The "Mc" Effect tag:eatsleepmlb.mlblogs.com,2008-03-29:/69501 2009-11-22T00:42:19Z var sc_project=4527895; var sc_invisible=1; var sc_partition=34; var sc_click_stat=1; var sc_security="76e2ad63"; The "Mc" Effect has moved. Check out my new web site at mceffect.com. Movable Type Pro 4.25 Relocation tag:eatsleepmlb.mlblogs.com,2009://69501.1335731 2009-11-22T00:38:58Z 2009-11-22T00:42:19Z Now, Proudly Announcing... The New and Improved "Mc" Effect http://www.mceffect.com.... jonnnnnn
Now, Proudly Announcing...

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http://www.mceffect.com.
]]> Karstens Out, Jakubauskus In tag:eatsleepmlb.mlblogs.com,2009://69501.1335521 2009-11-21T17:44:27Z 2009-11-21T18:03:18Z jonnnnnn
  • Pirates signed Chris Jakubauskus off waivers from the Seattle Mariners. 

  • What we later found out was the reason for signing Chris Jakubauskus, the Pirates designated Jeff Karstens for assignment, which means he will go through waivers and will most likely never play for the Pirates again. This was kind of upsetting, because Karstens showed definite promise in the long relief role last year. However, he had gotten Super 2 status in free agency, so the Pirates were going to have to pay him more than he was worth.

    • In case you are wondering what it means to get "Super 2" status, here's the basics -The top 17 percent of players with at least 2 but less than 3 years of Major League service. These are known as "Super 2" players. To qualify as a Super 2, a player must have accumulated at least 86 days of service in the previous year. Historically, the cutoff point for Super 2 status is 2 years, 128 days of service, though the requirement has been as high as 2 years, 140 days in years past.

  • The Pirates also designed Robinzon Diaz and Justin Thomas for assignment, I personally don't like to see Robinzon go, but it clears the way for some prospects that we acquire in the Rule 5, which is always good.

  • Brad Lincoln, Bryan Morris, and Gorkys Hernandez were all added to the 40-man roster to protect them from being selected in the Rule-5 Draft. I do expect to see Lincoln in Pittsburgh this year, but I would not expect to see Morris or Hernandez next year.

  • Evan Meek and Jose Ascanio were moved from the 60-day DL to the 40-man roster.


The story with Chris Jakubauskus is not a very pretty one. Last year was his first season in the major leagues, even though he is 30 years old. He went 6-7 with a 5.32 ERA in 93.0 innings. He started 8 games and appeared out of the bullpen 27 times. His K/9 ratio is 4.5, which is nothing to be excited about. Hopefully he will get it together and eat some innings for the Pirates in the middle of games next year, I certainly do not want to see him in the rotation.

In other news, I am working on taking my blog to the next level by purchasing a domain name and running it off of the mlblogosphere, which will give me a multitude of new options and make the blog a lot better. So be on the lookout for that.

]]> Be an American tag:eatsleepmlb.mlblogs.com,2009://69501.1332801 2009-11-19T16:04:00Z 2009-11-19T16:17:37Z Well in the last 2 days I have read about 3 petitions that we can all sign as baseball fans and as Americans, so that prompted me to post the links here. I have no signed any of them... jonnnnnn

So there you go, go waste some time and virtually sign some petitions, especially that Alcides Escobar one. 
]]> Brown, Blass Visit Waynesburg University tag:eatsleepmlb.mlblogs.com,2009://69501.1329231 2009-11-16T20:09:23Z 2009-11-16T20:23:07Z A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to meet and interview one of my favorite people in this world, Lanny Frattare. If you haven't read this blog before, you won't know that I am a student at Waynesburg... jonnnnnn
1116091102.jpg
Now, I am not a communications major, so I was not even invited to this event. However, I was not about to miss this opportunity, so I got permission from one of the professors to come. I skipped two classes to come up and listen to two voices I have listened to a lot in my life speak in person.

They spoke a lot about how they got to where they are now. Greg Brown announced for the Buffalo Bison (a minor league baseball team) and the Buffalo Bills before making it to where he had always dreamed of announcing, in Pittsburgh. Steve Blass, of course, played for the Pirates and was considered quite a hero for them in his career, so he had little trouble getting the job as a color commentator after his career was over. He has now been with the organization for 50 years, and few people have done more for the organization as he has.

I sat feet away from the two as they gave us students advice on what to do and how to do it if we want to make it in the communications department. Greg's main point was to be enthusiastic and get your name out there. He told the story of one of Three Rivers Stadium's Public Address Announcers that only got the job because he called Greg, who was currently the PA announcer, and asked if he could have lunch with him and inquire about the field. The man brought his resume to the lunch and kept in contact with Greg. When it was time to get a new guy, Greg instantly suggested this man and he ended up getting the job. "The jobs don't come to you, you have to go get them yourself," Mr. Brown said.

After they were done sharing their stories and advice, it opened up for questions. One question popped into my head as I heard them talk. The memory of the Pirates 8th and 9th inning 5-run rally, that was capped off with 10th inning 3-run bomb from Jason Michaels came into my head. Greg and Steve were on the TV broadcast that night and I have never heard more excitement come out of two men then I heard when Michaels hit that bomb. My question to them was if those lines and those reactions are pre-planned or if they just come out. I specifically mentioned that memory in my question, and I mentioned that I remembered Steve saying something about a "Mrs. McDavis", which he laughed at, and then appropriately said the whole line again.

Some other questions asked by my peers involved the grueling baseball season and how hard it is to stay with even while the Pirates are doing so awful. Greg and Steve admitted that it really does get old and weary at the end of the season, but they always manage to stay sane through it. Now, Steve doesn't travel with the team anymore, John Wehner assumes his duties on the road, but Greg definitely has a lot on his hands at all times during the season. He said that October is probably his favorite time of the year because he can just go escape from baseball and sports and relax with his family. There's no doubt that it would be incredibly hard to have that kind of job, especially when you are with a team that is as uncompetitive as the Pirates. They both sincerely love their jobs and have a great passion for baseball, and I wouldn't expect either of the two to be leaving the Pirates anytime soon.

All-in-all it was a great experience for me. I have always had the dream of being an announcer for the Pirates, so the advice they gave me and the stories they told could really help me if I choose to pursue that dream. The only negative thing that came from this day was that now I'm especially anxious for the 2010 season to come. ]]> Options tag:eatsleepmlb.mlblogs.com,2009://69501.1327801 2009-11-15T05:31:27Z 2009-11-15T05:57:00Z jonnnnnn I miss baseball season. Like, a lot. You'd think a couple months away from the dismal baseball played by the Pittsburgh Pirates would be relieving, or relaxing... or something like that. This should be especially true because I live in Pittsburgh, and it is currently Steelers and Penguins season, but those two just don't do it for me.

I miss baseball. I miss the Pirates. I miss the losing. I miss everyone making fun of me for being a fan. I miss the ballpark. I miss scalping tickets for under 5 dollars. I miss my favorite thing in this human life. 

While nothing I can say or do can bring next season any faster, all of these free-agent and trade rumors are keeping my head above water. Let's get down to it. 

  • The Pirates signing of Akinori Iwamura has apparently opened up the management's mind and opened up opportunities to sign more Japanese players. The Pirates are now trying to sign Ryota Igarashi, a 30 year old relief pitcher who throws in the high 90's. Igarashi is right-handed, which is unfavorable for the Pirates (or at least should be), but there will be no complaints from me if they do sign him. He could be a legitimate replacement for Jesse Chavez. While he is by no means a main priority of the Pirates, he is definitely someone they are looking into.

  • Apparently the Pirates received some offers from the Brewers when they were shopping J.J. Hardy. The Brewers asked for either Paul Maholm or Zach Duke, but the Pirates quickly declined both offers, a very good move in my opinion. Management was hoping to land Hardy at the cheap cost of Matt Capps or Ryan Doumit, but they couldn't make it happen. The Brewers recently traded Hardy to the Twins for Carlos Gomez, so we won't be hearing any more about him.

  • The other big name in the Pirates offseason rumors is that of Ryan Doumit. The Pirates have made it clear they are still very willing to hear offers for him, and they have also said it has been that way since July. Candidates to try and get him are the Giants, Mariners, and Rays. This is a tough one to formulate an opinion on. If Doumit were to get traded, I definitely would not miss him, however, I think there is a very good chance his value will go way up from where it is now by the 2010 trade deadline. I would like to see the Pirates hold on to him until then, unless they can get something really good for him.

  • I stated in earlier posts that I really wanted to see the Pirates make a run at signing Jack Wilson again, but that will not be happening. The Mariners paid him $10 million this week to stay in Seattle. If the Pirates would have paid that price for him, I certainly would not have been happy. I think the Mariners gave him a little too much money there. But they could compete this year, and his defense is going to help them a lot. 

Other things that could be popping up are the aforementioned names of Zach Duke and Paul Maholm, although I don't expect Neil to make any deals involving them. If he does, I'd expect it to be something that would make me very happy. I'm honestly not expecting too much out of those two next year; I really think they are pretty overrated in Pittsburgh (and that's really saying something). I think the Pirates would be wise to trade Duke while his stock his so high. I don't want to see him go out there this year and revert to his 2008 form and lose all trade value he has. I'd rather see Duke go than Maholm, in my book Paul is a safer bet to perform well in 2010 (plus I have his bobble head in my dorm room). 

So there you go, there's the news, a couple days late, but written with style. 
]]> Free Agency, Now There's Something New tag:eatsleepmlb.mlblogs.com,2009://69501.1321451 2009-11-10T18:15:12Z 2009-11-10T18:29:26Z jonnnnnn
The Pirates main focus this offseason appears to be Rick Ankiel. There have also been rumors of the Pirates bringing back Jack Wilson, if they don't have to pay his $8+ million option. Now bringing back Jack makes sense to me, to get some fans back in the ballpark and bring back that great team leadership and defense that he brought to the table for so many years. However, the talk about Rick Ankiel makes a lot less sense to me.

Now I'm not quite an expert, although I do like to think I'm almost there (hehe), but what do the Pirates want with a 30-year old outfielder on the downslope of his career when we already have Lastings Milledge, Andrew McCutchen, Garrett Jones, and Jose Tabata in the organization? Now, Garrett Jones could and should be moved exclusively to first base this year, assuming the Pirates finally give up on Steve Pearce like we are all waiting for them to do. This would leave an outfield spot open until Jose Tabata comes up and takes it, which will probably be at least until June of next season. There's a good chance it will be longer than that too, but I still don't get paying pretty good money to fill that void for those months.

The Pirates aren't expected to seriously contend next year, and despite the lacking fan support and the pressure to put wins on the board in the present, I still believe our focus should be on the future. If Rick Ankiel were 25, then yeah, make the move and have him in case Jose Tabata doesn't work out for whatever reason, but by the time we can know if Tabata is for real or not, Ankiel will be 32 or 33 and just about done. Sure, if the Pirates get him it will indefinitely give us more wins this year, but I think that will be the difference of 70 to 75, and will still leave us well out of playoff contention.

Now, if the Pirates do sign him, I'm not going to say I'm going to be mad. I have never really experienced the Pirates signing a player like this. I've seen them sign Kenny Lofton, Raul Mondesi, and Reggie Sanders, but I think Ankiel is definitely a better player than those guys were at the times of those signings. He would be a valuable tool as a starter in right field for those few months, a definite better option than Brandon Moss or Delwyn Young, but worth the money? I don't think so.

I'm not sure Ankiel would be happy with coming off the bench, and I'm doubting the Pirates could keep him past 2010 anyways. If I were Neil Huntington, I would avoid Ankiel and try to spend my money elsewhere, like in starting pitching. Granted, there really aren't many logical options out there for the Pirates this year as far as starters go, but it wouldn't hurt to explore it. There are guys out there like Erik Bedard, Rich Hill, Justin Duscherer, and Adam Eaton, but I don't see the Pirates even making offers to those guys.

Another player that is a free agent that I would be ecstatic to bring to Pittsburgh would be Chone Figgins who has been one of my favorite players for years. Although that makes very little sense as well, because he is primarily a third baseman who is 32 years old, and we all know that that third base position is going to be used to get another good look at Andy LaRoche until Pedro Alvarez is ready next summer. Although signing him would be confusing (and flat out not even going to be considered), I would be the first to go out and buy a Figgins Pirates jersey.

It should be interesting to see what happens this offseason, I am personally just hoping the Pirates sign someone to get their name mentioned on ESPN once or twice in these winter months, that would be something new.
]]> The Pittsburgh Pirates, Relevant In November? tag:eatsleepmlb.mlblogs.com,2009://69501.1312281 2009-11-04T20:06:53Z 2009-11-04T20:28:03Z 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... jonnnnnn
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... tag:eatsleepmlb.mlblogs.com,2009://69501.1292851 2009-10-22T15:16:04Z 2009-10-22T15:29:01Z 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... jonnnnnn
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?? tag:eatsleepmlb.mlblogs.com,2009://69501.1291241 2009-10-21T15:06:57Z 2009-10-21T15:14:36Z 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... jonnnnnn
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... tag:eatsleepmlb.mlblogs.com,2009://69501.1270051 2009-10-07T19:35:51Z 2009-10-07T19:57:15Z 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... jonnnnnn
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 tag:eatsleepmlb.mlblogs.com,2009://69501.1264541 2009-10-05T04:39:23Z 2009-10-05T05:05:35Z 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... jonnnnnn 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! tag:eatsleepmlb.mlblogs.com,2009://69501.1255501 2009-09-30T03:00:38Z 2009-09-30T03:14:42Z jonnnnnn
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! tag:eatsleepmlb.mlblogs.com,2009://69501.1220591 2009-09-10T01:55:16Z 2009-09-10T02:24:39Z 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... jonnnnnn
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. tag:eatsleepmlb.mlblogs.com,2009://69501.1216441 2009-09-08T02:53:17Z 2009-09-08T03:18:54Z jonnnnnn
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. tag:eatsleepmlb.mlblogs.com,2009://69501.1213351 2009-09-06T03:39:24Z 2009-09-06T03:57:06Z 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,... jonnnnnn
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.
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