These Pirates Have Commandeered This Vessel

Tuesday night my Twitter feed was inundated with NFL comings and goings. As was expected in the first day post-lockout.

But when I returned to the Twitter-verse on the late night, I found a thread much more enthralling than anything pigskin-related.

The Pittsburgh Pirates and Atlanta Braves were matched up in an epic extra inning affair. It seemed only fitting that the team responsible for Pittsburgh’s permanent heartache, would add (lengthily) to their despair.

But finally after 16 straight losing seasons, Pirates fans are having some fun, chief among them ESPN.com’s DJ Gallo.

The genius behind Sports Pickle was on fire last night during the Pirates’ 19-inning game, which they lost on a controversial call that would have Gallo calling for umpire euthanasia. The timeline starts as the game is already in extra innings. Enjoy.

@DJGalloESPN DJ Gallo: Ain’t no party like an extra inning party ’cause an extra inning party don’t stop.

@DJGalloESPN DJ Gallo: I’m worried I’m going to stay up all night only to see Pittsburgh lose on a Keith Primeau goal.

@DJGalloESPN DJ Gallo: This game is taking so long that Barry Bonds could have thrown it out at home.

@DJGalloESPN DJ Gallo: By the way, I have a column on the Pirates on Page 2 tomorrow. It will go up around Noon ET (so around the 54th inning).

@DJGalloESPN DJ Gallo: A team that hits like the Pirates should really wear rally caps from the 1st inning on.

@DJGalloESPN DJ Gallo: Ironhead Heyward > Jason Heyward

@DJGalloESPN DJ Gallo: It’s the 18th! This game just became legal.

@DJGalloESPN DJ Gallo: An 18 inning game is pretty amazing. But not as amazing as Lyle Overbay getting a hit.

@DJGalloESPN DJ Gallo: We’re 13 mins short of the longest game in Pirates history, yet this feels much shorter than every Dave Littlefield Era game.

@DJGalloESPN DJ Gallo: Scott Proctor is trending on Twitter WORLDWIDE. You had a good run, Internet. Time to pack it in.

@DJGalloESPN DJ Gallo: The Tomahawk Chop gets a little old after 18 innings. I’m sorry, I meant 18 years.

@DJGalloESPN DJ Gallo: Scheduling note: the replay of the Pirates-Braves game is supposed to be over in 28 minutes on ROOT Sports Pittsburgh.

@DJGalloESPN DJ Gallo: Scott Proctor is up with a chance to win the game. If he gets a hit, the Procliebers on Twitter are going to go crazy.

@DJGalloESPN DJ Gallo: Sid Bream was out. Julio Lugo was out. I will believe both to my dying day.

@DJGalloESPN DJ Gallo: E-Ump.

@DJGalloESPN DJ Gallo: @dschoenfield I don’t know. That was just … brutal. It would be horrible if this game is that knocks them out of 1st for good.

@DJGalloESPN DJ Gallo: Here’s Jerry Meals’ MLB page: http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/official_info/umpires/bio.jsp?id=2709

@DJGalloESPN DJ Gallo: I call dibs on ghostwriting the Jerry Meals-Michael McKenry book: http://amzn.to/qX3oxj. Meals will be the villain.

@DJGalloESPN DJ Gallo: Where did Jerry Meals have to be at 2:00 a.m.? That’s suspicious by itself.

@DJGalloESPN DJ Gallo: Michael McKenry deserves some sort of humanitarian award for not dropping Meals with a kick to the crotch.

@DJGalloESPN DJ Gallo: Selig needs to expand instant replay to include home runs and the most obvious home plate calls ever in the 19th inning.

@DJGalloESPN DJ Gallo: And here’s the Jerry Meals Wikipedia page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Meals. “Jerry Meals was a MLB umpire.” Nice.

@DJGalloESPN DJ Gallo: Julio Lugo just said he didn’t feel a tag. Wow. He’s had a solid sports career for a man with no nerves in his body.