New Orleans Hornets

Note: The Hornets retired Pistol Pete's number during their first game in New Orleans in honor of his basketball contributions to the area at LSU and with New Orleans' previous NBA team, the Jazz. ** Played in the era prior to uniform numbers; wore 33 while serving as coach. The team found better support for their younger, scrappier players than they did last year when the team was better on the floor. * Manager. Despite the lack of success, the team's roster was reshaped, with older veterans Baron Davis and Jamal Mashburn traded to facilitate a rebuilding process. Despite this, the Pirates' mediocre performance has translated to subpar attendance figures. The team performed better in January and February, but the season was essentially over before it started with the horrendous start. Due to its simple, unpretentious concept and strategic usage of the remarkably beautiful Pittsburgh skyline, it is frequently regarded (as in a recent ESPN article) as currently the best park in baseball.

The team was expected to compete for a playoff spot in the tougher Western Conference, but an 0-8 start turned into a 2-29 start, which started a watch of how bad their record could get, threatening the Philadelphia 76ers' record of a 9-73 season. The Pirates opened a new stadium, PNC Park, in 2001. After the season, Floyd was fired and the team hired Byron Scott to be their head coach. Though this rash of trades has not been popular in Pittsburgh, it is generally accepted that it can mostly be attributed to the aforementioned "small market syndrome." It is felt that Littlefield is attempting, with perhaps mixed success, to follow the blueprint created by overachieving small market teams such as the Oakland Athletics and Minnesota Twins. Without the shot by Wade, the 2004-05 NBA season might have been altered with Shaq perhaps going to a different team and the Heat not being bona fide NBA title contenders. After the 2004 season, Kendall's salary was also dumped on the Oakland Athletics. An 85-77 win in game 7 moved the Heat on to round two, but more importantly, set the stage for the summer's acquisition of Shaquille O'Neal in a trade with the Los Angeles Lakers. Pirate fans found this trade much more palatable in the short run, as Pérez led the majors in strikeouts per inning and Bay won the Rookie of the Year Award award in 2004, while Giles put up a subpar season by his standards.

The teams ended up winning all their respective home games after that, but Wade's shot was the difference even though the series went 7 games, the Heat winning 4-3. Brian Giles was one of the National League's best hitters for several years, but he and his $9 million salary were also traded in 2003 to the San Diego Padres for youngsters Oliver Pérez, Jason Bay, and Cory Stewart. They drew the Miami Heat, but Dwyane Wade's last second shot sunk the Hornets in game 1 of the series. Enigmatic but talented third baseman Aramis Ramirez was traded to the Chicago Cubs in 2003 for a fairly minimal return under pressure to dump his $6 million salary for 2004, and he proceeded to become a star for the Cubs. He was replaced by Tim Floyd, and the Hornets got off to a 17-7 start, but the team reverted to form and finished 41-41, narrowly missing out on home court advantage in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. Current General Manager Dave Littlefield was installed midway through the 2001 season and began overhauling the team to comply with owner Kevin McClatchy's dictum to drastically reduce the payroll. After the season, the team decided to move in a different direction and allowed the contract of head coach Paul Silas to expire. However, the failure of the Pirates to compete in recent years has been blamed on "small market syndrome"; teams located in small cities such as Pittsburgh and Kansas City cannot compete with New York and Boston without a salary cap or similar agreement, as the better players tend to gravitate towards cities where teams generate more revenue, meaning larger salaries.

They qualified for the playoffs for the fourth straight year in 2002-03, but were beaten by Philadelphia again, where Iverson again shredded them, this time dropping 55 points in one game. (Interestingly, video footage of Kendall's leg breaking from under him has been circulated on shock sites.). First NBA game played in New Orleans in 23 years. No such incident has occurred with Kendall, but he has lost almost all of his power and much of his speed following a broken leg in 1999. October 30, 2002: The New Orleans Hornets open their inaugural season in New Orleans against former New Orleans NBA team the Utah Jazz; "Pistol" Pete Maravich has his number retired during halftime. Despite poor play in 2001, Bell announced that he would begin "Operation Shutdown", a passive-aggressive ploy in which he would fail to play effectively in response to losing his role as a starter. The Bobcats began play in November of 2004. Their overall lack of success in the last decade have been blamed partly on former General Manager Cam Bonifay, who gave large contracts to players such as Derek Bell and Jason Kendall while failing to identify, develop, and retain numerous young potential star players.

Shortly after that, Charlotte would be awarded a new NBA franchise, the Charlotte Bobcats. However, they did miraculously contend for the 1997 division title, finishing second and only being eliminated in the season's final week, despite having a payroll of only 9 million dollars. In May of 2002 the Hornets were given permission to move to New Orleans, Louisiana, where they became the New Orleans Hornets. Since then, the Pirates have not had a winning season. They returned the following season by beating the Orlando Magic, but were upended by the New Jersey Nets. Both players complained about the preferential treatment given to Van Slyke, leading some to believe that racism was well-ingrained in Pittsburgh sports. The Hornets, with the lineup of Davis, Wesley, Mashburn, Brown and Campbell made it back to the playoffs, where they defeated the 3rd ranked Heat and made it to the second round for the third time in franchise history. Before the 1993 season, Bonilla and Bonds would leave for more lucrative contracts elsewhere.

Brown. The Pirates would win the first three division titles of the 1990s, but failed to advance to the World Series each time, the second two losing closely contested seven-game series to the Atlanta Braves on questionable calls at the end of the final game. Jones led the league in steals, but in the offseason he and Mason were shipped to the Miami Heat in exchange for small forward Jamal Mashburn and power forward P.J. Jim Leyland took over as manager, and the Pirates gradually climbed out of the cellar behind young and exciting players such as Bobby Bonilla, Barry Bonds, Jay Bell, and Andy Van Slyke. The team returned to the playoffs, where they were shredded by Allen Iverson of the Philadelphia 76'ers. Following was a period of decline until the Pirates were regarded as the worst team in baseball during the mid-1980s. His number was retired on February 9, and was a sad note in the franchise's history. Adopting the then-popular disco anthem "We Are Family" as their theme song, the Pirates won a fifth World Series, again in seven games, in 1979.

The lineup of Wesley, Jones, Mason, Coleman and Campbell tore through much of the season, but on January 12, 2000 Bobby Phills was killed in a tragic automobile accident. Stargell, speedy Omar Moreno and power-hitting but ostentatious and unpopular Dave Parker became the cornerstones of the Pirates as Murtaugh left and Chuck Tanner took over as manager in 1977. 1999-2000 was a return to prominence, with the addition of free agent Derrick Coleman and third overall draft pick point guard Baron Davis to the mix. Clemente died tragically in a plane crash in 1972 while attempting to ship supplies to the victims of an earthquake in Nicaragua, and is today regarded as the most prominent figure in Pirates history, with a riverfront park and suspension bridge named for him. The team finished tied with the Knicks for the last playoff spot, losing the tiebreaker. He retired soon afterwards. 1999 was turbulent, with Rice being traded to the Lakers for Eddie Jones and Elden Campbell, both Geiger and Divac leaving in free agency, and Bogues leaving the team for good. However, in 1973, Blass suffered a mysterious breakdown in his pitching abilities and posted an outrageous 9.85 ERA.

With Wesley, Phills, Rice, Mason and Divac, the Hornets romped through the regular season, with Rice finishing sixth in scoring and earning all-NBA third team honors and the team making it all the way to the second round of the playoffs for the second time in franchise history, being stopped by Jordan and the Bulls. They also thought they had a genuine superstar pitcher (historically rare for the Pirates) in Steve Blass, who pitched two excellent games in the World Series and put together excellent seasons in 1968 and 1972. The team picked up a new free-agent backcourt in point guard David Wesley and shooting guard Bobby Phills. The Pirates won their first of five division titles over the next six years, and won their fourth World Series the next year behind a .414 batting average by Clemente. 1997-98 was also successful. Slugger Willie Stargell became a fixture in the Pittsburgh lineup, and the Pirates would return to prominence in 1970 when Murtaugh returned as manager and the Pirates' home field, Forbes Field, was demolished in favor of the multi-purpose Three Rivers Stadium. The team also spotted the best season of their history, making it back to the playoffs. However, the Pirates struggled for the remainder of the decade, and Murtaugh was replaced by Harry Walker in 1965.

Rice was also the allstar game MVP, setting several scoring records. The 1960s would continue with extremely solid defensive play by Mazeroski and the first Puerto Rican superstar, Roberto Clemente. Clemente was regarded as both one of the game's best all-time hitters and right fielders. The new-look Hornets were apparently even better, however, with Divac and Geiger providing the best center combo in the league, Mason averaging a double-double and all-NBA third team honors, Bogues back at the point, and Rice having the finest season of his career, finishing third in the league in scoring and earning all-NBA second team honors. In arguably the most memorable World Series in history, the Pirates were defeated by more than ten runs in three games, won three close games, then recovering from a 7-4 deficit late in Game 7 to eventually win on a walk-off home run by Bill Mazeroski. The offseason was again marked by vast changes, as Anderson declined to resign with the team, Johnson was shipped to New York for power forward Anthony Mason, and lottery draft pick guard Kobe Bryant was traded to the Lakers for center Vlade Divac. The 1960 team featured eight All-Stars, but was widely predicted to lose the World Series to a powerful New York Yankees team. Geiger and Johnson tied for the team lead in rebounds, while Johnson and Rice provided balanced but high-powered scoring, with all-star guard Kenny Anderson running the point for the injured Muggsy Bogues. Murtaugh is widely credited for inventing the concept of the closer by frequently playing pitcher Roy Face late in close games.

In the offseason the team dealt Mourning to the Miami Heat for guard Glen Rice and center Matt Geiger. The Pirates would have only one winning season until 1958, when Danny Murtaugh took over as manager. The next few years were marked by injuries to Johnson and Mourning, though they did get back to the playoffs in 1994-95, only to be beaten by Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. The post-World War II years were not kind to the Pirates, despite the presence of a genuine superstar in Ralph Kiner. However, they lacked the experience and depth to defeat the New York Knicks. The 1927 season was the first for the sharp-hitting combination of brothers Lloyd Waner and Paul Waner, who along with shortstop Arky Vaughan ensured that the Pirates had plenty of Hall of Fame-caliber position players through 1941. It was good enough for fifth in the Eastern Conference and a playoff spot, where they upset the Boston Celtics with Mournings famous series-winning shot. The Pirates recovered from a 3-1 deficit to win the 1925 World Series over the Washington Senators, and reached the 1927 World Series before losing in a sweep to the New York Yankees, who at that time had built the most dominant team in baseball.

The Hornets now had twin 20-10 threats in Johnson and Mourning, who with Gill formed perhaps the league's top young trio. However, veteran outfielder Max Carey and young players Pie Traynor and Kiki Cuyler, along with a steady if unspectacular pitching staff, brought the Pirates back into the spotlight. In 1992-93, the team won the second pick in the draft, using it to draft center Alonzo Mourning from Georgetown. The decline of Honus Wagner, considered by some to be the greatest shortstop ever, led to a number of losing seasons, culminating in a disastrous 51-103 record in 1917, Wagner's last season. Kendall Gill led the club in scoring, with over 20 points per game. With largely the same star players, the Pirates would continue to be a strong team over the next few years and got their first World Series title in 1909, defeating the Detroit Tigers in seven games. Johnson had an impact season, finishing among league leaders in points and rebounds, and winning NBA rookie of the year. Deacon Phillippe pitched five complete games, winning three of them; but it was not enough.

For the 1991-92 season, the Hornets drafted power forward Larry Johnson from UNLV with the number one overall pick. However, owing to injuries to their starting pitchers, they lost the first World Series ever played, in 1903 to Boston. For the 1990-91 season, the team picked up guard Kendall Gill in the NBA draft, and got slightly better, but still managed to win the NBA Draft lottery and the rights to the number one overall pick. The 1901-1903 Pirates completely dominated the National League, in part because they lost few star players to the rival American League. The team also had sharpshooting rookie Rex Chapman, who was also an instant scoring threat. In 1900, the Pirates picked up star players from the defunct Louisville, Kentucky club, including greats like Honus Wagner and Fred Clarke (who also served as the team's manager from 1900 to 1915), triggering a long string of pennants. Tripucka was Charlotte's top scorer for the franchise's first two seasons. In 1890, they merged with the Pittsburgh team from the Players League after that league folded.

The team was led by guard Kelly Tripucka, who provided instant points. The AA club picked up a number of players from a defunct Columbus, Ohio team in 1885. 1988: The franchise plays its first game as the Charlotte Hornets. In its early days, the club benefitted three times from mergers with defunct clubs. Oct. They are in the Central Division of the National League. The current head coach is Byron Scott. The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

The New Orleans Hornets are a National Basketball Association team based in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. Bradenton Pirates. David West. Lynchburg Hillcats
Hickory Crawdads
Williamsport Crosscutters. Jackson Vroman. Altoona Curve. Smith. Indianapolis Indians.

J.R. National League
. Lee Nailon. Pitching strikeouts: Bob Veale (276, 1965). Bostjan Nachbar. Pitching wins: 28 Jack Chesbro (28, 1902). Jamaal Magloire. Hitting streak: Danny O'Connell (26 games, 1953).

George Lynch. Walks: Ralph Kiner (137, 1951). Maciej Lampe. Stolen bases: Omar Moreno (96, 1980). Casey Jacobsen. Owen Wilson (36, 1912) [MLB record]. Dan Dickau. Triples: J.

Speedy Claxton. Doubles: Paul Waner (62, 1932). Brown. Hits: Paul Waner (237, 1927). P.J. Runs: Kiki Cuyler (144, 1925). Chris Andersen. Runs batted in: Paul Waner (131, 1927).

13 Bobby Phills. Home runs: Ralph Kiner (54, 1949). 7 Pete Maravich. Batting average: Arky Vaughan (.385, 1935). 6 (Sixth Man) -- The Fans. Branch Rickey. Baron Davis. Bob Prince (legendary announcer nicknamed The Gunner).

Glen Rice. Bill McKechnie. Alonzo Mourning. John Galbreath. Larry Johnson. Barney Dreyfuss (former owner and creator of the World Series). Rex Chapman-First player signed by the franchise. 42 Jackie Robinson (retired throughout baseball).

Muggsy Bogues. 40 Danny Murtaugh *. 33 Honus Wagner **. 21 Roberto Clemente. 20 Pie Traynor.

  9 Bill Mazeroski.   8 Willie Stargell.   4 Ralph Kiner.   1 Billy Meyer *.

Jim Leyland (1990, 1992). Manager of the Year