Game 126: Cardinals at Pirates

Jason Marquis and Zach Duke.

... while you are waiting, read Southpointbucco's post on Wigginton and Noonie at OnlyBucs.

Let Duke pitch

The pitch count that matters is number per inning. And Zach Duke's inning total is one thing, the number of pitches he has thrown this year, another. He has been effective and efficient all year, so the high inning total is somewhat deceptive. I doubt he's thrown that many pitches.

I worry more about a player pitching when he's tired. If he's had four or five days' rest, let him start. If he's ineffective and wears out in any inning, being it inning one or inning eight, then of course you remove him.

If I ran the circus, I'd let him take his regular turn the rest of the season. He needs experience. Let him see the league. Give him tape to study during the winter.

No way would I shut him down just to shut him down. Let him play out the string. Take him out when he labors, and let the inning count go as high as he can drive it. So long as he's not throwing 120 pitches to go five or six innings, I doubt there's anything to worry about. If he's effective and efficient, no one can say he's being poorly managed.

Welcome Ty

Wigginton's back, as John Perrotto and so many others report.

Sounds like the Bucs will start Mackowiak at second and Wigginton/Sanchez at third vs. righties, and Wigginton at third and Sanchez at second vs. lefties. But that's just a WAG based on the known platoon splits. Wigginton ran warm and freezing cold earlier in the year. Neither Wigginton nor Sanchez is much of an option vs. RHP, but Wigginton hit some righties before this April.

Odds are, Mac will play the shuffle boogie with the oppo research notebook and the Magic 8-ball.

Jose Castillo hurt

If he's out for some time, the Bucs could call up Bob Probert Ty Wigginton, or they can call up Jose Baustista.

I vote Probert for the rest of the Cardinals series. They are hanging by a thread, physically; throw the wrecking ball at them. If Ty fails to hit like crazy and spark the team, send him down and give Bautista the experience.

Game 126: Redbirds at Pirates

Mark Mulder and Josh Fogg. Given the Bucs' record against LHP and against the Cardinals, and given Josh Fogg's record against St. Louis, the odds of the Bucs winning this one must be something like one in five. Our hopes may lie with lefty-killer Freddy Sanchez.

I'll be watching Jose Castillo throughout this homestand, to see if he can start hitting at home.

Legal history of piracy

Nyar. And I thought the golden age of Piracy was the 1970s.

Eldred homers off a LHP

That should help balance the strange YTD splits for the right-handed slugger.

Sure, Eude Brito was a minor-league lefty a short while ago, but we'll take it. Any excuse for a toast ... so ... all hail Brad Eldred, may it one of hundreds of black-and-gold home runs off left-handed pitching!

...just thought of something. If Brad let his hair grow real long and did not wash it, then we could call him ... El Dread.

He's probably heard that one before ...

Game 125: Pirates at Phillies

The season is winding down quickly. 1:35pm, Mark Redman and someone named Brito.

This Eude Brito throws left-handed, so we should watch to see if the right-handed Brad Eldred can hit him. When he starts pounding the left-handed pitchers, then we'll start see what he could be at this level.

Light at the end of the tunnel

"I don't know if everybody's seeing the end of the tunnel or what, but it just seems like the whole atmosphere around here has changed a little bit over the last 10 days," veteran reliever Rick White said. "I guess you can attribute that to the fact we're playing playoff-contention teams."

As I get over the disappointment of this season, I'm agreeing more and more with those who think the Pirates could contend one of these next few years.

Paul Meyer, who reported that quote, found an even more optimistic scout:

A scout last night suggested "the Pirates are closer to winning than people think. If [Oliver] Perez comes back like he was last season and the kid [Zach Duke] is for real, they have a chance to have the best pitching staff in the league."

Rotation?

"Staff," the scout said. "They have two left-handers [Mike Gonzalez, John Grabow] in the bullpen who are in the top 10 percent in the major leagues."

Food for thought -- at least.

Link here.

Game 123: Pirates at Phillies

Seven o'clock, Dave Williams and Brett Myers.

Eldred walks!

All hail Brad Eldred for his third big-league walk. Anyone see it and care to share the experience?

... found it on the ESPN pitch-by-pitch: Ball, Strike (foul), Ball, Strike (foul), Ball, Ball, B Eldred walked.

Better than expected! Hoo-raw! Great at-bat, Brad Eldred!

Game 122: Pirates at Phillies

The Phillies were always my favorite opponent for the Pirates back in the 1970s.

Tonight's game begins at seven. Kip Wells faces the Phillies' great rookie pitcher, Robinson Tejeda.

Which Kip will we see tonight? Dr. Kipple, or Mr. Wells?

...way to mess up Tejeda's YTD stats and ROY bid. All the young Bucs!

Global warming bad for Pirates

Look no further for the cause of 13 consecutive losing seasons.

I wonder if the FSM recognizes something like this as "full Pirate regalia."

I sure hope so.

Jose Castillo YTD

Now at .269 / .311 / .420. I was expecting .275 / .320 / .440. He's .258 / .304 / .445 since the ASB.

Brad Eldred 985 August OPS

Not bad.

Rowdy Doumit 16-for-32 in August

Wow. His real name is "Ryan," but everyone knows he'd prefer to be called Rowdy.

"One of the most meteoric starts in big-league history"

Bill Madden For the NY Daily News:

Nobody, not even Willie Randolph - who had vowed his troops would take an aggressive approach to the rookie - could say Duke didn't live up to his advance billing. "A sneaky 91-92 (mph) fastball, great curve and excellent command" was the basic scouting report on the Pirate phenom who, at 6-0 with a 1.87 ERA, is off to one of the most meteoric starts in big-league history.

Maybe it was the repeated media questions about being just 2 1/2 games out of the wild-card race despite a deflating 2-4 West Coast road trip, or simply the flush of two efficient wins over the Pirates to start the home stand, but Randolph struck a defiant tone before the game when asked about the prospect of his team facing Duke for the first time.

"I saw him on TV," the Mets manager said. "He's got a good curve, a sneaky fastball and he pitches inside. I was impressed. But we're going to attack him. You don't give him too much respect. He's a young player and you've got to attack him. You don't let him get comfortable."

It was sound enough advice, just easier said than done.

From the get-go Duke settled into a comfort zone, retiring the first 11 Mets until his right fielder, fellow rookie Nate McLouth, broke up the perfecto by nonchalanting Carlos Beltran's routine fly ball to right and allowing it to glance off his glove for a two-base error. Duke, however, was unruffled and proceeded to strike out Cliff Floyd on a 2-2 overhand curve to end the inning.

"It's hardly easy," Duke insisted. "The main thing was I was able to get my two-seamer down in the zone and got a lot of groundouts and I got Floyd on a curve."

Up to then, he'd used just 50 pitches and his Pirate teammates, specifically Brad Eldred, another rookie, and Jose Castillo, had staked him to a 4-0 lead. While Eldred had struck the most crushing blow against Victor Zambrano, a two-run homer in the fourth on an 0-2 letters-high fastball, Castillo had the dubious distinction of twice getting nailed for the third out trying to stretch a double into a triple, after RBI doubles in the second and fourth. It is undetermined if this is any sort of record.

But enough of Castillo. Last night was all about the artistry of Duke, who was not even on the Pirates' 40-man roster at the start of the season, yet, despite his late call-up, must be considered a leading Rookie of the Year candidate.

I wonder if Duke was unsurprised by McLouth's nonchalance because he'd seen it at Altoona.

And here's a good quote, from Dejan Kovacevic's recap:

"He's got a heck of a curveball," [Cliff Floyd] said of Duke. "I hope he'll be around a long time. The game needs guys like him. He can turn a franchise around."

We could use some of that.

And a few years ago, McClendon was in the habit of telling the media that the Pirates had to become better baserunners. This got him a reputation for being a small-minded small-ball manager. Perhaps that's why he stopped talking about baserunning so often. As DK reports:

"It's not for print," McClendon said when asked about Castillo's base running.

Game 121: Pirates at Mets

Seven o'clock. Victor Zambrano and Zach Duuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuke.

... all hail the Altoona Curve! I like how all the rookies (Duffy, McLouth, Doumit, Eldred) get the start with Duke on the mound.

... all hail Brad Eldred! Now I have to go find another bottle of Marlborough sauvignon blanc ...

Roethlisberger will suck this year

I'm starting to realize that the CW has Ben Roethlisberger coming "down to earth" this year. Chuck Delsman, for example:

If you're looking for an NFL player who will fall back to earth this season, try Ben Roethlisberger. I look for him and the Pittsburgh Steelers to struggle and miss the playoffs.

The more people bet against the Steelers, the better their chances. They play better with a chip on their shoulders. Last year they were universally disrespected after the 6-10 season. It's a good thing to see the Roethlisberger-will-be-a-dud meme going. I'll try to promote it with the misleading title of this post.

I don't know if it was Ward's good faith or the abundant magic on Monday Night, but I'm growing more optimistic about this Steeler season. No way Roethlisberger will be as good as he was last year. Well, he'll be better, but there's no way his stats will reflect that. Teams will attack weaknesses that he had (but no one knew about) in 2004. We can expect that. But down to earth? I doubt the guy will be mundane. My point in stating the expectation that he'll look worse on paper is mainly to say that everything went right in the 15-1 season, and the odds are greatly against a repeat of that run. He'll throw a game-ending interception into the end zone this year. When comparing the 2005 Steelers to the 2004 Steelers, you have to see that we can't expect Roethlisberger to be as near-perfect as he was last year.

Speaking of Steeler QBs, Tommy Maddox has always reminded me of Mike Tomczak - great backup. If Roethlisberger misses a game or mightily struggles somewhere, I don't think that impacts the Steelers that terribly, especially if they have Maddox ready to go in his place.

I still think that 9 wins is the most likely result. Before I said 7 before 10, but I'd reverse that now and say 10 before 7. Maybe 11 before 7. I can't expect 11 or more, not at this point, though I wouldn't rule it out.

And I think they'll take the division. They have to be the favorite. I look for the bad teams to be better, so I expect the North will be bunched up. The Bengals and the Browns will pose more difficult tests this year.

Depth does look like the possible problem with this team, but it's not a problem until it becomes a problem. I've liked Max Starks from day one. And once again I think Verron Haynes could break out with health and opportunity. So we'll see. The rest of the preseason will be a meaningless fog. So long as everyone stays healthy, we won't learn much more about this team until the games begin next month.

Josh Fogg

Dejan Kovacevic reports Josh Fogg may not see too many starts. As with D. Ward and Tike Redman, Josh Fogg got the full set of opportunities to establish himself as a regular. He'll probably leave Pittsburgh, be out a job, and, starting in 2007, catch on with another team. And then go on to contribute 2000 innings over the next dozen years. And maybe win a World Series or two.

Fogg's probably done here, but his career is not over. If wanted to stick around as a Pirate, he picked a bad year to have a bad year. He cleared waivers so the Bucs could even trade him if a contender wanted him right now.

Twitchy Eldred

So a number of us have noticed that Eldred twitches and fidgets at the plate these days, and the few of us who saw him at Altoona, don't remember seeing this.

What do we make of that?

Eldred's power potential makes him a must-play, must-keep character for us. Unless Littlefield can replace him with a sure thing - which is doubtful considering the salaries power hitters command - we'll sink or swim with Big Country. I may not like to watch nervous Eldred at the plate, but there's no way I'd rather be watching Darlye Ward, who has worn out his welcome with his still-inconsistent contribution. I had hoped 2005 would be the year he'd be a steady if unspectacular contributor. I also came into the year viewing 2005 as his last chance.

Eldred has struggled each time he has moved up a level. And after the struggles, he calmed down and became one of the best hitters in his league.

The best-case scenario for Eldred's future, I think, is something like Adam Dunn or Russ Branyan. Despite his huge size, Dunn has always drawn walks. His strike zone is big but not so big that every pitch is a strike. Eldred has not shown that patience. Branyan has always showed a dramatic platoon split. A left-handed hitter, Branyan just can't hit lefties. Eldred has not hit lefties, either. Eldred has been above-average (already) against right-handed pitching. Since Eldred is a right-handed hitter, there's no reason to think he won't adjust to big-league left-handed pitching. That may be the point where he emerges as the kind of hitter he can be at this level.

If he turns into a .265 / .325 / 575 hitter, who makes something near the minimum, then he's a real asset. Eventually, hitters with poor K-to-BB ratios and Ginormous Power will draw more walks. Pitchers begin to fear them. Branyan developed into a .325 OBP guy and this year, he's sporting an OBP in the .380s.

Good things come to those who wait. The Pirates have to wait for Eldred. The fans might as well. It would be easier to watch all the games if Eldred's batting posture was a bit more reassuring, but I think we have to wait on this guy.

Game 120: Pirates at Mets

Down 3-1 in the fifth.

Abraham Nunez

A good test for the nature vs. nuture argument w/ player development might be our beloved pinch-hitter, Abraham Nunez. Why has he blossomed in St. Louis? Did Tony La Russa teach him to cut down on his strikeouts? Or his improvement more likely the result of him getting older and more experienced?

Did he work harder in the offseason because he'd be starting a new job?

Was he used incorrectly by McClendon? Most of us would yes; we hated to see him pinch-hit so much. Is this why he struck out so much as a Pirate?

Has his effectiveness increased because he's surrounded by greatness? I call this the Charles Johnson effect. He had one good year (2000), in large part, I always thought, because he hit ninth in a stacked Chicago lineup. Does Noonie succeed in St. Louis because his opponents overlook him among so many intimidating players? Did opponents ever regard him as a threat when a Pirate?

I don't know why Noonie has played better than Scott Rolen this year, but I doubt the reason is Tony La Russa's ability to better handle him.

I'd guess it's far more likely that Noonie answered the wake-up call of unemployment with redoubled efforts to improve himself as a player. He was once a prospect (with St. Louis, I think), so it's not like he's ever been without talent.

Should McClendon be fired because there is some Noonie on the current roster?

I just don't accept the idea that the big-league manager has much to do with the success or failure of his individual players.

Javier Guzman

The Pirates have a waterbug prospect at Altoona. Paul Meyer provides this biography.

Also catch Josh Bonifay on Jose Castillo's defense. Yeah, Charlie is right. We can expect Castillo to post better defensive numbers (see Tuesday's Stats Geek) as he matures.

Q & A and McClendon

A lot of interesting stuff, as usual, in the Q & A.

My take on any manager or general manager is this. If he's a rookie, he's going to screw up. If he pays attention, studies the game, and has real problem-solving ability, he's going to get better. If he does not pay attention, does not study the game, and creates more problems then he solves, then he needs to be fired.

I don't have any kind of access or inside information, but I've seen little evidence that McClendon is more a problem-maker than problem-solver. The fact that a lot of raw players leave Pittsburgh and continue to improve is no strike against McClendon; that's like blaming the 6th-grade teacher when the 10th-grade girls grow boobs or get pregnant. I expect every player the Pirates cast off after a few years of service to catch on somewhere else and keep getting better. They have talent and sometimes it takes a lack of security (e.g., getting dumped by the Pirates) to motivate young players to get the most out of it. If players are malingering in Pittsburgh, trying to stay healthy and extend their career into the free agency paydays, then it doesn't matter who is the manager in Pittsburgh. If the additional motivation of finding a new job doesn't help, simple aging and maturing will. Of course young players leave Pittsburgh and keep getting better.

In addition, I'm not impressed with arguments that proceed from the assumption that the manager is the person who is primarily responsible for a player's development. The primary responsibility for a player's development falls to the player. Any good coach or teacher knows this. All the good players know this.

So all things being equal, I would assume that McClendon will be a better manager in 2006 than any rookie manager. I also assume that Littlefield will be a better general manager in 2006 than any rookie general manager. But I'm not terribly qualified to make that decision, so I can only offer that opinion with a shrug.

Perrotto: Farm system loaded

Uplifting stuff.

Game 119: Pirates at Mets

Seven o'clock. Mark Redman and Kristin Bentley. Bentley's name triggers some kind of memory. I'm not sure what. Anyway, he's pitching a hell of a lot better this year than, say, Kip Wells.

J.R. House

Needs time and some WD-40. Story there from the Charleston Daily Mail.

Wilson and Castillo

Good Stats Geek this morning.

Is Castillo's defense so Bobby Hillesque? I expected a little more from him with the bat. There's still time.

Why does Castillo hit so poorly at home?

And why does Rob Mackowiak hit so poorly as an outfielder?

Next time, maybe the Stats Geek can interpret some of the crazy splits which characterize our inconsistent players.

Good faith

All hail Hines Ward.

All hail back-to-back road series wins

And all hail Jason Bay. How long had it been since we won a series in Houston?

A gambler friend of mine offers this rule: if a good team loses to a bad team, bet on the bad team to win again the next day. Everyone thinks no way they lose to them again, but usually, they do just that.

I was skeptical and wanted to see the math when he told me this. With the Astros streaking and due to face first Chicago and second Milwaukee, I admit that's what I thought when we snuck out of dodge with the series win.

For some reason I doubt the Astros would give a playoff start to Wandy Rodriguez.

This preseason game is getting a little silly. Somewhere, fantasy players are snagging Nate Washington off waivers and high-fiving themselves mentally.

50-50 on McClendon for 2006

John Perrotto gives that number.

Eagles at Steelers

Game on in half an hour. I remember the last time the Eagles came to Pittsburgh for a preseason game ... maybe it was the last time ... years ago at Three Rivers. The Steelers stunk it up and lost, but I had a blast anyway.

The Steelers' easy 2005 schedule

Wow, I'd like to be as optimistic as Al & Vivek at Football Outsiders. I blame the Bucs ....

Football tonight

The Steelers have NOT established themselves as one of the best teams in the NFL. One good season doesn't do this for me. They went 15-1 in 2004, but they were a 6-10 team in 2003. The 2005 season could be like the 2004 season for the Chiefs. The Chiefs went 8-8 in 2002, 13-3 in 2003, and 7-9 in 2004.

Football teams that take their greatness for granted will disappoint their fans. Are the Steelers up to this? I don't know. But ask yourself this: would we have had this kind of contract-holdout distraction one year ago?

I'm not convinced the 2003 record has much bearing on the Steelers' 2005 season, but I'm also not convinced the 2004 season does much to meaningfully predict the 2005 season. I guess any prediction should begin at zero, that is, at 8-8. What are the Steelers showing us right now to suggest they are better than an 8-8 team? Not much, but the same could be said for almost every team in the league. The only exceptions would be the ones that have posted winning season after winning season after winning season.

Another thing. Most of you have been over this before, so forgive me if this is tired stuff by now. Ben Roethlisberger is good, but he's not going to complete 66% of his passes over the course of his career. Dan Marino completed 59%. The all-time completion PCT record-holders are Steve Young (64%), Joe Montana (63%), and Troy Aikman (61%). I'm not predicting disaster for Big Ben, but teams will make adjustments - remember the New England playoff game - and it's not at all likely that he will be as effective in 2005. Even if he is really, really good - say a Hall-of-Fame QB - he's not going to live up to the 2005 standard.

For all we know, he'll be kicking a laundry cart after a 3-5 start. He has to play pretty well for what, another dozen seasons, before anyone should be serious with with Marino / Young / Montana stuff.

And as Scoop always notes, it's been part of Cowher's legacy to delight when expectations are low and disappoint when expectations are high. I'll be keeping my expectations pretty low.

I would not be shocked to see them go 7-9 in 2005. Eight or nine wins may be more likely, but I'd go with seven before I'd go with ten.

So I say, brace yourself, Steeler fans.

What are your thoughts?

Pirates to cut back Duke's workload

Joe Rutter reports.

Perrotto on Parity

John Perrotto:

A total of 18 of the 30 major-league clubs were within 6½ games of a playoff spot when the weekend began.

So, while it's understandable that Pirates' fans think the economic deck is stacked against their favorite team, the truth is there is as much parity in the majors now as there has ever been. While the Pirates have not figured out how to take advantage, increased revenue sharing and a luxury tax have helped competitive balance.

Even the Los Angeles Dodgers still have hopes of making the playoffs.

So what happened? What does it mean to not "take advantage" of the greater parity?

Sally O'Leary

Rick Shrum PG interview with Pirates historian and retired PR whiz Sally O'Leary.

What did your work entail during the early years with the team?

O'Leary: We did community days, fan mail. There weren't many promotions until later. One of my biggest jobs was to update statistics every day. I had to go to every home game and keep statistics and a box score. I had to listen to road games because I still had to keep score. We also kept a ledger book of every game, which was handwritten and had details of everything: weather, the umpires, outstanding plays. We also had a page on every player. When we were at Forbes, we didn't have things like a computer or electric typewriter. I didn't even have a calculator. I had a little book that listed percentages that helped me with batting averages.

All hail Sally. Link here.

All hail runs

Beautiful win. Way to stick it to the NL Wild-Card leader.

And three toasts tonight for Dave Williams. All hail that guy for the CG gem.

Duke in the NYT

Murray Chass:

The Pirates plucked Duke, a left-hander from Texas, in the 2001 draft. But they selected him in the 20th round, meaning he was available to every other team in the first 19 rounds. How does a 20th-round pick win his first five decisions in the majors after dazzling five minor leagues in the previous three and a half seasons?

The answer is Duke wasn't really a 20th-rounder. He wasn't projected as a first-round pick, but he would most likely have gone within the first five rounds.

"He would have gone higher in the draft," Dave Littlefield, the Pirates' general manager said, "but there was word that he wanted a lot more dollars than he was worth. Since people deemed him unsignable, he was headed to college."

The Pirates, moving belatedly but boldly, intercepted Duke before he matriculated. It was one of the best moves they had made since drafting Roberto Clemente in 1954. "Our scout" -- Grant Brittain -- "did a nice job with him and was able to get him signed," Littlefield said.

Link here.

Game 118: Pirates at Astros

Two o'clock. Another win at Enron field would make my day. Dave Williams and Ezequiel Astacio.

Carrying water

Get well Chris Duffy, and don't let Brad Eldred punch you in the kidneys again.

Game 117: Pirates at Astros

Seven o'clock, Kip Wells and Roger Clemens.

Ollie

Ed Eagle, among others, reports he's back on the mound. What are your expectations for him the rest of this year? And next?

Game 116: Pirates at Astros

Eight pm. Zach Duke and Roy Oswalt. I had a bad dream last night starring Lance Berkman. If I'm Zach, I just bean him and move on. But Zach's smarter than that. It should be fun viewing either way.

I'm also curious to see if McClendon will send out the whole gang of youth for more of that Altoona Curve 2004 good feeling.

New shirts

And other goodies in the Honest Wagner store, many with our world-famous drunkards logo.

Baseball vs. Football

Baseball is a daily soap opera, with new episodes 300 days a year. Football is more of a series of traumatic events. Over the years, I've learned not to pay too much attention to the NFL during the offseason.

Fantasy sports play a role in the way I follow the two sports. Fantasy baseball is something like chess. That is, it's a game in which the luck element can be significantly reduced. Strategy and diligence can carry the day. You need the right rules, of course. It seems to me that keeper leagues should be deep (many teams, large retention lists). Non-keeper leagues should be shallow (with many starting players on waivers).

I played fantasy football for a few years. Then I realized there was too much luck to make it much of a game of strategy. And I see no way to minimize the role of luck. There are too few games and too many traumatic, season-ending injuries. I no longer play it. I prefer to play out the baseball season and keep my football gaming to pick 'em contests.

Fantasy football taught me some things about the difference between the MLB and NFL seasons. First, fantasy football plays like a 16-game fantasy baseball season. The basic unit of play, in both football and baseball, is the game. I once thought of the NFL and MLB seasons as things of similar size. But this isn't the case. There's much more waiting in the NFL season. It takes many months, but not too much happens in the NFL -- compared to baseball. That doesn't mean it's not just as great, mind you; what baseball does with diligence, football does with intensity.

When it comes to being a fan who crafts his expectations for the upcoming season, I've discovered that it's important to remember that every football season suffers, statistically, from the small-sample size effect we'd find in any 16-game baseball season. (Football games are longer than baseball games, so perhaps it's more like a 30-game season. Either way, our ability to predict or anticipate the distribution of statistics is pretty challenged.) There's a lot of randomness in the way the money statistics are distributed in any given year.

Add in the prevalance of traumatic injury, and the football season gives us many more one-year wonders than the baseball season. Not only are we ill-equipped, relative to baseball, to predict the performance or effectiveness of individual players, we are also ill-equipped to evaluate their contribution to their team.

To reduce this to a cliche: football is more the team sport. It takes many years to discern the truly great individuals from the temporarily great individuals.

I wanted to say all that before I begin with my comments on the 2005 Steelers season, which I'll roll out early next week.

Ellis on HBO tonight

Jim Carlisle of the Ventura County Star:

Dock Ellis will be interviewed at 9 tonight by Bob Costas on HBO's "Costas Now." Featured will be rare footage of Ellis' 1970 no-hitter for the Pittsburgh Pirates against the San Diego Padres.

In a recent biography of Dock Ellis, we learned that he was using this footage in his drug rehab work. He's apparently quite high, esp. in the postgame interview.

Game 115: Pirates at Rockies

Day game at Coors Field. Josh Fogg and Jeff Francis are the Rock 'em Sock 'em Robots.

...welcome Nate McLouth.

The rotation

Dejan Kovacevic reports Fogg will get another turn.

If the Bucs increase their payroll by ten million for 2006, I suggest they spend all of the money on pitching coaches. I doubt the Pirates will be eager to pay Fogg what he'd win in arbitration, even if he turns his season around. And Fogg will be just fine. Some team like the Reds will sign him at a generous rate in February.

If we lose Fogg and add Snell, we are left with Oliver Perez, Kip Wells, Ian Snell, and probably Ryan Vogelsong as the pool competing for spots after Zach Duke, Dave Williams, and probably Mark Redman. That's four pitchers with great stuff and lousy guile. And we'll need at least two of those guys to pitch well and separate the crafty lefties. I can't say I expect any of those four to come through for us in 2006. Since Ollie only had one great year (2004) and Kip had two great years (2002 and 2003), I wonder if it isn't fair to start with the premise that Ollie is half the pitcher that Kip is. I didn't think Ollie would be such a disappointment in 2005, and I didn't think Kip would post back-to-back poor years. Right now, I don't see much reason for optimism about the 2006 rotation.

Game 114: Pirates at Rockies

9:05 PM EST. Mark Redman goes fists-of-fury on Aaron Cook. Look for the lowly Helton-less Rockies, conditioned losers, to lay down and whine, conceding another huge Pirates' victory.

Kevin McClatchy

I don't have a problem with this guy. He's talking sense as far as I'm concerned.

When it comes to assigning blame for 13 consecutive losing seasons, I blame the players. It's their fault. With notable exceptions, they have underperformed year after year. But they have been young. Young enough to let the opportunities of a lifetime slip from their grasp, fall to the ground, and break into a dozen worthless pieces.

Some of the players get it. Others don't. I'd say, most of them don't. A player inclined to blame anyone but himself has greater temptation to do this if he plays for the Pirates. It is hard to distinguish yourself at this level of play, and most players fail. And it's easier to fail when you have so many ready excuses.

The ownership and front office have not done everything right. They definitely share in the blame. Maybe 15% of all this failure can be attributed to their incompetence and inexperience. The rest of the blame goes on the shoulders of the players who came here and failed.

One other thing. My hunch: there will be no major-league baseball in 2007.

Promising Jon Nunnally

The part of this week's Q & A that jumps out at me is the news that the Pirates promised AAA playing time to a journeyman, and that this promise was cited as a reason for sending Sadler to AA instead of AAA. Can this be true? Both halves of this tidbit are striking.

Game 113: Pirates at Rockies

9:05 PM EST at Coors. Dave Williams throws his junk while Jose Acevedo serves up taters in the battle of the basements. Jason Bay is 5-for-10 with a jack vs. Jose.

To date, Jason Bay has a .296/.388/.552 line. All hail our best player, Jason Bay!

Rockies swept Monday's doubleheader so are due for a huge loss tonight.

Bullington

New DK notebook reports:

"The Pirates are considering a September callup for starter Bryan Bullington, the first overall pick in the 2002 amateur draft. In his past seven starts for Class AAA Indianapolis, he is 4-1 with a 1.93 earned run average, 41 strikeouts and nine walks in 42 innings."

BB seems to have traded in the clown car for a ticket to the show. All hail the new improved Bryan Bullington!

Raffy on Roids

Who do you respect most to least: Mark McGwire for juicing but refusing to admit it, Rafael Palmeiro for lying his ass off, or Jose Canseco for telling all and making a buck out of the whole tragedy?

Monday off

Bucs have Monday off to lick their wounds and prepare for the Rockies in Coors on Tuesday. Duffy will rehydrate his tight hammy and Kip will rest his cracked fingernail.

Gonzo's two-inning simulated game went well today. He's set to start his rehab assignment on Tuesday.

Sunday's DK notebook features Tike coming to terms with being a bench player. "I can start in the majors. I proved that last year. Anybody can see that," said Tike. In other news:

-Gerut's knee is still tender, but he's expected to start soon.

-Restovich feels the love: "I feel like they want me to be part of the team. I really do, and that's nice."

-In AA Altoona, elbow tendonitis is shutting down RHP relief prospect Josh Sharpless for the year.

Game 112: Dodgers at Pirates

1:35 PM EST. Jeff Weaver-Kip Wells donnybrook. Sensational win last night. Great to see all the young guys come together and spill some whoop-ass on the Dodgers. All hail Chris Duffy for hitting .388 and Zach Duke for tying Whitney Glazer's 1921 record of starting his career with the Bucs 5-0.

Friday's DK notebook reports that the Pirates are leaning towards bringing back Mesa to close in 2006. His 2006 team option is 4 million, but apparently that can be negotiated down. I hope way way down. Longtime readers of HW know that I'm a big fan of the Bucs' fifth all-time saves leader, but, WOW - no way in hell can we afford to pay him anywhere near 4 million next year, even if the payroll is raised to 50 million.

Game 111: Dodgers at Pirates

7:05 PM EST. Zach Duke (4-0, 0.92 ERA) tries to stop the bleeding again, this time against Odalis Perez, and likely in front of another sell-out crowd on Skyblast night 2. All hail Brad Eldred for his first jack last night! Anyone fortunate enough to be attending the festivities this evening please throw a bone to us less fortunate fans with comments, news, impressions, or opinions on Duke, Eldred, other Pirates, or the pyrotechnical display.

Only 9 days left until the Steelers' preseason opener vs. the Eagles. Big Ben looked sharp today.

Game 110: Dodgers at Pirates

7:05 PM EST. Derek Lowe vs. Josh Fogg. The Bucs host the first of three against the lowly 48-60 Dodgers. Fogg will try to build a case for his 2.15 million dollar salary and a 2006 rotation spot.

All hail NL Rookie-of-the-Month for July, Zach Duke!

"I'm not going to get complacent," said Duke. "I still have a lot of work to do."

Game 109: Padres at Pirates

(The two-day-old reverse jinx is 2-0. I'll try for 3, hoping for another Bucs' win).

12:35 EST. Brian Lawrence drop-kicks Mark Redman. Look for our low-rent last-place split-squad to shuffle slowly into the slaughterhouse and, of course, lose big. The "hidden languorish" in Eldred's 4-for-4 guarantees an 0-for-5 with 3 Ks tonight. The lad certainly won't go yard.

Game 108: Padres at Pirates.

(My prediction for yesterday's game couldn't have been much more horribly wrong. I'll try again, lowering the bar).

7:05 PM EST. Newly acquired Chan Ho Park drop-kicks Dave Williams. Look for our ragtag motley crew of fourth outfielders, utility infielders, and mop-up men to get another mudhole stomped in their ass. To mix things up, Mac will leave some poor lemming in to give up a sixth consecutive hit or walk. Oh wait, he did that yesterday. BTW, RV was ready with the mop, right? WTF leave White in after giving up 6 hits/walks (5 consecutive) to see a 7th (6th consecutive)? Anyway, expect more of the same learned helplessness tonight as our overmatched half-roster has its gaping weaknesses systematically exposed and exploited.

Game 107: Padres at Pirates

7:05 PM EST. Pirates return home for the big Jake Peavy vs. Kip Wells smackdown. Although tied with the D-backs for first in the NL West, the Padres are on the ropes, having lost 9 of their last 10 . Look for another dominant outing by Kip and a huge Bucs victory featuring multiple Eldred/Doumit jacks. Gerut will likely hit fifth and play RF. Jason Bay says his knee is fine, expect him to bat third and hit for the cycle.

Meanwhile, over in Steelers training camp, Kendall Simmons "smoked his competition" and Casey Hampton "looked svelte" in the "run-test".

Game 106: Pirates at Braves

1:05 PM EST. Zach Duke tries to stop the bleeding against Tim Hudson in another chance to avoid the four game sweep. Bucs have lost 5 straight, are 22.5 games back, and now at 44-61 have the worst record in the NL besides the Rockies. I'm guessing Gerut will hit second as the Lawton-less Bucs try to find other ways to score a few runs. At least if Gerut totally tanks or hurts himself again, we won't owe him much in arbitration.

Mercifully, Steelers training camp began today. #1 pick Heath Miller signed (as did #2 pick Bryant McFadden and #3 pick Trai Essex) but Hines Ward didn't report to camp and is apparently going to hold out until he's offered a contract extension.

Matt Lawton for Jody Gerut

Welcome aboard, Jody. Gerut is a 27 year old left-handed RF who can't hit lefties. Against righties, he's decent. In 2003, he tore the rotator cuff in his left shoulder. In Sept. 2004, he tore the ACL in his right knee. So he's either undervalued or injury-prone. Overall, it sounds like he'll fit right in. He's only making 356K this year, so this should free up some money for either next year's payroll or Nutting's coffers.

75 minutes past the deadline and this is the only Pirates trade that has been announced.

Game 105: Pirates at Braves

1:05 PM EST. Fogg vs. Smoltz. Last-place Bucs try to salvage some dignity and avoid four game sweep. With our play of late, the odds of this happening are not favorable.

Trade deadline today at 4 PM EST. What goes down will shape the future of the franchise.

Mesa and Ward to Mets?

The New York Daily News reports:

Recent discussions also have been held with the Pirates about closer Jose Mesa and first baseman Daryle Ward, for prospects that could include Double-A catcher Mike Jacobs or reliever Matt Lindstrom, an NL source said, but those talks have been casual because the Mets haven't determined the direction they want to go.

Deadline is Sunday 4 PM EST.

Game 104: Pirates at Braves

7:05 PM EST. Redman (or Snell if Redman is traded) vs. Kyle Davies.

Yorman Bazardo

The Palm Beach Post is reporting that the Marlins are talking to the Bucs about trading Mark Redman for RHP Yorman Bazardo. The Marlins are also talking to Seattle about Villone for Bazardo.

BP2005 has this to say about Yorman Bazardo (with my parenthetical additions):

"The convention of using a July 1 cutoff to determine player age mislabels Bazardo, who's an "old" 20 (DOB: 7/11/84). Scouts love him for his mid-90s fastball and slider. The low strikeout rate (95 K in 154.3 IP in 2004 at Jupiter in A) is a definite concern, although it's mitigated by his great control (only 30 BB in those same 154.3 IP) and insanely low home-run rate (only 3 in 2004). The real concern is his arm; by no means has Bazardo been abused, but the attrition rate is high for guys this young and this advanced."

This year for the AA Carolina Mudcats, young Yorman is 8-6 with a 3.79 ERA. In 107 IP, he's given up 103 H, allowed 12 HR, and has 35 BB to 72 K. Looks like the "insanely low home-run rate" is gone. Overall, I think he seems like a nice prospect, and could be a good return for Redman. Anyone ever seen Bazardo pitch?

Saturday Dejan

New Dejan notebook reports on the Cardinals' interest in Lawton. DK also serves up Doumit's explanation for freezing in the batters box after making the final out Thursday night : he thought he fouled the ball high in the air.

Duke changes tire

The PG reports:

"Duke showed another skill yesterday in changing a flat tire for the taxi that took him, Ryan Doumit and Chris Duffy to Dolphins Stadium. All three helped after they could see the cabbie struggling, but Duke was the main mechanic. "When you grow up in the country, you've got to know how to do stuff like that," Duke said. "Wasn't my first time."

What's not to like about this kid? Same article says Mac is thinking about moving Duke's next start up to Sunday. Also says DL is claiming next years payroll could leap to $50 million. All hail that.

On the trade front, Yankees get Chacon, making Kip to NYY seem unlikely. The rumor mill has Boston looking at Lawton and Mets looking at Mesa. Lawton for Bronson Arroyo? Mesa for Keppinger and Anna Benson? Please post any trade rumors you all overhear.

Game 103: Pirates at Braves

7:35 EST. Dave Williams takes on Horacio Ramirez in the first of four in Atlanta. Dave looks to repeat his one-hit effort.

Meanwhile, in the other half of the cellar, the Reds face David Ross in SD.

Ross traded to Padres for J.J. Furmaniak

So long, Dave. Thanks for the memories.

Welcome aboard, J.J. At first I boggled at the thought of getting yet another utility middle infielder, but after reading up on J.J., I like this trade. The soon-to-be-26-year-old Furmaniak has a little power and can play SS, 2B or 3B. A nice return for Ross it seems. You can never have too many versatile middle-infielders, right?

Beware though, he has had "Maniac" played for his pre-at-bat music.

Game 102: Pirates at Marlins

7:05 PM EST. Kip vs. Dontrelle. The D-Train has been pistol-whipped in his last three starts to the tune of 25 H, 23 ER, 5 BB, 7 K in 13 IP. Huh, does the showboat have a rip in his space suit?

Go yard, young Brad. Go yard.

Game 101: Pirates at Marlins

Seven o'clock. Zach Duke.

Game 100: Pirates at Marlins

Seven o'clock. Josh Fogg and Brian Moehler.

Newsday thinks the Yankees will acquire Redman as soon as any other pitcher. In classic NY style, however, they won't sound excited about it.

John Perrotto runs down the players Littlefield demands. Sounds to me like he is demanding the right players. He has nothing to lose, I think; it's no huge disaster if the deadline comes and goes, and we didn't move any of these veterans.

Stats Geek is happy.

Harry Potter hit by Pirates

No shit.

Bucs happy with new strikers.

Yankees might shop for Redman.

Slow news day.

Day off

The players get the day off to travel.

Some Redman non-news here.

Gonzo should be back mid-August.

Ken Rosenthal reports The Mets have Mesa on a short list. Also this:

One executive's scouting report on Pirates rookie first baseman Brad Eldred, whom the team promoted last Friday amid great anticipation: "When he swings and misses awkwardly, he looks like (Steve) Balboni. And when he hits it, he also looks like Balboni. He's a powerful, powerful man."

Steve Balboni numbers here.

Game 99: Rockies at Pirates

1:35. Chacon and Redman. #35 one and two.

Game 98: Rockies at Pirates

Kim and Williams at seven.

Game 97: Rockies at Pirates

Seven. Wright and Wells. C'mon Kip. Throw strikes man.

Eldred bats cleanup. Welcome to the big leagues.

All hail Brad Eldred

And the Brad Eldred watch was just four hours old.

If he can keep the strikeouts under 50% for the first 100 at-bats, I'll be fine with that, provided we get some extra-base hits in the mix. Russell the Muscle struck out 41% of the time in his first 235 at-bats. Eldred doesn't have to be Jim Thome to help right now. Heck, he can be Julio Zuleta and help this team. Swing, big man. Give the fans something to cheer about.

The Trib

Written like true bloggers!

Game 96: Rockies at Pirates

Zach Duke tonight. The Rockies have been on the road for some time, so they should be adjusted to baseball near sea level. But the gamblers are onto Duke, and the Bucs, I understand it, are pretty heavily favored.

I've lost patience with Daryle Ward. DFA him if no one wants him. He's only making 900K; someone must want him. We've seen enough to know he's no part of the future. And I want Ryan Doumit to stick at catcher. If that just gets worse, let him play 1B in the AFL.

This means it's time to watch just-turned-25-years-old Brad Eldred. Big Country's numbers at Indianapolis look like this. 53 hits in 192 AB (.276), 28 extra-base hits (a Branyanesque 53% of all hits), a .583 SLG. 4 steals! The man can lumber. Or maybe it's the giant steps. The swing is giant too: 56 K (29% of all AB) and only 14 BB. Some of those BB must be intentional, too.

He can strike 67% for all I care, provided he still manages a .330 OBP and a .580 SLG. My concern would be that a guy who Ks 29% at AAA will K 49% up here.

But would that be so bad? After 1200 MLB at-bats, Russell Branyan is striking out 37% of the time. He's only starting against RHP, but he's been very productive in this limited role. Ryan Howard, who is six months older than Eldred, is now K'ing 47% of the time and being moderately useful.

So damn the strikeouts, I say, they are of little matter when every second hit goes for extra bases. Let's not quote that K rate without mentioning the .583 SLG.

Tonight, Indy plays Syracuse at 8pm.

We suck, basically

Rob Mackowiak.

Game 95: Astros at Pirates

Noonish, Andy Pettitte and Josh Fogg.

Q & A

Another installment.

Is it easier for a rookie to break in at the bottom of the lineup on a winning team, surrounded by players like Chipper Jones and John Smoltz? I would guess yes. Also, if the Braves only start their rookies, why has Jeff Francoeur been out of the lineup the last two nights? I think we often exaggerate the difference between how the Pirates are run and how the other teams are run. The Pirates' trouble is not so much how the team is managed, but how the players play. I don't completely understand the impulse to blame everyone but the players.

Doumit should be the primary catcher, Duffy should be the primary centerfielder, and Eldred should be here soon. I agree with all that. There are no veteran players standing in their way right now.

And on the subject of Mark Cuban, you can now get your t-shirt. I've been doubtful that anyone would buy the team and infuse, say, $50M in payroll with the belief that it takes money to make money. But maybe I'm wrong.

Game 93 and 94: Astros at Pirates

Games starting soon. Will Ian Snell baffle the Astros?

On proven veterans

Wilbur, his neck snapping from the strain of pondering a Mike Lowell trade, offers this editorial at OnlyBucs. He's making sense--if there are many fans who believe the Pirates are only one bat away from contending. And if those same fans will believe that Mike Lowell is that bat. Are Pirate fans that gullible?

We can't smack ourselves on the forehead every time the Pirates sign some 30-something that another team no longer wants. Every team adds "washed-up," "struggling," "overrated," and/or "past their peak" veterans. Just because the Pirates have been stuck around 75 wins, that doesn't mean they should not add veterans. Wilbur describes a method for maintaining an "OK" 75-win team, but this same method is also employed by most of the best teams in baseball right now. The difference between the Pirates and the perpetual winners is not that the Pirates sign more mediocre proven veterans.

Consider the following transactions. In the 2004-2005 offseason, the Cardinals signed 30-year-old David Eckstein to lead off in 2005. Eckstein was coming off a season in which he posted an OBP of .339. The White Sox signed 31-year-old Jermaine Dye, who was coming off seasons in which he posted OPS numbers of 514 and 793. The Angels signed the ancient 40-year-old Steve Finley and 30-year-old Orlando Cabrera, who came off a 630 OPS second-half and down year. The Red Sox signed the 29-year-old Edgar Renteria off a down year. The Braves signed the conspicuously-worthless 34-year-old Raul Mondesi. The Orioles signed the 36-year-old malcontent Sammy Sosa. The Rangers acquired the long-worthless 30-year-old Richard Hidalgo and the 760-OPS underwhelming 31-year-old David Dellucci. The Indians built their team around the maimed and disappointing 32-year-old Aaron Boone. The Athletics acquired a 31-year-old overpaid catcher with 1205 games on the odometer of his knees and ankles.

Hmmm ... what do these teams have in common? They all add "washed-up," "struggling," "overrated," and/or "past their peak" as part of the regular ongoing roster shuffle. What else do they have in common? They all have GMs basking in the warm, adoring light of fans and pundits.

Of those acquistions, most would have irritated Pirate fans if the Pirates had done the signing. With a few obvious exceptions, most of these players would have been regarded as the second coming of Derek Bell, Chris Stynes, Randall Simon, or Raul Mondesi. (Renteria was a four-year, $40M player, yes, but fans and pundits recognized that he was "at the end of his peak, not the middle of it", so I include him.) Of these eleven acquisitions, I count six clear busts and five good acquisitions: Renteria's 14.8 VORP is sixth-best on the Red Sox, Dellucci has posted 26.9 VORP numbers, Dye's 16.4 VORP is second-best on the White Sox, Eckstein's 15.3 VORP is fifth-best on the Cardinals, and Kendall's 15.7 VORP is third-best for the Athletics. (Play with VORP.)

The addition of one player will not make a huge difference for any team. These teams are winning because they already had a good nucleus of players. But it should be no shock that some of the more surprising winners, like Chicago-AL and Texas, are winning because they hit the jackpot in the "worthless" proven-veteran lotto.

Are these vets such a bad gamble? What are the odds that Ryan Doumit, Chris Duffy, Brad Eldred, Jose Bautista, or Yurendell DeCaster will play every day in 2006 and contribute in a way that ranks them as a top-six hitter on a top-ten team? Are those odds five in eleven? Four in ten? Three in nine? I would guess 33% or less, but maybe that's because I'm jaded. (As a side note: if you think the Pirates' main problem is evaluating talent, wouldn't that incline you even further toward the addition of veterans? Is our taste in rookies that much better than our taste in veterans?)

The Bucs should trade the likes of Lawton, Mark Redman, Tike Redman, D. Ward, Freddy Sanchez, and Bobby Hill if they can find takers. None of these guys, for various reasons, has much of a chance of being a top hitter on a team that's as good as any of the teams listed above. Certainly the chances are not four in ten or even three in nine.

The Bucs don't need to add a half-dozen veterans to make their best play for a playoff-worthy 2006. But they certainly need to add new players. The current crop is not getting the job done. A Mike Lowell may or may not be 2006's Jermaine Dye, but he has as good a chance, I think, as Brad Eldred or Jose Bautista.

The best approach probably involves balance. The Pirates need better players. They will add a "proven veteran" or two or three. It's inevitable. No one manages their roster without doing this.

Finally, some will argue that the Pirates, lacking the solid offensive core that these other teams have, need to be looking not for one-year past-peak wonders but for long-term solutions. I agree. My definition of "long-term," however, would be not one but two or, at most, three years down the road. Too many things change from year to year to make longer plans wise. Four-year plans, five-year plans, these have always been doomed to fail.

Rob Mackowiak, Freddy Sanchez, Bobby Hill, and Ty Wigginton have not done much to suggest they will be one of those top hitters in 2006. Since the Pirates have no minor-league third baseman poised for a promotion, it makes sense to add a "proven veteran" to play third base for 2006.

Mike Lowell rumor

They'll play two.

Mike Lowell is not a terrible idea. He's come around after a bad-luck-driven poor start, but I wouldn't expect him to return to his 2002-2004 peak. His 2005 numbers look bad compared to that stretch, but they look more typical compared to his career numbers. STATS wrote this about him in the last offseason:

Lowell always had been a dead-pull hitter, but he made a concerted effort last year to hit more balls to right-center, where he has enough power to take pitchers out of the park. He showed better pitch selection and built his walk total to a career best. He still likes the ball middle-in and thigh high, and will yank inside mistakes over the relatively short porch in left at Pro Player Stadium. He's a marked flyball hitter who can have trouble with high fastballs and breaking balls away, although in general he did a better job of tracking breaking stuff. He crushes lefties and holds his own against righthanders. Lowell has been one of the club's most reliable clutch hitters, but last year only nine of his 27 homers came with men on base.

Here's the bad: It does not sound like he's built for PNC Park. He has two-and-a-half years on his contract; it's worth about 8M per year. He has been as inconsistent as Rob Mackowiak. His monthly OPS splits for 2004, a peak year, were 993 / 1183 / 692 / 927 / 619 / 790.

What I like about him: he's done his best hitting as a cleanup hitter. Rob Mackowiak still has a 1000+ OPS as a third baseman, but he has not been much of a cleanup hitter. He plays third base. Jose Bautista looks a year or more away.

Lowell looks to me like a 277 / 346 / 477 hitter - no Aramis Ramirez but no Chris Stynes or Ty Wigginton, either. If he gets slumpy, he can start against lefties, and Rob Mackowiak can take some of his at-bats against righties. A Lowell / Mackowiak platoon could be very strong.

Game 92: Astros at Pirates

Seven o'clock. Dave Williams and Brandon Backe.

Looks like this July will shape up like last July, only the Pirates are not playing well as the fans look to the trading deadline like it's the last weekend of the baseball season.

Will Carroll wrote this yesterday:

For those that doubted Zach Duke, well, quit doubting. The kid is real. His emergence - and several options including Ian Snell and Tom Gorzelanny, make Mark Redman and Kip Wells available. Redman is being watched by the Yanks and Red Sox. The White Sox would love to have Wells back if they miss out on Burnett or another top-line starter.

That's from his Juice Blog. I'm glad to know that Zach Duke is not just a figment of my winning-deprived mind.

Game 91: Pirates at Cubs

Another day game. Kip Wells and Carlos Zambrano.

All hail Zach Duke, again

From Joe Rutter's report on the game:

Duke also chipped in with a sacrifice fly in the second inning that gave the Pirates a 2-0 lead.

"I'm more proud of that than anything," Duke said. "I got an RBI off Greg Maddux. I'm going to call home and tell my parents."

Maddux (8-7) pitched well enough to win, allowing two earned runs and five hits in eight innings. Still, he came up short of career win No. 314.

"I threw OK, but I got out-pitched," Maddux said. "Their guy didn't make many mistakes and pitched a very good game. He shut down a team that's been swinging the bats really good the past few games."

What is not to like about this guy, Zach Duke?

All hail Zach Duke

Still time to climb into the ROY race.

Game 90: Zach Duke at Cubs

Four o'clock. Greg Maddux for the Cubs.

Mark Cuban

Aw shit. Paul Meyer reports he'd buy the team. For real now.

I believe the CW among those near the team is that the current ownership won't sell before the team has a winning season. Is this still the case? Anyone know?

Game 89: Pirates at Cubs

Kerry Wood and Josh Fogg.

Where's Zach Duke? He's about the only pitcher I'm excited to see these days. Maybe McClendon, since he realizes he won't be back next year, can get loose and manage Japanese-style, sending Duke to the hill night after night. Give him a shot at 30 wins.

In other news, boy am I glad I picked up Chris Shelton in my fantasy league. He's catcher-eligible, and he's been a godsend. I've shot into first place, and I'm poised to humiliate graciously defeat Bones and Scoop in yet another season.

The moral of the Shelton story has something to do with trying to be too perfect. I believe that DL discarded him because he couldn't play a position well enough. It's consistent with the criticisms he's had of Ramirez and C. Wilson. The two most valuable things in baseball are veteran starters and power bats. We've done an OK job grooming and collecting starters, but only experience makes them veterans. Time to do something about the power bats. Rather than wait for Mr. Perfect, we should make room for Mr. Available.

At this point, if I'm DL, I go get Ryan Howard and start calling him Little Pops. And I do that before Kip Wells reveals that his wing hurts. And before Howard establishes himself as a ten-million-a-year player.

Game 88: Pirates at Cubs

Mark Redman and Mark Prior in the first of four day games. Game on 2:20pm.

All hail the return of baseball.

All-star break

May Bay hit a lot of homers. No games until Thursday, and then it's a day game against the Cubs.

Game 87: Mets at Pirates

1:35pm, Pedro Martinez and Kip Wells.