FIRE NEAL HUNTINGTON!!!

[smalltown]

Going to the game next Wednesday and looking fore ward to it. Been a partial season ticket holder for 17 years.

[tigersucs]

Huntington is actually the best GM this team has had since Syd Thrift back in the mid 80s. Thrift actually built the Pirates 90-92 championship teams with trades and the draft much the way Huntington is doing now. Thrift was responsible for both Bonds and Bonilla. As with the Penguins how many people will jump on the bandwagon once the Pirates start winning and try to pass themselves off as true fans who say they have followed them for a while?

Actually saw the best jersey t-shirt a few weeks ago in Arby's when a young lady had a Baltimore Oriole #15 Matt Weiters black one on. That was the draft mistake that actually forced Littlefield's firing and was the final nail in McClatchy's coffin in Pittsburgh. The Nuttings are actually starting to open up the draft payroll somewhat as was witnessed with the Alvarez pick last year.

Huntington's legacy is still to be determined but it may be good after he leaves.

[pearsennui]

I hope everyone is right. I just am not a believer.

[AmyV]

We just traded Gorzo and Grabow to the Cubs. We received pitchers Kevin Hart and Jose Ascanio and 3rd baseman Josh Harrison. Hart will join the Pirates immediately. Ascanio will go to Class AAA Indianapolis, Harrison to Class A Lynchburg.

(courtesy of the Post-Gazette)

[knowitall]

Don't fire him. Shoot him.

The Jason Bay trade was garbage.

Why acquire major league ready pitchers now with the crap that'll play behind them?

There is no plan. Today's acquisitions are tomorrow's trade fodder.

[AmyV]

So yes, luckily it stopped raining, so my dad and I got to go to the game last night.

For my scouting the new guys:
Lastings Milledge was in left field batting second. He went 2 for 4, had 2 RBIs and almost made a spectacular sliding catch in the 8th, but instead it hit the ground and bounced over him. He played a great game.

Ronny Cedeno obviously started at shortstop and batted 8th. He went 1 for 4 and had only one play at short the entire night. (I mean he could have had more if he dove for them, but oh well)He didn't do all that much for me to have been like "Oh wow this guy rocks!". From what I hear though, he is a very good player.

Both of them did well in their debuts for the Buccos.

On some other notes:
~ We Won! (If you watched the game you noticed that) Capps almost blew it again for us. Why didn't we trade him and get a new closer?

~ Unfortunately, my dad and I could not get our regular seats (Section 125) because there was nothing in that section we wanted. So, we ventured out way up to Section 320 and you should have seen the fans up in the nose-bleed seats! Two sections down in 318, one fan was holding a sign that said something along the lines of "Will you trade me?" while his buddy sitting next to him had a sign that said "Free Agent Fan". Yeah.....

~ Also, I have to give a special mention to the Pierogis and Presidents race last night. Theodore Roosevelt was catching up to win the race (and he has never won) but out of no where the "retired" Potato Pete comes and body checks Teddy to the ground! It was the excitement and violence of hockey at a baseball game.

~ After reading the paper yesterday, I learned that Kevin Hart, one of the new pitchers we got, was the 2003 AAABA Tournament MVP. I somewhat remember the name, but not really. Does anyone remember him from AAABA?

ON AN MLB NOTE:
I saw last night on the video board that Adam LaRoche got traded to the Braves, the same team we got him from. That didn't last very long for him in Boston.

So anyway, the point of this was just to express the things the new guys did last night and other things. A very, very exciting game.

[smalltown]

Why didn't they trade Capps is because his market value is really low. Trade a guy when his value is high not low. Amy do you have a partial season plan? We have the 20 pick a game plan. section 108 row C.

[AmyV]

No, actually I don't. I wish we could have a partial season plan but my family and I are only able to go to a few games throughout the season because of all the stuff we have going on. (yesterday's was the 3rd game of this season) We usually attend Sunday games, but this year we have gone to more Friday games.

Last year, we went to a lot more because Ricci Spadacene would get us free tickets in Section 125 and since we liked those seats so much, we now normally get that section in row x or back (something under the roof) seats 21 and 22. The nose-bleed seats are just our backup plan.

[pearsennui]

Misery Loves Company...

Chi Cubs 57 48 .543 -
St. Louis 59 51 .536 0.5
Milwaukee 53 54 .495 5.0
Houston 53 55 .491 5.5
Pittsburgh 45 61 .425 12.5
Cincinnati 45 61 .425 12.5


Impressive ball clubs!

[AmyV]

Sadly now, we are back in last because the Reds won and we lost. (after we had the lead! )

For the record, my family (minus Brian) and I are in Cooperstown right now on vacation at the Baseball Hall of Fame and one thing I think is interesting is that they have a board outside down from the main door that has the scores from yesterday's games on and the standings (which the do update everyday). Just saying.

[jimmyb]

Was listening to XM Home Plate channel 175 a few days ago and they reported that the Texas Rangers are barrowing 60 million from MLB for payroll. The Toronto BlueJays are going to slash payroll next season. One report has said the reason the New York Yankees didn't trade for players at the deadline was there are salaries that they can't take on. Heard they we interested in a pitcher from Kansas City, willing to trade a player (not on the current roster) but the Royals would have to pick up his salary of 750,000 dollars. Today Jason Giambi gets released by Oakland, Mets are willing to trade Carlos Delgodo and Billy Wagner.

Maybe the Pirates ownership is seeing something in the future like a salary cap or they see even big payrolls and star players don't win championship's, I look at the Mets and they are such a mess and injuries have hit that team hard. You look at teams that are similar to the Pirates that are good solid teams. The Florida Marlins are the example. They are one of the best run teams, they get high reviews for there minor league players. They have a small payroll and small crowds.

[tigersucs]

Tom Hicks is trying to sell the Rangers and possibly the Stars from what I understand. He really screwed up with the A-Rod contract in 2000 and is still paying for it now. Not sure if he still owes the Yankees any monies from the trade. As for Toronto the economy plus the Canadian dollar exchange rate hurts them with most of MLBs contracts being paid in American dollars. Also they get hurt especially with the Buffalo/Western NY area fans who now need more ID just to cross the border to go to a game. Giambi was a disappointment in Oakland this year and hasn't been the same since the steriod revelations. Wagner has also struggled in New York as has Delgado. Both have suffered from injuries while there that have kept them out of the lineups. Just saw over on MLB.com that Boston has cut ties with Smoltz as well now.

As for Florida(Miami-when they move into their new home at the site of the Orange Bowl) they have always done it right even though it meant blowing up the team twice. Portland was a very good club when they were Florida's Eastern League affiliate.

[pearsennui]

6 losses in a row...