Huff

So, what do you think of this Aubrey Huff guy? Want him for three years?

Gonzo like B.J. Ryan

Dave Littlefield sees it this way in Dejan Kovacevic's latest.

He does not equate the two but says that, after Ryan, Gonzalez is as good as they come. I would agree with that.

Bucs sign Einar Diaz

Why?

DK Q+A

Today's topic: Herrera and Kuwata.

"Especially in the case of Kuwata, the signing might be partly a symbolic gesture to make the Pirates' name known to other potential talent in Japan. It might seem hollow, but scouts who work abroad will tell you that this sort of thing matters."

Reminding people that the Bucs are, in fact, a MLB team, is a prerequisite to future international signings.

Also on Kuwata and Herrera:

Wilbur at OnlyBucs asks whether the Bucs are now ready to compete overseas.

Pat at WHYGAVS proposes Kuwata's tryout be marketed as a reality game show.

Pirates Roundtable #4

Now up. We sat this one out, but 12 others field two questions on DL's "good pitching beats good hitting" inanity, and what Jason Bay might fetch in a trade.

All hail spike123, Slow Country 21 and Rowdy!

For going 12-4, 11-5 and 10-6 to win weeks 15, 14, and 13, respectively, in the HW NFL pick 'em challenge. Don't short these folks just due to the lax triple hail - drink up. Just two weeks left, starting with the game tonight.

Stunningly perfect

Ladies and gentlemen, Honus the Alpaca. Crimps galore and major density.

the Cuban guy

What are your thoughts on the eighteen-month layoff recently enjoyed by Yoslan Herrera?

My hunch is he'll be rusty for a month or two, and then better than ever.

That looks like a good signing to me. I was cool to the idea of Kuwata until I learned he talks to the ball, Mark Fidrych-style. Bones and I have long advocated the use of innovative crowd-pleasing tactics. Now that Jack has asked how this will work for Kuwata in America, I'm highly interested. I'll buy tickets just to see if our American balls can understand his Japanese wisdom.

Pirates sign two

They signed an old Japanese pitcher and a young Cuban pitcher, the PG reports.

What is known about trade offers involving Mike Gonzalez

Dejan Kovacevic shares what is known.

My prediction: the Pirates do not trade him.

NFL week 15: Steelers at Panthers

The Pirates Steelers can get back to .500 with a win this afternoon.

Only three AFC teams have a worse record.

The starters

Zach Duke spoke to John Perrotto about the team building around the current crop of young starters.

More three-way action

The Gray Lady gets in on the fun.

I wonder: would you rather see Adam LaRoche or Melky Cabrera in a Pirates uniform? I will put my answer as the first comment.

A position of strength

Wow, you never know what you will read in Newsday.

DL defends title

Undeterred by the recent bewildering rash of pro-DL Stockholm syndrome, our guy Dave is relentlessly pulverizing Mike Flanagan and the other 28 GMs over at ESPN's GM rater. Like beer, victory tastes so good when it touches your lips.

Gonzo on block

And drawing heavy interest, Dejan reports. DL could save a lot of face if he could flip Gonzo for some talent. With six teams supposedly interested in Gonzo now, DL should be able to snag a puzzle piece.

In other news, Bucs signed 8 players to minor-league contracts. Mostly all dross to fill the voids that poor drafting has created. Allan Simpson strikes out a lot of batters and is tough on RHs, so he could conceivably contribute in the future to some ML team. Mike Edwards, younger stepson, was also signed.

New blogs

Rowdy let me monkey around with the template a bit. I added links for: new Pirates blogs A New Pirates Generation, Bucco Wire, Derek Bell Yacht Co., The Parrot, Pirates Roundtable, new Pittsburgh sports blogs The Confluence and Sportsocracy, and a new Steelers blog, Joey Porter's Pit Bulls. I added a few other links and deleted some inactive links. As always, let us know if you have any suggestions or complaints.

Webster wins

All hail one of my childhood heroes, the late Mike Webster, his family, and lawyers for winning their lawsuit against the NFL. The NFL's pension board had reclassified his brain damage disability to try to short him disability payments. Mike's life after football, detailed last year by Greg Garber at ESPN.com, was horrific to say the least. To escape the pain, Mike stunned himself to sleep with a Taser. We'll remember Iron Mike as a Champion, and the greatest center to have ever played.

Roundtable #3

The Pirates Roundtable #3 came out yesterday. This week the topic is wild speculation on the Bucs' minor leaguers. Please feel free to suggest better answers (which shouldn't be hard for my silly uninformed answers) or even to whine about the Roundtable's mere existence.

Cota and Chacon tendered

The worst hitting player and probably the worst starter in the majors will both return, Dejan reports. Chacon's 1.72 WHIP last year would've been the worst in MLB if he qualified. The worst five were Pineiro, Maholm, Trachsel, Redman, and Fogg. Pineiro, the worst pitcher by this measure, hasn't yet been affiliated with the Bucs. That could change though, as the Trib mentions that the recently non-tendered Joel might be targeted for the Bucs' fifth starter.