Welcome to The Bucco Beyond, a little home for my rants and musings about my beloved Pittsburgh Pirates (and pretty much the baseball world in general).

I got the urge to start this site this summer while the Pirates were shopping around Kris Benson. As the trade rumors swirled, I found myself looking for an outlet for my own opinions and speculations. Living in the heart of Red Sox Nation, there really isn't any opportunity to talk about that kind of stuff with co-workers and acquaintances. To the Fenway Faithful, the Pirates might as well be a minor league club.

That left the internet. Scott Rex, editor of On Deck Baseball Prospects, has long been my sounding board for all things Pittsburgh Pirates. However, it seemed unfair that he should continue to bear the burden of my ravings alone. It became clear that, like other obsessive baseball geeks before me, I should enter the wild and wooly world of internet publishing.

Actually, I hope this site serves more than just as a home for my ramblings and poor grammar. I am hoping that it will help me touch base with other Pirates fans scattered across the globe. I follow the team as best as I can. I follow the boxscores. I read the local sports coverage. I follow the national coverage (few and far between though it may be). However, I rarely get to see my team in action. I don't have Direct TV or any of that, so I only get to see the Pirates the few times a year they are on ESPN or TBS. I want to hear from people that get to watch the games, and who get to see the team in person. I want to hear what other Pirates fans are thinking.

So that's the plan. The beginning of December may seem like a weird time to start a baseball blog, but I think with the Hot Stove League in full speed, we will have plenty to talk about. Plus, it lets me ease into things until everything goes into full gear when Spring Training starts. So thanks again for stopping by and welcome to the site.