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By Dejan Kovacevic | 12:30 a.m. Monday
SAN FRANCISCO -- On the occasion of the 16th consecutive losing season, we offer an unscheduled Q&A ...
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Q: Does anyone have any idea how long it takes to rebuild? One year, three years, five years or never! This seems to be the theme of the Pirate management each year after the all star game! Anytime a player shows any sign of progress - Bam! -- he's gone.
Judy Barry of Hermitage, Pa.
KOVACEVIC: Lots of emotions ...
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Q: Dejan, my first memories of the Pirates began in1979, watching the World Series with my grandfather. I love the game I played as a child. Mismanagement of this once-proud franchise hurts beyond reason.
I've since come to discover that sports in general are for entertainment purposes only. There's no need for me to tolerate this saddened state any longer. We as fans should not have to focus so deeply on one draft pick as we have lately with Pedro Alvarez. If we had a team that was at least mediocre, we could look to a few bright spots within the organization, whether drafting or player development. This is obviously not the case. My jerseys are now retired. (What would I do with my Jason Bay and Jack Wilson jerseys besides make a donation to those in need?)
If the Pirates become a successful franchise once again, I may follow their success. No one had better make a bandwagon reference when that happens, as those few Pirates fans who remain share and understand this suffering.
I will miss your coverage and blog.
Eugene DeCarpio of Baldwin Township
KOVACEVIC: And I will look forward to having your input again someday, Eugene.
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Q: Dejan, to add to your article, the Pirates' losing streak is the same age as the Florida Marlins. The Pirates have not had a winning season during the entire existence of the Marlins. Unbelievable! Meanwhile, the Marlins have won two World Series and have successfully rebuilt multiple times. As for the other expansion teams since 1993, Colorado and Arizona have each been to a World Series, and the Rays have broken through this year.
I know this is piling on, but it's still worth pointing out.
Brian Zahand of Bentonville, Ark.
KOVACEVIC: Yep.
Maybe a good time to resurrect this thing ...
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Q: Dejan, did the Bucs even scout Andy LaRoche? While I am not a scout, I watched enough of him with the Dodgers on my MLB Extra Innings package to know that he wasn't even better than Jose Bautista.
While I know Bautista was upset about being sent to the minors, he is probably in his glory now with a team that at least is still competitive and will be for many years to come.
Chris Lach of Mt. Lebanon
KOVACEVIC: Yes, the Pirates had direct eyes on LaRoche and liked him, from what I hear, for a long time. They loved his patience at the plate, saw good power potential and felt he could be a good glove man at third.
This view was commonly held, too. Just a bit ago, I was knifing through a months-old Baseball America for information on something else and came upon a glowing review of all of the above, including the stressing that he is very good at third.
My evaluation to this point is no different than yours, Chris: I see Bautista as better defensively, possibly -- though not as certainly -- better offensively.
I also can attest that Bautista's demeanor, however the Pirates might have interpreted it, did contribute to his being demoted, then traded. They saw his wanting to play every day as being a negative, even though other players such as Doug Mientkiewicz and Jason Michaels have said pretty much the same thing with no repercussion. And, really, the norm is that good teams want their bench players to want to play every day. Happens everywhere.
It is one thing to move players that management sees as not fitting with the program. That happened with Salomon Torres and, apparently, with Bautista. But that should not alter in any way the return that gets sought. Torres produced Marino Salas and a backward-sliding prospect named Kevin Roberts. Bautista produced a .240-hitting Class AAA catcher in Robinzon Diaz.
Time will tell about LaRoche and all the rest -- and LaRoche did make a tremenous diving stop to his right yesterday, something I had not seen him do previously -- but the early returns could not be described as encouraging by any reasonable person.
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Thing No. 107 that makes Pittsburgh great: Joshua Bish lives Downtown and, just to show that off, he submitted this photograph taken from his balcony ...
Now, imagine what that place would look like with a competitive baseball team.
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Until tomorrow, when we will have a 2 p.m. chat. The Q&A will return Thursday ...
Posted
Sep 08 2008, 12:30 AM
by
Dejan Kovacevic