Game 80: Walkout Night

For a change, I will find delight in shutting off the game early. I expect to do so right after the first pitch of the third inning.

I've tried this turn-it-off stuff, in disgust, about 300 times over the last three seasons. Every time I turn it back on, the Pirates still suck.

I doubt the TV or the radio people will pay any attention, even if the entire stadium is cricket-chirpin' empty for twenty minutes. And since I will turn it off myself, I'd have no way of knowing how it went down myself.

So all you fans at the game--please document what you see and hear. Expect mad web traffic to the best collection of photos and anecdotes.

Big toast for Dock Ellis around five.

Then it's Bergmann and Gorzelanny at seven.

Nutting on MLB's teat

The protest has already succeeded in attracting national media coverage: AP story here. And Yahoo's Jeff Passan:

Pirates fans have every reason to be mad, and what stings so much is their limited options. Stop buying tickets? Nutting will just stay on MLB's teat – and, with the decreased local revenue, have an excuse for doing so. Force a change in upper management? Littlefield should have been canned two years ago.

Dock Ellis joins protest

The 1971 World Series champ to speak at the pregame Fans for Change protest: Dock Ellis. The Trib's Rob Biertempfel reports.

Game 79: Nationals at Pirates

Chico vs. Snell, 7:05 PM EDT.

"Pssst...
Hey Chico we got a message for ya...
Vamos Vamos Muchacho
from Alphabet City all the way A to Z, Dead, Head

Go straight to Snell."

All hail the protest

The Pirates have responded to the media interest in Saturday's protest by instructing employees to not mention the protest, not televise it, and to delete comments about it on pirates.com. Bob Smizik relates and opines on the Pirates efforts to black out the walkout. Charlie at Bucs Dugout has an excellent post about his thoughts on the protest.

I'm pro-protest. I think the good of attracting more local and national attention to the record-setting mismanagement of the Bucs outweighs the bad of protesters having to actually pay a small fee to protest.

This is Dave's Team Now

Wilbur Miller at IrateFans on DL's "myopic focus on the bullpen."

Game 78: Pirates at Marlins

Olsen vs. Duke, 12:05 PM EDT.

Game 77: Pirates at Marlins

Mitre vs. Van Benschoten, starts now. Doumit catching, so Ronny will have to call the game from the bench.

Smizik on Tracy

Bob Smizik is most disappointed in Jim Tracy and offers advice for Bob Nutting:

Nutting, we've seen, is a man slow to act. He sees the Pirates as a business, one that is making money. But, for the good of the franchise -- for the good of his investment -- it's time for Nutting to think seriously about who he wants as his general manager and manager.

Snell on where to put your pessimism

Dejan Kovacevic's notebook today has more good Snell quotes. Ian, when asked what he thought of the viewpoint that the Pirates were not underachieving, but simply lacking in talent:

"Seriously, you can tell anyone who says that to go shove it. This team is underachieving."

Game 76: Pirates at Marlins

Willis vs. Maholm, starting soon. Maholm is 3-10. Josh Phelps plays 1B and bats sixth. Good news from the Yahoo game preview:

"You're not going to see us physically lay down," first baseman Adam LaRoche told the Pirates' official Web site.

We will not physically lay down. That's all I ever ask for.

Niji

Means rainbow, as in rainbow curve. Dejan Kovacevic explains the Kuwatamania. Leave it to Littlefield to find a middle reliever who can (temporarily) excel by throwing a baseball ultra-slow.

Bayliss down, Wasdin up

Dejan Kovacevic notebook item: Bayliss bussed back to Indy, and ... Wasdin to return.

In 13 IP for the 2007 Bucs, Wasdin has given up 21 hits and 7 BBs, for a 6.92 ERA, 2.15 WHIP, and .382 BAA. At Indy, Wasdin's numbers are freaky: in 28.2 IP, he's given up 35 hits (9! HR) but walked none and K'ed 33. Wayback can still throw strikes, but they are still often hit very far.

Perrotto on protest

The BCT's John Perrotto on the upcoming fan protest and the embarassment-proof front office:

We're going to find out in the next few months if Nutting is truly embarrassed by this mess of a franchise. If he is, then he should make a clean sweep of management and show the foresight to bring in people who are smart enough and dedicated enough to make the Pirates a winner again.

Game 75: Pirates at Angels

Colon vs. Gorzelanny at 3:35 EDT.

Is Bob Nutting evil?

Smizik on Bob Nutting:

Nutting is not a bad person. He is not dispensing social injustice. What he is doing is not illegal, unethical or immoral. What he is guilty of -- in the eyes of most people -- is running his business in a fan-unfriendly manner. He does not deserve to be boycotted and most certainly the people who work for him, be it at PNC Park, Seven Springs or his many newspapers do not deserve to have their jobs placed in jeopardy because the Pirates stink.

Smizik makes lots of good points, but I'm not sure I buy this part. Isn't it unethical and/or immoral to reward proven failure (e.g. extending DL's contract) and thereby knowingly subject hundreds of thousands of Pirate fans to watching awful baseball? If it's not fair to Lefty the beer man for a fan to stay away from PNC in protest of the baseball team, wouldn't it follow that it's not fair to Lefty that the owner and GM field a crummy team year in and year out and threaten his livelihood with the resultant general fan disinterest? And if so, then wouldn't Nutting's actions and inactions qualify as unfair, unethical, and/or evil?

Angry fans

Bob Smizik on Andy Chomos and the June 30th protest. More information can be found at Irate Fans, which is back with several recent posts.

Angry Ian

LL Insane pops off, Dejan Kovacevic writes it down:

"I [expletive] hate this," he said at his stall, his voice rising. "And you can put that in the paper. I [expletive] hate losing. I hate when the team doesn't bring out its full potential. And if they fine me, fine me. I don't care. Because this is getting stupid. We're better than what we're showing."