Looking for a Savior

Finally, the day is here. Pedro Alvarez, the Pirates top prospect, will make his Pittsburgh Pirates debut tonight. Here's a taste of what he offers:



The entire city awaits with anticipation. He has long been touted as the "savior" of the franchise, and the expectations are such that one would hardly be surprised to see him riding into town on a white stallion, performing daring feats of rescue, or turning everyone's hot dogs into filet mignon.

Alas, it is just the most recent example of a group of people looking for a savior in all the wrong places. Americans saw Barack Obama as a savior of a nation less than 2 years ago. Businesses in decline seek saviors to bring things out of the red. Even churches are not immune to such misguided thoughts, often anticipating a change in pastor will turn things around more than Jesus Christ ever would.

I'm excited that Pedro is here, but the fact is he's going to have days where he's 0-4 with 3 K's - maybe starting with tonight. He's going to make errors at 3rd that cost us the game. He's going to hit into crippling double plays. And even if he blossoms into an All-Star slugger, that will probably take a few years to materialize. I'm as excited as anyone about seeing him play in the Bigs, but let's not expect him to be perfect. Let's remember that the savior of the world he is not. That job is already taken.