Paul Meyer Q&A
I'm really trying hard to keep this site from turning into a 'bitching' blog, (though I would like it to become bitchin') especially when it comes to criticizing other Pittsburgh writers since we all have Bucco-gold at heart. For that reason, I've never once mentioned the
Paul Meyer Pirates Q&A.
The sad fact is, I can barely bring myself to even read it, largely because most of the questions he selects are inane, and his answers usually reflect shallow old-school type thinking.
Take for example, the following excellent question posed in last week’s Q&A:
Q: Paul, do you think it's wise to pay Jose Mesa $3 million for next season? That's $2.5 mil plus the $500,000 option for 2006 which they'll surely shell out instead of the $4 mil option when he's 40. That is, if he's only 38 now. I thought he was older. They'll be paying Salomon Torres-Mike Gonzalez combined only half as much as Mesa… Why not rely on them and use that $3 mil for some much-needed starting pitching like Jon Lieber or for a desperately needed bat? Paying Mesa $3 mil in 2005 is like paying to have the same old team results as the past dozen years.
Charles Sergis of Los Angeles
MEYER: Charles, Mesa, according to the Pirate media guide, will turn 39 years old May 22. It does seem a rather large sum to pay Mesa, who most assuredly will not be with the Pirates in 2006, but one can argue that finding a closer for $2.5 million -- his 2005 salary plus the $500,000 buyout -- is a reasonable bargain. In addition, there's Mesa's value in the clubhouse and his ability to help, say, Gonzalez learn how to become a closer. That's worth something…
It's worth noting that Mesa did not perform as well after the All-Star break last season as he did before it. In the first half of the season,
he was 2-0 with a 2.45 earned run average and 22 saves in 37 games. In 36 2/3 innings, he allowed 41 hits -- just one home run -- and 11 walks and struck out 22. After the All-Star break, Mesa was 3-2 with a 4.13 earned run average and 21 saves. In 32 2/3 innings, he yielded 37 hits, including five home runs, walked and struck out 15. If Mesa in 2005 pitches as he did before the All-Star break in 2004, his price tag isn't that bad. And don't forget this little item -- the Pirates could trade him before July 31, get something decent in return, be out from under his salary and allow Torres/Gonzalez to close for the remainder of the 2005 season.
Ok, let’s break this down. I see at least 5 things wrong with Meyer’s answer:
1. Meyer sticks to the well-debunked party line that Mesa is only 39 years old next season. As I’ve said before, this means he had a son at age 13. Possible…but not likely. Age is a major factor in any contract, yet Meyer ignores this angle.
2. Meyer says it will be hard to find a closer for $2.5 million. Let me be the first to break the news…closer is not a position. Meyer makes it sound as if missing a closer is like missing a catcher. Closer, clean up hitter, is a description, not a position. Any pitcher is a potential closer, and the Pirates have plenty of better options than Mesa.
3. Meyer talks about Mesa’s value in the clubhouse, and proposes that he can help Gonzalez learn to be a closer. I can’t say what kind of leader Mesa is, but I can say that veteran leadership is not something you can or should spend a large percentage of your off-season budget for. Examples abound. And the mere suggestion that Mesa can help Gonzalez learn to be a closer is ridiculous. Is he going to show him how to throw a 9th inning curve ball instead of a 7th inning curve ball? Is there a trick to the post game handshake that I don’t know about? Keeping Mesa around is retarding Gonzalez’s development, not helping it, as it ensures Gonzalez stays in a situational role.
4. Meyer goes on to make the valid point, counter to his own argument, that Mesa faded down the stretch last year. He then says that if Mesa pitches like the first half of 2004, then he could justify his contract. I’ll agree with him that this contract presumes he will perform at the level he displayed in the first half of 2004, but how likely is he to do that? In the last 2 years, Mesa has had 2 disastrous half seasons, 1 poor half season, and 1 good half season. Littlefield rewarded him with a contract based on the most optimistic projections. Meyer makes no judgment as to Mesa’s likely level of performance.
5. Lastly, Meyer says the Pirates could always trade Mesa at the deadline for prospects. Of course, Meyer completely ignores the fact that the Pirates tried that ploy this year, only to have Mesa threaten the organization with retirement if he was traded, thus making a deal impossible. If it couldn’t be done this year, is it more likely to be easier to trade Mesa now that he is: a year older, making much more money, and not likely to repeat his first half performance?
So there you have it. Meyer goes on later in the Q&A to admit that he has been friends with Lloyd McClendon for years. Of course, that completely invalidates any “objectivity” he otherwise would pretend to have. Suddenly I remember why I don’t read the Q&A anymore.
Melissa Hart and House ethics
Josh Marshall at Talking Points Memo is reporting that GOP PA Representative Melissa Hart voted for the rule change to enable House Majority Leader Tom Delay to keep his position regardless of any inconvenient indictments for criminal activity. So far, Hart is the only Rep from PA who is on the record with her vote.
In case you haven't been following the story... back in the early 90's, the GOP rode the wave of reform and anti-corruption to power in the House and Senate. You may remember the "Contract with America?" People were tired of Democratic Party corruption in Congress and voted for a fresh start. Included in that fresh start was the promise of more stringent ethics, term limits, etc to be honored by the GOP.
Now we have come full circle. With GOP power firmly cemented in all facets of government, there is no need for them to be inconvenienced by ethics rules. The GOP has decided to roll back its self imposed rule that any person of leadership must relinquish the leadership post upon indictment. Seems obvious enough to me. Of course, absolute power corrupts absolutely, and the GOP is feeling mighty bullet-proof today.
I'm reminded that this is the path America has chosen.
Bettis and Duce
Am I the only one concerned with the continued lack of progress in Duce Staley's injured hamstring?
Nobody talked about Duce's injury history coming into the season, but losing him was something I was definitely concerned about. The problem is, the longer he is out, the more of a load Bettis has to carry. And if we've learned anything over the last 3 years, it's that Bettis can't carry the ball 20 times a game anymore. His groin, hamstring and knee are ticking time bombs.
Littlefield Q&A
Mlb.com has posted an
online Q&A from Dave Littlefield. The questions asked by fans were pretty bland, so there isn't much important information on the surface. You really have to read between the lines to get any real information. But it's worth a read if you are in the mood for a break from the 'What did Big Ben have for breakfast" saga.
Percival contract
That hissing sound you hear is the sound of air being let out of the tires on the MLB fiscal responsibility bandwagon. The Tigers announced that they have signed free agent Troy Percival to a 2 year, $12 million contract.
Perhaps I'm crazy, but I fail to see any way that Percival can justify this salary, even if he is healthy, which he isn't. All of his numbers are trending in the wrong direction, and he is 35 years old.
I realize that certain organizations have a misguided need to have an established player in the fictional baseball position "closer." But that doesn't even explain this situation, since the Tigers already had an "established" closer under contract, namely Ugueth Urbina.
Strangely, this signing doesn't make me feel any better about the Mesa contract.
Pirates positional reviews and predictions
I haven't forgotten that I promised to continue my 2004 positional reviews and previews for 2005. I've been knee deep in elections and babies and will get back to it shortly!
40 man roster decisions
A big day looms for the Bucs and Littlefield. 40 man rosters must be set by November 20. Littlefield badly botched the 40 man roster last season, causing the Pirates to lose 5 players in the Rule-5 draft, most notably Jose Bautista and Chris Young.
Currently, the Pirates have 37 men rostered. (You can view the complete list
here.) I don't fully understand all the rules that determine who must be protected. I do know that 2004 draft picks do not have to be protected, so don't panic if you don't see Neil Walker's name on the roster.
Hopefully, Littlefield can avoid embarrassing the organization again this year. He can make progress in that direction by removing the likes of Abraham Nunez, Carlos Rivera, and Frank Brooks and replacing them with some of the younger hidden talent in the Pirates system who might ctually play a useful role on a winning team someday.
The aging closer market
Now that Littlefield has outbid himself for the services of Jose Mesa, it will be very instructive to see what Troy Percival gets on the open market.
If Mesa's contract is indicative of the actual market, then Percival should get a 3 year deal at roughly $4-5 mill per. Let's see what happens.
Steelers perspective
Much has been written about the impressive wins the Steelers put together against the otherwise undefeated Patriots and Eagles. But to really put in perspective how impressive those victories were, you have to look at what those 2 teams have done in the games just before and just after they played the Steelers.
Clearly, the Steelers didn't catch these teams while they were struggling. The Steelers simply man-handled 2 very talented teams that were on a roll of their own. I'm afraid to say anything more.
Bonds oldest MVP
Former Pirate Barry Bonds (40) has replaced Willie Stargell (39) as the oldest player to win an MVP award.
It's always sad for me when I see my favorite player get knocked down a peg. But Bonds certainly deserved this award, his 4th in a row and 7th overall.
Bonds got 24 out of 32 first place votes. 8 insane or biased writers voted for Beltre, Pujols, or Rolen.
Clearly, 40 is the new 30, as the combined age of the NL CYA (Clemens) and MVP (Bonds) is 82. That doesn't take into consideration the guy who should have won the CYA, Randy Johnson, who is 41.
Powell gone
As expected, Colin Powell resigned his post as Secretary of State. Originally, Powell's appointment as Secretary of State was intended to soothe moderates in light of the 2000 election debacle. As such, his role was largely symbolic as his voice could rarely be heard above the shrill war cries of Donald Rumsfeld.
With his shiny new mandate, Bush obviously no longer feels the need to pander to moderates by keeping Powell around in another capacity even if Powell wanted to stay. The only thing Powell got for his 4 years of trouble was a tarnished reputation and his picture on the wall of the UN with a note attached saying "Do not accept satellite imagery from this man."
Moving forward (backward), everyone anticipates that Condoleezza Rice will be appointed to take Powell's place. Once again, loyalty, not competance, is what's valued most in the Bush administration.
For further evidence of this disturbing characteristic, take a look at what is going on in the CIA,
here. Bush obviously has no time for dissenting opinions in his second term.
