Uh-Oh

Rookie Mistakes: Morgan didn't throw to the appropriate cutoff man tonight, and Pearce got picked off first base. While I don't exactly know who the Pirates are going to send out in their place, given that Nady--the head contusion aside, I'm referring to his gimpy hamstring--should be sitting, we know one thing: Jim Tracy will not have the integrity of the game compromised.

Leaving 10 Men On Base is Not the Way to Win a Baseball Game: Enough said.

10 Hits but no Freddy: Sanchez didn't get a hit tonight, which, of late, is just plain unusual. What the Pirates should hope doesn't get usual is this business of pitching around Sanchez. My eyes were half-glazed throughout much of the game, but I thought I saw the Cardinals pitch around Sanchez at least two times. Laroche hits behind Sanchez. Something about this screams problematic, as, of course, does the fact that Sanchez won't get hits if he doesn't get pitches to hit.

Random Dialogue throughout Tonight's Game:

Conversation 1:
Casual Baseball Fan Who Hates Watching Games on TV: Why are you watching the Pirates?
Me: What else am I going to watch?
Casual Baseball Fan: True. But seriously, why?
Me: There are usually moments of hilarity throughout a broadcast that prompt me to laugh loudly and hysterically. (Editorial Note: Bitterly, too. Tonight's example was the pregame show featuring David Littlefield answering questions about the franchise's future direction and explaining that the Pirates have more power than speed currently. I wasn't aware the Pirates had power, but then again, I know David Littlefield and I don't see the same things.)
(Aside: Littlefield says what many of us have concluded: Chacon will not be back next season. Snark: Who will keep Ian Snell sane? But seriously: Who?)

Conversation 2:
Me: Uh-oh. The integrity of the game is being compromised.
Casual Baseball Fan: Huh?
Me: Mr. Tracy is going to be annoyed with the rookies making rookie mistakes.
Casual Baseball Fan: But that's what rookies are supposed to do! They're babies; they make mistakes, and that's just what they do unless they're sensational.
Me: Yeah, the Pirates don't usually draft players who turn into rookies of the caliber of recent hockey rookies Crosby, Malkin, and Staal.
(Cardinals baserunners keep coming and keep scoring.)
Casual Baseball Fan: Mr. Pitcher, you're an old veteran. You're supposed to know better. You're not supposed to let them do this.

The Depressing and Not Uplifting Future Projection Conversation
Me: How'd Snell pitch seven scoreless innings against this club yesterday? Did they just give up trying to hit after their pitcher--who's probably the worst in the league--imploded?
Serious, Lifelong Baseball Fan: You're too hard on Snell.
Me: He makes me insane. (Editorial Note: I think following the Buccos as a fan would drive anyone to the brink of insanity, but whatever the reason, I find Snell's swoons particularly irksome.)
Serious, Lifelong Baseball Fan: He's going to be an All-Star pitcher.
Me: When? What evidence have you seen that has you convinced of that?
Serious, lifelong Baseball Fan: He can overpower people, and he's got a nasty attitude. Probably three years.
Me: (Audible, but incomprehensible, groaning.)
Serious, Lifelong Baseball Fan: He's going to be a very good pitcher on a very good team. But I don't know if I see him being that good on this team. But on a very good team, he's going to be very good.
Me: (Still more audible, incomprehensible moaning and groaning.) Three years?
Serious, Lifelong Baseball Fan: (completely unconvincingly) Eh--maybe less. (now, very convinced) But I don't know/think it happens with this organization.

Conclusions of the Evening: The Pirates don't draft players who are good enough to come to the Show and not make rookie mistakes. The Pirates don't win games when they don't get timely hitting and when their starting pitcher gives up 5 earned runs in the first few innings. If teams start pitching around Freddy Sanchez, a couple of other players absolutely must hit the baseball so teams stop doing that. And, no, I didn't need to tune into Jim Tracy's post game comments to realize that leaving 10 men on base=likely loss.

Depressing Conclusion of the Evening: Until this entire organization is transformed--and I believe that transformation has to start at the top but seep to the very depths of the organization--it appears that I'm always going to be, figuratively if not literally, beating my head against a wall when it comes to watching "players with potential" before it all clicks under different management/coaching in another organization. It's dang depressing. How long is it going to be before I can actually watch a homegrown All-Star play at a consistent All-Star level for my team?

Results Matter:
Casual Baseball Fan: Mr. Veteran Pitcher is being bad.
Me: Snell pitched seven scoreless innings against them yesterday.
Casual Baseball Fan: Snell's a better pitcher than this guy (Morris) right now.
My Screaming Thoughts: Then would he please hurry up and do what Morris did a few seasons ago and win lots and lots of games?

Really, I just want results, and the only results I really want are wins. I know it's not happening until wholesale changes are made, and I can't blame players who try but just don't have the talent, haven't had whatever talent they do possess properly coached or developed, and even for the ones who by some miracle have honed and harnessed a good bit of their talent but are unfortunately expected to play roles they'd never be expected to play even on a slightly above average baseball team.

But, really, at some point, results have to matter, and wins have to come. So, seriously, is that CEO search coming along well enough that Serious, Lifelong Baseball Fan's words about one current starting pitcher (still a "baby" in the eyes of Casual Baseball Fan, but exactly "twenty-five years old"--an adult--in my eyes) don't prove, as has typically been the case with past Pirates, to be prophetic?