.500? A good goal?

[LSN80]

The idea for any team that suits up professionally or as an amateur should be to win thechampionship of their respective sport. If their goal is anything else, they don't belong in the sport, in my opion. However, as fans, there are times where settling for less doesnt appear to be the worst thing.

The Pittsburgh Pirates currently sit at 39-37, 2 games above .500. As we near the halfwaypoint of the season, the Pirates continue to stay above water. This is their best record this late in the season season 2003, an d they've sufferred 18 straight losing seasons, the longest streak in professional baseball. Fans are responding well to the Buccos based on attendance, as they are continuing to set attendance records for the ballpark for a team just above .500.

However, the Pirates still have alot of holes. Their pitching has been excellent, but theyve failed to score runs on a consistent basis. They're completely devoid of power as well, and injuries dog them at catcher and third base.

My question is this: What should be the satisfactory expectations for the team? Should .500 be something to rejoice and be happy about following years of losing, or should the fans and players expect more? If this was your team, wuould you be satisfied with a .500 record followng so much losing, or would you not be satisfied until your team was a true contender? Or does the -500 record validate the management and that the team is moving in the right direction?

 

[Big Sexy]

No player or coach should be extremely happy with a .500 record. Like Herm Edwards said, "You play to win the game." Winning half of your games is not what a team should be shooting for. With fans it's a different story. As a Lions fan I would love a .500 record and obviously fans of the Pirates in the MLB are the same way with attendance numbers up now that the team is playing decent.

Realistically some teams aren't good enough and don't have the talent to be great but the attitude of a team should still never be to accept being average. Players and coaches always need to shoot for excellence no matter what the situation is. No player likes to lose and every team goes in to every game thinking they have a shot to win. For players and coaches a .500 record should never be a goal but when it comes to fans there are definitely situations where they can, and will be happy with a .500 record.

 

[klunderbunker]

Yes, it is something worth being excited/happy over because it's a new world for them. It shows that they can do it. 18 years of losing seasons is a very long time. It says that they're at least moving in the right direction. While obviously the goal is the World Series, there are times where you can't realistically expect to get there in one season. A good example of this recently is the Memphis Grizzlies. Three straight years they won 22-24 games. The next year they won 40 and then this past year they won 46, giving them a winning record. When they won 40, they still had a losing record but they went from a doormat to a near .500 team. I'd call that a successful year because they showed a huge improvement. .500 for the Pirates is something to celebrate beacuse it means there's hope for a better future, which when you've had nearly 20 years of the same is a huge accomplishment. Not the ultimate accomplishment or something to be satisfied with, but a great step in the right direction.

 

[hatehabsforever]

It all depends on the team and the sport. Finishing the season at .500 would be a great accomplishment for the Pirates this season because they have been lackluster for so long. This would be a realistic goal, something they could build on for the future. If the Yankees, or Red Sox, or some other contender finishes at .500 that's a disappointment. Had the Stanley Cup Champion Boston Bruins finished .500, that would be a letdown too. As the old cliche goes, you have to walk before you can run, so for a lousy team (sorry) to finish .500, that's an acceptable goal for a season. Being satisfied with that in an ongoing basis, not so much.

 

[Big Sexy]

for a lousy team (sorry) to finish .500, that's an acceptable goal for a season.

I disagree completely. A .500 record should never be an acceptable goal. I don't care how bad the team is that's not a goal you set. Whether the goal you set is realistic or not is irrelevant. What kind of message are you as a coach or owner sending if you tell your team at the beginning of the season that as a team you want to be average? I've seen teams go from the bottom of the barrel to a winning record and the playoffs in one year and it sure as fuck didn't happen because they had the goal of being average. Your goal is always greatness and to make the playoffs because once the postseason starts in any sport, anything can happen.

 

[LSN80]

I guess th difference to me is between the expectations for the team placed on them by themselves, and those placed upon them by the fans. I don't care if the team loses for 18 straight seasons, and loses 105 games last year, .500 shouldn't be the goal for them. When they start the season, they're 0-0, and their goal should be to work their asses off to win the World Series, Super Bowl, etc. Being bad for so long shouldn't be an excuse for the team to be satisfied at .500.

Im a diehard Pirates fan, and Im not satisfied with a .50o record either. But I understand the fans who are. They're sick of the losing, and seeing their team being competitive with teams that are much better then them is an exciting feeling. For me, tere's always a feeling of emptiness after each loss, regardless of record. Sure, management has done a great job of positioning the team to be above average now, and building to be great in the future. I understand the fans who are elated at the idea of the team being .500. Im excited because Im hoping for more, and the elctricity in the stadium makes for a wonderful atmosphere, but ultimately, if the team doesn't win, Im not satisfied. And the team shouldn't settle for baby steps either, as their goals should be the same as the Yankees, Red Sox, or Phillies. To win every game the put their uniforms on for.And the team shouldn't settle for baby steps either, as their goals should be the same as the Yankees, Red Sox, or Phillies. To win every game the put their uniforms on for. But I can understand the excitement of those fans who are excited for being at .500 in the present, and building towards the future. I just dont share the sentiment, and don't think, for example, the Pirates, Lions, Islanders or Cavaliers should either.

 

[CH David]

.500 isn't a goal unless you are trying to make it your batting average. At the start of every season you want to win the championship. Doesn't matter if your team is stacked like the Red Sox or up and coming like the Royals. They go out and play their butts off to try and win. Now, the Royals are 10 games under last I checked, so their goal for now, for now, would be to get to .500 and then try and finish the season above .500. That's what it should be like.

Can't just coast in a league and think that being average means you are good. .500 is a goal for the bad teams. You don't strive to be average, even when you pack it in knowing you can't make the playoffs. You strive to be better, to win more than you lose, to have a chance to win it all.