Opening of the Books....Unfortunately, No Conspiracy to be found.

Its long been thought by many a yinzer that Bob Nutting is some nerdy combination of C. Montgomery Burns and Scrooge McDuck lining his pockets/bank vault with money that should be spent on his team's payroll. As good of a story as below would be, it appears it really isn't the case.

Instead of swimming in his money, Nutting and the Pirates seem to have some real revenue questions and not a lot of room for error in their never-ending quest to be a contender. But didn't we know that already? 

Here are some links to different perspectives/analysis.  

First the background of the story:

The original Post-Gazette article: For the most part, just a rehashing of what the Pirates presented to the media yesterday. 

The AP story that prompted the Pirates "getting out in front of the story:" Nothing really said here that wasn't said by the Pirates in Dejan's article. Just twisted differently.

The actual line by line financial statements for the Pirates and other teams that were leaked: A lot of interesting info here including the dramatic differences in gate and broadcasting revenues between teams. 

What does this all mean?

Bucs Dugout says the whole situation doesn't nicely fit the Bob Nutting is evil media narrative. A very good discussion in the comments here as well.

Pirates Prospects breaks the situation down a couple of different ways here and here. They have the same concern I do. How can the team consistently raise the payroll with these numbers? I would have much rather seen this leak of info show that Nutting was taking 50 million a year in profits like the conspiracy theorists have long thought. Instead it appears any "meaningful" increase in payroll is going to have to be offset by an increase in revenue or decrease in spending somewhere else (as it appears the team is not interested in losing money).

Pittsburgh Lumber Company takes issue with some of the "nonsense" in the AP article.

Where Have You Gone Andy Van Slyke comments on his changing perception of the Pirates' finances since Nutting/Coonelly/Huntington took over.

Rocco Demaro weighs in with a practical estimate on what the profits would have brought the Pirates if they spent every dime on the MLB payroll. Hint...it wouldn't have made much of a difference the last couple of years. Spending on the amateur draft and using the profit to pay down debt is a much better use of funds while rebuilding.

The Biz of Baseball compares and contracts financial info from all of the teams leaked on Deadspin. 

And Finally:

People have complained for years that the Pirates wouldn't open their books. They did (although not exactly voluntarily). The statements show that they made profits but not the significant profits critics had been claiming. 

So, critics need a new spin. I assume that spin will be the need to sell to Lemieux/Burkle cause they are "proven winners."

Of course, those same people conveniently forget the endless money troubles the Penguins had (before and with Mario as the owner) before they literally won the lottery with Sidney Crosby, had a hard salary cap implemented across the league, and leveraged potentially leaving the city (a lot more seriously than the Pirates or Steelers did in the late 90s) to get their new arena. Their just isn't enough in this market to spend anywhere near what other teams in places like NY do if there isn't a system of checks/balances in place. Baseball doesn't have that. Hockey now does. That (and the luck of the ping pong balls) is why the Pens have been successful. Not because Mario is a financial genius.

Don't get me wrong, I love the Penguins and everything that they have accomplished. The Consol Energy Center was actually the most practical and necessary of the three new facilities due to its extensive non-Penguin use.  However, lets not pretend Mario has always had the golden touch.  Before Crosby or Malkin arrived, 11,000 people went to the games to cheer on prospects like Rico Fata, the Pens had the lowest payroll in the league, and the ticket sales department I was working in didn't have enough budget to get us envelopes or pens. Besides the shortages of office supplies, doesn't that sound pretty familiar to the current Pirates situation? Actually, the Pirates young guys now are probably better than the Pens prospects in the early 2000s. 

The main difference? There is no Sidney Crosby coming via lottery to the Pirates immediately to get them out of the hole. But there is talent coming. It just takes time now that they are finally doing a proper rebuild.

The James Gang?

I haven't wrote in almost a month due to a severe case of writer's block. Lebron-a-poloza woke me back up though.....

In case you have been under a rock, Lebron officially picked Miami a little bit ago.  The master salesman Pat Riley did it.

I am sure Lebron will get a lot of bad press from those that didn't like how he handled the free agency process. And there will be those who write how he "betrayed" Cleveland. Those writers will conveniently ignore the fact that he took a good amount less money than he could have got in Cleveland. Or that the team in Cleveland just was not the best option players wise and had little room to manuever under the salary cap.

Was Lebron supposed to stay in Cleveland just because he has lived in Akron his whole life and the city "deserves" loyalty? How dare he want to play with someone other Mo Williams and Delonte West! How Lebron got to the Finals a couple years ago with the supporting cast in Cleveland I will never know. Reportedly he tried to convince Chris Bosh to come to Cleveland instead of Miami but Bosh wanted nothing to do with Ohio. Once that was done, there was nothing keeping Lebron in Ohio other than more money and the fact that it was close to his hometown of Akron (which contrary to what you hear on ESPN is a different place than Cleveland).

Mind you, I was convinced he was staying a Cav all the way through just because he wouldn't want to disappoint his hometowners and wouldn't turn down the extra money (approx 30 million dollars). No matter the hype and talk with athletes, its always about the money in the end. I was wrong.

However, this decision actually makes great sense on a basketball level. Ten times more than if he would have went to the Knicks (not as close to contending as Miami, Chicago, or Cleveland) or the Nets (even further away than the Knicks).  Its always fun to see New Yorkers not get what they thought was a slam dunk. I guess it is "bust" for NYC. I am sure all the New York papers will crush Lebron for "not having the guts" to play in New York. He's clearly no Jeter. No one is.

How about the team this creates in Miami? Lebron is a great passer. Does he become a triple double every game guy passing to Wade and Bosh? Who does an opposing team double team? And perhaps most importantly, who else plays on this team? They only have 5 guys on the roster right now. And one of them, Michael Beasley, will probably be traded to allow Wade, Bosh, and James' to fit under the salary cap. It will extremely interesting to see how they fill out the roster. How many veterans can they find laying around that want a ring bad enough to take the minimum? I might be faxing my resume over in the morning. I can shoot the three and won't cost much against the cap.

I do feel bad for Cleveland, but they had their chances to build the right team around Lebron. It just didn't happen for various reasons. Where do they go from here?

In the end, even if you have a problem with how Lebron handled the "courting" process, he made a decision to go where he thought gave him the best chance to win immediately and long term. And in the process, he sacrificed money (I know its more money than you or I will ever see either way but relatively speaking) and probably some of his mystique.  


Can you really fault a guy for that? Doesn't this prove winning is what matters the most to him? And isn't that what people always claim is missing in today's athletes? 


UPDATE 7-9-10:


My sadness for Cleveland? Gone after reading the insane 13 year old who just got dumped-esque letter from their owner. Who would want to play for a guy who will turn on you so quickly and start name calling? What an unprofessional and classless move by Dan Gilbert. Not a good message to send to other players out there you may be trying to convince to come to Cleveland at some point. Proof that you should always have someone read your emails before you press send/publish....

Thursday in my Google Reader

I use Google Reader for almost all of my web reading. I highly recommend it as a big time saver. Lots of good stuff in there today......

-Today is the day for the local news' much hyped Ben Roethlisberger sit down interviews. And I know when I want the tough questions asked, I bring Bob Pompeani or Sally Wiggin in. These interviews are definitely a good start for Ben in his public image rehab quest though as really nothing can go wrong.

-Did Pete Rose cork his bat at the end of his career? Deadspin has a very detailed story explaining that he may very well have. Just another example of the long held thinking in baseball that if "you aren't cheating, you aren't playing"....And yes, Pete Rose should be in the Hall of Fame.

-The Big 10/Pac 10 power struggle officially starts. Nebraska is going to the Big 10 and Colorado to the Pac 10 as of tomorrow. Can't say I would have predicted a Big 12 collapse before a Big East collapse. And all this restructuring has to be leading to a playoff, right?

-Should MLB have a separate draft of international talent? Fangraphs thinks so. I am all for it as well. Currently, any players outside of the US or Puerto Rico are subject to international free agency at the age of 16. This leads to bidding wars and identity issues that don't happen with the regular draft. Its just one big free for all.

-Speaking of the Draft, here are short profiles (a sentence or two with stats where available) on all 50 Pirate selections. Hint, there are a lot of pitchers. Especially right handed ones out of high school.

-A quick update on a couple former Buccos....Ian Snell is close to at least losing his starting job (for the second time this year) after giving up 8 runs in 1 and 2/3 last night, if not being released altogether. Nate McLouth left the game for Atlanta last night after a nasty collision in the outfield. And he continues to chug along with a .176 average. Dejan can't be happy.

-On the eve of the World Cup, Deadspin (via The Spoiler) has the 11 dirtiest players in the tournament.

-The Big Lead posted their 5 greatest moments in Saved by the Bell history yesterday. Amazingly, I had just referenced the #1 moment on their list in a comment to Anthony here. Great stuff, even though this wouldn't be my top 5. How about something from the Rod Belding episode (2 Beldings in one Building, one of who is balding...)? Or the Friends Forever one? Or anything involving Zack calling timeout and freezing time? What a great and ridiculous show. I could, and probably will at some point, do a whole post on the show...

-And Finally, Marian Hossa gets his Stanley Cup. Good for him. Jeremy Roenick was apparently so happy he started crying on air. Hilarious.

Pedro, Pedro......

I heard this Frank Coonelly interview yesterday on The Fan. The big news? He said Pedro Alvarez is "very close" to the majors. Normally I would think of a comment like that as just lip service, but its the opposite of the normal answer Coonelly or Huntington gives on a prospect. Usually, a guy has "a long way to go" or "there are still a number of issues we are working out that aren't necessarily reflected in stats" even if they plan on calling him up the next day. For example, Walker went from a "ways away" to on the team in a week and Brad Lincoln is about to do the same tonight.

So, Alvarez may be here sooner than we think. My guess is the next homestand as it would make sense to debut him at home since he is their best prospect since Barry Bonds.

Why is Alvarez probably ready? The weakness against left handed pitching has become a lot less pronounced. Actually, he is hitting better against LHPs than RHPs this year accoring to MILB.com.  He also has gotten progressively better each month (just like last year) going from a .721 OPS (on base percentage plus slugging percentage) in April to .982 in May to 1.022 so far in June (through yesterday's game). His strikeouts are also down from last year.

This afternoon after I started writing this post? Alvarez went 3 for 4 with double, triple and 2 run homerun. All the hits were off the left handed starter. His OPS for the year is now .924 and 1.258 in June.

Tabata is here. Lincoln is here. Alvarez should be too.

The Pirates' Risky Business

You can't teach speed. You hear it in all sports for different reasons. Baseball is of course no exception. Neal Huntington has been trying to get hard throwing pitchers into the Pirates system every since he took over. Until now, this has meant pulling guys off the scrap heap or rule 5 draft (Denny Bautista, Hayden Penn, Evan Meek, Donnie Veal etc..) who can throw extremely hard but have some issue. Usually, the issue is not having any idea where the ball is going when it leaves his hand....Neal is just hoping in each case that the Pirates can be the organization that helps the guy "figure it out." Occasionally it works (Evan Meek). Most of the time it doesn't (Denny Bautista).

Neal Huntington has taken the quest for speed to a new level in the draft. In the first two rounds, they selected the two hardest throwers available: Jameson Taillon and Stetson Allie. Taillon can hit 99 mph and some say has the "polish" of a college pitcher because of  already having a four pitch arsenal. He would be the number one pick overall in a year without Bryce Harper. Allie can hit 100 mph but has some control issues at times. He was rated the #8 overall prospect talent wise by Baseball America, but could be a very tough sign as rumors claim he is looking for 3 million to skip college (reason he slipped to the 52 pick). That would be an unheard of amount for a second round pick. Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus says the Pirates signing both of these guys would make it a "potential franchise changing two days." Hopefully they can get it done.

Of course there is some risk (actually a good bit) here...High school pitchers get hurt. They don't have a good track record of living up to expectations. I have already heard the jokes that the Pirates should just schedule their Tommy John surgery for next week and be done with it. However, if that is your thinking, please explain how the Pirates are supposed to get their hands on an "ace" type pitcher (like the one they saw last night, wow was Strasburg good). Those guys don't make it to free agency and they couldn't afford them anyway. The amateur draft is the cheapest way to acquire talent.

These were picks that had to be made and a team in the Pirates situation has to take the risk when guys with 99 mph fastballs and plus curves are available. Otherwise you will never end up with a rotation made up anything other Paul Maholms and Zach Dukes (at best).....I can't wait to get them signed and into the system. 

Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

I am taking an indefinite leave of absence from the blog.

Bird and perhaps occasionally, Jim, will lead you in the coming days, weeks, and months.

Getting a master's degree while working full time is challenging. Throw 2 kids, a new house, a dog that won't listen, and 2 cats (that I'm sort of allergic to) into the mix, and I don't have time to entertain your sorry asses right now.

So stay tuned and continue to enjoy the blog.

If you think you can add something to the blog, hit me up on facebook and I'll forward your interest to Bird. We can use a few more writers...

If I get a chance, I'll periodically update you with my thoughts. For now, I'm out.

Peace.

Monday Links

No huge story to write about today. So a handful of links.......

-Bob Smizik has decided that past performance IS indicative of future results when it comes to the MLB draft. He prefers a college player to the high upside (but higher risk) high schoolers. Of course, he will probably write an article in the next day or so complaining about the Pirates lack of high upside prospects...But that is to be expected from Bob.

-Everything you ever wanted to know about the Pirates' 2010 Draft strategy.

-Baseball America's final Mock draft has the Pirates picking Jameson Taillon. That would be my choice although they really can't go wrong with Machado either, who the PG says they are leaning towards...

-Bryon Leftwich has a leg up to be the starter during Ben's suspension instead of Dennis Dixon. That is extremely disappointing. I like Byron but with the offensive line in front of him, his immobility, and his Hideo Nomo like windup and delivery, this is not going to end well.

-Apparently now the Pac 10 is going to try to beat the Big 10 to it by raiding the Big 12. Is anyone else extremely bored with all the college expansion talk? Who really cares where teams end up in football if you aren't going to have a playoff to determine a winner?

-While cutting grass last night, I listened to a good bit of Colin Dunlap's radio show on 93.7 The Fan. It was very enjoyable as he had different topics (example in reference to John Wooden...Is it harder to coach
"talent" that has high expectations and egos?) and wasn't afraid to take the non-standard side of an argument. And unlike someone like Mark Madden, he allowed people to talk when they disagreed with him and it led to some good discussion. The only downside was his interview of Chuck Finder. He is just as wordy and incoherent on the radio as he is in print. Hopefully, Dunlap gets a better slot than 6pm to 10pm on Sunday night as time goes on.

-Mario had a hole in one yesterday at Oakmont. Good to hear something finally went his way.

-And finally, a "typical" Boston sports fan's view of the NBA finals (language is sketchy). If only this site had a yinzer character.

Shady's Back...Back AGAIN

I'm sure you are all wondering where I've been.

I was at the beach for a week. What's it to ya?

Some thoughts:

• Seems like I've been missing a lot of work lately. I wouldn't say I've been missing it, Bob.
• I heard about that awful shooting in Mt. Pleasant Township all the way in Cape May, NJ. Now the taxpayers get to foot the bill to keep that coward alive. Super.
• I just read Bird's post on the Pirates draft. I vote the Pirates bypass all of those prospects and take the 20th best prospect instead.
• I heard all about that umpire blowing the call that cost a dude a perfect game. The classy Detroit pitcher, Armando Galarraga, said afterwards that "nobody's perfect." Well, Armando, you would've been if the ump didn't blow the call.
• Hopefully BP fixes that oil leak before 2011. I was going to make a political remark here, but I'll save that for my next phone conversation with Bird.
• I don't know why I do it to myself, but I read Dejan Kovacevic again this morning. Sure enough, he was praising another former Pirate while I was away. GLORY DAYS!!! Might be time to seek professional help, dude.

Come to think of it, I should've stayed at the beach...

Taillon, Machado, or Pomeranz?

The MLB Draft starts on Monday. To a team in the Pirates situation, this is a huge event. Not often noted by the media but worth noting is that the organization has treated it as such over the last two years by spending more money than any other team in MLB. They have the second pick this year and will more than likely miss out on the much hyped Bryce Harper. According to my reading they seem to be down to one of three players (in my order of preference): RHP Jameson Taillon, SS Manny Machado, or LHP Drew Pomeranz. Quick thoughts on each:

Taillon is my choice because its just not easy to find someone who throws as hard as he does with "polish" at 18 years old. He has already been called a harder throwing Josh Beckett. Bryce Harper's thoughts on him:

"I caught him against Cuba," Harper said of the shutout, 72/3-innings performance last fall that won the United States its inaugural gold medal in Pan-American Games 18-and-under baseball. "Struck out 17. Nasty stuff. He's amazing."


I like Machado as well, and am of course intrigued by the A-Rod comparisons even though they probably only come up because they are both from Miami. What worries me a bit is that his eventual size (already 6 foot 3 190 lbs at 18) will prevent him being a SS over the long term. However, his hitting potential makes it a somewhat moot point where he ends up playing.


Pomeranz is very good, but he wouldn't be my pick. He is more of a sure thing and will definitely get to the majors faster than the other two, but doesn't have the upside Taillon has ("only" hits 94 occasional, 90-92 consistently). However, he is left handed and that always matters to teams. Picking Pomeranz would also oddly mean that the Pirates have 3 guys who were roommates on Mississippi's 2009 Team in their minor league system. Weird.


Interesting thing....Keith Law, who was the first to report and confirm the Bucs were going to select Tony Sanchez last year, (seemingly out of nowhere) has changed his mock draft to show the Pirates taking Taillon. Its insider only on ESPN but you can see the Pirates part.


Whatever happens in the first round, it will be just as interesting to watch and see if the Pirates continue their tendency to take tough to sign high schoolers in the middle rounds and buy them out of their college committments. That is how you can continue to stock an improving minor league system.....

What to think of Ken Griffey Jr?

Ken Griffey Jr. was the first true superstar of my baseball fandom. He hits 16 homeruns in the majors as a 19 year old in 1989. His 1989 Rookie cards were what every kid wanted to have. At one point I had the Fleer and Donruss versions but could never get my hands on the Upper Deck one. It was THE holy grail of baseball cards for a collector in the early 90s.  He was "The Kid" who was going to be the greatest ever. His retirement and the realization that I watched his entire 22 year career is just another sign that I am starting to get old.

Quick sidebar...Griffey was the first pick in the 1987 draft by Seattle. The Pirates actually had the worst record in MLB in 1986 but got the second pick because at the time the first overall pick alternated between the American and National Leagues (not that case anymore). So, if the current rules were in effect, the Pirates would have drafted Ken Griffey Jr (instead of a can't miss guy who never played in the majors) and had an outfield of Ken Griffey Jr., Barry Bonds, and Andy Van Slyke in the late 80s/early 90s. I am pretty sure that would have beat the Braves and whoever from the American League. And Griffey would have been there past 1992 even if Bonds left...Just crazy to even think about.

That sidebar is actually the perfect segue way as Griffey's career is the ultimate case of "what if" mainly due to all his injuries. He finished with 630 home runs. Does he easily break the home run record if  plays 140+ games in a season more than twice in the 2000s?  He also missed about half the season in 1995. With the other counting stats that are bound to come with more playing time make him the best ever?  It is impossible to say.

What I can say is that it feels like Ken Griffey just never seemed to live up to his potential. I don't know if that is fair nor if he could have ever lived up to the expectations. However, the first thing I think about with Griffey is his slide to score the winning run and beat the Yankees in the playoffs. That play was 15 years ago!  Its not that he hasn't had a great career since as the numbers were great (led the AL in homers in 97, 98, and 99 with some gaudy stats). But was 1995 the pinnacle? He just always seemed to be overshadowed after that. Whether it was the Yankees winning a bunch of titles, the McGwire/Sosa home run chase, or the lost years in Cincy, I just can't recall a lot of "moments" for Junior. That seems weird to me considering he is an all-time great and I am as big a baseball fan as anyone.

Another thing about Griffey that makes me curious is why it is always assumed he didn't do any kind of performance enhancing drugs. He is constantly considered the best "clean" superstar of the steroids era but aren't there at least some signs that he could have been dirty too? Haven't we said before that symptoms of steroid/PED use include breaking down physically earlier than most? Griffey didn't have an injury free season after age 30 which lead to the thinking of unfulfilled expectations I mentioned before. I don't think he did any PEDs but also don't think the possibility should be dismissed. I think it is because of the fact that Griffey was the face of baseball for a lot of years after the strike, more so than any of the other suspected/admitted users. An admission by Griffey would hurt the game much worse (in the media's) eyes than any of the others.

So, what to think of Ken Griffey's career? Will he be remembered more for what could have been, including the fact that he never played in a World Series? Or for the years he kept baseball together as the media/kid friendly superstar and basically saved baseball in Seattle? 

More Instant Replay in Baseball?

I am sure you have heard by now what happened in Detroit last night. It was the worst possible time for the rare MLB umpire mistake. Baseball umpires are by far the best officials in sports.Sure, they seem to be a bit arrogant  and sometimes seem to try to make themselves too much of the story (I'm talking to you "Country" Joe West). However, they are about 98% correct in their calls game to game. That is probably why MLB has been able to resist implementing instant replay beyond home run calls. But this missed call may be what pushes the cry for instant replay over the edge....

Personally, I am against instant replay beyond what they currently have in place for home runs (over the line, fair or foul) if the system of review would be staying the same. Under the current system of "going under the hood," There is just too many ways the game can be brutally extended time wise. Would every close play at first be reviewed? Every trap by an outfielder? Only calls that a team complains about? It could be a real disaster.

There is one idea that would expand instant replay that I like (with some tweaking). Bloggin Bob Smizik mentioned it this morning. He wants to have a five man umpiring crew with one of the five in a video booth where he would have oversight in "extreme circumstances."

This might be what Bob means but I would make it just like the college football system (not coincidentally the most effective and least intrusive of the replay systems out there). The fifth umpire in the video booth is watching every play. If he sees something that is incorrect, he would notify the crew chief on field via some kind of phone/buzzer that the call should be changed. Most of the time that could be done without even stopping the game as replays come so fast and are usually pretty conclusive. In this system, the video review umpire would also have the ability to tell the field umps to stop the game if he needs time to look at multiple replays, but there would be a very short window to do that. Basically, if the video review umpire can't determine the right call in say 60 seconds, the call on the field stands.  Managers would not be able to argue anything that is reviewed, nor ask for a review. The video review umpire has the final say and balls/strikes cannot be reviewed.

I have heard others suggest a NFL like challenge system where each manager gets a couple "red flags" per game. I don't like that one at all. It would end up being used as just another stall tactic by managers wanting to buy time for their bullpen for just mess with the other team/umpires (I can already picture Tony Larussa abusing his challenges). I hate the challenge system in the NFL. It should be like college football. Why should there be a limit on how many things can be reviewed if there are multiple bad calls?

My attitude is that if you are going to have instant replay it needs to be available for all calls while not slowing down the game at all.  Other Thoughts?

Mid Week Thoughts....

Some of the things crossing my mind on this fine Wednesday evening....

-Neil Walker is off to a great start in his first week back in the majors. A game winning homer will do that. So far, he has put the attitude problems I ripped him for a couple weeks ago behind him and done what you were always told he was capable of (but he didn't do in the minors until 2010). Great to see and I hope he keeps it up. 

-Was it just me or did Ben Roethlisberger look to be about 25 lbs lighter than he normally is this time of year when he reported to OTAs yesterday? Did he start his yearly pre-training camp mma-esque weight cut down early? Or is he finally hanging out somewhere other than the bar in the offseason (like the treadmill)? Based on how things have gone so far, I am pretty convinced Lord Goddell will ultimately reduce his suspension to 4 games. Which brings him back just in time for the Browns.

-If you listen to 93.7 The Fan here in Pittsburgh, you have in the last couple days surely heard about the off the wall Allegheny County Councilman who is urging Pittsburghers to root for the Flyers in the Stanley Cup Finals. And if you don't listen to the station, just turn it on for a couple minutes and someone will mention the story. I promise. Its part of their every twenty minutes update somehow. Both yesterday and today, Seibel and Starkey would not stop laughing and carrying on about how dumb this guy is. They replayed their interview with him yesterday first thing today and then took calls about it. How is that anywhere near compelling radio? Yikes.

-Speaking of dumb things that have somehow become part of the news, how about the Pens testing of the toilets at the Consol Energy Center? Are local news outlet that hurting for stories these days? Actually, they are probably just taking any chance they get to make bad toilet/flush puns. Cause those are funny.

-I caught up on the TV show Flash Forward over the last couple of days. It was a good show but I wouldn't recommend making time for it if as it has a cliffhanger first season ending. That would normally be fine, but the show was cancelled. 

-Finally, the Pirates are in a rain delay right now. There has to be a better option than the programming they put on during rain delays. I usually change the channel, but still have seen the Mazeroski show they have on right now numerous times. And if it isn't this Mazeroski show, its "Inside Pirates Baseball" which is on about 15 times over the weekend anyway. Would it be so crazy to just keep it with the announcers and talk about the team, MLB, maybe even interview a guy a or two?

The Next Lebron?

Bryce Harper is going to be the first pick in the MLB Draft next Monday. He was hailed as "Baseball's Lebron" as a 16 year old. He has "light tower power" and has demonstrated it as a 17 year old in junior college after there were some doubts. He might be the real Roy Hobbs. If only the Pirates had been slightly worse last year, he could be coming to Pittsburgh instead of Washington...

The only prospect who has been hyped more over the last 10 years is Stephen Strasburg. Or maybe Mark Prior.

Joe Posnanski, one of my favorite writers, attempts to slow the hype down just a bit by explaining how different the Harper and Strasburg paths to the majors are/will be. While he still loves the talent of Harper, there have been plenty of  "can't miss" high school prospects at the top of the draft miss while Strasburg was ready for the majors the instant he was drafted (basically there was no risk)....The money quote from his "scout friend:"

He did not finish that sentence though he could have finished it this way: “And everything doesn’t always go right in baseball.” The bottom line is this: He thinks Harper is one of the best 17-year-old hitting prospects he’s seen. But, he’s just that: A terrific 17-year-old prospect. And there have been a lot of those.

Here is the complete article.

Who do the Pirates pick second after this guy is off the board? They seem to have about 3 options, one of which is being compared to A-Rod, not to get out of control with expectations or anything. I will get to them later this week.

World Cup 2010

I am not a huge soccer guy. I understand the game and played it for years as a kid (who didn't really). I stumble across the occasional match on ESPN or Fox Soccer Channel (those stumbles are bound to get more often as FSC is now in HD on Dish), but don't go out of my way to watch the Premier League or Champions League like some.

However, I love the World Cup and will go out of my way to watch as much as possible.  Its the only true "World" competition. What other sport does every single country in the world play? Just qualifying for the World Cup is more intense than most sporting events. And every single game in the actual World Cup is played like guys lives are on the line.

Some basic story lines I will be watching when the World Cup starts in less than two weeks:

-Is this finally the year the USA makes a significant run? We have been told for 20 years that soccer was this close to breaking through in the States as a major sport. American's love winners. I just don't see soccer clicking a big time sport if we don't have a strong showing in the most important tournament at some point. This could be the year we make some noise. The draw could have been a lot worse with England, Algeria, and Slovenia. Anything less than a trip to the knockout round is a huge disappointment.

-How will chronic underachievers Spain blow it this time? Constantly one of the favorites, Spain always comes into the World Cup on a roll but finds a way to lose when it counts...

-How will Diego Maradona do as coach of Argentina? One of the best players of all time who scored one of the most famous and controversial goals of all time, he has been a bit crazy as coach...Read the captions on this rant to see what i mean. He also has had some drug and weight problems since retiring. Who knows what to expect? Especially since he has who many think is the best player in the world right now: Messi.

-How will South Africa do as the host in administering the tournament (this is the biggest event ever to be held on the Continent of Africa I believe). If it is run well logistically, Africa could become a realistic player down the line in other international competitions like the Olympics.

-What country will come out of seemingly nowhere to make a run? My options are Ivory Coast, South Africa (host country), Greece, Netherlands, and Cameroon.

These are just a few. There are literally hundreds of other storyline that will play out over the monthly long tournament...Can Italy repeat? Is this England's year? Is Brazil still the safe bet to win?.....

I will anxiously watching them all play out and waiting for an awesome goal call like this one (about 20 seconds in).

I'm a schizo, and so am I

(Photo: A Bob with a split personality)

Semi-retired Post-Gazette blogger, Bob Smizik, has hit an all-time low as a hypocrite.

Thursday, in regards to the Pirates decision to continue to pitch Charlie Morton during his disastrous 2010 campaign, Smizik wrote:

"Considering his upside and the improvement he's shown this month, the Pirates are right in keeping Charlie Morton in the rotation."

The very next day, after another of Morton's epic pitching failures, Smizik changed his mind:

"Starting Morton again makes no sense. He needs to get out of Pittsburgh. He doesn't need the scrutiny or the ridicule he will receive in another start or even in a relief role."

I'm wondering if Bob Smizik has dissociative identity disorder. Honestly, how can you write something one day, and then pen the total opposite the very next day? Either way, he did it, so someone needed to call him out on it. Perhaps it's time Bob fully retires...or at least begins to read Baby Steps by Dr. Leo Marvin.

Technically, Smizik is off the hook because the Pirates put Morton on the Disabled List yesterday. This reminds me of Limas Sweed getting hurt in the 2008 AFC Championship Game after dropping a sure touchdown. The injury wasn't real, and unfortuntately, it appears the talent isn't real, either.

Sweed, Morton, and Smizik appear to have something in common, then.

The Office (quote of the day)

Today's quote from "The Office" (from my Office calendar):

Pam (about the new copier): It'll be ready soon.

Kevin: Soon could mean anything. Soon could be three weeks.

Pam: Is that what soon means to you?

Kevin: Sometimes.

Pam: Then come back soon.

Half Baked?

Zach Randolph has been an underachiever on the court for years.  We may have finally figured out what has been distracting him all this time (entire article here):

According to a probable cause affidavit, a trusted police informant identified Memphis Grizzlies player Zach Randolph as a major marijuana supplier in Indianapolis.


And that is not the only connection Randolph has here. Apparently, the police stopped someone outside a suspected drug house driving an Escalade with "secret compartments" filled with drugs and guns. It was registered to Randolph. And further investigation led them to a storage unit where Randolph has four lockers under his name. Two of those were filled with weed and ammunition which led to more vehicles registered under Randolph being searched and found to have similar contents.

Randolph made 16 million this past season and will make 17.33 million next. 


Why would he allow himself or the people he associates with to be anywhere near stuff like this? Has he just spent too much time playing Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (Pro athletes are notorious hardcore video gamers)? Or is he just longing for his time as one of the "Jail Blazers" after reading one too many articles about how he has turned his life/career around in Memphis?


Craziest part of this? Its not even the most outrageous article about an NBA players' off court life I stumbled upon today. What exactly is going on with Eddy Curry? Who takes a loan with 85% interest and pays $1075 a month for cable and satellite?


I guess being a multi-millionaire isn't as easy as some of us think it would be......But would it be that hard for these guys to hire someone to manage their friends and/or finances fairly?

Demons OUT!

The healing has apparently begun.

Roger Goodell has given Ben Roethlisberger permission to rejoin team activities next week.

Since Goodell found the need to wait until today to clear Ben, I'm just wondering...

• Was Ben too dangerous to return to team activities this week? Come on.
• Is there any doubt that Goodell is ordering these evaluations just to make it look like he's doing his due diligence? (seriously--unless the tests showed a MASSIVE brain injury, there was no way Rog could keep Ben from the team)
• Goodell has every intention of reducing Ben's suspension to 4 games, doesn't he?
• Where's the Players Union in all of this?
• Roger Goodell is a hypocrite. He hurriedly destroyed the Spygate tapes when Bill Belichick was accused of cheating yet he's been painstakingly deliberate with his decisions regarding Roethlisberger. What are Goodell's true standards for investigating something?

Ben's a creep, but suspending someone who hasn't been charged with a crime is risky business. The Steelers are the ones who should've suspended Ben, not Goodell. After all, the NFL teams don't constitute a single entity...

I think Ben's a creepy dude. I'm beginning to think Roger Goodell is, too. Nice recommendation, Danny boy.

Strasburg Debut

The Washington Nationals are going to promote the first overall draft pick in 2009, pitcher Stephen Strasburg, to the majors.

The Nats want his first start to be successful so they've handpicked an awful opponent for him to debut against.

Hmmm...any teams come to mind?

(right now, the only person on the planet who can't guess who Strasburg will debut against is Bird.)

I guess I'll tell you, Bird. Strasburg is going to debut against your Pittsburgh Pirates in the beginning of June.

The game will be in Washington, which sucks, because Strasburg is the Pirates best chance of selling out PNC Park this summer.

Unless, of course, Bob Nutting orders an Aki Iwamura Bobblehead Day...

Thoughts on Anthony's Thoughts.....

What I think I know about Anthony's post:

-Anthony claims I "defended" the Aki Iwamura trade. Not true. What I defended is the logic behind the trade at the time.  This past offseason, the Pirates had basically no options internally to play 2B in 2010. They had traded Freddy Sanchez in July after he turned down a fair offer to stay. Delwyn Young was clearly not the answer. Neil Walker had never played second.  Andy Laroche had not played second since the minors. So, they needed to go outside of the organization to get someone to be a 2010 stopgap.

Enter TB who had multiple options at 2B and Aki Iwamura who was going to be an expensive backup.  Based on career stats and the fact that he had successfully come back late in the year from injury, there was no reason to think he would much of a step down from Freddy Sanchez (if any). The OBP and OPSs  were very similar. Iwamura just walked more while Freddy singled more.  So, the Bucs and Rays made the trade. Jesse Chavez was sent to TB and while young is VERY replaceable. He throws hard but seems to be very hittable. His stats this year and the last couple months of 2009 back that up.

Of course, Aki has turned out to be a mess. He has been beyond awful both at the plate and in the field. The Pirates will probably end up releasing him at some point and eating some money.  But at the time and with the data available, the trade made sense. Sometimes things just don't work out and in this case, its very easy to cut their losses.

-Speaking of hindsight, those that criticize the Iwamura trade now should be praising the McLouth trade for selling him at the right time based on what has happened to him.  They typically don't though, claiming you can't use how Nate has performed since the trade to justify trading him because you didn't know he would be this bad. Right, that doesn't sound hypocritical.....

-So, Anthony gave up on 24 because of Jack's dad and brother being involved in one of the plots. Why was that part too outrageous, but all the times Jack survived getting shot/tortured, fought off ridiculous amounts of terrorists at one time, or the fact that the city survived multiple explosions of nuclear bombs not? Or how about the various people who came back from the dead? It just seems crazy to me that his Dad as a terrorist pushed the show over the believability line.

-Am the only one who could not care less that the Super Bowl is being played in NY? It just doesn't affect me one way or the other. So, it might snow during the game. The fact that the NFL made this a major story proves how much control they have over the media. Actually, I hear the pregame show is starting any minute. I can't wait.

-Best movie? As Anthony said, going across genres is difficult. It almost has to be a drama, right? Shawshank is always said by people and is very good. It seems to be too easy of a choice though (as exhibited by this IMDB poll). Just off the top of my head, some of my favorite dramas are Scarface, Goodfellas, The Usual Suspects, and The Prestige.

I Think I Thought...

Very Random Thoughts:

Jared Allen is getting married...so he's losing the mullet. Is that a prerequisite for getting married or something? First--the mullet. Next--the wallet.

The boys on the 102.5 WDVE morning show stole some thunder from yours truly. I heard them refer to Octavio Dotel as "Don't Ask, Dotel" this morning. And I thought those dudes were original.

The majority of voters (17-10) in our latest poll think Tim Tebow will be successful in the NFL. Apparently people aren't impressed by your SAT score, Jim.

If Neal Huntington openly admitted that he purposely screwed up every trade since he's been the Pirates G.M., Bird would still defend him to the death. You should've heard him defending the Aki Iwamura trade yesterday. Bird has clearly flown over the cuckoo's nest. Please pray for him.

The Superbowl is finally going to be held in a cold-weather city in 2014. Way to go, Rog. You've now done 2 things to improve the league. (Speeding up Round 1 of the Draft is the other). Really earning those bucks.

I'm currently watching Season 4 of Seinfeld. Great stuff--but not nearly as funny as The Office.

Speaking of t.v. shows, I'm glad LOST is over so Bird can quit talking about it. I'm also glad 24 is over because in my mind, it ended after Season 5. In the beginning of Season 6, the writers tried telling us that Jack Bauer's Dad and Brother were involved in all the chaos. Stupid. That was it for me.

My post on Hoosiers got me thinking...what's the best movie ever made? Tough call, because different genres make comparing movies pretty difficult. Initially, I considered American History X and Braveheart, and then it hit me... The Shawshank Redemption.

No, Bird, I'm telling you...Shawshank is better than Gigli.

Positive, Negatives, and the Next Wave of Pirates......

Almost two months in, the Pirates season has been up and down to say the least......

-Andrew McCutchen has continued to be much better than advertised. According to this article, he is already a very similar player to Carl Crawford and has been the best CF in the league since his callup...He is extremely fun to watch. However, McCutchen has inexplicably been moved to third in the order and constantly comes up with no one on base. So, a lot of his hits and on base skills are being wasted. Partly because.....

-John Russell's lineup construction has been unbelievably bad. Why is Iwamura still batting leadoff? Why is McCutchen not batting first or second? Why is Delwyn Young and Bobby Crosby and their low OBPs batting second? Why is Ryan Church playing almost every day? Why is Ryan Doumit batting 7th? Its almost as if Russell is going out of his way to create worst possible lineup for actually scoring runs.

-Speaking of the "leadoff hitter," Aki Iwamura has been awful. He just finished a historic hitless streak and might have 5 or 6 total hits in the month of May. And his defense has fallen off a cliff. Anthony has already declared the trade for Iwamura the worst in baseball history.

-Ryan Doumit's has been great at the plate. He is second in the majors among qualifying (ie. have played enough games to be eligible for the batting title) catchers in OPS, behind only future hall of famer Joe Mauer. On the other hand, his defense has been atrocious. Players that have no other stolen bases are routinely stealing second off him. There is absolutely no fear from opposing baserunners.

-Guys like Lastings Milledge, Jeff Clement, and even Garrett Jones to an extent have underachieved so far.

-The backend of the bullpen has been almost perfect when given a chance to win/keep the team in the game. The team has lost one game they have had a lead after the 5th inning. Evan Meek especially has gone from a guy who couldn't throw strikes at all in 2008 to being almost unhittable. He is now throwing a 97 mph fastball and 81 mph curveball.

-The starting pitching was expected to be better. Charlie Morton's struggles/bad luck have been well documented by Anthony and I. Zach Duke and Paul Maholm have been average overall. Ross Ohlendorf missed almost a month and has pitched just ok otherwise. Daniel McCutchen might as well have been throwing batting practice out there. Brian Burres and Jeff Karstens have had their moments but have basically done what you expect them to to: sprinkle a good start or two in with a whole bunch of bad ones.

I could go on and on. For every positive, there is at least one negative.

Times may FINALLY be changing for the Bucs though. Neil Walker was called up today after continuing to dominate AAA like I wanted. And he is probably just the start of a domino effect of callups/promotions. Brad Lincoln will be called up soon to replace Burres. Alvarez and Tabata could be here not long after that. Guys like Bryan Morris and Diego Moreno are being promoted in the minors with others like Nathan Adcock and Jeff Locke ready to move on as well.

Here is just one potential starting lineup by the end of June:

LF Jose Tabata
CF Andrew McCutchen
3B Pedro Alvarez
1B Garrett Jones
C Ryan Doumit
RF Neil Walker
2B Andy Laroche
SS Ronny Cedeno

That is much more impressive than what is being run out there tonight. The guys that have struggled or underachieved in the majors are finally being pushed from below......