Tidbits

--Apparently other teams have promising but at-times exasperating young pitchers too. Except, you know, those other teams also have records above .500 and many other things my team doesn't have, so really, it's a ridiculous comparison. That being said, however, would it be possible for one Bucco pitcher (I don't care who) to pull, let's say, a 3 hitter by the end of the year? Not even a 1 hitter and certainly not a no-no. But something close? Pretty, pretty please? Just for kicks?

--In perhaps more shocking news, the Pirates are apparently allowing a AAA call-up to start tonight's game.
Snark: I certainly hope Mr. Tracy isn't compromising the integrity of the game by allowing a legitimate prospect to start a game in place of Xavier Nady's injured hamstring. Seriously: In order to preserve Nady's health in games that are meaningless--no matter what the official math still says--it's not a bad idea to see what Pearce can do with a bat at the major league level. Which, of course, means that soon enough, if Tracy follows true to typical Bucco form, Pearce will be spending too much time on the bench.

-- Speaking of injuries, one good thing about no shot at the playoffs or a pennant race that doesn't involve David Littlefield losing his job at the end of the season. The Bucco starting pitchers, Matt Morris aside, are young. Do you really want to have the pitchers add many more innings only to fall just short of winning when the team isn't good enough to win anyway? Better to monitor innings pitched and pitch counts and look to the future, and even as I type that, I know the Pirates haven't done it well enough (closer to "piss poor" than "barely acceptably decent") and I also know that I'm sick of typing crap about the "future." But seriously, in order to determine if these pitchers might ever be even above-average consistently, it sure would help if they're able to stay healthy.