With starting pitching like this, who needs a bullpen? Earlier today, I expressed my slight displeasure over the Pirates trade of relief pitcher Brad Lincoln to Toronto for outfielder Travis Snider.
I was a little concerned about how the departure of Lincoln, owner of the lowest ERA of any relief pitcher in MLB, would hurt the team's extraordinary bullpen.
Well, after two straight games of watching the entire pitching staff get pounded to the tune of 22 runs, Pirates ace A.J. Burnett gave the boys in the pen the night off with a one-hit masterpiece against the Cubs tonight at Wrigley Field. Burnett took a no-hitter into the bottom of the 8th inning before it was broken up with a two-out single by pinch-hitter Adrian Cardenas.
More importantly, tonight's 5-0 win by the Pirates snapped a modest two-game losing streak as Pittsburgh evened the series in Chicago with an eye towards taking the rubber-game tomorrow afternoon.
Speaking of expressing my displeasure, I certainly did that in the offseason when the Pirates acquired the veteran Burnett in a trade. Sitting here tonight, I couldn't be more glad to have been wrong about that deal. Burnett has been a stud all season and a mentor and leader in the clubhouse. And tonight may have been the most important game of the season for the Pirates, who are looking to end 19 straight years of losing and make the playoffs for the first time since 1992. It was a year ago at this time that Pittsburgh was in the throes of a 10-game losing streak.
Thanks to the stopper Burnett, we won't have to worry about history repeating itself.
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Pirates Trade Brad Lincoln to Toronto for Outfielder Travis Snider
The Pirates got their corner outfielder just before the trade deadline. Only it wasn't Shane Victorino or Hunter Pence. Instead, Pittsburgh sent reliever Brad Lincoln to the Blue Jays for outfielder Travis Snider.
Snider was drafted in the first round by Toronto in 2006, the same year that Pittsiburgh drafted Lincoln. Snider is also three years younger and has the potential to be an everyday player. But that's just the problem. He has potential. The Pirates are in the midst of their first real pennant race in 20 years. You would think they would be bringing in guys with proven track records, like a Victorino. There is no track record with Snider; it's all potential. Potential is nice, but it can go either way.
However, because of the extra wild card that was added to the mix this season, it is a seller's market, and word around baseball from people in the know is that the teams that are selling are taking advantage of the market and asking for way too much. Evidently, the Phillies wanted a King's Ransom to part with Victorino, a free agent at the end of the season.
I guess I'm a bit pessimistic of the trade because of how successful the Pirates' bullpen has been this season. Lincoln had seemed to have found a role for himself as a middle reliever, and there was even talk of him moving into the role of closer if Hanrahan were to be traded either this year or next. I just hate to see a key cog to the 2012 team get traded away at the deadline. What message does that send?
But then again, as others have pointed out, Evan Meek was a dominant relief pitcher two years ago and even made the All-Star team. But now, because of arm trouble, he's barely on anyone's radar.
And maybe that's why Neal Huntington traded Lincoln away right now. His stock has never been higher, and with a history of arm trouble himself, you just never know when more physical problems might surface.
For what it's worth, everyone outside of Pittsburgh seems to love what the Pirates did. Word has it that the fans in Toronto are pretty livid over Snider getting away.
I guess we'll see what happens.
Snider was drafted in the first round by Toronto in 2006, the same year that Pittsiburgh drafted Lincoln. Snider is also three years younger and has the potential to be an everyday player. But that's just the problem. He has potential. The Pirates are in the midst of their first real pennant race in 20 years. You would think they would be bringing in guys with proven track records, like a Victorino. There is no track record with Snider; it's all potential. Potential is nice, but it can go either way.
However, because of the extra wild card that was added to the mix this season, it is a seller's market, and word around baseball from people in the know is that the teams that are selling are taking advantage of the market and asking for way too much. Evidently, the Phillies wanted a King's Ransom to part with Victorino, a free agent at the end of the season.
I guess I'm a bit pessimistic of the trade because of how successful the Pirates' bullpen has been this season. Lincoln had seemed to have found a role for himself as a middle reliever, and there was even talk of him moving into the role of closer if Hanrahan were to be traded either this year or next. I just hate to see a key cog to the 2012 team get traded away at the deadline. What message does that send?
But then again, as others have pointed out, Evan Meek was a dominant relief pitcher two years ago and even made the All-Star team. But now, because of arm trouble, he's barely on anyone's radar.
And maybe that's why Neal Huntington traded Lincoln away right now. His stock has never been higher, and with a history of arm trouble himself, you just never know when more physical problems might surface.
For what it's worth, everyone outside of Pittsburgh seems to love what the Pirates did. Word has it that the fans in Toronto are pretty livid over Snider getting away.
I guess we'll see what happens.
Monday, July 30, 2012
Kevin Correia Wants Traded? Is He Stupid?
A few weeks ago, I wrote a little spoof about the Pirates "Zoltan" phenomenon, in-which I compared it to the nWo wrestling angle from the late 90's. In my skit, Pirates' pitcher Kevin Correia was a heel similar to what you'd see in any wrestling show.
Well, maybe I missed my calling as a wrestling booker, because Correia has suddenly become a bit of a malcontent in the Pirates' clubhouse.
The Pirates acquired lefty Wandy Rodgriguez from the Houston Astros last Tuesday, and that meant that someone had to be removed from the starting rotation. That someone turned out to be Correia, who was moved to the bullpen where he has assumed the role of long reliever. Yesterday, Correia came in for the struggling James McDonald and proceeded to give up four earned runs in two-innings in a 9-5 loss to the Astros in Houston.
After the game, Correia expressed his disappointment with the move to the bullpen and said that he wanted to be traded.
First off, I'm not surprised that Correia is unhappy with the decision to move to the pen. As others have said, Correia did win his last five starts. However, it's not like he was lights out in those five games. In fact, he was barely getting out of the fifth inning in most of them. He has a 4.24 ERA. We're not talking about Justin Verlander here.
Secondly, why would Correia be so quick to react? He's obviously going to get a few more starts before the season is over. McDonald just had his fourth consecutive poor start yesterday in Houston, and who knows what his issues are. Also, Erik Bedard is only 5-11 and Jeff Karstens just came back after missing a significant amount of time with an injury. The Pirates five-man staff is far from etched in stone.
And finally, what about the prospects of being part of something special? I mean, I can see being angry and looking for a trade if you lose your spot in spring training, but to insist upon such a move at the end of July when your team is three games up in the wild card standings and only three games back in the division just screams of selfishness.
At this point in the season, Kevin Correia should be concentrating on doing whatever the team needs him to do so they can make it to the playoffs. If I'm the Pirates, I don't give in to his demands and I tell him that he's here to stay, like it or not.
Be a good guy, Correia. Don't be a heel.
Well, maybe I missed my calling as a wrestling booker, because Correia has suddenly become a bit of a malcontent in the Pirates' clubhouse.
The Pirates acquired lefty Wandy Rodgriguez from the Houston Astros last Tuesday, and that meant that someone had to be removed from the starting rotation. That someone turned out to be Correia, who was moved to the bullpen where he has assumed the role of long reliever. Yesterday, Correia came in for the struggling James McDonald and proceeded to give up four earned runs in two-innings in a 9-5 loss to the Astros in Houston.
After the game, Correia expressed his disappointment with the move to the bullpen and said that he wanted to be traded.
First off, I'm not surprised that Correia is unhappy with the decision to move to the pen. As others have said, Correia did win his last five starts. However, it's not like he was lights out in those five games. In fact, he was barely getting out of the fifth inning in most of them. He has a 4.24 ERA. We're not talking about Justin Verlander here.
Secondly, why would Correia be so quick to react? He's obviously going to get a few more starts before the season is over. McDonald just had his fourth consecutive poor start yesterday in Houston, and who knows what his issues are. Also, Erik Bedard is only 5-11 and Jeff Karstens just came back after missing a significant amount of time with an injury. The Pirates five-man staff is far from etched in stone.
And finally, what about the prospects of being part of something special? I mean, I can see being angry and looking for a trade if you lose your spot in spring training, but to insist upon such a move at the end of July when your team is three games up in the wild card standings and only three games back in the division just screams of selfishness.
At this point in the season, Kevin Correia should be concentrating on doing whatever the team needs him to do so they can make it to the playoffs. If I'm the Pirates, I don't give in to his demands and I tell him that he's here to stay, like it or not.
Be a good guy, Correia. Don't be a heel.
Saturday, July 28, 2012
If a Player Were to Finish a Season with a .400 Average Today, Would it Seem More Impressive than Ted Williams' .400 Season?
Pirates superstar Andrew McCutchen was so hot a couple of weeks ago, it looked like his batting average would just keep climbing forever into the stratsophere. Well, he's come back down to Earth a bit recently, and his average has been hovering in the .370 range. Still pretty impressive, but while Cutch is a strong candidate to win the NL batting crown, it's highly unlikely that he'll approach that magical .400 plateau that Ted Williams made so famous when he .406 back in 1941.
Williams was considered by many to be the greatest hitter who ever lived. It's hard to argue with that sentiment, and in-fact, of all the major professional sports, baseball puts its past heroes on the highest of pedestals.
In baseball, when a record is broken by a modern-day player, it's quite common for fans and media to look at it with a bit of disdain. Back during the steroid era of the 90's and 00's, it was hard to argue with that thought-process.
Going back even further, when Roger Maris broke Babe Ruth's single-season home run record by hitting 61 during the 1961 season, people said there should have been an asterisk next to Maris' record because the American League had expanded its schedule to 162 games that season--Ruth had set the previous record of 60 home runs during a 154 game season. Again, hard to argue with that thought-process. As I said, in baseball, records are held in high-esteem, so when you break one, it better be on the up-and-up. If you're going to break the single-season home run record, you better do it in 154 games (Maris), and there better not be any suspicions of steroid use (Mcgwire, Sosa, Bonds).
The ironic part of Roger Maris' legacy is that now people think he should be considered the single-season home run king because his record was broken three times during the steroid era. Just like Ruth, Maris became a home run martyr, but he had to wait until after his death to achieve such a status.
Yes sir, it's hard to argue with what baseball players did in years gone by.
However, what if a player did reach that magical number of a .400 batting average in today's era of a 162 game season? Wouldn't that be more impressive than what Williams did in 154 games? I mean, after all, the more at-bats that a player has and the more games that he plays, the harder it is to maintain a certain average, right?
In my opinion, I think a .400 batting average in today's era of 162 game seasons, pitching specialists and heightened media coverage would be much more impressive.
You could call it the reverse-Maris effect.
Oh, who am I kidding? The sanctimonious baseball purists would still try to spin it in Ted William's favor.
Williams was considered by many to be the greatest hitter who ever lived. It's hard to argue with that sentiment, and in-fact, of all the major professional sports, baseball puts its past heroes on the highest of pedestals.
In baseball, when a record is broken by a modern-day player, it's quite common for fans and media to look at it with a bit of disdain. Back during the steroid era of the 90's and 00's, it was hard to argue with that thought-process.
Going back even further, when Roger Maris broke Babe Ruth's single-season home run record by hitting 61 during the 1961 season, people said there should have been an asterisk next to Maris' record because the American League had expanded its schedule to 162 games that season--Ruth had set the previous record of 60 home runs during a 154 game season. Again, hard to argue with that thought-process. As I said, in baseball, records are held in high-esteem, so when you break one, it better be on the up-and-up. If you're going to break the single-season home run record, you better do it in 154 games (Maris), and there better not be any suspicions of steroid use (Mcgwire, Sosa, Bonds).
The ironic part of Roger Maris' legacy is that now people think he should be considered the single-season home run king because his record was broken three times during the steroid era. Just like Ruth, Maris became a home run martyr, but he had to wait until after his death to achieve such a status.
Yes sir, it's hard to argue with what baseball players did in years gone by.
However, what if a player did reach that magical number of a .400 batting average in today's era of a 162 game season? Wouldn't that be more impressive than what Williams did in 154 games? I mean, after all, the more at-bats that a player has and the more games that he plays, the harder it is to maintain a certain average, right?
In my opinion, I think a .400 batting average in today's era of 162 game seasons, pitching specialists and heightened media coverage would be much more impressive.
You could call it the reverse-Maris effect.
Oh, who am I kidding? The sanctimonious baseball purists would still try to spin it in Ted William's favor.
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Pirates Stave Off Fear of Collapse......Again. Take the Final Game From Cubs, 3-2
Much like they have all season so far, the Pittsburgh Pirates quickly to put rest any fears of a 2011-level collapse by defeating the Chicago Cubs, 3-2, this afternoon in front of over 30,000 Zoltanytes (just made that up) at PNC Park.
When the Pirates lost the first two games of the series against the struggling Cubs, there was some slight reminders of last summer, when the lovable losers came into PNC Park and swept the Pirates right out of the NL Central Division race.
Neil Walker and Michael McKenry homered to help the Pirates offense, which struggled for the most part during the seven-game home-stand.
I know there is concern because of how the team has been playing since the All-Star break. And while it is true that things haven't been sailing along as smoothly for the Pirates ship over the past two weeks, the fact is they're still 7-5 since the break.
I'll take that kind of struggling.
People need to remember that this team was on a 16-6 roll before the break. Baseball is a long season. It was only natural that the team would sort of come back down to Earth a little. They're not always going to win 16 out of every 22 games, just like Andrew McCutchen isn't going to have a .491 average after every 100 at-bats. The key is to keep those slumps to a minimum, which is what the Pirates have been doing all year. I'll admit it is pretty bad form to have a mini-slump against a team like the Cubs. But the fact of the matter is they still took four out of six on their home-stand. This team loves to put a lot of emphasis on taking series, and instead of sweeping the Marlins and then losing two of three from Chicago, had they taken two games in each series, nobody would have said anything about it. It would have been two more series in the bank.
But you don't get any extra rewards for winning series, at least not during the regular season. The key for this team is to keep up the two out of three pace, regardless of how it's done.
The Buccos will be fine.
When the Pirates lost the first two games of the series against the struggling Cubs, there was some slight reminders of last summer, when the lovable losers came into PNC Park and swept the Pirates right out of the NL Central Division race.
Neil Walker and Michael McKenry homered to help the Pirates offense, which struggled for the most part during the seven-game home-stand.
I know there is concern because of how the team has been playing since the All-Star break. And while it is true that things haven't been sailing along as smoothly for the Pirates ship over the past two weeks, the fact is they're still 7-5 since the break.
I'll take that kind of struggling.
People need to remember that this team was on a 16-6 roll before the break. Baseball is a long season. It was only natural that the team would sort of come back down to Earth a little. They're not always going to win 16 out of every 22 games, just like Andrew McCutchen isn't going to have a .491 average after every 100 at-bats. The key is to keep those slumps to a minimum, which is what the Pirates have been doing all year. I'll admit it is pretty bad form to have a mini-slump against a team like the Cubs. But the fact of the matter is they still took four out of six on their home-stand. This team loves to put a lot of emphasis on taking series, and instead of sweeping the Marlins and then losing two of three from Chicago, had they taken two games in each series, nobody would have said anything about it. It would have been two more series in the bank.
But you don't get any extra rewards for winning series, at least not during the regular season. The key for this team is to keep up the two out of three pace, regardless of how it's done.
The Buccos will be fine.
Has There Ever Been A Bigger Fall from Grace than the Hit that Joe Paterno's Legacy Has Taken in Recent Months?
Let me first start off by saying that I am not a Penn State football fan. In fact, I'm a Pitt Panthers fan, and in-terms of hated rivals, it just doesn't get any bigger than the Nittany Lions.
For years, I would listen to their fans self-righteously gloat about the success of their football program, and how it dwarfed that of the Panthers' program. And, it was hard to argue.
The main reason why, obviously, was because of the legacy and tradition that Joe Paterno built during his 46 years as Head Coach in Happy Valley.
Truth is, I never liked Paterno, but then again, why would I? He was the coach of the college football team that my favorite college football team had to compete with on an annual basis. Every year, the biggest game for a Pitt fan was the one against Penn State. Regardless of how each team's season went up to that point, the reward for the winner was bragging rights for that team's fan base for an entire year. More often than not, the Nittany Lions' fans were the ones gloating.
Unfortunately, Paterno was maybe the key figure that deprived me of that annual treasure of a game by helping to put a stop to it. In the early 80's, Paterno was one of the proponents of an All-Eastern sports conference. I'm not sure of the particulars, but Pitt, instead, went to the Big East, and Paterno never let it go. And because of that, what once was one of the greatest feuds in college football slowly faded away and was replaced with message board feuds with the only ammo being "48-14" for Penn State fans and "12-0" for Pitt fans.
But having said all that, me saying I hated Paterno means absolutely nothing. It would be like a Browns fan saying he hated Chuck Noll.
The facts are the facts, and what JoePa accomplished during his time in State College, Pa. speaks for itself--the 409 wins, the two national titles, the graduation rate, the money he helped raise through charity, the Blue and White world that he created in the center of the state.
But that Blue and White society, and the closed-off attitude that it fostered, is probably the main reason for Paterno's swift and shocking coaching demise.
"What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas" is a saying that has become common thanks to some fancy marketing. And today, it's often altered and used to describe things like the culture that eventually took hold at Happy Valley. What happened in Happy Valley was Happy Valley's business. What JoePa said was the law. If something happened that involved the football program, Paterno would handle it. Why was Paterno given that much power? He had $60 million worth of ammo at his disposal. That was the annual revenue that the football program generated. And that's not even counting the millions of dollars in donations that were sent in each season from alumni and fans.
Money is a very powerful weapon. Joe's program generated a lot of it, so Joe got to call the shots. It didn't matter who the University President was or who the Athletic Director was, Paterno was the most powerful and influential person at Penn State.
Money changes people, as does success and power. You see it all the time in every walk of life. This is an educated guess, but I think it's pretty safe to say that who Joe Paterno was in his 50's, 60's, and 70's probably wasn't the same person that he was in his 30's and 40's.
But that's OK because he mostly did it the right way. Oh, I'm not naive enough to think that Paterno didn't looked the other way a time or two when it came to recruiting violations or passing players through classes just so they could be eligible for a game, but for the most part, his program was pretty clean and his players were upstanding members of society.
And that's why the Jerry Sandusky child molestation scandal is both bizarre and shocking.
Sandusky, a former assistant coach under Paterno and one of the all-time great division I defensive coordinators, was convicted of 45 counts of child sexual abuse; abuse that was mostly committed in Penn State football facilities that Sandusky still had access to after retirement, and after an incident in '98, where he was suspected of inappropriate acts in a shower with a young boy. If the information in the Freeh report is correct, another shower room incident that occurred in 2001 was covered up by Paterno and other high-ranking Penn State officials and the abuse then continued for years afterwards.
If the information uncovered in the Freeh Report is accurate, one has to wonder why? Why cover up sexual abuse? It has been said that they covered up the scandal to protect the football program, and that's no doubt true. But why? If Paterno had gone to the police and turned Sandusky in following the 2001 incident that he was more than likely made aware of, would it have hurt the football program that much? The '98 incident was investigated by university police, but no charges were filed against Sandusky. Even if Paterno had known about the '98 investigation--which I have no doubt that he did--he could have just said, "Hey, there weren't any charges filed against Jerry the first time. I couldn't just keep such a respected member of our community from coming onto campus if the police said he didn't do anything wrong."
Even if Sandusky's actions went on for decades without anyone's knowledge up to '98, do you really think it would have damaged the program? Unfortunately, there are monsters that commit these heinous acts right under our noses each and every day. If they would have gone to authorities with the information they had about the '01 allegation, Sandusky would have been arrested and convicted of his crimes, and more victims would have been spared from the monster. Things wouldn't have been nearly as damaging to Paterno or Penn State. Paterno may have even found a way to honor the victims and raise money for prevention of child molestation. As I said, nobody had more influence in Happy Valley than Joe Paterno.
But to cover it up was just inexcusable, and that leads to more questions. It's only speculation on my part, but perhaps Sandusky immediately started to engage in his sick behavior after he founded The Second Mile foundation back in 1977, and this behavior became known around campus and was just allowed to continue for years without any intervention.
I really don't know the answer, but alleged victims of Sandusky's from the 70's and 80's are starting to come forward, and more might be known in the coming weeks and months.
Because of the crimes of Sandusky, and the alleged attempts to cover them up, Paterno was fired last November. Two months later, he died at age 85 after a short battle with lung cancer.
This past Sunday, Paterno's statue was taken from its campus site, and on Monday the NCAA came down hard on the football program.
The university was fined $60 million, and the football program was stripped of 10 annual scholarships and banned from bowl games for four seasons.
As for Paterno, he is no longer officially the winningest Head Coach in college football after the program was forced to vacate all victories from 1998-2011.
It's ironic how far Paterno's legacy and the football program have fallen in such a short time. It took Paterno 46 years to build State College into one of the meccas of college football. But it only took a few short months for it to come crashing down to the ground.
As for the Penn State fans. I kind of feel sorry for them. Interstate collegiate rivalries are unique, and fans often pick different allegiances even when living in the same house. I remember growing up and cheering for Pitt while family members cheered on the Nittany Lions. There are probably as many Penn State fans in Allegheny county as there are Pitt fans.
If you bleed Blue and White, you're always going to. And that won't change even after the devastating hit the football program just took.
Being a Pitt fan, I don't get any enjoyment from this, and I certainly don't feel like gloating. However, that won't stop others from doing so, and I get the feeling that "48-14" and "12-0" will seem mild compared to what we see between rival fans on message boards in the coming years.
My, how the mighty have fallen.
For years, I would listen to their fans self-righteously gloat about the success of their football program, and how it dwarfed that of the Panthers' program. And, it was hard to argue.
The main reason why, obviously, was because of the legacy and tradition that Joe Paterno built during his 46 years as Head Coach in Happy Valley.
Truth is, I never liked Paterno, but then again, why would I? He was the coach of the college football team that my favorite college football team had to compete with on an annual basis. Every year, the biggest game for a Pitt fan was the one against Penn State. Regardless of how each team's season went up to that point, the reward for the winner was bragging rights for that team's fan base for an entire year. More often than not, the Nittany Lions' fans were the ones gloating.
Unfortunately, Paterno was maybe the key figure that deprived me of that annual treasure of a game by helping to put a stop to it. In the early 80's, Paterno was one of the proponents of an All-Eastern sports conference. I'm not sure of the particulars, but Pitt, instead, went to the Big East, and Paterno never let it go. And because of that, what once was one of the greatest feuds in college football slowly faded away and was replaced with message board feuds with the only ammo being "48-14" for Penn State fans and "12-0" for Pitt fans.
But having said all that, me saying I hated Paterno means absolutely nothing. It would be like a Browns fan saying he hated Chuck Noll.
The facts are the facts, and what JoePa accomplished during his time in State College, Pa. speaks for itself--the 409 wins, the two national titles, the graduation rate, the money he helped raise through charity, the Blue and White world that he created in the center of the state.
But that Blue and White society, and the closed-off attitude that it fostered, is probably the main reason for Paterno's swift and shocking coaching demise.
"What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas" is a saying that has become common thanks to some fancy marketing. And today, it's often altered and used to describe things like the culture that eventually took hold at Happy Valley. What happened in Happy Valley was Happy Valley's business. What JoePa said was the law. If something happened that involved the football program, Paterno would handle it. Why was Paterno given that much power? He had $60 million worth of ammo at his disposal. That was the annual revenue that the football program generated. And that's not even counting the millions of dollars in donations that were sent in each season from alumni and fans.
Money is a very powerful weapon. Joe's program generated a lot of it, so Joe got to call the shots. It didn't matter who the University President was or who the Athletic Director was, Paterno was the most powerful and influential person at Penn State.
Money changes people, as does success and power. You see it all the time in every walk of life. This is an educated guess, but I think it's pretty safe to say that who Joe Paterno was in his 50's, 60's, and 70's probably wasn't the same person that he was in his 30's and 40's.
But that's OK because he mostly did it the right way. Oh, I'm not naive enough to think that Paterno didn't looked the other way a time or two when it came to recruiting violations or passing players through classes just so they could be eligible for a game, but for the most part, his program was pretty clean and his players were upstanding members of society.
And that's why the Jerry Sandusky child molestation scandal is both bizarre and shocking.
Sandusky, a former assistant coach under Paterno and one of the all-time great division I defensive coordinators, was convicted of 45 counts of child sexual abuse; abuse that was mostly committed in Penn State football facilities that Sandusky still had access to after retirement, and after an incident in '98, where he was suspected of inappropriate acts in a shower with a young boy. If the information in the Freeh report is correct, another shower room incident that occurred in 2001 was covered up by Paterno and other high-ranking Penn State officials and the abuse then continued for years afterwards.
If the information uncovered in the Freeh Report is accurate, one has to wonder why? Why cover up sexual abuse? It has been said that they covered up the scandal to protect the football program, and that's no doubt true. But why? If Paterno had gone to the police and turned Sandusky in following the 2001 incident that he was more than likely made aware of, would it have hurt the football program that much? The '98 incident was investigated by university police, but no charges were filed against Sandusky. Even if Paterno had known about the '98 investigation--which I have no doubt that he did--he could have just said, "Hey, there weren't any charges filed against Jerry the first time. I couldn't just keep such a respected member of our community from coming onto campus if the police said he didn't do anything wrong."
Even if Sandusky's actions went on for decades without anyone's knowledge up to '98, do you really think it would have damaged the program? Unfortunately, there are monsters that commit these heinous acts right under our noses each and every day. If they would have gone to authorities with the information they had about the '01 allegation, Sandusky would have been arrested and convicted of his crimes, and more victims would have been spared from the monster. Things wouldn't have been nearly as damaging to Paterno or Penn State. Paterno may have even found a way to honor the victims and raise money for prevention of child molestation. As I said, nobody had more influence in Happy Valley than Joe Paterno.
But to cover it up was just inexcusable, and that leads to more questions. It's only speculation on my part, but perhaps Sandusky immediately started to engage in his sick behavior after he founded The Second Mile foundation back in 1977, and this behavior became known around campus and was just allowed to continue for years without any intervention.
I really don't know the answer, but alleged victims of Sandusky's from the 70's and 80's are starting to come forward, and more might be known in the coming weeks and months.
Because of the crimes of Sandusky, and the alleged attempts to cover them up, Paterno was fired last November. Two months later, he died at age 85 after a short battle with lung cancer.
This past Sunday, Paterno's statue was taken from its campus site, and on Monday the NCAA came down hard on the football program.
The university was fined $60 million, and the football program was stripped of 10 annual scholarships and banned from bowl games for four seasons.
As for Paterno, he is no longer officially the winningest Head Coach in college football after the program was forced to vacate all victories from 1998-2011.
It's ironic how far Paterno's legacy and the football program have fallen in such a short time. It took Paterno 46 years to build State College into one of the meccas of college football. But it only took a few short months for it to come crashing down to the ground.
As for the Penn State fans. I kind of feel sorry for them. Interstate collegiate rivalries are unique, and fans often pick different allegiances even when living in the same house. I remember growing up and cheering for Pitt while family members cheered on the Nittany Lions. There are probably as many Penn State fans in Allegheny county as there are Pitt fans.
If you bleed Blue and White, you're always going to. And that won't change even after the devastating hit the football program just took.
Being a Pitt fan, I don't get any enjoyment from this, and I certainly don't feel like gloating. However, that won't stop others from doing so, and I get the feeling that "48-14" and "12-0" will seem mild compared to what we see between rival fans on message boards in the coming years.
My, how the mighty have fallen.
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
The Steelers Extend Tomlin for Three More Years
In news that should surprise no one, the Pittsburgh Steelers extended the contract of Head Coach Mike Tomlin for three more years.
The Steelers simply do not part ways with successful coaches, and Mike Tomlin is a successful coach.
The Steelers simply do not part ways with successful coaches, and Mike Tomlin is a successful coach.
Pirates Acquire Pitcher Wandy Rodriguez from Astros for Three Minor League Prospects
It looks like the Pirates are getting serious about this contending business. In a deal to solidify their starting rotation, the Pirates acquired Astros' lefty Wandy Rodriguez in exchange for three minor league players--outfielder Robbie Grossman and left-handed pitchers Rudy Owens and Colton Cain.
The Astros will also reportedly pick up a portion of Rodriguez' contract, which runs through the year 2014. It is unclear how much Houston will be willing to pick up, but Grossman and Owens were both among the Pirates top 20 prospects, so the amount may be substantial. Rodriguez is set to earn $13 million in each of the next two seasons.
The Astros will also reportedly pick up a portion of Rodriguez' contract, which runs through the year 2014. It is unclear how much Houston will be willing to pick up, but Grossman and Owens were both among the Pirates top 20 prospects, so the amount may be substantial. Rodriguez is set to earn $13 million in each of the next two seasons.
That Nutting Needs to Start Spending Some Money
I was listening to sports talk radio Sunday night, and during an on-going discussion about the Pittsburgh Pirates, and the awesome year they are having, someone called in and, unlike previous callers, he was a bit combative regarding an interview that a local reporter had conducted with Pirates owner Bob Nutting. He said, "next time he interviews Nutting, ask him when he's going to spend some money." The host pointed out some things that the caller didn't agree with because of his blind hate for Nutting, and this then opened up Pandora's box, and other callers and texters to the show started to chime in and wonder why the Pirates payroll is so low.
This is the kind of stuff that has always irritated me. I was driving at the time, and if my car wasn't so awesome and new, I might have punched it a lot out of frustration.
I'm certainly not a Pirates apologist, and I don't always agree with everything they do (see A.J. Burnett), but I'm not always right, either (again, see A.J. Burnett).
I'm definitely not a sabermetrics guy--my eye-lids tend to get heavy whenever that's too much a part of any baseball discussion--but I do think I understand the economics of baseball, and I'm pretty sure I know how a team like the Pirates needs to operate in order to succeed.
And you know what? Since 2008, under Nutting, president Frank Coonelly, and gm Neal Huntington, the Pirates have operated the team like they should, and IT'S STARTING TO PAY OFF! I don't know if there was any talk of a five year plan when the current regime took over--and if there was, I could certainly understand any uproar over such talk--but if there was an official plan, it is actually working! Here we are in the fifth year under Nutting and Co., and the team has one of the best records in baseball, and four of their recent number one draft choices are on the Major League roster and are vital contributors to the team's success.
You would think that would be good enough, and you would think that the old sentiment of "when's Nutting gonna spend some money" would be washed away in the excitement of a talented young team in the middle of a pennant race. But there are people out there who just refuse to enjoy themselves.
Who cares what the Pirates current payroll is? They have the best player in baseball right now in Andrew McCutchen. Would they have been able to get anyone like that in free agency? No. Teams like the Pirates get players like McCutchen by drafting them and developing them from within. The Pirates could never get a McCutchen as a free agent. If Cutch was playing for some other team and in the last year of his contract, him coming to Pittsburgh wouldn't even be a consideration. The experts would just speculate on who would win the bidding war between the Yankees, Angels and Red Sox.
Why should anyone care how much a team pays its players as long as the team is contending? Does it matter that the team's payroll is $63 million? You know who is one tick above Pittsburgh in the payroll department? The Rays, maybe the perfect model for a small market team. They draft well, they develop well, they don't give away their top prospects, and they've never signed Albert Pujols.
And because they developed a plan to compete as a small market team, they've been one of the major players in the ridiculously tough AL East for the past five seasons.
So, now that the Pirates have become a contender and have done so by using a system of drafting well and developing players from within, what do people mean when they say, "Spend more money"?
What do they want the team to spend more money on? It actually makes sense that a small market team with a handful of core players under financial control for a few more years would have a lower payroll. That's how it should be.
The Pirates did sign McCutchen to a six year, $51.5 million contract before the season. It's turning out to be a real bargain, and it guarantees that he'll be with the team through his early 30's. Is he making Pujols money? No. Would it make you feel any better if he was?
I know I could care less how much money Andrew McCutchen is making, but I sure love that .373 average, and the rest of his triple crown-like numbers.
The team actually has spent a little over $24 million on free agents and trades over the past couple of years (that's just on players that I actually researched). But with the exception of Burnett, who may actually be the Pirates' best starting pitcher, the players they picked up have just been complementary pieces. Why? Because that's all a team like the Pirates can actually hope for when signing free agents.
I know what you're going to say, "Why don't they just take that $24 million and sign one big time free agent?" Because, for one thing, no big time free agent is going to come to Pittsburgh, at least not yet. And even if the Josh Hamiltons of the world did want to sign with Pittsburgh, why would you want them to dedicate so much of their limited resources to one player? Just so you can say that they did it?
When it comes to the Pirates, you just have to hope that the young core performs the way its been performing this season so those complementary players actually serve a useful purpose.
What makes Rod Barajas, and his $4 million contract, a valuable and useful member of the team, despite his .212/8/19 stat-line, is being paired up with Michael McKenry behind the plate and his .248/7/19 stat-line. That's some pretty decent production from the catcher's spot. Can you imagine if Barajas had to start the majority of the games this season? He probably wouldn't seem as valuable.
What allows Clint Barmes and his $5 million salary to be primarily a defensive shortstop is the fact that most of the key hitters in the lineup have found their stroke. Barmes' .206 batting average can be absorbed a bit because he's playing in an infield with Pedro Alvarez, the 2008 first round draft choice who has finally come on to the tune of leading all NL third basemen with 21 home runs, and Neil Walker, the team's 2004 top draft choice who is quickly becoming one of the best second basemen in baseball. On a 90-loss team, Barmes would just be a poor man's Jack Wilson.
And Burnett's 11-3 record is impressive, but he'd probably be a .500 pitcher without the sudden offensive firepower and the fact that Brad Lincoln, the team's 2006 first round pick, is part of maybe the best bullpen in baseball. On a losing team, the 35 year old Burnett would still be valuable, but instead of being a mentor to the pitching staff and a clubhouse leader, he'd be a valuable trading chip at the deadline.
I could go on and on with examples, but you get my point. The Pirates are where they are this year because they've been able to build a young nucleus through their farm system. And they've been able to do that because Nutting gave the go-ahead to be more aggressive in the draft and in the international market.
But I know most people who don't like Nutting will never give him his due. But who cares about that anyway? Instead of worrying about the payroll, why don't you just pay attention to the standings? That's much more exciting.
This is the kind of stuff that has always irritated me. I was driving at the time, and if my car wasn't so awesome and new, I might have punched it a lot out of frustration.
I'm certainly not a Pirates apologist, and I don't always agree with everything they do (see A.J. Burnett), but I'm not always right, either (again, see A.J. Burnett).
I'm definitely not a sabermetrics guy--my eye-lids tend to get heavy whenever that's too much a part of any baseball discussion--but I do think I understand the economics of baseball, and I'm pretty sure I know how a team like the Pirates needs to operate in order to succeed.
And you know what? Since 2008, under Nutting, president Frank Coonelly, and gm Neal Huntington, the Pirates have operated the team like they should, and IT'S STARTING TO PAY OFF! I don't know if there was any talk of a five year plan when the current regime took over--and if there was, I could certainly understand any uproar over such talk--but if there was an official plan, it is actually working! Here we are in the fifth year under Nutting and Co., and the team has one of the best records in baseball, and four of their recent number one draft choices are on the Major League roster and are vital contributors to the team's success.
You would think that would be good enough, and you would think that the old sentiment of "when's Nutting gonna spend some money" would be washed away in the excitement of a talented young team in the middle of a pennant race. But there are people out there who just refuse to enjoy themselves.
Who cares what the Pirates current payroll is? They have the best player in baseball right now in Andrew McCutchen. Would they have been able to get anyone like that in free agency? No. Teams like the Pirates get players like McCutchen by drafting them and developing them from within. The Pirates could never get a McCutchen as a free agent. If Cutch was playing for some other team and in the last year of his contract, him coming to Pittsburgh wouldn't even be a consideration. The experts would just speculate on who would win the bidding war between the Yankees, Angels and Red Sox.
Why should anyone care how much a team pays its players as long as the team is contending? Does it matter that the team's payroll is $63 million? You know who is one tick above Pittsburgh in the payroll department? The Rays, maybe the perfect model for a small market team. They draft well, they develop well, they don't give away their top prospects, and they've never signed Albert Pujols.
And because they developed a plan to compete as a small market team, they've been one of the major players in the ridiculously tough AL East for the past five seasons.
So, now that the Pirates have become a contender and have done so by using a system of drafting well and developing players from within, what do people mean when they say, "Spend more money"?
What do they want the team to spend more money on? It actually makes sense that a small market team with a handful of core players under financial control for a few more years would have a lower payroll. That's how it should be.
The Pirates did sign McCutchen to a six year, $51.5 million contract before the season. It's turning out to be a real bargain, and it guarantees that he'll be with the team through his early 30's. Is he making Pujols money? No. Would it make you feel any better if he was?
I know I could care less how much money Andrew McCutchen is making, but I sure love that .373 average, and the rest of his triple crown-like numbers.
The team actually has spent a little over $24 million on free agents and trades over the past couple of years (that's just on players that I actually researched). But with the exception of Burnett, who may actually be the Pirates' best starting pitcher, the players they picked up have just been complementary pieces. Why? Because that's all a team like the Pirates can actually hope for when signing free agents.
I know what you're going to say, "Why don't they just take that $24 million and sign one big time free agent?" Because, for one thing, no big time free agent is going to come to Pittsburgh, at least not yet. And even if the Josh Hamiltons of the world did want to sign with Pittsburgh, why would you want them to dedicate so much of their limited resources to one player? Just so you can say that they did it?
When it comes to the Pirates, you just have to hope that the young core performs the way its been performing this season so those complementary players actually serve a useful purpose.
What makes Rod Barajas, and his $4 million contract, a valuable and useful member of the team, despite his .212/8/19 stat-line, is being paired up with Michael McKenry behind the plate and his .248/7/19 stat-line. That's some pretty decent production from the catcher's spot. Can you imagine if Barajas had to start the majority of the games this season? He probably wouldn't seem as valuable.
What allows Clint Barmes and his $5 million salary to be primarily a defensive shortstop is the fact that most of the key hitters in the lineup have found their stroke. Barmes' .206 batting average can be absorbed a bit because he's playing in an infield with Pedro Alvarez, the 2008 first round draft choice who has finally come on to the tune of leading all NL third basemen with 21 home runs, and Neil Walker, the team's 2004 top draft choice who is quickly becoming one of the best second basemen in baseball. On a 90-loss team, Barmes would just be a poor man's Jack Wilson.
And Burnett's 11-3 record is impressive, but he'd probably be a .500 pitcher without the sudden offensive firepower and the fact that Brad Lincoln, the team's 2006 first round pick, is part of maybe the best bullpen in baseball. On a losing team, the 35 year old Burnett would still be valuable, but instead of being a mentor to the pitching staff and a clubhouse leader, he'd be a valuable trading chip at the deadline.
I could go on and on with examples, but you get my point. The Pirates are where they are this year because they've been able to build a young nucleus through their farm system. And they've been able to do that because Nutting gave the go-ahead to be more aggressive in the draft and in the international market.
But I know most people who don't like Nutting will never give him his due. But who cares about that anyway? Instead of worrying about the payroll, why don't you just pay attention to the standings? That's much more exciting.
Monday, July 23, 2012
NCAA Puts the Hammer Down on Penn State
Because of the actions by many high-ranking university officials--including the late coach Joe Paterno--in covering up the Jerrry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal, the NCAA has hit the Penn State football program with severe sanctions.
The sanctions:
-The university will be fined $60,000,000, or the equivalent of one year's revenue for the football program.
-The football program will be ineligible for bowl games for four years.
-The program's football scholarships will be reduced from 25 to 15 for four years.
-Current members of the football team will be allowed to transfer to any school that they desire and will be eligible to play immediately.
-All victories from 1998-2011 will be forfeited and the records will reflect that (Paterno no longer holds the record for most victories).
At first glance, these are some pretty devastating sanctions for the legendary football program. Even though the NCAA didn't impose the death penalty, this could in effect kill the football program for an infinite amount of time.
The sanctions:
-The university will be fined $60,000,000, or the equivalent of one year's revenue for the football program.
-The football program will be ineligible for bowl games for four years.
-The program's football scholarships will be reduced from 25 to 15 for four years.
-Current members of the football team will be allowed to transfer to any school that they desire and will be eligible to play immediately.
-All victories from 1998-2011 will be forfeited and the records will reflect that (Paterno no longer holds the record for most victories).
At first glance, these are some pretty devastating sanctions for the legendary football program. Even though the NCAA didn't impose the death penalty, this could in effect kill the football program for an infinite amount of time.
Sunday, July 22, 2012
NCAA Set to Impose Sanctions on the Penn State Football Program Monday Morning
Because of the Jerry Sandusky scandal that rocked State College, and because Sandusky's acts of child molestation were apparently covered up for many years by the late Joe Paterno and other high-ranking university officials, the NCAA is set to impose severe sanctions on the Penn State football program. It is unclear what the sanctions will be, but the dreaded Death Penalty apparently will not be imposed. The announcement is set for 9am Monday morning.
The Bullpen is the Key to the 2012 Pittsburgh Pirates
The 2012 Pittsburgh Pirates are having their best season in 20 years. At 53-40, and a 1/2 game out of first place in the National League Central Division, things are setting up for an exciting final two months of the season.
On offense, led by Andrew McCutchen, whose triple crown numbers clearly make him the favorite for National League MVP, the team led the Majors in runs scored in June, and they're well on their way to doing it again in July. Also, the Pirates are on pace to hit the most home runs in team history. These are quite surprising developments, considering just how pedestrian the lineup looked in April and May.
As for the starting pitchers, well they've been a little more consistent throughout the season and certainly a source of strength for the most part. Led by the dynamic duo of James McDonald and A.J. Burnett--a combined 21-6--the Pirates boast one of the most dependable starting staffs in all of baseball. However, in contrast to the offense, the starting pitchers have come back down to earth a little in recent weeks.
In fact, just before the All-Star break, I heard it said that the Pirates starters had pitched the 2nd fewest innings in baseball, ahead of only the Colorado Rockies.
And if the staff's performance since the break is any indication, chances are, that stat hasn't changed much.
In the eight games since the All-Star break, the Pirates' starters have averaged roughly six innings a game. That's not horrible by any stretch, but it does require a lot from your bullpen.
Fortunately for the Pirates, they have arguably the best relief staff in baseball. During the team's current four-game winning streak, the bullpen has pitched 12 scoreless innings, including four impressive innings on Wednesday afternoon after McDonald's second consecutive shaky outing. Leading 9-6 after five innings at Coors Field, one of the most difficult places to pitch, Brad Lincoln, Jason Grilli, Tony Watson and Joel Hanrahan combined to slam the door on the Rockies and preserve JMac's 10th win.
Similar scenarios have unfolded time and time again this season. What a great equalizer a dominant bullpen can be for a team like the Pirates, who may not be as talented as the teams they are competing against for a postseason berth.
When a team has a dominant closer, the strategy by opposing hitters and managers is to make sure they're ahead after the 8th inning. Otherwise, it's almost a lost cause.
Well, an opponent's strategy for the 2012 Pirates may have to be modified. If they're behind after five innings, it's almost a lost cause.
So while the hitters and starting staff have been a pleasure to behold, make no mistake, the bullpen is the glue holding this thing together.
On offense, led by Andrew McCutchen, whose triple crown numbers clearly make him the favorite for National League MVP, the team led the Majors in runs scored in June, and they're well on their way to doing it again in July. Also, the Pirates are on pace to hit the most home runs in team history. These are quite surprising developments, considering just how pedestrian the lineup looked in April and May.
As for the starting pitchers, well they've been a little more consistent throughout the season and certainly a source of strength for the most part. Led by the dynamic duo of James McDonald and A.J. Burnett--a combined 21-6--the Pirates boast one of the most dependable starting staffs in all of baseball. However, in contrast to the offense, the starting pitchers have come back down to earth a little in recent weeks.
In fact, just before the All-Star break, I heard it said that the Pirates starters had pitched the 2nd fewest innings in baseball, ahead of only the Colorado Rockies.
And if the staff's performance since the break is any indication, chances are, that stat hasn't changed much.
In the eight games since the All-Star break, the Pirates' starters have averaged roughly six innings a game. That's not horrible by any stretch, but it does require a lot from your bullpen.
Fortunately for the Pirates, they have arguably the best relief staff in baseball. During the team's current four-game winning streak, the bullpen has pitched 12 scoreless innings, including four impressive innings on Wednesday afternoon after McDonald's second consecutive shaky outing. Leading 9-6 after five innings at Coors Field, one of the most difficult places to pitch, Brad Lincoln, Jason Grilli, Tony Watson and Joel Hanrahan combined to slam the door on the Rockies and preserve JMac's 10th win.
Similar scenarios have unfolded time and time again this season. What a great equalizer a dominant bullpen can be for a team like the Pirates, who may not be as talented as the teams they are competing against for a postseason berth.
When a team has a dominant closer, the strategy by opposing hitters and managers is to make sure they're ahead after the 8th inning. Otherwise, it's almost a lost cause.
Well, an opponent's strategy for the 2012 Pirates may have to be modified. If they're behind after five innings, it's almost a lost cause.
So while the hitters and starting staff have been a pleasure to behold, make no mistake, the bullpen is the glue holding this thing together.
Thursday, July 19, 2012
The Power of the Internet to Bring Back Some Awesome Sports Moments of Your Youth
The first real memory I have of watching sports is as a seven year old. I sat in front of a little black and white television in the kitchen of my house in Pittsburgh and watched my beloved Pittsburgh Steelers defeat the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl XIV.
Some 30 years later, on my laptop in the kitchen of my Crafton apartment, I watched the network broadcast of that game in its entirety thanks to a Youtube clip similar to this one.
Instantly, I was taken back to my youth, enchanted as I sat there and watched this awesome footage the same way I did as a seven year old.
Thanks to Hulu, I've recently been able to watch some old NFL Films highlight packages of Steelers seasons gone by.
Some of these films I haven't seen since maybe the mid-80's. And if it wasn't for the power of the Internet, I may not have seen them again, save for maybe finding a VHS copy at someone's yard sale.
I think the best part about being a sports fan is re-living the awesome times you had with family and friends as you watched your favorite team win the big game.
People say the Internet is evil, and that it spreads misinformation. Well, while I'll agree that the World Wide Web does have its drawbacks, when it comes to stuff like watching your favorite old television shows, replaying classic songs, and yes, re-living a Super Bowl from many years ago, the Internet can be downright magical and the closest thing we may ever have to a time machine.
Some 30 years later, on my laptop in the kitchen of my Crafton apartment, I watched the network broadcast of that game in its entirety thanks to a Youtube clip similar to this one.
Instantly, I was taken back to my youth, enchanted as I sat there and watched this awesome footage the same way I did as a seven year old.
Thanks to Hulu, I've recently been able to watch some old NFL Films highlight packages of Steelers seasons gone by.
Some of these films I haven't seen since maybe the mid-80's. And if it wasn't for the power of the Internet, I may not have seen them again, save for maybe finding a VHS copy at someone's yard sale.
I think the best part about being a sports fan is re-living the awesome times you had with family and friends as you watched your favorite team win the big game.
People say the Internet is evil, and that it spreads misinformation. Well, while I'll agree that the World Wide Web does have its drawbacks, when it comes to stuff like watching your favorite old television shows, replaying classic songs, and yes, re-living a Super Bowl from many years ago, the Internet can be downright magical and the closest thing we may ever have to a time machine.
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Raise it! Pirates Take Two of Three Against Rockies to Silence Fears of Collapse
Much like they did so many times in the first half of the season, the Pirates quickly put to bed any fears of a collapse by defeating the Rockies, 9-6, this afternoon to take two of three in Colorado and end their six game road swing with a 3-3 mark.
After losing two of three in Milwaukee to start their second half and then losing a tough game in Colorado Monday night, there was fear in Pirate Nation that maybe the team was in the throes of yet another second half melt-down.
If you'll recall, the Pirates were in first place in late July last season before losing 10 games in a row and permanently removing themselves from the NL Central race for the rest of the season.
Everyone's been saying that this season just feels different, and I'll be darned if it hasn't been so far.
Today, the Pirates fell behind, 5-1, behind starter James McDonald, who gave up six runs over five innings. However, thanks to the long ball, the Pirates were able to get back in the game and eventually take control.
Pedro Alvarez, Garrett Jones, Rod Barajas and Casey McGehee all went deep to account for the majority of the offense.
It was the second straight shaky outing for McDonald, but thanks to a dominant effort by the team's outstanding bullpen, he was able to get the win. Brad Lincoln, Jason Grilli, Tony Watson and Joel Hanrahan quieted the Rockies potent bats and pitched four scoreless innings to preserve the victory.
The Pirates haven't made it look easy so far in the second half, but as I wrote before, sometimes a young and inexperienced team just needs to stay afloat during the rough times. So far in 2012, the Pittsburgh Pirates have managed to wade through the rough waters.
Now, they sit at 51-40, and depending on what happens in the game between the Reds and Diamondbacks this evening, they could finish the day in a tie for first place.
After losing two of three in Milwaukee to start their second half and then losing a tough game in Colorado Monday night, there was fear in Pirate Nation that maybe the team was in the throes of yet another second half melt-down.
If you'll recall, the Pirates were in first place in late July last season before losing 10 games in a row and permanently removing themselves from the NL Central race for the rest of the season.
Everyone's been saying that this season just feels different, and I'll be darned if it hasn't been so far.
Today, the Pirates fell behind, 5-1, behind starter James McDonald, who gave up six runs over five innings. However, thanks to the long ball, the Pirates were able to get back in the game and eventually take control.
Pedro Alvarez, Garrett Jones, Rod Barajas and Casey McGehee all went deep to account for the majority of the offense.
It was the second straight shaky outing for McDonald, but thanks to a dominant effort by the team's outstanding bullpen, he was able to get the win. Brad Lincoln, Jason Grilli, Tony Watson and Joel Hanrahan quieted the Rockies potent bats and pitched four scoreless innings to preserve the victory.
The Pirates haven't made it look easy so far in the second half, but as I wrote before, sometimes a young and inexperienced team just needs to stay afloat during the rough times. So far in 2012, the Pittsburgh Pirates have managed to wade through the rough waters.
Now, they sit at 51-40, and depending on what happens in the game between the Reds and Diamondbacks this evening, they could finish the day in a tie for first place.
Big Win for the Pirates
The Pirates ended their modest two game losing streak last night with a 6-2 victory over the Colorado Rockies. Erik Bedard had his best outing in ages, and Andrew McCutchen homered yet again. It was McCutchen's 6th home run in the last six games, and his two hits in the game raised his average to a Major League leading .374.
I was glad to see the Pirates take care of business. Yes, the Rockies are pretty lousy, but after losing three of their first four games post-break, there was a bit of concern that began to set in among Pirates faithful. The sooner these Buccos can end streaks and stem tides, the better it is for the team's psyche as well as that of the fan base.
James McDonald takes the mound today as the Buccos look to take the series.
I was glad to see the Pirates take care of business. Yes, the Rockies are pretty lousy, but after losing three of their first four games post-break, there was a bit of concern that began to set in among Pirates faithful. The sooner these Buccos can end streaks and stem tides, the better it is for the team's psyche as well as that of the fan base.
James McDonald takes the mound today as the Buccos look to take the series.
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Learning How to Live with the Ups and Downs of a Good Pirates Season
It could almost have been expected. Every Pirates fan was walking around on Cloud 9 for almost an entire week during the recent All-Star break. The Pirates went into the break 11 games over .500 at 48-37 and in first place in the National League Central Division.
With Andrew McCutchen and his Triple Crown-like numbers leading the way, the Pirates were one of the hottest teams in baseball since May 12th with a 34-19 record. Instead of wondering when the annual fire sale would begin like in years past, the biggest concern among Pirates' faithful during the break was whether or not it would be a good idea to acquire outfielder Justin Upton from the Arizona Diamondbacks.
I know I was extremely excited and couldn't wait for the Pirates to start the second half this weekend in Milwaukee. Unfortunately, my excitement, and that of thousands of other Bucco fans, was quieted a bit when the Brewers took two of three from the Pirates over the weekend.
The pitching struggled, with the Brewers racking up a combined 33 hits and scoring 18 runs in the three game series. Not only that, but the defense was pretty atrocious, committing an error in all three games.
And as for the hitting side of things. Things weren't as bad, even though the hitters continued to rack of the strike-outs. McCutchen continued his torrid pace by smacking a home run in every game of the series. Unfortunately, his home run in today's game turned out to be the only run the team would score in the 4-1 defeat.
No, it wasn't a good weekend, and yes, maybe there are some things to be concerned about--McDonald and Burnett were the pitchers of record in both losses--but losing two of three in Milwaukee is nothing to be too alarmed about.
The Brewers did struggle in the first half, but they certainly are a talented baseball team--they swept a series from the Dodgers in Los Angeles earlier in the year. They are more than capable of playing good baseball in the second half and throwing their hats into the ring of contenders in the Central.
The Pirates have a series coming up in Colorado against the lowly Rockies starting tomorrow night. The one encouraging thing about the 2012 version of the Pirates has been their ability to consistently beat the struggling teams on their schedule.
If the Pirates can take care of business in Colorado, they'll then come home to face a talented but struggling Marlins team, followed by 10-straight games against the Cubs and Astros.
I've been saying all along that this Pirates team is different than the 2011 version that fell apart down the stretch. And, so far, they've proven it. After being swept by the Orioles in mid June, they bounced back and took two of three in Cleveland. And then after losing three games in a row in late June, they bounced back to take the last two games of the Phillies series and then the first two games in St. Louis.
I'm fairly confident that the Pirates will take advantage of the road that's ahead of them in the very near future. If they do that, and make this just concluded series in Milwaukee a distant memory, I think that will forever silence the fears of a second-half collapse.
As a fan who isn't used to dealing with a good Pirates team, I just have to learn how to take the bad with the good. Unlike the bad Pirates teams from the past, the good far out weighs the bad in 2012.
With Andrew McCutchen and his Triple Crown-like numbers leading the way, the Pirates were one of the hottest teams in baseball since May 12th with a 34-19 record. Instead of wondering when the annual fire sale would begin like in years past, the biggest concern among Pirates' faithful during the break was whether or not it would be a good idea to acquire outfielder Justin Upton from the Arizona Diamondbacks.
I know I was extremely excited and couldn't wait for the Pirates to start the second half this weekend in Milwaukee. Unfortunately, my excitement, and that of thousands of other Bucco fans, was quieted a bit when the Brewers took two of three from the Pirates over the weekend.
The pitching struggled, with the Brewers racking up a combined 33 hits and scoring 18 runs in the three game series. Not only that, but the defense was pretty atrocious, committing an error in all three games.
And as for the hitting side of things. Things weren't as bad, even though the hitters continued to rack of the strike-outs. McCutchen continued his torrid pace by smacking a home run in every game of the series. Unfortunately, his home run in today's game turned out to be the only run the team would score in the 4-1 defeat.
No, it wasn't a good weekend, and yes, maybe there are some things to be concerned about--McDonald and Burnett were the pitchers of record in both losses--but losing two of three in Milwaukee is nothing to be too alarmed about.
The Brewers did struggle in the first half, but they certainly are a talented baseball team--they swept a series from the Dodgers in Los Angeles earlier in the year. They are more than capable of playing good baseball in the second half and throwing their hats into the ring of contenders in the Central.
The Pirates have a series coming up in Colorado against the lowly Rockies starting tomorrow night. The one encouraging thing about the 2012 version of the Pirates has been their ability to consistently beat the struggling teams on their schedule.
If the Pirates can take care of business in Colorado, they'll then come home to face a talented but struggling Marlins team, followed by 10-straight games against the Cubs and Astros.
I've been saying all along that this Pirates team is different than the 2011 version that fell apart down the stretch. And, so far, they've proven it. After being swept by the Orioles in mid June, they bounced back and took two of three in Cleveland. And then after losing three games in a row in late June, they bounced back to take the last two games of the Phillies series and then the first two games in St. Louis.
I'm fairly confident that the Pirates will take advantage of the road that's ahead of them in the very near future. If they do that, and make this just concluded series in Milwaukee a distant memory, I think that will forever silence the fears of a second-half collapse.
As a fan who isn't used to dealing with a good Pirates team, I just have to learn how to take the bad with the good. Unlike the bad Pirates teams from the past, the good far out weighs the bad in 2012.
Friday, July 13, 2012
Must be Nice to Turn Down Over $9 million in One Summer: Mark Appel turns down Pirates, Decides to Stay at Stanford
You win some calculated risks. You lose some calculated risks. Last summer, Josh Bell was a first round prospect who made it known that he intended to play college baseball and basically told teams not to draft him. The teams listened, at least in the first round. The Pittsburgh Pirates decided to take a gamble on Bell in the 2nd round of the June amateur draft, and they eventually wooed him to sign by throwing above slot money his way.
It worked last season, but this season, the gamble didn't pay off. The Pirates selected Stanford right-handed pitcher Mark Appel with the 8th overall pick in the 2012 June draft. Appel was the projected number one overall pick by many, but he reportedly turned down a $6 million offer from the Houston Astros, and because of his apparent decision to not sign with anyone and go back to school, the rest of the teams at the top of the draft passed on him, and he slipped to Pittsburgh with the 8th pick.
Even though the Pirates clearly could not offer Appel what the Astros did because of the new restrictions on signing bonuses given to players in the draft, they still took a gamble on the young right hander.
Well, today's signing deadline came and went, and Appel really is going to stay in school for his senior year.
The Pirates offered Appel roughly $3.5 million, but he rejected the offer and was the only first round pick not to sign. For their troubles, Pittsburgh will receive the 9th pick in next year's draft as compensation.
With high-end pitchers Jameson Taillon, Luis Heredia and Gerrit Cole in their system, one has to wonder why the Pirates would go after a player who they knew would be difficult to sign.
But what I really don't understand is why MLB took away the one weapon that a small-market team like the Pirates can use in-order to stay competitive.
There is no salary cap in baseball, and there probably won't be ever, and for small-market teams to get high-end talent, they must do so in the draft. For the Pirates the last few years, they were able to quickly restock their once barren farm system by taking risks on players like Bell and Pedro Alvarez in 2008. For years, it was said that Pittsburgh refused to go after high-end players in the draft because they were afraid they wouldn't be able to sign them. One has to look no further than the Matt Wieters fiasco of 2007 for proof of that sentiment.
Instead of drafting the Wieters of the world with their annual top 10 selection, they would take lesser talents like Paul Maholm, Brian Bullington and Daniel Moskos. In fact, it was Moskos that the team selected 4th overall in 2007 instead of Wieters. That worked out so well, the Pirates just released Moskos this week.
Well, starting in 2008, the Pirates became more aggressive and selected Alvarez with the 2nd pick in the draft, and even though he was represented by the infamously tough to deal with Scott Boras, they eventually signed him. In 2010, they took Taillon in the first round and then another pitcher, Stetson Allie, in the 2nd round, who, much like Bell, was considered to be a first round talent but made it known that he wanted to play college baseball instead of being drafted. And just like in the case of Bell, the Pirates offered Allie above-slot money, and they signed him and got him in their system.
But starting this season, MLB passed a rule that restricted how much money teams could pay draft picks in signing bonuses.
Had last year's rules still been in place, Appel would probably have been selected number one by the Astros because they would have been able to pay him any bonus that they wished.
It will be interesting to see if the Pirates continue to take these kinds of gambles now that they don't have the freedom to pay above slot.
We'll find out starting next season when they have yet another top 10 pick, at least as compensation for Appel. With the team doing so well in the standings, let's hope they won't have two top 10 picks.
As for Appel, who is also being represented by Boras, let's hope his gamble pays off in next year's draft. It is said that the draft will be deeper in talent in 2013, and Appel could again fall to the Pirates.
Could be interesting.
It worked last season, but this season, the gamble didn't pay off. The Pirates selected Stanford right-handed pitcher Mark Appel with the 8th overall pick in the 2012 June draft. Appel was the projected number one overall pick by many, but he reportedly turned down a $6 million offer from the Houston Astros, and because of his apparent decision to not sign with anyone and go back to school, the rest of the teams at the top of the draft passed on him, and he slipped to Pittsburgh with the 8th pick.
Even though the Pirates clearly could not offer Appel what the Astros did because of the new restrictions on signing bonuses given to players in the draft, they still took a gamble on the young right hander.
Well, today's signing deadline came and went, and Appel really is going to stay in school for his senior year.
The Pirates offered Appel roughly $3.5 million, but he rejected the offer and was the only first round pick not to sign. For their troubles, Pittsburgh will receive the 9th pick in next year's draft as compensation.
With high-end pitchers Jameson Taillon, Luis Heredia and Gerrit Cole in their system, one has to wonder why the Pirates would go after a player who they knew would be difficult to sign.
But what I really don't understand is why MLB took away the one weapon that a small-market team like the Pirates can use in-order to stay competitive.
There is no salary cap in baseball, and there probably won't be ever, and for small-market teams to get high-end talent, they must do so in the draft. For the Pirates the last few years, they were able to quickly restock their once barren farm system by taking risks on players like Bell and Pedro Alvarez in 2008. For years, it was said that Pittsburgh refused to go after high-end players in the draft because they were afraid they wouldn't be able to sign them. One has to look no further than the Matt Wieters fiasco of 2007 for proof of that sentiment.
Instead of drafting the Wieters of the world with their annual top 10 selection, they would take lesser talents like Paul Maholm, Brian Bullington and Daniel Moskos. In fact, it was Moskos that the team selected 4th overall in 2007 instead of Wieters. That worked out so well, the Pirates just released Moskos this week.
Well, starting in 2008, the Pirates became more aggressive and selected Alvarez with the 2nd pick in the draft, and even though he was represented by the infamously tough to deal with Scott Boras, they eventually signed him. In 2010, they took Taillon in the first round and then another pitcher, Stetson Allie, in the 2nd round, who, much like Bell, was considered to be a first round talent but made it known that he wanted to play college baseball instead of being drafted. And just like in the case of Bell, the Pirates offered Allie above-slot money, and they signed him and got him in their system.
But starting this season, MLB passed a rule that restricted how much money teams could pay draft picks in signing bonuses.
Had last year's rules still been in place, Appel would probably have been selected number one by the Astros because they would have been able to pay him any bonus that they wished.
It will be interesting to see if the Pirates continue to take these kinds of gambles now that they don't have the freedom to pay above slot.
We'll find out starting next season when they have yet another top 10 pick, at least as compensation for Appel. With the team doing so well in the standings, let's hope they won't have two top 10 picks.
As for Appel, who is also being represented by Boras, let's hope his gamble pays off in next year's draft. It is said that the draft will be deeper in talent in 2013, and Appel could again fall to the Pirates.
Could be interesting.
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
I Just Can't Stop Blogging About the Pittsburgh Pirates
As you can probably tell by looking at my most recent blog posts, they've been quite plentiful, and they've mostly been about the Pittsburgh Pirates. With the Buccos doing so well so far this season, they've been pretty easy to write about. From the awesome first half of Andrew McCutchen to the incredible performance by the pitching staff to the phenomenon that is ZOLTAN, it's been a pretty fun time.
I think the most amazing thing to see is the excitement around the City of Pittsburgh. There are literally generations of younger fans who have no idea what it's like to watch a competitive Pirates team. And then there are the older fans who remember what it was like when the Pirates were considered one of the elite teams in baseball and fielded some of the premiere names the game has ever seen--players such as Roberto Clemente, Willie Stargell, Dave Parker--and I'm sure the resurgence is something for them to behold.
And then there are people like me who grew up in-between both eras. I started following the Pirates in the early 80's, just when their great run of the 70's was over, and I endured a lot of down times by the franchise in a short period of time before they finally started to build a successful team starting in the late 80's. The success the team had in the early 90's with three straight division titles was pretty special, and some of the best times I've ever had following sports.
The Pirates never did make it all the way over the top, but they did give me something to look forward to each and every summer for three straight seasons. With the exception of the "Freak Show" of 1997, I haven't had quite that same feeling since, at least until this season.
Yes, last year was fun for a few months, and I really got into it. But looking back on it (and hindsight is always 20/20), there was just no way they were going to be able to sustain their run. They were young and inexperienced, and they just didn't have the punch on offense.
This season just feels different. I think the surge that Pedro Alvarez has been on since mid-June has benefited this club greatly--including McCutchen--and everything just seems to be falling into place offensively. Garrett Jones and Casey McGehee have been on impressive runs, and what can you say about Neil Walker? He might be the most under-appreciated guy on the team. People forget that he was a top 10 draft choice back in 2004. Since his call-up two seasons ago, he's been a steady presence in the middle of the line-up, and his play at second base just seems to be getting better and better.
And then there's the pitching staff. I was pretty critical about the offseason trade for A.J. Burnett, but man has he made a world of difference. Not only has he been a consistent pitcher start in and start out, he's been a tremendous leader in the clubhouse and a really helpful mentor to James McDonald. And if the bullpen isn't the best in baseball, I'd love to see which team has the best. The starters have pitched the second-lowest amount of innings in the National League, but the bullpen has been so rock-solid, the starters just have to get them into the 6th inning. From there, it's usually been lights out once guys like Brad Lincoln, Tony Watson, Jason Grilli and Joel Hanrahan come into the game.
And Clint Hurdle is the right guy to be leading this team. His enthusiasm and easy-going manner is infectious, and if the Pirates do become a serious contender, Hurdle will be the biggest thing in town since the days of Jim Leyland.
Yes, as I said, I just can't stop blogging about the Pirates. It sort of reminds me of how easy it is to write about the Steelers in December and January. I could write four or five entries a day, and that's basically what I've been doing the past couple of weeks with regards to the Buccos.
Let's hope they keep it going in the second half. It would be nice to write some posts about a pennant race and winning season.
Let's Go Bucs!
I think the most amazing thing to see is the excitement around the City of Pittsburgh. There are literally generations of younger fans who have no idea what it's like to watch a competitive Pirates team. And then there are the older fans who remember what it was like when the Pirates were considered one of the elite teams in baseball and fielded some of the premiere names the game has ever seen--players such as Roberto Clemente, Willie Stargell, Dave Parker--and I'm sure the resurgence is something for them to behold.
And then there are people like me who grew up in-between both eras. I started following the Pirates in the early 80's, just when their great run of the 70's was over, and I endured a lot of down times by the franchise in a short period of time before they finally started to build a successful team starting in the late 80's. The success the team had in the early 90's with three straight division titles was pretty special, and some of the best times I've ever had following sports.
The Pirates never did make it all the way over the top, but they did give me something to look forward to each and every summer for three straight seasons. With the exception of the "Freak Show" of 1997, I haven't had quite that same feeling since, at least until this season.
Yes, last year was fun for a few months, and I really got into it. But looking back on it (and hindsight is always 20/20), there was just no way they were going to be able to sustain their run. They were young and inexperienced, and they just didn't have the punch on offense.
This season just feels different. I think the surge that Pedro Alvarez has been on since mid-June has benefited this club greatly--including McCutchen--and everything just seems to be falling into place offensively. Garrett Jones and Casey McGehee have been on impressive runs, and what can you say about Neil Walker? He might be the most under-appreciated guy on the team. People forget that he was a top 10 draft choice back in 2004. Since his call-up two seasons ago, he's been a steady presence in the middle of the line-up, and his play at second base just seems to be getting better and better.
And then there's the pitching staff. I was pretty critical about the offseason trade for A.J. Burnett, but man has he made a world of difference. Not only has he been a consistent pitcher start in and start out, he's been a tremendous leader in the clubhouse and a really helpful mentor to James McDonald. And if the bullpen isn't the best in baseball, I'd love to see which team has the best. The starters have pitched the second-lowest amount of innings in the National League, but the bullpen has been so rock-solid, the starters just have to get them into the 6th inning. From there, it's usually been lights out once guys like Brad Lincoln, Tony Watson, Jason Grilli and Joel Hanrahan come into the game.
And Clint Hurdle is the right guy to be leading this team. His enthusiasm and easy-going manner is infectious, and if the Pirates do become a serious contender, Hurdle will be the biggest thing in town since the days of Jim Leyland.
Yes, as I said, I just can't stop blogging about the Pirates. It sort of reminds me of how easy it is to write about the Steelers in December and January. I could write four or five entries a day, and that's basically what I've been doing the past couple of weeks with regards to the Buccos.
Let's hope they keep it going in the second half. It would be nice to write some posts about a pennant race and winning season.
Let's Go Bucs!
I Wouldn't Touch Justin Upton with a Ten Foot Bat
A pennant race can make for some wild talk. It has been reported over the past few days that the Pittsburgh Pirates are interested in acquiring Justin Upton from the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Upton, one of the best young players in the game over the past few years, has had a bit of a down season this year. Not horrible, but by his standards, below average.
But at 24, he's still young enough that you wouldn't think that an average season would be so bad that the D'backs would even think of parting with him.
Also, Upton is under contractual control with Arizona until the year 2015.
And the cherry on top is that Arizona is only four-games out in the NL West.
It just doesn't add up.
Why would Arizona be so eager to part with such a young, talented player? I mean, don't teams generally want young players who are extremely talented and under financial control for at least a few years? There are no guarantees that any player or players that Arizona acquires would even approach Upton's level of Major League success.
The Pirates should just steer clear of any move that involves Upton. He might be damaged goods, if not physically, at least in the attitude department. Do the Pirates really need that right now? Yes, in an ideal world, Justin Upton would fit wonderfully in a lineup with Andrew McCutchen, Pedro Alvarez and Neil Walker. But this isn't an ideal world, and the fact of the matter is, Upton is just going to cost way too much for the Pirates, damaged goods or not.
Last year's Justin Upton was Hunter Pence of the Astros. There was talk of the Pirates maybe going after Pence. But he eventually went to Philadelphia, and the Phillies had to part with their 2nd and 3rd ranked prospects in exchange for Pence.
And the difference between the Astros and Diamondbacks is that the Astros have been one of the worst teams in baseball for a few years now. They were desperate to unload Pence in-order to stock their farm system with top talent.
The D'Backs probably aren't as desperate. They're in contention, Upton is still a few years away from free agency, and he could return to his All-Star form any day. They're going to want AT LEAST the same kind of return as Houston received last season for Pence.
And it's being reported today that Arizona doesn't even want prospects, they want Major League talent in return.
They apparently want a 3rd baseman, a shortstop and a top of the rotation pitcher. Forget about Gerrit Cole and Starling Marte, would you be willing to part with Pedro Alvarez and James McDonald for Upton?
If the Pirates did that, I feel as if it would weaken their team. For starters, you just don't know what kind of second half Upton will have, or even if he's 100% healthy. And Pedro Alvarez has come on strong since mid-June and has been one of the hottest power hitters in all of baseball. He could finally be coming into his own. Why would you want to mess with that?
And there is no doubt that the main reason the Pirates have been doing so well this season is because of their pitching staff. Would you really be willing to part with a pitcher in McDonald, who has the lowest ERA on the starting staff and one of the lowest in baseball? We don't know what the Pirates are going to get from Correia, Bedard and Karsens in the second half. They need McDonald, along with A.J. Burnett, to anchor the starting staff now more than ever.
No, much like last season, I think the Pirates need to take minimal risks at the trading deadline. The NL Central isn't a strong division, and when you factor in the extra wild card, I think they're in great shape.
If I'm the Pirates, I'm taking my chances with what I have, or with the Derrek Lee's of the world, at least for this season.
Upton, one of the best young players in the game over the past few years, has had a bit of a down season this year. Not horrible, but by his standards, below average.
But at 24, he's still young enough that you wouldn't think that an average season would be so bad that the D'backs would even think of parting with him.
Also, Upton is under contractual control with Arizona until the year 2015.
And the cherry on top is that Arizona is only four-games out in the NL West.
It just doesn't add up.
Why would Arizona be so eager to part with such a young, talented player? I mean, don't teams generally want young players who are extremely talented and under financial control for at least a few years? There are no guarantees that any player or players that Arizona acquires would even approach Upton's level of Major League success.
The Pirates should just steer clear of any move that involves Upton. He might be damaged goods, if not physically, at least in the attitude department. Do the Pirates really need that right now? Yes, in an ideal world, Justin Upton would fit wonderfully in a lineup with Andrew McCutchen, Pedro Alvarez and Neil Walker. But this isn't an ideal world, and the fact of the matter is, Upton is just going to cost way too much for the Pirates, damaged goods or not.
Last year's Justin Upton was Hunter Pence of the Astros. There was talk of the Pirates maybe going after Pence. But he eventually went to Philadelphia, and the Phillies had to part with their 2nd and 3rd ranked prospects in exchange for Pence.
And the difference between the Astros and Diamondbacks is that the Astros have been one of the worst teams in baseball for a few years now. They were desperate to unload Pence in-order to stock their farm system with top talent.
The D'Backs probably aren't as desperate. They're in contention, Upton is still a few years away from free agency, and he could return to his All-Star form any day. They're going to want AT LEAST the same kind of return as Houston received last season for Pence.
And it's being reported today that Arizona doesn't even want prospects, they want Major League talent in return.
They apparently want a 3rd baseman, a shortstop and a top of the rotation pitcher. Forget about Gerrit Cole and Starling Marte, would you be willing to part with Pedro Alvarez and James McDonald for Upton?
If the Pirates did that, I feel as if it would weaken their team. For starters, you just don't know what kind of second half Upton will have, or even if he's 100% healthy. And Pedro Alvarez has come on strong since mid-June and has been one of the hottest power hitters in all of baseball. He could finally be coming into his own. Why would you want to mess with that?
And there is no doubt that the main reason the Pirates have been doing so well this season is because of their pitching staff. Would you really be willing to part with a pitcher in McDonald, who has the lowest ERA on the starting staff and one of the lowest in baseball? We don't know what the Pirates are going to get from Correia, Bedard and Karsens in the second half. They need McDonald, along with A.J. Burnett, to anchor the starting staff now more than ever.
No, much like last season, I think the Pirates need to take minimal risks at the trading deadline. The NL Central isn't a strong division, and when you factor in the extra wild card, I think they're in great shape.
If I'm the Pirates, I'm taking my chances with what I have, or with the Derrek Lee's of the world, at least for this season.
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
I've Never Seen a Pirates Player Do Something Significant in the MLB All-Star Game
I've been following the Pirates since the early 80's, and I've at least kept tabs on every MLB All-Star game since then. And in that entire time, I've never seen a Pirates player impact the game in any really meaningful way.
Well, that's kind of a lie, I guess. Back in the 2008 All-Star game, former Pirates' outfielder Nate McLouth threw out Dioner Navarro at the plate in the bottom of the eleventh inning. And if my memory serves me correctly, McLouth almost hit a go-ahead home run earlier in extra innings. I guess the defensive play could be considered meaningful, but the National League eventually lost the game, so it's not like they were going to give Nate the game MVP.
In the 1989 contest, former Pirates' switch-hitting slugger Bobby Bonilla had a hit from each side of the plate. I believe he was the first player to ever do that in an All-Star game. I suppose that was significant, but again, the National League lost, and Bobby Bo's hits didn't really impact that game to any great degree. I've never seen any highlights of those hits at all, really. We're not talkin' Fred Lynn grand-slam-type impactful stuff.
Looking back on some of the All-Star games from the 70's, there were Pirates that actually did stuff. Former Pirate great Dave Parker was named MVP for the '79 game. Pretty amazing.
Goose Gossage, a one time Pirate reliever, actually closed out the '77 game. Unbelievable!
Last year, Pirates closer Joel Hanrahan had a chance to close out the game. The NL was up pretty comfortably, but after the Hammer gave up a base-hit, the Giants skipper, who was managing the NL for the All-Star game, took Hanrahan out and brought in his own closer to finish out the game. Whatever.
Tonight, Cutch went 1 for 2, but by the time he recorded his hit, the National League was already up, 8-0. Again, nothing meaningful.
Maybe next year.
Well, that's kind of a lie, I guess. Back in the 2008 All-Star game, former Pirates' outfielder Nate McLouth threw out Dioner Navarro at the plate in the bottom of the eleventh inning. And if my memory serves me correctly, McLouth almost hit a go-ahead home run earlier in extra innings. I guess the defensive play could be considered meaningful, but the National League eventually lost the game, so it's not like they were going to give Nate the game MVP.
In the 1989 contest, former Pirates' switch-hitting slugger Bobby Bonilla had a hit from each side of the plate. I believe he was the first player to ever do that in an All-Star game. I suppose that was significant, but again, the National League lost, and Bobby Bo's hits didn't really impact that game to any great degree. I've never seen any highlights of those hits at all, really. We're not talkin' Fred Lynn grand-slam-type impactful stuff.
Looking back on some of the All-Star games from the 70's, there were Pirates that actually did stuff. Former Pirate great Dave Parker was named MVP for the '79 game. Pretty amazing.
Goose Gossage, a one time Pirate reliever, actually closed out the '77 game. Unbelievable!
Last year, Pirates closer Joel Hanrahan had a chance to close out the game. The NL was up pretty comfortably, but after the Hammer gave up a base-hit, the Giants skipper, who was managing the NL for the All-Star game, took Hanrahan out and brought in his own closer to finish out the game. Whatever.
Tonight, Cutch went 1 for 2, but by the time he recorded his hit, the National League was already up, 8-0. Again, nothing meaningful.
Maybe next year.
Matt from Shaler Calls The Fan. Says Something Stupid
Sunday night, after the Pirates' 13-2 thrashing of the San Francisco Giants at PNC Park, I was pumped up about the team's awesome first half and decided to tune in to 93.7 the Fan.
Matt from Shaler, a regular caller to the station and pseudo-celebrity, called in and stated that he didn't want the Pirates to make the playoffs this season. To paraphrase: "I don't want to see them make it if they're going to lose!" His basic sentiment was that he didn't think the team was quite strong enough yet, and they needed another season or two before they were ready for the postseason.
First off, how do we know that they're not ready? Let's just say, for kicks and giggles, that Matt is right, and these Pirates simply aren't ready for postseason play just yet. How will they ever get ready for that if they don't gain the experience of postseason play?
And second, saying, "I don't want to see a team make the playoffs if they're gonna lose" is a wussy way of looking at things. It's like saying, "I don't want to ask that woman out because she might say no!"
There are no guarantees with the postseason. No matter how strong and "prepared" a baseball team is for the postseason, it doesn't mean that team will win.
Back to the Matt from Shaler call.
When the host pointed out that the National League isn't exactly strong this season, Matt said, "Yeah, maybe the NL teams are beatable, but there is no way they'll get past any of the AL teams!"
So, essentially what he was saying was that even just getting to the World Series wouldn't be good enough of if the Pirates lost.
"What's the point if they're gonna lose!"
Fortunately, the host made it clear to Matt that he was being an idiot. Unfortunately, this "What's the point of making the playoffs if they're gonna lose!" thought-process is alive among fans of every team and every sport.
Steelers fans are like this with the Super Bowl. "I'd rather see them lose in the first round of the playoffs than make it to the Super Bowl and lose."
"What's the point?"
Well, all the fun and memories you'd have along the way.
If the Pirates made it to the postseason, that in and of itself would be epic. For starters, the 19 years of losing would be over.
Making it to the postseason in any capacity would mean that we got to experience a month-long pennant race.
It would mean seeing the team engage in a celebratory scrum in the middle of a baseball diamond, something yours truly never thought he'd see again.
If the Pirates made it as far as the World Series, it would mean two more celebratory scrums after winning the NLDS and then the NLCS (maybe even three scrums if they have to win a Wild Card game first).
It would mean every Pirates fan walking around in a euphoric state of mind for weeks.
A World Series appearance would almost ensure Andrew McCutchen becoming a national star.
And by that point, the "Zoltan" sign would probably be a national celebrity in its own right and might make it into the top 10 of Yahoo trends.
Nope, I disagree with Matt from Shaler. Making it to the postseason would be a pretty good thing.
Matt from Shaler, a regular caller to the station and pseudo-celebrity, called in and stated that he didn't want the Pirates to make the playoffs this season. To paraphrase: "I don't want to see them make it if they're going to lose!" His basic sentiment was that he didn't think the team was quite strong enough yet, and they needed another season or two before they were ready for the postseason.
First off, how do we know that they're not ready? Let's just say, for kicks and giggles, that Matt is right, and these Pirates simply aren't ready for postseason play just yet. How will they ever get ready for that if they don't gain the experience of postseason play?
And second, saying, "I don't want to see a team make the playoffs if they're gonna lose" is a wussy way of looking at things. It's like saying, "I don't want to ask that woman out because she might say no!"
There are no guarantees with the postseason. No matter how strong and "prepared" a baseball team is for the postseason, it doesn't mean that team will win.
Back to the Matt from Shaler call.
When the host pointed out that the National League isn't exactly strong this season, Matt said, "Yeah, maybe the NL teams are beatable, but there is no way they'll get past any of the AL teams!"
So, essentially what he was saying was that even just getting to the World Series wouldn't be good enough of if the Pirates lost.
"What's the point if they're gonna lose!"
Fortunately, the host made it clear to Matt that he was being an idiot. Unfortunately, this "What's the point of making the playoffs if they're gonna lose!" thought-process is alive among fans of every team and every sport.
Steelers fans are like this with the Super Bowl. "I'd rather see them lose in the first round of the playoffs than make it to the Super Bowl and lose."
"What's the point?"
Well, all the fun and memories you'd have along the way.
If the Pirates made it to the postseason, that in and of itself would be epic. For starters, the 19 years of losing would be over.
Making it to the postseason in any capacity would mean that we got to experience a month-long pennant race.
It would mean seeing the team engage in a celebratory scrum in the middle of a baseball diamond, something yours truly never thought he'd see again.
If the Pirates made it as far as the World Series, it would mean two more celebratory scrums after winning the NLDS and then the NLCS (maybe even three scrums if they have to win a Wild Card game first).
It would mean every Pirates fan walking around in a euphoric state of mind for weeks.
A World Series appearance would almost ensure Andrew McCutchen becoming a national star.
And by that point, the "Zoltan" sign would probably be a national celebrity in its own right and might make it into the top 10 of Yahoo trends.
Nope, I disagree with Matt from Shaler. Making it to the postseason would be a pretty good thing.
Monday, July 9, 2012
Let's Hope the Pirates Zoltan Sign Doesn't Become as Over-Marketed as the old nWo
Right now, the Pittsburgh Pirates are flying high. They're a surprising 11-games over .500 and in first place in the NL Central Division at the All-Star break. The team is the talk of Major League Baseball.
To complement this awesome rise to the top for the Buccos, the team has adopted the now famous "Zoltan" sign as an inspirational symbol of the 2012 season. Anytime a player gets a big hit or scores an important run, they flash the "Zoltan" sign. And now that the team is doing so well, the fans have bought into the phenomenon and are continuously flashing the sign themselves.
This is the kind of thing that beautifully goes hand-in-hand (get it) with such a surprisingly awesome season.
Of course, the Pirates need to be careful, because something like this can be over-done and over-marketed.
I don't want to see what happened to the old wrestling faction, the nWo, happen to Zoltan.
The nWo was a heel wrestling group in WCW in the 90's, and at the time, it was the hottest thing in wrestling. However, in the ensuing years, WCW tried to take it too far--the group was broken up into heel and face factions--and, eventually, they drove a great idea right into the ground.
Let's hope this doesn't happen with Zoltan. Sure, right now, everything is great, and all the players are flashing the sign, but what if jealousy starts to rear its ugly head?
For example, I can see the pitchers becoming jealous, at least some of them. What if, one day during pre-game warm-ups, Erik Bedard and Kevin Correia just start attacking fellow pitcher A.J. Burnett for no reason? And, soon, Brad Lincoln joins in, and nobody can believe what's happening.
What the hell's going on here, damn it! Will somebody come out here and please help Burnett?
A bunch of other players come over to break it up, including Andrew McCutchen and Pedro Alvarez. They do break up the scrum, but then Alvarez just starts attacking Cutch for no reason.
What the hell is this all about? What's going on, damn it! Somebody please stop this!
The umpires soon break it up, but nobody can figure out what the hell is going on.
The next day at a press conference, Bedard and Correia announce that they're sick and tired of being overshadowed by Burnett. Bedard: "I was supposed to be the key offseason pitching acquisition! I was brought in to be the ace of the staff. I was a bargain, damn it! But that wasn't good enough for the Pirates. No, they had to bring you in, Burnett. You, with your great attitude and tattoos, taking over the clubhouse and becoming the "leader." Well, nobody leads me. You hear me, Burnett! You're the reason why I'm 4-10!" And then Correia jumps in: "As for the rest of you, especially the "hitters." We pitchers carried you guys for the first two months of the season. You with your .217 batting average and lowest run total in the league! We deserved better than that! Now that you've all gotten hot, suddenly everyone is flashing the Zoltan sign, and you know what? It makes me sick! We pitchers deserve all the credit, and we should be the ones flashing the sign. From now on, this group will be known as "Zoltan Pitchers." You're either with us or against us!"
Soon, James McDonald emerges, and he takes the microphone: "Yeah, I'm tired of people giving Burnett credit for working with me. The only person who deserves credit for my success is me!"
McDonald is part of Zoltan Pitchers? Don't tell he he's going to turn his back on A.J., too. What does this all mean, Bobby?
And now here's Brad Lincoln's music: "Yeah, I should be the closer of this team, not Joel Hanrahan! I was a first round pick in 2006. I was drafted as a starter, and now I have to be in the bullpen? If I'm going to be in the bullpen, I should be the closer. Hanrahan, when the time is right, I'm going to take that closer spot away from you, you hear me?"
Bedard, Correia, McDonald, Lincoln. And, look at this, Juan Cruz and Jeff Karstens! They're all part of Zoltan Pitchers! How can they turn their back on the fans, damn it! They're all flashing the Zoltan sign. What does this all mean, Bobby?
The next day at pitchers' batting practice, Burnett comes out of the tunnel and he's got a microphone in hand. Bedard, McDonald, Correia and Lincoln all head for the hills.
Burnett: "Yeah, what you guys did to me the other day was sickening. Bedard and Correia, you suck, I'll kick your asses the first chance I get. And as for you, McDonald. We were like brothers! I took you under my wing, and you want to turn your back on me? And Lincoln. You're a punk. If you had half the stuff that Hanrahan has, you'd be the closer. But you just don't have the guts, son."
Suddenly, McCutchen's music starts to play. He's coming out to the field, and he's joined by Garrett Jones, Neil Walker, Hanrahan, Michael McKenry, Clint Barmes, Drew Sutton, Casey McGehee, Jason Grilli, Tony Watson, everyone is there to support Burnett.
McCutchen: "A.J., I just want you to know how much you mean to us, man. You're an inspiration, and we got your back, dude. I don't know where that punk, Pedro Alvarez, is, but he's too chicken to meet me face to face. Well, Pedro, anytime you want to face me like a man, you just bring it! But enough about that for now. What these pitchers did was downright disgusting. They turned their back on us. They turned their back on the fans (crowd roars). If they don't want us, we'll just have to form our own pack. In fact, from now on, we're going to call ourselves Zoltan Wolfpac. (Crowd roars again). A.J., will you join our group?"
Crowd chants: "A.J!" "A.J!"
Burnett: "I'm with you guys 100%." (Flashes Zoltan sign.)
Suddenly, Alvarez's music starts. He slowly walks out to the PNC Park diamond and grabs a microphone.
Alvarez: "You know what, McCutchen! I was supposed to be the savior of this team. Not you. (crowd boos). I was the one who was supposed to be an MVP candidate! Vote for Pedro, damn it! Well, I don't care what these people think of you, or how many times they chant "MVP" (crowd roars for Cutch), I am the savior of this team. And if you people can't appreciate what I do, maybe Zoltan Pitchers can."
What's this? Alvarez is joining Zoltan Pitchers? He's not even a pitcher, Bobby. What does this all mean?
Wait a minute, here comes Josh Harrison and Rod Barajas. What the hell? Harrison just smacked Barmes in the back of the head with a bat! Harrison: "Barmes, you and your .199 batting average. You suck! I should be playing shortstop. You hear me?"
Somebody stop this!
Wait a minute. Why is Barajas carrying McDonald's jacket? Is he part of Zoltan Pitchers, too?
McDonald: "That's right, Rod. Bring me my jacket. You know you belong to Zoltan Pitchers. You're my personal catcher, and I own you. You will catch for me, and you will catch for Bedard and Correia, all of us. You understand?"
Barajas reluctantly walks over and grabs the mic from McDonald: "Yeah, JMac, I understand."
Rod Barajas is part of Zoltan Pitchers? He's just too cool for that, damn it! He's one of the founding members of the Zoltan symbol. How can he turn his back on the fans?
Zoltan Pitchers music plays.
So, Harrison, Alvarez and Barajas are all part of Zoltan Pitchers, Bobby? What does this all mean?
A few days later, right after a huge win at PNC Park, Zoltan Pitchers and Zoltan Wolfpac nearly come to blows. But wait a minute. Is that Jose Tabata in the stands? What the hell....what the hell is he doing here? He's supposed to be in Triple A. Wait, he's coming down to the field. Whose side is he on? Whose side is he on?
A week later, during a pre-game scuffle between between McCutchen and Burnett of the Wolfpac and Correia and McDonald of the Pitchers, Tabata can be seen sitting in the stands, just watching...quietly, mysteriously. Whose side is he on? Suddenly, Alvarez and Barajas come down from the back in support of Zoltan Pitchers.
What the hell are they doing here? What is Alvarez doing with that bat? He has no business being down here.
Crowd chant directed at Alvarez: ".231!" ".231!" ".231!"
A few minutes later, Garrett Jones and Neil Walker come down to even the odds for the Zoltan Wolfpac. (Crowd roars.)
Chant directed at Barajas: "You sold out!" "You sold out!" "You sold out!"
Suddenly, Tabata comes down from the stands with bat in hand. Finally, some relief is on the way! But what side is Tabata on? He's going after Pedro and Barajas! He's Zoltan Wolfpac! But wait, he just smacked McCutchen in the back with that baseball bat!
What the hell is going on here?
Wait a minute! Barajas just nailed McDonald! He's part of Zoltan Wolfpac! Maybe he can save Cutch!
Suddenly, Tabata is joined on the field by Alvarez, Juan Cruz and.....Barajas! Barajas just nailed McCutchen with a bat! He's not part of Zoltan Wolfpac. He's turned his back on the fans again!
All four men start beating McCutchen as he lay prone out in center field. What's this? Is it, is it...It's Latin Zoltan!
Latin music starts blaring over the PNC Park sound-system as all four player stand in the middle of the diamond and flash the Zoltan sign.
What does this all mean, Bobby?
Anyway, I can see this all happening. Let's just hope this whole Zoltan thing doesn't go too far.
To complement this awesome rise to the top for the Buccos, the team has adopted the now famous "Zoltan" sign as an inspirational symbol of the 2012 season. Anytime a player gets a big hit or scores an important run, they flash the "Zoltan" sign. And now that the team is doing so well, the fans have bought into the phenomenon and are continuously flashing the sign themselves.
This is the kind of thing that beautifully goes hand-in-hand (get it) with such a surprisingly awesome season.
Of course, the Pirates need to be careful, because something like this can be over-done and over-marketed.
I don't want to see what happened to the old wrestling faction, the nWo, happen to Zoltan.
The nWo was a heel wrestling group in WCW in the 90's, and at the time, it was the hottest thing in wrestling. However, in the ensuing years, WCW tried to take it too far--the group was broken up into heel and face factions--and, eventually, they drove a great idea right into the ground.
Let's hope this doesn't happen with Zoltan. Sure, right now, everything is great, and all the players are flashing the sign, but what if jealousy starts to rear its ugly head?
For example, I can see the pitchers becoming jealous, at least some of them. What if, one day during pre-game warm-ups, Erik Bedard and Kevin Correia just start attacking fellow pitcher A.J. Burnett for no reason? And, soon, Brad Lincoln joins in, and nobody can believe what's happening.
What the hell's going on here, damn it! Will somebody come out here and please help Burnett?
A bunch of other players come over to break it up, including Andrew McCutchen and Pedro Alvarez. They do break up the scrum, but then Alvarez just starts attacking Cutch for no reason.
What the hell is this all about? What's going on, damn it! Somebody please stop this!
The umpires soon break it up, but nobody can figure out what the hell is going on.
The next day at a press conference, Bedard and Correia announce that they're sick and tired of being overshadowed by Burnett. Bedard: "I was supposed to be the key offseason pitching acquisition! I was brought in to be the ace of the staff. I was a bargain, damn it! But that wasn't good enough for the Pirates. No, they had to bring you in, Burnett. You, with your great attitude and tattoos, taking over the clubhouse and becoming the "leader." Well, nobody leads me. You hear me, Burnett! You're the reason why I'm 4-10!" And then Correia jumps in: "As for the rest of you, especially the "hitters." We pitchers carried you guys for the first two months of the season. You with your .217 batting average and lowest run total in the league! We deserved better than that! Now that you've all gotten hot, suddenly everyone is flashing the Zoltan sign, and you know what? It makes me sick! We pitchers deserve all the credit, and we should be the ones flashing the sign. From now on, this group will be known as "Zoltan Pitchers." You're either with us or against us!"
Soon, James McDonald emerges, and he takes the microphone: "Yeah, I'm tired of people giving Burnett credit for working with me. The only person who deserves credit for my success is me!"
McDonald is part of Zoltan Pitchers? Don't tell he he's going to turn his back on A.J., too. What does this all mean, Bobby?
And now here's Brad Lincoln's music: "Yeah, I should be the closer of this team, not Joel Hanrahan! I was a first round pick in 2006. I was drafted as a starter, and now I have to be in the bullpen? If I'm going to be in the bullpen, I should be the closer. Hanrahan, when the time is right, I'm going to take that closer spot away from you, you hear me?"
Bedard, Correia, McDonald, Lincoln. And, look at this, Juan Cruz and Jeff Karstens! They're all part of Zoltan Pitchers! How can they turn their back on the fans, damn it! They're all flashing the Zoltan sign. What does this all mean, Bobby?
The next day at pitchers' batting practice, Burnett comes out of the tunnel and he's got a microphone in hand. Bedard, McDonald, Correia and Lincoln all head for the hills.
Burnett: "Yeah, what you guys did to me the other day was sickening. Bedard and Correia, you suck, I'll kick your asses the first chance I get. And as for you, McDonald. We were like brothers! I took you under my wing, and you want to turn your back on me? And Lincoln. You're a punk. If you had half the stuff that Hanrahan has, you'd be the closer. But you just don't have the guts, son."
Suddenly, McCutchen's music starts to play. He's coming out to the field, and he's joined by Garrett Jones, Neil Walker, Hanrahan, Michael McKenry, Clint Barmes, Drew Sutton, Casey McGehee, Jason Grilli, Tony Watson, everyone is there to support Burnett.
McCutchen: "A.J., I just want you to know how much you mean to us, man. You're an inspiration, and we got your back, dude. I don't know where that punk, Pedro Alvarez, is, but he's too chicken to meet me face to face. Well, Pedro, anytime you want to face me like a man, you just bring it! But enough about that for now. What these pitchers did was downright disgusting. They turned their back on us. They turned their back on the fans (crowd roars). If they don't want us, we'll just have to form our own pack. In fact, from now on, we're going to call ourselves Zoltan Wolfpac. (Crowd roars again). A.J., will you join our group?"
Crowd chants: "A.J!" "A.J!"
Burnett: "I'm with you guys 100%." (Flashes Zoltan sign.)
Suddenly, Alvarez's music starts. He slowly walks out to the PNC Park diamond and grabs a microphone.
Alvarez: "You know what, McCutchen! I was supposed to be the savior of this team. Not you. (crowd boos). I was the one who was supposed to be an MVP candidate! Vote for Pedro, damn it! Well, I don't care what these people think of you, or how many times they chant "MVP" (crowd roars for Cutch), I am the savior of this team. And if you people can't appreciate what I do, maybe Zoltan Pitchers can."
What's this? Alvarez is joining Zoltan Pitchers? He's not even a pitcher, Bobby. What does this all mean?
Wait a minute, here comes Josh Harrison and Rod Barajas. What the hell? Harrison just smacked Barmes in the back of the head with a bat! Harrison: "Barmes, you and your .199 batting average. You suck! I should be playing shortstop. You hear me?"
Somebody stop this!
Wait a minute. Why is Barajas carrying McDonald's jacket? Is he part of Zoltan Pitchers, too?
McDonald: "That's right, Rod. Bring me my jacket. You know you belong to Zoltan Pitchers. You're my personal catcher, and I own you. You will catch for me, and you will catch for Bedard and Correia, all of us. You understand?"
Barajas reluctantly walks over and grabs the mic from McDonald: "Yeah, JMac, I understand."
Rod Barajas is part of Zoltan Pitchers? He's just too cool for that, damn it! He's one of the founding members of the Zoltan symbol. How can he turn his back on the fans?
Zoltan Pitchers music plays.
So, Harrison, Alvarez and Barajas are all part of Zoltan Pitchers, Bobby? What does this all mean?
A few days later, right after a huge win at PNC Park, Zoltan Pitchers and Zoltan Wolfpac nearly come to blows. But wait a minute. Is that Jose Tabata in the stands? What the hell....what the hell is he doing here? He's supposed to be in Triple A. Wait, he's coming down to the field. Whose side is he on? Whose side is he on?
A week later, during a pre-game scuffle between between McCutchen and Burnett of the Wolfpac and Correia and McDonald of the Pitchers, Tabata can be seen sitting in the stands, just watching...quietly, mysteriously. Whose side is he on? Suddenly, Alvarez and Barajas come down from the back in support of Zoltan Pitchers.
What the hell are they doing here? What is Alvarez doing with that bat? He has no business being down here.
Crowd chant directed at Alvarez: ".231!" ".231!" ".231!"
A few minutes later, Garrett Jones and Neil Walker come down to even the odds for the Zoltan Wolfpac. (Crowd roars.)
Chant directed at Barajas: "You sold out!" "You sold out!" "You sold out!"
Suddenly, Tabata comes down from the stands with bat in hand. Finally, some relief is on the way! But what side is Tabata on? He's going after Pedro and Barajas! He's Zoltan Wolfpac! But wait, he just smacked McCutchen in the back with that baseball bat!
What the hell is going on here?
Wait a minute! Barajas just nailed McDonald! He's part of Zoltan Wolfpac! Maybe he can save Cutch!
Suddenly, Tabata is joined on the field by Alvarez, Juan Cruz and.....Barajas! Barajas just nailed McCutchen with a bat! He's not part of Zoltan Wolfpac. He's turned his back on the fans again!
All four men start beating McCutchen as he lay prone out in center field. What's this? Is it, is it...It's Latin Zoltan!
Latin music starts blaring over the PNC Park sound-system as all four player stand in the middle of the diamond and flash the Zoltan sign.
What does this all mean, Bobby?
Anyway, I can see this all happening. Let's just hope this whole Zoltan thing doesn't go too far.
The Power of Zoltan and the Blogging "Keyword"
I've been blogging for roughly six years now. I have my own sports blog that I update on a regular basis with fresh content. I'm also one of the major contributors on the Pittsburgh Steelers SB Nation fan blog Behind the Steel Curtain.
The Steelers blog that I contribute to is an awesome site. It's updated multiple times each day with new content regarding the Steelers and all things NFL, and it gets a pretty decent amount of traffic.
My own personal blog, on the other hand, usually gets maybe 35 to 40 visits a day if I'm lucky. I think I have pretty decent content. My blog posts are normally pretty relevant, and I add as many links as possible. But, mostly, my blog posts go unread.
I've asked people for advice, and the main thing that more successful bloggers always point to is keywords. They tell me you have to put keywords in your title and in your post. If you write about things that people are searching for, you're going to drive up your traffic.
I guess when it comes to blogging, I'm more of an artist who concentrates on the content. I figure, people will find my unbelievably awesome content if they really look hard enough. I guess I'm like one of those rock bands that doesn't want to sell-out and try to make hit songs because it would demean the "art" of it.
My blog should be successful based solely on the content and not because I drive the people my way with keywords, right?
WRONG!
Thanks to a little piece I wrote at the end of May about the Pittsburgh Pirates and the "Zoltan" sign that they started using as a rallying symbol, I now realize, not only the power of "ZOLTAN" when it comes to the now first place Pittsburgh Pirates, but the power of "KEYWORDS" when it comes to driving traffic to your blog. The Zoltan piece is only about six weeks old, and it's already my third most viewed post in the history of my blog, and I have 450 entries. By my estimation, if the Pittsburgh Pirates continue to surprise Major League Baseball with their stellar play after the All-star break, my Zoltan post will be my all-time most viewed entry by the end of July.
Just the other day, I wrote another piece about the Pirates and the power of Zoltan, and it's already threatening to be in my top five sooner rather than later.
Every traffic source on my site these days has something to do with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Zoltan. It's pretty amazing, and it's taught me a valuable lesson:
BEHOLD THE POWER OF ZOLTAN!.......AND BLOGGING KEYWORDS!
The Steelers blog that I contribute to is an awesome site. It's updated multiple times each day with new content regarding the Steelers and all things NFL, and it gets a pretty decent amount of traffic.
My own personal blog, on the other hand, usually gets maybe 35 to 40 visits a day if I'm lucky. I think I have pretty decent content. My blog posts are normally pretty relevant, and I add as many links as possible. But, mostly, my blog posts go unread.
I've asked people for advice, and the main thing that more successful bloggers always point to is keywords. They tell me you have to put keywords in your title and in your post. If you write about things that people are searching for, you're going to drive up your traffic.
I guess when it comes to blogging, I'm more of an artist who concentrates on the content. I figure, people will find my unbelievably awesome content if they really look hard enough. I guess I'm like one of those rock bands that doesn't want to sell-out and try to make hit songs because it would demean the "art" of it.
My blog should be successful based solely on the content and not because I drive the people my way with keywords, right?
WRONG!
Thanks to a little piece I wrote at the end of May about the Pittsburgh Pirates and the "Zoltan" sign that they started using as a rallying symbol, I now realize, not only the power of "ZOLTAN" when it comes to the now first place Pittsburgh Pirates, but the power of "KEYWORDS" when it comes to driving traffic to your blog. The Zoltan piece is only about six weeks old, and it's already my third most viewed post in the history of my blog, and I have 450 entries. By my estimation, if the Pittsburgh Pirates continue to surprise Major League Baseball with their stellar play after the All-star break, my Zoltan post will be my all-time most viewed entry by the end of July.
Just the other day, I wrote another piece about the Pirates and the power of Zoltan, and it's already threatening to be in my top five sooner rather than later.
Every traffic source on my site these days has something to do with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Zoltan. It's pretty amazing, and it's taught me a valuable lesson:
BEHOLD THE POWER OF ZOLTAN!.......AND BLOGGING KEYWORDS!
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Is it Just a Matter of Time Before Pirates Star Andrew McCutchen Becomes a Household Name?
The Pirates are rolling, folks. After today's 13-2 demolition of the San Francisco Giants, Pittsburgh enters the All-Star break a game in front in the NL Central with a 48-37 record. It's been a long time (20 years) since the Buccos were 11-games over the .500 mark at any point in the season, let alone the All-Star break.
Long-suffering Pirates fans have a reason to puff out their chests for a change, and if things keep going the way have since about mid-May, we might see a good old-fashioned pennant race in August and September. We haven't had that around here since 1997, and if you take that "Freak Show" team out of the equation, we haven't had a serious baseball contender in Pittsburgh since the early 90's and the days of Barry Bonds, Andy Van Slyke and Doug Drabek.
Speaking of those three players who represented the last era of prosperity for the Pittsburgh Pirates, they were household names. Well, at least Barry Bonds was. He won his first two National League MVP awards while in Pittsburgh and was considered by many to be the best all-around player in the game.
The Pirates haven't had a player like him until, well, right about now. Andrew McCutchen just completed a first half that has baseball talking. Just look at these stats! Yahoo hasn't quite updated them yet, but I'll do it for them. After today's three hit performance that included two two-run homers, McCutchen now leads Major League Baseball with a .362 batting average, and he has 18 home runs and 60 RBI. Beings that he's leading baseball in hitting and on the cusp of the leader board in the other two categories, Cutch is not only a serious MVP candidate, we can start talking about the Triple Crown.
I think most smart baseball people thought McCutchen would be a decent all-around player as he came up through the Pirates minor league system after being drafted 11th overall in '05, but I don't think anyone could have envisioned what he's done so far this season.
If he's not the best player in baseball right now, I'd love to know who is. Every time he steps to the plate at PNC Park these days, the fans chant "MVP, MVP!" When was the last time Pirates faithful had such a player to cheer for? Again, it was Barry Bonds. Back then, if you were either at a Pirates game or watching one on television, you could hear the fans chant, "Barry! Barry!" Only thing was, Bonds never had much of a relationship with the fans during his time in Pittsburgh.
Andrew McCutchen, on the other hand, appears to be a great guy to root for, and he could be the superstar that finally catapults the Pirates back into relevancy after nearly two decades. He has the humble personality, and with the dread-locks, he has a very unique look.
It's just a matter of time before McCutchen becomes a household name, not just in Pittsburgh, but all around the country. He doesn't play in a big market city like New York or Boston, but if he continues to display the all-around tools that he's shown since his rookie year, soon, he'll transcend all markets and be the best known commodity in MLB.
He'll certainly be the biggest thing in Pittsburgh since the days of Willie Stargell if the fans continue to embrace him.
If the Pirates are going to be a contender, they're going to need a superstar.
The world better soon be prepared for Andrew McCutchen!
Long-suffering Pirates fans have a reason to puff out their chests for a change, and if things keep going the way have since about mid-May, we might see a good old-fashioned pennant race in August and September. We haven't had that around here since 1997, and if you take that "Freak Show" team out of the equation, we haven't had a serious baseball contender in Pittsburgh since the early 90's and the days of Barry Bonds, Andy Van Slyke and Doug Drabek.
Speaking of those three players who represented the last era of prosperity for the Pittsburgh Pirates, they were household names. Well, at least Barry Bonds was. He won his first two National League MVP awards while in Pittsburgh and was considered by many to be the best all-around player in the game.
The Pirates haven't had a player like him until, well, right about now. Andrew McCutchen just completed a first half that has baseball talking. Just look at these stats! Yahoo hasn't quite updated them yet, but I'll do it for them. After today's three hit performance that included two two-run homers, McCutchen now leads Major League Baseball with a .362 batting average, and he has 18 home runs and 60 RBI. Beings that he's leading baseball in hitting and on the cusp of the leader board in the other two categories, Cutch is not only a serious MVP candidate, we can start talking about the Triple Crown.
I think most smart baseball people thought McCutchen would be a decent all-around player as he came up through the Pirates minor league system after being drafted 11th overall in '05, but I don't think anyone could have envisioned what he's done so far this season.
If he's not the best player in baseball right now, I'd love to know who is. Every time he steps to the plate at PNC Park these days, the fans chant "MVP, MVP!" When was the last time Pirates faithful had such a player to cheer for? Again, it was Barry Bonds. Back then, if you were either at a Pirates game or watching one on television, you could hear the fans chant, "Barry! Barry!" Only thing was, Bonds never had much of a relationship with the fans during his time in Pittsburgh.
Andrew McCutchen, on the other hand, appears to be a great guy to root for, and he could be the superstar that finally catapults the Pirates back into relevancy after nearly two decades. He has the humble personality, and with the dread-locks, he has a very unique look.
It's just a matter of time before McCutchen becomes a household name, not just in Pittsburgh, but all around the country. He doesn't play in a big market city like New York or Boston, but if he continues to display the all-around tools that he's shown since his rookie year, soon, he'll transcend all markets and be the best known commodity in MLB.
He'll certainly be the biggest thing in Pittsburgh since the days of Willie Stargell if the fans continue to embrace him.
If the Pirates are going to be a contender, they're going to need a superstar.
The world better soon be prepared for Andrew McCutchen!
Some Recent Posts that I've Written for Behind the Steel Curtain
I always say I'm going to keep all of you, my mysterious readers, up-to-date on my most recent posts on Behind the Steel Curtain, but because I'm often so busy churning out new material, I often forget.
I'd like to take this time right now to at least link my most recent, recent posts from over on BTSC.
But before I do that, I was pleasantly surprised to log on to BTSC this morning to discover that today, July 8th, is the 79th birthday of the Steelers.
Yes, I know, this is the 80th anniversary season for the Steelers, and that confused me a little. But in sports, they do seasons differently than they do birthdays. In people years, the Steelers are 79 today, but in seasons, they will be 80 starting in September.
Whether it's 79 or 80, it's a tremendous milestone. Congratulations to the Pittsburgh Steelers and their thousands of fans across the country.
Now onto my recent BTSC posts:
-To mark the 79th birthday of the team, I thought it would be fitting to write something acknowledging, not only the first "Golden Age" of the 70's that saw the franchise establish itself as maybe the greatest football dynasty of all-time, but to celebrate the current (hopefully it stays current) second "Golden Age" of Super Bowl excellence. I grew up fascinated by the Steelers teams of the 70's, and I always wanted to know what it would be like to have another era of championship teams. Well, starting in Super Bowl XL, I have been able to witness such an era.
-Former Steelers receiver Santonio Holmes was certainly a controversial figure during his time in Pittsburgh. But as his contributions down the stretch of the team's march to a record 6th Lombardi trophy in 2008 point out, he was also a clutch performer.
-A couple of weeks ago, Penguins star center Sidney Crosby inked a new deal with the team that will pay him $104.4 million over 12 years and keep him in Pittsburgh until at least the year 2025. Crosby elected to take a hometown discount and keep his salary at "only" $8.7 million annually. This was looked at as a sacrifice by many fans and media members, and it reminded me of how out-of-touch so many athletes are when they express such things as pain and anguish when talking about their contract status. I'm not saying Crosby was doing that, but a lot of athletes sure have over the years. It's always been a huge turn-off for me.
-The Steelers sure made a splash in this year's NFL Draft by landing guard David DeCastro out of Stanford and tackle Mike Adams from The Ohio State. When you add those two draft choices to third year center Maurkice Pouncey, 2nd year tackle Marcus Gilbert and Willie Colon, who will be making a transition from tackle to guard, suddenly, the opinion of the once maligned offensive line seemed to change over night. I'm cautiously optimistic about the unit, but I don't think we should assume too much too soon about a group of guys who haven't played together yet.
Well, that's it for my most recent links. I have some older recent links that I will post at a later date.
As always, I encourage you to visit Behind the Steel Curtain if you're a Steelers fan or just a football fan in general. It's a pretty knowledgeable crew, and they do a great job with the site.
Ciao!
I'd like to take this time right now to at least link my most recent, recent posts from over on BTSC.
But before I do that, I was pleasantly surprised to log on to BTSC this morning to discover that today, July 8th, is the 79th birthday of the Steelers.
Yes, I know, this is the 80th anniversary season for the Steelers, and that confused me a little. But in sports, they do seasons differently than they do birthdays. In people years, the Steelers are 79 today, but in seasons, they will be 80 starting in September.
Whether it's 79 or 80, it's a tremendous milestone. Congratulations to the Pittsburgh Steelers and their thousands of fans across the country.
Now onto my recent BTSC posts:
-To mark the 79th birthday of the team, I thought it would be fitting to write something acknowledging, not only the first "Golden Age" of the 70's that saw the franchise establish itself as maybe the greatest football dynasty of all-time, but to celebrate the current (hopefully it stays current) second "Golden Age" of Super Bowl excellence. I grew up fascinated by the Steelers teams of the 70's, and I always wanted to know what it would be like to have another era of championship teams. Well, starting in Super Bowl XL, I have been able to witness such an era.
-Former Steelers receiver Santonio Holmes was certainly a controversial figure during his time in Pittsburgh. But as his contributions down the stretch of the team's march to a record 6th Lombardi trophy in 2008 point out, he was also a clutch performer.
-A couple of weeks ago, Penguins star center Sidney Crosby inked a new deal with the team that will pay him $104.4 million over 12 years and keep him in Pittsburgh until at least the year 2025. Crosby elected to take a hometown discount and keep his salary at "only" $8.7 million annually. This was looked at as a sacrifice by many fans and media members, and it reminded me of how out-of-touch so many athletes are when they express such things as pain and anguish when talking about their contract status. I'm not saying Crosby was doing that, but a lot of athletes sure have over the years. It's always been a huge turn-off for me.
-The Steelers sure made a splash in this year's NFL Draft by landing guard David DeCastro out of Stanford and tackle Mike Adams from The Ohio State. When you add those two draft choices to third year center Maurkice Pouncey, 2nd year tackle Marcus Gilbert and Willie Colon, who will be making a transition from tackle to guard, suddenly, the opinion of the once maligned offensive line seemed to change over night. I'm cautiously optimistic about the unit, but I don't think we should assume too much too soon about a group of guys who haven't played together yet.
Well, that's it for my most recent links. I have some older recent links that I will post at a later date.
As always, I encourage you to visit Behind the Steel Curtain if you're a Steelers fan or just a football fan in general. It's a pretty knowledgeable crew, and they do a great job with the site.
Ciao!
Andrew McCutchen Named as Replacement for Home Run Derby
It was announced last night that Pirates All Star center fielder Andrew McCutchen will join the 2012 Home Run Derby.
McCutchen will replace Giancarlo Stanton, who will have to miss due to injury.
It's certainly a nice gesture for McCutchen, who has 16 home runs so far in the first half and leads Major League Baseball with a .359 batting average.
If I know Pirates fans like I think I do, I'll bet half of them are excited (little kids and teenagers who are more or less the prime audience for any home run derby). And I'll bet the other half are pessimistic (more the adult crowd/sabermetrics-types who are probably worried that the derby will ruin Cutch's swing).
I fall somewhere in the middle. It's kind of nice that Cutch gets to be a participant, but I'm not as excited about it as I used to be because I think the All Star Home Run Derby has a novelty shelf-life similar to the NBA All-Star Slam Dunk Contest. And I'm not really worried about McCutchen ruining his swing. People have been using that theory for years, but if that was really the case, wouldn't your typical pre-game batting practice session hurt any player's swing?
You always hear baseball announcers mention the massive home runs that certain players hit in bp, players that you wouldn't really consider home run hitters. People often talk about the bombs that Ichiro Suzuki hits in batting practice. The dude had 200-plus hits in 10 straight seasons, and he's one of the greatest hitters of our generation. With only 99 career home runs, he's obviously not a power guy, so swinging for the fences in bp sure hasn't hurt his game one bit.
I find it hard to believe that a couple dozen batting practice swings can really throw a hitter's timing off once he sees live pitching again.
Anyway, I think it's cool that Cutch will be in the Derby. I just think it would be an even nicer gesture if he got the start in center field.
McCutchen will replace Giancarlo Stanton, who will have to miss due to injury.
It's certainly a nice gesture for McCutchen, who has 16 home runs so far in the first half and leads Major League Baseball with a .359 batting average.
If I know Pirates fans like I think I do, I'll bet half of them are excited (little kids and teenagers who are more or less the prime audience for any home run derby). And I'll bet the other half are pessimistic (more the adult crowd/sabermetrics-types who are probably worried that the derby will ruin Cutch's swing).
I fall somewhere in the middle. It's kind of nice that Cutch gets to be a participant, but I'm not as excited about it as I used to be because I think the All Star Home Run Derby has a novelty shelf-life similar to the NBA All-Star Slam Dunk Contest. And I'm not really worried about McCutchen ruining his swing. People have been using that theory for years, but if that was really the case, wouldn't your typical pre-game batting practice session hurt any player's swing?
You always hear baseball announcers mention the massive home runs that certain players hit in bp, players that you wouldn't really consider home run hitters. People often talk about the bombs that Ichiro Suzuki hits in batting practice. The dude had 200-plus hits in 10 straight seasons, and he's one of the greatest hitters of our generation. With only 99 career home runs, he's obviously not a power guy, so swinging for the fences in bp sure hasn't hurt his game one bit.
I find it hard to believe that a couple dozen batting practice swings can really throw a hitter's timing off once he sees live pitching again.
Anyway, I think it's cool that Cutch will be in the Derby. I just think it would be an even nicer gesture if he got the start in center field.
Saturday, July 7, 2012
The Pirates and Zoltan
Back on May 25th, when the Pirates hitters were really, really bad, I wrote a blog post on the Zoltan phenomenon that had just started to slowly take off. My post was somewhat mocking because, at that time, the Pirates' offense was the worst in the National League in runs scored and batting average. Zoltan was a rallying cry used more by the hitters than the pitchers. And because the team still had a sub-.500 record (20-24) despite the pitching staff having the third best ERA in the NL, I joked that the pitchers had developed their own hand-gesture: The FU. I was implying that the Pirates pitchers were so frustrated with the hitters that they were going to start giving them the middle finger.
Well, my haven't things changed A LOT over the past five or six weeks. Since I wrote my little piece, the Pirates are on a 27-13 tear. And since about mid-June, the offense has been red hot. Led by Andrew McCutchen, an MVP candidate if there ever was one, the Bucco hitters have resembled the Pirates Lumber Company of the 1970's.
Things really seemed to take off for the offense in mid-June when the much-maligned Pedro Alvarez started to heat up in the Indians series, and he has yet to cool down. Along with Alvarez, guys like Garrett Jones, Casey McGehee, Neil Walker and Michael McKenry have also been white-hot.
The Pirates hitters led the Majors in home runs in June, and even though the pitchers have slowed down just a bit, the team now sits in first place in the NL Central division.
Because of that, the Zoltan sign has become the biggest rallying cry since the days of "We Are Family."
Now you see people walking around with the "Z" t-shirt, and little kids flashing the "Zoltan" sign any chance they get.
It's just a matter of time before Sally Wiggin does a piece on the phenomenon, and you see grandmas wearing the Z-shirts and flashing the sign--maybe she already has, and maybe they already have.
Who would have thought that a little sub-plot from the movie, "Dude, Where's My Car?" would be the basis for a Pirates rally symbol?
But then again, when you really think about it, how strange was it that the 1979 World Series Champion Pirates adopted the Sister Sledge disco hit "We Are Family!" as their song? Look at the main lyric: "We are Family. I got all my SISTERS with me."
And, if you really want to go there, who would have thought that a yellow dish towel would someday become the universal symbol of excellence for the six-time Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers?
You just never know what a team and a fan base will latch onto, but when they do, it's best to just get the heck out of the way.
It might not make sense now, but it will someday in the future if "Zoltan" is forever attached to the World Series Champion Pittsburgh Pirates.
Ashton Kutcher could throw out the first pitch for the twenty year anniversary celebration.
ZOLTAN!
Well, my haven't things changed A LOT over the past five or six weeks. Since I wrote my little piece, the Pirates are on a 27-13 tear. And since about mid-June, the offense has been red hot. Led by Andrew McCutchen, an MVP candidate if there ever was one, the Bucco hitters have resembled the Pirates Lumber Company of the 1970's.
Things really seemed to take off for the offense in mid-June when the much-maligned Pedro Alvarez started to heat up in the Indians series, and he has yet to cool down. Along with Alvarez, guys like Garrett Jones, Casey McGehee, Neil Walker and Michael McKenry have also been white-hot.
The Pirates hitters led the Majors in home runs in June, and even though the pitchers have slowed down just a bit, the team now sits in first place in the NL Central division.
Because of that, the Zoltan sign has become the biggest rallying cry since the days of "We Are Family."
Now you see people walking around with the "Z" t-shirt, and little kids flashing the "Zoltan" sign any chance they get.
It's just a matter of time before Sally Wiggin does a piece on the phenomenon, and you see grandmas wearing the Z-shirts and flashing the sign--maybe she already has, and maybe they already have.
Who would have thought that a little sub-plot from the movie, "Dude, Where's My Car?" would be the basis for a Pirates rally symbol?
But then again, when you really think about it, how strange was it that the 1979 World Series Champion Pirates adopted the Sister Sledge disco hit "We Are Family!" as their song? Look at the main lyric: "We are Family. I got all my SISTERS with me."
And, if you really want to go there, who would have thought that a yellow dish towel would someday become the universal symbol of excellence for the six-time Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers?
You just never know what a team and a fan base will latch onto, but when they do, it's best to just get the heck out of the way.
It might not make sense now, but it will someday in the future if "Zoltan" is forever attached to the World Series Champion Pittsburgh Pirates.
Ashton Kutcher could throw out the first pitch for the twenty year anniversary celebration.
ZOLTAN!
Friday, July 6, 2012
Steelers Training Camp Just 19 Days Away!
It's that time of year again. Well, almost that time of year: The Pittsburgh Steelers are less than three weeks away from arriving at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, Pa. to start the journey towards another awesome (hopefully) Steelers season.
As always, there are many questions surrounding the Pittsburgh Steelers with 2012 season just around the corner.
For starters, how quickly will Ben Roethlisberger and the rest of the Steelers offense adapt to new offensive coordinator Todd Haley's playbook?
Will Roethlisberger get along with Haley as well as he did with old buddy Bruce Arians? Well, maybe that's a stupid question. Better yet, how well will the two be able to co-exist?
Is Haley as crazy as fans of his former employers say he is?
Will Mike Wallace actually report to Latrobe on time, or will the restricted free agent receiver continue his hold-out?
Will the Steelers' young and talented offensive line, led by first round draft choice David DeCastro, live up to the hype, or will there be major growing-pains?
On the defensive front, will defensive end Ziggy Hood make the leap from promising 2009 first round draft choice to bona fide Aaron Smith replacement, or will 2011 first round pick Cam Heyward leap-frog Hood and start in Smith's place?
Does Casey Hampton have another year left in him after having offseason knee surgery?
Will Keenan Lewis, Cortez Allen and Curtis Brown build on their promising 2011 campaigns and make the number one passing defense from a year ago even better?
Will we actually miss William Gay? If so, that would be really ironic.
After making three Super Bowls since 2005, has the window closed on this awesome era of Steelers football, or is there still an opportunity for another Lombardi, or at least a serious run at one?
I don't know the answers to any of these questions, but the answers will start to take shape in just 19 days.
I can't wait!
As always, there are many questions surrounding the Pittsburgh Steelers with 2012 season just around the corner.
For starters, how quickly will Ben Roethlisberger and the rest of the Steelers offense adapt to new offensive coordinator Todd Haley's playbook?
Will Roethlisberger get along with Haley as well as he did with old buddy Bruce Arians? Well, maybe that's a stupid question. Better yet, how well will the two be able to co-exist?
Is Haley as crazy as fans of his former employers say he is?
Will Mike Wallace actually report to Latrobe on time, or will the restricted free agent receiver continue his hold-out?
Will the Steelers' young and talented offensive line, led by first round draft choice David DeCastro, live up to the hype, or will there be major growing-pains?
On the defensive front, will defensive end Ziggy Hood make the leap from promising 2009 first round draft choice to bona fide Aaron Smith replacement, or will 2011 first round pick Cam Heyward leap-frog Hood and start in Smith's place?
Does Casey Hampton have another year left in him after having offseason knee surgery?
Will Keenan Lewis, Cortez Allen and Curtis Brown build on their promising 2011 campaigns and make the number one passing defense from a year ago even better?
Will we actually miss William Gay? If so, that would be really ironic.
After making three Super Bowls since 2005, has the window closed on this awesome era of Steelers football, or is there still an opportunity for another Lombardi, or at least a serious run at one?
I don't know the answers to any of these questions, but the answers will start to take shape in just 19 days.
I can't wait!
The Pirates Made a Statement with Their Four-game Sweep of the Astros
Last Sunday, I really wanted the Pirates to finish off a three-game sweep of the Cardinals in St. Louis because I thought it would be a great statement to make to the rest of the National League.
Unfortunately, the Pirates couldn't finish off the three game sweep as they fell, 5-4. All-in-all, not bad to go into St. Louis and take two of three from a perennial contender, but, man, that sweep sure would have been nice.
However, I think the Pirates did make a statement this week when they swept a four-game series from the lowly Houston Astros at PNC Park. You might be thinking, "How is that a statement? The Astros are pathetic."
Yes, they are, but the message that the Pirates sent with the sweep is that this team is head and shoulders above the Cubs and Astros of the world.
Last season, during the Pirates epic collapse in early August, they were swept out of PNC Park by the bottom-dwelling Cubs and Padres in a seven-game home-stand. And not only did the Buccos lose every game, they looked pretty out-classed the entire week.
It was a clear indicator that the young team wasn't quite there just yet.
I don't know when or if the 2012 version of the Pittsburgh Pirates will come back down to reality, but if they do, I don't think they'll land on the same turf as the likes of the Cubs and Astros.
These Pirates are better than that.
Unfortunately, the Pirates couldn't finish off the three game sweep as they fell, 5-4. All-in-all, not bad to go into St. Louis and take two of three from a perennial contender, but, man, that sweep sure would have been nice.
However, I think the Pirates did make a statement this week when they swept a four-game series from the lowly Houston Astros at PNC Park. You might be thinking, "How is that a statement? The Astros are pathetic."
Yes, they are, but the message that the Pirates sent with the sweep is that this team is head and shoulders above the Cubs and Astros of the world.
Last season, during the Pirates epic collapse in early August, they were swept out of PNC Park by the bottom-dwelling Cubs and Padres in a seven-game home-stand. And not only did the Buccos lose every game, they looked pretty out-classed the entire week.
It was a clear indicator that the young team wasn't quite there just yet.
I don't know when or if the 2012 version of the Pittsburgh Pirates will come back down to reality, but if they do, I don't think they'll land on the same turf as the likes of the Cubs and Astros.
These Pirates are better than that.
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Zach Parise Has Signed with the Wild, and Now you can Rest Assured that Penguins Fans will Feel Betrayed!
Another offseason, another free-agent winger has snubbed the Pittsburgh Penguins. Or at least that's how the Penguins fans will probably spin it.
It has been reported that Zach Parise, the much sought after free agent forward, has agreed to a 13 year, $98 million deal with the Minnesota Wild.
Just like in past years, the Penguins and their fans had high hopes of landing a top winger for Sidney Crosby. In this case, the high hopes were based on the friendship between Crosby and Parise.
Well, as I blogged about the other day, the NHL is a business, and about 99% of the time, professional athletes are going to sign for the top dollar. And that's exactly what Parise did.
If my math is correct, the deal will average a little over $7.5 million a season. With the Penguins just inking Crosby to a 12 year, $104.4 million deal, and with Evgeni Malkin up for free agency in a couple of years, there was just no way the Penguins were going to be able to land a top free agent unless he was willing to take a discount.
Speaking of almost impossibilities. There is just no way Penguins fans WILL NOT feel totally offended and betrayed by this deal.
Pens fans are naturally a defensive group, and with a recent history of free agent wingers choosing to sign with other teams, this will put them even more on the defensive.
In 2008, the Penguins acquired talented winger, and soon to be free agent, Marian Hossa at the trade deadline, and he was one of the key contributors to the team's Stanley Cup run. In fact, it was Hossa who came within a heartbeat of scoring the tying goal in Game six of the finals against Detroit at the old Mellon Arena.
In the ensuing free agency period, many Pens fans just naturally assumed that the few months that Hossa spent in Pittsburgh would be enough to make him totally loyal to the franchise. This famously wasn't true, of course. Hossa, instead, signed a one year deal with the same Detroit team that eliminated the Pens in the finals.
This REALLY didn't sit well with Penguins fans. You would have thought that Crosby left for another team, and not a guy who was only a hired gun.
And fans still haven't forgiven Hossa for this, even though they couldn't have gotten any sweeter revenge than they did a year later when the Penguins defeated Hossa and the Wings in a rematch of the Stanley Cup finals. In fact, just last year, I was at a local Pittsburgh mall, and I saw a piece of memorabilia that referred to Hossa as "Mary Ann Hossa."
Talk about holding a grudge.
Last summer, Jaromir Jagr, a talented winger famous for his spurning ways, spurned the Pens by, sort of, leading his former team into thinking that he would return to finish out his career here. Instead, he signed with the hated Philadelphia Flyers and, more than likely, permanently cemented his legacy as a Pittsburgh sports villain.
The perceived Parise snubbing might be especially hard for Pens fans to take after Crosby gave the team a hometown discount by not going for a raise during his recent contract extension. The belief was that Sid did this in-order to give the Penguins flexibility in the free agent market. Also, just two weeks ago, Pittsburgh traded third-line center Jordan Staal to the Carolina Hurricanes.
But wait, there's more!
In addition to Parise, the Wild also signed the other top free agent and Pens target, defenseman Ryan Suter, to the same 13 year, $98 million deal.
So not only didn't the Penguins get either of the top free agents, they lost another talented player in a trade.
It hasn't been the best offseason for the Penguins.
Much like a bride left at the altar one too many times, this latest perceived snubbing by a free agent forward could really send Pens fans over the edge. It doesn't matter that Parise had ties to Minnesota beings that he lived there as a kid, or that he had ties with the Devils because, you know, he was their captain and helped lead them to the Stanley Cup finals, the only thing the Pens fans will focus on is his friendship with Crosby. That tie should have been enough to sway him to come to Pittsburgh.
I'm sure the fans will express their displeasure with Parise by displaying signs at the Consol Energy Center in the upcoming season(s). I don't know exactly what these signs will have written on them, but here are a couple of ideas to get the ball rolling:
"Zach Pariah!"
"Hey, Sid, with friends like that, who needs enemies?"
Maybe the Penguins should just stay the heck away from free agent wingers.
It has been reported that Zach Parise, the much sought after free agent forward, has agreed to a 13 year, $98 million deal with the Minnesota Wild.
Just like in past years, the Penguins and their fans had high hopes of landing a top winger for Sidney Crosby. In this case, the high hopes were based on the friendship between Crosby and Parise.
Well, as I blogged about the other day, the NHL is a business, and about 99% of the time, professional athletes are going to sign for the top dollar. And that's exactly what Parise did.
If my math is correct, the deal will average a little over $7.5 million a season. With the Penguins just inking Crosby to a 12 year, $104.4 million deal, and with Evgeni Malkin up for free agency in a couple of years, there was just no way the Penguins were going to be able to land a top free agent unless he was willing to take a discount.
Speaking of almost impossibilities. There is just no way Penguins fans WILL NOT feel totally offended and betrayed by this deal.
Pens fans are naturally a defensive group, and with a recent history of free agent wingers choosing to sign with other teams, this will put them even more on the defensive.
In 2008, the Penguins acquired talented winger, and soon to be free agent, Marian Hossa at the trade deadline, and he was one of the key contributors to the team's Stanley Cup run. In fact, it was Hossa who came within a heartbeat of scoring the tying goal in Game six of the finals against Detroit at the old Mellon Arena.
In the ensuing free agency period, many Pens fans just naturally assumed that the few months that Hossa spent in Pittsburgh would be enough to make him totally loyal to the franchise. This famously wasn't true, of course. Hossa, instead, signed a one year deal with the same Detroit team that eliminated the Pens in the finals.
This REALLY didn't sit well with Penguins fans. You would have thought that Crosby left for another team, and not a guy who was only a hired gun.
And fans still haven't forgiven Hossa for this, even though they couldn't have gotten any sweeter revenge than they did a year later when the Penguins defeated Hossa and the Wings in a rematch of the Stanley Cup finals. In fact, just last year, I was at a local Pittsburgh mall, and I saw a piece of memorabilia that referred to Hossa as "Mary Ann Hossa."
Talk about holding a grudge.
Last summer, Jaromir Jagr, a talented winger famous for his spurning ways, spurned the Pens by, sort of, leading his former team into thinking that he would return to finish out his career here. Instead, he signed with the hated Philadelphia Flyers and, more than likely, permanently cemented his legacy as a Pittsburgh sports villain.
The perceived Parise snubbing might be especially hard for Pens fans to take after Crosby gave the team a hometown discount by not going for a raise during his recent contract extension. The belief was that Sid did this in-order to give the Penguins flexibility in the free agent market. Also, just two weeks ago, Pittsburgh traded third-line center Jordan Staal to the Carolina Hurricanes.
But wait, there's more!
In addition to Parise, the Wild also signed the other top free agent and Pens target, defenseman Ryan Suter, to the same 13 year, $98 million deal.
So not only didn't the Penguins get either of the top free agents, they lost another talented player in a trade.
It hasn't been the best offseason for the Penguins.
Much like a bride left at the altar one too many times, this latest perceived snubbing by a free agent forward could really send Pens fans over the edge. It doesn't matter that Parise had ties to Minnesota beings that he lived there as a kid, or that he had ties with the Devils because, you know, he was their captain and helped lead them to the Stanley Cup finals, the only thing the Pens fans will focus on is his friendship with Crosby. That tie should have been enough to sway him to come to Pittsburgh.
I'm sure the fans will express their displeasure with Parise by displaying signs at the Consol Energy Center in the upcoming season(s). I don't know exactly what these signs will have written on them, but here are a couple of ideas to get the ball rolling:
"Zach Pariah!"
"Hey, Sid, with friends like that, who needs enemies?"
Maybe the Penguins should just stay the heck away from free agent wingers.
Monday, July 2, 2012
Will Zach Parise Really Come Play with his Buddy, Sidney Crosby, or Will He go for the Top Dollar?
Free Agency began in the NHL at noon yesterday, and there is great speculation as to whether the Pittsburgh Penguins can land star winger, Zach Parise.
The Penguins appear to be one of the front-runners because of the friendship between Parise and Pens star, Sidney Crosby.
Many have said that Crosby purposely didn't go for the mega-raise he certainly would have received in his contract extension last week because he wanted to land a player the caliber of Parise.
Now, Penguins fans are getting their hopes up that Parise will come to Pittsburgh and finally be the winger that Crosby has desired his entire career.
If I was a Pens fan, however, I wouldn't be setting my hopes very high. It's a cliche, but the NHL is a business, and Parise may be buddies with Sid the Kid, but, if he really does come to Pittsburgh, I doubt the friendship will have much to do with it. Parise will come to Pittsburgh and play for the Penguins if he feels that it's the right fit for him.
And not to sound like a cynic, but with most athletes, best fit=most lucrative contract.
A year ago at this time, Pens fans everywhere were ready to bury the hatchet with old friend Jaromir Jagr when it looked like the veteran winger could return to Pittsburgh after 10 seasons. Jagr had his best years in Pittsburgh. He won two Stanley Cup titles early in his career with the Penguins, and then he became the face of the team and won several scoring titles after Mario Lemieux's first retirement following the '96/'97 season.
It seemed all too perfect. And it was.
Instead of signing with the Pens, Jagr signed with the hated Philadelphia Flyers, and the fans felt betrayed, once again, by the controversial star, because they believed that he led Mario into thinking he was all but back.
Maybe Jagr did lead people on, but maybe the fans were just expecting and assuming too much based on a past relationship. At the end of the day, what Jagr did was sign with the team that offered him the most money.
We have to remember, Parise owes the Penguins nothing. This is just a hunch, but my money is on him signing with the team that offers him the most money.
It is a business for the players, too.
The Penguins appear to be one of the front-runners because of the friendship between Parise and Pens star, Sidney Crosby.
Many have said that Crosby purposely didn't go for the mega-raise he certainly would have received in his contract extension last week because he wanted to land a player the caliber of Parise.
Now, Penguins fans are getting their hopes up that Parise will come to Pittsburgh and finally be the winger that Crosby has desired his entire career.
If I was a Pens fan, however, I wouldn't be setting my hopes very high. It's a cliche, but the NHL is a business, and Parise may be buddies with Sid the Kid, but, if he really does come to Pittsburgh, I doubt the friendship will have much to do with it. Parise will come to Pittsburgh and play for the Penguins if he feels that it's the right fit for him.
And not to sound like a cynic, but with most athletes, best fit=most lucrative contract.
A year ago at this time, Pens fans everywhere were ready to bury the hatchet with old friend Jaromir Jagr when it looked like the veteran winger could return to Pittsburgh after 10 seasons. Jagr had his best years in Pittsburgh. He won two Stanley Cup titles early in his career with the Penguins, and then he became the face of the team and won several scoring titles after Mario Lemieux's first retirement following the '96/'97 season.
It seemed all too perfect. And it was.
Instead of signing with the Pens, Jagr signed with the hated Philadelphia Flyers, and the fans felt betrayed, once again, by the controversial star, because they believed that he led Mario into thinking he was all but back.
Maybe Jagr did lead people on, but maybe the fans were just expecting and assuming too much based on a past relationship. At the end of the day, what Jagr did was sign with the team that offered him the most money.
We have to remember, Parise owes the Penguins nothing. This is just a hunch, but my money is on him signing with the team that offers him the most money.
It is a business for the players, too.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)