Pittsburgh Post-Gazette from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania • Page 10

PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE THURSDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2014 WWW.P0ST-GAZETTE.COM BSE pp NATIONAL LEAGUE WILD CARD I THE PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE'S TICKET TO OCTOBER 2014 OBSERVATIONS, TWEETS AND OPINIONS FROM THE POSTSEASON A DIFFERENT TAKE I THE BUZZ I Closer to a sense of relief Accustomed to finishing games, a rejuvenated Tekulve starts one a BWbVbwhWI Baal c. bU Matt FreedPost-Gazette The banner reading "Aint no that goes back years. By Stephen J. Nesbitt Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Mark Melancon was halfway up the tunnel to the Pirates locker room Wednesday night when he heard the public-address announcer introduce former Pirates closer Kent Tekulve, who threw the ceremonial first pitch. Melancon paused at the top step and watched a TV as Tekulve, just 26 days removed from a heart transplant, threw a fastball and then drew a black towel from his pocket and whipped it around, drawing a deafening roar from the sellout crowd at PNC Park.

Melancon grinned, tugged at the bill of his cap and disappeared around the corner. It was a candid salute to Tekulve, who threw the final pitch of the Pirates' previous championship in 1979, from a closer with dreams of doing the same one day soon. Tekulve, 67, continued working as a Pirates analyst for Root Sports as long as possible despite a weakening heart. Before the wild-card game, Tekulve told manager Clint Hurdle: "I started the season, now I'm going to finish it." Tekulve said his doctor at Allegheny General Hospital had put him on a strict one-pitch limit. "After I threw one, I have to take 364 days off," Tekulve said.

"The one pitch is out of the way. I'll start on the 364 days off now." Tekulve, camera lights glinting off the championship ring on his finger, spoke with plenty of emotion. As his iPhone rang again an 8 p.m. alarm to take the next battery of pills he spoke of the agonizing wait from the time he was put on a transplant waiting list in April until he finally had surgery Sept. 5.

"There was no finish line," he said, voice wavering. "The finish line was whenever the heart showed up. All of the sudden you get that call and it's a whole different ballgame." Tekulve expects to return to the booth next season. The pennant chase, he said, gave him "something to keep track of, something I'm used to." "I never anticipated that 26 days after having the transplant I'd feel anywhere near as good as I do," Tekulve said. A sign of the times It was during that championship summer in 1979 that Joel Robosky and two friends painted the familiar rallying cry "AIN'T NO STOPPIN' US NOW!" in thick black lettering onto a yellow banner in his family's driveway.

They took the sign to Three Rivers Stadium and hung it over Andrew McCutchen A title would take him to another level "The Pirates roster revolves around center fielder Andrew McCutchen, the reigning NL most valuable player. The honor vaulted McCutchen to a new plateau of stardom -a marriage proposal on "Ellen," a "SportsCenter" ad, a Sports Illustrated cover and a championship in Pittsburgh could put him on a Cooperstown track. Tyler Kepner, New York Times Former Pirates closer Kent Tekulve the pitcher who recorded the final out of the team's most recent World Series title threw out the cer-monial first pitch. "ESPN never mentions the poignant fact that he had heart transplant last month." EdBouchette "Crowd cant figure out what to Chant too many syllables in Madison Bumgarner. They WILL figure it out." KDPomp "Tonight the Pirates are learning that, while really fun, the Wild Card game is not a place where you want to live." EricSingle- "I understand why purists don't like one-game playoffs.

But the games are almost always outstanding. San Diego-Colorado (2007), Detroit-Minnesota (2009) and Oakland-Kansas City (Tuesday night). Great stuff." Buster Olney, ESPN "The Pirates' best hope for winning this game is hoping Bumgarner gets locked in the bathroom in the visitors' clubhouse." Editor's note: It didn't happen. SI MLB- Julia Rendleman Post-Gazette Fans watch the start of the game from the left-field rotunda. "Pittsburgh, you are honestly like no other city.

It takes moments like this for me to realize it." LuigiLemieux Julia RendlemanPost-Gazette Theresa Gottl and Steve Brightman drove in from Akron to "watch" the game from the Clemente Bridge. stoppin us now!" has a story "This game, it's something we couldn't skip," Hough said. After waiting an hour and a half, the 15-year-olds from North Huntingdon dashed onto the rotunda, $78 standing-room-only tickets in hand, and sprinted up five levels. They reached the peak out of breath but victorious. They lifted their makeshift Jolly Roger flags, the ones they screwed and duct-taped onto wooden stakes, and claimed their positions as kings atop the ballpark.

Kitta said they decided on that perch "as soon as Josh texted me about buying tickets. I was all in. I didn't care about the price. I just said yes." Traded, but not a traitor One of the rare individuals daring to dart through the blackness in Giants colors was Brad Robinson, 32, who ducked into Soho, a bar across from PNC Park. "I was born in Pittsburgh," Robinson said.

"I live in Bradenton. But I'm a Giants fan because the the outfield railing. Thirty-five years later, the banner is back, hanging from the left-field rotunda at PNC Park. The yellow cloth has faded now, the edges are frayed, and between the bold black letters are countless fan signatures. "I've got so many signatures on here that there's something magical here," Robosky said.

Robosky, 53, a painter and landscaper now living in Anna Maria, decided to bring the banner back to life last season, and it's become a staple again at the ballpark. He left it hanging between two trees along Federal Street Wednesday morning. When he came back, he found "hundreds" of fresh signatures. Robosky pointed out that the sign is older than any Pirates player. "It's showing its age," he said.

Race to the top Adam Kitta and Josh Hough had their approach planned out long before the PNC Park gates opened. Pirates Former closer Kent transplant just last month, out the first pitch. Pirates traded my dad in 1987 and I've never freaking lived it down." It turns out Robinson is the son of Don Robinson, who pitched for the Pirates from 1978-87 when the team dealt him to San Francisco. He pitched for the 1979 World Series championship team, but is also known for giving up the 500th home run hit by Phillies great Mike Schmidt in April 1987 at Three Rivers Stadium. "I became a diehard Giants fan right after Matt FreedPost-Gazette Tekulve, who had a heart had the honor of throwing they traded him," said the younger Robinson, who flew into town just for tonight's game.

"I don't know anyone in this town." And where is his father, who retired from the game in 1992? "He's home in Bradenton, watching it on TV," Robinson said. "I think he says he's rooting for the Giants. But I think in his heart, he's rooting for the Pirates." Dan Majors contributed. Stephen J. Nesbitt: snesbitt and Twitter stephenjnesbitt.

DYK Clint Hurdle is 333-315 in his first four seasons as Pirates manager. It is the best record after four seasons of any Pirates manager sinch Chuck Tanner won 365 from 1977-80. The 333 wins rank Hurdle 10th on the franchise all-time wins list. ON THE WEB bI ON THIS DATE: OCT. 2, 1979 bVK The Pirates opened the 1979 NLCS on the road at Cincinnati's Riverfront Stadium against future Hall of FamerTom Seaverand the NL West champion Reds.

The game went to extra innings tied, 2-2. After Tim Foli and Dave Parker singled to open the 11th inning, Willie Stargell broke the tie with a three-run home run off Tom Hume. Grant Jackson then shut down the Reds in the home half of the 11th to give the Pirates a 1-0 series lead. Stay current with Pirates news and analysis throughout the day on the PG's Pirates Blog at www.post-gazette.com. Re-live the highs and lows from Wednesday's game through the lenses of the PG's multi-media team atwww.post-gazette.com.

Look for postgame video from the news conferences and the PNC Park locker room atwww.post-gazette.com..