Batting Third

Lost Pirate: Tony Bartirome

2005-05-17T22:14:00.000-04:00

This week's lost Pirate had a duplicitous career for our Buccos. Pittsburgh native Tony Bartirome played 1 lone season in the bigs. Looking at his numbers it's easy to see why.

Playing for the hopeless 1952 Pirates, the 20 year old Bartirome logged 355 at bats in 124 games at 1b. In what surely has to be the worst season ever turned in by a first baseman, he finished with a .220 ave, .273 obp, and .265 slg. Ouch!

Even though Bartirome would never apply pine tar in the majors again, his career with the Pirates was not over. Bartirome would eventually become the Pirates head trainer in 1967. He manned the position through 2 world championships, finally ending his term with the team after the 1985 season.

Perez injury

2005-05-11T22:48:00.000-04:00

Sometimes wild speculation pays off, though this isn't the type of pay-off for which I was hoping.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05131/502355.stm

Here's the biggest bunch of BS I've heard all season:

He (Perez) said he first felt the stiffness about two hours after his most recent outing.

Uh, ok. My guess (why not pile wild speculation on top of wild speculation) is that he's been hiding it all season because he was injured during spring training as a result of his lack of off-season training.

In the meantime, Dr. Andrews is sharpening his scalpels.

Michael Restovich

2005-05-11T22:15:00.000-04:00

The Pirates have completed their biggest deal of the season to date (whoopee), sending a PTBNL to the Rockies for 26 year old outfielder Michael Restovich. It's pretty hard to judge a deal on the day it is made, and it's even harder to judge it without knowing what you are giving up....but something in my intuition tells me this is a nice move.

Restovich is not going to be a superstar. But he is exactly the type of player the Pirates should be picking up on the cheap. I don't know a whole lot about Restovich, but my first impression is that he's a lumbering slugger type. Let's say, a Craig Wilson Jr. Maybe he's more athletic than I think. If he can handle LF at PNC, the Pirates should stick him there, put Bay in center, and leave them alone until Craig Wilson comes back. That should give Restovich a solid 100 at bats, which is a good start towards finding out what kind of major league player he might become.

Of course if the PTBNL has the initials ZD, then forget everything I just said.

Santiago

2005-05-11T09:21:00.000-04:00

It's a bit late, but I wanted my chance to weigh in on the Santiago fiasco.

My take? Waiving Santiago was the right decision. At least Littlefield demonstrates an understanding of sunk costs. Was Santiago worth Leo Nunez? (Nunez made his major league debut with the Royals last week in case you didn't notice.) No. Did everyone besides Littlefield know that at the time? Yes.

But that mistake can't be undone, so Littlefield showed some smarts and guts by making the right move in releasing Santiago.

Lost Pirate of the Week...

2005-05-11T09:20:00.000-04:00

...will be back next week.

Back in town

2005-05-11T09:14:00.000-04:00

So I'm back in town and trying to settle into my routine. Haven't had a chance to catch any baseball yet, but as soon as I can stay awake past 8-9 I plan on doing so.

In the meantime, it seems that "What's wrong with Oliver Perez?" has become everyone's favorite game. I speculated (pure speculation) after his first 2 starts that he was hiding an injury. Something just didn't look right. Then he turned in that one masterful performance and convinced me otherwise. Now I'm not so sure again.

In any event, if he struggles in his next start, he should probably be skipped in his next turn or 2. It wouldn't even be such a bad thing to let him get in 2-3 starts in Indianapolis or Altoona. Wouldn't be such a bad idea to give him 5-6 innings out of the pen.

All I do know is that the more he struggles, the more he will press, the farther out of sorts he will get, increasing the risk of injury.

Big win?

2005-05-05T13:48:00.000-04:00

Rumor has it that the Pirates had a big win last night, via a dramatic homer from Daryle Ward.

At least that's the word on the streets of London.

In other news, today is election day in the UK. The street are lined with anti-Blair posters and billboards. In an odd twist, it seems that the general population over here is much more well informed about politics than the US, but much less passionate. Even though the prime-minister is up for election today, not a lot about the election can be found on the news or in the rags.

Despite the wall to wall anti-Blair sentiment, he is expected to win by a narrow margin.

BTW, most Brits, if not all, still vote by paper ballot. Why do we need fancy election rigging machines in the US? I just don't know. Or maybe I do know.

Coventry avoids relegation

2005-05-02T17:15:00.000-04:00

So, how are them Battlin' Bucs doing?

Across the pond, the Coventry footballers avoided relegation with a stunning 6-2 upset. Shocking.

FYI...if you ever take the train from Pisa to Rome, don't listen to the directions from the idiots on the platform. Also, nobody cares what tickets you have, so just jump a train.

Cheers.

Out of the office: April 29 - May 8

2005-04-29T00:22:00.000-04:00

I'm heading to the U.K. and then Italy for a bit of a holiday and won't be back until May 8.

I may have internet access periodically. If I do, I plan on becoming the first person to blog the Pirates from Europe. But if Batting Third goes silent for a short while, now you know why.

Cheers mate. And arrivederci.

Dog days of April

2005-04-26T15:11:00.000-04:00

Yes, we have entered the dog days of April. Typically its the dog days of summer, but not when you are a Pirate fan. Anyway, despite the win last night, the slow start has put the entire Pirate blogosphere into a general malaise. Even Rowdy is barely averaging a post per day. The rest of the usual suspects are eerily quiet.

As for this space, I apologize for the lack of quality here since the season began. But there really is NOTHING interesting about this team. There just isn't. It's pointless to add to the 'fire Mac', 'this team can't hit', 'McClatchy is cheap' noise. And I have neither the patience nor the talent to invent some kind of angle that is worth a long thread.

So, what do we do? We wait for something interesting to happen and dream of the days of Bill freaking Landrum. Yes, it's that bad.

And don't tell me sending David Ross back to AAA is interesting. Yes it's going to happen this weekend. But no, it doesn't count.

Lost Pirate: Bill Landrum

2005-04-26T08:55:00.000-04:00

This week's Lost Pirate comes to us from the golden days of the Leyland era. Bill Landrum was signed after the 1988 off-season for the paltry salary of $75,000. The then 31 year old journeyman had nothing in his background that would hint at the type of success he would have with the Pirates.

Landrum exploded on the scene in '89, turning in one of the finest seasons in relief the franchise has ever seen. He finished with 26 saves and a 1.67 era in 81 innings as a replacement for the injured Jim Gott.

Landrum went on to have 2 more fine seasons as part-time closer while the Pirates slowly phased in ill-fated closer of the future, Stan Belinda.

Landrum was cut in spring training prior to the '92 season, and was signed by the Expos. He completely fell apart after leaving the Bucs and would only pitch another 42 innings in his career.

Though his stay with the team was short, I'll always remember the straight over-the-top delivery and the huge wad of tobacco.

Phew

2005-04-26T08:40:00.000-04:00

Yesterday might stand as the most important game the Pirates play all season. Why? Because we received confirmation that Oliver Perez was NOT abducted by aliens and replaced with a less-able replica.

Perhaps his bad start was due to his off-season inactivity after all, and not some hidden injury as I first suspected.

Now that we've got Perez straightened out, what's wrong with Craig Wilson?

Webbing

2005-04-22T00:11:00.000-04:00

Just updated (again) the site I maintain for one of my fantasy baseball leagues.

Yes, I have too much time on my hands I guess. But it's a creative outlet.

Go check it out.

http://mysite.verizon.net/vze7l5n8/

Yikes

2005-04-20T20:31:00.000-04:00

0 for 4 for Ollie so far this year.

I have a new favorite commercial though. It's the one where Lloyd jokes about having an umpire for dinner. I enjoyed how they went the extra mile and put the padding* in Lloyd's uniform to make it look like he actually did eat the ump.

* - Update: I'm informed that no extra padding was used. Sorry for the confusion.

The Ugly

2005-04-19T22:54:00.000-04:00

We are officially a laughingstock. Today's embarrassing loss provoked 2 belly laughs from the ESPN Red Sox/Yankees Baseball Tonight crew.

The first laugh was on the play where Craig Wilson took 4 steps back on a ball that landed 10 steps beyond the infield dirt.

The second laugh was on the Little League style 1-4-6 force out. Throw to the base, Josh. Throw to the base.

The Bad

2005-04-19T22:35:00.000-04:00

For every great Sports Geek article, there are a dozen or so articles such as the one Goose Goslin subjected us to on Sunday.

In the article, Goslin comes up with a brilliant solution to the Pirates' problems.

It is time to turn up the heat on the Pirates' ownership, management and
players. Let's quit babying the Buccos....

Let's not baby the Pirates anymore. Let's scream and yell when they stink, which they do. And, let's stay away from the ballpark, too.

I couldn't agree more. It's time the Pirate fan base stopped ignoring the fact that we haven't had a winner since "Bush's Iraqi Vacation, Part I" was popular in the theaters. We've obviously been far too accomodating these past dozen years. Nary a cross word is uttered in this town with regard to the way McClendon handles his bullpen. Noone has ever criticized Littlefield's trades, or McClatchy's tight purse strings. And all those sell-outs are merely a signal to the ownership that we like things as-is.

Ok, so obviously I have no idea what Goslin is talking about. This is a guy who used to host a daily sports talk radio show in this town. Doesn't he remember the roughly 6 million callers who wanted to voice their negative opinions on the air? And how in the hell is it supposed to help the team if attendance falls through the floor?

But wait...it gets even better! Goslin goes on to describe how the Pirates can turn their pitching staff into a juggernaut by making them "throw until they are tired", and "then pitch some more." I'm not kidding. He uses Jack McKeon and the Marlins as his example to follow. Of course, pitching until your arm falls off might not be the best strategy for a franchise that has produced operating table all-stars like Sean Burnett, Jon Van Benschoten, Bobby Bradley, Dave Williams, Kris Benson, among others.

Now, I'm all about unconventional solutions to difficult problems. But let me assure you that the reason the Pirates suck is not because the fans don't care, it's not because some fans still go to the game, and its not because we haven't ruined enough arms.

The Good

2005-04-19T22:11:00.000-04:00

Fantastic Sports Geek article today. At least somebody gets it.

Mark Redman

2005-04-17T23:15:00.000-04:00

Another good showing for Mark Redman today.

The more I see Redman, the more I'm reminded of another burly, soft-tossing, left-handed, league average, innings eater. Yes, of course I'm referring to Dave LaPoint.

Craig's funk

2005-04-15T21:38:00.000-04:00

Something is wrong with Craig Wilson. He's swinging through meaty fastballs. That just doesn't happen when Craig is right. Were the first few months of 2004 an illusion?

Congrats to Chris Duffy

2005-04-15T21:36:00.000-04:00

Your first big league hit was a big one.

Attention Pirate Management

2005-04-13T16:06:00.000-04:00

Can we put the Rick White back into storage please? It's expiration date was 1998.

I'm sure he's a nice guy and all, but he really doesn't belong in the major leagues. And for god's sake, he should never, ever be pitching in a tied game before the 26th inning.

Isn't the strength of the team supposed to be the bullpen? Yet, in the 8th inning of a tied game all you can come up with is Rick White? We are 9 days into the season, so I find it hard to believe that the entire bullpen needed a day off. Aren't we carrying 12 pitchers?

And tomorrow we will have to read another article saying that it's not Lloyd's fault that the economics of baseball are all screwed up.

You know what? It's not Lloyd's fault that the Pirates won't make the playoffs this season. Nobody thinks that. It's not even his fault that nobody can hit with men on base. But he owes it to us to do the best he can with what he has. At no point is Rick White-flag ever anybody's best option out of the bullpen in a tied game. Never, ever, ever. That's just setting yourself up for failure.

Getting an early start

2005-04-13T12:45:00.000-04:00

Here's the first of what will be many such articles published in the local rags, crying "Whoa to the Pirates."

Spare me.

The Economics of Baseball* are such that it is more difficult for the Pirates to win than it is for the Cardinals or Cubs. We get it. It's true. Nobody has ever argued that point.

However, and note my use of all caps here to simulate how strongly I feel about this, IT IS NOT IMPOSSIBLE FOR THE PIRATES TO FIELD A WINNING TEAM.

Effective player development, efficient management of resources, and luck are the only ingredients you need to be successful. The Pirates have been miserable in all 3 areas.

So, my message to the Goose Goslins, Ron Cooks, and Mark Maddens of the world is to give it a rest. We get it. This team sucks. This team has sucked. And this team will suck until new management arrives. But there's nothing the Marlins, A's, Twins haven't done that we couldn't replicate here with a moderate infusion of competancy.

*-Copyright, Bud Selig

Junker

2005-04-12T16:03:00.000-04:00

Q: How do you know when the expectations of your favorite team are ridiculously low?

A: When a local sportswriter devotes a column lamenting the loss of a 3rd baseman 8 years ago, who has a career .765 OPS.

Sigh.

We can do better.

Will the real Kip Wells please stand up, please stand up

2005-04-12T14:46:00.000-04:00

Is it too early to panic-sell Kip wells in your roto league? Yes. Yes it is.

Is it too early to be worried about him as a fan of the Pirate? Definitely not. The lack of command is troubling. Is he hiding an elbow problem?

Lost Pirate: Larry McWilliams

2005-04-11T23:04:00.000-04:00

This week's Lost Pirate comes straight to us from the 80's. A lanky left-hander with a funky delivery, Larry McWilliams was acquired via trade in exchange for his photo negative image, Pascual Perez.

A former first round pick with the Braves, McWilliams struggled to find himself until he joined the Pirates. McWilliams 1983 season still stands as one of the finest seasons a lefty has ever had in a Pirate uniform, as he went 15-8 with a 3.25 era and 199 strikeouts.

McWilliams completely lost it after the 1984 season and rapidly faded into obscurity...but not before becoming one of the bevy of mediocrities the Pirate lavished million dollar contracts on. (See Exhibit B, George Hendrick.)

Hat, meet ring

2005-04-11T11:11:00.000-04:00

The Pirate blogosphere is awash in 2005 predictions, and since I'm never one to miss a party:

NL East:
Phillies
Marlins
Braves
Mets
.
.
.
Nationals

The Nationals clearly are the worst team in this division. I expect them to lose 95+ games. The rest all can reasonably expect a .500, though I don't quite think the Mets will get there. And yes, I realize predicting the Braves for 3rd is akin to predicting the sun won't shine.

NL Central:
Cardinals
Cubs
Brewers
Reds
Pirates
Astros

Ok...out on a limb a bit. This differs slightly from my early off-season predictions, but things have changed. I think the Cardinals are definitely due for a little slippage, but they still stand as the class of the division. The Cubs have a shot at the wild-card. The rest of the division will be miserable with the Astros all getting old at the same time.

NL West:
Padres
Dodgers
Colorado
Giants
Arizona

I think the Padres pitching will carry them through in the West. My general impression is that the Dodgers are heading for a very disappointing season, but I really can't pick them to finish below any of these other teams. Colorado is, well, if not the Pirates of the West, then maybe the Reds of the West. Rarely horrible, though never quite average. Everyone is greatly overrating the Giants this year, though this pick could look awfully foolish if Bonds somehow manages to suit up for 120 games. Arizona spent a lot of money in vain.

NL Summary: The NL East appears to be set up for a terrific race and is certainly the best division overall. Any of the top 3 teams could take the division. The Cardinals are still the best team in the NL, and should waltz into the playoffs. The Padres are playoff fodder. Cubs take the wildcard due to the easy Central schedule even though I think the Marlins and Braves are actually better teams.

MVP: Al Pujols
Cy Young: Jake Peavy

Irrational despair

2005-04-06T22:55:00.000-04:00

Man on the street, April 1:
"This is the season that the Pirates finally break .500"

Man on the street, April 6:
"This team is going to lose 100 games."

Everybody take a DEEEEEEP breath and say to yourself, "It's only 2 games."

We should have already known that this is not a very good team. That fact wouldn't be changed if the Pirates had won the first 2 games. I recognize that they do have a chance to be slightly better than recent Pirate editions, but that would be hitting the lucky side of the bell curve. The most likely scenario is another mid-70's win total season.

Thanks ESPN

2005-04-06T22:37:00.000-04:00

ESPN's ticker has been running a blurb all day that reads as follows:

"3 Pirates minor leaguers suspended for failing drug tests last year"

There's a perfect example of using the truth to mislead. There is no mention of the dozens of other players on other teams that were suspended. Worse yet, 2 of the players were playing for other organizations when they failed the tests! So, thanks ESPN for kicking us when we are down.

On a side note, did anyone read Peter Gammons' preseason predictions? Naturally he predicts David Ortiz will win the AL MVP. But in hilarious fashion, he then predicted that Nomar Garciaparra will win the NL MVP. Come on Peter...it's OBVIOUS you root for the Red Sox, but don't be sooooo predictable. It reminds me of the guy in every roto league that resorts to selecting players that used to play for his favorite team after all the current players are taken.

My apologies...

2005-04-06T18:15:00.000-04:00

...to Tike Redman. I had a friend from back home named Tyke, so I always want to spell your name with a Y instead of an I. My apologies.

Damn I need an editor.

More on Tyke Redman

2005-04-05T17:49:00.000-04:00

Lloyd McClendon has come out and justified his placement of Redman in the 3-hole by claiming a computer simulation has determined that it's the ideal place for him. This is quite a surprise because I had no idea anybody in Pirate management knew how to use a computer. Smelling a rat, I made a few calls to my inside contacts and was able to obtain the source code for this program.

pirate_lineup_creator.exe

if YEAR > 1992, execute subroutine LOSTCAUSE
otherwise execute subroutine WEAREFAMILY
.
.
LOSTCAUSE
if C = Santiago
and
3B = Wigginton
and
1B = Ward
then might as well put Tyke Redman 3rd
else
bloggers have nothing to complain about

All kidding aside, I applaud McClendon for having the courage to try something unconventional. If you are out-gunned, as the Pirates are, you've got to find creative solutions. I doubly applaud McClendon for finding a way to try something unconventional while at the same time setting up a scape goat for when it goes horribly, horribly wrong.

Let's just hope we see Craig Wilson get some hacks tomorrow.

Lost Pirate: Pud Galvin

2005-04-04T11:41:00.000-04:00

In honor of opening day, this week's lost Pirate is the franchise's original opening day starting pitcher, Pud Galvin. Galvin opened the 1887 season for the then Alleghenys by beating the Chicago White Stockings of the NL 6-2.

Although the best years of Galvin's Hall of Fame career were spent with the Buffalo Bisons, he did spend 7 very productive year at the end of his career with the Alleghenys/Pirates. As far as I can recall, he is the only Hall of Fame pitcher to have spent a significant portion of his prime in Pittsburgh.

Batting Third: Tyke Redman

2005-04-02T10:26:00.000-05:00

Ummm.... hmm. This is, ummm.....yeah.

Let's take a look at the McLogic that has led us to this point.

"Look, we can sit here and talk about why Tike is not the prototypical No. 3 hitter. But, if you want to talk about legitimate No. 3 hitters, we don't have one. We don't have Jim Edmonds. We make do with what we have, whether that's Tike or Bay or anybody else."

(To paraphrase..."You go to war with the army you have, not the army you wish you had." Nod to Don Rumsfeld.)

So...if you dont have a legitimate #3 hitter, and for the record what the hell is Jason Bay, just throw up your hands and stick anybody there.

(Let me suggest to Bay that he contact an attorney about pursuing a slander suit against McClendon for lumping him in the same category of hitter as Tyke Redman.)

I wonder if the same logic would apply to the bullpen. If you don't have a "legitimate closer" then why not just stick Johnny AAA in that role. Perhaps it also applies to the manager. If you can't afford a "legitimate manager", just stick Lloyd in there.

Just when you think you've heard it all, there's more. From Dejan's article:

Part of McClendon's motivation, as he explained it, is to move high-average players to the top. That would be Lawton (.277 last season), Jack Wilson (.308) and Redman (.280). This way, he added, he could minimize his team's glaring shortage of players with a history of good on-base percentage.

Let's analyze this gem. McClendon recognizes that it is advantageous to put your high OBP guys at the top of the lineup. But when he looks at the roster, he notices there aren't enough of these guys. So instead of making due with what he has, he decides to entirely ignore OBP and build the lineup around another statistic that isn't so cruel to his players. How this minimizes a shortage of high OBP players is left to our imagination.

If you recognize the importance of OBP, doesn't logic dictate that you build the lineup around your best OBP guys, even if your best isn't particularly good? McClendon has forgotten that statistics exist to help you measure performance, not justify decisions.

(Somewhere in here is a great topic for a Management by Baseball article based on cherry-picking metrics to suit your needs, reality be damned.)

In the final analysis, this decision probably won't have much of a lasting effect anyway. Redman is unlikely to hit well enough to justify batting third no matter what statistic you want to use. Even McLogic is bound to recognize this eventually.

April Fools

2005-04-02T10:23:00.000-05:00

As if you didn't know. Hope I got ya.

Rapidly developing story

2005-04-01T11:52:00.000-05:00

I don't know if there's smoke where there's fire, but this story is really developing rapidly. If Silver's group's bid to purchase the Pirates is accepted, he has a deal in place with major league baseball to move the team to Portland for the start of the 2007 season.

Don't despair yet...reportedly MLB will only approve this sale if it can find another team willing to relocate to Pittsburgh starting with the 2007 season (most likely Jeff Loria's Marlins), as neither Silver nor MLB is willing to pay the stiff penalty for breaking the lease at PNC Park.

This makes sense on a couple of fronts. Silver is from the Pacific Northwest, so it follows that he has connections that could get a new ballpark in Portland constructed rapidly enough to open in time for the 2007 season. Also, this would satisfy Loria's incessant whining about a new ballpark. It's unclear if the name "Pirates" would remain in Pittsburgh or follow the team to Portland.

McClatchy to sell?

2005-04-01T09:29:00.000-05:00

Baseball Monthly is reporting that a group led by Donald Silvers has made a serious offer to buy the Pittsburgh Pirates. According to the source, the Pirates have secretly been for sale since around the time the announcement was made that the 2006 All-Star Game would be played in Pittsburgh. Apparently, Silvers turned his eye towards the Pirates after his bid to purchase the Minnesota Vikings was rejected. Although Silvers is from Seattle, he does have ties to the area as his wife is from Cleveland.

McClatchy must be betting that the value of the franchise will never be higher, with the impending All-Star Game and the young, inexpensive talent the Pirates have accumulated. Plus, he's probably also anxious to dump the team before the next great free agency exodus hits the Bucs, which would undoubtedly destroy whatever goodwill is left from the building of PNC Park and the 2006 All-Star Game.

Williams over Duke/Vogelsong

2005-03-28T14:37:00.000-05:00

Dave Williams has been named as the Pirate's 5th starter.

Yes, yes, and yes. Good decision for at least 3 reasons:

#1. I want to find out about Dave Williams as a starter. It's been 2 full years since his major surgery, so if not now, then never.

#2. Zach Duke will now get the work he needs at AAA. With an abundance of spring rainouts and early season off days, I didn't want to see Duke waste service time sitting on the pine or "getting in his work" in a 9-2 blow-out. If Duke is as good as we think he is, he can go dominate AAA for a month or 2, then come on up as soon as someone gets hurt or screws up. It won't be long.

#3. Ryan Vogelsong belongs in the pen, for now. He's struggled mightily in the rotation, but pitched well out of the pen. Let him experience some extended success and work on that split-finger pitch before we throw him into the rotation again.

Lost Pirate of the Week

2005-03-28T12:11:00.000-05:00

Let me toss some numbers at you:

Batting Average: .302
HR: 17
RBI: 80

What Pirate player do you think posted those seasonal averages from 1973 - 1976?
Nope, not him.
Him neither.
Huh-uh.

It was Richie Zisk. At the age of 27 in 1976, Richie already had a 100 RBI season, 2 seasons of 20+ HR, and a lifetime average of .299.

Zisk's career as a Pirate ended in December of '76, as he was dealt to the White Sox for Goose Gossage and Terry Forster. This trade made a great deal of sense for the Bucs, as they were without a fireman after the October death of Bob Moose. Additionally, the Bucco outfield was a very crowded house in 1976 with the likes of sluggers Al Oliver, Dave Parker, and Bill Robinson plus up-and-comers like Omar Moreno and Tony Armas.

Light posting

2005-03-25T11:19:00.000-05:00

Yes...posting has been light here recently. I've been busy this week taking part in fantasy baseball drafts and putting together a home page for one of my leagues. Check it out, I think it's well done if light on content for now. FYI, I'm the appropriately named Pittsburgh Potholes.

As the regular season gets started, I'll probably resume my daily posting schedule.

Bullish on Bullington

2005-03-24T08:54:00.000-05:00

Baseball America's lead on-line article yesterday was a feature on Bryan
Bullington. I don't own a subscription, so I couldn't read the whole
article. But the teaser reads as follows:

Though No. 2 pick B.J. Upton beat him to majors, and his fastball is 2-5 mph slower than his college days at Ball State, the Pirates are satisfied with 2002
No. 1 draftee Bryan Bullington.

Hmmm...so, even though the player they COULD HAVE drafted is poised to make an impact this season, and the player they DID take has experienced a regression in skill, Baseball America accepts the party line that the Pirates are "satisfied."

Of course, if you ask Littlefield if he's happy with Bullington, he's not going to reply, "No, I wish we had Upton." Littlefield is smarter than that. But the fact remains that Bullington's progress is not fine for a #1 overall draft pick who was selected specifically because he was more major league ready.

But that milk has been spilled. Let's hope that Bullington explodes on AAA this season and is ready to play a big role in 2006.

Lost Pirate: George Grantham

2005-03-21T18:41:00.000-05:00

What if I told you that there was a Pirate player who:

1. Was a major contributor to 2 penant winning and 1 world champion Pirate teams
2. Had a lifetime batting average of .302
3. Has Jackie Robinson listed as his most comparable player by baseball-reference.com

What if I then told you that you had never heard of this player? Yup...that's George Grantham. Go check him out.

Heading north

2005-03-18T18:20:00.000-05:00

The Pirates will soon be heading north. Here's the team I hope they will be taking:

C - Santiago, Cota
IF - J.Wilson, Castillo, Wigginton, C.Wilson, R.Mackowiak, F.Sanchez, Hill, Ward
OF - Bay, Redman, Lawton, Grieve

SP - Perez, Wells, Fogg, Redman, Williams
RP - Mesa, Gonzalez, Grabow, Meadows, Torres, Vogelsong

That's not gonna happen. LittleMc (or is it McLenfield?) seems dead set on bringing 12 pitchers. Since you don't really need a 5 starter for the first month, that leaves 7 pitchers working out of the pen. That seems a little excessive, especially with rubber-armed Torres available 5 nights a week.

As it is, Mike Johnston will definitely also make the team. (***Update: Johnston has developed a blister. He's out, Lopez is likely in.) That means Grieve is out. The only wildcard seems to be Zach Duke, who seemingly could win the 5th starter job with a brilliant start tonight. But, as I stated earlier, it makes no sense to bring Duke north right out of camp because he'd wouldn't get any work unless he was used in relief. I think it would be wiser to send him to AAA, and if he experiences immediate success, bring him to Pittsburgh in May or June.

Quote of the night

2005-03-15T21:52:00.000-05:00

Courtesy Sean Hannity:

"People on the left have this misconception that weapons are dangerous."

Search results

2005-03-15T19:13:00.000-05:00

I use a counter provided by sitemeter.com to keep track of the number of visitors to this site. One of its interesting features is that it lets you know how folks find your site, including the key words used on search engines to get here. Here are a few of the recent unusual searches that have resulted in a visit to Batting Third:

cost of bread from 1960-2005
Fred McGriff 2005
billy wagner autographed picture
rusty staub homosexual

Just thought it might be interesting to you. It was to me.

Setting expectations

2005-03-15T07:57:00.000-05:00

Paul Meyer had a feature on Ty Wigginton yesterday in the PG. In it, Lloyd McClendon is quoted as saying:

"I really expect him to hit .280, hit 25 home runs and drive in 80 to 85 runs."

Now, those numbers certainly are POSSIBLE, but they would represent a big improvement and likely establish a new level of performance that we just haven't seen from Wigginton. This being the case, I don't think we can EXPECT those numbers.

Now, I don't know if Lloyd really expects that type of performance from Wigginton or if he is just trying to promote his player. But Paul Meyer certainly seems to buy into this projection. He goes so far as to put forth the following:

If Wigginton does that -- and he offered hope he can in September when he batted .282 with four home runs and 17 RBIs -- Pirates fans can overlook his 2004 stats.

and

The numbers were there for Wigginton before the trade. In 86 games with the Mets, he batted .285 with 12 home runs and 42 RBIs.

Both excerpts from Meyer's article are fine examples of selective thinking. It's ridiculous to pick and choose small sample sizes from a larger population and assert that the smaller sample size represents the player's true level of performance. It would have been just as valid for Meyer to point to Wigginton's numbers after the trade and assert that .220/.306/.341 is his true level of performance.

Meyer isn't alone though. You see folks doing this all the time in sports. For example, if Team A goes 16-12 during the month of June, fans will expect the team to repeat that performance in July, even if they went 12-16 in May.

It's especially evident this time of year. How many times have you read that a certain player is expected to make the team based on a hot start in spring training? Guess what...that hot start is probably based on about 30 at bats. Meanwhile, everyone forgets that the player hit .240 in 300 at bats last season.

In the end, Wigginton will probably do pretty much what he did last season overall. The prediction here is: .275, 15 HR, 70 RBI.

A windy Pirate blog

2005-03-14T22:35:00.000-05:00

There is a fledgling Pirate blog, out of Chicago of all places, that is worth checking out. It's called The Parrot Speaks. Go check it out.

Todd Ritchie retires

2005-03-14T21:52:00.000-05:00

It's been reported that Todd Ritchie has left camp and is set to announce his retirement. He really hasn't pitched in 2 years and his struggles this spring meant he was going to have to scratch and claw his way to AAA anyway.

Rather than remembering him as just one more failed rotator cuff rehab data point, I'll remember him as the first guy to throw a meaningful pitch at PNC Park.

Thanks Todd.

Will vs. Jose

2005-03-14T12:09:00.000-05:00

I highly recommend tuning in to the CNBC show "Big Idea with Donny Deutsch" tonight. (Yes...I just recommended CNBC.)

Will Carroll and the most powerful man in professional sports, Jose Canseco, will be on the show discussing steroids in baseball.

While I am getting tired of all steroid talk, all the time, this is a show I can't pass up. Carroll is the author of a soon to be released book titled, "The Juice: The Real Story of Baseball's Drug Problems." Having read Carroll before, I expect this book to cut through all the crap on the steroid controversy and deliver objective, fact-based, and informed opinion on the matter. If you prefer rumor, innuendo, and grand-standing, then maybe you should just go ahead and buy Canseco's book.

In any event, this represents a rare opportunity for someone who knows what they are talking about to press Canseco on some of the statements he's made.

**UPDATE: Here in Pirate-land (where Leyland's Bucs Play Hardball), the show comes on at 10 pm.

Lost Pirates

2005-03-14T11:52:00.000-05:00

You'll notice I've added a new "feature" to the site called Lost Pirate of the Week. Every week I'll put a link to the baseballreference.com page of a Pirate that you probably haven't thought about in a long time but who once played a significant role for the team.

The first Lost Pirate is Jim Morrison, 3b and role player for the mid-80's Bucs. One thing that stood out from his record is that he finished 10th in the NL in home runs in 1986 with 23. How times have changed!

Ward or Grieve?

2005-03-13T10:09:00.000-05:00

Not much going on yet in Pirate land. Ollie seems to be getting back on track. Wells had a nice outing. Bay isn't seriously hurt. Now you are caught up.

Does anyone realize the ridiculous importance people put on spring training statistics? Ben Grieve went 4 for 9, and suddenly everybody is a-twitter. It's hard to believe that so many futures are determined by such an absurdly small sample size against minor league pitching.

Anyway, the only interesting battle in camp is coming down to the "left-handed role player who can't field a position" role. The candidates are Grieve and Daryle Ward. Both are former uber-prospects who have had their moments in the sun in the show, but have fallen on hard times for whatever reason. Littlefield is said to be intrigued by the flashes Ward showed last season with the Bucs. But I'm rooting for Grieve.

The hidden vigorish of this "battle" is that it shouldn't even be taking place. Both guys should make the team. There's no reason the Pirates have to carry 12 pitchers, especially in April/May. With so many off days, your 5th starter can be skipped, essentially giving you another arm in the pen.

I guess Littlefield feels that 12 pitchers give Lloyd McClendon the opportunity to do what he does best...trot out to the mound 25 times a game.

Juxtaposition (Subtitle: the power of Canseco)

2005-03-11T15:40:00.000-05:00

According to industry analysts, gas prices will soon go up even more – some predict nearly 24 cents a gallon over the next few days.

The number of American military personnel who have been killed in Iraq has passed 1,500. In the region of 11,000 Americans have been wounded.

America’s soaring federal budget deficits represent a major obstacle to long-term U.S. economic stability... Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan warned on Thursday. (T)he federal deficit, estimated by the administration to hit a record $521 billion this year, will amount to 4.25 percent of the total economy after being in surplus just a few years ago.

Congressional Committee May Subpoena Baseball Stars on Steroids

Reality bites

2005-03-11T08:28:00.000-05:00

Here's an early finalist for funniest headline of the year:

Mondesi remains bitter about release last season

Life in Pittsburgh

2005-03-09T08:42:00.000-05:00

It's Still Winter

Turnpike's Superpave Asphalt Already Crumbling

New Asphalt Crumbling on Rt. 65 Overpass

City Council Ducks a Vote on Firefighters Contract

Pirates Release Former Top Prospect

Bell Signs With Chiefs, Burress Won't Return

Just a typical Mid-March day in the fair city of Pittsburgh.

Fire IE. Firefox

2005-03-08T22:53:00.000-05:00

Switched from Internet Explorer to Mozilla's Firefox. I don't know why I didn't do it a long time ago. More folks leave IE every day. I'm typically ahead of such trends and I'm certainly no fan of IE.

Take it from me...do yourself a favor and make the switch. You won't regret it, unless you LIKE spyware and adware.

And it's nice to be surfing the web on a Mozilla product again. Reminds me of the good old days.

Unfulfilled potential

2005-03-08T20:44:00.000-05:00

The Bucs let go another former top prospect again today. This time it's JR House. Unlike other recent failed prospects, (JJ Davis comes to mind) House could actually play. He just couldn't stay on the field.

I'm a bit perplexed as to why the Bucs would just cut him though because he still had potential. Anyway, I guess House should have stuck to his plan to play football at WVU after all.

Poor Plax

2005-03-07T22:36:00.000-05:00

Did ANYONE think that Plaxico Burress and Tom Coughlin were going to work well together? Both should run, not walk, away from that possible relationship.

Timing is everything

2005-03-07T21:05:00.000-05:00

So, I'm on my way home from work today at the usual time (rush hour) when suddenly traffic screeches to a halt. I don't mean a crawl. I don't mean stop and go. I mean cars in 'park' for 15-20 minutes.

Now it's not unusual to go 2 miles in 20 minutes when you are approaching one of the tunnels on the parkway, but this was different. With time on my hands, I started flipping the radio dial. Sure enough, good old KDKA informed me that the parkway west, from downtown to the airport, would be closed intermittently from 4:45 to 5:45 to allow George and Laura Bush's motorcade to pass. It seems they were in town to discuss the benefits of faith based initiatives, which is a waste of time around here, since a town full of Pirate fans is guaranteed to know all about faith based initiatives already.

Well, at least everybody was 45 minutes late for a good cause. Bush must not have been able to get a later flight on such short notice. With the new airport security hassles, I don't mind putting my life on hold so that the President has enough time to safely go through the screening before boarding the plane.

OK...I'm kidding of course. Since the President flies a litte charter called Air Force One, why not time his damned departure so that the whole freaking world doesn't come to a god damned halt? Would it kill him to spend another hour in town or leave an hour early? Does this even occur to anyone else?

Perez, Bay contracts

2005-03-04T20:58:00.000-05:00

I'll give you 2 good reasons why I (unlike the seeming majority of fans) have a hard time feeling sorry that the contracts the Pirates gave to Ollie Perez and Jason Bay weren't to their liking.

1. Because that's the way the system works, as negotiated by the players.
2. Because of quotes like this, from Jack Wilson:

"It's unfortunate that two of our best players have to find out the harsh business of baseball so early in their career."

Wilson is one of the humblest, most unassuming athletes in professional sports. But if he can be so divorced from reality, then I have a hard time fretting that Perez and Bay each got raises that are significantly higher than the median income in Allegheny County.

In case you think Wilson is alone, here's what Josh Fogg had to say:

"It's kind of sad. It makes you wonder what (the Pirates) are doing if this is how they treat their best pitcher and offensive player on the team last year."

Let me tell you what they are doing, Josh. They are playing by the rules to which you, your teammates, and your union leadership agreed.

They are playing by the rules just as they were when they paid Derek Bell's full salary during operation shutdown.

They are playing by the same rules that guarantee every contract, whether a player wins the MVP or sits out half the season with a hang nail.

They are playing by the same rules that ensure Perez and Bay, if they deserve, will be multi-millionaires many times over.

I have never, will never begrudge any player or professional athlete his salary. I have never, will never curse a player for leaving my favorite teams to follow the gold somewhere else (and there's plenty of opportunity to curse here in Pittsburgh.) Why? Because those are the rules.

So my suggestion to Perez, Bay, or any 0 - 3 player who is unhappy with their salary is to get on the phone with your union leaders and tell them that you want to pursue a purely performance based salary structure in baseball. I have a feeling the owners will be mighty receptive.

Don't blame Maz

2005-03-03T19:46:00.000-05:00

As you may have heard, the newly configured Veteran's Committee has failed to vote anyone into the Baseball Hall of Fame this year. This really isn't surprising as the new rules instituted in 2003 make it likely that nobody will ever be elected via this means. This isn't necessarily a bad thing.

What IS a bad thing is the AP story that reported the HOF vote and concluded with the following paragraph:

The old Veterans Committee, which met annually, had 15 members in most years and was criticized for cronyism. The Hall changed the system after Bill Mazeroski, a career .260 hitter with a great glove, was elected in 2001.

On the way in to work today, I heard 2 national radio commentators (copy readers) report this story and then opine that the rules were made tougher as a result of Bill Mazeroski's induction in 2001. One went so far as to refer to Mazeroski as "Bill Mazeroski, of the .260 lifetime average." I don't know how much the average middle-aged national sports reporter knows about Maz (after all he never played for the Red Sox, Yankees, or Dodgers) but I can't think of too many other players for whom their lifetime batting average is a worse description of their achievements.

Now I have no idea who wrote this story for the AP. But whoever it was obviously feels as though ol' #9 doesn't belong in the HOF and was inducted due to cronyism. The commentators I heard obviously took their cues from the article. As you might surmise, I have a problem with this.

First, let's tackle the obvious. Does Bill Mazeroski belong in the HOF? That's something that can only be answered subjectively, but Maz certainly didn't lower the standards of the HOF. Still, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, so if someone wants to think that Ozzie Smith is a first ballot HOFer yet Bill Mazeroski doesn't belong, then they are entitled to be wrong.

What really burns my britches is the allegation of cronyism. You can argue that Maz doesn't fit the bill based on his performance, but there's no basis for arguing that his election was fraudulent. If you want evidence of cronyism, take a look at the elections of Pee Wee Reese or Phil Rizzuto, two guys who stretch the limits of the Hall's credibility who had teammates on the VC. Who did Maz have in his back pocket on the Veteran's Committee?

Whether or not you think Maz belongs (and he does belong), let's not blame him for keeping the Santos and Hodges of the world out.

Humberto Cota

2005-03-02T07:32:00.000-05:00

In the Q&A, Dejan writes:

Oh, and do not forget about catcher. The uncertainty at that position might not go away all year, especially if Humberto Cota makes the most of his chance. The optimism seems to be very high in the Pirates' fold that this will happen.

Based on what? The Pirates are so high on Cota that they brought in the fossilized remains of Benito Santiago? I see nothing in Cota's resume to warrant such faith anyway. Damn I hope he proves me wrong.

Ollie Perez

2005-03-02T07:22:00.000-05:00

Uhhhh....so you think the Pirates will ~~be able to~~ want to sign Ollie Perez to a long term deal before he hits free agency? Think again. I believe this is what my English teacher called "foreshadowing."

Past evidence says that they'd rather pay a couple of million each to a collection of over the hill stiffs than pay 1 star player his value and surround him with cheap young players. Of course, you can't fault them since this strategy has worked so well for them during the last dozen years.

Training camp for writers

2005-03-01T07:58:00.000-05:00

"News" is starting to flow from Bradenton. If you are interested in how your favorite Pirates are faring against batting practice pitchers and local community colleges, the stories are tallied daily over at Honest Wagner.

I haven't paid much attention to spring training yet. Maybe it's because all of the "news" is so predictable. Covering spring training must be the greatest gig. You get to lounge around on the beach, watch baseball, and mail-in a couple of cookie-cutter columns per week.

For example, there are typically about 5 or 6 standard-issue stories that you have to choose from.

1. Non-roster invitee trying to rediscover past performance level
2. Player coming off of disappointing year reports to camp in the best shape of his life
3. Mediocre pitcher showing off new pitch he learned in the off-season
4. Player X is hoping to be ready by opening day after off-season surgery
5. Failed prospect in camp for last shot at sticking with team
6. Player X is hoping weight gain/loss helps him improve power/speed

See if you can match them up with the recent camp reports you've read. I'm sure that I'm missing a few too.

Baseball America's top 100 prospects

2005-02-28T19:30:00.000-05:00

As reported by Honest Wagner, Baseball America is in the process of listing their top 100 prospects and right there at #81 is the newest Pirate prospect, Neil Walker. As BA counts down to #1, it will be interesting to see who else on the list hopes to one day wear black and gold. Zack Duke and Ian Snell are the best bets to make the list. Bryan Bullington might also make an appearance. Am I missing anybody?

Apart from the top 10-15 guys, I don't put too much stock in these lists. It's hard enough to project guys with some major league experience, let alone someone like Walker who hasn't even tasted AA ball. These lists say more about the relative strength of a team's system than they do about individual players.

Top 50 prospects

2005-02-25T13:41:00.000-05:00

Baseball Prospectus has posted their top 50 prospects for 2005. No prospective Pirates appear on the list. Zach Duke rates as an Honorable Mention. I think that says it all.

Duffy and McLouth

2005-02-25T11:37:00.000-05:00

Dejan's latest is an expose on camp invitees and outfield prospects Chris Duffy and Nate McLouth. In the online frontpage teaser for the article, it is said that:

McLouth and Duffy could be the team's most promising prospects since Barry Bonds and Jose Guillen.

Wow. That's quite a statement. I'm assuming that it's implying 'outfield prospects' and not prospects in general. Since Bonds made his debut in 1986, and Duffy and McLouth are 24 and 23 years old respectively, let's take a look at some of the other home-grown outfield prospects who have made their debut with the Pirates on or before their year 24 season, since 1986.

(in order of their debut)
Tommy Gregg
Orlando Merced
Moises Alou
Scott Bullett
Al Martin
Midre Cummings
Ben Shelton
Jermaine Allensworth
Trey Beamon
Adrian Brown
Emil Brown
Chad Hermansen
Tyke Redman
JJ Davis

Hmmm. So what do we have here? I see a handful of #1 picks and big time prospects. I also see a couple of guys only hardcore Pirates fans would remember. I see one legitimate impact player, who ironically, was traded for a bunch of magic beans.

In the end, 20 years of home-grown outfield prospects has essentially netted the Bucs 2 long-gone, typically average major league players (Merced, Martin) and one guy who will probably live out his days as a #4 outfielder (Redmen).

Keep in mind that these are the guys who made their debuts on or before their age 24 season. Duffy turns 25 this April and has never played above AA, while McLouth turns 24 just after the end of the season. If this is the best the Pirates have to offer, I'll just have to temper my enthusiasm.

Fortunately, in opposition to the frontpage teaser, the article itself bears more of the patented Dejan balance that we came to expect in his days covering the Penguins. Still, pardon me if I cast a skeptical eye at yet more Bucco 'hot prospects.' At this point, I don't really want to hear about anybody until they demonstrate their skills at the major league level.

Lopez's comeback??

2005-02-21T10:19:00.000-05:00

Headline from Dejan in today's PG:

Lopez's comeback taking shape

The first thing that hit me was, Lopez who? Reading the article, I found out it was Albie Lopez. If you only recently started following baseball or if you are unfamiliar with long relievers on last place teams, then this name is unfamiliar to you. Yet he is significant enough that Lloyd McClendon was quoted as saying the following about Lopez:

"He's an experienced pitcher, a power arm. I don't know if it's still there, but
I'd like to find out. It's no significant risk to our organization to find out
if he has anything left. The rewards are tremendous if he can."

Um...ok. Let me repeat that..."The rewards are tremendous if he can make a comeback. " Wow. Lopez must have been quite a pitcher. Let's take a look at his stats via baseballreference.com.

Career
W: 47
L: 58
ERA: 4.94

Well, that's not so good. Maybe he had a great peak before he had arm trouble. Let's take a look at his 3 best seasons.

1998:
W - L - G - GS - ERA - IP
7 - 4 - 54 - 0 - 2.60 - 79.2

2000:
W - L - G - GS - ERA - IP
11 - 13 - 45 - 24 - 4.13 - 185.1

2001:
W - L - G - GS - ERA - IP
9 - 19 - 33 - 33 - 4.81 - 205.2

Hmmm...so at his absolute best, Lopez was a #5 starter who had 1 pretty good season as a middle reliever. Exactly what kind of comeback are the Pirates hoping for?

Don't get me wrong. I find no fault in inviting a player like this to spring training. But if a guy like this warrants a feature article touting his comeback...well, let's just say the Pirates haven't quite arrived as a contender.

Now I gotta head off to church. We are having a prayer service for Ollie Perez's left shoulder.

It was nice to know you, JR House

2005-02-20T21:21:00.000-05:00

So yet another top Pirates prospect rides off into the sunset, never to be seen again. Everyone is reporting that JR House has a torn labrum, and several other miscellaneous rips, tears, breaks, and things that will require season ending surgery. House has always been plagued with injuries, but it's doubly disappointing this spring since I thought he was a good bet to get some serious playing time with the Bucs.

Oh well. If House is able to come back from this latest, greatest set back, it won't be as a catcher and I'm pretty sure it won't be with the Bucs, since they already preferred the corpse of Benny Santiago.

In other fantastic spring training news, Oliver Perez has yet to throw from the mound. He arrived for his workout today with a stiff shoulder. The company line is that he 'slept on it wrong.' Uh...ok. Maybe. But this is the 3rd straight day that something has prevented him from starting his throwing routine. Red flag anyone? Let's hope for the best, and expect, as always, the worst.

Steroids and the HOF

2005-02-16T22:41:00.000-05:00

So we know that Jose Canseco is never going to make an acceptance speech at Cooperstown. But the recent allegations could have a direct impact on a number of candidates. No matter what you may think about the whole steroid mess, it's seems as if a large number of the old school types who are the typical HOF voters have put a great deal of emphasis on the scandal.

I have no doubt that the recent allegations will cost Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire a number of votes. But both of those guys are going to be 1st ballot HOF unless proof comes out that they were injecting little leaguers with HGH.

Until the recent allegations came out, Rafeal Palmeiro was also a lock to be a 1st ballot HOFer. But if these allegations about him end up having any teeth, I think he'll have to wait before he eventually gets in. Similarly, Pudge Rodriguez, if he retired today, might not get in because of the allegations. But I think with a couple of more good seasons, he'll end up in the same boat as Palmeiro.

Ironically, the steroid allegations may actually help a couple of players reach the HOF. I believe that Fred McGriff's career will be seen in a whole new light. Rather than "the player who couldn't get to 500 in the home run era", he'll become "the player who almost got to 500 even without steroids." Voters looking to make a morality play out of the vote will likely look to reward someone like McGriff or Craig Biggio, who are free and clear of any steroid allegations.

In another interesting twist, I couldn't help but notice that it's suddenly become trendy to look favorably upon the character of Ken Griffey Jr. again, a 1st ballotter already anyway, as he is far removed from the steroid rumors.

It's amazing how quickly a 15 year career can be colored one way or the other by rumor and innuendo.

MBB guest post

2005-02-15T14:10:00.000-05:00

3 cheers for Jeff Angus at Management by Baseball! It took me about 6 weeks to produce the article I promised him, but only about 12 hours for him to polish it up and make it a decent read. Go check it out.

Blogger predictions

2005-02-15T09:22:00.000-05:00

Charlie over at the fine Pirate blog Value Over Replacement Blog has posted his preview of the NL Central, and has predicted nothing but bad things for the Bucs. Here I thought I was a pessimist!

I certainly agree that contention is not around the corner. But I found some of Charlie's criticism unfair. For example, Charlie uses the fact that many players last year performed significantly better than was expected. But the players he cites (other than Mesa, let's not go there) are all young. Did Perez, Bay, J.Wilson, and Gonzalez have career years or did they merely attain new levels of performance? I don't think we can expect all of those players to repeat or better their 2004 performances, but after years of having young players not meet their potential, let's not punish the Pirates for having players who did.

Charlie also criticizes the Pirates 2 biggest off-season acquisitions. He says the following about Matt Lawton:

"Matt Lawton's defense will drive the Bucs' pitchers nuts, and his hitting is
nothing to write home about."

Let's look at this acquisition in context. Lawton will probably spend the majority of his time playing RF. This will shift Craig Wilson to first base. In 2004, Wilson got the majority of the team's RF at bats, while 1b was largely split between Randall Simon and Daryle Ward. No matter how poor Lawton is defensively, the combination of Lawton/Wilson is vastly superior boh offensively AND defensively to the combination of Wilson/Simon/Ward.

Next, he has this to say about Mark Redmen:

"Mark Redman will be capable but uninspiring in the rotation."

OK...that's likely to be true. Then again, Redmen is the Bucs #3 starter. How many teams experience inspiration from the #3 spot on a regular basis?

I found the rest of Charlie's analysis of the Pirates and the NL Central to be pretty much on the money. I just thought he was a bit tough on the ol'Bucs.

Littlefield Q&A

2005-02-14T00:10:00.000-05:00

OK...so I had roughly a 1,000 word post about the latest David Littlefield interview, and blogger made it disappear like Enrique Romo. If you've been blogging for any length of time, it's probably happened to you too. So....here is another shot at it.

Ed Eagle has conducted yet another interview with Littlefield for mlb.com. Whatever you think about Littlefield's performance, and I give him a C+, you have to commend him for being one of the most accessible GM's in the league. Now if only he would return my phone calls, emails, letters, and candy-grams....

Back to business. One of Littlefield's answers caught my attention. Eagle posed the following:

"Will any additional money that is not used for payroll this season carry over
to the 2006 payroll?"

Littlefield's answer:

"In baseball operations we are given a budget to work with, and as a general manager I want to use those resources to help the team get better in 2005. The ownership group who I report to, Kevin McClatchy, is 100 percent committed to trying to win and put every dollar available to help the team win. I anticipate using the dollars available to help this team get better in 2005."

I ran that answer through my patented GM translation software and came up with the following translation: "No. We will spend every last penny this year."

Truth is, I'm mostly ok with that answer. I'd even be ok with it if he said he won't spend any more this season and the savings will not carry over. As long as ownership puts forth a good faith effort to win a championship, I don't hold it against them if they don't spend up to the budget limit in a rebuilding year (and yes, this is yet another rebuilding year). Conversely, if the Pirates ever find themselves in a position to win a championship, I fully expect the ownership to stretch the budget a bit.

I've said it time and time again...the goal of a team is to win a championship. Period. It takes a bit of luck and a lot of talent to win one. The Pirates simply do not have enough scratch left in the budget to get the talent for this season to a level where they can sit back and let luck do its thing.

I almost wish that the Pirates budget was already tapped out. The worst thing that can happen is to spend the money on stop-gap veterans. I'm all for winning as many games as you can, but there's no point in spending resources (cash or prospects) that might one day be used to win a championship in order to get a 77 win team to 80 wins. Would you rather:

- Finish in 5th place while finding out if Mike Gonzalez can close and JR House can catch
or
- Finish in 4th place and find out if Jose Mesa and Benito Santiago have anything left in the tank

Well, Littlefield has already chosen the latter for this season. I hope he puts the checkbook away and lets the kids play.

---

About a month ago, I was asked by Jeff Angus from the excellent Management by Baseball site to contribute a guest article on a topic similar to the above post. A dozen emails, 6 trips to the hospital, and 1 surgery later, I have almost completed it. I'll let you know when the article has been posted, but it's worth your while to check MbB daily for a great read and a great lesson.

It's official

2005-02-13T20:20:00.000-05:00

I'm a square.

I'm watching the Grammy's and the first award they give out is best performance by a pop group or duo or something like that. I only recognized the name of one of the groups, ie No Doubt. And the song they were nominated for is a mediocre remake of a 20 year old pop song that never would have sniffed a top 20 list from the year it originally came out. Popular music has lost me forever.

I think I'll go dust off a classic ~~Fleetwood Mac~~ ~~Police~~ Marvin Gaye album and shed a few quiet tears.
.
.
.
Wait a second....Alicia Keys may have just saved all our souls. The flicker is faint, but it's still there.

2005-02-12T15:05:00.000-05:00

Just in case you have the winter blues...take this as a reminder that the time for baseball is drawing near.

4th place

2005-02-11T00:15:00.000-05:00

Tony DeMarco, who writes the MSNBC baseball predictions, has slotted the Pirates for 4th place, with a 75-87 record. On the other hand, he has also predicted that the Reds will finish in 4th place with a 80-82 record. So...I guess he was just hedging his bet.

Defining success in 2005

2005-02-09T22:30:00.000-05:00

Pre-season prognostications are starting to trickle in from the mainstream media, and if I had any faith that the national media knew anything about the Pirates, then I'd be awfully worried about their chances in 2005. It seems that most folks are impressed with the direction the Brewers are taking, which in the lazy mind pretty much relegates the Pirates to 6th place.

My opinion? I'd be surprised if the Pirates finished in last place. As a baseball fan in Pittsburgh, I know what a last place team looks like. The Pirates' roster just doesn't fit the bill. In order to finish 6th, you not only have to have a poor roster, but you also have to have a lot of bad luck in the form of injuries, collapses, and/or mid-season salary purges. I don't see many players on the Pirates roster suffering a serious regression (unless you think the season hinges on Jose Mesa). Nor do I see many key players being serious risks for injury, save Kip Wells.

My pick for last place? The Houston Astros. Yes, that's going out on a limb. And yes...the Astros have a better chance of making the playoffs than the Pirates. But I see risk up and down their roster. Biggio, Bagwell, and Clemens are all serious risks for falling off the shelf. Their best remaining hitter, Berkman, had serious knee surgery and might not be ready for the start of the season. Also at risk of injury...their #3 pitcher, Pettitte. And I have to believe that Lidge put some serious strain on his arm pitching about 116 innings in relief last season. Did I mention that the Astros lost 2 all stars in the off-season? (Kent, Beltran) So, add it all up and I can totally see a couple of injuries combining with a slow start yada yada yada, we know the drill.

Anyway, so I don't think the Pirates will finish in last place. But I also don't think they will sniff the top of the division. So, if we can't expect a championship in town this season, how can we define success for 2005? I've identified 5 indicators that I'll track to help determine whether or not the Pirates' 2005 season was successful.

(in no particular order)
#1. Jose Castillo shows enough progression that it's reasonable to think he'll realize his potential.

#2. Kip Wells has an injury-free season that allows him to re-establish his 2003 level of performance.

#3. The Pirates end the season knowing exactly who will play 3rd base in 2006.

#4. Jason Bay does not have to play CF.

#5. Someone from the Vogelsong, D. Williams, Snell, Bradley bunch establishes himself in the rotation.

Of course, there are many other things to look for in 2005... like what level will Jack Wilson establish and how will the catching situation play out. And there is always the unknown that can't really be predicted... like half the team blows out an ACL and the other half gets suspended for steroids. But those are the 5 things that I think are reasonable goals for the season. And my prediction for the Pirates' final rank? 4th place. And I've never been accused of being an optimist.

Pirate Salaries

2005-02-09T22:21:00.000-05:00

I don't maintain my links as often as I should. So I added a new link to a Pirate blog called Let's Go Bucs.

On that site, you can find the contract status of all the Buccos. Thanks for the great info!

Pirates' TV Schedule

2005-02-09T20:07:00.000-05:00

You can finally set your summer picnic schedule...the 2005 Pirates' TV schedule is out. Check it out here.

Hey Amos...

2005-02-07T18:18:00.000-05:00

I was checking out a list of 'lost' persons that are owed money by the IRS, and came across the name Amos Zereoue. So, a shout out to Amos....click on this link and see for yourself. Then give me a call and I'll let you know a fair way to split that check.

Goodbye, house with the pink roof

2005-02-03T19:44:00.000-05:00

Watching the local news last night, I heard a late breaking report of a fire in my old hometown. Obviously, my interest was piqued, but they gave no update before the end of the newscast. I almost forgot about the whole thing until something reminded me to check out my hometown online newspaper.

I clicked on the appropriate article link, and to my shock, saw a picture of a firefighter shooting water into my old childhood bedroom window. (Take a look.) Fortunately, nobody was in the home when it caught fire, and nobody was hurt putting it out. But unfortunately for the family that lives ther now, the home has been destroyed.

It's amazing some of the things to which we maintain attachments. It's been years since I've been in the house (my family sold it in 1989 when I was 15), but suddenly all the memories came rushing back. Holidays, birthdays, everydays...I even vaguely remember the people who sold us the house, old Mr. and Mrs. Miller. It must have been about 1978 or 79, I was about 4.

While my memories are rich and varied, many of the best ones are rooted in baseball. Summer days were spent playing, practicing, thinking, dreaming baseball. Those were the days when about 40 games a season were on tv, so when a game was on, I was glued to the tv for every precious pitch. I think the best times I ever had, or ever will have, were the times my dad would pitch batting practice to me in the back yard. It wasn't a large yard, so we'd have to pretend to be upset when I got ahold of one that went smashing off the aluminum siding.

Those days, and now that place, are gone forever. Thanks for the memories, house with the pink roof. See you tonight in my dreams.

Groundhog day

2005-02-02T23:48:00.000-05:00

FYI...G. Ogden Nutting emerged from his board room and saw his shadow, which means another season of below .500 baseball in Pittsburgh.

(Now you know what the 'G' stands for.)

Smizik smack down

2005-02-02T23:00:00.000-05:00

Bob Smizik wrote a bitingly humorous article on the failures of the McClatchy era in today's PG. Essentially, Smizik takes McClatchy to task for his recent belly-aching about other owners' spending habits by rightfully pointing out some of the ridiculous spending McClatchy himself has perpetrated.

Faster than you can say Kendall, Meares, Young, and Bell, Smizik makes the point that McClatchy is himself guilty of overspending for mediocrity or less. Of course, this is not covering new ground and Smizik's hindsight is 20/20.

I searched the Post Gazette's archive to see what Smizik had to say about the decisions he was now mocking. Unfortunately, the archive only dates back to late 2000 which predates the Meares and Young signings. I wasn't able to find any instant analysis of the Bell contract, but I did find the following article written about Kendall's 'new' contract. Smizik certainly didn't criticize it then. He went so far as to say, "They had to sign Kendall, and if it took $60 million over six seasons to do it, so be it."

Anyway, it's all a bunch of crying over spilled milk. None of those players will have anything to do with the success/failure of the Bucs in 2005 and beyond. It's fun to make light of an easy target like McClatchy (and I do it all the time), but I wish the folks who get paid for this stuff could give us real information. But I doubt that Smizik even knows where the Bucs high A level team is located (it's in Hickory, NC).

State of mind

2005-02-02T22:39:00.000-05:00

Being away from the blog for a few weeks, I've really come to notice that being a frequent writer really affects the way you think. Writing is something that sort of builds on itself. The more often you write, the easier it becomes to write more often. When you are writing frequently, you find yurself thinking about your next 'bit' during dinner, or at the mall, or in the car, or in the shower, etc.

Don't get me wrong...I never was obsessive about this blog! But whenever you hear or read something topical, you find yourself forming an outline of your take that eventually winds up on your blog. Having been away for a couple of weeks, I've discovered that I've lost that tendency. I'm sure it will come back soon enough, hopefully around the same time that my ability to put on my socks returns.

Player arbitration

2005-01-31T11:41:00.000-05:00

There is an excellent article over at the hardball times detailing the history and mechanics of the arbitration process (here).

Because of economics, the Pirates will always be forced to field a relatively young and inexperienced team. Therefore, arbitration has a huge impact on the team's finances (larger than free agency imho) and in turn a large impact on the quality of the team. If you are a Bucco fan and find that you don't have a grasp of this process, take a couple of minutes and check the article out.

Pain free living

2005-01-29T13:34:00.000-05:00

As you can see, I'm still kicking. The surgery went very, very well. I haven't even taken any pain medication since I emerged from the OR. I'm the proud new owner of a new 1 inch scar on my lower back, but otherwise I'll be good as new in a couple of weeks.

I have very few restrictions. I can't drive yet, so I can't go to work, but I can sit for a brief period and I can stand and walk without any pain at all. Truly, it's like morning has finally broken again. Most of all, I'm looking forward to holding my son for the first time in weeks!

A sincere thanks to everyone who has emailed or posted their concerns in the comments. Battingthird will be back to its regular schedule sometime this week.

And now for something completely different...

2005-01-26T09:59:00.000-05:00

3 weeks later and no change. So tomorrow they cut (microdiskectomy). Wish me luck.

If all goes well, I'll be home by Friday, blogging by Saturday.

Another update

2005-01-19T17:45:00.000-05:00

As you can see, I haven't been around here lately. Actually, I was stuck flat on my back from Thurs-Sun. For whatever reason, my pain continued to increase day after day, until it got so bad that I couldn't even roll over or flex my right leg. So I spent 5 days staring at the ceiling above my bed. Not fun.

The simple act of standing produced the type of pain that you can't talk through. Not until yesterday was I able to take more than a dozen or so steps at a time. I actually made it to physical therapy this morning (I have to put the seat down and ride with my legs straight out and feet in the trunk.)

Anyway, I started a course of steroid pills today that is supposed to provide relief in a few days. People who know me know things must be bad if I'm in so much pain that it keeps me off the internet for a week! Hopefully I'll be back to blogging shortly. Thanks to all those who emailed or posted their concerns in the comments. See you soon.

Peyton Manning, MVP

2005-01-11T14:47:00.000-05:00

Peyton Manning was rightfully announced as the NFL MVP today. He was a near unanimous decision, getting all but 1 first place vote. The other first place vote was cast for...

~~Dante Culpepper~~
~~Drew Brees~~
~~LaDanian Tomlinson~~
~~Ben Rothlisberger~~
~~Brett Favre~~
~~Terrell Owens~~
~~Donovan McNabb~~
~~Tom Brady~~
~~Curtis Martin~~
~~Shawn Alexander~~
Michael Vick.

MICHAEL VICK??? Did I miss the announcement that the league MVP will be voted on by elementary school children? Is it even remotely possible that anybody, whose only job is to watch and write about NFL football games, could honestly say that Michael Vick was the most valuable player? I can't even form a half-baked excuse for why Vick can be considered the MVP.

If your ballot had Michael Vick as the MVP, you should not only lose your voting rights, you should lose your job and be subject to ridicule. Vick over Manning? Come on! That's not even trying.

Dejan's 10 questions

2005-01-10T19:46:00.000-05:00

First, let me start by saying that Pirate fans couldn't be more lucky to have Dejan Kovacevic taking Paul Meyer's spot in the trib. Nothing against Mr. Meyer, but Dejan did a great job with the Penguins and I'm sure he'll do a great job with the Pirates.

Every Pirate blogger is answering the 10 quetions Dejan posed in a recent PG Q&A. So, without further adieu....

Question 1: Who deserves most of the blame for the Pirates' inability to win since moving into PNC Park?

Answer: Kevin McClatchy. Period.

Question 2: When you see young players excel, as have Oliver Perez, Jason Bay, Jose Castillo, Jack Wilson and Mike Gonzalez, do you find reason for hope? Or do you just picture how they will look in another uniform?

Answer: Terrible question. I see neither. If your answer is that you see them in another uniform, then what in the hell are you doing here? Go read one of the billion Red Sox blogs.

Question 3: For old-timers only: Can you recall any Pirates player between Ralph Kiner and Perez who single-handedly drew Pittsburgh fans to the ballpark?

Answer: Another terrible and unfair question. I don't know if I qualify as an old timer, but I'm pretty sure that I bugged the hell out of my dad to go to 3-rivers so I could see Willie Stargell and Dave Parker and John Candelaria and ...you get the picture. While I had my favorite players (Stargell, Madlock, Tekulve) it never mattered who was in the uniform. I just wanted to watch my team. Besides, how many players from any team can be said to actually single-handedly draw people to the park? Barry Bonds played here for crise-sake, and if he isn't a draw then I don't know what Dejan is looking for. This question does shed light on the short-sighted thinking that's pervasive in the organization. Instead of wasting time pursuing or keeping players the "fans want to see", let's put a quality product on the field and see how many people flock.

Question 4: What are your choices for Dave Littlefield's best and worst personnel moves in his tenure? This does not have to be limited to trades. It also can be an internal move (keeping Castillo in the majors last year, Rule 5 fiasco, drafting Neil Walker, whatever).

Answer: Best move - Brian Giles trade, with a close 2nd being the Todd Ritchie trade. Worst move - trading Aramis Ramirez. Duh.

That was too easy. Let's modify the question and try again - "What are your choices for best move that went under the radar and worst move that didn't draw enough criticism."

Answer: Best under the radar move - Sticking with Jack Wilson. Worst move that was glossed over - Drafting Neil Walker for publicity sake.

Question 5: In your mind, which prospect in the organization who has yet to appear in a major-league game has the greatest potential?

Answer: How the hell do I know? I haven't seen most of them play. But going by the numbers, I'd say Zach Duke.

Question 6: If Major League Baseball shut down for a full season or more when its current Basic Agreement expires in a couple of years, and you had reason to believe that the end result would be a salary-cap system, how would you react during the work stoppage?

Answer: I'd say, "It's about time." Players deserve EVERY penny that they can get. And the playing field has never been level (no matter what you chose to believe). However, it's so out of whack today that MLB is inching closer to professional wrestling territory, where the winners and losers are chosen before the competition begins. I prefer sport. That said, there is no reason why the Pirates can't field a competitive team every once in a while. You don't blame a decade of losing on the Yankees.

Question 7: For season-ticket holders only: Is there anyone 18 or younger in Pittsburgh who cares about the Pirates? I am not talking about kids who get dragged there by their parents and roll their eyes when dad starts talking about how Bill Madlock once said that hitting a sac fly is the easiest thing in baseball. I am talking about passionate, stats-keeping, analyze-every-move, Bay-jersey-wearing fans.

Answer: Well, I used to be a season ticket holder, so I'll answer. The answer is "yes." If anyone really needs to ask this question, then they should start spending more time out and about in their community. Of course there are kids who beg their parents to take them to games. I'll admit that there are a lot more entertainment choices today than when I was little, but that doesn't mean a future fan base isn't out there. And let's face it, kids will always roll their eyes at their parents. It's got nothing to do with good old #5.

Question 8: Who should start in center field? For that matter, what should the outfield look like? Feel free to throw in a free agent you think the Pirates should sign or acquire through trade. But be realistic. No Beltran.

Answer: Who knows. The center field situation is in shambles. Bay can't play centerfield. Redman is a case study in why speed doesn't always equal range. And the word on Lawton is that the cutoff man is going to get a good workout. Pressed for an answer, I guess I'd have to say Bay, at least until the wheels fall off that experiment. Please don't anybody mention Burnitz.

Question 9: How do you feel about the Pirates' decision to delay signing Perez to a long-term contract? Is it a needless risk that could cost the team money in the long run? Or a shrewd show of patience?

Answer: Another bad question. This presumes the Pirates have the option of whether or not to sign Perez long-term. The answer to this question is: "If the Pirates think they can sign him long-term for less than market value, then they should and would. Otherwise, they shouldn't sign him."

Question 10: A purely selfish one: What would you like to see in the Post-Gazette's coverage of the Pirates in 2005?

Answer: Some acknowledgment of the fine stuff being written on the internet by the folks I've linked on the left!

Pirates minor league report

2005-01-10T19:39:00.000-05:00

If you have an interest in the Bucs' minor leaguers, (and really, who doesn't) you need to check out Wilbur Miller's excellent site. He has information on everyplayer in the Pirates sytem, grouped by position. It's really a great place to visit. Go here. Now.

Updated status

2005-01-09T13:44:00.000-05:00

Accordng to the techinician who did my MRI, it looks like the hip pain is being caused by a herniated disc. So...since it's impossible for me to sit, and since it's difficult to type while standing, I may be out for a few days.

Let's go Steelers.

Old age 2 miles ahead

2005-01-07T13:54:00.000-05:00

Most people don't get hip problems until they hit a ripe old age, but I guess I'm not most people. If you don't hear from me for a few days, it's because I can't sit to type. I've got some kind of hip problem going on. I can't drive. I can't sit. I can't stand. All I can do is lay on the hard floor. I had to pull over 3 times on the way to work on Wednesday to get out and straighten my hip. That's no good. I finally have an MRI and bone scan scheduled for next week so wish me luck. The funny thing is (funny?) there is no way I can even ride in the car long enough to get to the hospital for the tests! I'm on a muscle relaxing cocktail of prescriptions right now, so before the purple elephant in the corner makes a run for it, I'm gonna go. Later.

Jack Wilson signing

2005-01-07T13:45:00.000-05:00

If you haven't already, read the details of the Wilson contract here. I'm glad they signed him for 2 years rather than 3. As it stands, the Pirates will control Wilson's contract status for another season (via the arbitration process) after this contract expires. By that time, we'll all know if 2004 was a fluke. If it wasn't a fluke, the Pirates would still have some leverage left with which to try and sign Wilson to a long term contract through some of his free agency. If it was a fluke, well then, let's worry about that in 2007.

Sandberg, Boggs in...Former Pirates Gossage, Parker, Blyleven still out

2005-01-05T11:26:00.000-05:00

In case you were in a 24 hour coma, let me be the first to announce to you that Ryne Sandberg and Wade Boggs were elected to the Hall of Fame. Sandberg squeaked in, in his 3rd year of eligibility. Boggs made it easily in his 1st year.

I realize every columnist is cranking out their annual “Who I (would have) voted for” column, but since there’s not much going on in Bucco world (otherwise known as the free agent signing period), I’ll contribute to the noise.

What would my ballot have looked like? Here you go:

Wade Boggs
Ryne Sandberg
Rich Gossage
Dave Parker
Alan Trammell
Jack Morris

I realize that HOF voting is highly subjective. Still, after taking a closer look at the votes, I’ve uncovered what I consider to be some egregious “voting irregularities” which I’ve ranked in order of egregiousness.

Bruce Sutter getting more votes than Goose Gossage. (If you take Sutter’s career and add 10 more good years, then you have Gossage’s career. Yet Sutter gets more votes?)

Steve Garvey getting more votes than Dave Parker (These guys were almost exact contemporaries. At anytime during their careers, would a straight up Garvey for Parker trade have ever been a good one for the team getting Garvey? I don’t think so.)

Dave Concepcion getting more votes than Dale Murphy (Explain how a 3 time NL MVP gets fewer votes than a guy who was at best, the 6th best player on his own team?)

Lou Whittaker not getting any votes

One last word: I wouldn’t have voted for sabermetric darling Bert Blyleven. Blyleven is pretty much the pitching equivalent of Harold Baines. Both are guys who exhibited remarkable consistency and longevity, fell just short of major milestones that would have guaranteed enshrinement, and lacked a true peak or signature season that would make their careers stand out. In order to make the HOF, I think you have to have at least some point in your career where you are considered a great player. Being a good player for a long period of time just doesn’t quite cut it.

In the end, I think Blyleven is destined to fall just short of enshrinement, because, to paraphrase John Steigerwald, he was a jackass. And sportswriters have long memories.

US increases aid

2005-01-03T17:13:00.000-05:00

The US government has increased its pledge to $350 million to aid in the tsunami disaster recovery.

Why couldn't this have been the story the day after the tsunami? I had little doubt that we would eventually kick in a lot more, but we should have been out in front of everybody. I still say we should announce that we will build the tsunami warning system that the region lacks. We are in a battle for the hearts and minds of the world.

At least somebody in the Bush administration "gets it." Maybe this is why that same person is leaving government.

"If nations are poor, if they don't see hope, if they're riddled by
disease, if no one is helping them, then radicalism takes over, they lose faith
in democracy and they start turning in other directions," he said. "This is an
investment not only in the welfare of these people, which in and of itself is a
good thing to do; it's an investment in our own national security."
- Colin Powell

The price of goodwill

2004-12-29T17:10:00.000-05:00

On the same day that Eric Milton signs for $90 million, the U.S., Japan, and U.K. pledge a combined $93 million to aid recovery from a disaster likely to claim at least 100,000 lives.

Seems about right.

Ok, I don't mean to be unfair to Eric Milton. His salary is wholly independent of whatever amount we decide to spend on saving the world. Whether or not he deserves $90 million is a topic meant for a pure baseball discussion.

Allow me to make another comparison then:

Tax dollars spent to build an irrigation system to serve Billionaire Paul Allen's golf course: $36 million

U.S. pledge to aid victims of the recent tsunami tragedy: $35 million

Get the point?
I suppose plenty of folks would say, “What obligation do we have? Who would give us even $35 million if we needed it? After all, we have already pledged more than any other country.”

I have 2 responses. The first is an appeal to emotion. That one is obvious so I won’t get into it here. The second appeal is to logic. Actually, the logical response is obvious to me as well, but based on the responses from our leaders, I think it’s over their heads.

I think we can all agree that the reputation of the U.S., rightly or wrongly, has suffered around the world in the last few years. I’ve recently spent time in both Asia and Europe and can attest that there is a strong undercurrent of distrust and disgust for the U.S. government and its policies. While I do not intend in any way to minimize the suffering caused by the earthquake or color it as anything other than the tragedy that it is, our leaders must recognize opportunity within the tragedy for the U.S. to reacquire some of the goodwill that has been so foolishly squandered.

We have been given an opportunity to show the world that our intentions are indeed noble. We have been given an opportunity to prove that we intend to act as benefactor to all those who wish to live free from oppression and poverty. And here’s the most important part….we have been given the unique opportunity to do this in the part of the world experiencing the fastest expansion of the Islam religion.

So how does our government respond? By reaching into the couch cushions, picking out all the quarters, and handing the rest over. Maybe folks don’t care that it might be the right thing, dare I say the moral thing, to commit the resources necessary to secure immediate relief, pledge the resources needed to help rebuild lives, and even provide the tsunami warning system that is lacking in that region. But even if you don’t care, you must admit that doing all those things is a prudent investment in our own security, and much more cost effective than another batch of bunker busters.

*- After I first made this post, I noticed that I'm not the only making this connection. Check out another viewpoint, here. Also, I've been reminded that the cost of Bush's inauguration is estimated to reach $40 million. Nice.

3,000 and still counting

2004-12-27T22:49:00.000-05:00

Another 1,000 visitors, another Stargell star. It's so encouraging to see traffic really picking up, especially during the lamest baseball period of the year!

I haven't done a lot of material lately due to the lack of news and the fact that I've got a new baby at home. So, if you need a fix, check out the excellent Pirate sites I've listed on the left-hand panel.

Fun with baseball-reference.com

2004-12-27T15:01:00.000-05:00

Not much Pirates news lately. Rumor has it that Jack Wilson has been offered a 2 year deal for $8 million. I don't understand the purpose of this since Wilson wouldn't get much more than $4 million in arbitration, and even if he did, the Pirates still control his rights for next season. Ah well.

Anyway, in the absence of Bucco happenings, here are some fun facts I've learned from baseball-reference.com:

957 players have had major league careers lasting exactly 1 game. None of them ever hit a home run, but a guy named Ed Irvin hit 2 triples in his only game back in 1912.

Of all the players in major league history, only 1 was born in Afghanistan (Kabul to be exact.) His name was Jeff Bronkey and he pitched for the Rangers and Brewers in 1993-95.

Another player, Ed Porray, was born on a ship in the Atlantic Ocean back in 1888. I presume his parents were making their way to the new world at the time? Anyone have any more information about this guy? Would make a great story I'd think.

3 players have died on February 29th: Lena Blackburne, Rebel Oakes, and Ernie Courtney.
12 players were born on February 29th, including active player Terrence Long.

That's about it. When does spring training start?

Steeler trivia

2004-12-27T13:43:00.000-05:00

Total # of games in Steelers history prior to 2004, in which the Steelers didn't have to punt = 0

# of games this season in which the Steelers didn't have to punt = 3 (including the last 2 games in a row.)

Bye, bye crows.

2004-12-26T19:38:00.000-05:00

I think I finally figured out what happened to Joey Porter's explosiveness off the edge. James Harrison took it.

Anyway....
Even though I spent 6 years in Charm City, something about the crows has bothered me since their inception by deception.

Maybe my irritation is because the most celebrated player in team history, Ray Lewis, enjoys deadly knife fights and gets his jollies from helping thugs get away with murder.

Maybe it's because Jamal Lewis' idea of a work-study job is delivering dime-bags.

Maybe it's the way Baltimore fans and media fawn over Art Modell, yet miss no opportunity to discuss how Robert Irsay belongs in hell.

Maybe it's simply the fact that grown men shouldn't wear purple.

Whatever it is, I wanted to put it all aside and wish them a happy, healthy, off-season. You deserve nothing less.

Merry Christmas

2004-12-24T11:38:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas to all! I hope you'ns all have Perez and not Kendall jerseys under your tree.

Mr. Evil, Scott Boras

2004-12-23T15:06:00.000-05:00

Excellent piece on the awesome power that is Scott Boras over at Management by Baseball.

Since the Pirates are a small market team, the Pirates are rarely directly impacted by the Boras effect. However, the escalation of salaries certainly filters down eventually.

In any event, Bucco backers better get familiar with Boras' tricks as Oliver Perez is a client.