Are The Pittsburgh Pirates Allergic To Winning?

After today’s loss to the New York Mets, there is absolutely no margin for error if the Pittsburgh Pirates hope to end their 19-year losing streak. If the Pirates truly want to crush their fans hearts in style, they should win four games then lose the last two and finish just below the mark. That seems to be how they do things around here.

Look at the fact they got to 16 games over .500 and most experts, including myself, thought there was no way in hell even the Pirates could blow such a lead. Boy was I wrong. Hey if you’re going to suck, you might as well do it in style.

Do you think I’m being too negative? What about the message being sent by the organization this week? I think the fans and the players, and the rest of major League Baseball have gotten that message loud and clear. Winning is an allergy around here.

Before you say I’m crazy in suggesting this team is allergic to winning, take a look back at 2010. Matt Walbeck was the manager of the Altoona Curve, the Pirates AA affiliate, and led the team to the Eastern League Title. He was fired shortly thereafter when Assistant GM Kyle Stark made some BS comment about how Walbeck didn’t fit in with the organization.

That’s right; a manager had success in the organization and was promptly canned. Here we are two years later and after back to back collapses, no one is getting fired?

Say whaaaaaaaat?

I’m trying to wrap my brain around that, I really am. Of course it probably comes down to money. In spite of the constant reminders this organization would spend money when the time was right, we got to this year’s trade deadline, and the team went cheap. They made trades for reclamation projects with years of control rather than one or two impact bats that may have helped jumpstart a second half offense that, at its most generous description, is anemic.

It’s entirely possible Bob Nutting doesn’t want to spend the money to pay off one GM contract and hire another guy. That could possibly lead to replacing and paying for two managers as well.

Hindsight might tell us maybe Huntington felt this team wasn’t really good enough, but that’s just a copout excuse. The message was sent to players like Andrew McCutchen that this team will not do everything possible to win. Same as it ever was, same as it ever was.

What free agent with any modicum of talent would consider coming here? We saw all of these players at the deadline reject the notion of playing here. I thought perhaps the fun start to this season would change that perception. The players were having fun flashing Zoltan signs. The Fans were rallying around this team. Once again their hopes were dashed.

It’s pretty sad when the fans are willing to go all-in and management isn’t. The city of Pittsburgh deserves better than an ownership group willing to accept this culture.

Andrew McCutchen will be staying on the Pirate ship for a long time.

Superstar center fielder Andrew McCutchen will be remaining on the Pirate ship for the foreseeable future. 

The Pirates' best player, and one of the best players in all of Major League Baseball signed a six-year, $51 million dollar deal late last night to keep him in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization.

You have to give Neal Huntington a lot of credit for locking up a player like this for a long time.  From the sounds of it, the deal could be a steal along the lines of the Jose Tabata deal if McCutchen continues to show growth on the field.

Here's hoping we see more leaps and
walkoff homeruns from Andrew McCutchen

McCutchen is a symbol of the new attitude surrounding the Pittsburgh Pirates and is a great player to have as the "face of the franchise."  He's definitely a lot of fun to watch play the game and a crucial part of the Pirates future.

This news has to be a shock to the blind haters of the Nutting regime who feel that the team will never spend money to be competitive. 

I think this move, plus the move last year to lock up Tabata, plus moves to bring in A.J. Burnett and Erik Bedard show this team is headed in the right direction. 

The team and its fan base needed some good news after the freak bunting accident broke the orbital bone in A.J. Burnett's face.  The injury will force the pitcher to miss 8-12 weeks.

Major kudos Neal Huntington!

Another step in the right direction for the Pirates

After several days of reports and speculation of a deal, the Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Yankees finally agreed on a trade that will send starting pitcher A.J. Burnett to Pittsburgh in exchange for relief pitcher Diego Moreno and outfielder Exicardo Cayones.  The Yankees also agreed to pay all but $13 million dollars of Burnett's $31.1 million dollar salary remaining over the next two seasons.

The only thing keeping this from being a completed deal is that the deal needs commissioner approval because of the money involved.  I will say this.  If Bud Selig vetoes this deal and screws the Pirates over, we'll know for sure that he hates small market baseball. 

This is a great deal for the Pirates.  I know Burnett has had his struggles the last few years but a lot of scouts agree he still has top tier pitching talent and think a move out of the A.L. East division and especially out of New York might boost his stats greatly.  Burnett wouldn't be the first pitcher hurt by the bright lights of New York. 

I know there are haters and doubters out there who will always question what the Pirates are doing, but this is the kind of deal they need to make to get better.  Burnett has the potential to be the top of the rotation ace this team has been missing for a long time.  Pair him up with free agent signing Erik Bedard, and you can have a strong 1-2 punch on this Pirate staff. 

This should help take off a lot of pressure on the younger arms who are showing good signs of development.  Charlie Morton and James McDonald and even Jeff Karstens shouldn't feel as much pressure to carry the the team anymore.  That will go a long way in carrying this team towards the Gerrit Cole and Jameson Taillon era. 

I don't think anyone can deny that Burnett and Bedard provide a big time upgrade over Paul Maholm and Ross Ohlendorf.  The only question will be Bedard's ability to stay healthy.  Neither of these moves cost the Pirates much outside of salary, so the risk is minimal.

Imagine if the Pirates had also been able to secure Edwin Jackson?   

There's still a lot of question marks surrounding the Pirates but the division has gotten a lot easier with the defections of Prince Fielder, Albert Pujols, and the 50-game suspension of Ryan Braun.  This could be the year the Pirates break their streak of losing seasons.  Lord knows the Pirates fans can't wait for that day.

Pirates Welcome Nate McLouth Back To Pittsburgh

A few years ago, the Pittsburgh Pirates traded then All-Star/Gold Glove outfielder Nate McLouth to the Atlanta Braves for Charlie Morton and Gorkys Hernandez.

Today, the Pirates officially resigned McLouth to potentially be their fourth outfielder.  So in hindsight, the Pirates got a solid pitcher with a lot of upside and a solid depth outfielder and end up with the original outfielder back.  That's kind of funny don't you think?

At the time, many fans out there blasted the Pirates for trading away such an important piece of the future.  Never mind the fact that 2008 was a career year for an otherwise decent but unspectacular player.  He has 81 homeruns and 270 career RBI in a 7 year career, and a third of both of those stats came in 2008 when he hit 26 HR's and drove in 94 runs for the Pirates. 

McLouth's playing time has been severely curtailed by various injuries during his stay in Atlanta, so maybe a return to Pittsburgh will be just what is needed to keep him healthy.

He won't be displacing regular superstar outfielder Andrew McCutchen, and I doubt he'll steal a ton of playing time from Jose Tabata in right field, so most of McLouth's time will be earned by spot starts and splitting some time with Alex Pressley.

Much like the Erik Bedard signing earlier in the day, this is a lower risk signing for the Pirates.  You're getting a guy who has done some good things at the MLB level.  Given the current outfield situation, there's no pressure on him to perform at a superstar level.

Yes the injuries have been a concern, but I'd like to think you'll get some pop out of him unlike Matt "Can't hit a single homerun for us" Diaz.

These are exactly the types of signings the Pirates need to make right now.  You aren't going to get top tier free agents to come here, but you CAN get players who are looking to rebound and need a place to prove they still have what it takes. 

Hats off to Neal Huntington for getting these deals done.

Pittsburgh Pirates Sign Erik Bedard, Who Starts The Other 75% Of The Year?

The Pirates have come to terms with free agent starting pitcher Erik Bedard on a one year deal.  The deal is worth $4.5 million.  It's a low-risk high upside type deal for the Pirates and I do commend them for it.

If Bedard is healthy, he can be a top of the rotation type of guy for a Bucco rotation that is lacking top end talent.  The problem for Bedard is he rarely makes it through a season unscathed.  You have to go back to 2006 to find the last time Bedard went through a season without an injury.

He's been a full time starting pitcher since 2004.  He averages 18.5 starts per season,  Justin Verlander of the Detroit Tigers made 34 regular season starts last year, so that should give you a good feel for how many games Bedard has missed.

For his career he has appeared in 168 games and started 165 of them.  His career W-L record is 56-50 and he's put up 926 strikeouts in about 950 innings of work.  He has a strong 3.70 ERA and 1.32 WHIP in his exclusively AL career, and those numbers could get better in the National League.

I've always though Bedard was an intriguing possibility for Pittsburgh mostly because he's a risky signing who could pay off big time.  I usually spend a late round pick on him in my fantasy baseball drafts, and the time he is healthy he puts up great numbers.  I just draft extra depth for those times when he goes on the disabled list.

His years with Baltimore in 2006 and 2007 are what standout the most to me.  He went 15-11 for a crappy Baltimore team and had 171 strikeouts, while putting up an ERA/WHIP combo of 3.76/1.35.  He got even better in 2007 when we went 13-5 with a 3.16/1.09 and an eye popping 221 strikeouts.  That's the type of numbers that draw you serious consideration for the Cy Young award.

There's never been a question about his talent, just his durability.  Even in the face of this problem, I'm glad to see the Pirates take this risk.  It's exactly the type of signing they need to make. 

New CBA to curtail Pirates ability to spend in the draft

The future of the Pittsburgh Pirates may have taken a huge hit with the announcement of the new CBA for Major League Baseball.

It's no secret that a small market team like the Pirates will always struggle to attract top free agents to play here when teams like the New York Yankees can spend endless amounts of money and only pay a small percentage in "luxury tax" payments. 

The one area the Pirates COULD compete was by drafting players and paying higher amounts of money (over slot) for them.  A bit more risky, but drafting and signing a player was the only surefire way the Pirates could get talent. 

Now that will take a hit.

MLB announced today that part of the CBA includes harsh penalties for teams that go overslot to pay players in the draft.  The penalties also include losing top tier draft picks as well. 

So let me get this straight?  Certain teams can spend anything they want on existing MLB players, but the small market teams can't spend anything they want on unproven talent?

Anything to keep the Yankees/Red Sox machines humming I guess.

I'm sorry baseball fans, I can't actually
hear your pleas for competitive balance!

Some people are praising the fact there is no work stoppage this time around for the MLB, but sometimes a stoppage gets results.  The NHL came back from their work stoppage with legitimate fixes to a broken system, and the result is true competitive balance, plus a salary cap AND salary floor.

MLB needs the same. 

I find it completely laughable that Pittsburgh finally starts to spend money through the draft and the rules are changed to make it harder on them.  

I'm sure Bud Selig loves being able to point to a random small market team that has one big year out of nowhere and claim parity, but the truth is the same big market teams are usually claiming the playoff spots.  Hardly ever a year goes by where Boston or New York aren't in the running.  Philadelphia, Los Angeles, notice a pattern? 

Don't get me wrong, the small market teams need to be smarter with how they spend the money and in fact, some need to SPEND to begin with.  This includes the Pirates.  But then again that's the premise of the whole article.  The Pirates finally started spending and MLB implements this to prevent them from spending too much.

What a joke...

World Series Jealousy

As I watched the final innings of Game 6 last night, I couldn't help but feel a lot of jealousy towards the St. Louis Cardinals and Texas Rangers.  I wish it was the Pittsburgh Pirates finally competing in exciting baseball games like we saw last night.

Hometown hero David Freese hit a walkoff homerun to give the Cardinals a thrilling come from behind victory over the Rangers to force a deciding Game 7.

Imagine if local kid Neil Walker was able to propel the Battlin' Buccos in the same fashion.  Pittsburgh proved earlier in the year that they would fill up PNC Park if the baseball product was good.  Imagine the drama of October baseball added on top!

Alas, it's been 19 years since a baseball game had anywhere close to the implications of last night, and it left me feeling jealous of the other teams in the league who get to experience that kind of feeling.

Sure we have the Steelers and Penguins competing for titles, but baseball was always my very first love, and I'd love to see the Pirates win a title in my adult lifetime.  The last one was when I was a year old. 

Sometimes it's okay to be jealous.  

The Pittsburgh Pirates have a new home

The Pittsburgh Pirates have a new home, and no, nothing has happened to PNC Park.

The Pirates announced today that the new flagship of their Radio network will be KDKA-FM a.k.a 93.7 The Fan.

After spending several years with Clear Channel's News Talk 104.7, it is only fitting that the Pirates are back at KDKA.  This time around it will be on a stronger FM signal compared to 1020 AM.

I like the move from the Pirates standpoint.  I don't think 104.7 was a natural fit considering the rest of their day is spent ranting about political topics.   93.7 The Fan is much better suited to this task considering their tagline is "All Sports, All The Time."

I may not be the biggest "Fan" of some of the sports talk hosts on the station but this should at least ensure the team is getting plenty of discussion.  Of course I thought the same thing when they became the official station of the Pittsburgh Power, and yet the hosts never want to talk about the arena team.  Many would go out of their way to mock the Power.

In all fairness, I do think the station does a good job as the official station of Pitt Sports.  A mixed bag you could say in terms of their overall coverage.

Given his background in baseball coverage, particularly serving as host of several Seattle Mariners shows, I would expect Vinnie Richichi to be given a prominent role in covering the Pirates.  I'm not a fan of Richichi at all, but it is what it is.

In the end this is what is best for the Pirates so kudos to them for making the right move.

Pirates Show Improvement, But it Sure Doesn't Feel Like It.

If you simply compared the win-loss records between the 2010 and 2011 versions of the Pittsburgh Pirates, you would see a noticeable improvement in wins.

For the first half of the 2011 season, the Pirates came out of nowhere and plundered and pillaged the attention of many die hard sports fans in the Steel City.  People who hadn't cared about baseball for over 20 years began finding their way to PNC Park.

I've always been a baseball fan.  In fact it was my first love as a kid.  My grandfather would put the games on the radio and we'd listen to them together.  I never imagined in a million years that watching Sid Bream slide across home plate would be the last time I would see my Pittsburgh Pirates compete in a playoff game.

All the memories and feelings of my childhood/early teenage years came flooding back this year when the Pirates were still in contention at the All-Star Break.  While I was still unsure of how competitive they were going to stay down the stretch, I at least began to truly believe the streak of losing seasons could end.

Then came the night of infamy known on Twitter as #JerryMealsSaysItsSafe. 

I stayed up late watching an epic baseball game take place once again between the Pirates and the Atlanta Braves.  19 innings of riveting baseball wiped clean by one of, if not THE worst, baseball calls in MLB history.

It was a sucker punch to gut just like Sid Bream's slide decades ago.  At the time it was just a loss, but you couldn't help but feel a sense of dread that this would turn out to be much more than one loss.  The Pirates plummeted to a 19-43 record after that call. 

I'm not naive enough to think a correction in wins and losses wasn't coming, because just about everyone knew the pitching staff was way above their heads early on this year.   The offense never did come around, and what we are left to deal with was an epic freefall from a first place team.

Fourth place would have been just fine for most Pirates fans before the season, but the tease of competitive baseball and the second half regression left me frustrated yet again.  This time it seems worse to me because they stuck around long enough to actually make you believe this was the year the streak ended. 

It was stunning to see so many sellouts at the ball field, so many people chatting on Twitter and Facebook about the Pirates.  It may have been unfortunate timing for the Pittsburgh Power, who often had key games up against a key Pirates series.

Pirates fans have now proven they will support a winner, so it is up to Bob Nutting and Frank Coonelly to make that happen.  There's no more excuses this time.  Anything less than a strong effort to improve the major league product simply will not do.

I will look ahead to 2012 with some optimism, and as always, I will believe with eternal optimism that the Pirates will once again find their way above mediocrity in a season.  I will dare to dream that someday the black and gold buccaneers will sail into the playoffs and chase after a World Series crown.

But for now, I'll simply retain the usual empty feeling this team leaves in my heart for another winter.   It's a good thing the Steelers and Penguins provide plenty of firewood to keep us warm.

Summing Up The Pirates' Homestand

This should sum up the level of play we saw from our Pittsburgh Pirates as they wrapped up an 0-7 homestand against the Chicago Cubs and San Diego Padres.  In the 124 year history of this team they've never had this bad of a homestand. 

To steal from the NHL commercials, "History Will Be Made."  Not exactly the history we want to see though.

Derrek Lee is bashing the Pirates on Twitter.  Here's some of his tweets this week.  "The #Pirates are going down faster than Carlos Zambrano's wife. Abandon ship! #letsgobucs #DLee #cubs", and "I'm covered in KFC grease and shame. Should have gotten a live chicken. This f'ing sucks. #pirates #DLee #cubs"

That should teach me to get my hopes up again.  I'll just wait for the Penguins, Steelers, and Power to bring respectability back to the city of Pittsburgh.

I think it is entirely possible Neal Huntington just waited too long to pull the trigger on a deal to improve the club.  I also think he underestimated how taking players who hustle like Josh harrison and Chase d'Arnaud out of the lineup would impact the team. 

Instead we got Pedro Alvarez and Steve Pearce called up and flailing away at pitches.  The pitching staff has imploded, and to be honest, there's no real end in sight to this 10 game losing streak.

The dream is officially dead. This team has given up and I seriously doubt they can even rebound to finish .500 on the season.

I bought the hype, I honestly believed this was going to be a magical season and, at the very WORST, the streak of losing seasons was going to be over.

I almost wish they had just stunk from the beginning like they were supposed to.  Then at least the Pirates could have entertained the thought of trading off some players to continue adding to the core.  It would have been best for the long term future of this team.

Don't even try to convince me this team still has a chance to win the NL Central, because that just isn't happening.

Oh well, time to turn my attention to football.

Worst Loss Of The Year For The Pirates?

93.7 The Fan's Chris Mueller (@937LateShift) just tweeted "Worst loss of the year for the Pirates? I'm willing to say it. #twitteronthe40s".

I am inclined to agree with him.  Here is why.

This team has been in a funk overall since Jerry Meals botched the call to end that 19 inning affair in Atlanta.  What is it with awful losses in Atlanta putting this team into losing streaks anyways?  Back in 1992 it was the Sid Bream game, and now in 2011, history repeats itself.

Tonight was yet another chance to get back to winning baseball against a Cubs team with nothing left to play for.  You had seven freaking shutout innings from Charlie Morton who has been awful for the past few starts.  Surely this was the night to end it all.  I mean, the offense has been producing a bit more, surely they could eke out a few runs right?

WRONG!

Instead, the Pirates start off their half of the 9th inning with Derrek Lee getting hit by a pitch.  Waste an out to move him over and then Pedro Alvarez and pinch hitter Ryan Doumit both strike out to end the game. 

This loss also puts the Pirates under .500 again, and while I am trying to remain positive, you really do have to wonder if they have lost their mental edge because of that blown call.  That's inexcusable mind you, but partially understandable with such a young team.

Hopefully Clint Hurdle gets the men gathered up and lights a fire under their ass.  It's probably too late at this point, but one never knows.  Hurdle took a Rockies team in virtually the same position and rattled off 21 wins out of 22 games and took his team to the World Series.  Stranger things have happened.

The Beginning Of The End?

You had to wonder how long the Pirates could continue to play at the level they were going heading into the All-Star break.

This last week's stretch against St. Louis, Atlanta, and Philly really showed how bad the offense was, even though the pitching looked very respectable for the most part.  The bottom line though is contending for a division title and this current four game losing streak, combined with a seven game winning streak for Milwaukee, is putting a lot of distance in between the two clubs.

Derrek Lee tweeted before the game that he would go 4 for 4, and hit two HR's off Carlos Zambrano.  He was half right on his batting stats, but he did indeed hit two bombs to give the Pirates some offense.  Unfortunately the rest of the team was not on board with the plan to pummel Zambrano.

I'm just as hopeful as the next Pirate fan that they can get things turned around, but you can't be losing to the Cubs if you want to contend for the division.  Milwaukee just smoked these guys, and it is clear the Pirates need a spark.  Lee and Ludwick generated some offense tonight, which is why they were brought in, but the pitching was not enough.

Let's just hope the Buccos get back on track tomorrow, because they need to piece together a nice winning streak soon.

Ryan Ludwick is headed to Pittsburgh

Neal Huntington pulled off a last minute deal with the San Diego Padres, acquiring outfielder Ryan Ludwick for a player to be named later.

Provided the player is not a high level prospect, I think the Pirates did a solid job of acquiring an experienced bat who should help provide an upgrade over some of the options we've seen in right field so far this season.

Ludwick is a career .262 hitter whose best year as a pro was in 2008 when he hit 37 homeruns and drove in 113 RBI.   He's spent the 2011 season playing many of his games in a pitcher's park, Petco Park, so it will be interesting to see if he gets back closer to his 2008 form.

Even if he's only solid, he still upgrades over Garrett Jones and Matt Diaz in right field.

This move and Derrek Lee's acquisition may not be the marquee moves that Pirates fans were hoping for, but I think Neal Huntington did a solid job of not overpaying for rental players and mortgaging the future.   In the end, all these moves cost you were Aaron Baker and a PTBNL, hardly a steep price at all.

Derrek Lee to the Buccos (UPDATE)

Rumors are picking up that the Pirates and Orioles are very close to finalizing a deal to send 1B Derrek Lee to Pittsburgh.  They especially got heated immediately following the announcement that Baltimore had acquired 1B Chris Davis from the Texas Rangers.

Lee is a career .281 hitter with 324 Homeruns and also provides solid defense at the position as well, bringing three Gold Glove Awards with him.

The deal would send a batter from one of the Pirates' Class A teams to Baltimore if the reports are accurate.  I am on the record as saying even a league average bat would upgrade first base.  Lee may not be as strong offensively as he used to be, but the key here is that the Pirates aren't giving up the farm for him.

I like the trade as it fits what the Pirates need to a tee.  Upgrading a position, keeping top prospects, and still making a push for the playoffs.  I'd also like to see them acquire a right fielder like Jeff Francoeur or Jason Kubel before the end of the deadline, but this is a step in the right direction.

Get it done Neal!

UPDATE:  Deal is done pending physicals.  Pirates would send Minor league 1B Aaron Baker over in the deal.

The Deadline Looms....

As the MLB non-waiver trade deadline approaches, many Pirates fans sit and wait in anticipation of whether our Buccos will actually make a move.

The two biggest outfield targets both found new homes.  Carlos Beltran went to the San Francisco Giants and Hunter Pence found his way to the team we face this weekend, the Philadelphia Phillies. 

Both deals came at a huge price in terms of prospects, and I can understand why Neal Huntington didn't pull the trigger on the deals as they would have taken a huge chunk out of our farm system.  It'll be interesting to see if any bargains pop up in the next day or so.

It wouldn't even take a huge deal to upgrade 1B and RF.  Even if you simply acquire "league average" players, you'd be improving the club.  Anyone watching last night's 10-3 loss can see how bad Garrett Jones plays right field, and Kevin Correia has more RBI's than Lyle Overbay over the past week or so. 

Pathetic....

I also wouldn't mind seeing a trade for some starting pitching to help take the strain off our rotation.  Charlie Morton is showing signs of tailing off, and Kevin Correia might have 12 wins, but he too is coming back down to earth.

As I have stated before, it's just fun to be involved in the buyers discussion for the first time in 18 years.  I could get used to this if it somehow became a regular discussion.

Atlanta Series - What Could Have Been?

Congratulations to the Pittsburgh Pirates for earning a tough split from the Braves in Atlanta.  It easily could have been a sweep by the Pirates.  I won't rehash the Jerry Meals blown call, but I will focus on the Pirates offensive struggles.

This was supposed to be the week where we found out a lot if the Pirates were truly contenders.  I think the pitching has proven they are playoff caliber, especially the bullpen.  The team has also proven the offense is anything but.

It's a shame this team hasn't addressed the offense yet, continuing to trot Lyle Overbay out there at first base.  He was 2 for 16 in this series, with 3 walks and zero RBI.  Zero....point.....zero.  When your pitcher Kevin Correia has more RBI in a series than your starting first baseman does, that's a problem.

Not only that but he didn't even try leaving the bag to grab that errant throw by Ronny Cedeno in tonight's game.  If not for a solid double play on the next at bat, that could have been a big inning for the Braves and we might be talking about a loss instead. 

I know there are people out there calling the Pirates a fluke, and perhaps they may be right, The fact remains though that the Pirates are winning games with solid defense, strong pitching, and less than timely hitting.  They need offensive help right now, even if it's more contact guys that can keep getting on base.

I wouldn't mind seeing them make a few moves.  First would be to finally admit the Overbay experiment is a failure and dump him.  He's not hitting and his defense is not at the level it should be either.  Try prying away a guy like Paul Konerko from the White Sox.  He's an older veteran who could boost the experience level in the clubhouse as well as add some much needed pop in the lineup. 

Consider bringing up some internal options.  Xavier Paul looked lost on defense at times tonight.  Maybe it's time to bring Gorkys Hernandez or John Bowker and see what they can do.  Let the calls for Matt Hague continue.  He couldn't be any worse than Overbay at this point.

I am well aware the trade market is rather thin, and I don't want the Pirates to grossly overpay, but there are some solid options that could be made to improve this team, and the fans deserve to see something after being extremely patient with the Pirates for 18 years of awful baseball.

The Bucs let at least one or two games slip away in Atlanta because of their offense.  Stop the bleeding and make something happen.

MLB Needs Instant Replay: Stop Being Dinosaurs And Get It Done!

Last night's epic 19-inning showdown between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Atlanta Braves ended in disgraceful fashion, when home-plate umpire Jerry Meals missed an obvious tag and ruled Julio Lugo safe. The only person still trying to claim Lugo was safe is Lugo himself.

I don't understand why baseball purists continue to insist that instant replay is bad for the game.  It's only bad for the egos of the refs, who would now be powerless to "control" things the way they see fit.

Look at how close the NL Central race is right now.  It literally could come down to a single game in the standings. Imagine how unjust it would be if the Pirates missed the playoffs by this one game that was stolen from them.

It would have taken about 20 seconds last night for a replay crew to rule that Lugo was out, and the game could continue.  Unfortunately, under the archaic system we have in place now, there is no chance of that. The Pirates are left wondering what could have been.

Add an extra official to each game, and allow a few seconds on all close plays to ensure the call is correct.  Treat it like the NHL does on questionable goals.

For those who complain that the game takes too long as it is, then tell batters to stay in the batters box and tell pitchers they can only throw to first on a pick-off attempt twice per batter.
Limit the amount of mound visits from the catcher and pitching coach.  There are plenty of ways to speed up the game.

There may be 162 games in a baseball season, but that doesn't diminish the importance of a single game, nor does that mean it's okay for a team to get a win they didn't truly earn.

Both teams combined for almost 13-straight innings of scoreless baseball. There were spectacular defensive plays, well-hit balls and crafty pitching.  You had a few relievers go over five innings trying to win it for their teams.  In the end, none of it mattered, because the home-plate umpire decided it was time to end the game.

How can any league call themselves legit when they allow a team to play a game for over six hours and get screwed over like that?

Remove all doubt, get with the times and get instant replay!

When will the injury bug stop hitting the Pirates?

It's hard to believe the Pittsburgh Pirates are finally in contention after 18 years of losing baseball.  Not only are they above .500 but they are also leading the NL Central at the time of this posting. 

What makes this story even more incredible is the fact the Pirates are doing it in spite of a rash of injuries to key contributors.  2010 All-Star Evan meek has missed quite a bit of time this year and has recently moved to the 60 Day DL. 

Pedro Alvarez, who blasted 16 HR's in the latter half of the year in 2010 is finally ready to make a return to Pittsburgh. 

Both the top two catchers on the roster from spring training, Chris Snyder and Ryan Doumit, have been hurt, and even normal third stringer Jason Jaramillo has also been hurt. 

Ronny Cedeno may not be an upper tier offensive talent, but the loss of him defensively put a lot of pressure on the rookies to produce, and we've seen some good web gems out of Chase d'Arnaud and Brandon Wood.

Jose Tabata continues to be plagued by his quad injury and there is no set timetable for his return.

Even Steve Pearce, the local Pirate legend, has been hurt this year, stunting an otherwise obvious march to Cooperstown.

How long can the Pirates continue to work magic in the win column with this much talent coming in and out of the lineup.  There's been a lot of debate about whether to buy or sell at the deadline, and I'm not sure there's a right or wrong answer at this point. 

Over the weekend my heart as a Pirate fan tells me to go for it as they may never be at this point again.  At the same time, my brain is telling me the Pirates pitching staff is due for a serious regression in the second half, and there's no way the offense, even with one or two additions, can compete for a division title if that happens.

Neil Huntington does deserve some credit for the talent he's brought in off waivers this year.  Xavier Paul made a huge play to steal the last game of the Cardinals series tonight, and Brandon Wood can at least contribute at several positions.

I actually think the Pirates are better off staying away from rental players.  Given the run of injuries this year, those players might likely get hurt for the playoff stretch and then the Pirates would truly have nothing left to show for it. 

Try going after veteran players that have a bit left in the tank and are having career years.  Try targeting players blocked in the minor leagues, someone like Chris Davis would be a strong choice, even if he did just get called up to Texas.

You have to make some moves if you are in contention, and Jason Grilli is not enough of a move in my opinion. 

One week to get it done.  A lot of Pirates fans new and old are counting on you Neil.

Let The Debate Begin

The MLB Trading Deadline is fast approaching, and for the first time in about 18 years, the Pittsburgh Pirates are potential buyers instead of sellers.  The debate on TribLive Radio, 93.7 The Fan, and 970 ESPN is centered around whether the Pirates should give up top prospects like Starling Marte, Brad Lincoln, Tony Sanchez or even Jose Tabata to go after guys like Carlos Beltran, Carlos Pena, Hunter Pence or any other host of available players.

Pittsburgh is still rebuilding the team after the 18 year losing streak, so they have to be careful not to mortgage too much of the future trying to chase glory this year.  The team's offense has not been very impressive, but they've also been without slugging third baseman Pedro Alvarez for much of the year.  If he gets completely healthy and produces anywhere near the level he did last September, he could be enough of an addition to this anemic offense.

Pence of the Astros is a two time All-Star who is not only a strong addition offensively, but one of the best defensive outfielders in the game.   I'd rather see them go after a guy who they would still have some control over after the season instead of Beltran who would walk after the season.  Beltran also has some history of being injured, the last thing you can afford to have happen if you trade away key prospects.

Some people question why the Bucs would be going after relief pitching, but you can never have a strong enough bullpen.  Acquiring some more veterans for the pen could be invaluable down the stretch.  Someone like Heath Bell could also have a lot of value if, god forbid, something happened to Joel Hanrahan.

In addition to the names discussed above, you might also be able to go after AAA players who are stuck behind major league talent.  Someone like say Chris Davis, who could man 1st base and perhaps provide a huge boost in power.  He's a risk though as he has struggled in the majors, but perhaps a change of scenery might be just what the doctor ordered.  I'm not as high on this scenario, but given the Pirates budget concerns long term, this might be a better option for trying to add talent without giving up too much.

Some people suggest the Pirates should just stay still and rely on the chemistry that's gotten them to the top of the NL Central Division.  Maybe that is the best option after all, but you'd also be banking on the fact that teams like Milwaukee and St. Louis will continue to play below their talent level.  I'm not convinced that will continue.

No matter what though, this has already been a season of joy for the Pirates and their fans.  Pirate Fever is spreading like wildfire through an old baseball town that has been starving for a contender for almost two decades. 

Enjoy the ride Pirates fans!  I know I will.

About time we have something to cheer for!

It's been 14 years since meaningful baseball was being played this late in the season by the Pittsburgh Pirates.   In fact it took 10 years to set the attendance record the Pirates drew this past weekend against the Boston Red Sox.

I've been a Pirate fan my entire life, and yet for more than half of it, it's been a losing cause.  I was a year out of high school when they last had a chance at the playoffs in 1997, and even that was a losing season. 

It's a shame that a game I loved so much has fallen a bit by the wayside in terms of my priorities.  I haven't given up hope that the Buccos will return to glory someday, but almost two decades of losing is very hard for even the most diehard to stomach.

That's what makes this season so fun for us Pirates fans, even if they are still barely above the mythical .500 mark.  It's a dramatic change of pace to listen to the local sports talk shows and not hear the usual Pirates dread stories and the typical focus on the future stars instead of the current ones.

I think what makes this even more special is the fact the Pirates are doing this without Pedro Alvarez, who has spent the season either slumping or on the DL.  Clint Hurdle has to be commended for bringing a belief to this team that they can win.  After several years of John Russell sitting like a statue on the bench, Hurdle's fire and passion are a welcome change and he should get some serious consideration for Manager of the Year if the Pirates do manage to finish above .500 this year.

Now comes the tricky part.  Playing the role of buyer at the trade deadline.  It's clear the team needs offensive help but who is out there and, most importantly, what will it take to get them.

I hope Neal Huntington doesn't trade away guys like Paul Maholm and Joel Hanrahan at the deadline unless it brings players the team can build around immediately for the rest of the year.  The team needs a catcher, a shortstop, a first baseman, and a right fielder.  Even getting just one or two could make the world of difference to a pitching staff that has been doing an amazing job so far.

The bottom line though is that for the first time in my adult life, we have meaningful baseball to cheer for and I hope this continues the rest of the summer.  It also proves that if you put a winning team on the field, they WILL come out to support the team at PNC Park.