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.
You are the single most biggest flip-flopper I have ever met in my life. Less than a month ago you were telling everyone not to go to games that they were the problem blah blah blah. Now you are the biggest fan ever again...whats it gonna be Elite? I want this in writing where exactly you stand with the Pirates as a fan. I will be giving my assessment of the draft here shortly.
ReplyDeleteso let's see...when i wrote that original piece, the pirates were languishing in last place once again, with no real plan for this season. the rebuilding was in place, but other than the drafting of pedro, there was little hope in the foreseeable future (at least before 2012.)
ReplyDeletesince then...players acquired in last year's "blockbusters" like ohlendorf, andy laroche and even karstens and moss to a point have started to perform to their capabilities, making this year's version of the bucs a tad more tolerable, but still not quality baseball. i still have yet to attend a game this year, and haven't watched as many games as i have in the past. i have no real emotional attachment to the success of this year's team, if they win, great, if they lose i'm not losing sleep (and that's what upsets me about pirate baseball, i want to care again.)
the trade of mclouth and the drafting of sanchez finally shows me that these guys really are committed to building a team from the ground up. no more patchwork free agent garbage just to appease the fans. the bucs could have easily held trotted mclouth out to the pnc park outfield for the next few years, let him be the superstar face of the franchise by default, just to appease the moronic fans who need something to root for. the mclouth trade showed me that this regime will not resort to gimmicks and reputation inflation of average talent as much as they did in the past (they still have fireworks night and oar coming, they're not perfect.) they traded a guy with a not-too-high ceiling at the height of his trade value. nate mclouth was never going to be a part of a championship team in the 'burgh. he won't lead anyone to the promised land. it was a shrewd baseball move, as was the tony sanchez pick. they loved the guy, and they knew he wouldn't be there with their next pick at 49. it's not like other sports where you can trade your draft picks. they didn't want to invest a lot of money into injury-risk pitchers, they could use that money to sign high school kids already committed to college, kids that would likely be first round talent if they weren't committed to going to a big time college.
it's a shame we're all scarred, probably for life, having to live through the littlefield and bonifay years. every move from now on, until huntington can ultimately prove his moves are working, are going to be viewed as cost-cutting. these last few weeks have opened my eyes, i just wish all the ignorant fans who i called out in that original piece would wake up as well.
"Don't call me a frontrunner. The Pirates were my first love growing up. They will always have a place in my heart. I just refuse to get emotionally attached to them again until they can prove to me they're ready for a long-term relationship. Seventeen years is a long time. Pittsburgh deserves better."
that's the very last paragraph in that scathing blog entry. that should describe how i feel...