with picturesque views of mountains in the distance and an active train track running parallel to the third-base line, just 50 feet away.

“They were all petrified of the moose,” Lloyd Jones said of the scouts, “because there were moose crossings everywhere.”

But the scouts weren’t scared off by this New Hampshire arm.

John Eastman, Conway’s parks and recreation director and the former pitching wins leader at Kennett, said he never believed a pitcher from the Mount Washington Valley would ever get a serious look from major-league scouts. Baseball season is so short there because the snow doesn’t thaw until April, so high school teams play just 12 games before beginning the postseason.

In baseball hotbeds such as California, Texas and Florida, pitchers can build arm strength by pitching almost year round.

“I used to think that living in New Hampshire, in northern New Hampshire, you couldn’t get a look because people didn’t think you could handle the innings,” Eastman said.

Though skiing, hockey and now lacrosse are all more popular in New Hampshire than baseball these days, the state does have some strong ties to the sport. Hall of Fame catcher Carlton Fisk is from Charlestown in the southwest corner of the state, and Cardinals pitcher Chris Carpenter grew up in Raymond and pitched for Trinity High of Manchester in the middle of southern New Hampshire. Pirates general manager Neal Huntington also grew up in southern New Hampshire, in Milford.
And Babe Ruth’s last surviving daughter, Julia Ruth Stevens, born in 1917, lives in Conway, on the other side of a creek from an old minor league ballpark.

The Atlanta Braves drafted Locke out of high school in the second round of the 2006 draft with the 51st overall pick.

Alan gives Lloyd Jones a lot of credit for helping generate interest in Jeff’s talent. Before the draft, Jones dubbed Jeff the “Redstone Rocket,” a nickname that has stuck in the valley to this day.

Local hangout

About three miles from the Lockes’ home, Dave Stone — Stoney to anybody who knows him — is far from settled on his living room sofa. He’s animated with each of Jeff’s pitches.

“Good pitch, Jeffrey,” Stoney said after a nasty curveball got the Dodgers’ A.J. Ellis to strike out swinging to end the fifth inning.

Between innings, he invites Alan and Pam over to eat pizza and watch the game, knowing full well what to expect in response.

“He knows I won’t go over there,” Alan said.

As operations manager at Horsefeathers in North Conway, a place for “Sustenance, Merriment and Cheer,” Stoney first met Jeff almost 15 years ago. Then, Jeff often ate at the restaurant after a youth baseball game across the street at Schouler Park.

Some things have changed since then. They rarely play baseball at Schouler Park anymore because too many home run balls cracked too many windshields as cars drove through downtown, said Kevin Drew, vice president of the Cal Ripken League.

Then again, some things haven’t.

“He still eats the same thing today he did 15 years ago,” Stoney said of Jeff, who seldom steers away from the panko crusted chicken tenders.

Stoney has been “like a wall” for Jeff, Alan said. And whenever Jeff is back in North Conway in the offseason, there’s a good chance he will be hanging out with Stoney at Horsefeathers.

The two are close, though Stoney is almost twice Jeff’s age. Close enough, at least, that a man with an homage to the Red Sox on his New Hampshire license plate admits to now knowing more about the Pirates than he does the Red Sox.

After a moment of surprise to see Brandon Inge pinch-hitting for Jeff after he had thrown just 75 pitches in seven shutout innings, Stoney stops to applaud his friend.

“Good job, Jeffrey,” he said.

Elsewhere in the valley, Bill Jones turns on his radio feed in his basement but he’s missed all of Jeff’s outing. He listens in as Mark Melancon and Jason Grilli finish the game, keeping the shutout intact.



Living the dream

Last week, Corie was watching one of those rare games at Schouler Park, a field as quaint and as awe-inspiring as the one depicted in “Field of Dreams.” From home plate, a batter can see Cranmore Mountain in right field and the town center beyond second base. From the mound, a pitcher can see a masterfully restored train station off the third-base line.

Her 9-year-old son, Ethan, who bears a strong resemblance to his uncle, was playing in the Cal Ripken League championship.

“He’s a pitcher,” she said of Ethan. “He’s just like his Uncle Jeff.

“I was just thinking, ‘Gosh, it was not that long ago we were up here watching Jeff play in an all-star game.’”
It has been more than six years since the Redstone Rocket left home to try to make it in the major leagues. And now the region is rallying around his success. The concern in New Hampshire isn’t whether Jeff can keep it up; it’s whether he’ll make the All-Star Game.

Months ago, most wondered whether Jeff would even make the Pirates’ opening-day roster.

After watching Jeff earn a win against the Dodgers, Corie pulled out her phone and texted her brother.

“Another awesome game,” she wrote. “So proud of you.”

The valley hasn’t changed much since he left. Neither has he. It helps that home is never too far away.

All he has to do is look in his back pocket.