Today: Pirates-Astros, 9-11-08; Houston postpones two weekend games

Nice to see the Pirates recognizing their minor league players for their charity work.

That's about all they can recgonize them for...none of them are Major League caliber players...

That is assuming the games in Pittsburgh get played and are not rained out.  50-80% chance of rain from Friday thru Monday, some of it heavy at times.  Could be a scheduling nightmare all the way around the big leagues.

It's pretty hard to say that none of them are major league caliber players when you have never seen any of them play in a major league game...

Things are pretty dire in Bucco Land if we are taking shots at guys winning awards for charitable work.

KC won today so here is your draft update:

1. Nats/Pads 56-90

3. M's 57-87  2 back

4. Bucs 60-85   4 1/2 back

5. KC 62-83  6 1/2 back

Everyone else has at least 64 wins so 4th spot is looking more and more like the worst we will pick.  Climbing closer and closer to Seattle.  Only 2 1/2 out.  17 games left to make up 4 1/2 games.  

DK - are the Astros planning any 9-11 tributes before the game tonight?

Out On A Limb Dept:

Zach outduels Oswalt tonight and continues his scoreless streak with a complete game 3-0 victory.

I think they should call up Vincent Tremblay from the Skipjacks.

TJ Beam seems to pitch better when he is out there for 2+ innings.  Let's stretch him out this winter and put him into the starters mix next Spring.  

Just thinking about our offensive prospects coming up through our system and having slow starts.  The last prospect I could come up with who started well and continued was Jason Kendall.  I will say that it seems to be very much the norm here that our rookies start slowly, even the ones who panned out.  

EG:  Ramirez-slow, Young- slow, McLouth-slow, Doumit-slow, Bautista-slow, J. Wilson-slow, C.Wilson-slow, Macowiak-slow.

I won't even mention the many who started slow and stayed that way such as Cota, Hermansen, Avarez, Davis, Eldred, etc.

A couple started well and flamed out in Duffy and Tike Redman.  Warren Morris and Jose Castillo could also fall into this category but Morris like Jack Wilson wasn't in our system long.

Pearce and Nyjmo both had good Septembers last year with the jury still out on them.

Can anyone else think of any?  

Cave - Bronson Arroyo may fit that.  Left us, went to Pawtucket, pitched a perfect game, then made it up to Boston before becoming a success.  Pretty erratic here.

I'm not sure why JR slotted Rivas over Bixler.I think I would have picked Moss in front of Pearce,but maybe I'm nitpicking.It sure would be great to see Moss and Pearce go back to back.Assuming they sign(big assumption)DD this line up minus Rivas might be a look into next year.I hope Duke looks at tape from last start.The guys are due.

DK - Thanks for the latest Ike picture. We're 4 hours north of Houston, in Tyler, Texas ... so will probably know by tomorrow if we need to batten down the hatches and flee for Dallas.

Glad to hear you'll be able to get out of Houston tonight. This really does have the makings of the next Arthur Hailey novel/script. I think most of us still like Brad Pitt as mild-mannered reporter Dejan Kovacevic.

Dejan, best of luck getting out of Dodge tonight.  Let me help you out...

1.  Follow this link:

www.post-gazette.com/.../908520-100.stm

2.  Substitute Roy Oswalt for CC Sabathia and Astros for Brewers.  I'll leave it to your discretion to leave in the controversial no-no or not.  Either way it will probably be pretty close to what happens tonight.  Then use the following quotes for John Russell :

3.  On Zach Duke: "I thought he did some good things out there, but there were too many walks."

4.  On Andy LaRoche being 0-for-his-last-20:  "I know he's struggling a bit right now but he's working hard and we're confident he'll get it turned around pretty soon."

5.  On the offense:  "We had our chances but we couldn't come up with the big hit."

6.  Sprinkle in one "Ouchy" and you're set.  Voila! Game story with quotes and your on the charter in time for a snack.

I hope Brad Pitt does take the DK role, will give us something to watch while we wait for whatever is ahead of us.

I think the lineup is ok, but would like to see Bixler in there somehow, Rivas probably won't be with the PBC next year.

Baywatch - Be careful and hope the criiks don't rise....

Put Bixler at SS, move Cruz to 2b, and keep this lineup for a while

Bizrow - "Baywatch - Be careful and hope the criiks don't rise...."

Thanks for the well-wishes ... and yinz keep your waders on, too. And get on down there to Jine Iggle and get you some bread!

@Bay--make sure you and the missus are wearing your floaties.

Been working overtime for a while...Did we ever find out which prospects attitude got them removed from playing in the fall league?

Best thing about today' lineup: Doug M is in there.

Now, RE-SIGN HIM!!

(There, I said it.)

What, no Andy Le Roach?  How's he supposed to compete for ROY sitting on the bench...

@BAYWATCH - I see in your bio you at one time lived in Bedford, I'm from just up the road in Pleasantville. How long's it been since you lived in or been back to Bedford?

I will give JR the benefit of the doubt with this line-up. while I would like to see bixler get more ab's and fix the lack-o-contact, I think this is the best line-up we have now to try to win. I think rivas can move men over better...assuming we have men on base to move over. we are pretty much down to rubber bands [gum bands if my piksburgese is correct] and scotch tape to fix things these days...but if duke keeps some zeros up for six or seven we have it sewn up.

Dobbs Ferry!

Doug M will sign here if:

He can be a starter.....nope

He can play for a contender.....ha-ha, no

He can get at least market value.....nyet, comrade

Noone else offers a contract.....maybe.

matt -

>>It's pretty hard to say that none of them are major league caliber players when you have never seen any of them play in a major league game.<<

Not to be disagreeable, but have you looked at the players who are blocking them, are already on the major league roster? Hard to imagine many of them being ML calibre players.

Doug M's value and role almost anywhere (especially a contender) would be sub, bench, role player, super clubhouse guy.  Maybe he feels like he has found a home.  I'd like to see him have coaching role in the future.

"Noone else offers a contract.....maybe."

It was pretty amazing that we were the only ones interested in Doug this year. But I find it hard to believe that a player who can give a team a .274 average coming off the bench, and a .360 average with runners in scoring position, ca not find a home, next year. I've read Joe Torre liked him. If we don't move first, to the Dodgers is where we could lose him.

@Cave Bonifield

Out on a limb with the trunk cut 3/4 through and a huricane coming is more like it.

I still beleive Duffy would be very good.  So I will disgree with listing him as one that did not pan out.

Line-up - what's with the rotation of Bixler. Cruz, Pearce, these guys need to have more than one day on and one day off.  Get them in tere and see if they carry over what the learned or not.  That will tell you more about them.  YIKES!

Rivas is a goner, only thing he is doing right now is taking playing time away from Bixler and Cruz.  Now that I dished him watch for a good game from him...

It may be a little too early to start thinking of bench players for next year since it seems we have almost eight starting positins to vie for and one is completely open.  Of course it would be prudent to try and sign doug.

Madturk,

And I am still with you on Duffy.  I know nothing about McClutch, but, form the last four years or so all the prospects we have been looking at since he went down and even before and now to all those we have on the roster right now, I say he is the best defender hands down.  when he gets well and we hope gets his line drive swing back he will play somewheres everyday.

madturk- I actually agree on rivas- but I di think we have a better chance of winning tonite with him. I always forget about gomez. only .120 higher than lil laroche...but we know adam is a JR project, damn the torpedos. if I was rivas, gomez or michaels, I would have my frequent flyer miles updated for next spring.

this is not our speed lineup tonight. no triples.

what I like about dirt doug is last night: we are losing in the 9th [ok, so not so unusual], but instead of three pitches and out like his peers, he gets on, he  gets second....many teams see that as a 'scoring opportunity'. not his fault he is not a run. he did his job. off the bench and into play. I would follow him to the gates of hell...or worse, houston [at least on my internet radio].

Doug M, great sub, great off the bench, great in the clubhouse.  Hope he comes back.

Honus,

Couldn't have said it better, myself, about what makes Doug great. I'd follow you both... even to Houston!

McLouth has the speed to triple--one those long doubles he hits will come off a wall strangely he will get triple or even Inside HR out of it.

The problem with Duffy is that will be 29 when next season starts so he not likely a long-term solution.  Could get several years out him that would be OK but he little power and hasn't had a healthy season for several years.  In last two stints with the Pirates he hit .255 in 2006 and .249 in 2007.

Bucs compete with Yanks, BoSox, Mets, Braves, Tigers!!!!....................for services of a Japanese amateur pitcher; link: www.mlbtraderumors.com/.../tazawa-headed-t.html

first earthquakes (SF), now hurricanes and floods; DK, if you see any locusts on the way to the ballpark, I would head straight home!

Anybody want to take a stab at what attendance will be tonight for this game?  I'm surprised they didn't move game time up for tonight's finale.  As for Zach Duke, I still have hopes that he get back to where he was before Jim Tracy and his pitching coach tampered with him.  If you could sue a GM and a manager for malpractice, we, fellow Bucco fans, would have us a class-action lawsuit.

Juan,

Great scoop!

After bashing the new front office, I know THIS ain't gonna happen:

but if the Bucs want to make me their amateur scout in Japan,  I'd jump.

juan pizarro --good to see the Pirates mentioned.  If  the Sox and Yanks are really interested they outbid everyone else.

@jersey joe

I think we better get accustomed to not having Duffy as the CF'er or on the Pirate team next year.  

@JAL

Yes he went downhill when they tried to change his swing.  With that, injuries and whatever was the mental issue and now he will be gone one way or another. We will never know if he would have worked out.  Maybe for another team next year.

@honus wags

Rivas, if we were really trying to win a game and we were around .500 (ha ha) then maybe sure why not.  But we are trying to avaluate the young guys for next year.  That's why I rather have Bixler the mixer in and Cruz no snoose than Rivas.  Just saying is all.

I'm curious what sort of taste in his mouth Kuwata left the Bucs.

He picked the team over others because he felt the management was offering him a legitimate shot. But this year, he was told "no thank you",  before spring training was fully underway. That said, the Pirates really had no choice but to show him the door. After hitters figured out his 60 mile an hour curve, last year, he was no longer competitive.

But coverage of him and the Bucs was huge, last year, in Japan. This will pay dividends to us for a while with other Japanese prospects who set their sights on 2nd tier MLB teams as being their best chance. We need to follow through with guys like Tazawa.

@Trite Trophy Winner

I will take 14,300 and the malpractice.

@JL

The only dividends players see is green.

So I would agreee with JAL that we would be outbid.  Unless he is not worth what we offer than we may get him, destroy any hope he has and trade him for sushi.

thanks JL.

Tazawa; what a great name, maybe it can be the warcry for the Pirates in the future...TAZAWA!!!!    of course, next year's team may be better off using his name backwards : a......wazat?!?

juan pizarro wrote re: Today: Pirates-Astros, 9-11-08; Houston postpones two weekend games

on Sep 11, 2008 7:39 PM

thanks JL.

Tazawa; what a great name, maybe it can be the warcry for the Pirates in the future...TAZAWA!!!!    of course, next year's team may be better off using his name backwards : a......wazat?!?

LMAO

Look out Oswalt!  We have our power line up tonight!

I can already see some of you making fun of me for labeling the Pirates "2nd tier". Alright, "bottom tier" then. Or "AAAA".

I meant to add in my last post that "the taste in Kuwata's mouth" regarding the Pirates organization is supremely important. He was/is iconic in Japan, and how he regards the Pirates will affect his countrymen's impression of the team. Especially if a given prospect starts seriously considering signing with the Bucs. Said prospect may well seek out Kuwata's advice before deciding.

Rumor has it espn dropped the comcast for the Pirate game.  They said if the hometown fox channel will not carry the game, why should we punish them.

Now that hurts

"a......wazat?!?"

What a great slogan to capture the constant befuddlement in which our team and fans always find ourselves. I love it! Sure beats "We will."

Making "TAZAWA!" the battle cry would be far  less impressive than you'd think, though. In Japanese, all it means is "swamp in the rice paddy."

There are some players who pick place over money but they are rare and the union hates it

JL

2nd tier.  No way.

Bottom tier.  Getting closer.

The Final Fron...tier.  That's it.  

@JL

"swamp in the rice paddy."

Does that not reflect the team today?

@JAL

Too few too rare.  

I like my steak to moo when I cut into it but finding players like that nowadays is beyond rare.  

@JL-depends on how many tiers there are.  Despite their worst efforts the Pirates still have a better record than 3 teams.  I think 3 tiers is the max.  It also depends on what makes a tier.  Going by teams on the field, Tampa moved from 3rd tier to first tier this season.  Brewers have done the same--place anyone who ends over 90 wins in 1st tier, teams over .500 in 2nd, everyone else in 3rd.

It is the Final Fan Tear!

Well, Dejan just rained on our little Japanese parade, here. But I still think we could make "a......wazat?!?" the team slogan anyway. Or as MadTurk points out, "Swamp in the Rice Paddy!!!" does sorta fit in for all those times TJ Beam or Denny Batista exit the mound...

madturk2008  -Agree--they are beyond rare.  Every so ofen I read about a player who took less money to go someplace but i think that happens in football more than baseball  due to the less powerful union.

is my laptop monitor resolution screwed up , or are they wearing blue hats? I think a disuise is probably a good idea, but like everything else, they need to put a little more effort into it :)

Ahh... that makes sense, I guess. I assume the trim is white and red, but I can't see that at all.

JAL,

The Houston announcers just reminded us that the Pirates have lost the last 16 of 19. We might deserve a tier of our own, where there is crying.

JL--Then break Ray Charles:

Oh, it's cryin' time again, you're gonna leave me

I can see that far away look in your eyes

I can tell by the way you hold me darlin' Oooh

That it won't be long before it's cryin' time

what I can't believe is that I have sat through most of the games, I usually turn the sound off though, so I am not reminded of things like that. Although there was a game in SF recently where the color commentator cracked me up... One of the "Gigantes" fouled a ball into the dirt and into some part of Doumit. Upon watching the replay the commentator says let's see where this hits Doumit... oh, 2 balls and 1 strike. The play by play guy correctly and immediately indicated that the count was actually 1 ball and 2 strikes. I laughed my a** off.

or some Roy Orbison--and from this moment on, i'll be crying, crying, crying, crying

Yeah, crying, crying over you

Is Gorzo's injury a blessing in disguise? I think now that he will finally get the rest he needs, not only to get healthy physically, but also mentally. Who knows, his replacement (whomever that may be) might even impress enough to get a crack at next year's rotation?  

a bunt triple... ridiculous...somebody forgto to tell abercrombie he was supposed to try to score on that. Nyjer, where are you?

JAL,

Good songs, all. Don't forget "Cry" by Godley & Creme.

The video was a classic in its day.

www.youtube.com/watch

No Tazawa?  No problem for NH.

I hear there is available hockey talent in Bulgaria!  All you need is someone to teach them base running skills.

It's perfectly obvious to me, after two innings, that Duke is going to toss a perfect game.

Possibly, like Harvey Haddix, one that goes extra innings, and doesn't even count, according to MLB's crazy scoring rules.

Oh wait, I'm getting ahead of myself ;)  Let's get through the 4'th.,

Oswalt just pulled off a suicide squeeze--how do ya like that.......

All those people crying in the video I posted above --their all Pirates fans.

Wow, still scoreless through 2 1/2. Following the game on the internet--hard to get live games here (Philippines) on TV or radio. All we ever see are the Yankees and Red Sox. For some reason, they got the Braves-Rockies game on today. Get a lotta Japanese games though, and Tazawa has not really been that impressive....

so which Pirates pitcher would you trust to put down the suicide squezze bunt? that was beautiful by Oswalt.

JL--very good :)

wow...Duke's ERA for the season is approaching 4.50 which would be a season-long quality start.  He has dropped it from 5.29 on 8/22...impressive run (I probably just jinxed him).

so typical of the season.  That's a big difference between winning teams and losing teams--winning teams do the little things right.  Astros-1 hit-1 run-ball doesn't get out of the infield.

bjm-He has been pitching well--question is, where was this Duke from April through July?

JAL- the ball got out of the infield...Duke threw it out of there :)

@Missing --thanks for the info.--I should have said without the ball being hit out of the infield :)

and last year for that matter.

Looks the bad inning every Pirate starter seems to have has arrived--helped by an error.

I was wondering. I know Minute Maid Park has a roof, but would the game be playable tonight if there were no roof?

Anyway, have a safe flight, Dejan.

And all the people here who are somehow on Ike's path, take care!

Another big Houston inning. And the Bucs can't even put together a mediocre game...

It's just that swamp in the rice paddy thing.

What did they move the bases tonight?  First Zach, then Dougie throws one to McLouth instead of Rivas, blowing a DP and opening up a big inning.  

Houston might actually make a miracle run to the playoffs--they still have another series with the Pirates.

Houston has 6 runs and only 2 earned--no team is good enough to give away runs and win.

I'll add my wishes for a safe flight Dejan

I'm too lazt to look but who put the comment in during pregame about DK being able to re-use the game story about CC throwing a one hitter, but just replace CC with Oswalt? Whoever it was, looks to be a psychic.

Rut roh. GIving up 5 in the 5'th'll get ya every time (is it legal to use an apostrophe twice in one contraction? Arrest me!)

I'm thinking...if we only use our starters for 4 innings....and never let Snell pitch until the 2'nd inning....

Dirty Doug, where are you tonight? The announcers think he might be hurt, because he is wincing. I think he is just wincing because of his bad play tonight. although, even his throws that were on the money tonight looked pretty weak.

WOW! According to Gameday Hansen just threw 11 pitches and only 3 of them were balls. Seriously, I swear I'm not making that up.

There's a silver lining to Mientkiewicz's two errors: we just might be able to re-sign him afterall.

The Astros announcers said something about his shoulder "barking".

Is Doug playing hurt?!

Was Rivas' single a "clean single" I don't care to read anymore whining about changing one hitters to no hitters after the fact.

Semi-seriously....suppose we send Matt Capps out to start a game....in the 2'nd inning, we bring in Snell....so, what's wrong with this plan (other than the fact that we have Bautista as our closer? Oh wait.........)

Hey how bout that LaRoche made an effort this time to tag the bunter...lol he missed him, but they still called him out.

Can we borrow 26 year old Shaun Marcum, who right now is locked in a 0-0 duel with Gavin Floyd of the White Sox, both having given up 3 hits and no runs through 7?

The three relievers so far tonight have ERAs of 8.36; 8.10; and 7.11--WOW!  Yet so far so good.

Yes, Hansen threw 8 of 11 pitches in the strike zone.  

OfficerMancuso--Marcum or Gavin Floyd--although Floyd just gave up a run.

In other news, Philly beat the Brewers so with a win tonight Astros will tied with Philly and 3 back of Milwaukee for the wild card slot.

Hansen has 3 straight scoreless appearances

And Hansen's ERA is still over 8

TV just showed a close-up of Doug M. wincing. It really does look like he's playing hurt right now.

That was one hapless performance.

I've got to feel a bit for JR here.  Just imagine what it must be like to sit in the dugout and watch this night,  after night,  after night,  ad nauseum.  It's bad enough watching it on tv.  

Cave--Are you sure it rose to level of hapless :)  

JAL,

You have a point. The Bucs are so utterly devoid of hap that a new term must be coined. I cannot think of one right now. My mind is in a numbed state of   "a......wazat?!?"

Geez we have this monkey on our backs with the losing now Doug has a dog barking on his shoulder.  Will it ever end?

Just curious what the dog said to Doug?  Sign elsewhere Doug NOW!

Hey look on the bright side...With the quick pace of that game at least DK will get home a little earlier.

the two canine wags needed a long walk as did I after the little big inning. when you get down to it we were beaten by two bunts. stats aside, I can't root for whiney brew crew or this group for wild card. maybe I just want to share the pain in the division. I'm still looking for cubs or d-backs v. bosox or laa.

the slow line-up [except mclouth] with the 'big' bats didn't accomplish much except add wind to the stadium with their whifs. I am thrilled that the pen fired zeros up there and duke's line [save the runs] of earned runs and walks and even pitch count was 'promising'. geesh I sound like JR.

time for a night cap.

If you would have told me at the AS break, heck, even post Nady & Bay trades if we could actually LOSE 100 games THIS year - I would have said you were nuts....now as it stands, we need to win 3 games with 16 games remaining-however, these games come against: St Louis, Dodgers, Houston, Milwaukee & San Diego - as much as it pains me to say, I am not sure I see 3 wins against these teams (only san diego has nothing to play for & we are facing them on the road)....this truly is a dire strait -

Could they end up losing 100 games THIS year?

Outside of some phenomenal FA signings this off season (yea right), I think it is an absolute guarantee that we lose 100++ next year (possibly challenging the Mets single season futility record) - so at least we will be setting the record in style.

If one more person tells me about the 'fantastic draft picks' we will be in line for next year, I will simply utter the words of the Amateur draft nightmare that is Pedro Weiters (or Matt Alvarez-whichever is to your liking) because no matter what shovel of dung we are fed, WE WILL not sign both top 5 picks & we will be further than ever behind the rest of the majors----

I never thought that I would utter these words, but, to date, but the Frank Huntington monster is actually WORSE than David McClatchy & Cam McClatchy COMBINED!

The recent play makes me wonder how I was sooo hard on Lamont after his second half meltdown - this is WAY WAY worse & I really think this team should simply announce forfeitures for the rest of the season - it would be far less painful

:(

Just got back from a night at the 'ole ballpark...boy could have I been spared that fiasco.

That was the worst offensive performance I have ever witnessed firsthand in the almost 40 years that I have been attending Pirates games......no runner reached second base.....Oswalt only faced the minimum 27 batters......it only took 90 pitches to dispatch the Bucs (of which Oswalt threw 70 for strikes)....I only saw one hard hit ball leave the infield all evening (and that was hit by Rivas, who hopefully is not a part of the future).

Sadly, it could have easily been a 0-0 game going into the bottom of the ninth if Duke had not thrown Abercrombie's bunt into RF and Mientkiewicz had been able to turn what looked to be a routine 5-4-3 double play.

On the subject of Mientkiewicz, he had two of the worst throwing errors I have ever seen a 3B make -- not even close. He looked completely out of position to the point of embarassing himself in front of the crowd (at least according to the loudmouths sitting in my section).

One thing I will say though, Chavez throws really hard. Also, Hansen threw his curveball and change-up nicely for strikes.

But this team is really really really bad.......what an unbelievable turnaround relative to when the Bucs were in town the last time, when they swept the Astors, clobbered the ball and climbed ahead of them in the standings.

Now, less than two months later the Pirates are 26 games under .500 and fielding one of the worst line-ups in their history while the Astros are 13 games over, thinking they can make the playoffs.

Sometime, please wake me from this bad dream.........

How about Pedro Tanner Weiters?  I called 100 loses back in the first week of August.  2011 is the first chance to break 500 and maybe just maybe a competitive year in 2012.  All of are stars will be leaving because we cant afford their contracts (snell, maholm, capps, sancez, doumit, mcclout.)   Unless we trade to to make the farm system better.   Aint buying.  Wont attend another game until we are 500 for a full season, then the following season I will attend.  Unless we pull a TB Rays streak and we all of the sudden make the playoffs.  Tough luck.  John Russel must be fired,  granted we lost people, but he did not do his job and keep the team together.

I never thought that I would utter these words, but, to date, but the Frank Huntington monster is actually WORSE than David McClatchy & Cam McClatchy COMBINED!

That very well may be the single most retarded thing I've ever read.

Current mgmt blew up the ship to rebuild it and we took some an immediate step back in the w/l column. That was expected. It's still to be determined whether these moves and those to come will allow us to leap forward in the future. Only time will tell.

Old mgmt threw millions upon millions of dollars straight into the toilet. Well actually too people like Pat Meares, Derek Bell, Jeremy Burnitz, Matt Morris, etc. and we remained losers. Time has already determined that the old mgmt was wrong in pretty much every decision they ever made.

One thing I haven’t been able to figure out is how some people that were excited and happy to see mgmt blow up the ship have so quickly flip flopped on the whole ideal. It’s been less than 2 months since the deadline. Yeah I get that LaRoche has been awful. But seriously we knew we were getting a yet to be established young major leaguer. Seems like a lot of people expected Brooks Robinson in his prime. When that didn’t happen they flip flopped.

<That very well may be the single most retarded thing I've ever read.>

LW,

MUNCH on this one, genius, this organization WILL put up the worst winning percentage (from top to bottom minors through majors) than it has in it's decorated history...that includes any and all previous re-buildings.

<Current mgmt blew up the ship to rebuild it and we took some an immediate step back in the w/l column. That was expected. It's still to be determined whether these moves and those to come will allow us to leap forward in the future. Only time will tell.>

Current mgmt went on a 'savings plan' - it is quite evident that NONE of the return in the Bay trade & maybe only 1 or two players in the Nady trade will wind up being serviceable (not stars) major league players.

<Old mgmt threw millions upon millions of dollars straight into the toilet. Well actually too people like Pat Meares, Derek Bell, Jeremy Burnitz, Matt Morris, etc. and we remained losers. Time has already determined that the old mgmt was wrong in pretty much every decision they ever made.>

You are too funny, LW - you really think THIS mgmt team is going to duck THAT fate? The minute it has come to the attention of this mgmt team that season ticket sales are under 5K, they will scurry to whatever FA option is available out there & guess what, even 'has beens' DO NOT WANT TO COME TO PITTSBURGH - that is why we HAVE to pay them huge sums of money-don't think that previous mgmt was simply THROWING money to these guys, they did so for a reason - it was to bring a 'recognized name' in here in order to add a few thousand peeps to empty seats & to inspire 'hope' - this team has NO HOPE next year...I FULLY BELIEVE that this team will probably shed Jack Wilson during the off season, possibly shed LaRoche & maybe even Sanchez - which will land us with a squad that would rival the cartoonish version of the Cleveland Indians from the movie 'Major Leagues'

<One thing I haven’t been able to figure out is how some people that were excited and happy to see mgmt blow up the ship have so quickly flip flopped on the whole ideal. It’s been less than 2 months since the deadline. Yeah I get that LaRoche has been awful. But seriously we knew we were getting a yet to be established young major leaguer. Seems like a lot of people expected Brooks Robinson in his prime. When that didn’t happen they flip flopped.>

I have NEVER been excited about these trades-I personally still feel that this pitching year was simply an aberration & that next year, things would have stabilized a bit & that squad with a Bay & Nady in the mix is at least worth watching. For you to even mention LaRoche in the same paragraph as Brooks Robinson clearly demonstrates how devoid of anything resembling rational thought you currently possess. My guess is that you are one of those 'moles' they have already 'outed' over in the message boards using simple network tools-my guess is a simple snapshot of your 'internet thumb print' would reveal that you are amongst the PR staff of the Pittsburgh Pirates-very sad indeed. Regarding your 'flip-flop' remarks, it astounds me how much feeble minds think alike-i'm talking about that other brilliant fella that shares a letter of your initials=GW....in closing, LW, please crawl back into that PNC park cubicle of yours & maybe concentrate on selling some tickets instead of wasting our time with your 'hurrah hurrah' pro-mgmt banter-you are terribly transparent-if you were not a mole, the only other option would be........however, those folks usually do not even possess enough brain power to operate a keyboard...shoo fly

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