BTW News, Pirates 2009, New Young Buc

Ahhh!

Yesterday, my youngest son had surgery to remove adenoids and to have tubes put in his ears.  Everything went well and he is doing very well.  As a parent you have a tendency to be distracted when your child is about to have an operation, no matter how minor.  Just the thought of your child going under is a scary proposition, no matter how many times you have been through it.  Needless to say, holding him in the recovery room made a huge weight be lifted from my mind.

 

Pirates 2009:

While sitting in recovery holding Nicky as he slept, my mind started wandering back to baseball and the Pirates.  The 4-3 start to the 2009 season is a good thing, like that is breaking news. 

My biggest interest going forward is what will happen first.

You see, I have a belief that it is easier to stay above .500 than it is to get back to .500.  When trying to recover lost ground, teams always seem to press because of a tangible goal of .500.  When a team gets close, then fails, the pressure keeps building.

Failing to reach .500 for a young team, such as the Pirates, seems to always have a snowball affect, more like an avalanche.  When they get close but come a win or two away from the mark, as we have seen a few times in the last 16 years, the team seems to always have that losing streak right then.

A team that is over .500 can endure a losing streak and still not worry of a tangible goal they are failing to achieve, as long as they stay above .500.

So what I am looking for is what happens first.  Do the Pirates have a long winning streak or long losing streak?  If they can attain a long winning streak first, that will go a long way towards breaking the 16 year spiral we as fans have endured.

As for players so far, here are a few things I have noticed:

• Brandon Moss seems to be a little faster than last year, I have been impressed with the speed he has shown so far.  While not blazing speed, he has been impressive none the less.
• Staying with Moss, he has yet to earn a RBI.  A somewhat distressing fact.
• Was I wrong on Nyjer Morgan?  He has been a catalyst for this team with the bat and with his speed and toughness.  He is doing a lot of little things right that have plagued him in the past.  A couple example are breaking up a double play to keep the inning going just prior to Doumit's grand slam.  Another example was taking out the catcher on an excellent hip check from his youth.  While he didn't need to make contact, the play was closer than it appeared as the ball was on it's way home.
• Freddy Sanchez and Jack Wilson both look like they want to stay in Pittsburgh.  Each has been fantastic, maybe no more so than the fantastic double play they turned against the Reds.
• Zach Duke looks as if he has turned back the clock, or at least hit the same point that Maholm did a year and a half ago.  He seems to be trusting his pitches again and is pitching to all parts of the plate.
• With Maholm, Duke and Ohlendorf all pitching well, getting Snell to stay in a groove rather than grooving too many pitches will be a big hurdle for Russell and Kerrigan to clear.  If Snell finds himself again, the bullpen may not be an issue as they will not be used often.

I fear the warm and fuzzy sensation I have been having about the Pirates, too many times in has turned into a stomach virus the last 16 years.

 

New Young Buc:

The Pirates have acquired Delwyn Young from the Dodgers for two PTBNL.  Look for Luis Cruz to be demoted after Young arrives in Pittsburgh.  Young will likely be used as a utility player who can play outfield and most infield positions save 1B.

BTW Take:

Cruz was on the roster due to Bixler becoming a prospect again in spring training.   This move allows the Pirates to have a bat on the bench, rather than just a glove.  It doesn't make perfect sense, since Young has not played 2B in two years. 

Rumor

I am still working on details, but here is the latest rumor I have heard from multiple sources.  The Pirates are not satisfied with the starting rotation, as if that is a surprise.

What is surprising?

The Pirates may be close to acquiring a starting pitcher.  Details are fuzzy, but all the rumors surround Huntington and crew not wanting to break camp with Karstens as the fifth starter. 

According to sources, the Pirates have all but locked in on four starters: Maholm, Snell, Duke and Ohlendorf.  While the team is satisfied with what Ohlendorf has shown so far this spring, they are looking at him as a fifth starter solution. 

Huntington is pressing to land another starter before spring training is too far along to allow Russell and Kerrigan a chance to get a good read on the addition.

The possible acquisitions seem endless but the acquisition is not believed to be a free agent pitcher, unless the pitcher is waived or claimed in the coming days.

As I find out more, I will pass on any details.  Hopefully someone with closer sources on the team can verify the rumor.

 

Apologies:

I had a brain fart as I was writing this and spelled Joe Kerrigan's last name Kerrington.  Sorry Joe.  It is corrected now.

Ohman, Jaramillo, Steroids

Ohman:

Jerry Crasnick is reporting on ESPN.com that the Pirates are one of three teams who have offered major league contracts to Will Ohman, the other two are the Padres and Marlins.  Ohman plans to continue discussions with three contending teams being the Mets, Dodgers and Phillies.

BTW Take:

While it is nice to know the Pirates have an offer on the table, all three contending teams could still use help in the pen.  One of them will step up and offer a deal to Ohman.  The only chance the Pirates actually have is if the money is so far off that Ohman looks at a deal with the Pirates as nothing more than a preamble to a trade to a contender in June.

 

Jaramillo:

A player happy to come to the Pittsburgh Pirates?  Yes there is such a player.  His name is Jason Jaramillo. 

BTW Take:

While on the surface one would wonder if Jaramillo is destined to pop a drug test, he actually has a lot of reasons to be happy.  He and John Russell have a good history.  He was trapped behind two solid catchers in Philly, much the same as where Ronny Paulino sits now, but now has a chance to make the majors.  He also knows quite a few Pirate players and coach Long.  He feels like he is coming home in a sense.

Jaramillo is a good defensive catcher, a nice alternative to the average at best defensive catcher in Doumit.  Don’t think Jaramillo will take away Doumit’s position, Doumit is a catcher because of his bat which is much better that Jaramillo. 

 

Steroids:

Just like anyone else, I am sick of hearing this story and how everyone wants to hear the other 103 players named.  What does it matter?  It has already been leaked that players were warned of the tests prior to 2003.  It is not hard to “study” for such tests.

If anyone is gullible enough to believe the 104 players who tested positive are the only players to have used?  I have some ocean front property here in Iowa I’d like to sell you.

People are calling for “clean” players to come forward and be “role models” by standing up for clean and fair play.  The name I hear most often is Jeter.  Has anyone considered why Jeter may not step up and do this?  Might he be viewed as a hypocrite the same way A-Rod is being viewed?  Might he be afraid his name will be mentioned in the future on a different report?

The 104 failures are not the only doping cheaters in the history of the game.  Please people, stop acting like this list is the be all end all list of cheaters.  It is merely a start of what is sure to be a long laundry line of dirty laundry to be aired in the coming years. 

There is a reason the 1990-2003 seasons are looked at as the “Steroid Era”. 

This is why I don’t write about steroids.  The more time that passes.  The more players get named.  The important thing is MLB does everything possible to keep the game clean.  Lord knows there are no players in the Hall that have cheated.  Right?  (Sarcasm alert in case you missed it)

 

Donate:

I will be walking in the MDA Stride and Ride locally. Please sponsor me in my Stride and Ride Walk for MDA at https://www.joinmda.org/srcoralvilleia09/dharr18. Every dollar is appreciated.

 

BTW Note:

My wife is having surgery on Tuesday.  I can not guarantee a post Tuesday night, but I have been working on my most challenging piece yet…An optimistic view of the Pirates 2009 season.  Hopefully it will be up soon.

I am also working a new 5 Questions piece that I hope to have up sometime in the next couple weeks.  I am getting the questions together and hope to have them sent out sometime this week.  Thanks to the surprise 5 Question target.