Game 7: Pirates at Giants

Ohlendorf and Zito after your bedtime. Rain likely, rainout possible.

Game 6: Pirates at D'backs

McCutchen and Jackson at 4pm EST.

Wild-card berth could be on the line here.

Game 5: Pirates at D-backs

Duke and Haren starting soon. After only a two day exposure to ALD (Adam LaRoche Disease), the Bucs are starting to appear symptomatic.

Game 4: Pirates at D-backs

Morton and the first-place Bucs vs. Rodrigo Lopez at 9:40.

Game 3: Dodgers at Pirates

Maholm and the undefeated Bucs vs. Billingsley at 12:35. Given the events that have transpired, it doesn't seem too early to start entertaining the notion of Jonezilla, 2010 NL MVP.

Game 2: Dodgers at Pirates

Ohlendorf and Kershaw at seven. Bucs need a win to stay undefeated.

First Place

Nice view up here.

Game 1: Dodgers at Pirates

Duke vs. Vicente Padilla in the season opener at 1:35.

HW 2010 Readers' Poll

It's time. Please humor us in the comments with your predictions for:

1. How many wins?
2. Who gets traded first?
3. 2010 Whipping Boy?
4. How could the Bucs win 82 games?

Feel free to share any other predictions as well. I'll start.

1. A variety of other sources have predicted shades of suck ranging from 62 to 75 wins. Walking the earth, not tied down to any beer fort, I'm optimistic for a significant improvement over last year's effort: 67 wins.

2. Vazquez. Then Doumit, Dotel, Crosby and Church.

3. Tougher call than most years. LaRoche? Clement?

4. Milledge, Cutch, Jones, LaRoche, then Alvarez all go berserk. Ohlendorf gets the team hooked on some kind of secret PED made for farm animals? MLB surprisingly announces that the season will be extended to a 262 game format?

End of spring training

Pretty exciting stuff maybe.

Morgan Ensberg

Best baseball stuff I've read in a long time. Kudos.

the ZiPS

I held out as long as I could, hoping to prevent May burnout and disappointment. But now I am reading the ZiPS and starting to look at this team more critically.

They don't look good or likely to be good but the entertainment factor looks higher than in previous years.

Spring Training continues

They keep playing those spring training games.

Realignment

I read Tom Verducci's report about realignment talk with great interest. I had my own ideas about realignment not long ago.

Something has to be done. Baseball is broken as it is, and it's dying a slow death I think.

Realignment in tiers makes a lot of sense. I like the idea. I could see a league where teams move up and down levels based mainly on last year's win/loss records. The players are already doing it; the better ones graduate to the same few teams. Divisions could be more balanced at the start of the season to reflect the reality created by baseball's lack of a salary cap.

Baseball being what it is, it's quite possible that the playoff winner in the junior circuit could beat the playoff winner in the big-bucks circuit. For a game or two or even a best-of-seven series if, say, the junior circuit champion has a pair of ace starters. People would like that. If the old highly paid guys can't fend off the upstarts, they don't deserve the ring.

Realign the divisions based on geography and payroll, reduce the amount of interdivision and interleague play, and come September there will be a variety of teams with winning records. Young upstart teams and old highly-paid teams. There would be great interest in the playoffs. And no market would need to suffer through 20 consecutive years of losing seasons.

One more thing. For the love of God, get the Pirates out of sharing a division with Houston. There is nothing I hate more than all those games in Houston. It's friggin' stupid. Bismarck, North Dakota is closer to Pittsburgh than friggin' Houston.

Win

Ronny who? All hail Tony Ballgame!

Game on

Bryan Morris, Donnie Veal, Ronald Uviedo, Justin Thomas, Ramon Aguero, Jeff Sues and Anthony Claggett vs. the Hapless Manatees at noon.

Walking the earth

Last season I laid up supplies all winter, in preparation for the coming Pirates season. Opening day came and I was hunkered down in a beer fort of such size and solidity and swankitude, I thought I'd have some shelter through the All-Star break. At least. Alas.

New year new strategy. Why be a stationary target? Move around some more. Leaner and meaner and more nimble. Sleeping in the open air. Growing a huge bristly beard. Not washing my jeans and wool shirt. Why settle down and have so much invested in one place, I figure.

R.I.P. Jim Bibby

With heavy hearts and sweaty brows, we pour some out for Game 7 starter Jim Bibby.

How about that bullpen

Something about new guys in the bullpen. Oh yeah.

How about that bullpen? Turning things around, I say.

Long live the comments

Haloscan was terminated while we were napping in the twisted ruins of our Stiller fort. We scraped together the change and paid for the Echo upgrade. We are hopeful that comments will return soon.

My thanks to our two readers, who finally woke us and alerted us to the power outage.

NFL week 17: Steelers at Dolphins

Elimination day.

Can't say I like the Steelers' chances of making the playoffs.

NFL week 16: Ravens at Steelers

Ben taking a knee with a minute to go.

Looks like win.

NFL week 15: Packers at Steelers

National public opinion is clearly behind the Packers with this one.

I would like to see the Steelers commit to the run, as they did in ye olde days. Sure the Packers have the #2 ranked rush defense right now -- that should not matter.

Also expect to see the Steelers getting some turnovers.

More Hot Stove

The news about the Pirates hardly making a Morris dime depresses me. Not what I wanted to learn. I was holding out a feeble candle of hope for the theory that they were making it hand over fist--and socking the dough away to fund a forthcoming dynasty. Hey, a guy can dream.

I am not sure what will happen to baseball over the next few decades, but if the Pirates string together another ten losing seasons, or lose in eight or nine of the next ten, then it's going to be very hard to explain how it makes sense to field or support the Washington Generals year after year. It's already hard to explain. Things do not appear to be getting better. Even if the front office has incredible luck making trades and developing talent, there's not much hope for regular winning seasons if they can never pay competitive salaries.

Capps non-tendered

Dicus released, the P-G reports.

Dollar bills

Frank and Bob show Dejan the money. Over the past two years, the Bucs have made barely enough money to employ Matt Morris for a year.

NFL week 13: Raiders at Steelers

Hell unleashed starting now.

Hot Stove

I was briefly amused to read that the coach told Ed Bouchette they would "unleash hell" in December.

Otherwise I have not been entertained.

Time to gather round the stove with a candle in it and a transparent door.

NFL week 12: Steelers at Ravens

Dennis Dixon Era kicks off tonight. If I'm Tomlin, I lean heavily on Dixon's fake Statue of Liberty when the game gets close.

Steelers lose

Tough loss at Kansas City yesterday.

Tracy wins, bloviates, still intrigued

“What we’re talking about this afternoon, it’s probably as flattering an experience as I’ve come to realize during the course of my professional career in athletics,” Tracy said. “And obviously a new contract is extremely exciting. But what is more intriguing for me is what is still out there for our ballclub.”

NFL week 10: Bengals at Steelers

Steelers down 6-3 in the first. Not much tackling on special teams so far.

Dock Ellis movie

Dock Ellis & the LSD No-No by James Blagden.

He even worked in the green weenie. Bravo.

NFL week 9: Steelers at Broncos

Should be a tough spot for the Steelers.

I am curious to see if they will make tackles on special teams. Also wondering if Mendenhall can protect the ball.

Iwamura

Jesse Chavez and his Upside traded to the Rays for playoff-minded Akinori Iwamura. Dejan breaks down some of the fallout. Still not clear if Gerut's expensive knee brace can be recycled.

NFL week 8: Steelers on bye

Some pretty good games this week.

NFL week 7: Vikings at Steelers

Should be a good one on Sunday.

That last comment thread got so big, I thought maybe we should start the new one early.

NFL Week 6: Browns at Steelers

That was not a pretty win. Steelers appear to have all kinds of problems.

Respect the Towel

Sean Leahy notes for the USA Today that the Titans have not won since the infamous descration.

In other news, Aaron Smith to the IR looks like a wise decision to me. Get well Aaron.

NFL week 5: Steelers at Lions

Did you guys know Jerome Bettis is from Detroit?

Withdrawal symptoms

Please describe what weirdness, if any, you feel in this week without baseball, 2009 Pirates-style.

NFL week 4: Chargers at Steelers

Just kicked off. Mendenhall gets the start.

Game 162: Pirates at Reds

Karstens and Bailey at 1.

Game 161: Pirates at Reds

Duke and Cueto at seven.

Game 160: Pirates at Reds

Pirates need a win to avoid the 100-loss season.

Tonight at seven it is McCutchen and Lehr.

Game 159: Pirates at Cubs

Pirates up 3-0. If my math is trusty, a win today would clinch a no-100-loss season.

Games 157 and 158: Pirates at Cubs

Creature double feature. Games at 2 and 8.

Game 156: Pirates at Cubs

Former Cubbie Hart will start for the Pirates at eight.

Game 155: Dodgers at Pirates

Final home game of the year. The Dodgers will try again to clinch their division with a win today.

Spike said it best: "Not in our empty house!"

Kuroda and Duke at twelve-thirty.

NFL week 3: Steeler at Bengals

At Cincinnati.

Game 154: Dodgers at Pirates

Kickoff at 12:30.

Game 153: Dodgers at Pirates

Maholm and Wolf at seven. After receiving the biggest and shiniest bunting ribbon, the International Bunting Champion gets to sing back-up vocals on a Foreigner set - in their native language! ジュークボックスの英雄!

Game 152: Dodgers at Pirates

Garland and Karstens at seven. To protect the integrity of the travesty and to capitalize on G-20, the Bucs should just start billing the games not as baseball contests, but as stunts such as "The International Bunting Olympics". They could bring up and field a team of Rinku, Dinesh, Gift, Starling, Yoslan, the New Zealander, the North Pole kid, and that Easter Island guy. A resigned Kuwata could pitch. Everybody bunts, whoever gets on base the most wins. In the short term, the Bucs could really benefit by acquiring a market of people who didn't understand the real rules of this game of baseball.

Game 151: Reds at Pirates

Hey lookit, baseball.

Reds lead 4-0 in the 4th, I think it is.

Game 150: Reds at Pirates

Votto and Hart starting now.

Game 149: Reds at Pirates

Cueto and Duke at seven.

Game 148: Padres at Pirates

LeBlanc and McCutchen at seven.

Not a lot of baseball left.

NFL Week 2: Steelers at Bears

Game on pretty soon.

When I think Steelers at Soldier Field, I remember this game. Chicago is never an easy road game.

Game 147: Padres at Pirates

Correia and Maholm at 1:35. Bucs have won 3 of their last 22 games, so just by random chance should win a game pretty soon.

Game 146: Padres at Pirates

Richard and Ohlendorf at 12:35.

Congratulations to the Hillcats.

Game 145: Padres at Pirates

Stauffer and Morton at seven.

G-20 surprise: South Africa volunteers navy to escort ships full of revenue-sharing money.

Alvarez

Three dingers for Pedro. Todd Redmond gets the win.

Murray Chass

Murray Chass has some thoughts about these Pirates.

Game 144: Pirates at Dodgers

Hart and Kuroda at three.

Game 143: Pirates at Dodgers

Duke and Wolf after ten.

Pirates have won 55 and lost 87. Not sure what good comes of this last month of baseball. #2 pick in each round of the 2010 draft I suppose.

Game 142: Pirates at Dodgers

McCutchen and Garland after bedtime.

Game 141: Pirates at Astros

Maholm and Paulino at 2.

Game 140: Pirates at Astros

Ohlendorf and Moehler at seven.

Game 139: Pirates at Strohs

Morton and Norris, 8pm, Five Alive stadium.

NFL Week 1: Titans at Steelers

Oh yeah.

If you have one of the 89 accounts in the Honest Wagner NFL pick 'em pool at pigskin.com, you should find yourself still in the pool when you log on next. If you are not in the pool and want to join, use the invite posted in the comments thread.

Game 138: Cubs at Pirates

Pirates lost.

Game 137: Cubs at Pirates

Uh, Dempster and Duke starting soon.

Game 136: Pirates at Cubs

Lilly and McCutchen at noon.

Game 135: Cardinals at Pirates

Pineiro and Maholm at one or two.

Pirates are 53-81. The winning percentage starts with 3.

Game 134: Cardinals at Pirates

Boggs and Ohlendorf at 7.

Game 133: Cardinals at Pirates

Wainwright and Hart at seven or so.

Next year's beer fort will have a cannon or two and much stouter walls. No fun sleeping in a ditch as I wait for the Steeler Palace to open up and receive the homeless Pirate fans.

Game 132: Pirates at Reds

Another day game. Duke and Bailey.

Probably going to be a sellout for this one.

Game 131: Pirates at Reds

Morton and Lehr at seven.

Game 130: Pirates at Reds

Maholm and Cueto in game 2.

Game 129: Pirates at Reds

Daniel McCutchen and Kip Wells at one.

Kip has made 32 big-league starts since he left the Pirates in 2006. He's played for Texas, St. Louis, Kansas City, Colorado, Washington, and Cincinnati.

Game 128: Pirates at Brewers

Ohlendorf and Suppan at two.

Game 127: Pirates at Brewers

Hart and Gallardo at eight.

Game 126: Pirates at Brewers

Duke and Parra at eight.

The Pirates are 18-43 on the road this year. That's improbably bad.

There should be some hidden vigorish there. Jones and McCutchen can look for it.

Game 126: Phillies at Pirates

ROY candidate Happ and Morton at seven.

Jones and McCutchen have a chance to mess up his hair.

Game 125: Phillies at Pirates

Maholm and Hamels at seven.

For Milledge's next walk-off jack, I'd be entertained if Tony Beasley slipped a trampoline onto the third base line just in time for Lastings to bounce off that and do a flip into a crowd of victorious Bucs waiting to catch him at home.

Game 124: Phillies at Pirates

Not a whole lot of season left here.

Blanton and Ohlie Bumaye at seven.

Off day

Pirates chill and wait for the Phillies.

They are 51-71, in last place, and on pace for 67, maybe 68 wins.

Game 123: Reds at Pirates

Hart and Bailey at 1:35 for the basement.

Game 122: Reds at Pirates

Duke and Lehr at seven. Helpless people on a subway train scream bug-eyed as he looks in on them.

Game 121: Reds at Pirates

Morton and Owings at seven. Bucs are only 1.5 games back.

Game 120: Brewers at Pirates

Maholm and Gallardo at seven. Prepare to untuck.

Game 119: Brewers at Pirates

Tuck 'em back in. Parra and Ohlendorf at seven.

Game 118: Brewers at Pirates

Hart and Villanueva at seven. Upside deadline at midnight.

Game 117: Pirates at Cubs

Ohlendorf and Harden at 2:20. Ohlie, bumaye!

Game 116: Pirates at Cubs

Duke and Gorzelanny at one. If Duke and Karstens give up 20+ runs, there's no other guy I'd rather see get the win than Gorzo.

Game 115: Pirates at Cubs

Charlie Morton vs. Randy Wells at 2:20 PM.

Game 114: Pirates at Rockies

Maholm vs. Marquis at 3:10.

"That's the kind of baseball you play to hopefully get yourself to the point where you get a chance to do something very special," says Tracy, who wears a gray T-shirt with one word across the front to describe the team's play: "Sick."

Game 113: Pirates at Rockies

Hart vs. Jimenez and Jim "King Midas" Tracy at 8:40.

Game 112: Pirates at Rockies

Bunting practice starts at 8:40. Josh Fogg and Joe Beimel will be there.

Game 111: Cardinals at Pirates

Duke and Pineiro the Stingiest at 1:35.

Upside overflows in Dejan's new top 30 prospect list.