Garrett Jones

A couple days ago Chuck Finder answered questions on the PBC Q&A as to whether Garret Jones can maintain his performance.  Well, in a rare event on BTW, I am going to try and put some numbers together and let you come up with your own answers…Of course I will give my opinion as well.  After reading the Q&A I felt a need to postpone the 40 Man post until tomorrow night.

Tee Ball and Rookie Ball…

Tomorrow, actually in just a few hours, my youngest boys turn 5.  Their names are Alex and Nick.  No, they were not named after the twins in Full House.  I didn’t know that was their names until well after the boys were born.  This morning we (Me, Momma, Nick and Alex) discussed whether they wanted to play tee ball this year like their older brother (7) T.J. did last year.  A resounding yes was heard from both.

Before I go any further and bring this into a Pirates post, I need to say one thing:
Happy Birthday Nicky and Alex.

Walking Again

Once again I am walking in the MDA Stride and Ride event.  I am looking for sponsors.  If you can find it in you heart to donate a little, it does not have to be much every dollar helps, please sponsor me in this worthwhile cause.

You can donate online at my MDA page that can be found here:

https://www.joinmda.org/MyStrideRide/MyHomepage/tabid/121966/Participant/dharr18/Default.aspx

Thanks for reading, and thanks for your support.

 

BTW Slide Note:

I should get back to normal posting tonight after I finish updating my link lists.

 

ALSO...

 

On a personal note, Sean's Ramblings is running the annual Pittsburgh Sports Blogger Tournament.  Please vote BTW.  Once again I am an low seed.  Once again, I am going against one of the top blogs in the area.  I need all the help I can get.  Vote here, and vote BTW.

http://seanramblings.blogspot.com/2010/02/best-pittsburgh-sports-blog-tournament.html

Show the Burgh small market blogs can win....lol

Why Pittsburgh Fans Don't Empathize With Yankees Fans

First, let us set the record straight.

For all those fools who wonder what was "in" the football when Santonio shook it in his hand. No, it wasn't ketchup nor hot sauce. That was LeBron's powder shake, Pittsburgh style.

Now, on to the point of this post.

Pittsburgh Fans, specifically Steeler Fans, don't empathize with Yankee fans. Steeler fans are not happy unless a Super Bowl Trophy is the prize. Much like Yankee fan expects World Series wins. Both fan bases expect championships and to a degree feel it is their teams right to win them.

The difference is in how the teams do it.

The Steelers win championships in a sport where the playing field is leveled by a salary cap. They build it through hard work and dedication to a goal.

The Yankees on the other hand try to buy championships. They go after the best talent and don't blink at the big payouts. They more than triple the average teams payroll.

The Yankees are the most polarizing team in professional sport. Not because they have all the talent, but because they feel it is their right to win and their right to buy the best talent.

The problem with the Yankees. They have all the talent, but they do not have a team. Just a group of individuals. At least Boston develops talent from within and go to free agency to fill gaps unlike the Yankees damning building internally and just buying the pieces to fill their needs.

Cashman is not a great GM, he just signs the best talent on the open market.

Torre was an average manager before he got to the Yankees. He is not a great manager. He did great with the Dodgers last year after they landed Manny. He doesn't make a team better, he simply handles egos well.

The Pirates are going the right way, trying to build a character franchise and build from within. It will take time, but they will get there...someday.

Congratulations to the Rooney's, Mike Tomlin and the World Champion Pittsburgh Steelers!

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.

Maholm, Hinske and Beam. Oh My!

 

Maholm:

Maholm signed his 3 year deal, with a 4th year club option, totaling $14.5M in guaranteed money.  The breakout is as follows:

$3.5M 2009 ($1.5M of which is a signing bonus)

$4.5M 2010

$5.75M 2011

$9.75M 2012 club option, escalators could raise the option to 11.05M

A buyout for the option of  $750K.

If the option is exercised, the minimum value of the contact is $23.5M.

BTW Take:

This is another good move by the front office to lock up their perceived core of talent.  Some may point to the fact the Pirates will be losing players after 2011 in addition to having a high turnover each year after that. 

Looking at other teams and sports, this is the way of life in professional sports.  One merely needs to compare the rosters of the Boston Red Sox between their two championship years to see more than half the roster changed between championships. 

The key is to have players ready to step in or be willing to spend on free agents to fill the holes left behind. 

This concept isn’t exclusive to only baseball.  The Steelers have 20 players returning from their Super Bowl XL roster to play this year in Super Bowl XLIII.  That is more than half of the XL team gone in three seasons. 

The key is to replace those players and continue to improve.  With baseball, they have the farm system to fall back on.  Building a good pipeline will help this team remain competitive if they can get to that level to begin with.  

 

Hinske:

Hinske signed a deal worth $1.5M with another $1M in bonuses based on plate appearances.  T.J. Beam was designated for assignment.  If Beam clears waivers, he will be assigned to Indianapolis. 

BTW Take:

Beam will likely be claimed off waivers.  Hinske will be adding depth in the event one of the many young players on the team are injured (Moss) or struggle (Andy LaRoche and Nyger Morgan) or traded (Adam LaRoche).

 

Link:

Here is a link to a very entertaining article on the next Pirate uniform suggestions at our friends front office at We Should Be GM’s:

http://pabaseball.blogspot.com/2009/01/new-pirates-uniforms-to-be-proud-of.html

 

Tomorrow:

Neal Huntington was on MLB Live at MLB Home Plate XM 175.  I will try and get a transcript of the interview up tomorrow.  He had some interesting comments that I want to pass on to my friendly readers.

 

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.

Rumors on LaRoche, Free Agent Signing, Cuthbert, Boras Fingered and More

A couple rumors from XM MLB Radio (XM 175)

LaRoche:

According to MLB Radio: A rumored trade persists from the West Coast pertaining to an Adam LaRoche to the Giants deal.  Apparently San Francisco is willing to trade Jonathan Sanchez and first baseman Travis Ishikawa for the much scrutinized Pittsburgh Pirate first baseman.

BTW Take:

Sanchez is quite intriguing, but for my money Ishikawa is much more tantalizing to the baseball palette.  If this is an accurate rumor, being a rumor lends to the likelihood being minimal at best, this is a deal Huntington would likely jump at.  Considering the front office denied emphatically any deal was in the works with San Francisco, I highly doubt the is much meat behind the story.  Huntington does not like to divulge anything on deals he is working on, so the denial could still be a cover-up of actual talks.  That is the only reason I have spent any time on this. 

 

Free Agent:

According to MLB Radio: The Pirates are in discussions with free agent outfielder Luis Gonzalez.

BTW Take:

Mientkiewicz is a better fit for the team.  I do not see where a 41 year old outfielder should garner more than a minor league contract.  Gonzalez is outside the "rebuilding" project free agents the Pirates have signed recently like Monroe.  I am not sure I buy this rumor either, but Dejan's comments about a free agent signing coming soon and a name we all know makes me a little nervous this is more than a rumor. 

 

Cuthbert:

Apparently the Pirates are favored to sign a Nicaraguan Prospect League player by the name of Cheslor Cuthbert.  According to the blog post, he will be available to sign come July and is drawing attention from many teams.

http://cardinalsbestnews.blogspot.com/2009/01/updates-out-of-nicaragua.html

Another link from Cardinals Best News has some information on him:

http://cardinalsbestnews.blogspot.com/2008/12/aritcles-on-jem-argenal-cheslor.html

Here is a link to a Google translation of an article about his tryout:

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=es&u=http://impreso.elnuevodiario.com.ni/2008/10/19/deportes/87649&sa=X&oi=translate&resnum=5&ct=result&prev=/search%3Fq%3DCheslor%2BCuthbert%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26hs%3D77I

BTW Take:

I know nothing about this player but found it interesting nonetheless.  It looks like the legacy of Roberto Clemente is still paying dividends for the Pirates.  According to the articles, the kid can flat rake.  Big power, especially at a young age.

 

Mayor Retires:

Sean Casey has retired to take on a studio job.

BTW Take:

There are a ton of free agents retiring after seeing what the market has in store for them.  Good luck in the new gig Sean.

 

Boras Fingered:

Scott Boras and his agency have been fingered by Kirk Radomski as being part of the Kevin Brown portion of the Mitchell Report.

From ESPN.com:

Radomski's account says he sent HGH to Brown in the winter of 2003, and several days later discovered a wet overnight shipping package containing $8,000 in cash in the bushes by his house. Radomski says the FedEx account number and return address on the package were from the sports agency of Brown's California-based representative, Scott Boras.

Boras, reached by ESPN.com, says his agency had no connection to the alleged payment.

"The Federal Express package or anything like that, Kevin Brown was asked about it and denied it," Boras says. "The fact of the matter is we obviously give out our Federal Express numbers to a wide number of sources -- team officials, people, clients, that kind of thing -- because we obviously are sending out and mailing back and forth."

Radomski says government agents found FedEx labels from Brown in the raid of his Long Island home, but he was uncertain whether they were in possession of this particular label.

There is much more in the story.

BTW Take:

How sweet would it be to have Boras lose his license over this deal?

 

Delay:

One more days delay on wrapping up the free agency posts.  Once again work has got in the way of blogging.

 

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.

David Harrison is walking for a cure

I'm proud to tell you that I'm participating in the MDA Stride Ride on 02/28/09 at Coral Ridge Mall...that's right, I'm goingto join others as westride and ride to help Jerry's Kids and MDA.I need your help!

This is the third year I will be participating in the MDA Stride Ride event.

All you have to do is click here to make a secure, online donation. Your donation will help families living in our community andhelp make a difference.I am excitedto add you to my list of contributors.

Thanks in advance for your help. Don't hesitate to call or email me with any questions.

Together we'll make a difference,

David

P.S. I'm counting on you, click here to donate.

If the link above does not work, please cut and paste the address below into the address bar of your Internet browser.
https://www.joinmda.org/srcoralvilleia09/dharr18

Making Strides to Find a Cure

5th Annual MDA Stride And Ride

Once again I will be participating in the MDA Stride And Ride on February 28, 2009 at the Coral Ridge Mall in Coralville, Iowa. Our team leader has tasked us with collecting $500 per person walking. I need your help!

Here is what each dollar raised can supply:

* $25 - Flu Shot
* $85 -1 Minute of Research
* $100 - Support Group Session
* $170 - 2 Minutes of Research
* $800 - Child to MDA Summer Camp
* $2,000 - Assist with Wheelchair or Leg Braces

You can donate any amount and each donation will be greatly appreciated.

Please visit my donations page at

https://www.joinmda.org/srcoralvilleia09/dharr18

Thanks for your readership and help,

Dave Harrison