Jun 01 2008
The Agony of the Pirates
With a little more than a third of the season over for the Buccos, I thought I’d put out a few baseball thoughts.
I grew up in New York and I’ve been a baseball fan for a long time.
I was too young to watch the Giants or the Dodgers when they were inhabiting the Polo Grounds and Ebbets Field. But I certainly remember glomming on to the Mets back in ‘62. Now there was a team for the ages. New Yorkers loved ‘em regardless, and 7 short years after their birth they rewarded their fans with a World Series win.
When I moved to Pittsburgh in 1992 I became a Pirate fan. After all, here was a team with a rich history - played in the first World Series, had a legacy of legendary stars (Wagner, Traynor, Clemente, Kiner, the Waner brothers, Stargell, et. al.), a legendary ballpark in Forbes Field (never should have torn it down), and just about topped the bill for one of the most electrifying World Series wins in history. And they were in the playoffs.
Ah, yes - that was then.
And this is now.
And the Buccos are on the verge of making history. I’m sure Pirate fans would rather pass on this.
I am, of course, referring to 16 consecutive losing seasons.
Argh!
Someone isn’t doing something right.
I firmly believe that Mark Cuban would have turned this team around - but nobody upstairs wanted that.
I know it’s almost de rigeur to blame the manager when a team isn’t performing. But I was glad to see Lloyd McClendon go. I don’t think he was very good at handling the players. Jim Tracy? John Russell? A double nope. The Pirates need someone like a Lou Pinella - someone with some fire and charisma. Hard-boiled and stick-it-in-your-face managers who know how to manage.
And, oh yeah - how about a third baseman? We haven’t had one in almost 5 years.
Starting pitching? Too many many disappointments to mention.
The plan to take on high-priced veterans to mentor the younger players? I thought that’s what good coaches were for. They’d certainly come a lot cheaper than Matt Morris.
And so …
The team has been flirting with .500 for a couple of weeks, as they’ve done a few times in recent memory. Unfortunately, that seems to end with much weeping and gnashing of teeth.
One could argue that it’s tough competing with payrolls like the Cubs and Cardinals, or even the Astros.
And yet, look at the Marlins - their spending is less than half of the Pirates. In fact, no team is spending less. Somehow they’re managing to make their season interesting - at least for now.
And how about those Rays? Their payroll is a little less than the Bucs, but their season is a Cinderella story waiting to happen.
Maybe someone from the Pirate front office needs to sneak down to Florida with a video camera and see what all those guys are up to.
Now we’re hearing (Sunday Trib) that the Mets are looking to put Aaron Heilman on the trading block and they’ve expressed some interest in former Met Xavier Nady and Jason Bay. Heilman has made 26 appearances so far this year with a 6.67 ERA.
Hmmmm.
As far as I know, no one on the Pirates has mentioned the possibility of such a trade. So why even mention it? I guess some people know a rat when they smell one.
Am I crazy or paranoid or does anyone else think there may be a conspiracy afoot to keep the Pirates in their place - i.e, last in the NL Central?
For now, I’m trying to be optimistic. But I have this uneasy feeling that the Pirates will not fail to disappoint - again.
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