Steel Cauldron

Broncos Puss Out

2006-03-28T22:58:00.000-08:00

So it was basically a given that the Steelers were playing the season's opening game at home on the Thursday of Week One. But we didn't know the opponent until the other day, when Miami was announced as the lucky victim.

Which made little sense to me. Saban and Culpepper aside, they lack the cache Denver or Kansas City or Cincinnati or about five other teams would carry as far as rivalry and national interest would go.

Then, oops, it turns out that the Broncos were slated to come to Heinz, but talked their way out of it.

Exqueeze me a second, but how does that work? I know Pat Bowlen's a pretty high muck-a-muck in the league office, but how does he get to work his own schedule? This isn't college.

Cheesed me off, it did.

Tip to good ol' SteelCityInsiders.

Does This Ever Happen to You?

2006-03-28T22:52:00.000-08:00

So I'm reading through the papers tonight as always and at the P-G I get this tidbit on Jason Bay and Dejan's Q&A. And I got misty-eyed.

Lame, I know. It's just that I love the Pirates so bloody much and I'm dying for them to finally do well. What flashed in my mind was the thought of Castillo, Duffy, Doumit, Duke, Perez et al all reaching that "very good MLB player" status, some becoming great like Bay, all as Pirates. I knew immediately that it'd take the impact of one Mr. Mark Cuban and his wads and wads of dirty, dirty money to make it happen, but I want it. I want to see them "grow up" together, to really be a nucleus. I want to see PNC Park, maybe my favorite place in the whole world, rock on chilly October nights. I want to feel the way I did in February for the team regularly considered to be the retarded kid in Pittsburgh's sports family, not just for one of the most beloved franchises in America.

What'll it take, Mr. Cuban?

What Can't Be Killed?

2006-03-28T22:50:00.000-08:00

Me, apparently. I just can't not blog right now. I tried to stay away, I really did, but I'm back and hopefully better than ever...which, you know, would mean occasionally attracting the odd reader. Whatever.

Lots of stuff to chat at, and I'm going to deviate a skotch from Pittsburgh sports occasionally to the wider world, and occasionally from sports to other things like movies and politics. Other things I pretend to know about.

Vote for the Cobra!

2005-12-30T20:38:00.000-08:00

I never saw Dave Parker play as a Pirate, mostly because of his trouble with drugs and whatnot. When my old man would talk about the Family, Parker's name rarely came up. I didn't discover the guy until college, when I started learning a little bit about Pirates history.

With those disclaimers, I can see both how he should and shouldn't be in the Hall of Fame. His stats are here: although he was one of the best all-around players of his time, he wasn't a Great. He ranks in HoF territory as far as doubles, RBI, total bases, at-bats, and extra-base hits. He won Gold Gloves and an MVP. His Hof qualifications are listed here. Playing in a non-slugger era (for the most part), he performed well enough within that framing to demand consideration.

Two other problems for Dave: the drugs and his non-friendly relationship with the media. We'll know how drugs really matter when the steroids crowd is due for induction, but that media relationship is key. You can't create bad blood between yourself and the people who vote.

Parker won't reach the Hall of Fame. Compared with those already enshrined and those who probably will be, his numbers don't stand out, the same problem Jim Rice faces.

But with the best sports nickname ever, he deserves it. Dammit.

Pistons Roll

2005-12-29T20:29:00.000-08:00

Again.

I know, I know...they only beat a Shaq-less Heat team by five at home. Gave up over a hundred. Got crap from the bench, even with Dice playing 20 minutes (it's almost a shame the Carloses don't get more PT).

This team is ridiculous. They just win. Can they match the Bulls run from a few years back? Why not? Until March, the schedule's pretty favorable.

And it's worthless if they don't win the championship. For all this, they'd better. It'll take a monumental collapse to keep them out of the Finals, but weird things happen in basketball...like when a team-first defensive team full of guys other teams didn't want beats the Kobe-Shaq-Phil Lakers.

Pens Win! Pens Win! Pens Win!

2005-12-29T19:31:00.000-08:00

Forgive the exuberance (and the breaking of my own "team name" rule), but it's been so long since the Penguins just really kicked someone's ass.

I'm not about to get overly excited and predict a sudden run back to respectability, but this is exactly how the team should have been playing all year: efficient shots from great offensive talents and solid goaltending. I don't care if it came against a rookie goalie and a slumping team.

That last part's the kicker: your average goalie facing 46 shots gets shelled. Not Marc-Andre Fleury. He's nasty. Most guys who have a 3.2 GAA aren't much better than backups or journeymen, but most guys with a 3.2 GAA don't have a .905 SV%. That's not a great number, but when you consider that he a) plays with 1 1/2 quality defenders (that's cumulative, not individual) and b) is all of 21, it's a fantastic sign for his future. And games like this will only bolster that confidence that every great goaltender needs.

Likewise nasty is Sid Crosby. Three points in under fifteen minutes of action is always good: so's two hits and four penalty minutes to go with it. That he's averaging better than a point a game is remarkable for someone surrounded by such underachieving boobery. I really like this kid. I hope he gets the same mean streak Lindros had...and avoids the concussions.

And I hope they get this arena deal squared yesterday. Screw the veterans: give me a team led by Crosby, Malone, Malkin, Orpik, Whitney and Fleury. Eric Christensen, Tomas Surovy, even Ric Jackman...there's some real talent here, and these guys have a good ten years together before they start to fall apart. I love it. Give me more.

End optimism.

Hiatus

2005-12-29T00:23:00.000-08:00

I know it broke the world's heart that I didn't post for, like, fourth months, but I'm superstitious about the Steelers and given that they went 15-1 last year without my ramblings, I wasn't going to mess with a sure thing.

Since they're probably going to do no better than maybe win one playoff game, I figure it can't hurt to jump back in.

So:

The Pirates continue to do everything possible to not get any better. Sean Casey for Dave Williams: bad trade. Outbidding themselves for Joe Randa, leaving my main guy Freddy Sanchez lost in a utility role: bad trade. Mackowiak-for-Marte was ok by me, but I don't get the Martinez thing or the current desire to dump Craig Wilson for Eric Byrnes. And I'm really cheesed over Sanchez. I was that guy when I played and I appreciate him way more than I should because of it. Considering him as a player, good defense and fair bat, and the other trades that went down during the Hothothot Stove, I can't believe the Bucs didn't swing a Jack Wilson-Andy Marte thing, or get more involved in Troy "traded on the cheap" Glaus dealings. I love Jack Wilson, too, but he's not irreplacable. Sanchez is cheaper and would have let the team get a real third baseman.

The Penguins are absolutely terrible, and I have no idea why. Edzo deserved to be fired, Therrien may be next, and if not for Crosby and Fleury being absolutely disgusting for players of their age, I probably would have already died in agony. This was a team that should have, at least, competed into the second round of the playoffs. If they make it now, I'll cut off a toe and send it to Craig Patrick. At least things are looking better on the arena front. Too bad Mario had to essentially promise to move to get things going.

The Pistons are kicking ass. They have the best starting five, a top-five bench, the perfect coach for a disciplined team, and nasty swagger. They'll beat the Spurs in a rematch. I can't wait.

Pitt football didn't happen. It just didn't. The recruiting, on the other hand, is going swimmingly. I hope Wanny grabs another top 100 guy or so in the next few weeks, preferably a running back. Even if he doesn't, he's doing great so far. He gets three years from right now, his first class, to prove he can coach the team back to Harris levels...and the very fact I write that is indicative of how terrible the season was.

Pitt basketball basically promises to be a tease. I'll get more on them as the games show up on TV, but the freshmen sound like "real deals," Aaron Gray is exactly what I thought he'd be (dominant, but not dynamic, big guy), Carl Krauser isn't as good as Brandin Knight but he's good enough, and I really hope someone makes the 3 his own. Jaron Brown's shoes are tough to fill. So are Chevy Troutman's. Maybe Biggs/Young will do that. I just don't have faith in Levon Kendall. As they're 10-0 as of tonight, I'll give them 20-7 through Big East play with at least two bad losses to beatable teams, a respectable run in the BET, and another middling seed in the NCAA that will yield nothing. Still, I love watching them. I hope I can get "my guy" for the future team, now that Troutman's gone. Krauser just doesn't do it for me.

And, the Steelers. This is a 13-3 team if Ben doesn't get hurt, maybe the two seed, and has legitimate championship aspirations. But Tommy "Fucking" Maddox botched the job twice and now the team has to live with a six seed and a ringless send-off for the Bus. Ben certainly has developed well, hasn't he? Fast Willie, too. Fugettabout the secondary, which is straight nasty. The team's going into a flux period for a few years, but I like their chances for a ring or two after that.

Hopefully, I'll get back to daily posts. Hopefully, I'll have something other than the NBA and college recruiting to be happy about.

Steelers Football

2005-08-19T07:31:00.000-07:00

You know, that thing Pittsburgh revolves around. I should probably talk about it.

It's just that I can't right now. The preseason sucks. I don't go to camp, so I don't see who performs in practice. There's only been one game, so I can't compare performance very well. I read the article and boards at SteelCitySports.com. That doesn't put me in a position to comment very much.

I'll three things that I know to be true:
I was right about Nate Washington.
Alonzo Jackson is a goner.
So is John Kuhn.

Wow, that was pretty big, huh? I say "Eh." This isn't the time.

I'll also offer that I worry about Rebel Child. Everyone knows he wasn't so much a nasty quarterback when he rattled off all those wins. He let his defense keep games close, the running game control the clock, and the talent around him help out. His comeback wins aside, he alternately flashed brilliance and bad mechanics. And what's up with his mysterious injuries? I hope that, with a full half of football ahead of his tomorrow, he'll show that he's over some of that stuff and just plays quarterback. We need that from him.

By the way, this isn't The Year. Ben isn't ready yet, the running game won't perform as well this year, the defense is between secondaries (and linebacking corps, but whatever), and the offensive line may struggle a little. 12-4 this year, another bad playoff loss. I'm holding out for 2006.

I Don't Need No Stinkin' Title!

2005-08-19T07:05:00.000-07:00

Yeah, so I haven't posted in awhile. What's it to you? You got a problem with my slacking? My suddenly-too-busy life off the blog? I saw to you! Feelings hurt yet?

This will probably continue. I'm on an almost unprecendented streak of good fortune. My personal productivity has suffered, but in two weeks' time I got a good job, got my fiance back from the evil clutches of New York, started preliminary work on a project that could be career-making, and still have a small clutch of other responsibilities that make life just a little too busy for a blog that, by my guess, gets a hit every third day. It's not like I report on news or anything. I just bitch.

It's impossible to bitch the day after a Zuke start. I was a little upset when his perfecto bid was foiled by Nate McLouth (who I'm more convinced isn't Major League material every time he plays) and his E-9, and I was even more upset when it was clear even over the internet that the official scorer ruined the no-hitter not much later by giving the home team a hit instead of what appeared, to my eyes, to be another McLouth gaffe. Whatever. 7IP, 2H, 0BB, another nasty W. I remember thinking, a few years back, that Josh Fogg was the Pirates pitcher closest to Greg Maddux territory: location, speed changes, location, savvy. Then Fogg turned into a waste of a contract. And he never had whatever it is that Zuke has.

What is it about Zuke? Everyone lines up to praise his "poise," as if the average Major League pitcher is a budding head case who can, and will, implode the moment a touch of adversity strikes. I consider the characterization an insult to others and especially to Zuke: it doesn't adequately describe his "it." "Moxie" might be more appropriate, but he's not Oliver Perez or any other pitcher with an attitude, a guy so incredibly confident in his stuff that he's willing to go toe-to-toe with Albert Pujols just because he's there. That's not Zuke's style; he's not a K guy, he doesn't have any one pitch that's crazily overpowering, and his stuff-confidence mostly revolves around his determination to never, ever give the hitter "his" pitch. "You will hit Zuke's pitch," Zuke says to every batter. "You must beat me."

And how does he do it? He thinks like a veteran, throwing his various styles of junk outside. He doesn't start thinking strikeout when he's ahead in a two-strike count. He lives for outs, and I don't think he cares how he gets them. He'll set up a guy for the K, but he knows better than to live that way. His fastball tops out at 93 on a particularly good day. He'd rather go breaker-breaker-fastball-change on the outside corner, toss up soft strikes in friendly counts to get guys basically forced to swing. You'll notice he manages to get easy outs without pitching around anyone. He can get a pop-up when he wants it, a grounder another time. In exactly one of his starts has the opponent really gotten the better end. That's an 8-1-1 record for those keeping score at home (the Brewers did a good job with good pitches in his first game).

What do we call it? I call it "brains." Read an interview, and you'll see that Zuke has the study habits and focus of a ten-year guy. He knows things about hitters that even they might not know. If he makes a mistake, he's likely to not make it again. He's smart. He has a little of Fogg's determination, a little of Maddux's savvy, and a lot of pure execution. He doesn't elevate a ball without meaning to. He doesn't throw over the middle if it doesn't behoove him. He can, and will, put the ball where he intends. It's all in his head at all times, and he knows how to control his own brain without over-thinking. And he has guts, unlike Kip Wells. It's "out" time when he toes the rubber, not "I hope I don't screw this up."

In short, Zuke is not controlled by hitters, by game situations, by managerial analysis, or by fear of failure. He controls himself. He intends to pitch well, to get guys out. He intends to win. And he just keeps doing it.

Michael Finely, Eh?

2005-08-16T06:56:00.000-07:00

I don't usually have much to say about non-playoffs NBA news because, well, I just don't care enough. It's easily my sixth sport, and I'd rather watch rugby or international soccer than your average NBA regular-season tilt. But I know what I know, and I know the Pistons need an Anthony McDyess for their backcourt (no, Lindsay Hunter and Carlos Arroyo don't fit that mold). Now that the future owner of the Pirates has dumped Michael Finley in the amnesty period, I hold out hope that Joe Dumars moves to strengthen his bench and picks the man up. The guy can play. Just don't give him a mega-contract. I'd be willing to see Brian Grant as well. Elden Campbell's nice and all, but a real four-man rotation at the four and five would be swee-eet.

What a Weekend!

2005-08-15T23:07:00.000-07:00

First things first, my lovely better half finally got back from her summer-long trip. That's been nice.

And somehow the Pirates not only pitch, but hit, to go for consecutive shutouts against the NL's hottest team, in their house, the house that Swallows Bucs Alive? Woo-hoo! It didn't even matter that Zuke had his worst outing so far (and it's still not even in Kip territory)...that was just great.

Then we move on, and Jason Bay's the NL POW, and Dave Williams goes the distance, and Jack Wilson hits two dingers in two days, and Jesusholycrap, I actually failed to see any of it.

I don't care. John LeClair? Are you kidding me? Just getting that little bit of news turned Monday into extended Sunday. FORGET DEFENSE, KIDS...WE'RE SCORIN' TWENTY!

What's that, you say? Hines is back? WHAT!? Awesome. Just great. I danced at work when I caught word. Fantastic. Stupendous. Hyperbolous.

Did you see the game tonight? Man, what a crap-fest! Nice to see:
Special teams were better than great. Ike and Coke looked like "real deals."
Hines was on the sideline.
Fast Willie and Noah Herron both looked pretty good. FWP only had three carries, but his screen pass was pretty nice. I thought they were perma-ditched from the playbook. Herron's much faster than I expected, and looked mean as hell. Did you see that cut on his arm?
The receiver depth is great.
Saint played better than my personal favorite, Homestead Charley. I like Batch as a player and a person, but I don't think he takes Maddox's job and he shouldn't take Saint's. He'll latch on somewhere.
Heath Miller had a nice catch. So did Matt Kranchick. Matt Cushing was nowhere to be seen. It breaks my heart to see a guy like Cushing get jerked around so much, but what can he expect as a modestly-talented swing player?
John Kuhn and whichever Tuiasosopo is on the team probably won't be for long. Your 2005 backfield is Kreider-Herron-Haynes-Parker-Bettis-Staley. Maybe Herron on the PS. Kuhn and Tuey can maybe join him there if they're really, really lucky.
I really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, hate the broadcast crews.

Help!

2005-08-13T01:01:00.000-07:00

I'm dying for more info on Pitt's practices. The local papers suck. I like reading about walk-ons and freshmen earning PT and all, but I'd really like to get an idea about the overall tenor of the team before I start spouting off. Don't make me wait until the Notre Dame game!

This Is the Point At Which I Throw Myself Into Traffic

2005-08-13T00:59:00.000-07:00

Ward's "people" and the Steelers' "people" are "talking," but apparently not negotiating. It seems as though Mr. Hines will sit out part of the season, then come back to play for the minimum to ensure free agency for himself.

Hi, Mr. Rooney? Say, I have a really keen idea--why don't you do right by the guy?

Steelers Stuff

2005-08-10T21:42:00.000-07:00

Joey Porter hurt himself, perhaps by throwing a tantrum. He needs knee surgery and won't be back until Duce is.

Fred Gibson's catching on and may push Walter Young, the best receiver in camp so far, right off the roster. To make things worse, Chris Doering's back. And Sean Morey is playing well.

Hines is still holding out. I want to cry.

I'm taking bets right now that Willie Parker or Noah Herron, or both, will get more yards against other teams' starters than Jerome Bettis.

I'm also taking bets on Duce and Verron Haynes winding up scratched for at least eight regular-season games between them.

Thibault!

2005-08-10T21:38:00.000-07:00

I can hear Mike Lange going nuts over him now. Good trade, didn't give up much at all.

A 2.9 or so GAA, 90+% SP, for a fourth-round pick? Fantastic. He'll be with the PenGUINS (saved it!) for two years, in which he'll mentor Fleury/Caron/Chiodo and hopefully stop just enough shots for the team to get near the Cup.

If you'd asked me a year ago which team in Pittsburgh would be the most exciting in 2005, I actually wouuld have taken Pitt football. First Ben, then Zuke, and now all this Penguins stuff...great time for us, folks.

Terrell Owens Sucks

2005-08-10T21:28:00.000-07:00

Not as a player, but a human being. That's all I have to say about him. Welcome to the Bill Romanowski All-Stars, chump.

Nicknames Part II

2005-08-10T21:21:00.000-07:00

So the NCAA has banned American Indian-themed names from all postseason tournaments. Not the regular season--just the tourneys. Their rationale? Anything abusive, threatening, or hostile to the Natives.

Which is fine, as long as it (see below) makes sense. Someone explain to me how "Seminoles" or "Chippewas" breaks the criteria. I'm dying to know.

Names like "Redskins" and "Savages" deserve to be stricken forever. They're bullshit. I can even agree with "Fighting Sioux" as fitting, as it implies warlike behavior. Hell, "Braves" works that way, too. But a tribe name, or "Chiefs?" I'm lost here.

The main reason is that those names aren't offensive in the least, aren't intended to be, and have local ties. Ditch the caricatures mascots if you must (and you must), but leave the names alone.

If the NCAA really wants to put its money where its boredom-laced, can't-make-real-changes-so-we'll-stroke-a-few-egos mouth is, they'll also force Notre Dame to drop "Fighting Irish." I'm waiting.

Nicknames I

2005-08-10T21:11:00.000-07:00

I'm hereby begging fans around the world to only use appropriate nicknames for their teams, by which I mean abbreviations that don't sound 1) stupid; 2) "gay; or 3) have nothing to do with the team's actual name.

This has bugged me for a long time, stemming back to when the Gonzaga Bulldogs became every college basketball fan's sweetheart for no greater reason than one good run in the Tourney. People like to call the team "the Zags." See the above three points. This is a) stupid; b) "gay; and c) has nothing to do with the team's actual name! Calling them the 'Dogs would be perfectly fine, even expected. That Other Name is just ridiculous.

Also big offenders: "Pats" for Patriots; "Cubbies" for Cubs (just a bad name all-around); "Nats" for Expos; or, I hate to say it, "Pens" for Penguins. This last one is forever banished from this site.

It's perfectly acceptable to go with a team nickname that makes sense, is somehow tied into local flavor, or is a derivative of the real name.

Examples: "Bucs," "Buccos," etc. for the Pirates--Buccaneers; "Habs" for the Montreal Canadiens--I don't get it myself, but it has something to do with being French Canadian; "Sox" for Red Sox or White Sox--no explanation needed; and even cool, theme-ish names like "The Bronx Bombers" or "Monsters of the Midway." Even "Brew Crew" is better than "Zags."

Can you imagine how much it would have sucked to be Mickey Mantle in '61? Aside from getting hurt and losing the single-season home run record to Roger Maris, he had to endure being half of the ridiculous "M&M Boys." Were these people kidding? You don't compare the best hitter of his generation, the Babe Ruth of his day (and he was better than Ruth), a degenerate drinking-screwing machine to little candy-coated chocolate treats! If I'd been Mantle, I would've shot somebody.

How Smart I Am, Part II

2005-08-10T21:08:00.000-07:00

MLB's game cast dealie is pretty much the only way I can watch the Pirates regularly--no, they're not worth a full-season pass of MLB.TV. I reserve that for Zuke starts.

So anyway, McClendon brings in Rick White to pitch the ninth after the Bucs have a nice little rally to tie the score 5-5 (by the way, Mark Redman is absolutely terrible). White does his job well, the Bucs do nothing in the tenth, and then I see that White's back out to pitch.

"Game over," I say.

What happens? White gives up the winning run.

I should start my own psychic line or something.

Well, It's Something

2005-08-09T00:44:00.000-07:00

There's been contact between Hines Ward's representatives and the Steelers. But no negotiations. We wouldn't dream of doing such a thing.

In other news, the Steelers signed Chad Scott...no, not that Chad Scott, but Fast Willie Parker's backup at UNC. I guess they figured that if they could get one career college backup to turn into a budding star, it might work again.

But why'd they do that? Isn't the depth chart full?

Nope. Duce is out a month. Needs surgery on his knee. For everyone who said he wasn't injury-prone, well, he needs surgery on his knee. He's on pace to have twenty starts in his Steelers career.

This, of course, means the Bus will have to start some games a little earlier in the season than anybody, Jerome included, would prefer. On the bright side, Fast Willie and his cohorts (Verron "Duce, Jr. meets Fu" Haynes and Noah Herron) will get more game action in the preseason. Hell, maybe they'll get it in the regular one, too.

This officially ends all hope that Haynes would get traded. I love the guy, a good, smart player, but he could get hurt tying his shoes.

And finally, Rebel Child and Natalie are no more. I doubt anyone outside of the two of them care. What RC really needs is some local hottie, a real ass-kicker and insane fan of the team, to take over his "personal" side and make sure he keeps his damn head on straight.

Actually, more finally, I'm sure you heard that Myron Cope made a total ass of himself during his thank-you speech for receiving this year's Pete Rozelle award. He apologized today. I'm willing to cut the guy some slack (he's old, he's sick, he's always been crazy), and, in these days of Instaredemption, nobody will notice.

Like the Pirates. They didn't even play today, and I'm pretty sure two more losses showed up on their record. Fair's fair, I guess.

Rotating

2005-08-07T22:35:00.000-07:00

Wells didn't pitch today because of the split nail on his finger. So Ian Snell got the call, and decided that instead of performing at the level of his potential, he decided to do his best Kip impression, allowing six runs in the third.

More important are: Mike Gonzalez returning from the DL soon; and Oliver Perez about to start really pitching again.

I'm going to guess Fogg gets Vogelsong'ed, Wells dies of a mysterious illness, and Snell's allowed to remain a starter. By "guess," I mean "hope to death."

How Smart I Am

2005-08-07T22:32:00.000-07:00

A raging hangover kept me from watching all but the ninth inning of the Pirates game today, but I initally felt as if I'd blessed the team as they ran off three runs, setting up a two-on, two-out situation for one Jack Wilson.

Took a softball for a strike. "Here comes the K," say I to myself.

A few more pitches, all of them very whackable...and then Jack whiffs terribly on a 91-mph fastball on the outside corner.

What's funny is that the title of this post is really a ruse: anyone who's paid a half-second of attention to the Bucs this season would have said the same thing.

Goalies

2005-08-07T22:30:00.000-07:00

We've seen the Curtis Joseph reports. Sean Burke's apparently also on the list, probably as the #2. They're both fine netminders, but what about the kids? Shouldn't they wait to see if one of the Trio can snake the job?

More on Palffy

2005-08-06T20:45:00.000-07:00

I was rightly questioned as to my enthusiasm for the signing due mostly to my fears for no defense. And although I believe that a team that's all offense all the time can be extremely successful, and that offense (in hockey) is sometimes the best defense, I am concerned that the blue line will be inhabited by youngsters and rejects.

Again: Patrick, batshit insane, goals, 13-13.

Training Camp

2005-08-06T17:37:00.000-07:00

Given that I've had zero comment on this so far ("whew!" goes the crowd), it's time to check in.

So far:
Duce Staley's hurt. Again.
The Bus looks good.
So does Fast Willie Parker.
Cedrick Wilson is surpassing expectations.
Hines Ward still hasn't shown up, negotiations are still dead, and only Walter Young's happy about it.
The young corners are doing well. Cowher calls it "a nice problem to have."

If you want really great camp coverage, and Steelers news/views in general, go to SteelCitySports.com. Between Jim Wexell, Dale Lolley, and a bunch of great fans, you'll never go be disappointed.

This Is Really Cool

2005-08-06T17:32:00.000-07:00

I'm actually watching the Pirates on TV, first time all season. This is the LA UPN affiliate (even though they play the same theme music as FSP). Zuke's doing well enough, neither great nor Fogg. For the first time in a long time, the Bucs are getting all the breaks, building a 5-1 lead through four.

The best part: Chuck Tanner and Tommy Lasorda are in the booth, swapping yarns and currently ripping McClendon for walking the bases loaded (Jeff Kent, hitting .400 with RISP) to face Olmedo Saenz, who hit a run-scoring single on the third pitch. And now they're just bs-ing again.

What are the odds that my one game so far would have that? This is very, very cool.

I Asked, We Received

2005-08-06T17:30:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Penguins, Ziggy Palffy. Or, as I call him, WDGK, or "We Didn't Get Kovalev."

Now let's just hope the Cujo stuff is just a sick, sick rumor.

Pistons

2005-08-06T03:35:00.000-07:00

Finally, I'm ready to say something about Larry Brown:

He sucks at life.

Thanks for screwing with your shoulda-been two-timers by flirting with other jobs during the playoffs. Thanks for screwing the team out of money by using your medical condition as an excuse to be bought out. Thanks for that championship, but most of all, thanks for speaking out both sides of your mouth. You had me fooled. Shame on you. It won't happen again, so End Parable.

On the bright side, the Knicks just went from Screwed to Really Fargin' Screwed.

I'm Suddenly Even More Confused Than Usual

2005-08-06T03:28:00.000-07:00

What the hell is Craig Patrick doing? Ok, Roy to protect the Kid, Gonchar for all the fun reasons, and what? Curtis Freaking Joseph? Last time I checked, Cujo was pretty much on the downside. I guess it'd be better to let Caron or Fleury or Chiodo get a little better before letting them start in the new, eight-goals-a-night NHL? Whatever. More galling is the cast of A-listers signing elsewhere. Why no Zubov or Niedermeyer or Kovalev or, hell, one of those fun trades?

He can't really have that much faith in the current crop of defenders, can he? If so, pardon me, but he's batshit insane.

Eldred!

2005-08-06T03:25:00.000-07:00

Yay for Brad! I saw the highlight, and that was one effortless swing he had there. He just swung and lined it out. Nothing to it.

Now let's get fifty or so more of those, ok?

FA #1

2005-08-03T21:05:00.000-07:00

Sergei Gonchar?

I'm not totally averse to him (despite hating him for years as a Capital), and maybe Nieuwendyk is still waiting, but damn...I guess Patrick just wants the team to outscore everyone this year. I doubt Ed Olczyk's up to coaching that kind of team.

In related (sad) news, Alexei Kovalev signed with Montreal. Oh well. Bring on Sergei Zubov.

Rookies Go Large

2005-08-03T20:45:00.000-07:00

Big win for the Bucs tonight. Why? Because the Pieces won the game despite the Losers trying to blow it. Dave Williams didn't pitch well and committed two errors, Brian Meadows just about honked it totally by giving away a lead, but Duffy had his usual day, Bay do what he do, Doumit equalled just fine, thanks (despite his own error), and BRAD ELDRED had a wicked huge game: 4-4, 3 RBI, including the game-winning double to score Rob Mackowiak.

Excited? I am. I'm not yet convinced Eldred's out of his "just got to this level" slump, but it's progress. Duffy has me hooked. Doumit, with PT, will turn out well. Goodgoodgood.

The Legend of Zuke

2005-08-01T13:20:00.000-07:00

That sounds like a video game or bad novel, doesn't it? Well, it's apt. He finally gave up another earned run, on the strength of two doubles in the sixth, but he held the Braves at arms-length for eight innings today, propped up by homers by Jose Castillo and Chris Duffy(!). McClendon left him in for the ninth, too, but he gave up a lead-off walk to Marcus Giles and that was that: time for Mesa to make things interesting. The Bucs won, Zuke continues to be amazing, and every fifth day is a little brighter.

The downside: Jason Bay hurt himself. I don't know how. This can't be good.

Palmeiro Guilty

2005-08-01T13:14:00.000-07:00

So much for the debate over whether he belongs in the Hall of Fame: he's a user, trying to hide behind the Bonds/Sheffield school of "I didn't know." My ass.

I'm surprised that anyone's surprised. Raffy got more benefit-of-the-doubt than any of the other players brought in to testify before Congress, even from writers I respect, like Dave Zirin. Some pointed to his less-than-bulky physique, as if Brady Anderson never happened.

I knew he used. How? He shills for Viagra. He's a little older, but he's not that old. I figured the chances that he was actually ED-enabled, or impotent or whatever, were pretty slim. Now who's the smart guy, huh?

NHL Draft

2005-08-01T13:06:00.000-07:00

So, uh, the Penguins took Sidney Crosby and a bunch of other guys. That's really it. People like to refer to sports drafts as "crapshoots." I prefer night-time BASE jumps as my metaphor, blind leaps into the unknown. The NHL draft might be the most apt because, outside of a few scouts and fans of the local junior club in British Columbia or Slovakia, nobody really knows anything about these guys. Craig Patrick's a hell of a GM, but what are the chances that he's even aware half the guys he selects even exists? I'd put it around 30%. I used to follow this more closely, could go even into the third round and know something about some of the players selected; now, a team could draft Sergei Assmanov, a left wing from Omsk playing for the Mars Rovers of the Intergalactic Minor Junior Space Hockey League, and I'd just glance at it thinking "well, the need a wing."

Free agency is underway as well. This should be significantly more exciting.

Hines, Please

2005-08-01T13:02:00.000-07:00

So Hines is officially a hold-out, and the Rooneys have announced that they won't negotiate with a player who won't report to camp. Boy, that sounds like a situation based on progress!

I've been all over this, emotionally. Now I want Hines to get his money, for the team to fold, and for him to get to camp. That's all. No periphery stuff. Just get it done. Hines is the man.

The DEAD-line

2005-08-01T12:53:00.000-07:00

So much for that. Matt Lawton for Jody Gerut?

I was convinced a month ago that the Littlefield brain trust was completely detached from reality, and this reinforces my notion. Dear Matt: the team isn't any better, just cheaper. Unless you have some magical waiver deal in the works, you have failed miserably to make the team even the tiniest bit less terrible. Congrulations. Where's Syd Thrift when you need him?

Meanwhile, the Yankees are confused that the Pirates and Devil Rays didn't trade any of their better veterans to New York when they're so far out of contention. Note to Yankees: maybe, just maybe, those two teams didn't see any value coming back. I know you think you own major league talent like Bill Gates owns operating systems, but other teams are allowed to keep quality players if they want.

I wish the Bucs had tried something more. I stepped into the end of yesterday expecting big news: that the Pirates had traded Kip Wells for Ryan Howard, or that Mark Redman was going to Florida for Jeremy Hermida. Boy, was I wrong. In keeping with my above sentiments, I guess other GMs wised up to the fact that neither pitcher is worth a prospect. How does that feel, Littlefield? Of course, even further, the fact that I never saw even the tiniest Pirates-Phillies rumor backs up my "Littlefield is a moron" contention.

The First Chip Falls

2005-07-28T18:10:00.000-07:00

David Ross was traded to the Padres for SS-and-such JJ Furmaniak.

Forgive me for not being incredibly excited. At least we don't have to worry about what to do with Dross anymore!

Opening Day in July

2005-07-28T16:55:00.000-07:00

Look at today's lineup for today's game against the Marlins:

3B Sanchez
RF Lawton
LF Bay
1B Eldred
C Doumit
2B Castillo
CF Duffy
SS Wilson

Substitute "McLouth" for "Lawton," and that's probably next year's Opening Day starters. Cool, huh? Doesn't exactly inspire confidence, but whatever. I like the future.

What I don't understand? Batting Duffy lower in the order. McClendon has a tendency to do this sort of thing: move the hot bat to increase RBI or something. It usually backfires. McClendon's an idiot. I'm starting to think he wants to be fired.

ESPN today was abuzz with Dontrelle Willis's recent struggles. Well, nothing helps a guy break out of a slump like playing the Pirates. Through four innings, Dontrelle's given up one whole hit.

Bob Goodenow Resigns

2005-07-28T09:40:00.000-07:00

Most of the universe saw that one coming. His advice to the players led them to take a worse deal than was ever offered before. Guys are out a lot of money because of his "leadership."

Ted Saskin's taking his place. I sense a nice, pliable lapdog here.

Friday Night Lights

2005-07-28T09:34:00.000-07:00

I watched this as well I could on my faulty player last night. Not bad, but not worth half the hype. "The greatest sports story ever told?" Not even close. But not terrible for a football movie.

I know directors are shooting for "realism" when they use the hand-held cameras and quick cuts, but it's really distracting. That, and the totally bogus monster hits that look like something out of "Waterboy" instead of a real football game. Seriously, who takes a flying leap on a quarterback sack? These things kill any "realism" someone can hope to create. Even moreso is the depiction of the Big Opponent as the epitome of evil. Dallas Carter's coach is manipulative and arrogant, the players are dirty trash-talkers, and even the fans are asses.

I know it's a dramatic thing that every writer uses (The Unity of Opposites), but in these "true" stories, it just kills me.

As the Bucs Turn

2005-07-28T00:35:00.000-07:00

As I haven't seen his name mentioned in any trade rumors the last few days, I'm now terrified that Kip Wells will still be a Pirate on Monday.

On the other hand, Mark Redman and Matt Lawton are almost guaranteed to be gone. I like them both just fine (Lawton's lousy defense and idiotic baserunning aside), but if the Pirates can get anything worth anything out of them, they need to do it. Losing teams need to trade high and buy low.

It's good to see Duffy hit a little hot streak here. We know he can play defense; whether or not he succeeds in the majors depends on his hitting. I'm afraid he'll turn into a minor upgrade over Tike Redman instead of a legit player, but we'll know by next June in any case. He has to last at least until 2008 at the earliest, because that's when we can expect Andrew McCutchen to arrive.

Tonight's rain delays really sucked. Zuke only got to throw for two innings, extending his streak without allowing an earned run to 26. In came Ryan Vogelsong, who was remarkably effective until he allowed his only hit of the night, a typical-for-him two-run homer that was all the difference the Marlins needed.

Looking down on the farm, there are maybe five prospects between AA and AAA who still might help the team fairly soon. This recent run of rookies is nice for the big club, but it's left the System pretty barren. For a team that must rely on its farm system to produce a winner, that's a very not good thing. You have to get to high-A before you see potential impact players again, and most of the best are clustered in low-A to Bradenton.

Sigh

2005-07-28T00:03:00.000-07:00

The Steelers have offered Hines Ward a contract that would be the richest in the franchise's history, with a bigger bonus than they gave either Ben Roethlisberger or Kordell Stewart.

Ward turned it down.

Simply "most money in Steelers history" was still too low a number. I don't in any way disagree with Hines and his agents, that he deserves to be paid commensurate with his production and ability.

But regardless of how this turns out contract-wise, Hines's threat to hold out would be terrible for both him and the organization.

The fans won't turn on Ward. He's too popular. Most people, from what I've seen, want him signed and ready to go come Sunday no matter how much money it takes. But there's little chance of the fans turning on the Rooneys as well. In the crucial court of public opinion, I see no losers.

Until the relationship becomes acrimonious, either in a hold out or testy negotiations. In that case, the organization will hold to its famously low-budget tradition and Ward may, despite himself, let that affect him on the field and in the locker room. And that's when things get ugly.

Hines: keep reaching for what you deserve, but be the guy we all think you are and leave it behind you if nothing happens by the start of camp.

Rooneys: pay the man. If you're not willing to shell out as much as he and his agents demand, that's your business. But don't treat Hines like most teams would a player holding out; instead, take that high road, be the class organization that you are, and keep working until the deal is done.

Losing Hines Ward at any point before his retirement can only be a negative for the Steelers. They let Jerome Bettis stick around this long, always on mutual terms. Hines is the Bus, and maybe more.

Non-Sports-Related Movie Post

2005-07-27T15:47:00.000-07:00

It's that boring a week, and I just finished reading Bill Simmons's skewering of the travesty that is the new "Bad News Bears." I like reading Bill because he's the only sports/comedy writer with whom I agree half the time and disagree the other half. And I'm glad I'm not the only person absolutely incensed at Linklater's decision to remake the best (most entertaining) baseball movie ever. Once I found out they took out Tanner's "line," I knew I wasn't going to bother. Now I'm sure of it.

But this is about something else entirely: the sheer idiocy of the world at large, and Hollywood in particular. Now, I want to work in Hollywood. Very badly, in fact. Bad-mouthing them probably isn't a good idea - you never know when some producer's going to come along, read this, somehow attribute my cryptic initials to me the human being, and scorch me for life. Right?

So Disney's about to release this movie, "Sky High," that looks in every way like something about a child of superheroes who, because he has no super powers of his own, is sent to some kind of superhero high school.

From the short glimpses on the TV, I see "The Incredibles" meets "X-Men." I see stupid sight gags, jokes that are a thousand years old, and overdone CGI. Way overdone.

So there's Hollywood's "mistake:" they're just schlocking more crap together and hoping it works. Unfortunately, it's going to make $100 million and perpetuate the cycle of noncreativity.

As for idiocy from the world, check out the critics' raves the next time you see the commercial. "Totally original!" went one moron. Uh-huh.

So angry...

Funny and Sad

2005-07-26T08:06:00.000-07:00

Alex Smith signed his contract, automatically making him the richest rookie ever, just like every other first-overall from every other year.

That's probably the only positive thing happening to him this season. The 49ers are terrible.

But I love how it's the big news in a dull week. I also love the general sense of things.

Most years, the #1 is surrounded by speculation about what impact he might have on the team, can he help them win now, what's he worth down the road, etc. The problem for this draft class was that there was no clear #1--well, there was, but hold on--and having the pick, and the huge financial outlay associated with it, wasn't so much a great thing as the chance to pick the first nice guy with potential.

So the 49ers are stuck with this big contract for at least the next four years. You feel bad for them. It's not like Alex isn't a good player, it's just that not many people expect too much from him, at any point, ever. Mid-range physical specimens who ran gimmick offenses really aren't destined for the Hall of Fame. At least there isn't too much pressure on him to succeed right away. But in all, you fell bad for him, too. He joins David Carr on the list of guys taken #1 simply because they're quarterbacks.

What kills me is that the 49ers knew their place in this past draft, this coming season, and next year's draft--barring a miracle, they were going to have the #1 all over again. So riddle me this: why take the quarterback with questions when there was a bona fide franchise-quality receiver there? You take Braylon Edwards this year, have him go through the obligatory rookie bumps, and then draft the franchise quarterback to throw to him (Matt Leinart) the next time through. It helps both of them develop, it's easier on the bank book, and, really, it makes your team better in the long-term.

Probably Why I Don't Have A Job

2005-07-26T02:33:00.000-07:00

I forget a lot of things. I usually remember things if I remind myself to remember them, but there's only so much in a person's day that can fit around our thoughts.

In this case, I forgot to mention that while fans of Penguins hockey were going apeshit over the draft announcement, Carl Krauser quietly announced his return to Pitt for next season.

I credit Ron Cook for reminding me with his decent piece in today's P-G. Some of his line there is wishful thinking (Levon Kendall? Who's he kidding? Keith Benjamin?), but he's correct to assert that Krauser's return will keep Pitt from sinking too far in the new Big East.

Carl knows his NBA future relies on him improving two aspects of his game: shooting and turnovers. He's a streetballer at heart and wants to get all crazy out there sometimes. But we all saw what that did to his A/TO ratio last year. It sucked. We can blame some of that on Chris Taft, but it's really all on Carl and his shenanigans.

The point is that Carl, being a smart guy, absolutely will focus on getting better at those two things, and Pitt's going to be much better off for it.

Lance

2005-07-26T02:26:00.000-07:00

Congrats to Armstrong. Here's to hoping he was never on the juice.

Have I ever bitched about Skip Bayless before? Even if I have, I'm going to do it again: of all the writers employed by ESPN.com, of all the talking heads on the argument shows, he's by far my least favorite. Half of what he writes or says is either a) wrong, b) stupid, or c) poorly conceived.

Anyway, he wrote this piece for Page 2 about Armstrong and why he's not the best athlete ever, which is a point I agree with totally. He's not even close. He rides a bike. Too "simple" to qualify for a best athlete tag.

This is all well and good until Dimpy starts rambling about who the greatest are/were and why. You can go with Jim Thorpe, Bo Jackson, Deion Sanders, and most of his list pretty well, but then he gets into this Allen Iverson kick that blows my mind: because of his quickness and elite body control, Allen "could have been a great option quarterback in college." Well, Lance could have been a great poker player, but that doesn't make him one. Nice point, douche. I stopped reading right then. Seriously, if you want to make an argument, at least stick to it.

As for who the greatest athlete ever is/was, it's impossible to say. I won't even guess. I will say, much to Skip's dismay, that Lance Armstrong isn't even the best endurance athlete ever, now, or into the future. Why? Because there are endurance athletes right now who'd clean his ass right out in a blended competition. Does anyone think Lance could win the Ironman, or finish one of those 100-mile marathons? If you do, tell me why in fifty words or less, and if you convince me I'll stop complaining about it. Promise.

But Lance is the best cyclist ever. And kudos to him on that.

Titletown?

2005-07-25T08:44:00.000-07:00

We're waaaaaaay ahead of the curveball here, but this is as slow a news few-days as we've had in a while (except that Kip and both Redmans seem to have played their way into trades over the weekend), so it's time for me to engage in hopeful/less speculation. Plus, I still don't have a temp assignment for the day, so I'm bored.

Remember when Pittsburgh was the center of the American sporting universe, back in '79 and, sure, even '92? The city got two championships in the first and built for one in the second while coming impressively close. I think we're pushing toward that again.

It's a rising attitude, around the city and even in the national media. The Steelers are obviously the closest, with Ben and a great defense and a coach who, for all his deficiencies, has the team in contention almost every year. Then come the Penguins, who might pull it off this season with the group they have/will have. And, finally, the Pirates might be building a real team.

Again, way ahead of the curveball, especially with the Bucs, but you look at the rookies and wonder: can they form an adequate core? I don't mean the supposed one from this year that pretty much imploded (Wilsons, Perez). Look at the roster: the team's set with one great pitcher and another guy who still can be great; a legitimate All-Star left fielder; Gold Glove-quality middle infielders who can hit much better than they have; two catching prospects who just need time (and I'm not talking about Cota); and some good arms the bullpen. Plus, there's the rookie at first, the rookie in center, a guy who might come up to play in right, and still more arms down in Indy and on the DL. Hell, they even have Dave Williams as that adequate-fifth-starter guy. Now, fix that front-office/coaching staff problem...

Come back to me in ten years to see if this was worth the trouble.

Contracts

2005-07-24T05:27:00.000-07:00

The Steelers have most of their draft picks locked up, which is plenty cool and all, but the two guys they really need to get signed are still non-stories: Heath Miller and Hines Ward.

I understand why Miller isn't signed yet, because I don't think any first-rounder is and it's tough to put value on a guy when there isn't anyone ahead of him with value yet, either. They could give him a bump on Ben Watson's deal from last year, or even something very close to it, but whatever. Omar Khan's a good negotiator, and he probably knows exactly what the final tally will be; the devil's in the details, "sorta speak."

As for Hines, someone's being obstinate for no reason. The Rooneys are notoriously cheap (see Louis Lipps), and unless Hines has been hiding an inner asshole these last few years, he's not asking for the moon. The man's worth at least as much as Joe Horn, so pay him already. He's not Terrell Owens crying for a new deal one year into seven. He's proven his worth, and it's better to extend him with some money to make up for what he should have made the last two years and what he's worth to the franchise overall. Don't let him become a free agent. Hines is a sensitive guy, not the type to slight. But he's also very fair, maybe too fair sometimes, and wants what's due.

For what it's worth, I wish they could find a way to extend both Casey Butt and Antwaan Randle El. I like them both as Steelers very much, thank you. I know they didn't think they'd have Fred Gibson available to take in the fourth, and don't know what Zamir Cobb, Nate Washington et al bring as far as being pro receivers, so they had to hedge their bets and sign Cedrick Wilson. Alas, it means the end of ARE's tenure with the team unless he marries a Rooney, is promised part of the family fortune, and decides to stay close to his new home. Casey, though, is a different story: they don't want to extend a guy who might not be what he used to be, having torn an ACL and all. I like Hoke, sure, but he's not half as dynamic as Casey. They'll probably look to resign him after the season if he plays well. In his case, waiting is just smart business.

Corrections

2005-07-24T05:24:00.000-07:00

I still advocate firing just about everybody associated with the Pirates, even though Mac has praised the farm system for this recent run of "good" players coming up. I was wrong about "diamonds," because Zuke's one. Twentieth round, I believe. So there.

The one guy I don't recommend firing is the infield instructor, Alvaro Espinoza. Jack Wilson and Jose Castillo are both Gold Glove material (yes, they are) and he was doing good things with Aramis Ramirez before he got shipped off. He's fine by me. The minor league coaching seems pretty all right as well, but I don't know enough to really judge. Trent Jewett and his staff have to be doing something right.

Training Camp

2005-07-23T09:46:00.000-07:00

Speaking of winners, Steelers season is but a week away. Trust me, I'll be blogging the hell out of that team. I'm over a hundred posts by now, mostly about the Pirates. If I don't clear four hundred by January, between the final demise of the Pirates, the playoffs, the Penguins and Panthers and Steelers, something's wrong.

Even deeper, let's see how annoying I can get. I'm the kind of Armchair Quarterbacks.

Oh Yeah

2005-07-23T09:30:00.000-07:00

And the Pirates played and lost. Extra innings, Mesa honked it (at least it was Todd Helton and not some scrub).

Eldred and Duffy each had a hit.

Although I'm officially out of Pirates run-down mode, I was just mulling over this and, you know, this thing exists for me to spout whatever random crap I come up with:

I don't even care about the losses anymore. Wins are just gravy at this point. Biscuits and gravy, actually. From Steak & Egg in DC, at 3 am. I could go over the importance of playing time for the kids, learning the game, etc and so on. I could launch into a diatribe about playing for next year and 07, which I've done before.

But there's something bigger here, and in the wake of the Cuban rumors and everything else, I think it's really important.

The more this team loses, and loses badly, "loses well," or whatever, the sooner really big changes are made. It's pretty safe to say that Kip pitched himself into a decent trade yesterday. It's not a reach to suggest that a few other guys--Daryle Ward, Humberto Cota, Tike Redman--won't be around, either. They aren't better than role players on a good team, and the Pirates need to be done with role players as soon as possible.

They also need to be done with the whole losing culture that permeates the club. That's why I'm returning to my previous position on Kevin Millar. Not him exactly, but a "done" veteran from a winning team: a leader, a winner. I'd hope that said player's arrival directly coincides with the end of the McClendon era, and his staff along with him. And, from there, Littlefield and the scouts. Where are the gems, the hidden talents, the detritus of other teams' missed scouting? Basically, where are our Billy Beane-esque prospects?

The Bucs need a severe kick in a positive direction, and I can think of nothing better than a final divestiture of any and all career losers. The fans in Pittsburgh already support the team well enough to make the team a profitable entity; imagine what would happen if the on-field product was actually a contender.

Losing begets losing. Winning begets winning. It's time to ditch the latter and concentrate on the former.

The pieces, the kids, are falling into place. Let's do right by them and see if some real positives can come out of their development. They can't do it on their own. Give them the right mind-set. Make them feel like winners.

**The other upside of all the losses is seeing Zuke come up every fifth day and pitch like a man possessed. I don't know what he'd do surrounded by a winning streak.**

"My mind just goes round and round and round with the possibilities of the lineups," Patrick said.

2005-07-22T22:49:00.000-07:00

I know. I think about it and smile.

Recchi-Lemiuex-Kovalev
Malone-Malkin-Crosby (like Mario, he can go in or out)

That's a great one-two punch, and you can mix them up as well. Hell, that second line is a good top line on a rebuilding team. And there's a crapload of good third line/checking guys either on target or mostly in Patrick's grasp: Surovy, Koltsov, Abid, Ouellet, etc.

As for defense, it's a little sketchier. Tarnstrom joins the top guys and whomever for a great PP. Brooks Orpik is good and sound and, yes, a future captain. Ryan Whitney, Noah Welch, etc. This position will see the most free agent attention.

But who really needs defense when you have a team capable of putting up six a night with the new rules and a trio of defenders who have all produced at the NHL level, including a mini-Roy named Marc-Andre Fleury?

Astute, Ted...Very Astute

2005-07-22T22:10:00.000-07:00

My old boss, Ted Leonsis, owner of the epitome of hockey evil (the Washington Capitals), makes a very good point about Crosby. Talking about the possibility of pairing him with the Capitals' first-rounder from last year, Alexandr Ovechkin, he compared them to Magic and Bird and noted the effect their rivalry had on the NBA.

He's right. Unless they somehow both turn out to suck, it's going to be a good time watching them trade attacks for the next umpteen years. The rivalry is already a pretty good one, on minor hold due to the Penguins being a pathetic excuse for an NHL team the last few years, but they met, what, five straight years in the playoffs? That's a good way to build up emnity, ain't it?

Guess which team's the Lakers and which the Celtics. And guess which one will have the distinct upper hand in the twenty years.

It's a great few days to be a Penguins fan.

SWEETHOLYGODIJUSTABOUTTHREWUP!

2005-07-22T13:30:00.000-07:00

The Penguins somehow won the draft lottery! Of all the stupid, lousy, lucky f-ing things to happen on this beautiful Friday, the Penguins won the lottery!

Breathe. Wow. I'll do more on this later. I think I have to go kiss a horse or something.

Ha

2005-07-22T01:03:00.000-07:00

Just saw this at the Pirates' main site:

The Pirates will hold an open tryout at PNC Park on Tuesday, July 26, with registration beginning at 8 a.m. ET. All players 16 years of age and older are invited to attend. American Legion players must have written permission from their coach or Legion Post Commander. Participants are instructed to bring their own uniform, glove, shoes and catcher's equipment.

So...many...jokes!

What happens when one of the kids out-hits Jack Wilson? Or throws more strikes in fifty pitches than Kip Wells?

Who the Hell Is Chico Harlan?

2005-07-22T00:09:00.000-07:00

New writer at the P-G? His stuff's all over today's sports page. Wonderful. Go read this.

An Oddly Big Day for This Season

2005-07-21T23:58:00.000-07:00

First of, Zuke is absolutely fargin' amazing. His scoreless-innings streak ended when he gave up an unearned run in the sixth, but his earned run streak lives on. 23.1 sound about right? I haven't looked at the official numbers yet. It's nice, as a pitcher, to get a five-run spot from the get-go, Part II of the big day's gloriosity.

Then I see something I kind of like and kind of don't: Brad Eldred got the call. Bobby Hill sent down. It's good to see that the organization's best power prospect, maybe their best power hitter, period, is on the big club and the glut of middle infielders has been thinned. But I don't know about Eldred just yet. Like I said before, I worry he's a poor man's Adam Dunn. Too many Ks. If the Pirates had a better hitting coach than Gerald Perry, it wouldn't be a big deal.

I should probably just be glad that the Youth Movement, of sorts, is underway now that Indy's best four players from this year are in Pittsburgh (I don't count Ronny Paulino yet, although he could be next if Cota's traded). I thought that Duffy, Eldred, Duke, and Doumit would be good additions to the core back during Spring Training, and now they're here; Ian Snell may still be as good as his stuff dictates. The experience can't hurt.

Now let's get Nate McLouth, Paulino, and Yurendell DeCaster up and active. Woo.

In minors news, Paul Maholm got promoted to Indy, switching with Hansel Izquierdo. Believe it or not, but that makes him an outside candidate for next year's Pittsburgh rotation.

Some Hockey Stuff

2005-07-21T15:08:00.000-07:00

1) Jeremy Roenick's an idiot. He's the Curt Schilling of the NHL. He needs to stop talking yesterday. The league cheating to put a potentially great player in the biggest market in the sport isn't good for the league; it's good for that one team, that one market, and it pisses off everybody else. I thought Jeremy had gone pretty far into the Idiot Hole when he said that crap about the media and fans earlier in the summer, but he just successfully topped himself.

2) These new rule changes are good moves, but I'd prefer they move the nets further away from the boards, not closer to them. I understand the thinking, and it's also correct that it should help the scoring, make the breaks more exciting and all that. It's a matter of what you prefer. I like sweet plays behind the net, like the Penguins of not-s0-old used to do when they were the prettiest team on ice: pass, pass, pass, pass, skate, pass, pass, skate, pass, cut, pass, shoot, goal. I loved their sets. This affects the game, really, only in so much as it makes those four-point sets tougher to run.

I support the red-line elimination--two-line pass penalties are boring and stupid. I also support the no touch icing, but I do not support the ability of referees to wave it off on an attempted pass. That has some serious potential for trouble, especially in the playoffs: imagine a ref giving the wave on a non-pass that just barely manages to kind of look like one in a huge game, allowing a crucial clear when the puck should, actually, come back into the zone.

3) I'm really, really glad that the NHL's coming back. Once the madness clears sometime in September and they really get into playing some games, I expect a better game that will please old fans and hopefully attract new ones. The fiance and I are discussing buying a cable package so we can see our respective teams from the other side of the continent.

4) The Penguins need to get one of the slots licenses, or the new arena won't be built and the team will be moved. Boots and Mario had better have their best lobbying gloves on, because they, their team, and their fans need it.

Milestone

2005-07-21T15:03:00.000-07:00

Greg Maddux is shooting for his 3000th K (wanted to do 3K-K, but that would have been stupid) tonight. He needs six.

Am I the only person who'd be willing to "gamely" fan for the mark? These things are remembered, people, and ninety percent of big leaguers just fade into memory. Help achieve something huge, and you're immortal along with them. Just not for the same, or even a good, reason.

Trades

2005-07-21T02:16:00.000-07:00

The Angels have reportedly entered the Kip Wells "sweepstates." Considering the way their farm system reeks with talent, I'm not totally against it. And if Eldred turns into a decent pro, fine, I don't need Ryan Howard to keep from going batshit insane. I'm just baffled that anyone wants him. Maybe he'd be better in middle relief.

UPDATE:
Livan Hernandez wants to quit. The Expos will need another starter.

Bucs, Bucs, Bucs

2005-07-21T02:07:00.000-07:00

Now it's just getting pathetic. Fogger threw ten pitches and gave up, what, five runs?

Of course McClendon's all smiles. You'd have to be. If you can't laugh at how bad it is and how quickly you're going to be canned, you can't laugh at anything.

Galling, though, is that with all the other proposed job changes at the manager's position, Joe Girardi, a pretty legitimate candidate with a winner's mentality, a guy who's learning from one of the best, is going to slip away to a team like the Marlins. Earth to Pinhead: you can't win with McClendon, so what's the point of missing out on a guy who might make a little bit of a difference for a transiting team? And don't even get me started about Jim Leyland, now rumored to be vewy vewy intewested in the Cincy job.

At least I got some positives today:

Chris Duffy is doing well since his call-up. The bat I'll withhold judgement on until he's 100 ABs in (Doumit hit well at first, too); but that fielding, wow. Teach him to hit within sniffing distance of .300, try to walk about one in six or seven, and he's a keeper. Again, caution here.

Brad Eldred, since coming off the DL, is killing the ball. Ten homers in ten games? That's a streak, my friends. But I hope they keep him in Indy until the September at the very, very earliest--Brad needs to work on striking out a helluva lot less. He's a poor man's Adam Dunn right now. We want a poor man's Albert Pujols.

Zuke pitches tomorrow. I predict a 1-0 loss.

And for anyone who cares, Chris Shelton's going at a .356/.991/9 pace in 43 games for the Tigers. Good thing Tony Alvarez was kept on the 40-man, huh?

On the Brighter Side...

2005-07-19T21:58:00.000-07:00

...I saw a really bad movie while travelling last weekend.

If you haven't seen "Fever Pitch," don't. Actually, do it and enjoy the Dropkick Murphys kick-ass baseball tune "Tessie," which I should hate because it's an ode to the Red Sox but I can't because I wish the Pirates had something that cool. Groove to the song and then immediate turn the damn movie off.

It's not often that my sensibilities about film are offended. I'm neither smart nor pretentious enough about these things to say more than "good, "bad," and why. For the most part, even movies I hate make sense to me artistically or aesthetically. I just don't like them. Take "Bull Durham," which is fine as long as Susan Sarandon and her drooping self aren't anywhere near the screen. She kills the movie for me, but I get it. It's ok that way.

Not this piece of, excuse me, shit. If you liked it, please tell me what I missed. I didn't care about either character after, oh, the eight second mark. The conflict really didn't work at all. If there was any structure at all beyond the very basics, it must have slipped into a parallel universe for a smoke. And, worst of all, plausibility just completely went out the window when:
They chose Jimmy Fallon to lead;
Ms. Barrymore wasn't beaten half to death for running onto the field;
The "fans" sounded more like rejects from acting school pretending to be New Englanders than anything even somewhat resembling the real thing;
A three-year-old could have pinpointed the exact moment at which the original cut abandoned its original ending to follow the Red Sox to the World Series;
An entire lifetime's worth of dedication and love was really any kind of sticking point in a relationship. This is the worst one for me. It's called contrivance, people. You don't manufacture conflict. If Drew was allegedly so into Jimmy, the fandom wouldn't have mattered. If it did, she never would have gotten that deep with him. Believe it or not, women aren't stupid; sometimes crazy, but not stupid.

If you can't suspend your disbelief to entire a film's fantasy world, it's a waste of everyone's time. Maybe some sappy-hearted people got into it, those moved by love stories or diehard Red Sox folks still trying to recover after what happened last October. Not me and definitely not the people around me on that plane. That movie sucked.

The State of Things

2005-07-19T21:43:00.000-07:00

No independent post for the new revelation that it's Larry Bigbie, not Mike Lowell, in a trade for Mark Redman. Just shock. I feel like I'm getting stupider every time I read a new trade rumor.

Hey, remember a few years back when the hot Pirates trade news concerned which plum prospects they'd get out of the Giles deal? Or last year, when we were all a-titter over what might happen with Benson? Forget it. Actually, the Benson trade should have tipped us off that Dave Littlefield cleans his ears with a toilet brush. I can't believe I used to stick up for the guy. You can't even get Melvin Mora by sending both Redmans and Ward? Seriously?

Look: here's where we are, as fans and as supporters and everything. It's come to this. For God's sake, we're so sick of all this horrible mediocrity that we're rooting for a billionaire with local roots to buy the team and go Yankee on it. We beg, we cajole, we hassle the current bosses in their own house, we get sick seeing "top" pitching prospects like Ian Snell stink up the entire North Shore, we pray for just one more guy like Jason Bay to at least get the Bucs up to Brewers level. The most exciting two points in our season are the non-waiver trade deadline and the day the inevitable midseason hot streak gets the team back to .500. All we really want is to matter, just for a few weeks, in the grand scheme of the National League, not as spoilers or punching bags but as legitimate contenders fighting the big boys for a little taste of pie.

It's driving us insane, and it's apparently rubbing off on management. Seriously, anybody who's seen this team play knows that they've all but completely quit on ol' Lloyd, that Gerald Perry couldn't teach Ted Williams to hit off a tee, and that Spin Williams is, at the very least, clinically insane. Ed Creech can't scout, Dave Littlefield can't haggle, and the group of morons running the show from the shadows are more interested in sparkling lights, shiny lights, and boobs to actually think about how to make the team better.

Now we're treated to the idea of Mike Lowell or Larry Bigbie or Mark Lemke or Honus freaking Wagner coming to the team, and for what? Nobody's going to miss Daryle Ward, but at least Mark Redman has value as a potential staff anchor. I try hard every day to drink the Kovacevic Kool Aid, I really do, but I really don't know how much further I can go.

I hate myself for loving this team so much. I hate that I go to games when I can, spend money on licensed merchandise, and root root root for the Pirates. They don't win and it's a shame. All of it. Every lousy bit of it.

Holy Crap

2005-07-19T21:42:00.000-07:00

So that was the worst doubleheader I've ever "seen." At least Doumit hit some dingers!

Late Night News!

2005-07-18T22:13:00.000-07:00

Wow. From Baseball Tonight, so take it with as much salt as you like. Rumored three-team trade that would involve the Bucs getting Mike Lowell and cash and giving up Mark Redman and Daryle Ward. It has to be crap. There's no way. I'm not saying getting Lowell would be a bad thing (just yet, give me a minute to look some stuff up), but damn, that's a lot to give for an older guy having a terrible year. Hold on.

In lighter news, this was just in the P-G. How must it feel to be Kevin Mac and seeing your fans cheering for a guy in your section because they want him to buy your team? Because they think you're killing the franchise and that the other guy can do it better? I almost feel bad for him.

Lowell update:
Ok, he's only 31, not as old as I thought but at an age at which he doesn't get any better. He's making Lawton money this year, most of which has and will be paid this year and next, apparently. He's under contract through 2007.

There's insane risk in this deal. I don't care about losing Ward and Wells; just getting money for them is fine by me. But having Lowell around for two and a half years, all of which may be completley unproductive time, with a big salary in that final year that may or may not (I don't know yet) be subsidized by the Marlins, with a pair of guys (Yurendell DeCaster and Jose Bautista) who could be pushing for playing time next year if not in September, with no certainty around Craig Wilson and Brad Eldred or Ryan Howard or what happens to the rotation when Kip Wells is gone...I mean, this is nuts. I'm not against this by any means, as a guy who has had great success, won a World Series with a younger team, and seems like a generally good fella overall is the kind of thing the Pirates need.

Ok, I'll try it:
Lowell plays third full-time. Fine. What do you do with Rob Mackowiak and Freddy Sanchez? Now my bs detectors are going off full-time. Whatever. Maybe they trade Jack Wilson. Couldn't hurt at this point.
Ian Snell takes Redman's spot in the rotation. Mike Johnston comes up from Indy to take his place in the bullpen. Fine.
Kip Wells and Humberto Cota go to the Phillies for Ryan Howard and change. Howard gets most of the reps at first base (he'd have to--you don't trade for role players). What happens to Craig Wilson? He plays in right. Doumit and Paulino catch. Paulino takes Cota's roster spot.
Someone has to lose out here. I say it's Tike, sent to someone for something. Maybe it's Mackowiak.
Either way, the more I think about it, the less likely this trade seems.

Fools!

2005-07-18T19:44:00.000-07:00

Go here, the best Pirates fan blog going. Read about the rumor circulating around Kip and Cota for Ryan Howard. Vote. Comment. Thank me later.

Do I do it? Are you kidding? Two dead weight players for the best first base prospect at this level in baseball? Where do I sign up? This fortuitously opens up a roster spot for Ollie when he's off the DL and should get Ronny ".375" Paulino into Pittsburgh. He and Doumit can begin their competition for next year's starting job right now as far as I'm concerned. Their combined production should match Cota's. At least.

My comment at Bucs Dugout left out the question of "what happens to Brad Eldred?" My answer? Howard won't cost hardly a thing to keep for (I think) the next two years as he'll still be in that weird MLB salary limbo that somehow the union thought was cogent and just. If Eldred develops and they push each other and make each other better for it, great. If Howard flops and Eldred doesn't pan out, at least the Pirates got rid of Kip Wells and his completely unearned salary. If Eldred turns out to be great and Howard buys a house in Indy, see above: win-win.

If they move Wells before Perez is ready to go, it gives Ian Snell another chance to start and should probably get Mike Johnston back in Pittsburgh. Other than that, I don't know who else in Indy moves up. Corey Stewart? Mark Corey?

It's Official

2005-07-18T19:33:00.000-07:00

Two things, actually:

First, this is the hundredth post, not the dreck repeater that will be immediatley remedied. How unprofessional of me...I'm very proud. You may begin showering me with praise and accolades any time now. Tanny? You there?

Secondly, Mr. Mark Cuban is apparently not just kind-of-interested in buying the Pirates, but seems to be warming to the idea. KDKA (wow, what a crappy, crappy site--I guess it's a CBS-wide problem) has apparently talked with him and he didn't offer any of that "if there's any danger of moving" hooey. This is completely unsubstantiated right now; here's the link.

Like I said, such a development would be absolutely friggin' fantastic. He'd have the team in the World Series in three years, or he'd at least have them spent to the nines. Either way, at least we know someone's trying. More nights like tonight cannot be stomached.

Here. Email him. Tell him you want him to buy. If you don't, don't say so. Don't ruin it for the rest of us.
mark.cuban@dallasmavs.com

Good Things Come to Those With No Internet Access

2005-07-18T13:22:00.000-07:00

So after Comcast crapped the bed and left me without media for a week, I was initially about as angry as Lloyd McClendon after a Kip Wells start. I thought it'd be allayed a bit when I was in New York for the weekend to visit my lovely fiance, but she's been out of the loop, too.

The guy came and got me fixed up this morning, and man alive, what a bunch of news to find on the ol' laptop:

Zach Duke is still nasty. What's the longest scoreless-inning streak for a rookie? He's up to what, seventeen now? I love how he's like a poor man's Jason Schmidt, really relying on two pitches (fastball and change-up) to get guys out. I don't care if he doesn't strike a guy out from now until 2010; rack up the wins, baby. The Pirates aren't much, but that infield can play some defense. Good, smart kid. By blanking the Cubs through eight and working out of some jams, he showed the moxie and skill needed to not only survive in the majors, but have a wonderful career. I still think the same about Ollie; once he gets himself straightened out, calms down a little, learns that you don't have to strike out every batter, and figures out that his breaking stuff is his best friend, he'll be back to last year's form and even better. You can't teach high-90s heat. Back to Duke: making a big assumption, that he continues to pitch well this year and next, I'm voting now for the Bucs to offer him a ten year deal worth around $80 million. I'd say more, but it's not my money to spend. I think I'm in love.

In more Pirates news, there was the Mark Cuban brouhaha. I very much doubt it would happen, but just imagine what would happen if he bought out the Nutting regime--the man only cares about winning. I don't think he'd be as egregious as George Steinbrenner (you know, he'd actually pay attention to prospects as more than trade bait), he'd be willing to spend some of his obnoxious fortune, and he'd be the most amusing thing to hit this town since the Kordell Stewart era. Kevin Mac sitting in various places and occasionally switching seats with fans is nice and all, but what about a guy who hassles the umpires from his seat directly behind the plate? I'd give him three losing home series before he stormed the field to help ol' Lloyd argue a close call at second. Check that: make it Joe Torre. A guy can dream, right?

Then we find out that hockey's back! Now that I'm done dancing about it, let's discuss:
The Penguins are way under the cap and most of their best internal players aren't going to cost much.
They still have Mario Lemieux.
Craig Patrick used to be one of the best GMs in sports, and still may be now that money doesn't dictate his decision-making.
What does it mean? It means that the Pens, along with roughly half the league, will begin chasing big names, guys with speed, touch, and experience, yesterday. They have their targets and once they get the new CBA completely figured out, they'll have contract offers floating around for guys with names like Niedermayer, Kovalev, and maybe Naslund. The Mario Card is a big draw for guys looking to win and play with a legend.
Do I like the idea of the Penguins buying a contender? Normally, no; when I came of age and realized what Howard Baldwin did to get those two Cups, I feel a little crappy about it. Now, it's just playing the system. Patrick did a very great job of preparing the franchise for this moment, a touch of prescience that rivals any ever orchestrated. Do I think another Cup this season? No. But playoffs, even a deep run like in '01, is very possible. I'm excited for October, even more than usual.

And according to a just-now ESPN report, Joe Dumars is talking with Larry Brown about a buyout. I wanted him to stay, very badly in fact, and I have no idea who takes his place on the Pistons bench. This, I'm not happy about. Getting the right coach for that team, that group of players, will be tough. As some believe Larry's headed to the Knicks, look for that team to surprise and the Pistons to slip unless they get someone with the same philosophy and gifts of one Larry Brown.

Big, big week. I'm sure the next two will be sleepers: the Pirates' most tradeable commodity, Kip Wells, has decided to suck as much as possible. I don't think I've ever disliked a Pittsburgh player more over a longer span of time: from the day he came over in the Todd Ritchie trade to now, he's done nothing but piss me off. Even at his best, I want him to go away. I root for him to succeed so he can go somewhere else and the Pirates can get better at another position through the move. If nothing, I want him to do well so the team can win some roadies. But Kip is a constant pain in my rear and I now hope that if he's not moved, he isn't offered arbitration and becomes a free agent. At least Fogg's a gamer. Kip's just a gutless twit.

Forget anything I ever said about possible trades for good prospects or decent major leaguers. Forget that I ever dreamed that the Pirates could turn their limited success this season into a decent run at 2007. Forget that I even care. Kip couldn't even pull a Kris Benson at this point. Jose Hernandez would be ample compensation at this point.

Pittsburgh and the Negro Leagues

2005-07-12T03:09:00.000-07:00

I intended to post about this on Saturday or Sunday, but plum forgot about it, as I'm wont to do.

Saturday's game against the Mets featured both teams in Negro League throwback unis, the Bucs wearing Pittsburgh Crawfords colors and the Mets as the New York Cubans.

Most people these days treat the Negro Leagues as an unfortunate thing that happened long ago, but no big deal, all's well these days. Well, not really. There's a lot of important history to remember and a lot of players who got shafted by the system.

The ban on blacks in the majors was codified by Judge Landis, a guy who, as far as I'm concerned, gets way too much credit. There had been a tradition in which championship clubs from the major leagues played barnstorming series against Negro league all-star teams and champions from the various associations. By all accounts, only blowhard morons like Ty Cobb didn't love doing it, and the competition was great. Well, Landis put the kibbosh on that by dictating that no white player could play against a black team "in his own uniform." Barnstorming exhibitions between all-star squads still went on, particularly outside the US, but it ended any hope black players had of reaching the majors.

Without going into a long-winded history of leagues and teams, I'll leave it at this: the Negro Leagues spawned two teams in Pittsburgh. The Crawfords were the brainchild of racketeer Gus Greenlee, a Depression-era profit-hound who was like the George Steinbrenner of his day. He bought himself the best roster he could and won quite a few championships. Across town were the Homestead Grays, owned by former player Cumberland Posey.

The Grays were something else, if for no greater reason than they started and ended the career of my favorite player of all time, Josh Gibson. He was eighteen, newly married, and an acclaimed sandlot catcher when he was pulled from the stands to take the place of the Grays' usual catcher, who got hurt. Josh kept the job until he died. After some years with the Grays, he jumped to the Crawfords to join Satchel Paige, Buck Leonard, Cool Papa Bell, and others. When Greenlee was busted by the feds, Josh went back to Posey with some of his new friends.

Thus began an unprecedented and unmatched feat in sports: they won nine straight championships. They were ridiculous. But it all started with Josh.

And this is where I start getting pissed. Nobody doubted that the black and Latin players were very, very good. Honus Wagner once called Dick Lundy "the greatest shortstop I have ever seen." Dizzy Dean once stated that his Cardinals should sign Gibson and Paige so they could wrap up the pennant by the Fourth of July and go fishing until World Series time. Writers all over the country, in both black and white papers, extolled the abilities of these men.

But nobody in the majors had the stones to break Landis's decree. There are rumors that Branch Rickey flirted with signing Gibson to play for the Pirates several years before he brought Jackie Robinson to the Dodgers, but it's just rumors. Instead, fine ball players were paid relative pittances and had to supplement their incomes by playing for slightly better money in Latin America during the winter--or the one season when a slew of them went to the Dominican to play for dictator Rafael Trujillo's team that, surprisingly, won the championship with ease.

And again, back to Josh. The live ball era began in the late Teens and '20s with the advent of Babe Ruth. Modern parks were built with sluggers in mind, bringing fences closer to home; dingers sold tickets, and the inside game was dead. Bat technology improved. Home run totals shot way up. Ruth retired with 714 home runs.

Excuse me, but screw Babe Ruth. With a mess of things in his favor, not least that short right-field porch in Yankee Stadium, he did what he did and it was incredible, but it's nothing compared to what Gibson did.

Playing his home games in the monstrous Forbes Field and Griffith Stadium (the Grays spent several years based in Washington, DC, as a profit-making venture between Posey and Clark Griffith, owner of the hapless Senators), road games on fields that sometimes didn't even have outfield fences, and on a year-round schedule that would make most men cry, propped up by booze and drugs, Josh hit at least 850 home runs, possibly as many as 930. It's estimated that his lifetime average was around .350. He won the Negro National League's batting title one year by hitting .517.

He and Leonard were the first black men inducted into the Hall of Fame, respect where it's due, but neither of them spent a day in the bigs. Leonard was too old by the time Robinson came along, and Josh died earlier that year from a brain tumor.

Jackie Robinson ended pro sports' most shameful episode, but the unintended consequence was that men such as Gibson have become nothing more than footnotes instead of getting the respect that they deserve. You cannot tell me that Willie Mays and Barry Bonds were better than Gibson. You can't tell me that Roger Clemens was better than Satch. These guys were the best of the best and people act like they never even existed.

Kudos to the Pirates for hosting uni nights like Saturday and for keeping a permanent exhibit up in PNC dedicated to the city's great legacy of black baseball. I'm proud of the city for re-naming the Homestead Hi-level the Homestead Grays Bridge. And it was great to hear that 37,000 red Crawfords caps turned PNC into a beautiful-er thing the other night.

But it's not enough. Bring these records and accomplishments into the common baseball parlance and start acting like black ball players existed before 1947.

Say It Ain't So!

2005-07-12T00:38:00.000-07:00

Even Prisuta can be right sometimes.

Message to the Pirates: stop spending money on cute little attractions, and start spending money on the ball team. You'll get a much better return on your investment.

B-Ball

2005-07-12T00:27:00.000-07:00

Just read this little baby about two of Pitt's incoming recruits for this year, Tyrell Biggs and Levance Fields. As I know absolutely dick about them, I won't say anything except that they sound like goodies. The one guy I really want to see is Trevor Ferguson, who apparently was quickly becoming one of the country's top recruits as a junior before he broke both of his wrists. The Pitt website lists his nickname as "Sunshine," so I don't know what to think.

This line, though, caught my attention:
"Junior guard Antonio Graves, Pitt's leading returning scorer (7.8 ppg.), knows what the newcomers are going through."

Graves is terrible. I hadn't realized exactly how up a creek the Panthers are this year until I read that sentence. It's a good thing the Big East gave them a nicer schedule this year, because they're gonna need it.

HRD Blog II

2005-07-12T00:18:00.000-07:00

Pudge tried to make an ass of me, didn't he? I almost had to praise Berman for being astute, which would have hurt.

How right was I about the low numbers, though? First round totals: Bay zip, Teixeira two, Choi and my guy Andruw Jones at five. I was right in so many ways. Sheer genius that I am, I think I'll go roll around in money for the next half hour or so.
(Note: if those totals are pretty regular, don't tell me. I need this.)

Good for Bobby Abreu. Two records, both really unlikely to be broken. It's a shame that only the Reds serve up that many in-game gopherballs.

The Pirates had better get someone capable of actually hitting homers for next year, lest Mr. Bay leave the PNC faithful hungry and angry. Jason's just too much of a throwback guy, a line-drive hitter with gap power and the muscle to hit thirty or so out.

As much as I enjoyed seeing the guys from each country mauling their heroes-for-the-day, I much disliked the format. I know nobody cares about the Leagues anymore, but (POLITICS ALERT!) country is a contrived construct as far as I'm concerned. Does anyone think Bay or Teixeira gave a damn that they were "representing" their countries? They both looked like they weren't trying to screw up too badly.

I hate the Red Sox, but I love David Ortiz. Good guy, nasty hitter. It's a shame his own record-breaking performance didn't count, thanks to Abreu. It's doubly a shame he didn't make the final, because Pudge didn't make it count. From now on, I'd like to see anybody who breaks the single-round record in the first round get an automatic bye to the final. I don't care if it means six guys have one round to take it all.

Home Run Derby Blog

2005-07-11T17:08:00.000-07:00

Chris Berman is a very tired act.

How uncomfortable was seeing "Mike Piassa" and Johnny Damon join Creed Lite on stage for the pre-contest performance? I felt bad for everyone involved, particularly the producer who deserves to be fired for making that decision. And why can't people pronounce Piazza's name correctly? It's the same as the cheesy pie thing you get delivered from Dominos: just add an A.

I understand they want to promote the new World Baseball Classic and all, but this national angle is stupid. Home Run Derby participants should be legit power threats, not high average guys with power. Now watch the final come down to Bay and Hee Seop Choi.

I'm taking 4:1 odds that at least two guys eliminated in the first round don't hit more than ten homers between them. It could easily be three of them. Comerica's BIG.

It's 5:16 PST, and Berman's already said to much.

Does the winner of this year's Derby win all that money for a house again? Can we just get that guy who won in '03, the one who sounded like a tool and made the entire staff wary by thanking Garret Anderson for getting him a house and Jesus for building him an eternal home in Heaven? Please?

This gold ball is going to guarantee outs. All that money they pledged to donate is going to just disappear.

Joe Morgan likes Carlos Lee or Andruw Jones. Berman, an idiot to the end, likes Pudge. I hope he was joking. I'll take Jones.

Abreu's up first..."He should retire right now!" Berman says on Abreu's first jack. Berman's a tool.

Shot of Dontrelle Willis holding a flag and laughing. If there's a single person in America who doesn't like Dontrelle Willis, they need to be beaten.

Is it the opening round, or the crowd, or Abreu: this place is inordinately quiet.

Berman's first "backbackbackback..." I actually like when he does it once, like he did in the '80s. If he does it more than once, my hatred grows.

Bobby's killing the ball. He's hit a couple well over 480. And he just hit his tenth right out of the damn park: 517 feet. Maybe it's time to change my favorite.

Everyone's hyperventilating over this. Josh Gibson used to do this in games. He hit a ball out of Yankee Stadium and launched a 600 footer out of Comiskey. People have no idea.

I'm starting to think that even Berman is tired of Berman.

Whose idea was it to put all those kids in the outfield to catch the "outs?" One of them's seriously going to get hurt.

Awwww....Pudge just brought Abreu a towel and Gatorade. How sweet.

Wow. Miguel Tejada's one-round record from last year, 15 is going to fall and fall hard. That's sixteen and he still has three outs to give.

All right. I'm done with this for now. It's going on FOREVER. I defy someone to break this record. Just not tonight, ok?

Gold ball: after letting six go by, a couple that were perfectly fine, Abreu made his last out. Considering how many he just hit, I'll hold off on my "toldja so" for now.

For the record and before I forget, Abreu broke his bat. On the sweet spot. Hitting a home run.

Okey dokey, Jason's up. Four outs. At least he's hitting nice doubles!

Last two almost made it. I think Jason's gonna be one of the ignoble. And the gold ball streak continues.

More later.

Sports Movies of Note

2005-07-11T02:53:00.000-07:00

I've ragged on a couple below, but since I'm watching these things constantly, often while reading the screenplays, I'd like to talk about two dear to me in particular. Since it's baseball season and I'm blogging the crap out of the Pirates lately, guess what the theme might be?

First, "Bull Durham." Many have gone on long rants about this one, treating it as either the best sports movie of all time or a sappy chick-flick with little real sports substance. I side mostly with the latter but deviate because I like every scene in the movie that doesn't involve Susan Sarandon trying, in any way, to be sexy. Whoever decided she was attractive back in the '80s needs to have their testicles re-examined and their eyes uncrossed. I actually get sick looking at her. Maybe it's just me.

But anyway, the baseball scenes are mostly ok and the dialogue is sharp. Nuke LaLoosh is a half-baked character. Susan Sarandon is ugly and has boobs that touch her knees. Kevin Costner should have mailed it in after this--wait, he did. Never mind.

Second, my baby, "Major League." I love this movie. I've probably seen it a hundred times, and I could see it a thousand more. It just never gets old. I like that old-school, pre-Farrelly comedy that doesn't get goofy for goofy's sake (like how "There's Something About Mary" would have been damn near perfect if not for that stupid dog). "Major League" is goofy, but it's the characters, not the gags, (NERD ALERT) and since the plot moves like an actual drama, and the theme isn't madcap, it just works. Not many comedies do that these days.

For purely personal matters, three in all, I actually cry at the end of that movie. Not weeping, but tears worth blinking away. That doesn't happen often because I'm a nerd who picks at little things and spends the entire movie hammering every plot point, pinch, and transition. But yes, tears. I think I'll watch it again today.

Mid-Season Roundup and Predictions

2005-07-10T19:11:00.000-07:00

So far, so bad for our Battlin' Bucs. The bright spots:

For the second year in a row, the team's All-Star rep deserves to be there. It'd be three in a row if Mike Williams hadn't gone over Brian Giles in '03. Part of the Giles yield, Jason Bay is making a myth of the Sophomore Slump and playing about as well as any team's lone offensive threat would. A guy who can hit 30+ or so homers a year, with a .300 average, is perfect for the three spot. That's exactly one position filled. It'll be fun watching tomorrow's Derby.

It's good to see Ryan Doumit as the first manifestation of the prospects moving up.

Jose Castillo's continued progress. Great defense, a future .290/15-20/80 guy.

Zach Duke is NASTY. So far.

The bad:
Jack Wilson.
Daryle Ward.
Kip Wells/Oliver Perez.
Ogden Nutting.

Players destined to be traded:
Kip Wells, Matt Lawton, Mark Redman

Player I now don't want to see become a Pirate:
Kevin Millar--I didn't realize he's 34 and counting.

I really don't think they can get any worse, so I'll go so far as to suggest 75 wins (bold, I know) and a fourth place finish, ahead of the Brewers and Reds.

Now for the teams that matter--our playoff teams!
AL:
East: Red Sox
Central: White Sox
West: Angels
W/C: Twins. This was the tough one, because the Orioles, Yankees, Blue Jays, and Rangers are all, right now, within reach. Some think the As can make another run like they did a few years back, but no. The Yanks are too streaky, the Orioles always fold, the Jays just lost Halladay for a month+, and the Rangers still don't have the arms. The Twins have been in this situation before and know how to win down the stretch. It'll be very, very close no matter how it goes.
MVP: It would be Tejada today and A-Rod if the Yankees make the playoffs, but I'll go with Manny Ramirez. After a slow start, he's finally producing.
Cy Young: It would have been Halladay and still might be if he's great when he comes back and some other guys falter. If I had to choose, I'd go with Johan Santana. The award is for the best pitcher, and I think he qualifies as that.

NL:
East: Braves. Yes, the Braves. Why? Because they always do. More below.
Central: Cardinals in a laugher
West: Padres
W/C: Marlins. The Mets and Phillies are longshots, and as much as everyone loves the Expos, does anyone really think they're good enough to hold off the other contenders? I don't. They just lost Junior Spivey, too.
MVP: Derrek Lee if the Cubs somehow win the W/C. They won't. Since the Braves do it, one of my least favorite players EVER gets the nod: Andruw Jones. This becomes moot if Lee wins the Triple Crown. Anybody who does that deserves the MVP.
Cy Young: Dontrelle Willis. I love this kid. If I owned the Bucs, I'd offer the Marlins ten million dollars, JVB, a 100 acre estate in Slovenia, and Chris Duffy for him.

Playoffs:
Red Sox over Twins, White Sox over Angels
Braves over Padres, Cardinals over Marlins (unless they get a bat; then, I take them to the WS)

White Sox over Red Sox
Cardinals over Braves

The Cardinals continue Chicago's reign of pain.

Prospecticus for the Rest of Us

2005-07-09T23:36:00.000-07:00

First, I have a feeling Mr. Andrew McCutchen, barring a serious setback, will soon find himself in either Williamsport or Hickory; I'd say Lynchburg, but he really only has two months. He's just hitting the bejeezus out of the ball in the GCL, doing much better than last year's #1, Neil Walker, who struggled a bit and is still a sub-.300 hitter in Hickory (that's not cause of alarm at all--Christ, he's all of nineteen). But as of today, the Poet (as he shall henceforth be known, due to his affection for the art and the way he plays in the field) is hitting .382/.559/1.059. He has the slugging percentage without benefit of a homer, which means he's hitting the ball plenty hard into the gaps. Once he gets the nuances of wooden bats figured out, watch your heads. And for those of you playing along at home, those numbers mean a .500 OBP. That's ridiculous. Give him two more weeks to make sure the numbers stay consistent, and get his ass promoted.

This is from the P-G: "Center fielder Andrew McCutchen, the Pirates' top pick in the June draft, is off to a strong start with Bradenton of the Gulf Coast League. He is hitting .382 in his first 10 games, with four doubles, a triple and six RBIs. He also has walked eight times and stolen two bases. Defensively, he has three outfield assists, including two men thrown out at home. "I feel very good about the way he's playing," Littlefield said."

Now to two of his draft classmates, Brent Lillibridge and Cameron Blair, taken in the fourth and sixth rounds respectively. They're both college middle infielders, so Littlefield didn't bother with Bradenton and sent them immediately to Williamsport.

To this point, both are struggling with BAs just a few sniffs north of the Mendoza line. It's not time to worry yet, but if it continues next year into Lynchburg or Altoona, worry. Guys their age need to be moved aggressively through the system, no more than a year at any level. At 21 and 22, they need to be ready to play in Pittsburgh no later than 2008/09, or they're just wasted effort.

Doing much better is Steve Pearce, a not-particularly-large first baseman. He's hitting .317 with three taters and a fair .517 SP, good OBP of .397. He could be a riser. Three homers in 60 AB is ok for now, but the Bucs really need to work on getting guys capable of banging out homers at a 1:15 AB pace. Small ball only works if there are a couple of guys capable of really doing some damage.

Division

2005-07-09T23:12:00.000-07:00

Gene Collier did a nice write-up of the past between the Bucs and Phillies. That, and these two series, got me thinking about how great it was to be in the old NL East. There was real rivalry there, either the Phils or Mets just about every year.

Now we get the Brewers, who don't even belong in the National League.

MLB should have moved the Expos to Vegas. The Pirates could have gone back to the East and the National League divisions would actually be balanced. It's insane that the Pirates, based in the Eastern Time Zone, play in the Central. Well, not so much insane as just really stupid. It's not like it's an egregious travesty or anything.

East:
Mets, Marlins, Phillies, Braves, Pirates

Central:
Reds, Cardinals, Brewers, Astros, Cubs

West:
Expos, Dodgers, Giants, Padres, Rockies

See? Perfect.

Freddy Sanchez

2005-07-09T23:07:00.000-07:00

In his second time at the one that I've noticed, Mr. Sanchez had his second multi-hit game, and both were pretty big offensive days for the team.

When Lawton's gone and playing time opens up at a few positions, I hope Freddy gets regular reps at third and short and hits in the lead every time. Small sample, but I like the results so far.

Oh, and there's not another person on the team, except maybe Mackowiak, who could reliably hit up there.

Jack Wilson

2005-07-09T23:04:00.000-07:00

Wearing a Crawfords jersey, Jack did his best Dick Lundy impersonation and launched a salami. He also had two other singles for a cumulative five RBI. McClendon and he both expressed a "put the past behind, have a big second half" brand of thinking.

It's easy to think that way because we've all (presumably) been dying for Jack to get off the schneid and finally start acting like the '04 model. It was a good night for him, and he's actually been hitting the ball well lately--just for little result.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves. Brant Brown had a big game once, too.

Millaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh

2005-07-09T22:59:00.000-07:00

I keep hearing, around the Internet and on the TV, that the Red Sox might trade Kevin Millar.

Which, of course, begs the question: should the Bucs buy?

I don't know the contract specifics or anything, but a middle-of-the-lineup bat that plays a corner outfield spot (or first base), a great clubhouse guy with tons of playoff experience?

Yeah, I'll take him. Lawton and change, a decent prospect, might actually be enough. They still owe the Pirates after all the crap from the Scott Sauerbeck deal.

Idiots

2005-07-08T13:47:00.000-07:00

Woody Page and Skip Bayless just finished embarrassing themselves on "1st & 10," talking about the Olympic decision without an ounce of perspective. Skip doesn't like that softball got the axe and blamed it on anti-American bias. No, Skip: when it's only competitive between four countries, it's not good enough for the Olympics. Actually, it's only competitive for the three countries "competing" to place second to the US. It's a travesty, really. I hated watching those games during the last Olympics.

As for baseball, what I said before, and the weird nature of the sport's requirements. You need a completely unique venue for these outdoor ball games and can't get by on temporary things like you can with beach volleyball. It's actually impractical for most host countries to invest in a baseball/softball field; it'll probably never be used again. The Greeks liked it as a novelty, but I haven't heard of any youth leagues springing up around the greater Athens area.

The best choices the IOC can make regarding those games' replacements are rugby and golf. Both international, both easy to maintain (a host city without a decent golf course shouldn't get the bid just on principle), and both will have a good competition from around the world. Anyone else want to see Goosen, Woods, Els, Singh, and Garcia slug it out in the medal round? How about a final scramble for rugby medals--Australia, South Africa, England, and France/New Zealand/Ireland. Great. I'd buy a package to watch that.

UPDATE:
This article is sad and leads to a partly-right conclusion, that the decision unfairly hurts Latin America. Really, when else does Puerto Rico or Cuba have a legitimate shot at an Olympic medal? But the facts are what they are, and baseball's neither big nor practical enough for the Olympics.

I also realized that golf and rugby are almost mortal locks for the 2012 Games. Both originated in the British Isles, both are incredibly popular there...get my drift?

July 31

2005-07-08T01:05:00.000-07:00

Anyone else looking forward to the next three weeks? It doesn't matter that the team is always completely out of it at this point; I love seeing what the Bucs get in trade and thinking, like all good optimists, that the pieces are falling into place.

Now, bring back Jimmy Leyland, and we're in good shape.

Duke

2005-07-08T00:52:00.000-07:00

What a kid. 1-0, 14 IP, 1.93 ERA, 18K, 2BB, 3 ER. His WHIP is something like 1.0.

I'll not jump the gun too much, lest I be bitten. Sean Burnett started off pretty well, too.

Still, the Bucs could have as many as three nasty lefties in next year's rotation, and that's not counting Mark Redman.

Exciting. So, of course Smizik has to go and ruin it. I hate that guy.

Prospect Watch

2005-07-08T00:44:00.000-07:00

I gave Andrew McCutchen the treatment yesterday. Now it's Brad Corley's turn.

Selected in the second round, he was immediately sent to Williamsport to get a jump on things. He's 21 right now, hitting .298/.511/.952. Those are happy numbers. His slugging percentage and OPS will go up as he gets used to swinging wooden bats.

Which, for those of you following the kids at home, means that a good player's poor batting numbers after their first few professional weeks is nothing to worry about. Wooden bats are an entirely different animal than the aluminum ones used by amateurs; smaller sweet spot, different weight, density issues, breakability, etc. Give them time.

Anyway, the overall skinny on Corley is good. If he stays on pace, he projects to Pittsburgh at about the same time as McCutchen and Walker.

Tomorrow: Brent Lillibridge and Cameron Blair

Olympics

2005-07-08T00:39:00.000-07:00

I'm going to pretend London-award-attack didn't just happen and focus on a different bit of news:

Baseball and softball are off the slate.

It's actually not surprising. There are a whopping four softball countries worth a damn, and although baseball's slightly more competitive, it's still too niche-y, centered almost entirely on the Americas and eastern Asia. Peter Gammons speculated that maybe a bit of anti-Americanism crept into the decision, but I doubt that: the Olympics are about profit now, and baseball obviously wasn't much of a draw. The IOC can finally get around to adding rugby, a much more international sport, and one other from an unimpressive list.

Still, rugby. Great game. Maybe Americans will finally start paying attention to it.

Something Has to Work

2005-07-07T20:45:00.000-07:00

Fire Gerald Perry.

I mean, Mac won't be around anymore after this year (or will he?), and the only other staff member who seems to have done a damn thing to make anyone better is Spin Williams, and even that's up in the air given Perez's fall from nastiness.

It's bad enough that the Bucs can't perform simple sacrifice flies; any hitting coach who can't fix Jack Wilson after last year deserves the can.

Dying for Some Football News

2005-07-07T13:16:00.001-07:00

Nope, nothing big in Steelersville. At least training camp starts in a few weeks.

Wannstedt got another recruit. Ohio kid. Lineman.

Man, summer's really bland, ain't it?

NHL

2005-07-07T13:16:00.000-07:00

News of a labor agreement may have been premature, but we're still close. Next week at the latest, I'm sure.

McCutchen

2005-07-07T13:08:00.000-07:00

So far, so good with the first-rounder.

It's only been a few games, but he's at .308/.438/.823. Not bad at all for a kid who's only 18 and just finished playing low-level Florida high school ball. He had an outfield assist the other day, too. If he ups his power numbers a little bit (he has two extra-base hits, both doubles) and stays on-pace, he'll go to Williamsport for September at least and then probably follow Neil Walker to Lynchburg next year if he performs well.

Consecutive first-rounders going to high-A in the same year? Neither of them over 20? Fantastic. I may be projecting McCutchen a little high or fast, but he's out-performing Walker at the same stage. Now, if the club hadn't fanned terribly on Bobby Bradley, maybe we'd be getting somewhere.

Ronny Paulino

2005-07-07T12:56:00.000-07:00

For once, it seems like the Pirates have an embarrassment of riches at a position!

First, Doumit comes up and plays well when he's actually played (it'd be a shame to give him some real-game experience, huh Lloyd?). So they call Ronny Paulino up to Indy, and he's absolutely killing the ball. In 27 games, he's hitting .383 with a 1.203 OPS. That's ridiculous. Bonds-like.

So can he catch? Hell, can he play first base? Why not switch he and Ross up and see what happens? Is Paulino somehow incapable of hitting at a Ross- or Wilson-like .220?

If he can stay around .350 and 1.000 for another month, he'd better be on the 25-man roster in August. I don't care if they have to move the entire battery to get him in. This club needs more young players playing and getting better, not rotting behind has-beens and never-weres.

Bucco Blog

2005-07-07T12:48:00.000-07:00

I'm jealous of this guy because his work is featured at the Trib site, he posts about eighty percent less than me, and I'm not particularly impressed--so, if my level of hackery thinks lowly of him, you know he's bad.

Anyway, this is the most right he's been. I agree with the top half of what he says; but playing Michael Restovich and Bobby Hill won't do anything to make the team better, signing Daryle Ward is a terrible idea, and a big part of the problem is that Humberto Cota does play every day and can't hit.

Sitting Jack Wilson and giving Freddy Sanchez time at short is a fair option. Jack might be a lot of money wasted right now. His at-bats have taken on a startling quality: foul away the first pitch, fan on another strike, and then meekly poke an "out" pitch to the second baseman. What happened to the guy who spent all of last year ripping deep singles and doubles into the left-center gap?

Leyland

2005-07-07T12:42:00.000-07:00

More speculation surrounds the Pirates' managing situation than ever. Mac's contract still hasn't been extended, his option hasn't been exercised, and the team isn't going anywhere fast under him. Not that it's his fault, but whatever, someone has to take the plunge and it won't be Littlefield. It took Cam Bonifay years to get fired.

Into this steps a new buzz that one Jim Leyland wants to return to managing, and that he's only interested in teams within good distance of his Pittsburgh-area home.

I'm counting the days until Littlefield blows what could be the best move of his tenure and Leyland is announced as the new manager of the Reds.

Games

2005-07-07T12:40:00.000-07:00

I'm tired of jabbering about the latest loss. So, in a change of tactics, prospects, rumors, and impressive things will take up all the Pirates posting.

So:

Bay

2005-07-05T22:30:00.000-07:00

Jason Bay will be the Pirates' lone All-Star representative, and he's the token Canadian in the new-format Home Run Derby.

First, the latter: he doesn't have a blooming chance in the Derby. Bay's a three or six hitter, maybe a two on a loaded team. He's not a power-first guy, but a gap-power, high-average hitter who has the bat speed to drive the ball into the alleys and over the fence when he gets the chance. I'll make a completely meaningless prediction: he'll make it into the second round, beating Hideki Matsui but losing to Bobby Abreu. Or something.

Now about Mr. Bay himself. McClendon's using him correctly as the third batter, and in that role he'd thrive with a real threat (not Daryle Ward) behind him at the four and two guys ahead of him with better OBPs than Matt Lawton and Freddy Sanchez.

Only, oops, he's really thriving completely on his own. He had three hits tonight, raising his average to .313. He hit his sixteenth homer. Having a season like this on last year's team, with either Jason Kendall or Jack Wilson on base just about every time he came up, he'd have 60 RBI already. It's a shame he was a late bloomer, because he probably only has seven-eight good years in him. That means the rest of the team has to be ready for a real charge from 2007-10, or have enough players around him that his latter days are spent in the ease of excellent support.

At any rate, he's the first real franchise player the Bucs have had since Barry Bonds skipped town (singles-hitting catchers don't count). It's time we embraced him.

Rumor Time!

2005-07-05T22:06:00.000-07:00

So we have the Expos, Phillies, and a few American League teams interested in Kip Wells, almost everyone's interested in Mark Redman, and the Yankees, Dodgers, and even the Cubs asking about Matt Lawton.

Perfect. Now just get something worth a damn, ok, Littlefield?

Wells, Wells, Wells!

2005-07-05T21:57:00.000-07:00

I deliberately avoided paying tonight's game any real attention because a)Kip Wells, he of the stinkiest of stinky streaks, was on the mound for the Pirates and b)John Lieber, who has something like a 134-2 career record against the Bucs, was up for the Phillies.

So, of course, Kip turns in the best performance of his career, striking out twelve in a complete game three-hit shutout. Apparently, after all this time with the team, Spin Williams finally noticed that Kip's delivery was too labored, so he had him work on a few mechanical and strategic points and...voila.

In a way, it was absolutely perfect: Lieber was chased in the first by a Jose Castillo liner to the elbow, and he's already out for his next start. Hmm...the Phillies have a great power-hitting prospect...they just lost a key part of their rotation...they're definitely in the wild-card picture...Kip Wells just shut them down like it was easy...hell, Vicente Padilla has a worse ERA than Ryan Vogelsong.

See the Smizik-referencing post below. It'll take more than just Wells to get Ryan Howard. Big deal. We have two and half more weeks to see if he can perform in the majors. If he can, you trade Wells and, I don't know, Matt Lawton? Rob Mackowiak? for Howard and a third-base prospect.

Guaranteed: Wells gets traded to the Devil Rays for Lou Piniella's jock and an extra bat bag. A sensible deal like I've been trying to sell for months is just too improbable for Littlefield.

My God, the Man's Right!

2005-07-05T21:56:00.000-07:00

I agree with Smizik.

D2

2005-07-05T11:07:00.000-07:00

Wow.

I can't believe I used to like this piece of crap. I haven't seen the first Mighty Ducks in years and years, but I keep seeing D2 on the Encore family of bad movies.

Without a long, Bill-Simmons-esque analysis, let's just say that any hockey consultants for the series must have all resigned in protest shortly after reading this script. It's one thing that Goldberg is easily the worst goalie in history, over-committing at every opportunity and having the athleticism of a drunk _____. And why the hell does every bit of hockey action happen at impossibly slow paces? How can every goon stand over the person they just smashed and gloat? Why are all the Iceland kids so evil?

And, seriously, what's with some of the shit they tried to force past us? Let's see, players in the wrong uniforms, players removing their helmets on-ice, a two-minute "roping" penalty when that stupid-looking cowboy doofus takes thirty seconds to see that Connie's in trouble, gets his big idea, grabs his just-happened-to-be-there lariat, and skates out to rope the Icelandic goon trying to hurt her, somehow closing the necessary distance, stopping the guy and pulling him down in direct violation of Newton's Principles!!!??! Listen, terrible hockey writers, that's not a two-minute penalty for "roping," it's a five-minute game misconduct and immediate ejection.

Ugh. Why does the entire Iceland roster and staff speak with Russian accents?

Why does the "triple deke," so "effective" a move, actually involve stopping before the shot? And how effective can it really be if that's the only move you have and everyone knows you're going to use it? How did someone get paid to write this schlock?

I'm going back to bed. It's easier than this nonsense.

Big News Coming

2005-07-04T23:56:00.000-07:00

A new CBA between the NHL and PA is expected to be announced this week. It's not a stretch to say that the Penguins will automatically be contenders as they suck up free agents and players dumped by their old teams to get under the cap. With a good group of youngsters, some key veterans, Mario, and possible names like Zhamnov, Kovalev, Niedermayer, Kariya, and Straka all in the mix, they could easily be three lines deep like in '91-'92. And we all know that any of the three goalies (Fleury, Chiodo, Caron) can play at the NHL level.

No matter how it shakes out, I'm excited to see Ryan Malone, Brooks Orpik, and maybe even Evgeni Malkin start the next phase of Penguins hockey. Craig Patrick, at worst, looks like a savvy manager and astute predictor of the future. At best, he's an absolute genius who's put the Pens in a position to win this year and the rest of the decade.