Welcome Back...

Wow...it's been a week since the last update...the longest dry spell of this blog's short life...it's summer, I'm busy coaching baseball and planning a wedding, 6th Ward is busy trying to convince us he's straight, and BGK is struggling with pulling the trigger on numerous fantasy baseball trades (I don't blame him, he's beating the pants off everyone, why mess with success?) A few quick hits...

-The Pens won the Stanley Cup.

-The Steelers will be in Latrobe in just over a month.

-The Pirates just got swept by the guy they swept out of town two years ago, and are at a season-worst eight games under the elusive .500 mark.

Good enough for now. It's a slow time for sports, unless you enjoy Pirates' trade rumors (which I do) or following the NBA Draft (which I don't.) The creative juices are flowing...

All You Need to Know...

No words are necessary...

Thank you Pittsburgh Penguins.
2009 Stanley Cup Champions.

The Final Chapter...

Seventeen years and eleven days is a long time to wait. Bring it home boys.

LET'S GO PENS

Guilty By Association??

After several hours of thinking today I finally have had enough of this story. Raul Ibanez felt the need to come out and blast a blogger for "suggesting" he used PED's. Now listen Ibanez has averaged 22 home runs the last several seasons and is off to a career start at age 37 with 20 home runs before the All-Star break. Ibanez went on to say that if he tested positive for performance enhancers that he would give back every dime he ever earned. He wasn't done there folks, he continued his rant by saying that he would go after anyone who questioned his word or defamed/slander him and that these people should be held accountable...really Raul?? . How about myself as a baseball fan being cheated out of my hard earned money? How you ask? By going out and paying inflated ticket prices to make you a millionaire and watch grown men who think they need steroids to hit a baseball, run faster, or throw harder. Where is my refund for being lied to about what I was watching? If you are such a stand up guy, why didn't you rat out someone you thought was using? No one should go unquestioned in this day and age, look at Manny Ramirez this was "the purest right handed hitter to ever play the game" until he tested positive for a banned substance to cover up steroid use. I am taking you at your word Raul, I'm taking your word that you can rest your head at night knowing that you played the game the right way, but you cant be angry with us when so many of your peers caused this age of leeriness.

Chuck Morton...Come on Down!

At the beginning of the season, it was a given that Charlie Morton would start a game at Turner Field at some point this year...but in a simple twist of fate, in his first major league appearance this season he'll be pitching against the team that groomed him. Morton will make his debut in a Pirates' uniform today, facing off against Jair Jurrjens and the Braves. It's the first opportunity (other than the Andrew McCutchen show) for Bucco fans to witness what the Pirates received in the trade of their beloved blonde Red Wing fan. While Nate McLouth has been relatively productive in his first few games as a Brave, a quality start by Morton tonight and continued exciting play by McCutch should bring some more Bucco fans back off the ledge. A win tonight could also salvage a series that's seen the Bucs drop two games they very well could have (and should have) won.

In other Bucco news, Bloggin' Bob Smizik is spewing garbage again...

He raised the ghost of Dave Littlefield, saying that the Pirates' drafting of BC catcher Tony Sanchez was clearly a cost-effective move, a draft pick taken because of signability instead of baseball ability. Somebody PLEASE kill him. This team does not need to save money. Instead of wasting big money on a big-name, unproven, injury-risk pitcher, the Pirates draft a guy who's excels defensively at a position where his strengths are hard to find. Bob...your honest opinion please...

"That's commendable, but for a team in desperate need of pleasing its fans, once again the Pirates have struck out."

So teams should draft to please fans and not to build a team according to a plan? Remember when the Bucs were committed to rebuilding at the turn of this century, only to turn around and dump millions on washed-up names like Bell, Meares, Young, Mondesi, etc. just to get people excited? How did that work out for you, Mr. Smizik? The draft is not a PR move, nobody knows who 95% of these kids are outside of their hometowns. Just because the Pirates drafted a kid last year with signability issues doesn't mean they have to do it every year. The Pirates did the right thing, they realized that other than Strasburg and Ackley, there was no other can't-miss elite prospects, just a bunch of similar pitchers, none who stood out from the rest. They took a position player, knowing that when they drafted in the sandwich and second rounds there would be plenty of quality young arms available without much of a dropoff in talent or potential. It's another savvy move by GM Neal Huntington and his staff. Once again, I'm loving the direction this team is going in, fuck all the naysayers and ignoramous talking heads who live in the "What can you do for me now?" world. I've waited sixteen years, and now that I can start to see a legitimate light at the end of the proverbial tunnel, I'm willing to wait a few more.

What's It Gonna Be, Bob?

Does anybody else remember when Bob Smizik retired? Did I dream that it happened? If so, why is he still allowed to write a blog on the Post-Gazette's website? Bloggin' Bob is up to his tricks again, flip-flopping his way through another journalistic masterpiece. Smizik was one of the first "writers" to comment on the Nate McLouth trade, announcing that your Pittsburgh Pirates have officially given up on the present, criticizing the move and in turn accusing the Buccos brass of alienating the remaining 37 fans that still care. Thirteen hours later...Bloggin' Bob had an epiphany, deeming the McLouth move a "bold gamble worth taking." Who pays this clown to write? Why would anyone in their right mind read anything that this guy publishes?

Continuing my thoughts on the trade of "Nate the Brave"...to all the fools who think that this is a terrible move (including the retard who called Stan and Guy's "love the" radio show and announced to the free world that this was the darkest day in Pirates' history) please take the time to understand what GM Neal Huntington's actions have just landed your ball club. He traded a guy...

• who has started just over one full season in the majors. Until last year, Nate was just a bench player, and went into last season competing with Nyjer Morgan for the starting CF job. While he had a great year last year, it could be an abberation. He is a career .261 hitter...
• that made an All-Star appearance because the Pirates have to send one player to the Midsummer Classic every year, and no one else on that team was even remotely deserving to be there last year...
• who benefitted greatly from batting in a lineup last year that featured Jason Bay and Xavier Nady. After they were sent packing in July, McLouth's numbers took a hit...
  

In return for the good-but-not-great McLouth, the Bucs received two of the top eight ranked prospects in the Braves' system (and if you know baseball, you know the Braves consistenly have one of the best systems in professional ball) and another guy with big-league experience who could step in today and help the team. Like Bay, McLouth is a solid Major League outfielder. He's not a guy you can build your team around, he's more of a complimentary piece of the puzzle, he's not gonna lead your team to the promised land by himself. Because he played in a market that is devoid of superstars, he was awarded the mantle of "face of the franchise" by default. Huntington did the right thing by trading him while his value was at his highest. Don't get me wrong, I like Nate McLouth, and I wish him well. But this trade shows that the Pirates' brass is finally committed to building for the future the right way (are you listening, Dave Littlefield?) And I know it's only one day post-trade, but things are looking up already...

Andrew McCutchen: 2-4, 3 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 SB

Charlie Morton: 7 IP, 4 H, O ER, 7 K, 1 BB

Even the eternal Pirates' pessimist like myself is getting excited...

WELCOME TO THE FUTURE

Carlos Beltran, GO FUCK YOURSELF

After the Bucco Lumber Company put the beatdown on the other team from New York, Carlos Beltran had some comments...

"We have to find a way to play better, there's no doubt. Overall. I'm not pointing fingers at anybody. Offense, defense, pitching -- we have to find a way to play better. The reality of this is, coming here to Pittsburgh and being swept -- personally, I feel embarrassed.

"I know they're a big-league ballclub, but we're better than them," he said. "We're better than them. We know we're better than them, but we have to do something about it." (remember our buddy Bronson sounding just like this after getting shelled by the Buccos?)

FUCK YOU TOO!

Adding to Beltran's embarrassment was that the Pirates had just traded away their gayest player -- All-Star center fielder Nate McLouth -- the day before. "McLouth wasn't there and they still come out and score how many runs? Eleven? Eleven runs," he said. "So we have to play better."

Well Carlos, here is my opinion on you. Maybe if you weren't sitting out nursing your 'stomach virus' in the first two games, (which I am guessing is related to large amounts of man cum in sitting in your stomach - dripping from the back of your throat), you could have made an impact. Worry about your team and don't disrespect Pittsburgh's. Jo Jo Reyes is out till the All Star game, Mike Pelfrey gets beat up more than Mrs.Beltran, and you have a Pirate castaway (Perez) who blows. You have your own problems. You can't beat Philly, really - PHILADELPHIA. The World PHUCKING Champions, how gay is that? All because the better team, the METS, always choke. In big games, on big dicks - you choke. I hate the METS.

oh and, how about those BUCCOS?

A Rodney That Deserves No Respect

What a tool.

It's a great day for NFL offenses today, as they will no longer have to be exposed to Rodney Harrison's cheap shots and incessant chirping any longer. The long-time Charger/Patriot hung up his cleats today, relieving the NFL of one of its dirtiest players. Harrison tried to downplay his legacy as a dirty player, but both players and coaches tended not to agree with his own personal assessment of his play. But fear not fellow NFLers...while you may not have to listen to Rodney on the field, you'll get to hear him criticize you every week on NBC broadcasts! Just as soon as you feel like you've gotten a break from this clown, NBC decided to jam him right down our throats. I'm beginning to feel like earning a sports journalism or broadcasting degree is as about as good as holding shares in GM right about now. "You played professionally? We'll look past your 4th-grade reading level and you overwhelming lack of proper English and throw you into a prime-time broadcasting gig!" I know networks want to get an "insider's take" from guys who actually played in the NFL, but I also don't want to feel like I've gotten dumber from watching an NFL pregame show.

Groundhog Day

How fitting was it that I watched "Groundhog Day" starring the immortal Bill Murray on FX Saturday, minutes before the Pens were about to start their rematch with the hated Detroit Red Wings? Watching the first two games of the series was painful, just like last year. But unlike last year's opening games in Detroit, the Pens played well enough to win this time around. Instead, because of a few fluke goals and some unlucky bounces the Pens head back home facing the same 2-0 deficit they faced last year. Anyone giving up on this team already needs punched in the face. This is the same team that battled back from 10th place in the standings earlier this year to clinch the 4th seed in the East. This is the same team that lost the first two games on the road in Washington, only to battle back and win that series. This is the same team that was outplayed, outcoached, and overmatched in the first two games of last year's finals, only to battle back and make it an interesting series. Until the Pens lose a game at home, they're still very much alive.

After last night's game, I was pissed. I kept going back to the time Mario Lemieux retired from the NHL for the first time back in the late 90's. He was tired of the constant clutching and grabbing that slowed the game down and didn't allow the stars play the way they were capable of playing. After the lockout, the league promised to crack down on obstruction and allow the world-class talent a chance to shine. For the most part, it's worked. The game is regaining popularity due to the emergence of offensive stalwarts like Malkin, Crosby and Ovechkin. After watching the Red Wings, I can see why the NHL champions its offensive stars and doesn't give the Wings the credit their fans always whine about. That team is near unwatchable. If the referees called interference like the NHL promised it would, the Wings would be penalized every time the opposing team dumped the puck into their end. Countless times the Pens would send the puck in deep, only to be thwarted at the blue line by a defenseman who had no intentions of turning and chasing, but instead would stand flat-footed and obstruct the forechecker. Just look at the play when Niklas Kronwall held up Jordan Staal last night. Even Edzo said that was a blatant non-call. Mikael Samuelsson held up a man off the faceoff that led to the first Detroit goal. Marian Hossa hooked, then slashed Pascal Dupuis directly before the second goal. Jonathan Eriksson held up Evgeni Malkin with his free hand, Malkin got pissed and threw him off, in turn taking the penalty himself. I'm not whining, I just hate the whole notion of refs swallowing their whistles and letting players play in the playoffs. These are obvious fouls, they are called during the regular season, why should a team have to change the way they play now? And I'm not the only one who feels this way.

If I hear one more Red Wing player or fan cry because Sidney Crosby gets all the attention and they get no respect I might vomit. The viewing public wants to watch skill and imagination, not obstruction. There's a reason the Red Wings are hated among die-hard hockey fans, and it's not because they always win. It's because it seems like there's a different set of rules when your team plays Detroit.