Seriously, the title of this post is not a joke. There were actually a couple of pretty plays in today's game that I wanted to note before the usual ugliness/ickiness/not even mediocre-level play makes the return I have trained myself to expect.
--The double play off the almost Pujols' hit. The one Sanchez began with a highlight reel play. Pretty, pretty, and very pretty. Must be nice to get some defensive help, right, Ian?
--Speaking of Ian, that single with the Cards' infielders playing for the bunt, was seriously a thing of beauty. Despite how much it pains me to agree with Jim Tracy, that hit wasn't just a "great play," it was fantastically fun, especially since Snell's batting average prior to that hit was less than .100. The only bad part about that hit is when I see such things from Snell, I wonder just how good he could be if he were ever as consistently mentally locked in as he was at that particular moment. But rather than obsess over musings that cause consternation and frustration, better just to (cough, sigh, gasp) concur with the manager and enjoy an awesome RBI single from the pitcher.
--I don't know if it qualifies as "pretty," but there's something wonderful about a triple and your first major league RBI. There's also something wonderful about showing the major league manager that you can hit in the big leagues (though beware, it did take last year's NL batting champion a couple of months before that particular light bulb went off) if only so I won't have to read more long-winded quotes pertaining to maintaining the "game's integrity."
--My own inane comment, as inspired by the current Bucco manager: Winning is just pretty. Snark Seriousness: Apparently some of the staff of the Indy Indians will be joining the Pirates. May I dream that they work some mental magic to get any of the players who dominated at the AAA level to translate dominating at that level to a level of play of "consistently good" to "consistently very good" at the MLB level? Pretty, pretty, pretty please?
(Oh, yeah, asking that last question, and prettiness aside, I'm obviously still delusional.)
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Monday, September 3, 2007
A Real Life Theological Reminder
Nady getting hurt was scary. In those moments, no matter how frustrated you are with ownership, management, coaches, and various players, you just stop and pray that the people--not athletes, people--involved--are all right.
The Pirates are saying Nady's okay and doesn't have a concussion, which I would regard as good news if such news didn't come from the Pirates' medical staff. Still, he was lucid enough after the game to take a call from the AAA call-up who hit him, so I'm just glad that those prayers for health were answered.
Speaking of scary injuries--prayers go out to Juan Encarnacion, too. Talk about scary stuff--and reminders that, much as I love sports, human life has value beyond the performance of any particular person on the playing field.
The Pirates are saying Nady's okay and doesn't have a concussion, which I would regard as good news if such news didn't come from the Pirates' medical staff. Still, he was lucid enough after the game to take a call from the AAA call-up who hit him, so I'm just glad that those prayers for health were answered.
Speaking of scary injuries--prayers go out to Juan Encarnacion, too. Talk about scary stuff--and reminders that, much as I love sports, human life has value beyond the performance of any particular person on the playing field.
A Theological Lesson
Watching today's Pirates-Cardinals game (cathartic, by the way, is one word to describe the enjoyment derived from thrashing another team 11-0, even though that other team is at .500 and my team is nowhere .500) provided me with a theological lesson. No, seriously.
At the start of the 2007 season (yes, way back in April and May, pre All-Star break) the at-that-moment-sensational Snell had a pristine ERA, WHIP, and K/BB rates. What he didn't have were the number of wins that would have gone alongside those then-terrific statistics, as the Bucco offense had difficulty providing him with run support of 2 or 3 runs a game. (Seriously.)
Today, however, despite whatever Ronny Paulino is smoking , Snell was either doing his impersonation of the good form of Zach Duke in terms of "pitching around" Cardinals and getting incredibly lucky while also doing some serious wrestling with his command. 5 walks in a game? More walks than strikeouts? Throwing nearly as many balls as strikes? Hitting a batter? While of course I hope Rotoworld's "Perhaps" ends up being right, the fact is that none of those statistics are good signs (though one might see it as a sign of "growth" to win with such a line, I consider it a sign of "luck" rather than "maturity" or "growth"). In a game that the Cardinals hadn't already mailed in, such obvious command/control issues would have been problematic. Thus, the sports adage that sometimes it's better to be lucky than good. As for the theology lesson, talk about the wondrous gift of getting what you don't deserve. 7 shut out innings with a poor K to BB rate? Theology lesson=grace and mercy are truly wonderful gifts in baseball as in all of life.
In other news, Freddy Sanchez continues to hit, hit, and hit. I want him to continue to hit like this throughout all of September because watching him hit is pleasurable. Of course, his hitting also helps the Pirates to win the games (though it should be noted that Sanchez was helped today by the fact that he had much company--excluding Jason Bay, but that's a whole other post--in getting hits off former Bucco Kip Wells, and such hitting throughout the lineup is obviously a necessity for my team to win any games).
What does it say about my (utter lack of) belief and confidence in my team that I was nervously watching the final innings of the game even when the score was 11-0? While I grew slightly less nervous after La Russa pulled his starters, Tracy pulling his starters didn't inspire any confidence. I just figure that if there's an (ostensibly) MLB team that can figure out how to lose a game in which they have a 11-0 lead, it's the Pirates.
There's no pennant race this year (sorry, Bucco marketing department), but spoiling, especially against seriously mediocre division rivals, does provide a little amusement. More amusement, and even genuine fun, could be had if only the Pirates had managed to make the jump from "seriously bad" to "close to mediocre." But at I can keep dreaming that a new CEO will turn things around, right?
Better stick to watching Freddy Sanchez hit. At least I know Sanchez hitting can, factually and historically, continue to happen.
At the start of the 2007 season (yes, way back in April and May, pre All-Star break) the at-that-moment-sensational Snell had a pristine ERA, WHIP, and K/BB rates. What he didn't have were the number of wins that would have gone alongside those then-terrific statistics, as the Bucco offense had difficulty providing him with run support of 2 or 3 runs a game. (Seriously.)
Today, however, despite whatever Ronny Paulino is smoking , Snell was either doing his impersonation of the good form of Zach Duke in terms of "pitching around" Cardinals and getting incredibly lucky while also doing some serious wrestling with his command. 5 walks in a game? More walks than strikeouts? Throwing nearly as many balls as strikes? Hitting a batter? While of course I hope Rotoworld's "Perhaps" ends up being right, the fact is that none of those statistics are good signs (though one might see it as a sign of "growth" to win with such a line, I consider it a sign of "luck" rather than "maturity" or "growth"). In a game that the Cardinals hadn't already mailed in, such obvious command/control issues would have been problematic. Thus, the sports adage that sometimes it's better to be lucky than good. As for the theology lesson, talk about the wondrous gift of getting what you don't deserve. 7 shut out innings with a poor K to BB rate? Theology lesson=grace and mercy are truly wonderful gifts in baseball as in all of life.
In other news, Freddy Sanchez continues to hit, hit, and hit. I want him to continue to hit like this throughout all of September because watching him hit is pleasurable. Of course, his hitting also helps the Pirates to win the games (though it should be noted that Sanchez was helped today by the fact that he had much company--excluding Jason Bay, but that's a whole other post--in getting hits off former Bucco Kip Wells, and such hitting throughout the lineup is obviously a necessity for my team to win any games).
What does it say about my (utter lack of) belief and confidence in my team that I was nervously watching the final innings of the game even when the score was 11-0? While I grew slightly less nervous after La Russa pulled his starters, Tracy pulling his starters didn't inspire any confidence. I just figure that if there's an (ostensibly) MLB team that can figure out how to lose a game in which they have a 11-0 lead, it's the Pirates.
There's no pennant race this year (sorry, Bucco marketing department), but spoiling, especially against seriously mediocre division rivals, does provide a little amusement. More amusement, and even genuine fun, could be had if only the Pirates had managed to make the jump from "seriously bad" to "close to mediocre." But at I can keep dreaming that a new CEO will turn things around, right?
Better stick to watching Freddy Sanchez hit. At least I know Sanchez hitting can, factually and historically, continue to happen.
Sunday, September 2, 2007
Seriously, why?
--Okay, so Paul Maholm apparently has a sore back. Hopefully skipping tomorrow's start means he'll be just fine, but really, one never knows these things with the Bucco medical staff. (I mean, they don't recognize broken bones!)
--On a serious note: Ian Snell has to pitch on the Labor Day holiday? Lately, and more than just lately (think: after the All-Star break), I have no earthly idea what to expect when Snell is pitching. Is he going to strikeout ten guys? Is he going to give up multiple home runs? Is he going to be good, bad, horrific, or some mediocre or depressing combination of many adjectives? I'd just like to know which pitcher to anticipate tomorrow (because, when it comes to my baseball team, it's much easier to expect your team to lose and to be pleasantly surprised when they win--something I've trained myself, most of the time, to do, albeit not during August's above. 500 run--rather than to be disappointed because you expected a win and they lost). I'd also love it if someone would originate nicknames for the "good," "horrific" and "so-so" sides of Mr. Snell because Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde is just not working for me. Thoughts? Ideas?
--If Snell pitches the way he did last time out and the way Gorzy did today, suffice to say I'm going to be screaming about shutting down pretty much all of the pitchers. For kicks, anyhow, it would be a royal hoot to trot out Colborn or Tracy for an inning or two, though no doubt Mr. Tracy wouldn't want to see the integrity of the game further compromised. But I say rather than worry about Tracy's view of the game's integrity, may as well preserve the arms of our pitchers--even if we're not yet sure--aside from personal health issues--the ultimate value of the arms we're going to preserve.
--I'm worried. Tracy didn't like the way Duke looked in Indy, and neither did I (albeit I'm not yet ready to draw conclusions for next year based on that 1 rehab start). But Tracy and I agree on something (and it's not the first thing we've ever agreed on, either, albeit we probably have more disagreements than agreements). Still, this "I agree with the manager of the Pirates" event is disconcerting. How disconcerting, I'll let you be the judge.
--On a serious note: Ian Snell has to pitch on the Labor Day holiday? Lately, and more than just lately (think: after the All-Star break), I have no earthly idea what to expect when Snell is pitching. Is he going to strikeout ten guys? Is he going to give up multiple home runs? Is he going to be good, bad, horrific, or some mediocre or depressing combination of many adjectives? I'd just like to know which pitcher to anticipate tomorrow (because, when it comes to my baseball team, it's much easier to expect your team to lose and to be pleasantly surprised when they win--something I've trained myself, most of the time, to do, albeit not during August's above. 500 run--rather than to be disappointed because you expected a win and they lost). I'd also love it if someone would originate nicknames for the "good," "horrific" and "so-so" sides of Mr. Snell because Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde is just not working for me. Thoughts? Ideas?
--If Snell pitches the way he did last time out and the way Gorzy did today, suffice to say I'm going to be screaming about shutting down pretty much all of the pitchers. For kicks, anyhow, it would be a royal hoot to trot out Colborn or Tracy for an inning or two, though no doubt Mr. Tracy wouldn't want to see the integrity of the game further compromised. But I say rather than worry about Tracy's view of the game's integrity, may as well preserve the arms of our pitchers--even if we're not yet sure--aside from personal health issues--the ultimate value of the arms we're going to preserve.
--I'm worried. Tracy didn't like the way Duke looked in Indy, and neither did I (albeit I'm not yet ready to draw conclusions for next year based on that 1 rehab start). But Tracy and I agree on something (and it's not the first thing we've ever agreed on, either, albeit we probably have more disagreements than agreements). Still, this "I agree with the manager of the Pirates" event is disconcerting. How disconcerting, I'll let you be the judge.
The Return of the Team I Know and Love
Thoughts on today's game:
--Since I'm assuming Bucco management doesn't understand this, allow me to explain what the performance of today's starting pitcher makes abundantly--hear me, abundantly--clear. Gorzy must be shut down. The sooner, the better. The obscenely high pitch count today through 4 innings of work. The laborious manner in which he pitched coupled with his "gritty" but laborious effort in his last outing.
Look, I understand. Gorzy's been your most consistent pitcher all year. He has a winning record and even after today, great statistics for his first full year in the big leagues. I enjoy watching him pitch. In fact, it's precisely because I enjoy watching him pitch--and would like to continue to watch him pitch next summer--that I think it's in his best interests (health-wise) and the team's best interests (long-term, not to save your jobs, Mr. Littlefield and Mr. Tracy) to shut him down immediately.
--Speaking of this post's title, after a 2-4 debut and Adam Laroche still feeling the sting of yesterday's injury, Tracy chooses to sit Pearce. Look, I know he's a prospect who went from Single A to the majors this season. But, Mr. Tracy, Pearce made those jumps because he hit. You know, unlike the "veteran" players on your team who don't hit at a quality MLB level. Why do you bench a kid who plays the same position as Adam Laroche the day after he goes 2-4 in his big league debut? What did I miss? Because, seriously, if we're going to sit players who go 2-4 and hit the ball hard, I seriously begin to think we're trying to lose.
As an aside, Xavier Nady has absolutely no business playing on his gimpy hamstring. I admire his guts and gumption, but again, if you want a healthy Nady next season, seriously, he needs to sit, too.
--I love Freddy Sanchez, I really, really do, but even in the midst of a 3 for 5 day, I was wishing he would have gotten his hits at more opportune times. But really, being perturbed that Sanchez (I wasn't really perturbed; I still love him) for not going 5 for 5 only highlights a serious problem with my baseball team: We lack quality MLB hitters.
--Our pitching, from the starters to the bullpen, needs to be at the minimal level of "very good" for this non-August offense to win games. Also, the defense needs to be perfect. That's just how it is with the Pirates. With good pitching and good defense, the Pirates, despite their lack of legitimate MLB hitters, can win games. But, without, well such things....another loss, and a return to the team I know and love.
--Since I'm assuming Bucco management doesn't understand this, allow me to explain what the performance of today's starting pitcher makes abundantly--hear me, abundantly--clear. Gorzy must be shut down. The sooner, the better. The obscenely high pitch count today through 4 innings of work. The laborious manner in which he pitched coupled with his "gritty" but laborious effort in his last outing.
Look, I understand. Gorzy's been your most consistent pitcher all year. He has a winning record and even after today, great statistics for his first full year in the big leagues. I enjoy watching him pitch. In fact, it's precisely because I enjoy watching him pitch--and would like to continue to watch him pitch next summer--that I think it's in his best interests (health-wise) and the team's best interests (long-term, not to save your jobs, Mr. Littlefield and Mr. Tracy) to shut him down immediately.
--Speaking of this post's title, after a 2-4 debut and Adam Laroche still feeling the sting of yesterday's injury, Tracy chooses to sit Pearce. Look, I know he's a prospect who went from Single A to the majors this season. But, Mr. Tracy, Pearce made those jumps because he hit. You know, unlike the "veteran" players on your team who don't hit at a quality MLB level. Why do you bench a kid who plays the same position as Adam Laroche the day after he goes 2-4 in his big league debut? What did I miss? Because, seriously, if we're going to sit players who go 2-4 and hit the ball hard, I seriously begin to think we're trying to lose.
As an aside, Xavier Nady has absolutely no business playing on his gimpy hamstring. I admire his guts and gumption, but again, if you want a healthy Nady next season, seriously, he needs to sit, too.
--I love Freddy Sanchez, I really, really do, but even in the midst of a 3 for 5 day, I was wishing he would have gotten his hits at more opportune times. But really, being perturbed that Sanchez (I wasn't really perturbed; I still love him) for not going 5 for 5 only highlights a serious problem with my baseball team: We lack quality MLB hitters.
--Our pitching, from the starters to the bullpen, needs to be at the minimal level of "very good" for this non-August offense to win games. Also, the defense needs to be perfect. That's just how it is with the Pirates. With good pitching and good defense, the Pirates, despite their lack of legitimate MLB hitters, can win games. But, without, well such things....another loss, and a return to the team I know and love.
Saturday, September 1, 2007
News
All right, so it's not quite like, or anything like, "The News" of the new Steelers coach. What it is, however, is news.
The Good: Freddy Sanchez is still hitting. In a piece of fresh good news, the two recent arrivals from AAA both hit the ball today, too.
Snark: How's the performance of the rookies for respecting the integrity of the game, Mr. Tracy?
The Bad: The Pirates are just bad. The starting pitching sucked tonight, and with the month of August now a memory (and that crazy mashing offense gone, too, I'm correctly assuming) the Pirates are going to appear a lot worse than just bad if they don't get quality starts. And, I mean, even with quality starts, they're still pretty bad. Unless the two rookies actually morph into MLB-caliber hitters. Would be nice. But being a Bucco fan for many years has taught me not to dream.
The Disturbing: I know it was a rehab start, but somehow I was hoping a return to Indy would magically cure everything that's ailed Zach Duke. But 71 pitches in 3 2/3 innings? 7 hits? 2 earned runs? Color me unimpressed. If Duke could be 75-80% of the pitcher he was his rookie season (an ERA around the level of Morris, at least), that might help the Pirates go from pathetic to merely bad.
In summary: As usual, losing sucks. I realize that's not news, but I figure I'd follow in the footsteps of newscasters and report non-news as actual news.
The Good: Freddy Sanchez is still hitting. In a piece of fresh good news, the two recent arrivals from AAA both hit the ball today, too.
Snark: How's the performance of the rookies for respecting the integrity of the game, Mr. Tracy?
The Bad: The Pirates are just bad. The starting pitching sucked tonight, and with the month of August now a memory (and that crazy mashing offense gone, too, I'm correctly assuming) the Pirates are going to appear a lot worse than just bad if they don't get quality starts. And, I mean, even with quality starts, they're still pretty bad. Unless the two rookies actually morph into MLB-caliber hitters. Would be nice. But being a Bucco fan for many years has taught me not to dream.
The Disturbing: I know it was a rehab start, but somehow I was hoping a return to Indy would magically cure everything that's ailed Zach Duke. But 71 pitches in 3 2/3 innings? 7 hits? 2 earned runs? Color me unimpressed. If Duke could be 75-80% of the pitcher he was his rookie season (an ERA around the level of Morris, at least), that might help the Pirates go from pathetic to merely bad.
In summary: As usual, losing sucks. I realize that's not news, but I figure I'd follow in the footsteps of newscasters and report non-news as actual news.
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.
--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.
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