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Sunday, September 30, 2001

ST. LOUIS -- On the previous road trip a month ago, it was routine to board a commercial airliner and go where the job takes you. But after terrorists turned airplanes into flying bombs, nothing is like it was before Sept. 11.

Not only are the lines longer at the X-ray machines, the heightened security measures make it feel as if you're going through customs to get into a foreign country. Breakfast was served with a plastic butter knife. The gates that once bustled with passengers were eerily quiet at Pittsburgh International Airport. And the TWA flight to St. Louis had maybe two dozen passengers in coach, leaving row upon row of empty seats.

On landing, the plane stopped for a few moments before crossing the runway to allow two F-15 Strike Eagles, the top-of-the-line fighters in the U.S. Air Force, to roar past and streak into the sky. Under very specific conditions, those fighters are now authorized to shoot down hijacked airliners.

Travel is part of a lot of jobs, but it's also distinctly American to be able to pick up and go anywhere, anytime. That has changed now that terrorists have developed stealth capability to turn airplanes into missiles.

The only road trip that really counts now is the upcoming one for the Army, Navy and Air Force.

Baseball moves on

Tommy Sandt was talking the other day about the challenges baseball faced resuming play after the terrorist attacks.

But at least the Mets had a pennant race to focus on, and they wore caps to honor the police, fire and rescue crews clearing the rubble of what was once the World Trade Center.

"It's tough to get excited about playing a baseball game when there are 6,000 people buried under a building," the Pirates third base coach said. "Both first basemen forgot how many outs there were. I had a real hard time, and I was just standing out here. Imagine what it was like trying to hit a 94-mile-an-hour fastball."

McClendon said it will be strange to fly to New York tonight for a three-game series with the Mets.

"There's always reminders," McClendon said. "I find myself feeling very angry at times, and very sad, too. I think about all the victims. And you talk about what we do as a baseball team. There were firefighters who went into those buildings knowing they were going to die."

A pitch for improvement

Kevin McClatchy is on record as saying the Pirates will acquire another starting pitcher for next season. Having seen so many starters go down with injuries this year, Manager Lloyd McClendon had been lobbying for more depth on the mound. And General Manager Dave Littlefield, who knows the Pirates are challenged in a number of areas, is focusing on pitching as well as the first step to turning the corner.

"The smartest way to go is to try to strengthen the pitching as best we can," Littlefield said. "Pitching can hide a lot of holes."

He made his observations as the Pirates were wrapping up their home series with the Cardinals, who have the best record in the National League since the All-Star break.

"I don't feel we have the arsenal to beat the Cardinals eight out of 10 games," Littlefield said. "It's indicated by our record that we have some work to do. We are in a hole right now. We've got some challenges. But I don't see one trade reversing our record. We've got to do better in a lot of areas."

Season's not over ... yet

Even if September games were meaningless, McClendon pledged that his goal remained the same -- to try to win every game at the same time he was taking a look at players for next year.

In the final home game, the Pirates intentionally walked Sammy Sosa, the National League's RBI leader, with runners on base in the sixth and eighth innings with the Pirates still within hailing distance of the Cubs. He was managing to win the game, and both times the strategy paid off as Fred McGriff made the last out behind Sosa.

For this, McClendon was soundly booed. Maybe the fans wanted to see if the Pirates' bullpen could get Sosa out, or maybe they wanted to see Sosa connect. But in trying to win, it's the smart play not to let Sosa beat you with a swing of the bat even if the game was meaningless.

"I don't care if Sammy hit a home run or not," McClendon said. "I was trying to win a game. It's my job to go out and try to win every game."

This is entertainment?

The Pirates borrowed a page from Milwaukee's sausage races to dress people up in pierogie costumes for a little midgame sideshow at home, throwing in some contrived tension by noting that this year's loser would not be back next year.

Potato Pete was knocked out -- literally -- Wednesday when he was mugged by the Parrot and the pierogie with the purse before he could cross the finish line. The finale was in keeping with a trend of having the pierogies plot, pelt and pummel each other, WWF-style, in what started out as a foot race.

Historically, pierogies are a nonviolent foodstuff. If somebody wants to sell this kind of behavior as wholesome family entertainment, that's their business. But it begs the question as to who sponsors the races -- Mrs. T or Mr. T?