Game 11: Braves at Pirates

Snell and Jo-Jo Reyes starting soon. You have opportunity everywhere you look.

Game 10: Braves at Pirates

Jurrjens and Maholm and hopefully no Randy Marsh at 7.

Pirates are 4-5. The Cards are 8-3 and own first. The Braves are 5-4.

Game 9: Astros at Pirates

Day game. Ortiz and Karstens at 12:30.

Game 8: Astros at Pirates

Mike Hampton (?!) and Ross Ohlendorf at 7.

Pirates are 4-3 after seven games.

R.I.P. Kalas and Fidrych

Deep inside the beer fort, we pour some out for two HW favorites, now outta here - Harry Kalas and Mark Fidrych. As kids, Rowdy and I talked to the wiffleball, Fidrych-style.

Game 7: Astros at Pirates

Home opener.

Moehler and Duke at 1:30.

Game 6: Pirates at Reds

10-2 victories and Wiggy-style baserunning will do a lot to make this team look competitive.

This afternoon it is Snell and Harang at 1pm.

I will bunker down behind a wall of Miller High Life and attempt to decoy the marauders. You know -- let Joey Votto drive Ryan Freel's truck into that end of the beer fort.

Gmae 5: Pirates at Reds

Maholm and Cueto at 1.

Game 5: Pirates at Reds

7pm, Karstens, Cueto, and thunderstorms in the forecast.

Bucs are 2-2.

Game 4: Pirates at Cardinals

First place again. The hated Cubs have the day off, so the Pirates could leave St. Louis in sole possession of first place with a win. It's early but it counts, and as a fan, you have to enjoy the season while it's good.

Ohlendorf and Carpenter in a day game, starting around 1:30pm.

Game 3: Pirates at Cardinals

Duke and Wellemeyer and no Andy LaRoche at 8.

Game 2: Pirates at Cardinals

Snell and Lohse at 8.

First place

Woo-hoo Only very minor damage to the beer fort, so far as I can see.

Game 1: Pirates at Cardinals

First place on the line this afternoon. Maholm and Wainwright at 4:15.

HW 2009 Readers' Poll #3

Which three position players will lead the Pirates in PA?

HW 2009 Readers' Poll #2

From DK's PBC blog, I copy the pitchers:

Starting pitchers: Paul Maholm, Zach Duke, Ian Snell, Ross Ohlendorf, Jeff Karstens

Relievers: Matt Capps, John Grabow, Tyler Yates, Sean Burnett, Craig Hansen, Donnie Veal, Jesse Chavez

Q. Which starter will finish the season with the most innings? Which reliever?

HW 2009 Readers' Poll

Deeply entombed in the heavily fortified HW beer fort, we're more than ready to weather out the imminent losing. While the 2009 losing should be epic, in a setting-the-record-for-the-worst-team-ever kind of way, we're hopeful that by September we'll emerge with a breathtaking new lease on life, as some of the kids bum rush the show. For now though, it's 2009 prediction time, so please humor us in the comments:

1. How many games will the Pirates win in 2009?
2. When will the 82nd loss occur?
3. Any other predictions?

I'll start:
1. 62. On paper the team looks awful. Awful pitching in particular.
2. August 30th
3. Andy LaRoche is going to break out offensively. Half of the Opening Day team will stink and be sent down or released.

Cutch

McCutchen sent down, Dejan reports. At times we've struggled with Neal's struggles. Now we just don't get why McCutchen needs to learn how to bunt better for struggle-insurance:

"We still have to work on the base-stealing, on the bunting, so that, when he does struggle, he can pull that third baseman in and find his way on base."

All that said, I appreciate Neal's efforts to strategize for 2016 more than 2009.

Getting beat down

Xavier Nady, who played for the Pirates from 2006 to 2008:

When you first got here, what was the most eye-opening aspect of playing with the Yankees?

"For me, it's just the tradition of winning. And in the city, there's a lot of emphasis on winning. When you throw on that Yankees uniform, you're expected to play the game right. Coming from different organizations like Pittsburgh, it was just kind of like, over and over getting beat down. When I came over to Yankee Stadium, it was just an honor to put on that uniform. It was a dream come true."

Ouch. Full interview, by Marc Carig for the New Jersey Star-Ledger, here.

Ronny Ballgame, Marlin

Ronny has been traded twice in a few hours, and will now be calling games from the Marlins' bench. Bad news for the Bucs that RBG will be staying in the NL, as his deep familiarity with the Bucs' signs and ability to steal these at will from the bench could be the difference between 66 and 68 wins.

In other news, Chuck Finder reports that proud father hurt and gullible 20-year-old Jose Tabata honestly believed his 43-year-old wife to be pregnant, and that the snatched baby was his. We raise our glass to this Honest Tabata, and wish him the best in getting through this trying ordeal.