The Pittsburgh Pirates, Relevant In November?

The Pirates made a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays yesterday that sent right handed relief pitcher Jesse Chavez packing and brought in second baseman Akinori Iwamura. I am probably the last blogger to write about the trade, but I would like to think some people still value my opinions. So here we go. 

Ultimately, this trade is going both ways in my mind. I was confused when I first heard it. Akinori is 31 years old and has most likely already hit his ceiling. This isn't the kind of player the Pirates have been going after lately. He has 1 year left on his contract, which means the Pirates will lose him after this year unless they work out a new deal with him to keep him in Pittsburgh after the 2010 season. Now, Akinori has already said he would definitely be interested in working out such a deal, so that is good news. However, if they don't work out that deal and we do lose him after one year, this move was definitely not a good one. Yes, the Pirates are pretty deep when it comes to right handed relievers, but losing Jesse Chavez is certainly not worth one year of a player like Akinori Iwamura, especially because no one expects the Pirates to seriously compete this year. 

Now just because the team isn't expected to be in the playoff race, doesn't mean the management shouldn't go after guys to help them in the present. Why should Neil throw in the 2010 towel when he has opportunities to make the team better? He shouldn't, and he is now showing that he is not completely unconcerned with the here and now. This is encouraging for me, although I am a complete advocate of building for the future, it sure is nice to see that the Pirates care about winning in 2010. The addition of Akinori Iwamura isn't by any means going to put the Pirates over the top and send them on a 90 win season, but it sure doesn't hurt. Delwyn Young is best served in a bench spot, and now he will be able to assume that role. 

The loss of Jesse Chavez means that the Pirates are really going to need guys like Evan Meek, Joel Hanrahan, and (especially) Matt Capps to step up and hold down the late innings. The long relief will be in the hands of Jeff Karstens, Kevin Hart, and whoever gets held out of the rotation besides those two. 

In other news, the Pirates may be pursuing Jack Wilson. Before they would consider that, the Mariners would have to pick up Wilson's $8.4MM club option. If the Pirates can sign Jack to a 1 or 2 year deal and save that 8 million dollars, a lot of the fan support they lost during the fire sale last year would definitely come back. I think that is also one of the motives behind this trade, to make the fans realize that they are trying to compete this year so fans will come out to the ballpark. It's hard to have fans when you do what the Pirates did last year, so I think a move like this was necessary. 

All-in-all, the trade was a good one. However, it could be a great one if the Pirates sign Iwamura to a 2 or 3 year deal. 

All of this Pirates talk has me excited. My reputation as a Pirates supporter has caught up with me here at Waynesburg, and I have had countless people ask me my position on this trade in the last 24 hours, I am loving life again. 

Let's Go Bucs!

Looking For A Miracle...

The Dodgers couldn't pull out a win last night and fell to the Phillies by the score of 10-4. This means the Phils will be making their second straight trip to the World Series, and they are looking like one heck of a team with a great shot at repeating. Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels, and JA Happ are the best 1-2-3 punch I have seen in the playoffs since Zito-Hudson-Mulder for the Athletics. Their offense is strong up and down and their bullpen has really been stepping it up. After a horrible year, Brad Lidge looks great. I don't think I will be picking against the Phillies next week. 

As for tonight, the Angels are looking to push the series to a game 6 by getting a win tonight. The pitching matchup is AJ Burnett against John Lackey. In his last start, Burnett went 6.1 innings against this same Angels team, giving up 2 earned runs while striking out 4. Lackey went 5.2 winnings giving up 9 hits, 4 runs (2 earned) while only striking out 3 in his last start against the Yankees, a game the Angels lost by the score of 4-1. 

I expect John Lackey to step it up for the Angels tonight, he has always come up big in pressure situations and I expect nothing less tonight. 

While I can certainly see the Angels winning tonight, I do not believe they are going to win 3 straight and make a trip to the World Series, but that's why they play the games, you never know. 

If the series does indeed turn out being a matchup of the Yankees and Phillies, I am going to be quite upset. I hate the Yankees foremost, but I really do not want to see the Phillies win another World Series either. If I were to pick one of them, I would cheer for the Phillies in a second, I just can't stand seeing the Yankees win. 


In Pirates news, Mark Cuban told a bunch of Pitt students that he won't be buying the Pirates. Shocker. 

Jim from North Side Notch has been doing fantastic work in the offseason so far, keeping everyone up to date with the fall league baseball going down. I personally have his Arizona Fall League Tracker post bookmarked, and I think you should to. 

Also, Brian and Tim from Raise The Jolly Roger and Bucco Fans, respectively, have been doing fantastic Pirates' blogging work in the last weeks, be sure to check them out. 

As for me, it's time to head back to the grind of the college life. 

Have a great day all, and let's go Angels!

Was It Over When The Germans Bombed Pearl Harbor??

My least favorite team in the Major Leagues is the New York Yankees. One of my favorite American League teams is the Anaheim Angels. So, by this, it is clearly seen that I am pretty upset that the Yankees are up 3-1 and go to clinch the series tomorrow in Anaheim. 

Let's focus on tonight for now, as the Philadelphia Phillies are looking to make a repeat trip to the World Series with a win over the Los Angeles Dodgers. I have been cheering against the Phillies all October, mainly because I am not a fan of repeats. I like variation in my sports, and the Dodgers haven't been in the series for awhile, so I've been rooting for them. The Phillies are also up 3-1 after a convincing 11-0 victory in game 4. Tonight the pitching matchup is Cole Hamels vs. Vincent Padilla... advantage Philadelphia. 

I still see the Dodgers winning this game. I think they are too good of a team to lose 4-1. I think Padilla will step up and pitch well enough to win, and the Dodgers offense is definitely capable of putting some numbers up on Hamels, who has not been all that great this postseason. Now, when the Phillies send Cliff Lee to the bump to clinch the series, then I'm going to say it's over, he has been untouchable as a Phillie. 

As for me, I am trying to rededicate myself to this blog. All my fellow Pirate bloggers are going about their business of regular posting and writing some great stuff, I feel it is my duty to do the same. My viewers have been dwindling, and I am really gonna try to build this blog up this winter to have a big audience when next season rolls around. So tell your friends, link to me, do whatever to help the cause !

Let's Go Dodgers!

Playoff Predictions...

Baseball in October is one of the great things about life. Since March of this year, baseball is just not the same without a blog, so here I am, making my first post that has nothing to do with the Pirates (well... for the most part). Here's my (quick) preview of the 2009 Postseason:

Rockies vs. Phillies:
Call me crazy, but I don't see how the Rockies got to where they are today. In my opinion, they don't have a real great team. Sure, solid enough to win the wild card, but I think a lot of that was just a couple hot streaks and a weak division accompanying those streaks that got them into the postseason. They are really no match for the Phillies, especially in a short series. They will face Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels, and JA Happ in the first 3 games of this series. I don't care who you are, that's a tough series to win, and I especially don't believe the Rockies can do it, they do have Jim Tracy as a manager, after all. Phillies in 3.

Cardinals vs. Dodgers:
The Cardinals are a scary good team, especially when it comes to postseason baseball. The Dodgers have the NL's best record, but they have been slumping lately, and I personally don't think they are built for the post season. They have one of the deadliest offenses in the game, but the pitching isn't there. Randy Wolf is starting game 1, which is ugly. Clayton Kershaw has some of the nastiest stuff in the playoffs, but he's still young and very inconsistent. I like the Cardinals to take this one fairly easily. Cardinals in 4. 

Yankees vs. Twins:
The Yankees are another team I don't see suited for the postseason, however if CC and Joba can get it together they could be a better team than anyone. Those are the big question marks, they paid Sabathia all that money, and he hasn't earned it yet. Chamberlain is still a big question mark in that rotation. Burnett is a very solid guy, I think he is going to put up some nice numbers. The Twins really have no chance in this series. The pitching isn't there and neither is the Justin Morneau. Yankees in 4. 

Red Sox vs. Angels:
This one kills me. I hate the Red Sox, almost more than anyone, and the Angels have always been a favorite team of mine. However, they have been just atrocious in these series' with the Sox. I like their team, however it really doesn't match up well. I think they have a definite shot at game 1, but after that it gets questionable. Boston's rotation is deeper, and their bullpen is one of the best in the game. Red Sox in 5 

After that, my World Series prediction is Cardinals vs. Yankees, with the Cardinals winning it in 6. I can't find a better team than St. Louis right now. Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright are both Cy Young candidates, and you can't find a better hitter in the world than Albert Pujols. The bullpen is a little iffy, but I can see them stepping it up and winning another ring.

Bests and Worsts of 2009

Well the Pirates 2009 campaign is over. The team finished with a 62-99 record after a 6-0 loss to the Reds today. Pirates blogger Dejan Kovacevic posted his bests and worsts of the 2009 Pittsburgh Pirates today, and I was kind of disgusted by it, honestly. Sure, there is not much good to say about this season, but I completely disagreed with his take on some things in there. You can read that article here. Since my disagreement is so strong, I'm gonna go ahead and post MY bests and worsts of 2009. I'm gonna use the same categories as him, just different answers, for the most part: 

Top player: Andrew McCutchen. I know he only played 4 months, but what McCutchen did in those months was fantastic. He hit .284/.361/.470 with 12 bombs, 54 RBI, and 20 SB. His defense was fantastic and he is only going to get better in the future. 

Bottom player: Ian Snell. There is no arguing with this one. Snell was just awful this year, he did almost nothing positive. The only good thing that came out of Snell was Jeff Clement, whom the Pirates got from the Mariners in the trade.

Finest moment: I can't argue with Dejan here either, McCutchen's 3 home run night was probably the best part of the 2009 season. It got Andrew noticed on a national level and was just a feel good night for the future of the Pirates. 

Foulest moment: Tough one here. I think the foulest moments were those first couple road games the Pirates would have after long homestands. The team would play so well at home, and then be a completely different team on the road and lose a ridiculous amount of games away from PNC, which was truly foul.

Emotional high: Gotta be the 11-7 start of the season and the early sweet of the then undefeated Florida Marlins. 

Emotional low: For most fans it was the trades of Jack and Freddy, however for me it was long slumps of Andy LaRoche and Delwyn Young, two Pirates who I was watching closely this year. If those two would have showed consistency and capability at the plate, the future would have been a lot brighter for the Pirates. However, they really didn't show much this season.

Best front-office move: Low ticket-prices are always nice. 

Worst front-office move: I suppose missing Miguel Sano hurts. It sounds to me like there was really nothing the front-office could have done there, and Sano's agent is just a jerk, but there is a lot that I don't know, so who knows what really went down. They should have signed him though, they were the front-runners and somehow they blew it. 

Best personnel move: The trade of Nate McLouth and the trade of Freddy Sanchez. Charlie Morton, Gorkys Hernandez, and Tim Alderson could all be huge parts of the future and could all be all-stars some day. 

Worst personnel move: The John Grabow/Tom Gorzelanny trade. Sure, Grabow and Gorzo probably weren't worth much, but it turns out that they pretty much got nothing for them. Hart was a complete flop and Ascanio and Harrison don't impress me at all either.

Best managerial move: The infield play and the improved pitching. Big ups to Joe Kerrigan and Perry Hill.

Worst managerial move: Not utilizing the bullpen effectively. I feel like JR really isn't good at game management and using his pitchers. That needs to improve.

Best quote: "My gentleman's name is Tony Plush." 

Worst quote: Anything that came out of Cryan Braun's mouth.

Historical high: Andrew McCutchen's 3-homer night.

Historical low: Number 17.

Top play: Jack Wilson's backhand sliding, falling, tumbling, on his back, in the outfield, throw to first in July.

Bottom play: Ryan Doumit's swing in April that cost him 2 1/2 months of the season.

Most encouraging: Ross Ohlendorf's great performances, dominating at times, Lastings Milledge performance, and Andrew McCutchen's many highlights.

Most discouraging: Andy LaRoche, Delwyn Young, and Brandon Moss.

Leap forward: There were questions about Andy LaRoche's defense at the beginning of the season, but there aren't anymore. He stepped it up big time with the glove... if only he could hit the ball.

Step backward: Matt Capps, 8 losses, 5.40 ERA... yuck.

Accountability: Neil Huntington, he has been consistent in his moves.

Lack of accountability: The "fans" running out of funny jokes to tell about the Pirates. I have grown to hate a lot of Pittsburgh sports fans because of their lack of knowledge and lack of respect for the Pirates organization. 

Leadership: There really isn't much... Zach Duke and Paul Maholm were the closest things we had to team leaders after the trades.

Lack of leadership: John Russell? I don't know... 

Positive force: Andrew McCutchen, and the small amount of hope he brought to the majors with him.

Negative force: The fans. I hate them.

Sweetest swing: Mr. Pedro Alvarez. The kid is gonna be a stud. 

Miserable miss: Brian Bixler, one of the worst baseball players to ever suit up in a big league uniform.

Powerful crowd moment: Opening day when Zach Duke pitched a complete game shut out.

Weakest crowd moment: The other 80 home games.

Reason to believe in the 2010 Pirates: The pitching looked great at times this year, and their is offensive help on the way. This team can't get any worse, and the future starts next year. 

Reason not to believe: It's rare that young talent clicks this quickly, and it won't be easy for the Pirates young guys to put together a winning season next year, but it's still doable.


Screwed Again!

The Minnesota Twins signed Miguen Angel Sano today. What is that about? 

Apparently, the Twins offer came out of no where, and Sano's agent offered the Orioles the chance to match it, but never offered the Pirates that chance. So basically Sano's agent was out to get us. For some reason he doesn't like the Pirates, which is completely illogical. There is no reason for anyone in the world to dislike the Pirates. Give us a break for God's sake, we're one of the most pathetic teams in baseball just trying to build the right way with young talent and risk taking. Is that wrong? No, so why does the world make it look like it? How come the good guys always finish last while the bank-busters go out and have all the fun? Is there no more justice in this world? What is it coming to? Ergh...

Anyways, it has been a long time so I last posted, but I'm back now. The Pirates have been doing nothing but losing since my last entry, but they actually took 3 out of 4 from the Dodgers last weekend, which was nothing short of shocking. The Pirates finished their season strong with an emphatic 11 run performance on Monday afternoon. Andy LaRoche went off, out of no where, collecting 5 hits, 2 home runs, and 6 RBI. Like seriously, if somebody told me someone on the Pirates was going to have that kind of day, Andy would be one of the last guys I'd expect it from. But he did it, so let's hope something has clicked in his head and he goes into next year strong. It would be really good to see him hit the ball consistently, he could be a big part of the picture in many different ways. 

The Pirates have 6 games remaining this season and currently have a record of 59-97, so they have to win 4 of their last 6 to avoid 100 losses. I wish I could say I'm confident that they'll do it, but I'm not. The positive side of all of this is the Pirates are almost guaranteed a top 3 pick in next year's draft. The Nationals sit with 103 losses, the Orioles with 97, and the Royals with 94 right now. 

Well everybody, just enjoy your last week of Pirates' baseball, because as disgusting as the team looks now, you are all going to miss them in a couple of months. Baseball season coming to an end, and it's one of the saddest times of the year for me and my fellow bloggers. Sure, football season is here, and hockey season is coming fast, but those two just don't do it for me. Baseball is my true love, and nothing will ever change that. 


p.s. 

I interviewed Lanny Frattare on Monday, and it was awesome. If you want to hear about it, ask. 

Never Give Up, Never Give Up, Never Give Up!

The three words that made Winston Churchill famous are now echoing to Pirate fans everywhere. The organization has hit a low point, the lowest point of any franchise in American sports history. The Pirates were considered one of the greatest baseball teams to ever play the game in the 70's and 80's, and now they have been degraded to a mere punch line. I can not count the number of times I have been made fun of in the last years for being a Pirates fan, and that pace has picked up tremendously since the Pirates' have broken the record. However, I am an optimist and I am here to tell those of you who still have enough fanhood to be reading this to not give up, never give up. 

In the book of Proverbs, we read "The night is always darkest before the dawn". Of course, most of you know that quote from the movie Batman: The Dark Knight. I believe that this applies to the Pirates right now. This is undoubtably their lowest point and any more losing seasons after this are just solidifying a record that the Washington Nationals will soon break. So, there is really no further to fall. Therefore, I'd say the dawn is about to kick in. New Pirates' management has begun pulling the team out of a monstrous hole that Dave Littlefield and Kevin McClatchy left it in. Neil Huntington has done a fantastic job at trading what they had (which was not winning us any ballgames) for players that very well could win us some games in the future. He has not focused on just one level to build though, as previous management had done. The organization is deep at every level, assuring that this team has no where to go but up. 

I'm not going to list any names now, if you're interested in what future players are going to help the Pirates, you can check out my Prospect Chart. Now, during these last 17 years of losing, the Pirates have had very little talent in any level of play. It seemed that almost all of those prospects the Pirates drafted and traded for turned out be duds (see Brian Bullington, John Van Benschoten, Neil Walker). The Pirates made some fetal attempts as strengthening their future through trade, which resulted in some solid players, however was far too small-scale to make a significant difference. Management also made a couple of trades to save or gain money (see Aramis Ramirez for Bobby Hill). They also missed out on some trade opportunities that could've made this team a lot better if researched more intently (see Kip Wells for Ryan Howard). When you string all kinds of these incidents together for 10+ years, you are deserving of setting this kind of record. However, things are about to change. 

The new management has a plan, a plan that revolves around being a perennial World Series competitor instead of hoping for a 1 season surge to get over the .500 mark. The trades and signings made over the last 2 years may not have been liked by the fan base, but that's just do to a very unintelligent following. How can fans expect to get out of a huge rut like 17 straight years of winning with 30-somethings and one year wonders starting at every position? What damage could you possibly do with 3 decent major league starting pitching and virtually nothing compliment them at any level of play? You simply cannot compete for a World Series like that. That is precisely why these trades were made. 

Now, instead of Jason Bay, Xavier Nady, Nate McLouth, Freddy Sanchez, Jack Wilson, and Adam LaRoche in Pittsburgh being respected and liked by the fans, getting their share of national attention, but playing for a team that is still no where near a winning record, and much less a World Series ring, we have young talent with sky-high ceilings that are giving the Pirates a hope for the future and a legitimate shot at World Series in the near future. 

In less than 3 years, the Pirates are going to be a respected, competitive team and everyone will finally realize Neil Huntington as the Pirates' saviour, and all be well in Pittsburgh. 

Reactions To #17.

Well instead of making a post of my own talking about the Pirates recent 4-sport record-setting of consecutive losing seasons in a row, I've decided to just post what my fellow bloggers are saying. 

First, Brian of Raise The Jolly Roger, said this:

The Pirates lost today (4-2 to the Cubs). It was loss number 82 in a 162 game season, assuring that the Pirates will finish under .500 for a record 17th consecutive year. That goes for all four major North American pro sports. I really don't need to go into a long post about the last 17 years of this franchise. We all knew this day was going to come this season, and everybody has discussed how it got this bad at length for quite a while now. Still, I feel obligated to get some thoughts down on such a momentous occasion, so here goes: In 1992, the Bucs lost a lot of their core to free agency and the like. A playoff team turned into a losing team pretty quickly, and while most teams recover from years like that, it didn't happen (and still hasn't happened) in Pittsburgh. In 1992, I was one year old. Now I'm 18 and have never cheered my favorite club on to a successful year. Why? A simple combination of lack of money and awful decision making. People will say, "it's amazing that in 17 years they couldn't even get lucky once and have a good season." Teams don't get lucky. They have resources, either in talent evaluation skill or money. Up until about two years ago, the Pirates had neither. You can win with bad decision making if you have enough money to make up for it (exhibit A: the New York Yankees). You can win without much money if you have a brilliant front office (Oakland, Minnesota, Milwaukee, Tampa Bay, etc.). The Pirates will never have the kind of money that the Red Sox, Yankees, Mets, Dodgers, and Cubs have. Blame it on a small market, or Bob Nutting, or Kevin McClatchy, whoever. It's a fact. You have to accept it. To overcome it, the Bucs had to draft well, develop players well, and use every single resource they have as well as they can and then sell it off for as much as they can get. It's hard, and not particularly fair, but as we see year-in and year-out with the clubs I just mentioned, it's definitely possible. Cam Bonifay and Dave Littlefield failed miserably. Countless top draft picks have flamed out. Foolish trades were made with nothing but money in mind. Precious dollars were used on mediocre veteran free agents to fill a positional gap for a season or two, while draft picks were going unsigned and Latin American operations were a joke. People will say "the Pirates have been rebuiliding for 17 years, why should we believe they're doing it now?" The Pirates were not rebuilding under Littlefield and Bonifay. They were, for the most part, just being amazingly stupid. So now the new guys are in town and we still haven't seen a result, just more trades and more losing. Any blog reader knows that I'm a believer in Neal's strategy. It's not that it's gauranteed to work-it's just the only option the Pirates have. Anything else would be the same old story-and it's about time the Pirates have learned their lesson.



Jake from bucco-blog.com writes : 

I've been asked for comments on the Pirates organization as they close in on the record of 17 consecutive losing seasons, so here's a few thoughts..
1. My beloved Pirates have won five World Championships. That's more than the Mets and Cubs. Combined. Come back and talk to me when they catch up.
2. Ok, so our current ownership group runs the franchise like a Piggly Wiggly. What do you expect? Until Major League Baseball changes the welfare rules, I'll continue to post an annual "Look How Bad We Suck" here every September for you to read.
3. "The Plan" is yet another chapter in "The Great Deception" and if you believe anything else, you're as dizzy as the other 1.4M fans who flocked to PNC Park in 2009. We might have a little more talent in the system than we did two years ago, albeit little to no impact, we also missed way too many opportunities for the 'best' player. We're still spinning our wheels.. the future is far from bright.
4. Our current roster is, far and away, the worst fielded product in Pittsburgh since Branch Rickey rebuilding days in the 50's. It didn't have to be this way had we had just a speck of better short-term planning.
5. Under the 'new regime' we have rovers quiting, quality field staff unwilling to serve out their terms, numerous cases of player cries for help, internal charges of unapproachable management, and one of the least experienced scouting staffs in the lower ranks. Yes, our GM was a virgin when he took over, our PD director a virgin, and our club President a virgin. On top of that two are lawyers and one a holistic practitioner. Throw in a virgin manager and.. Hold the jokes please - it's really not funny.
6. While ownership names have rotated some and a few have been bought out, don't forget for one second that Robert Nutting has been the Chairman of the Board of this franchise since January 2003, the year our top prospect, Aramis Ramirez, was dealt for a can of corn. The Nutting family has been in almost total control since - one way or another - and are firmly in control today. If you want a fans take on the Nutting ownership clan, mine would be this: nerdy misers who love to control others for a profit.
Oh, I could go on and on but it isn't worth it. If I was granted a few wishes, I would ask for:
- realignment. Come on, why does my team always start the year with a double-whammy of a six-team division AND being in a smaller market?
- all the Pittsburgh boys brought in to turn this club around. I mean, look around, there are so many qualified Pittsburgh men working for other clubs it isn't funny. I'd start with Branch Rickey as the President and hope he hired Tony LaCava as the GM.
- a reduction in season ticket prices for 2010.


The reaction over at bucsdugout was this: 

The Bucs clinched their 17th consecutive losing season, setting a record for major American sports, with a 4-2 loss against the Cubs today. Today's loss was actually reasonably typical of this year's team, from the seven innings I saw. They didn't pitch terribly well, but they didn't pitch horribly, either. The fielding was fine. There wasn't anybody in the lineup who obviously doesn't belong in the majors. They weren't embarrassing. But they just didn't hit enough. PNC was mostly empty due to the rain, and many of the remaining spectators were Cubs fans, watching the Pirates play mediocre, but not horrible, baseball. If there's any sort of thread that connects the 1993 squad that began all this losing to the 2009 version, I don't see it. In fact, I'm too young to really put the first several years of the streak into perspective, and I associate most of the middle years with horrible, blunderous baseball played mostly by guys who either didn't belong in the big leagues at all or were so old that the Pirates shouldn't have been bothering with them. (Not that those categories are mutually exclusive.) This version of the team really has neither of those problems. They're just not good enough right now. Given what Frank Coonelly and Neal Huntington inherited, that's no surprise, and the obvious strides the Pirates made with young players, in the minors and with some in the majors, this year, suggest that someday soon things are going to be different. And so, although I know I'm supposed to feel some sort of disgust about this epic skid of losing seasons, I simply don't. I felt it three years ago when Dave Littlefield was running the team into the ground. I'm not a football fan, but my brothers are both hardcore fans, and I was sitting on the couch with them when they saw that the Raiders had traded a 2011 first-round pick (quite possibly a top ten pick) to the Patriots for Richard Seymour. That was an extreme version of the sorts of bizarre moves Littlefield made on a regular basis. Whether you like what the Bucs have done the past two years or hate it, there's a coherent rationale behind about 95% of the moves they've made. If Coonelly and Huntington can get this ship turned around, then being a Pirates fan is going to feel great for once.

For a different perspective, the writers over at TheUnsportsmanlikes have a series going where they look back at the positive Pirates' moments in this long series of losing.

Also, of course, go read what Matt has to say at the Pittsburgh Peas.

Ross K's 11... Pirates Lose.

The Pittsburgh Pirates are now 1 loss away from being the first franchise in sports history to have 17 straight losing seasons. The Pirates suffered a tough loss to a Cardinals team that didn't even start Albert Pujols, Matt Holliday, or Yadier Molina. All 3 of those guys got at bats in the 10th inning of this game, but Pujols' at bat was the only one that really mattered. The game headed for extras tied at 1 as the Pirates couldn't get the big hit they needed to win the game in the 9th. Albert Pujols pinch hit to lead off the inning and hit a 3-2 fastball over the centerfield wall to put the Cardinals on top. Albert dropped his bat and admired his shot, which you don't see from him very often. I was kind of upset with Albert there. He's one of my favorite players and the guy in the league that I have the most respect for, and seeing him admire a shot that barely made it out of the yard kind of made me question his cockiness. 

Anyways, it was a fantastic baseball game before that swing. Ross Ohlendorf had his best start of the year (it seems I've been saying that a lot lately). He struck out 11, which is unheard of for a Pirates pitcher. He was in the zone all game long. His velocity wasn't any higher than normal, but his breaking balls were moving more than I've ever seen. His sinker was the strikeout pitch tonight, it seemed that almost every strikeout came along with an assist, as Ryan Doumit had to block the fanned-at balls in the dirt and tag the runner out or throw it to first for the guys who actually ran. Most guys weren't even running because they were so mad at themselves for being fooled that badly and swinging at a ball in the dirt. Ross threw 104 pitches and could have pitched another inning if he were not going to lead off the 9th inning for the Pirates. Instead, Matt Capps pitched a 1-2-3 9th and earned the right to stay in the game and try to put up another 0 in the tenth. This was not to be however and Capps was tagged with his 8th loss of the year, which is just atrocious for a closer. His ERA is well over 6 and he is slowly becoming one of the most disliked Pirates. 

Despite the loss, it was a positive game for the Pirates. Ross Ohlendorf just keeps reaching new limits. He keeps getting better, no one really knows where his ceiling is. He shows different positive things every start, and who knows how good he could be if he starts putting those all together consistently. The offense was anemic again tonight, notching only 1 run and 6 hits in 10 innings. It's even worse that the Cardinals sent Mitch Boggs to the hill. 

Another thing I noticed tonight is that the Cardinals are one incredibly deep team. They were able to win a game when 2 best hitters watched the first 9 innings from the bench. Granted, they didn't win the game until Pujols entered the game, and they were facing one of the worst offensive teams in the league. However, having guys like Troy Glaus, Colby Rasmus, and Rick Ankiel to fill spots off the bench is pretty impressive. Their bullpen is equally deep. Tonight they sent Trever Miller, Blake Hawksworth, and Ryan Franklin to pitch the last 3 innings of the game. All 3 of those guys have ERAs well under 3.00. (Miller and Franklin are below 2.00). They also have arms like Kyle McClellan and Jason Motte in there, and they can mow some hitters down as well. If I were a Cardinals fan, I'd really be liking my chances at a World Series this year. Their rotation is solid, their offense is one of the best, and their bullpen is near the top of the league as well. That's a good combination to have. 

As for the Pirates, we're still pretty far away from a winning season. It's encouraging to see our pitching staff doing such a great job, but it's discouraging to see guys like Andy LaRoche, Delwyn Young, Brandon Moss, and Ryan Doumit really struggling at the plate. Those are guys that we are really going to need to play well to give the team a shot at the playoffs next year (especially LaRoche and Young). Help is on the way, Jeff Clement, Jose Tabata, and Pedro Alvarez will all be in the bigs next year and they could provide some serious run support to the lineup. 

Tomorrow's a new day, and the Pirates can make history... for all the wrong reasons.

Arguments...

So I was at the Pirate game with my school yesterday... started talking about the Pirates with a couple of other kids in my class. One kid started talking about how the trades were awful and with this management the Pirates will never win. He went on to say that having an outfield or Jason Bay, Nate McLouth, and Andrew McCutchen, along with Freddy Sanchez and Jack Wilson would have made the Pirates a playoff team this year. I went on to remind him that without the trades they made they would have guys like Virgil Vasquez, John Van Benschoten and Ian Snell starting, which would result in nothing close to a playoff birth. 

He didn't take my correction very well and went on to say that Jack Wilson was the best defensive shortstop in the league... I went on to ask him if he could even name 5 other shortstops in the league... and things got pretty heated. 

At one point in the argument he muttered 7 words that pushed me over the top. "You don't know what you're talking about". WOW. That ticked me off so much that I knew I would end up making a large scene if I responded and probably making my fellow classmates think I'm nuts, so I just kept my mouth shut after that. 

Bottomline is, it's people like this that are really going to ruin the Pirate fan experience when the team starts winning. I can guarantee that when the Pirates put it together and have a winning season or are in a playoff race, this kid will immediately jump on the bandwagon and start saying "Yeah, I've followed the team all my life" and act like a real fan. It's people like this that have ruined the Pittsburgh Penguins for me. 

All my roommate does is bash the Pirates. He's a big baseball fan and he watches the games with me, however he only has bad things to say. The only guy he doesn't say bad things about is Garrett Jones, and then he acts like I'm stupid when I tell him that Jones is 29 years old and this year is more likely than not a fluke. Garrett Jones will not have another year like he is having now. It would be different if he was 23 or 24, like my roommate thought he was, however he is not. Garrett has been great for the Pirates, I like him as a player on this team for the next couple years, however he is not a part of the long-term future like an Andrew McCutchen or Pedro Alvarez. 

I think I like being a Pirate fan better when I just focus on the stuff myself or go to games with the handful of people I know that actually understand baseball and the rebuilding process. 

Can anybody relate? 
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