Pirates 1st draft under Huntington

Ok. Back aways I said the draft would tell us how serious the new management is. They passed with flying colors on that score. Now the test is actually signing the pick. If they don't, then I'm going to be quite annoyed with them. If they do sign them, I might end my boycott of going to the stadium that's been enforced since 1993 when they let Barry Bonds walk away without offering him a contract because they were afraid he would sign it.

Penguins win

Penguins win in triple overtime. But the point of the post is to wonder if the fans will still continue to hate Malkin after that wonderful pass he gave to whomever won the game with that shot.

And just so those that know I don't like hockey aren't going huh he watched. Only the last period and a half of overtime. I was waiting for Leno. :P But I'm probably to tired to watch him now since they'll most likely have news and then Leno.

Former Pirates Jose Guillen rips into current team after 10 straight losses

“Too many babies here,” Guillen said—eliminating a few choice words that would make George Carlin blush. “They don’t know how to play the game and win the game right, the way it’s supposed to be played. And that’s the problem here. Now I know why this organization’s been losing for a while. Now I know.”

But one has to wonder if a .246 batter really has any right to judge his teammates.

Pirates Double Header tomorrow

The Pirates' five-game winning streak was placed on hold.

Their scheduled game with the Atlanta Braves at PNC Park was rained out this afternoon, and it will be made up as part of a 12:35 p.m. doubleheader tomorrow.

Zach Duke and Jair Jurrjens, the scheduled pitchers for today, will have the first game. John Van Benschoten and Tim Hudson will have the second.

Phil Dumatrait and all other starters will be pushed back a day.

Neither game tomorrow will be televised.

Isn't that nice? Today's game was supposed to be. I guess: Dapper Dan Awards, Weekly Update, Eastern Golf, In my Own Words, Ms. Fitness USA, Amazing Sports Stories, Top 50 most outrageous moments, Poker Challenge, and FSN Final Score are considered essential programming that everyone clamors for. I know that there's not one single thing in there that I want to watch.

Union express concern over lack of offers to Barry Bonds

The players’ association has expressed concern to the baseball commissioner’s
office over the lack of offers to Barry Bonds, asking for additional information about the offseason’s free-agent market.
The union did not go as far as to file a collusion grievance on behalf of the 43-year-old outfielder, who remains unsigned since the San Francisco Giants decided not to make him an offer last year and he became a free agent.
“We’ve raised both general concerns and some player specific concerns,” Michael Weiner, the union’s general counsel, said Tuesday. Weiner said the only player the union specifically brought up in its discussions with the commissioner’s office was Bonds, who repeatedly has said he wants to play a 23rd major league season.
“I haven’t received any offers on Barry since he became a free agent,” said Bonds’ agent, Jeff Borris.
Management has repeatedly said there has been no concerted effort against Bonds.
“The union notified us that it was investigating potential collusion regarding Barry Bonds and asked for information, and we told them that there was absolutely no collusion with respect to Barry Bonds or any other free agent,” said Dan Halem, MLB senior vice president and general labor counsel. “We are aware of no facts which would support a collusion claim regarding Bonds or any other free agents.”

Oh please. He still hits homeruns and average. There is absolutely nothing wrong with his hitting at all. The Tigers should definitely be persuing him. And quite a few others in the American League. There is no way there's no collusion here.

Papa John's to sell Cleveland 23 cent pizzas, apologies for 'crybaby' T-shirts

To apologize, Papa John's will sell Cleveland residents a large,
one-topping pizza for 23 cents on Thursday. The 23 is an homage to James' jersey
number. The company also will donate $10,000 to the Cavaliers Youth Fund.

Dear Papa Johns,

There are Cleveland Cavalier fans outside of Cleveland that are just as annoyed with your cry baby shirts.

Signed

A Beaver Falls Cleveland Cavaliers Fan

PS: I want my 23 cent Pizza!

The Greed of the NFL knows no bounds

For years, as many as 200 members of Immanuel Bible Church and their friends have gathered in the church's fellowship hall to watch the Super Bowl on its six-foot screen. The party featured hard hitting on the TV, plenty of food -- and prayer.

But this year, Immanuel's Super Bowl party is no more. After a crackdown by the National Football League on big-screen Super Bowl gatherings by churches, the Springfield church has sacked its event. Instead, church members will host parties in their homes.

Immanuel is among a number of churches in the Washington area and elsewhere that have been forced to use a new playbook to satisfy the NFL, which said that airing games at churches on large-screen TV sets violates the NFL copyright.

Ministers are not happy.

"There is a part of me that says, 'Gee, doesn't the NFL have enough money already?'" said Steve Holley, Immanuel's executive pastor. He pointed out that bars are still allowed to air the game on big-screens TV sets. "It just doesn't make sense."

So the league is cracking down on churches that show the game with their big screens. Isnt that a great idea?

The NFL points to the disclaimer at the end of the game which they say is well known.

Plus the NFL is thinking of getting out of the collective bargaining agreement with the players for some reason. Its given the NFL the most prosperity of any league. But apparently they want more prosperity.

I hope it backfires and their popularity falls to the level of the NHL.

Pirates sign their big Free Agents

The Pirates today signed pitchers Hector Carrasco and Casey Fossum to minor-league contracts, inviting each to spring training.

Carrasco, 39, spent most of the past two seasons with the Los Angeles Angels, posting a 3.41 ERA in 56 appearances in 2006 and a 6.57 ERA in 29 appearances last year. The Angels released him July 11, and he spent the rest of the summer with the Washington Nationals' Class AAA affiliate in Columbus, posting an 8.84 ERA in 15 appearances.

In 12 seasons of Major League Baseball, he has a 44-50 record with a 3.99 ERA in 647 games, including 10 starts.

Fossum, 30, a left-hander, spent most of the past three seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays. Last season, he went 5-8 with a 7.70 ERA in 40 appearances, including 10 starts and was released Aug. 10. He spent the rest of the summer with the San Diego Padres' Class AAA affiliate in Portland and had an 8.10 ERA in three appearances.

There's what we need. A 40 year old and someone who's era is over a touchdown. Yep. Just what the Pirates need. Really looking forward to this next season. Oh yeah.

Crosby out six to eight weeks, to return in March

Penguins center Sidney Crosby is expected to be out six to eight weeks while recovering from the high ankle sprain he sustained last Friday.

That prognosis was issued after Crosby underwent an extensive examination this morning.

If the timetable holds -- and that is far from certain, because setbacks are common for athletes with such injuries -- Crosby should return to the lineup sometime in early to mid-March.

Not good news fcr the Penguins. And also not good for anyone watching the local sports shows since this means its going to be Penguins Penguins Penguins being discussed and not much else.

"Receiver let his teammates down"

Ron Cook of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette thinks that Troy Williamson was wrong for missing the game last week because his grandmother died. He thinks that he should have found a way to fulfill both obligations.

Williamson owed his teammates more than to bail on them for nine days.

Aren't they supposed to be his family, too?

But couldn't Williamson have rejoined the Vikings late last week, played against the Chargers and made it back to Aiken for the funeral? If not, couldn't the funeral have been pushed back a day until Tuesday?

No they aren't his family. They're his coworkers. That's all football is. His job. His family is his relatives. Ron Cook needs to wake up. What happens to someone's family is way more important then some stupid game. And coworkers are not family. Otherwise there wouldn't be trades. How many families trade family members? How many family members leave their family to sign with a new family thats going to give them more. Football is a business. And its only a business.

Pirates: John Russel

If its true that he's their selection, I think I was wrong that I was going to give them to the draft to prove to me they wanted to win. Falling back to their past third base coach who managed a last place Tripe A Team proves its the same old Pirates.

Pirates Manager Search

After the first game of the World Series, I now know who I want to win the series: Boston. And I want them to win it in four. Now if Colorado wins the next game, I don't have a favorite anymore. All I want is the World Series to get over with as fast as possible. Now if the Pirates decide to announce their new manager before the World Series is over, then it falls back to: who cares about the World seres?

I've had just about enough of the Steelers

1st down rush with Parker for a yard
2nd down rush with Parker for a yard
3rd down throw an incompletion/get sacked
4th down punt

repeat over and over again since the beginning of the 2nd half last week.

Could we maybe get a pass called on 1st or 2nd down at some point? They're stacking the line. You know that's when YOU THROW

Pirates Sweep continues

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In a long overdo decision, the Pirates relieved Jim Tracey of his managerial duties. Also informed to clean out their desk was the Director of Scouting, Ed Creech who has oversaw the worst drafts in major league baseball history with an overemphasis on college level pitching that had little to no chance of ever becoming superstars. Also led to the door was the Director of Baseball Operations, Jon Mercurio, and director of player development Brian Graham.

Now the Pirates need to continue raiding the Cleveland organization for people to fill these positions. Cleveland knows baseball.

Belichek's New Weapon

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No one will ever know.

Vick won't be serving 40 years

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While indicting him on some charges, the grand jury passed on the eight animal cruelty charges that would have seen Vick serving 5 years for each offense. If there was ever a time a jury should be compelled to explain its decision this is it. Vick should not get out of jail until he is a very old man. I don't buy his apology. The only thing he is sorry about is he was caught.

Huntington is the New GM of the Pirates

LInk

Ok my benchmark for actually judging him and the new Pirates front office is going to be really simple. This spring during the draft if the first round pick is a high school position player with the potential of Barry Bonds, they're going to get passing marks. If on the other hand its a pitcher or a college player, they fail and I'm probably never going to watch another Pirates game.

Cleveland Browns: The Refs Cheating

Ok I just watched a few minutes of the Browns game since the Steelers are at half time. Let's see...

15 yard penalty
5 yard penalty
5 yard penalty (and this one was absolutely ridiculous. Illegal contact about 6 yards from the line of scrimmage and the flag was thrown after it was incomplete thirty yards downfield.)

Then I just got told there was a 97 return by the Browns called back as I wrote this.

This is blatant cheating. And obvious sign that the Browns are SUPPOSED to lose this game.

Update: I can't believe the Browns ended up winning that game. The referees must have been informed to call the game down the middle during half time. The way they were calling the game the short time I watched, there's no way the Browns could have won.

I wonder if the great Chad Johnson will continue to parade around in his fake HOF jacket still. I just must point out that a HOF receiver would have got out of bounce at the end of the half and he didn't so he should pack away his jacket and hope that the HOF voters overlook his stupid plays.

And the dog pound should have ripped his helmet off when he jumped into it and then passed his helmet up until it could be dumped outside.

A way to Improve the Pirates Broadcast

Fire Weiner!

Hire Doug Drabek. This has been one of the most enjoyable games in recent memory.

Now if the blasted satellite would come back on. I hate this rain.

Pirates new CEO is Frank Coonelly

Link

Chuck Greenberg, believed to be the only other candidate in the Pirates' search for a new president, today said he'd been told by chairman of the board Bob Nutting that he wouldn't get the job and that the Pirates "have selected Frank Coonelly."

Coonelly is Major League Baseball's chief labor counsel.

It's still unclear when the Pirates will make the official announcement about Coonelly.

Coonelly, 47, who began working for Major League Baseball in 1998, helps teams with salary arbitration cases and determines signing bonus slots for the amateur draft. He also is part of the negotiating team for collective bargaining agreements with the union and the umpires.

And then there's this little tidbit

A story in USA Today in April ranked Coonelly 12th on a list of the 50 most influential people in baseball.

Apparently he wanted to be somewhere in the 500s or so instead of 12th.

Penguins hand deliver Season Tickets

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Hockey is far far down on the list of sports I like. But it would be pretty cool to open your door and find...

"I can't believe it's Sidney Crosby delivering my tickets!" Alice Kilgore blurted when she opened the front door of her Castle Shannon home.

I doubt there will ever be a Steeler hand delivering season tickets.

I'm tired of the Big Ten Network

Commercial after commercial crying because Comcast won't buckle and put them on regular cable. It is enough that I'm ready to campaign to ditch Directv just to give Comcast my support in their struggle not to inflict on everyone yet another useless channel that one person out of a hundred might want. I don't want it. I don't like college sports. And I am fed up with their constant whining about it.

This didn't take Long

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Barry Bonds has bolstered his legal team and could be preparing to slap a lawsuit on Curt Schilling, the New York Daily News reported on its web site Thursday.

Wow! Crosshairs right on the loud mouth in Boston already.

If I was GM of the Pirates

Since the Pirates played the Giants and I enjoy watching Bonds hit Homeruns, I started watching the Pirates again for the first time since two days after the all star break ended. And despite their winning against the Giants I can't say I'm at all impressed with the on field product. So I've decided to do a what if I was the GM of the Pirates post:

I would trade: Jason Bay for top level prospects, Ryan Doumit for prospects, Jack Wilson for prospects, Freddy Sanchez for high level prospects, Chris Duffy for whatever I could get, Ronny Paulino for cash, Matt Morris for cash, buyout Armis, Bryan Bullington for prospects, Van Ben Schoten for prospects, and maybe a few others.

Planned Field:

1b Adam LaRoche
2b Jose Castillo
3b Xavier Nady
SS Bixler
C Josh Phelps
RF Jose Bautista
CF Andrew McCutchen
LF ?

Neil Walker would be given an opportunity to beat out Phelps in Spring Training for the starting catcher. And there would be competition for 2b and RF as well as LF which would be hopefully filled by a prospect obtained for Bay or Sanchez. Ideally he would have the same upside that McCutchen is claimed to have. McCutchen would remain in CF regardless of his average for the entire year.

Planned Bench
David Parrish C
Nate McClouth OF
Michael Ryan OF
?
?
Honestly don't know much about either of those minor leaguers other than they probably aren't going to be starters so try them on the bench.

Planned Rotation:
Ian Snell
Tom Gorzellany
?
?
?
Potentiala for the Rotation
Shane Yoman
Zack Duke
Paul Maholm
Sean Burnett
Yoslan Herrera
(The bottom two would have to pitch poorly not to get in because I am tired of the top three)

So basically I would rip the team apart and go young. There would be no veteran over the hill players signed as mentors. It would be 97 all over again. Or the last time the Pirates actually showed any type of desire to win. And if any of the players kept over from this pathetic 2007 team have a bad attitude they're history. I want rid of this loser atmosphere. Nady stays because he tries, LaRoche stays because of his experience in Atlanta. Bautista and Castillo are on short leashes.

Bonds decides enough is enough

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Ever hear anyone say if Bonds didn't do it, then why doesn't he sue those that say he did? Well... Bonds is going to do just that. Its about time. I look forward to the backpeddling of the big mouth in Boston.

On another Bonds note, I was quite surprised at the reception Bonds received in Pittsburgh yesterday. I never thought he would be cheered let alone a standing ovation.

The tribune review had a nice question and answer session with Bonds.

Question: Was there any realistic shot you could have stayed in Pittsburgh?

Bonds: No. There was never even an offer. There was never even talk. It was the same situation with Bobby (Bonilla). Same situation with Dougie (Drabek).

Still amazes me even after all these years of cheapness.

And at the time I still remember them proclaiming how the franchise wouldn't lose much sense they were replacing Bonds with Al Martin, Kevin Young, and Carlose Garcia. Three for the price of one was their rhetoric.

Starters not to see much action in Steelers game

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Tomlin said Roethlisberger and most of the other starters will play about as much as they did Sunday night in the Hall of Fame Game victory against the New Orleans Saints.

"We want to approach this thing the same way," Tomlin said. "This is our first preseason game of the official four, so we're taking the same approach that we really kind of took from that standpoint last week."

More evidence that preseason games are pointless. The Hall of Fame game was basically unwatchable because of the lack of playing time for the starters.

Barry Bonds vs. Hank Aaron HRs

Hank Aaron's Homeruns
Barry Bonds' Homeruns

Barry
9 leading off the game (I believe a Pirates Franchise Record)
10 Game Ending
259 Go Ahead
86 Tying

Hank
0 Leading off the game
9 Game Ending
238 Go Ahead
68 Tying

Barry Bonds and 756

Once again Bonds shows what a bunch of boneheads the Pirates ownership has been over the last forever.(Even if the people have changed, it remains the same) Imagine the difference if they had offered him salary arbitration like he said he would accept. But because they knew he'd done everything he could to earn the contract he wanted they decided to just let him go. Heaven forbid they offer a contract to the BEST PLAYER IN BASEBALL at the time. Oh no the Pirates had to be cheap and now 15 years later they keep losing and losing and losing.

In contrast, if he had been signed like he should have been, the Pirates might have a few more NL East championships and Central Championships. Maybe even a World Series. But nope, let the best all around player in baseball go off to San Francisco without even trying to keep him.

As for the people around here that go "the throw that didn't beat Bream...", if it hadn't been for Bonds, the Pirates never would have been near the NL championship series. He proved that when he left and the Pirates have sucked ever since. So get over it and thank him on the 13th of August by getting up and cheering him for the three division titles he brought to Pittsburgh.

Pirates Rant: Jack Wilson II

While watching the Cleveland Indians tonight with my dad, he started switching the channels between games and we came across the Pirates just in time to see the great Pitching coach and Wilson going at it in the dogout again when the announcers were running through the highlights up till that point.

Isn't it about time for Colborn to be run out of town? The Pirates have the worst pitching in baseball and he's barking at the shortstop. Who quite frankly is not the teams greatest problem. Some very good contenders would be:

The catcher that can't catch
The pitchers who can't pitch
The first basemen that whiffs at everthing
The second basemen who doesn't want to turn double plays do to runners running into him
The complete lack of a center fielder
The supposed superstar that wants to walk all the time and takes strike three

Other than that the Pirates are a decent team.

Pirates Rant: Jack Wilson

I think I got it figured out why Jack Wilson is in the doghouse with Jim Tracey. He actually you know can catch the ball where as the great Ronnie Palino, and Tracey favorite, likes to let the ball hit the ground after it touches his mit. And almost always on any play at the plate, it will be a perfect throw to the great Pallino and oops there it goes off his glove again. Yep. Jack needs to be more like Paulino and let the ball hit off his glove and all that fun stuff to get out of the almighty Jim Tracey's doghouse.

Translation: I just watched an inning and a half of the Pirates for the first time in a long while like the all star break before turning the television off. Started in the fourth and ended in the middle of the fifth.

Jason Bay vs. Adam LaRoche

I just looked at the box score from tonight. Jason Bay and Adam LaRoche have the same batting average: .246

Barry Bonds Indictment

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You know for some reason I think there are far more important things to investigate and/or pay for than whether or not Bonds committed perjury. How much has this cost? How much are we paying to feed Anderson daily? Enough is enough. The message has been sent: 99.9% of the people living outside San Francisco don't like him and are going to throw a temper tantrum because he's going to break the homerun record.

Walkout on the Pirates

Tonight is the night that everyone going to the Pirates game that is fed up with the lack of commitment to winning by the ownership is supposed to leave their seats after the third inning and return to them after the fourth.

Me? I will be continuing my boycott that has lasted since 1993 when Barry Bonds came back as a Giant after the cheapskates wouldn't offer him salary arbitration because they were afraid he would accept. Not one dime will go to the Pirates as long as they continue to make no effort to win.

Number 600

Sammy Sosa hit #600 in the stadium that saw the majority of his homeruns: Wrigley Field. The fans gave him two curtain calls and chanted Sammy, Sammy... I'm pretty amazed that Chicago is that friendly with him after the way he departed.

Meanwhile the lovable Pirates spend the night making the 0-6 with 10+ era Jeff Weaver look like Cy Young.

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A Positive Day for the Pirates

Today is a positive day for the Pittsburgh Pirates. You might wonder why. Is it because they called up some superstar in the making from the minor leagues? Have they made a trade that improves the club's chances of winning? Did they finally make the smart move and make Doumit the everyday catcher?

No to all. They aren't scheduled to play today so its impossible for them to lose.

Pirates vs. Rangers

Looking at the stats from the newspaper and the ERA of tonights pitcher... Maybe if the Pirates scheduled 162 games against Texas, they could be over 500. I doubt it. Most likely the Rangers pitchers would eventually turn it around and it would be back to the Pirates as usual.

The Art of the Scam

Have you ever watched the Robert Redford and Paul Newman movie The Sting? In it Paul Newman and Robert Redford swindle someone that killed a friend of Robert Redford's character. It was a fun movie to watch.

But in real life, it not so much fun to be swindled. That's pretty much what The Pittsburgh Pirates did around the turn of the century when they promised that the on field play would improve if they received tax payer funds to build a stadium. Well its been years and the play has been steadily pathetic.

I think its time for the public to either be reimbursed for the money the Pirates swindled from them or the MLB seize control of the franchise and find owners that will produce a watchable on field product. Preferrably someone with the name Mark Cubans.

And the MLB should be able to do this since the Pirates are receiving money from the rich clubs that is supposed to be put back in the team. They aren't doing it. They presently have a team salary that is $2 million more then it was in 1992. In contrast, the Yankees have added something like $180 million dollars to the team salary.

Why should teams that want to win be forced to support a team that has no desire to win?

And they showed their lack of desire after the 1992 season when they wouldn't even offer Barry Bonds salary arbritration after he said that he would accept it if offered. They might have different owners now but the cheapness has continued.

MLB, either take the franchise away from McClatchy and Nutting or just fold the team. PNC Park deserves better then to have these cheapskates as tenants.

And Pirates, I haven't been to a Pirate game since 1993 when Barry returned for the first time as a Giant. I refuse to support a team devoid of any desire to win. Take your fireworks and bobbleheads and shove it.

Cleveland Cavaliers

If I was the coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers, I think I would tell everyone that the next three point shot I see, is going to have the shooter fined $10,000. Man they are getting ridiculous on the number of missed long shots. And Z should never be taking shots from the three point line! I know he's hit them in the past but he needs to be inside for the rebound

I say all this and now James has hit two threes in a row.

So what do you do...

when your baseball organization is completely devoid of offense at all levels. You have an abundance of pitching.

That's right you take a relief pitcher with the 1st round pick and pass on the 38 hr guy. Why on earth would you want to have a little offense that might actually you know make the team worth coming to the ball park to watch.

Gotta love the Pirates

The Pittsburgh Pirates

I don't think there's a more pathetic franchise in sports. Well on their way to 15 losing seasons in a row.

But boy could they do something if they could ever get their pitchers and batters on the same page. The first month of the season, the offense was nonexistant but the pitching (by two starters) was superb. Result a 12-12 April. Now May hasn't been so good. Their two good pictures came back to earth and the Pirates are 10-15 in May.

But until recently the offense had been non-existant. Now the last three games the Pirates have suddenly exploded offensively:

10-4
9-5
14-10

But look at the runs giving up. If the Pirates could keep the offense and get the Pitchers started again, they could be like the Indians in the 90s. Of course that will never happen. The Pirates are the Pirates after all.