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Announcer Prince is also something of a mad scientist. Together with Pirate Trainer Danny Whelan, he is co-inventor of Pittsburgh's secret weapon: the Green Weenie. Practically everybody who patronizes ballpark concession stands has seen green hot dogs, but the Pirates' are plastic imitations supposedly endowed with magic powers that put the whammy on opposing players. The players point them from the dugout; fans wave them from the stands. Sometimes they even work. When the Pirates played the Giants two weeks ago, Prince pointed a Weenie at Juan Marichal. Marichal won the game, 2-1, but next day he caught the third finger of his pitching hand in a car door and missed two scheduled turns on the mound. In Pittsburgh, the Pirates were trailing the Philadelphia Phillies 3-1 in the seventh inning when Prince's fellow announcer Don Hoak begged Bob to use the Weenie. "Not yet," said Prince. In the eighth inning, with Pittsburgh still behind by two runs, Prince finally waved the Weenie. The Pirates scored four runs and won the game 5-3. "Remember," said Prince to Hoak. "Never waste the power of the Green Weenie."
When it comes to wasting power, the Pirates are a prime example of conspicuous consumption. Their team batting average is .28118 points higher than any other club in the majors, and their regular line-up includes three batters with averages over .320. The only reason it isn't four is that Manny Mota (.357) or Matty Alou (.344) can't both play centerfield at the same time. So far this season, the Pirates have scored an average of almost five runs per gamea good thing, considering that Pittsburgh's starting pitchers have managed to finish only 27 out of 109 games. When Bob Veale went nine innings to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-1 last week, the whole bullpen staff lined up to anoint him with beer as he entered the clubhouse.
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