Irate

On the Irate front, Steve Z. of IrateFans eloquently argues for a public audit of the Pirates' books. IrateFans also has a nice set of new essays from Jim Krug on Baseball Mogul mockery of DL, Charlie on detailing the DL blunders, and Pat on abandoning all hope.

News of other bloggy goodness brings: Charlie arguing against and even pleading with DL not to resign Casey. I wholeheartedly agree with Charlie and most others here: signing Casey to a 3-year, $18,000,000 deal would be sheer insanity. Billy and Zeke came within 5-10 feet of evil, greedy, master loser Ogden Nutting while wearing their authentic IratesFans t-shirts at the ASG.

Jason Schmidt thinks Pirates not bad

John Perrotto talked to Jason Schmidt for the Beaver paper.

Schmidt makes my point exactly--the team is not that bad. Sure, the rotation has not been good. I don't think they should be a pennant contender.

But 30-60 is far too bad. There must be, under normal conditions, something like a 1% chance of a team with this much raw talent winning only 30 of the first 90 games.

It's suspicious. I reject the bad luck hypothesis. Something is very wrong with this organization.

The irony of Schmidt's comments is that, when Schmidt was a Pirate, I always suspected him of malingering and saving his body for his next club. Perhaps this is because I'd be inclined to do the same thing if I was a player on this team.

The underperformance has been too consistent to expect it to stop. What happens if Littlefield signs great players, makes great trades, and fields a team that, on paper, ought to win 90 games? With no other changes, I expect that team would win 80.

They fall into slumps, stop reading the standings every day, hate going to the ballpark, and sleepwalk their way through games, bemoaning their bad luck and resenting the fact that they can't speak candidly to the press. That's no way to compete.

The organization follows the example of the ownership. Until the owners come out and prove otherwise, all evidence points to them being chisellers with no great desire to win. They conceal their intentions behind a shifting cloud of PR fakery.

Selig lies through teeth

Perrotto reports on Bud Selig vigorously defending the Nuttings:

"There is an accounting for every revenue-sharing dollar and I can honestly say I've never had a club who pays into revenue sharing question where their money is going," Selig said. "We would never allow a club not to use the money to make their team better. That's not happening and it is not happening."

Wow. In sentence one, Selig uses DL tactic of diverting attention with meaningless garble. Just because teams that pay don't question how the money is spent doesn't mean that the Bucs spend all of their revenue sharing money on making the Bucs better (which they obviously don't). In sentence two, Selig employs the Tracy tactic of creating confusion with the double negative. In sentence three, Selig displays the Nutting tactic of outrageous redundant lying with minimal information content.

Is Selig a "scared little man ... cowering to pressure?" Either way, so much for my hope of Selig and MLB wresting control of the Bucs out of the Nuttings' evil, greedy vise-grip. That leaves civil charges (punitive damages), criminal charges, and Senate investigation.

All-Star game

OK, I am generally against these things, the All-Star game, the Hall of Fame, the batting title race, the Rookie of the Year race, etc., as distractions from winning and losing. And with the Pirates a stunning, mind-blowing, hard-to-believe 30-60 at the break, it's even harder to not regard such trumpery without irritation.

But the game is in our beloved park, and J. Bay is hitting fourth, and Freddy of all people could make an appearance. So raise your hand if you are watching the All-Star game, and raise your glass if you have one. To our park, the greatest of parks!

And let's go you Buccos.

A source of the problem

Tom Glavine calls out the Nuttings.

"I don't know the ins and outs of what's going on here with the ownership group, but you have to take a look at that and see if that's a source of the problem," Glavine said. "You have teams over the past few years that weren't doing well before, but they're doing well now. You have to ask that question: Have the economics of those other teams changed so dramatically? Or have the people who run those organizations done a better job of putting a team together?"

All hail Tom Glavine! (Huh, never thought I'd type that.)

Later in the article, DK quotes A.J. on Mack-o-wack's learned helplessness:

A.J. Pierzynski ... said a losing culture can be blamed, too. He said he and teammate Rob Mackowiak, formerly of the Pirates, often discussed the difference in the atmosphere that built the White Sox into a champion last year and the one in Pittsburgh.

"Rob would always say how bad it was, how hard it was to come to the park," Pierzynski said.

Freddy

Looks good in the uniform.

So does Jay Bay.

Pirates' popularity tumbling

Harris Interactive does polling to determine the popularity of baseball clubs. I remember seeing the last one of these - it is probably discussed somewhere in the archives - which reported that the Pirates were a top ten team. As in, one of the ten-most popular baseball clubs in the nation.

This high ranking, obviously, had little to do with recent won-loss records. And it could hardly be the product of the size of the team's market. The fact that the Pirates were ranked at #8 as recently as last year testifies to the loyalty of Pittsburgh fans, who, in my experience at least, are raised to root for one team only. They rarely go over to the dark side when they move to another section of the country.

Well, surprise surpise, that's changing, at least according to this Puget Sound Business Journal report describing the most recent poll, in which our good friends in Seattle spread the word, on the eve of the All-Star game, of "Seattle up, Pittsburgh down." The Pirates have fallen to #21.

Home run derby

Nice uniforms.

Institutionalized futility

The editors of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette call out the Nuttings.

All hail the Post-Gazette.

Game 90: Pirates at Phillies

Duke vs. Hamels. Tied at 2 after two. Phils are resting Ryan Howard and playing Noonie instead.

House for Sale

Michael O'Keefe surveys the state of baseball in western PA for the New York Daily News. If you have friends or family wondering why you just can't wait another year for the team to be good, this link provides the start of a good answer.

All-Star game publicity stunts

Spike shares his inspired genius in the comments about ideas for All-Star game publicity stunts. My favorites are #1 ("Sinking of a symbolic pirate ship in the Allegheny with giant paper mache heads of Littlefield, Nutting and Tracy on board.") and #7 ("Flyer brigade hands out copies of Jim Leyland's resume to everyone entering the PNC Park area.").

IrateFans plans to make a showing on Monday, July 10th from 6 to 10 a.m. at Pittsburgh’s SoHo restaurant on Federal Street across the street from PNC Park, where ESPN will be broadcasting live. What if an angry mob showed up, wielding protest signs of Bob Nutting, Jr.'s ugly mug with devil horns? What if Bob's daughters later witnessed the protest on the news and demanded "Daddy, why do these people hate you?"

Back to Spike's ideas, a few hundred Pirates fans in attendance at the All-Star game with IrateFans or "Anything is better than Nutting" shirts would likely not attract a huge amount of attention from Fox and the national media. But a (burning) symbolic pirate ship with giant paper mache heads of DL, Ogden, Bob Jr., and Jim sinking in the Allegheny during the 7th inning stretch? Now that would turn some heads!

Pittsburgh just sits there

Wilbur has written another excellent piece for OnlyBucs.net on DL's lack of effort:

"... while other teams are working hard to discover ways of acquiring talent without breaking the bank, the Pirates are just sitting there. This is a team that leaves no stone unturned when it comes to squeezing a few extra dollars out of its customers, whether it's prevailing upon the city to ban T-shirt vendors who might drain off a little of the owners' merchandising revenue, or imposing water bottle bans. Until the Pirates apply some of that determination and ingenuity to their on-field product, they can expect to flail away indefinitely behind the teams that are really trying."

DK Q+A

DK answered questions on Friday. In this miserable year of Pirates baseball, DK's reporting has been one of the few bright spots. Too bad though that this year being refreshingly honest has usually meant being extremely depressing. This week, DK lowers the expectations for the trade deadline, predicting that "no true prospects will be acquired, partly because what is offered has little value" and instead we'll get the usual collection of "Class AAA players no one else wants". DK surmises: "If every move is aimed at improvement in the next year or two, one could argue, then the future never really arrives."

Game 89: Pirates at Phillies

Paul Maholm and Cory Lidle at seven. Bucs are 30-58.

Game 88: Pirates at Phillies

Ian Snell vs. Jon Lieber, 7:05 PM EST. Bucs are 29-58. What will happen first, Win #30 or Loss #60?

Game 87: Pirates at Mets

Gorzelanny vs. Trachsel, just underway. Showcase packed full of rotting garbage tonight, as both Randa and Furnitz get starts. Mets are resting Beltran. Freddy batting second, which I like. The Rake seems to like it too, as he just doubled.

Mid-term grades from Rowdy

Here's the All-Star Break approaching. Time to hand out grades.

Owners: F. Gentility does not excuse chiselling; it further condemns it. Have they no sense of honor? Few pro teams are run with such bad faith. The elusiveness of the group testifies to their dishonesty. If they had nothing to hide, they would do more to vindicate their pathetic efforts. Their silence and inaction is damning. So is the evidence of emulation shown in the lower branches of their organization.

The GM: F. A company man who values loyalty above conscience. He has done some good work, I think, but the way he enables this fraud, year after year, far outweighs the good work he's done.

The coaches: F. More company men who value loyalty above conscience. In his shorter stay with the team, Jim Tracy has been less competent and more vain than David Littfield.

The players: F. This group of fakers blame everyone but themselves. They are fully complicit in the fraud which has been this team. They are too talented, individually, to play this poorly, collectively.

The fans: A minus. The fans should get an A for sticking with this team, despite the obviously addictive beauty of the ballpark, which makes it so much easier. I take points off, however, for the profound lack of self-respect which prevents us from developing more productive and rewarding hobbies. We have very little free time, and we squander it inventing new ways to ridicule these losers?

Feel free to leave your grades in the comments. With the All-Star Break approaching, this is a good time to debate and air our sense of the crimes this team commits, almost daily, against the most basic rules of sportsmanship.

Let this be your inspiration.

Tracy jinxes Wall Street

Even if one wanted to make the argument that everything Jim Tracy touched this year turned into shit, there's most likely no causality between Tracy ringing the opening bell at the NYSE and the Dow falling 0.68% today. But I'm curious, why in the world was he asked to perform this ceremonial act? Do other visiting NL managers get asked to do the same? Did Tracy ring the bell in uniform? Were stepsons Jose Hernandez and Mike Edwards present to assist in the bell-ringing?

Just because Tracy tried to take the blame for blocking Freddy with Randa, and the next day throws his hat down to get ejected, should his critics ease up?

One-run game record

DK unearths the ugly truth:

"The Pirates are the first team in baseball history to lose 25 one-run games by the Fourth of July, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The previous high was 24 by the 1971 Houston Astros."

Game 86: Pirates at Mets

"We" Wells and Orlando Hernandez. Kip will try to lower his 15.19 ERA.

All I hope for is a close game. If the Pirates get a big lead, here's hoping we're not bored with the Mets failing to rally. I also hope we get to see some of the greatest defensive plays we'll ever see. It's OK if the Mets make them. I just want to see them.

I'm also thinking the Pirates could use the All-Star Break to unveil some new uniform details. They could further collect all the undervalued style points the rest of the league (foolishly) neglect in the pursuit of vulgar double-yous.

Game 85: Pirates at Mets

The New Tom Glavine vs. The Old Tom Glavine, 1:10 PM EST.

Which is better: Bengals or Steelers?

Are you not sick to death with all this celebration of Super Bowl victory? Could the Steelers, with all that emphasis on winning, be any less original? After watching the games, purchasing the Big Ben jerseys, the Terrible Towels with the SB score, the t-shirts, the licence plate frames, the beer huggies, etc., are you not feeling empty and unsatisfied? Where is the pleasure? Where is the fun?

The Pirates have me in mind of the 1990s Bengals. Like many fans, I am turning a corner. Winning isn't everything! If we just enjoy the game for what it is, we can achieve a zen-like appreciation of the finer things in life. Like, for example, how Jamey Carroll made one of the greatest defensive plays I'll ever see on radio! Greg Brown was wise beyond his years when he alerted me to the meaning of that excitement.

The 1990s Bengals were characterized by a different attitude. They were original. They did not approach the game the way the other teams approached the game. A come-from-behind victory, they understood in their bones, is worth three or four boring-snoring, "winning ugly" Steeler victories. Fortune favors the brave, they knew. They would bravely spot the opposition seven, fourteen, even twenty-eight points before uncorking the potent beauty of Jeff Blake's dazzling air show.

Such play did not win many games or championships, but that's the point, see. They were above the commonplace, cro-magnon obsession with lofty station and diamond bling. They were different. They were brave!

The Steelers should see the light and adjust their attitude. They need to buck up! Nothing diminishes the beauty and satisfaction of professional sport so thoroughly as this obsession with winning at all costs.

The One-run Losses

Brian O'Neill writes about them.

In addition to the one-run loss record, I wonder if the Bucs are not setting a record for most innings in which they trail. And most runs scored while trailing.

Luck cannot explain the amount of losing the Pirates have done in one-run games. Or the amount of losing they have achieved despite the obvious ability to score 11 runs in a single game.

It is not luck. It is skill. They are magicians!

The Pirates are 29-55 this morning. They have won 34.5% of all games. They are consistently magical! They have won three of the last ten.

Game 84: Pirates at Mets

Paul Maholm vs. John Maine. Starting in fifteen minutes. Maine is starting for Pedro Martinez, who has a sore hip from when he "slipped in the bathroom and fell while changing his shirt during a series in Florida in May". Sounds like something that would happen to the Bucs. Although the Mets are currently the best team in the NL, they've lost five of their last six.

DL feels good

Nevermind the standings, DL feels good:

"Obviously, it's a little clouded right now because our record is not good, and it's been a disappointing season relative to this point and my own expectations," Littlefield said before a 9-8 loss Sunday to Detroit. "But I do feel good in that we've got some talent and I'm confident we'll play better and win more games sooner than later."

More meaningless bullshit from DL. Dave, your Bucs are now 28-55 (.337), the worst team in all of baseball. When I think of the Bucs, I feel terrible. Only the Worst. G.M. would waste his time attempting such turd-polishing. The Pirates are now an unthinkable 8-24 in one-run games. The AP report comments:

However, it also can be argued that one-run losses are indicative merely of a poor team. The expansion 1962 New York Mets, considered the majors' worst team in the last 50 years, had 19 one-run losses at this point of the season. Of those 120 Mets losses, 38 were by one run. They had only two fewer one-run losses than they did victories.

DL has proven himself wholly incompetent, and should be relieved of his duties at once.

All hail the Rake!

Freddy Sanchez, All-Star.

"I'm more thrilled for Freddy," said Bay. "I called my wife and told her Freddy made it. And then I said, 'Oh yeah, I did, too.'"

The Rise of the Rake has been, for me, the most encouraging story of the Pirates this year. All hail Freddy!

Earth stops spinning

In a completely unprecedented move, Tracy uses the words "shame" and "me" in the same sentence:

"Shame on me for saying Freddy Sanchez is a utility player for what this guy has done," said Jim Tracy. "Freddy Sanchez is a winner."

It's ironic that Tracy's first attempt at humility is awkward and undeserved, as he tries to dislodge DL under the wheels on the bus with his own worthless corpus.

(Ed Eagle link via Billy).

All-Star Shame

As much as I'm happy that Freddy and Bay are getting some props, overall I'm ashamed of the Pirates' All-Star game PR blitz. My shame skyrocketed the first time I heard Brownie reading that godawful poetry during a game broadcast, as the game in the background went ignored. Now, DK's Friday Q+A brings the news that Pirates employees have been encouraged to stuff the ballot box while on the clock. I agree that:

"... it's embarrassing to see half of our lineup among the top vote-getters at their position. There is something creepy and disingenuous about teams paying people to vote for their players."

There is also something creepy and disingenuous about the entire McNutting-DL Axis of Evil. I hope that some of the national media attention generated by the All-Star game focuses on why the Bucs have been losers for 14 straight years.

F

In case you missed it, DK handed out midseason grades on Friday to the Bucs. Freddy got an A+, but covered up his answers from cheating losers DL and Tracy, who both earned well-deserved F's.

Game 83: Tigers at Pirates

Zach Minor vs. Ian Snell, 1:35 PM EST.

Ollie bumAAAye!

Despite losing, Flaco got on the good foot in Indy. "He tied a ballpark record with 13 strikeouts in seven innings, but gave up the winning home run to Ryan Ludwick in the seventh as the Indians lost, 2-1 ... His velocity was consistently in the 92-95 mph range."

Jeff Andrews, the pitching coach for the Indianapolis Indians, opined: "If he continues to throw like this, then obviously he won't be here very long ... It was a very encouraging start." Later and off the record, Andrews might have boasted: "I could coach circles around Jim Colborn".

Duffy returns

Duffy speaks.

"The thought of going to Indy the first few days just made me sick. There was no way. Or going back to Pittsburgh, no way. I thought, 'I don't want to do that again. I don't want to feel that way again. And then over time, I started visualizing myself hanging out with the guys and being in the locker room and looking in from center field and it started bringing a smile to my face. ... And that's when I felt it starting to turn around for me."

Welcome back, Chris. Best of luck with the comeback. Duffy will return to CF for Indy tonight, ending his seven week baseball hiatus.

Game 82: Tigers at Pirates

Bonderman vs. Gorzelanny, 7:05 PM EST. Tough assignment for Gorzelanny, facing phenom Bonderman, MLB's best team, and Leyland and his ex-Buc coaching juggernaut of Van Slyke, Lamont, and McClendon. Gorzelanny has been given Ollie's stall for at least the next couple weeks. Brushing all of yesterday's vomit aside, I'm excited to see Gorzelanny's 2006 debut.

Game 81: Tigers at Pirates

Missed it, and am damn glad of that. I've been out of town the last few days, but heard about the Big Win last night. So getting back into town and checking the internet, I foolishly raised my expectations, thinking "maybe the embarrassment is over ... how bad could today's game have been?" Quickly I was red-faced with shame again, reading the game summary:

Worse still for the Pirates: Chris Shelton homered against the club that gave him away in the Rule 5 draft three years ago ... The Pirates inexplicably left Shelton unprotected in a draft in which they drew laughter from baseball executives at the 2003 winter meetings by having five of the first six players drafted.

and then came the boxscore with both of Tracy's stepsons, Mike Edwards (!) and Jose Hernandez starting. WTF? Back spasms and elbow bruise, or advanced stage infection? Or performance art?

Bucs Win!

Finally. The worst stretch of Pirates baseball of our lives has mercifully ended. Posting might be light the next couple days as I attempt to clean up all of this vomit.

Game 80: White Sox at Pirates

Contreras vs. Duke, 12:35 PM EST. Still on the schneid. Only 10 more losses needed to catch the 1890 Pittsburgh Alleghenies record of 23 consecutive losses.

Game 79: White Sox at Pirates

Freddy Garcia vs. Paul Maholm, 7:05 PM EST. Only 11 more losses needed to catch the 1890 Pittsburgh Alleghenies record of 23 consecutive losses.

Ollie

Moved to the pen? Maybe this is temporary and a sign that one or more of our now 4 LHP relievers will be dealt. But if not, why not send Ollie to AAA to work on consistent mechanics? Speaking of which, Smizik delivers the following nonsensical Tracy quote:

"Are there times when his mechanics are way off? Yes, they are. But when he pitches well that's not the case. You can't say it's entirely mechanics. If it's entirely mechanics, he couldn't give some of the performances we've seen."

Couldn't his mechanics be entirely off on his bad days, but not on his good days? Has Ollie had bad starts when mechanically sound? Or good starts when mechanically erratic?

Shakeup

Ollie to bullpen. RV designated for assignment. Best of luck, Ryan. Jonah Bayliss brought up from Indy. Welcome aboard, Jonah. Grab a mop. Gorzelanny likely to start on Saturday. The RV and Gorzelanny moves are long overdue. I was expecting to see Strickland before Jonah. Maybe we can sell Strickland for some ca$h to finance a nice relaxing Nutting ski trip?

Dave Littlefield, Worst G.M.

Congratulations, DL! You've finally won something! (Dodger Math's Worst G.M. competition). Feel free to resign now.

Finder on mutiny

Chuck Finder spreads the love for angry Pirates fans and bloggers. "In fact, there are almost as many such raging Pirates portals (24 unofficially) as Pirates victories this season (26) ... Perhaps, as the Irate Fans ringleaders stated in their humble beginning, the mutiny begins online." Nyarrgh!

Game 78: White Sox at Pirates

Buehrle vs. Snell, 7:05 PM EST. First game of ten against the 3 best teams in baseball. One more loss would lower the Bucs into a tie with the Royals for a MLB-worst .333 winning percentage. If Lloyd was still here, he would have went berserk a long time ago (link is to Rubber Arm's post and video of minor league manager's tantrum, which is well worth watching if you haven't seen). DK notes that "If the Pirates lose tonight, they will match the franchise's modern-day record of 12 losses in a row, set in 1939."

Infected with Tracyball

New Cubs/Dodgers/Hurricanes blog Thunder Matt's Saloon features a piece from rogue Dodgers correspondent on why Jim Tracy is a loser. Turns out we're all infected with the Tracyball virus. "Unfortunately there is no cure, but the good news is that Tracyball is not terminal. Your team will survive. Eventually, like your body vomiting, your team will decide to expel Tracy and his staff."

Deadspin on Ben

Deadspin has gotten around to making fun of Big Ben, joking that "he showed up to the office covered in a green mask, Michael Jackson’s child/Elephant Man style." Weird analogy, but commenter RRP (who I assure you is not our beloved Rowdy) runs with it, quipping "I can't wait to see Big Ben dangle the rather diminuitive Santonio Holmes over his hotel balcony, much to the shock of the public below."

McClatchy and DL, Expert Losers

Meanwhile, the "extremely disappointed" McClatchy drags DL, Tracy, and the players under the bus with him: "There's accountability that will go everywhere, and I will be at the top of that list. But I think that accountability goes through to not just the general manager or manager but also the players."

DL, as usual, sticks to his usual vague meaningless bullshit: "We're always looking at situations," he said. "Certainly, where there are subpar performances, that's something we're going to look at." Certainly we're going to look at subpar performance situations? Uh, yeah. We will. Thanks to you, dipshit.

Bob Nutting, Greedy Loser

The shitstorm generated from the record-setting losing heads towards Bob Nutting:

Smizik tries to ask Bob Nutting two questions: (1) "What is the status of Kevin McClatchy, whose contract as CEO of the team is believed to expire at the end of the season?" and (2) "Is there any truth to the reports ownership is taking excessive profits out of the team at the expense of the product on the field?" but Bob eventually returns a vague meaningless bullshit email saying "Kevin's contract is a non-issue." We all know the answer to Smizik's second question.

Perrotto politely calls Bob Nutting out on his moral obligation to be more available to answer questions about how the Bucs do business.

Cranmer speaks

In today's PG perspective ex-Allegheny County commissioner and "Plan B" planner Bob Cranmer expresses his outrage and embarassment that "the majority owner appears to be more focused on sliding down a snow-covered mountain rather than a Pittsburgh Pirate sliding into home plate." Like everyone else, he wants to know "what's the additional profit actually being used for?"

Game 77: Pirates at Dodgers

Wells vs. Penny, starting now. Showcase full of rotting garbage today. DK notes: "If Kip Wells and the Pirates lose the series finale this afternoon, the 11-game streak would be the first since 1955."

Bend over, Pirates fans, it's time for another "game".

Sunday notebook

DK delivers DL quotes in his Sunday notebook.

"Obviously, I was disappointed with our play in Kansas City, as everybody was. But, before that, we had a nice trip where we were 4-3 and played some very good games against St. Louis and Minnesota. There's no doubt that you can't accept losing, whether they're close ones or not. But we were in very good games. And to go from that period to having three poorly played games in K.C. ... that's what happens."

You can't accept losing, but that's what happens. Way to make sense, Dave.

Later DL declines to throw Ollie under the bus:

"I would say it's important to keep in mind that he's 24 years old and that he's very talented," Littlefield said. "We're obviously aware of his inconsistencies the past couple years, and those are things we have to keep working to address. We've got to use our skills as teachers and coaches to figure out what we can do to help him."

The teachers and coaches DL has hired have managed to get a NL-worst WHIP of 1.57 out of a above average pitching staff that shouldn't suck this bad. Dave should reserve talking about "using skills" in the first person to discussions about issuing meaningless, contradictory, glib doublespeak or being the Worst G.M. in baseball.

Pittsburgh's Hustler

Wilbur has written an excellent piece for Irate Fans about Kevin McClatchy being a cheat and a fraud. I've long wanted more investigation into the ownership's finances. I hope this issue gets dragged out during the All-Star game media hype in Pittsburgh, ultimately leading to criminal charges, civil charges (punitive damages that they're giving me?), a Senate investigation, and MLB wresting control of the Bucs from the McNuttings to restore competitive balance. (Link via Billy and Charlie.)

Game 76: Pirates at Dodgers

Duke vs. Sele, 10:10 PM EST. DK reports: "If they lose again tonight, it will mark the franchise's first 10-game losing streak in nearly four decades: That came with an 0-10 slide July 6-15, 1968." We will ... dust off the record book.

Game 75: Pirates at Dodgers

Ollie vs. Tomko, 10:40 PM EST. No rotting garbage in the showcase. Bucs try to lose their ninth straight and further humiliate everyone involved. What kind of unthinkable disgrace is in store for us tonight? A bench-clearing brawl in which Jason Bay is beat up by the Dodgers ballgirl?

Rock bottom

Probably not yet. The next 16 games leading up to the All-Star break are brutal: we play LAD, CWS, DET, NYM (for 4 games), and PHI, who have a combined record of 211-149 (.586). At this point, I could easily imagine losing ALL of these games, setting up the scenario Billy is hoping for.

DL vs. Bowden

Drunk with bloodlust from annihilating Bavasi 164-34, DL is pulverizing top seed Jim Bowden in Dodger Math's Worst G.M. Finals.

To return to the UFC (ultimate fighting championship) analogy, DL, the Royce Gracie of worst G.M.s, destroyed Bavasi in a lopsided match that looked something like this. "The kung fu representative is totally helpless. Not only is he running out of air, but he cannot stop the blows. It's a terrifying feeling."

The DL vs. Bowden match will probably look more like this. Bowden, although on the surface a more formidable opponent, will submit just like all the others. To witness the carnage and/or vote for DL, look here.

Vote for DL

More on this later, but the much anticipated DL vs. Bowden Worst G.M. Finals just started. If you can wash enough of today's feculence off your hands to touch your keyboard or mouse, click here to vote for DL.

DK Q+A

Dejan's Friday Q+A is pretty mild, all things considered. When asked about why RV is still on the team, DK advises:

"... do not let it slip under the radar that the Pirates abruptly changed Josh Sharpless' role in Indianapolis from late relief to long relief three weeks ago. That move was made, quite specifically, because the team wants to find a way to slot him into the major-league bullpen."

Or maybe management has realized that this team needs more than one mop-up man.

Game 74: Pirates at Royals

The daily humiliation ritual starts now with Maholm vs. Elarton. Maholm looks for his first road victory of the year. Craig is starting in RF, batting sixth. Our Fearsome DH, the Mighty Joe Randa, bats seventh, ensuring that CW will get good pitches to hit. Cota is catching. The world itself is only a speck of dust. And the Pirates fan is tiny helpless!

Craiggers to Anaheim?

A little speculation might flavor that burning battery-acid taste in your mouth.

So, who do we get in return? Adam Kennedy? He could play some first base, pinch hit a lot, and even DH now and then.

Game 73: Pirates at Royals

Ian Snell and Ed Wood. Eight pm eastern.

... Bill Toland seeks punchlines (see fifth paragraph) on Nutting's infamous quote: "We would do nothing that would embarrass the Pirates or the sport of baseball."

I had a hard time making funny in response. All I could say is shame on him.

Now I say, "How can you be embarrassed when you have no shame?"

... Smizik is good today, but Bones said said it better, I think. Give Smizik a break, though: they can't use words like "ass" and "shit" in the PG.

Big Green Riding Hood

Roethlisberger is wearing a hood.

In other news, the Steelers still trail the Bengals in crime. The addition of Santonio Holmes has been a big boost to the team's collective rap sheet, but not enough to put them on top.

Game 72: Pirates at Royals

Kip Wells and Tike Redman. If tonight's episode is Choke-a-Rama II: Bases Loaded, No Outs, then we know for sure they have stopped taping new shows. I'd hate to see another half-year of re-runs, but that's what it looks like we'll see. Small-market teams just can't afford to tape a whole season of original material.

We would do nothing that would embarrass the Pirates or the sport of baseball

Robert Nutting said this in response to questions about the propriety of a MLB owner also owning a casino, which he just purchased:

"We would do nothing that would embarrass the Pirates or the sport of baseball," he said.

The owners do not understand thirteen years of losing, culminating in a young team incapable of winning even 40% of their games, as an embarrassment for the Pirates and the sport of baseball.

It is an embarrassment for the Pirates, for the sport of baseball, and, most important to me, for all the fans of the Pirates. My grandfather is rolling in his grave I'm sure. Perhaps the business owners and management have no cause to be embarrassed, but surely the customers are embarrassed.

The quote, though taken out of context, suggests that Robert Nutting disagrees. Those who have argued that the current ownership and front office lack the will to compete are looking more and more right to me. They would rather own ski resorts. There is no other explanation of how these teams, which look mediocre on paper, continue to lose at a horrific pace--as though losing was an acceptable cost of doing business. Where did the players learn that there's no reason to "demoralize themselves" by reading the MLB standings every morning? The ownership ultimately bears responsibility not just for tolerating, but also for teaching such losing habits. They sign the checks; they have considerable influence over the players. If they are not embarrassed, why should the players be embarrassed?

The Tribune-Review's Robin Acton reports the conflict-of-interest created by the Nutting purchase may jeopardize the resort's acquisition of a slots license. Here's to hoping this signals a quick sale of the club. If the Nuttings don't own the club, they will easily get their slots for their ski resort. So maybe they anticipate that conflict-of-interest disappearing soon?

Or maybe not. And of course, it's not hard to imagine a world in which they get their baseball team and their slot machines.

More Matt Peterson in return

Dejan Kovacevic did his Monday chat today. This part stands out:

NiceThrowBarry: Have you heard any rumblings about possible minor league players from other organizations the Pirates might try to plunder at the deadline? I know Colorado has a gem 1B at AAA stuck behind Helton.

Dejan Kovacevic: Do not get your hopes up. The Pirates will be offering rentals, as they do most every summer. That means you will be getting Matt Peterson in return. I know many tend to get their hopes up because they think Craig Wilson should be dealt for a player of equal value. That just is not how it works, except in very rare cases.

We are powerless against the Gracie family jiu-jitsu.

DL vs. Bavasi

Please, take a minute as a true Pirates fan to cast your vote for the one truly deserving Bucco. Although this midsummer competition on the surface might seem meaningless, who knows what the future repercussions of such a symbolic honor might be? Of course this Bucco is Dave Littlefield, and the competition is Dodger Math's Worst G.M. tournament. (Link via Pat.)

Enraged by a disrespectful #2 seed and well rested after a first round bye, DL, the Royce Gracie (mid-90s version) of Worst G.M.s, triangle choked Kevin Towers to the tune of a 134 to 15 tapout. Now the blood-soaked DL looks to rip apart Bill Bavasi to advance to the finals, where he'll face the winner of Jim Bowden and Dan O'Dowd. Stepping into the octagon with DL, Bavasi is in way over his big bald head. Bavasi's Angels from 1994-1999 finished over .500 THREE times. This year, Bavasi's M's are 34-37 and only 5 games back. Bavasi challenging DL for Worst G.M.? Forget about it. Help DL earn what is rightfully his: Vote for DL for Worst G.M. here, as the round 3 DL-Bavasi match just started.

Game 71: D-backs at Pirates

Top of the 7th, Bucs down 4-2. Duke gave up all four runs in 5 IP. Both Bucco runs came on a Bautista jack in the 5th.

UPDATE (bottom of 7th): Don't mind all the losing - KDKA just announced Bay has moved into the starting All-Star lineup.

We are family

Jim points at Jack:

Pirates manager Jim Tracy felt Perez should have gotten out of the eighth with no scoring. Tracy said, "I've seen that play made" when asked about Castillo's infield single -- a comment that dumbfounded (Jack) Wilson.

"Wow, he said that?" Wilson said. "That's his opinion. I did my best to make that play. It was a jam job, a soft line drive and I'm going full bore for that ball. About the only chance you have on that play is if the third baseman can get to it."

Maybe Tracy was just trying to support Ollie here. Jim is coming off a nice week of praising Freddy and Bautista. I've just never seen a manager publicly point so many fingers at people other than himself.

Game 70: Twins at Pirates

Missed it. Can't say I'm sorry. Box score here.

Game 69: Twins at Pirates

Curious ring to the title of this post. I can't uh put my finger on it.

Boof and Maholm at seven. Bucs are 26-42, sixteen games under .500. For perspective, look at what's written about another team that just went seven games under .500.

Non-stop Ray Charles iPod marathon at the Rowdy estate this afternoon.

Mike Holmgren

This guy still has a job?

Undeveloped brains

The PG tries to explain it away with clinical psychology, but they are too kind to those people who post to the Bengals' internet forums.

How many papers, around the country, so participate in the trash-talking among fans?

Game 68: Twins at Pirates

Francisco Liriano vs. Ian Snell at 7:05 PM EST. Liriano, a 22 year old LHP, has been damn good so far this year. In 51.1 IP, he's given up 42 hits and has 16 BBs to 56 Ks for a 1.13 WHIP. Like the Pirates, the Twins like to lose on the road (21-10 at home, 10-24 on the road). Damaso Marte has a history of bad blood with the Twins, immortalized with Batgirl's classic Lego reenactment.

In game 1 of the Aramis-Shelton showdown, the Cubs lost to the Tigers 5-3. This means a win tonight would bring the Bucs into a tie with the Cubs for fifth place.

Kip

If you need something Pirates-related to read today and haven't read it already, Pat at WHYGAVS has written a nice novella about Kip Wells and how his 04-05 stinkage was likely clot-related. When Kip comes back, I'd plug him right back into the rotation, and send Santos into the pen to help RV with mop duties. With Gorzelanny on fire, it'd be nice to trade a starter or two (and Burnitz, Randa, Casey, both Hernandezes, and Torres) for a young 1B soon. Azibuck reports on Gorzelanny's latest domination and Josh Sharpless' Barbie suitcase at Bucs Dugout.

Ben Speaks

Sounds like Big Ben's brain is working better than before:

"In the past few days, I have gained a new perspective on life ... I am sorry for any anxiety and concern my actions have caused others, specifically my family, the Steelers organization, my teammates and our fans.

I recognize that I have a responsibility to safeguard my health in the off-season so I can continue to lead our team effectively. I never meant any harm to others nor to break any laws. I was confident in my ability to ride a motorcycle and simply believed such an accident would not happen to me. If I ever ride again, it certainly will be with a helmet.

I want to assure everyone I am committed to a complete and timely recovery. I look forward to being at training camp in Latrobe and to winning football games this season."

Get well, Ben. We'll be pulling for you, even if you now look like this guy.

Game 67: Cardinals at Pirates

Mulder vs. Santos. Bucs leading 2-1 after one. Randa hitting 5th, Craig 6th. No Freddy. Bautista led off the first with a jack. CW drove Jack in with an RBI single. In the first, Mulder and Santos threw 29 and 28 pitches, respectively. Looks to be a wild one. Bucs are just one game back.

26-40

The Pirates are fourteen games under .500 at 26-40. They have about no momentum in the standings, either, winning five of the last ten. The Cubs and Marlins are only one game ahead of them in the wild-card standings. (In the NL wild-card standings, the Pirates are in last place.) Cincinnati, led by Bronson Arroyo and Adam Dunn, has the wild-card lead with a 37-29 record.

Game 66: Cardinals at Pirates

Ponson vs. Duke, in progress. Bucs trail 5-3 after three. Duke is getting hit hard and has given up 8 hits so far. Craig batting fifth. Randa and Burnitz on the bench where they belong.

the Q & A

Link here. Any comments?

I have been thinking about the CBA and the possibility of a work stoppage. Anyone have any informed predictions to make? Will the veteran players once again sell the rookies down the river?

Game 65: Cardinals at Pirates

First the Padres without Jake Peavy. Then the Giants without Barry Bonds. Now the Pirates play the Cardinals without Albert Pujols. They're on a roll. Chris Carpenter, Oliver Perez, and nice weather for baseball at seven.

Perrotto: Sign Casey

John Perrotto argues the team should sign Casey.

I agree. Handled properly, he's a 900 OPS guy. I wrote a dissertation on this subject over the winter.

It's true he could fall off the cliff, but any player could. Old players suddenly lose all their skills more frequently than young players, but this also happens to *cough cough Oliver Perez* young players. Some fear that a player will turn into a pumpkin cannot overwhelm more rational projections of future performance.

So long as the Pirates are prepared to give Sean Casey lots of time off, they will get good production from him at the plate.

Jeromy the Tiger?

Tom Gage of the Detroit News reports that Newsday reports that the Tigers might be willing to accept Jeromy Burnitz:

Newsday reported that the Tigers might take a run at acquiring outfielder Jeromy Burnitz from the Pirates, citing two reasons: because the Tigers are looking for a left-handed hitter with power and because Burnitz "usually gets traded this time of year."

Please please please let it happen.

The team has sunk so low. After the predictable better play, they remain several weeks of non-stop winning below .500. Now is the time to trade everyone.

I would not only trade the vets. I would also trade some of the young guys. Littlefield should do whatever he can to secure better players. We do not need to dump salary; we need to acquire talent.

Ben's facial surgery successful

The PG reports good news for Ben from the Mercy facial surgeons:

Speaking for the medical team Dr. Daniel Pituch, chief of Mercy's division of oral and maxillofacial surgery, said that Roethlisberger's brain, spine, chest and abdomen appeared to be without serious injury and, at this time, there were no other confirmed injuries from the accident. The procedure took about seven hours and all the facial fractures were successfully repaired, he said.

and neurosurgeon Dr. Jack Wilberger, chairman of neurosurgery at Allegheny General Hospital:

The best-case scenario is for Mr. Roethlisberger to leave the hospital in several days, continue his recovery at home, and be able to play football this fall, Dr. Wilberger said.

But the progress he makes in the first 24 hours will determine if other injuries, initially undetected, could cause more significant health problems for the Steelers quarterback, he said.

Ben's not out of the woods yet, but these initial reports are quite favorable.

Big Ben in motorcycle accident

Uh oh. No details yet on the severity, but Roethlisberger was injured in a motorcycle accident.

An eyewitness said she saw a motorcycle headed outbound on Second Avenue as a car was coming inbound. The car, a Chrysler New Yorker, made a left turn toward the bridge in front of the cyclist. The motorcycle hit the car and the operator flew into the windshield and then hit the ground.

The witness said she went to the aid of the motorcyclist and asked his name. He said it was "Ben" and tried to get up, but she told him to stay still.

The victim was bleeding heavily from a head injury, and blood pooled on the pavement.

No word yet on whether he was wearing a helmet, but Ben usually chooses not to.

UPDATE (5:30 PM EST): No helmet. Broken jaw, broken nose, chipped tooth, 9 inch head laceration. Hopefully no brain damage. Jerry Micco at the PG answered questions including: "Is there any truth to the rumors that Ben seriously injured both knees?" Micco: "Nothing I've heard all day from folks says knees were involved."

Rowdy: Ed Bouchette says Ben's 2006 season may not be in jeopardy.

Vote for Bay

On Friday, the suddenly non-genteel Rowdy crapped all over my Vote Bay post with this shockingly brutal polemic:

"No Pirate deserves to go to the All-Star game... Whether or not Jason Bay is an All-Star is a bunch of horseshit. It's a worthless consolation prize, and it's disgraceful how the club must find such ways to market itself in the absence of winning."

As usual, I don't think Rowdy was necessarily serious. And I wholeheartedly agree with his main point, that the front office is disgraceful. Especially after reading about the Pirates' pro-Bay PR blitz. I don't give a rat's ass about the All-Star game. I won't be there, won't watch it, and haven't watched one since Dave Parker threw out Jim Rice at third and Brian Downing at home. Since every team is required to have at least one All-Star, it's a given that Bay will be there. Bay has less than half the votes of likely starters Andruw, Beltran, and Junior, so it's also almost a given that he won't start. All that being said, I'm still pro-Bay and still pro-Vote-for-Bay. Bay's 1.065 OPS is 2nd in the NL to Pujols. Being pro-Bay should not equate with being pro-DL or pro-McNuttings. Bay deserves respect as the best OF in the NL and more All-Star votes. If not that, Bay at least deserves the undying support and man-love of Pirates fans everywhere. To vote for Bay (25 times) look in the upper right here.

Game 64: Pirates at Giants

Paul Maholm faces off against Jason Schmidt starting now. Jack is 1 for 13 lifetime vs. Schmidt, which is why I'd guess he's taking the day off. The Rake is playing short and Bautista third. Burnitz gets the start despite his .626 career OPS vs. Schmidt.

Perotto has three rumors: Atlanta and ChiSox want Torres, Lincoln will sign soon, and "...St. Louis seems like a more likely destination for Wilson if the Pirates would take rookie reliever Adam Wainwright in a deal instead of rookie starter Anthony Reyes."

Rowdy reads the standings, and he adds these comments: The Pirates are 24-39, fifteen games under .500 and twelve and a half games out from the wild card. They are tied with the Marlins for last place in those standings. They've won five of their last ten, but only 38.1% of all games. The road record has "improved" to 7-25 with recent wins.

Game 63: Pirates at Giants

Ian Snell vs. Noah Lowry at 4:05 PM EST. Craig in RF batting fifth vs. the LHP. Average age of today's offenses: Pirates 27, Giants 36. Today's game is huge, as the Bucs are only two games out of fifth place.

Game 62: Pirates at Giants

In progress. Jason Bay just homered to put the Pirates up 3-2 in the top of the fourth. Santos gave back his first lead of the game; here's to him and others holding this second lead until Mike "I don't read the standings" Gonzalez can come in to slam the door.

All-Star Voting

Jason Bay currently leads all NL OF with his 1.056 OPS. Despite this statistical domination, as of the last voting results, Bay is 9th in NL OF All-Star voting. Freddy leads the NL with his .351 batting average, but is 7th in NL 3B OPS. I still wrote in Freddy, and voted for the supremely deserving Jason Bay, 25 times earlier today. It doesn't take long to vote 25 times with the online ballot, which can be found at the Pirates official web page. If you have ten minutes and haven't already, do the right thing and at least vote for Bay (25 times).

Distaste for Failure

Steelers wrapped up minicamp today, with players off until July 28th for training camp. Joey Porter should be ready to participate fully in drills during training camp.

Cowher also spit out that the Steelers need to remain focused on the season ahead. "I don't like losing," Cowher said. "You develop a distaste for failure and I think that drives you more than wanting to be recognized for your success."

I wonder if Cowher is a Pirates fan, and if so, how he'd describe the taste the Bucs leave behind.

Game 61: Pirates at Giants

Duke and Cain, ten o'clock. The Pirates have lost their last two series. Like the Padres, the Giants choose this series to rest their best player. Bonds, who had been playing through pain, will sit and let the JV handle his usual duties. Hopefully the Bucs can make them pay for that.

Bones note (10:10 PM): The game thread and comments at McCovey Chronicles are interesting. They're not talking at all about the Bucs, but instead are talking about drinking. And haikus. My favorite is:

Pirouette Barry
Like a dancer with the stars
Shake it, shake that ass

Game 60: Pirates at Rockies

Day game - three o'clock start. Oliver Perez and Josh Fogg.

Long-term love

Can someone explain the end of this comment by Will Carroll of Baseball Prospectus:

Given a second chance at a Craig Wilson type with Ryan Doumit, they pushed him to switch positions and ended up with a recurring hamstring problem for the promising youngster. The team continues to push for Kip Wells’ return after vascular surgery this spring despite a wealth of pitching. Sure, some of the pitching is problematic and inconsistent, but the addition of Wells isn’t going to change much besides adding numbers. With this and the Jody Gerut and Chris Duffy situations, the Pirates aren’t going to get a lot of long-term love from the players they’ll need to turn things around in the future.

I'm all about the long-term love, so I want to know.

Game 59: Pirates at Rockies

Maholm and Francis (sporting a surprising low ERA for a Rockie) at nine.

...aw shit, Stats Geek predicts what? Only if they read the standings every day.

...saw this coming. I admit, my man-love for Sean Casey clouds my judgment of this proposed extension.

Brad Lincoln

Jim Callis of BA reports:

A source familiar with the negotiations says the teams and the players that will be picks at Nos. 2-3-4 have agreed to financial parameters. The Rockies will give Stanford righthander Greg Reynolds $3.25 million; the Devil Rays will pay Long Beach State third baseman Evan Longoria $3 million; and the Pirates will dole out $2.75 million to Houston righthander Brad Lincoln.

Keep your fingers crossed.

UPDATE (2:00 PM): It's official. Welcome aboard, Brad. The Phils took Kyle Drabek with the 18th pick.

Draft Today

Bucs pick fourth overall. Who will we take? The consensus opinion as of a few days ago was that Andrew Miller, Evan Longoria, and Brad Lincoln will go 1-2-3, leaving the Bucs with a college pitcher like Greg Reynolds. However, that sequence is far from set as the Royals have been rumored to be considering RHP Luke Hochevar and possibly even OF Drew Stubbs.

Perhaps it's along these lines that Paul Meyer is predicting that the Pirates "almost certainly" will take RHP Brad Lincoln from the University of Houston. I hope Meyer's right.

Baseball America predicts Bullingtonesque RHP Greg Reynolds of Stanford, Cal's RHP Brandon Morrow, or high schooler Clayton Kershaw. SI is predicting RHP Daniel Bard from UNC.

Draft starts at 1 PM EST.

On Hope

Admittedly, it's tempting to succumb to the learned helplessness that the past 14 years has reinforced and hope the Pirates don't draft anyone good. Then we'd be spared future pain (e.g. losing the good players in the Rule V draft while the 40-man roster lists only 37 men, trading the good players away for a Matt-Herges-type who will inexplicably be released later, etc). But with all the winning of late, I dare to dream. By 2010, perhaps DL will: be terminated by a new owner that values winning, graciously resign, or have his severed head (on stick) jubilantly hoisted above a lawless mob that has overtaken PNC. Anyway, there's a chance that by 2010 the Bucs could be contenders, and that a new ownership group and GM could coach this year's draft to a championship. Never surrender your dreams. All hail hope!

Doumit's torn hammy

Out six to eight weeks. Hammy "completely torn". Ouch. Get well, Ryan.

Game 58: Pirates at Rockies

Snell and Cook in about an hour.

Freddy

DK brings the good news:

"We're going to keep [Sanchez] there at third," Littlefield said... "If Freddy's going to hit .350, I think he should be playing third base"

Me too. Duh. Randa's 2006 OPS is .559 vs. Freddy's .896. All hail Freddy!

Game 57: Padres at Pirates

Former Pirate prospect Chris Young faces Victor Santos in today's rubber match.

The Pirates are 21-35 with a .375 winning percentage.

... expect the trade rumors to be going more as we move through June. Also, check out the numbers for Alex Rios. The Jays offered him for Paul Maholm this offseason. The year before, the Jays declined to send Rios to Pittsburgh for Craig Wilson.