ROOTING FOR A NO-HITTER...AGAINST YOUR TEAM

Let's face it, if it wasn't for Verlander taking a no-no into the ninth inning, most Pirates fans would've turned the game off and tried to look for something else to watch. It wouldn't have helped, TBS was showing "Lake Placid" and if you weren't crazy about the Celtics-76ers game, you were stuck on ROOT Sports for the night.

Justin Verlander, who already has two no-hitters in his career, was going for number three against the offensively challenged Pittsburgh Pirates. It got to the point where many Pirates fans accepted that not one Bucco would see first base at Comerica Park Friday night. With Verlander still throwing near 100 mph into the ninth inning, you couldn't blame Pittsburgh fans for wanting to see a no-hitter, which would have been the first one against the Pirates in 41 years, which is amazing to think about when you look at the unfortunate tailspin the team has been in since Sid Bream was called safe in Game 7 of the 1992 NLCS.

Of course, there were many who despite wanting to see the Pirates go without a hit and see one of the leagues best current pitchers get his third no-no, that may have wanted to see it come to an end. Of course, Josh Harrison made sure Verlander only threw 8 1/3 innings of hitless baseball, there seemed to be disappointment by many, relief for others, and a sense for a few that feel they wasted a night watching the Pirates ruin an historical night in Detroit.

I think it's good Harrison squeaked that ball in for a single. One, is the Pirates shortcomings this season and in the previous 19. It's enough that a winning record has been as reliable as Kordell Stewart in an important playoff game since 1992, but if you wanted to break the spirit of a roster whose bats have been left to a whimper for a good part of the first 40 games of the season, getting blanked against an elite pitcher who you are seeing once every so many years with Interleague play, that would've done it.

Then again, maybe a no-hitter would generate a change in the Pirates clubhouse. A man can dream, but if you dream of a AAA player from Indianapolis coming up to save the Pirates offense, just stay asleep, or put yourself in a self-induced coma. Let's just hope this never happens again. For most, you'll be wishing that it results in the no-hitter, making your Friday night of watching the Pirates worth while.