Pirates utilityman Nick Solak was named after the bar his parents met in, Nick's Sports Page in Dalton, Ill. His daughter, Shea, is named after O’Shea’s Pub in Louisville, Ky., where Solak and his wife, Roxanne, met. So when Solak’s agent presented him with an offer to guest spot on a TV show a few years ago, of course it was for Bar Rescue. The Paramount Network show highlights bars and restaurants that are in dire straits which usually have their fortunes turned around thanks to the aid of a group of experts headed by host Jon Taffer. Reality television isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but after nine seasons, 265 episodes and three award nominations, the formula obviously works. It’s the type of show one can put on and binge or land on when channel surfing, which was Solak’s experience. |
“Traveling, going to a hotel, see what’s on tv, I’ve seen a good amount of the episodes,” Solak said. “I wasn’t a huge fan going into the show, but it was a cool experience.” Solak’s appearance with Roxanne (then his fiancée) was for the 14th episode of season eight, titled “Ace’s Wild.” Solak was with the Rangers at the time of filming, the 2021 offseason, and after eight seasons, Taffer and his crew would often need spies to do recon on the establishment. Globe Life Field was roughly 30 miles away from Ace’s Sports Hangar in The Colony, Texas, so why not have a baseball player scope out the place. “Being able to make the show was really cool. Our experience at the bar was not great,” Solak said. That’s underselling it. Both of their drinks weren’t prepared well. Solak had to audible from the bourbon sweet tea the producers suggested to test out the staff to a bourbon lemonade. As for the food, well, they didn’t get to try any. Taffer and his crew ran into the kitchen after the chef was seen handling raw chicken with his bare hands and then grabbed a plate for serving. |
“We had to pick up McDonald’s afterwards because we didn’t eat,” Solak said. “Knowing the show and the potential, maybe we should have ate before, but we didn’t want to not be hungry.” The Solaks didn’t have much screen time after doing their recon, as Taffer and company got into their usual groove of trying to turn the establishment around. They did make a cameo at the end for the grand re-opening, where both Nick and Roxanne commented that it was much better. The episode aired in March of 2022 and Solak still gets periodic texts and comments from family and friends that they saw his episode. He’s a Major League player and was one of the top hitters in Triple-A before his promotion earlier this year, so there is some irony that a piece of reality television is a reason for recognition. “It’s funny that people are like, ‘Hey, I saw you on the show,’ like friends growing up. My dad watches the show and tells me when he sees my episode,” Solak said. “But I don’t know if I have a future in [television].” |
MLB MORNING LINEUP PODCAST |
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On Tuesday, Bryan Reynolds went 4-for-4 with a game-winning home run in the eighth to fuel the Pirates’ comeback win over the Diamondbacks. It was the fifth time in Reynolds’ career where he had four hits and a homer in a game. Which Pirate has the most career games accomplishing that? A. Dave Parker B. Ralph Kiner C. Willie Stargell D. Pie Traynor |
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FRAZIER’S HITTING TIP HELPING DAVIS |
Henry Davis has been getting into the lineup more lately, and he’s also swinging a hotter bat. Entering the series with the Padres this weekend, the Pirates’ catcher had been hitting .412 with a home run, a double and a pair of walks over his last six games, and those extra-base hits on Tuesday helped spark a Pirates comeback. Davis credits that recent success to work he’s done with the hitting coaches and some guidance he received from Adam Frazier. “This is where we lean on veteran players as young players,” Davis said Tuesday. “You're trying to learn how to become a big leaguer, and he mentioned to me a drill that had worked for him when he got sent down.” Davis has hit the ball hard this year, but too much of that hard contact was pulled down the line foul. Frazier suggested some tips he learned during a 2018 demotion to Triple-A Indianapolis from then manager Brian Esposito. It helped Frazier be more direct to the ball, get the head of the bat out in front and make sure the backspin of the ball keeps it fair. |
The work was to help get those up-and-in pitches Davis has struggled with for most of his career. Ideally, it helps clean up the hitter’s movement and square up the ball. “Watching his swings in the game and watching his work, he works really hard and he wants to be great,” Frazier said. “It comes up in conversation. We’re talking hitting and stuff like that, and it’s like, ‘hey, have you tried this? I think it might be beneficial for what you’ve got going on right now.’ Credit to him, he took it and ran with it.” So far, it’s translated in games, with both of Davis’ extra-base hits this week going to left-center and right-center. “Just trying to stay in the middle of the field, like I did tonight, it's gonna be a predictor of future success,” Davis said. |
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C. Stargell Stargell had 16 games in his career where he recorded at least four hits and a homer. The other three Pirates to do so at least three times are Roberto Clemente (12), Andrew McCutchen (11) and Honus Wagner (10). |
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