Vote Now! Vote Often!

Here is a call out to all Pirates fans.  Support your favorite Pirates blogs.  Sean's Ramblings is running the Best Pittsburgh Sports Blog Tournament.  Let's show the world Pittsburgh is more than just Football and Hockey.  Let's show them all, Pirates fans are alive and well.  I ask that you all go out and vote for the Pirates blogs, and vote as often as allowed by law.

Voting is scheduled to start on Thursday.  I may not win the Tournament, but I'd like to see one of the baseball blogs win it all. 

 

Here is the link to the bracket:

http://seanramblings.blogspot.com/2009/02/pittsburgh-sports-blog-tournament_18.html

 

Here is the link to the voting:

http://seanramblings.blogspot.com/2009/02/pittsburgh-sports-blog-tournament-round.html

 

Has a 7 seed ever beat a 2 seed?  Since this is the first tournament I know of...I would guess no.

4th Annual MDA Stride and Ride

(Click the picture to enter the MDA site)

I will be participating in the 4th annual MDA Stride & Ride on Feb 23rd, 2008.  This will be the second year I have taken part in the event.  I am looking for donations to help me make my goal.   Last year BTW readers helped me make it to my goal.  This Year I hope to exceed my goal.  Thanks for your support, Dave

Happy 1st Anniversary

December 27th was the one year anniversary of Bucs Trade Winds.  It also happened to be a day without Internet.

 

Another event from the 27th was the 25,000 unique visit to the site since I set up the counter.

 

I want to thank everyone who comes here regularly to check my little blog, it really floors me that hundreds of people a day are willing to listen to, actually read, the ramblings of little old me.  One of my new years resolutions is to get to know the people who read here a little better.  I am hoping to make this blog, and the whole BTW collection of sites, more interactive.

 

One thing I enjoy is seeing feedback from the readers.  People like Eric, Bill and Buzzman77 (the secret is safe), and many others who have emailed me or left comments, I really appreciate the input.  Shay, I am looking for that second post in the forum.

 

Thank you everyone.  Here is to wishing you and yours the safest in the upcoming New Year. 

 

Now if we could only see 82 wins.  Neal, get cracking on this pronto.

 

BTW, I am still looking for that billionaire to gift me a few million dollars so I could do this little hobby full time.  Any takers?  :)  Heck, I am easy, I might even make one nice post about the Nuttings if one the Nuttings were to send the gift.  Hey, I'm easy, not cheap.

 

Once again, thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy.

 

Teaser:

I have a little contest that is coming up, I will announce the details New Years Day, let's just say it has to do with the forum, number of posts and whatever else I can come up with as criteria.   I am thinking about doing a little "BTW Forum Idol" or something by having the readers vote for the winners type of thing.   The winner will be announce April 1st.   Trust me there is no better day for this prize. 

 

At any rate, sign up for the forum now to get a head start on the competition.

Merry Christmas

I wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas before the day was over. I am on the road visiting family and just snuck out for quick post . I hope the day was outstanding for everyone.

Leave your opinion in the BTW Forum.

Register for the forum here:
http://forum.bucstradewinds.net/index.cgi?action=register

On the DL

Well, I promised a post on position by position going forward, then I proceeded to screw up my knee (again).  Tylenol 3 is a great thing, no pain and no focus.  I will get the series started in the next day or so.  Please keep checking back.

Video Example of Pirates Season

Watching this video reminds me of the Pirates 2007 season.  A real nice start, and a piss poor finish.  Enjoy.

 

 

 

I thought the guy lost some body parts when he landed.

Jose's Team?

Possibly it is nothing more than a statistical oddity, but the Pirates play their best when Jose Bautista is the third baseman and batting second. 

Over the last two seasons the Pirates are 20-15 when Bautista bats second.  True, it is a small sample size but the Pirates record with anyone else in the 2 hole over the last two years is 91-134. 

When Bautista starts at third, the Pirates are 55-62 over the last two seasons.  When anyone else starts at third the Pirates record is 56-95.

Looking at the record alone, one may assume the Pirates revolve around Bautista.

 

Batting 2nd	W	L
2006 w/ Bautista	7	7
2006 Anyone else	60	88
2007 w/ Bautista	13	8
2007 Anyone else	31	54
Starting at 3rd	W	L
2006 w/ Bautista	15	16
2006 Anyone else	52	79
2007 w/ Bautista	55	62
2007 Anyone else	4	16

 

What does it all mean?  It means it is difficult to write about anything other than the damned Morris trade right now.

 

Best comment on the trade:

"That move is so far out of left field, it's in the Monongahela."

August 28th Protest

Visit http://www.piratesfansforchange.com/FansForChange%207-26-07.htm for details on the upcoming August 28th protest.  The group is asking fans to sit near section 140 for the demonstration.

 

Visit http://www.piratesfansforchange.com/ for any updated info as it become available.

 

Sign the petition at http://www.petitiononline.com/sellbucs/petition.html, brought to you by your BTW Staff...uh me.

 

Discuss this topic in the BTW Forum. To post in the BTW Forum you must be registered.  Register here.

If my last name was Littlefield...

What moves to make?

Here are some moves I would look into if I were Dave Littlefield before the 4:00 PM deadline:

1.) Jack Wilson to Tigers - The Tigers are also looking for bullpen help.  A package of Wilson and one of the 3 relievers on the market would land more than Wilson alone.  I'd look for 2 minor leaguer position players in the deal, one legitimate prospect and the other depends on the reliever sent.

2.) Damaso Marte - At least 1 possibly 2 minor league position players.  Boston is a better fit than some of the other teams mentioned.  If only 1, the player would have to be a legit prospect.

3.) Shawn Chacon - A mid-level prospect with a good chance at making it to the Majors.  Once again I am looking at a position player, maybe a Delwyn Young from the Dodgers.  They are desperate with the pitching woes they have run into lately.

4.) Salomon Torres - Once again I am looking for a position prospect.  Since the Rockies are deep, they are a nice trade partner for Torres or Marte.  They have a few nice players being blocked, I would see if I could get one of them.

Now that I am done with the obvious...  Now for the creative moves.

5.) Freddy Sanchez - St. Louis, more like LaRussa, would love to have him.  A two time All-Star and defending batting champ would fill in nice in front of Albert.  Since Freddy is still under control of the team for a few more years, I would want 2 position prospects and a lower level minor leaguer.

6.) Jason Bay - With so few power hitters available in the market, Teixera already gone(?), Dye is the only true power threat available.  Bay could land a nice 2 or 3 prospects, at least 1 being a top level prospect, and a lower level minor leaguer.  Bay is cheap and under contract for a few more seasons.  Now is the time to move him, his power numbers and RBI's are still in line with his previous seasons.

 

Now what happens to the lineup if all these moves are made? 

At least 10 position players would make their way into the Pirates Farm System if all the deals are made.  This instantly improves a weak spot on the team, the minor league position talent. 

Bixler gets a call up. 

Castillo is back at 2nd. 

Izturis is at SS if Bixler struggles.

Nady moves to LF.

Doumit gets plenty of time in RF.

Grab 3 relievers, even Wasdin, from Indy and earn them some stripes.

 

What to do with what I receive?

The position players I receive, it would not matter what position they played.  I want to stock pile all the talent I can in the system.  The more $#!t you throw at the wall, the more that sticks.  Some of the prospects may be ready to join the team immediately and contribute, others might need more seasoning.  Come Hot Stove time, I have some chips to make moves with in order to add to the MLB roster. 

Overall, I want to improve the franchise top to bottom.  With the payroll saved, I can make a play on some Free Agents in the off-season.  Yes, I am forced to overpay, just like the Tiger with Ordonez and Rodriguez, but I am looking to field a winner while building the franchise.

Does this sound far fetched?  It is exactly what the Marlins did to get their team to two World Series by building their farm system through trades.

I am submitting my resume now.

 

I really want to hear some feedback on this one, please discuss this topic in the BTW Forum. To post in the BTW Forum you must be registered.  Register here.

A Little Help

I received an e-mail from Steve Hofstetter, one of the writers of the Sports Minute (or So) that is posted every Thursday.  If you enjoy the piece, and enjoy his work, please vote for him.  Here is his email he sent out, it includes voting instructions:

For the last three months, I've been fighting my way through Famecast, a contest with 150 comedians where the winner ends up with a bunch of shows and $10K. (I can hear my student loans salivating already). Anyway, I'm now one of the final five, which is an honor in and of itself. But whoever wins this round wins the whole darn thing.

It takes less than two minutes to vote, and it would mean a ton if you did. And of course, if you have any reach - be it through media or the web or just a bunch of friends, I could really use any help possible to spread the word.

To vote, go to http://www.picksteve.com and just follow the instructions from there.

(Oh, and if you have a hotmail address, you may have trouble because their SPAM filter is too sensitive. But give it a shot anyway).
Thank you so much for your time!

-Steve Hofstetter

Best of luck to Steve, and a little share of the winnings would be nice too.

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Every off day throughout the year I will attempt to do a recap of the previous week in the oh so original format of Good, Bad and Ugly.

The Good
By far the brightest spot of the early season has been the Pitching, not just the starters, but the pen also. This staff has pitched well enough for this team to have 7 or more wins.

The Young staff is living up to the hype so far.

The bullpen, despite a couple games that have been given away late, has been more than solid. Matt Capps has been outstanding. Chacon is looking like this is one of his customary good odd year seasons.

The Bad
The offense in general. The 3-4-5 batters have been horrid. The inability to move runners over or drive in runners in scoring position is just brutal.

LaRoche, a.k.a. Lefty McThump, may be renamed may be renamed Lefty MKthump at the rate he is striking out.

So many big innings have been lost by fundamental foul ups. Tracy seems more content to bunt a runner over than take a chance at a bigger inning or winning the game.

A perfect example was Wilson bunting against the Cards with Eldred at second and Duffy at first. The Cards have the defense rotating and the corners charging freeing up the entire middle of the infield. A swinging bunt brings home the winning run. Jack bunts Eldred into a force at third.

The Ugly
The way this team has lost with a lack of fundamentals. The mental errors are killing this team only 9 games into the season. It can't be from fatigue.

Poor throws, throws to the wrong base, not calling off infielders on short fly balls, catchers making a play on pop-ups when the third baseman should call him off, catchers failing to handle the throw when the runner is dead to rights. We can't forget playing volleyball in right either.

This team has shown it is much improved over previous seasons, but their heads are still not in the game. Until management and players alike focus on the fundamentals, this will continue to be an up and down season.

The Worst
Mediacom in general. Going weeks, more accurately months, with intermittent networking issues and poor cable and HD signal is frustrating for any consumer. Especially one that relies on the internet for connection to his real world job and dabbles in the blogosphere. Personal gripe that I will likely continue to complain about until I finally switch providers.

Finally!!!

I am officially back from my conference. Sorry for the extended dry spell for posting. Work, alcohol and a lousy resort run by Disney kept me from my daily posting.

Since I have been gone, the final roster has been set, all in all I was pretty close in my prediction found here and here.

It is good to be back, and even better to start the season.

Let's Go Bucs!

Road Trip!

I will be on a business trip leaving this afternoon and traveling until Saturday afternoon. I likely will not have an opportunity to make any posts until I arrive in Orlando.

I will give a best effort, but no guarantees.

Eldred Successfully Lumbers in Right

Eldred Successfully Lumbers in Right, yes, you read it right. Brad Eldred made his first start in right field for the Pirates. If he felt uncomfortable in the field, it did not show at the plate. Eldred went 3 for 4 at the plate with 2 doubles.

From reports, he made a fine running catch in the right center field gap. His only opportunity of the day to show his leather.

Some people are fearing Eldred in the outfield, they feel he is a lumbering oaf. He is much more athletic than some are giving him credit for. Eldred has been know to swipe a base in the minors, he is 28 of 34 in the category during his minor league career.

Eldred should see 150-200 at bats playing first this year, provided he heads north with the team. IF he can also get a 150-200 at bats in right it would be a huge boost for this offense. IF he can handle the outfield and get more than 200 at bats, this offense could be a lot of fun to watch this year.

A lineup that has Bay-LaRoche-Eldred in the middle could be very formidable. Eldred would bring more to this team than Nady in right. I really like Xavier, but Eldred is worth the price of admission. If Duffy fails, maybe Bay slides over to center and Nady mans left?

Slide Note:
Has anyone noticed the power Paulino is starting to show?

Trivial Answer:
Freddy Sanchez (6/29/06) is the only current Pirate to hit a walk off homerun at PNC.

Outages

We are having intermittent power and internet outages since yesterday. Provided things settle down, unlikely looking at the weather map, I will try to get some good posts in later today.

Random Midnight Thoughts and Links - 02/22/07

The Post Gazette has a couple articles up. The first is an article on Nady being out of the hospital. The second covers the likelihood of Matos making the team.

The second article had some notes at the bottom, I am getting to a point hold on, covering Dan Kolb having no discomfort, Sharpless proving he can field, and Castillo playing more 3B.

Yesterday Dejan also reported Castillo takes grounders at third.

Bucco Blog also ran a piece on where Castillo should play, esentially he dismisses the notion of Castillo moving from second.

Tracy has said not to read anything into Castillo playing third. WHYGAVS's Pat admits to reading too much into everything, especially Castillo at third.

Well, I find it odd most people are overlooking Bautista is playing third with the "A" Team. The whole idea that Castillo is playing third appears to me to say he will be the super-sub this year.

Think it over, Castillo spent the winter playing the outfield, he is well versed at playing second over the last few years and now he is dusting off his third base skills.

I would expect to see Castillo take some grounders at short sometime in the next week or so. If that happens, mark it down, Castillo is the super-sub for 2007.

At least that is what it adds up to in my head.

The Tribune-Review also runs a article on Nady being released from the hospital.

The Trib also has an article on the friendship of Snell and Chacon. The most disturbing quote of the article comes from Chacon, "And he's got a lot of things I saw in myself when I was younger.", referring to Snell. Does this mean we can start calling Snell BP Jr.? I hope not.

Around the cage lets us know Torres wants no entrance music and Mazeroski finally gets a glove.

And FINALLY!!!

Kuwata is making his mark on the team and camp. Kuwatamania is alive and well. Maybe there is a possibility the Pirates may add Kuwata to the coaching staff as a bullpen coach or something. He seems to have bonded well with the staff and the players. Just idle speculation, but it is a thought.

Making Sense of Walker

One thing the announcement of Walker moving to third clarifies is the signing of Einar Diaz to a minor league deal. That move, coupled with resigning Maldanado, would have blocked Walker from advancing to AAA this season. Both Diaz and Maldanado are decent options in the event of an injury to one of the MLB trio.

We already have three catchers at the MLB level that are in their 20's and the two catchers in AAA with major league experience (Maldanado and Diaz). With so many catchers above him, Walker would have started the year sixth on the catching depth chart.

Third base is not as filled through the minors and majors as catcher is. Since Edwards or DeCaster are the likely AAA third basemen, Walker moving to AAA is not blocked. Both Edwards and DeCaster are really utility players filling a hole at third in Indy.

At the MLB level we have Sanchez, who can move to 2B easily, this is actually a better fit for him. Bautista is another option at 3B for the Pirates, but he is just as adequate in the outfield as he is at 3B.

Moving Walker almost solidifies Bautista being relegated to utility duty or a move to the outfield. My bet is he is the future right fielder in 2008 or 2009, likely when McCutchen arrives. Makes you wonder about Duffy now, doesn't it?

As we all know it is a make or break season for Duffy.

Back to Walker and what this means...

Some are asking why the Pirates would move a top prospect to a new position when they have a singles hitting catcher manning the MLB position now. I will attempt to prove Paulino being a single hitter a misconception. Paulino is far from a singles hitter, at least based on Minor League stats.

Paulino averaged one home run per every 34.197 at bats in the minors. Paulinos' career minor league home run numbers are better than Doumit (37.568 AB's) and Walker (49.810) to date.

Using Walkers numbers are not truly a fair comparison due to Walkers' age and Minor League level. I have attempted to level the playing field by getting as close to Walkers 1046 Minor League at bats for the players he will be compared to. The hardest comparison will be with Bautista, since he was a Rule 5 casualty, so I limited the at bats to under age 22, Bautista was 24 by the time he amassed 1000 MiLB at bats.

Bautista obviously has show more power potential than Walker, Doumit or Paulino by averaging a home run every 35.250 minor league at bats through age 22. Paulino (47.120) was the second most potent deep ball threat in the low minors.

The question that will likely arise is why move Bautista then? Outside McCutchen and Walker, there is no power in the minors even close to the majors at any position. Bautista has shown the ability to play a good defense in the outfield and has handled the bat fairly well in limited MLB time. Since he can play the outfield, he is perfect to move to right field, with McCutchen taking center away from Duffy when he arrives.

Fans are hopeful for Doumit to be a power hitter the Pirates still need. His minor league comparisons to Walker, Paulino and Bautista show why he is slated for the Craig Wilson role on the Pirates. He will be a power bat, just look for it to be from the bench.

Hopefully all of these numbers thrown around actually show why Walker moving to 3B is best for the team and the player. I look for late season call ups of Walker and McCutchen to show what we have to look forward to as fans in the immediate future of this team.

Renaming Busch Stadium to Miller Lite Stadium?

Via Deadspin which is via JS Online:

Miller Lite, sponsor of the No. 2 Kurt Bush Dodge, has made a proposed bet to Budweiser, sponsor of the No. 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet, for naming rights to each others baseball stadium.

Based on final drivers points at the end of the 2007 Nextel Cup season, the winner gets naming rights for one series to the others park in 2008. Busch Stadium in St. Louis would be re-named Miller Lite Stadium during a Brewer visit if Bush were to finish ahead of Earnhardt Jr. Likewise Miller Park could be renamed Budweiser Park if the No. 8 finishes the season higher than the No. 2.

BTW Take:
I love the beer wars! Not only would this be fun for NASCAR fans but also baseball fans. This is a great chance to get some crossover support. It could help both sports attract new viewers and fans.

It would be great to see Budweiser/Anheuser-Busch finally show a sense of humor and accept one of these off the wall challenges from Miller. Bud has always been good for commercials, however Miller seems to trump them in creativity.

No National TV for Bucs

It is easy to miss, especially if you dislike Smizik, that the Pirates will not be a feature on the Game of the Week on FOX. (Scroll down)

For the first time since 1989 there will be a MLB Game of the Week on national TV, due to regional games the number of games broadcast is 72.

Is it really hard to believe the Pirates are one of eight teams not to be on the game of the week? Any guesses on the other seven teams, two being a given with the initials KC and TB.

Smizik also reports on radio programs being on the road in Florida and New York, for the Big East Tourney.

BTW Take:
It really does not surprise me that the Pirates are being shut out. What does surprise me is there are seven other teams joining the Pirates in the shutout. The schedule is subject to change, so IF the Pirates luck into contention and maybe the Cubs tank...

Apology

I want to apologize to anyone expecting a daily update for the last couple days. My youngest boys are celebrating their second birthday today, which we had a party for Sunday. Hopefully I can get some posts in later tonight after the sugar buzz from the icing ebbs, causing the children to crash.

Until then...

Three days until Pitchers and Catchers report.