So I woke up to the news that the Pirates have "relieved David Littlefield" of his duties as the team's general manager. Or, you know, bluntly put, the Pirates fired Littlefield. Which, of course, did prompt some internal happiness and external smiling, but also a question.
Does this mean that the Pittsburgh Pirates are turning a corner to demanding actual accountability from employees of the organization? Seriously, has actual accountability in the form of real-live-these-are-the-expectations-and-you-must-meet-them-or-be-out-of-a-job finally arrived for Pittsburgh's MLB team?
Before I get too delusional, it's worth noting that it took 6 losing seasons for the Pirates to realize Littlefield wasn't getting the job done. But Littlefield's not the only one who's failed to do a job throughout these many years of losing. A stunning lack of accountability for on-field performance, drafting and developing prospects, and just generally running an average (not even good) organization have marked the Littlefield era.
Serious, Lifelong Baseball Fan and I had a conversation about current Bucco manager Jim Tracy recently while watching one of the Bucco games. Serious, Lifelong Baseball Fan contended that despite his visceral dislike of certain Tracy attributes, his major problem with Tracy was his failure to hold his players accountable. Serious, Lifelong Baseball Fan noted that "you knew he didn't have control over the team last year when you saw the pictures (online) of the players out partying." Serious, Lifelong Baseball Fan believed the team needed someone "less patient"--not less patient in the sense of dealing with the occasional shelling experienced by all but the greatest of pitchers--but less patient in the sense of demanding consistent MLB level performance from players wearing a MLB uniform. Simply put, Serious, Lifelong Baseball Fan wanted a manager who would hold his players more accountable than Tracy has--and in holding those players accountable, actually get more consistent results than Tracy has.
So, is it actually the dawn of a new era for the Pittsburgh Pirates? Count me among the cynical skeptics who isn't holding my breath. Cam Bonifay's regime lost for many years before Littlefield's; when the general managers changed, the ownership remained the same. For actual, real live accountability to come, the owners must decide to hold themselves accountable for doing all they can to build a winning baseball team. Accountability must begin at the top.
Still, for today, the fact that Littlefield was relieved of his duties is a good sign. If not necessarily a portent of good things to come, at least it's one small step on the road to demanding actual accountability. And until everyone is truly held accountable--ownership, general manager, manager, coaching staff, development people, scouts, and yes, the players themselves--there's no real hope for a turnaround in Pittsburgh. But if this tiny sliver of accountability actually foretells an organizational culture of actual accountability that will then be built, well, perhaps, there may yet come a day when the Pittsburgh Pirates will no longer be known as the worst franchise in professional sports.
Friday, September 7, 2007
Thursday, September 6, 2007
On Integrity of the Game
--Okay, so I mocked Jim Tracy's consternation about respecting the game's "integrity," particularly when it came to players who--by virtue of minor league statistics and upside--appeared to have a better chance of helping my Buccos win ball games than did a couple of "veteran" but not-exactly-high-quality players.
--But today is an example of how, for example, if you're the Cubs or the Brewers, you might get very, very mad at the Pirates for running out AAA pitching in a major league game. Granted, the Pirates have no quality pitching depth (as the performance of today's pitchers has made clear), but really, if you're the Cubs or the Brewers, you do want the Pirates, from the start, to throw out the actual MLB talent they have available. The problem for the Pirates, and when it comes to respecting the integrity of the game, is that Paul Maholm's stiff back and Zach Duke's injury (and with the way Duke's performed this season, we're going on past performance rather than this season's performance in speaking of "MLB talent"), as well as the need not to kill the arms of Snell and Gorzy, makes it dang difficult for the Pirates to match the Cardinals with legitimate MLB pitching. Again, a clear indictment of the organization.
--Update: It's 16-3 now in the seventh inning. I was wondering if the Pirates, like the Orioles, will manage to give up 30 runs in a game. And the fact that I'm still following this disaster is seriously sick.
--Weekend Pitchers and Line-Up against the Cubs: Please, please, if you've shown you have MLB talent at any point this season, perform as though you do have that talent. (No pitching implosions, no 0-5 performances, no little league baserunning errors, no ridiculous errors.) Not because I want to delude myself into thinking my team is good, but merely for the purpose of saving my sanity so that I do realize I'm watching something that resembles competitive MLB baseball when I tune into the games.
--Sucks to lose the way the Cubs lost today. Sucks even more to be a fan of the worst team in the worst division in the majors.
--But today is an example of how, for example, if you're the Cubs or the Brewers, you might get very, very mad at the Pirates for running out AAA pitching in a major league game. Granted, the Pirates have no quality pitching depth (as the performance of today's pitchers has made clear), but really, if you're the Cubs or the Brewers, you do want the Pirates, from the start, to throw out the actual MLB talent they have available. The problem for the Pirates, and when it comes to respecting the integrity of the game, is that Paul Maholm's stiff back and Zach Duke's injury (and with the way Duke's performed this season, we're going on past performance rather than this season's performance in speaking of "MLB talent"), as well as the need not to kill the arms of Snell and Gorzy, makes it dang difficult for the Pirates to match the Cardinals with legitimate MLB pitching. Again, a clear indictment of the organization.
--Update: It's 16-3 now in the seventh inning. I was wondering if the Pirates, like the Orioles, will manage to give up 30 runs in a game. And the fact that I'm still following this disaster is seriously sick.
--Weekend Pitchers and Line-Up against the Cubs: Please, please, if you've shown you have MLB talent at any point this season, perform as though you do have that talent. (No pitching implosions, no 0-5 performances, no little league baserunning errors, no ridiculous errors.) Not because I want to delude myself into thinking my team is good, but merely for the purpose of saving my sanity so that I do realize I'm watching something that resembles competitive MLB baseball when I tune into the games.
--Sucks to lose the way the Cubs lost today. Sucks even more to be a fan of the worst team in the worst division in the majors.
Gag me
Halfway through a game my team is currently losing 12-3, here are some thoughts, though hardly profound thoughts.
--Many rookie pitchers do get shelled. It happens. Two seasons ago, Ian Snell was getting shelled in his first few big league starts. Of course, Snell was 23 years old and threw high heat. The former first round picks who have already been shelled today are in their late twenties and don't throw high heat in addition to already having had to rehabilitate significant arm injuries. So, I guess the point is that while you don't want to draw too many conclusions from even a couple of rough outings, you have to look beneath those outings and see if there's anything that will reveal a future ability to get outs at the MLB level. Despite only following the game online, here's my prognosis: Neither of today's pitchers have any business pitching games in the major leagues at the present moment in time, and neither have shown glimpses that the ability to get outs at the MLB level will soon be forthcoming.
While I'm not delusional and fatally optimistic like the PBC propaganda machine, it was pretty recently certain fans and bloggers were saying the same things (should still be in AAA, won't amount to much of anything) of a couple of our current starting pitchers. The difference: those starting pitchers were significantly younger and significantly healthier and had better statistics at the AAA level.
The lesson: Would the Pirates, pretty, pretty, please, obtain a CEO who will insist that the organization prioritizes drafting high upside talent while also putting the right people in place to develop such high upside talent?
My lesson: Why do I never learn? I must stop dreaming delusional dreams until the people at the top change.
The Outside Perspective: In order to amuse myself while following this untelevised game, I lurk on the opposing team's blog. Even if the pitchers are getting shelled, at least the Cardinals' fans love Freddy Sanchez enough to want him in the AL. But unless Sanchez could add being a quality fifth starter with a league average ERA to his offensive and defensive talents, the Pirates aren't going to start winning more games than they lose anytime soon.
Seriously, contritely: I don't want to root against our pitchers; I really don't, and I don't want to be mean to them. I want them to succeed, but if this is your season back from surgery (Bullington) or you still have numerous issues to work out in order to be able to get outs in the majors (JVB), your organization may be allowing you to pitch in MLB games--but they're not putting you in a situation where success should be expected. And that's not indicting the pitchers; it's indicting the organization. But, really, what else is new as far as the Pittsburgh Pirates are concerned?
--Many rookie pitchers do get shelled. It happens. Two seasons ago, Ian Snell was getting shelled in his first few big league starts. Of course, Snell was 23 years old and threw high heat. The former first round picks who have already been shelled today are in their late twenties and don't throw high heat in addition to already having had to rehabilitate significant arm injuries. So, I guess the point is that while you don't want to draw too many conclusions from even a couple of rough outings, you have to look beneath those outings and see if there's anything that will reveal a future ability to get outs at the MLB level. Despite only following the game online, here's my prognosis: Neither of today's pitchers have any business pitching games in the major leagues at the present moment in time, and neither have shown glimpses that the ability to get outs at the MLB level will soon be forthcoming.
While I'm not delusional and fatally optimistic like the PBC propaganda machine, it was pretty recently certain fans and bloggers were saying the same things (should still be in AAA, won't amount to much of anything) of a couple of our current starting pitchers. The difference: those starting pitchers were significantly younger and significantly healthier and had better statistics at the AAA level.
The lesson: Would the Pirates, pretty, pretty, please, obtain a CEO who will insist that the organization prioritizes drafting high upside talent while also putting the right people in place to develop such high upside talent?
My lesson: Why do I never learn? I must stop dreaming delusional dreams until the people at the top change.
The Outside Perspective: In order to amuse myself while following this untelevised game, I lurk on the opposing team's blog. Even if the pitchers are getting shelled, at least the Cardinals' fans love Freddy Sanchez enough to want him in the AL. But unless Sanchez could add being a quality fifth starter with a league average ERA to his offensive and defensive talents, the Pirates aren't going to start winning more games than they lose anytime soon.
Seriously, contritely: I don't want to root against our pitchers; I really don't, and I don't want to be mean to them. I want them to succeed, but if this is your season back from surgery (Bullington) or you still have numerous issues to work out in order to be able to get outs in the majors (JVB), your organization may be allowing you to pitch in MLB games--but they're not putting you in a situation where success should be expected. And that's not indicting the pitchers; it's indicting the organization. But, really, what else is new as far as the Pittsburgh Pirates are concerned?
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Umm, okay...
--So the Pirates beat the Cardinals 8-2 tonight. In amazing events, Tony Armas pitched a quality start, Shawn Chacon didn't give up any runs, and the Pirates got lots of hits and those ever-so-important hits with runners-in-scoring-position despite Freddy Sanchez again posting no hits. Seriously, amazing.
--Amazing enough to make me wonder if perhaps I should post sermonizing screeds about how my baseball team ruins my love of the game before every game. Though really, I do think facing a starter just back from surgery had more to do with the outcome of the game than any incredible skill of my baseball team. But at the least the Pirates took advantage and hit Mulder.
--While I'm not prepared to say that this solitary win means anything more than 1 more victory in the standings, at least the Pirates responded to leaving 10 men on base yesterday by getting those "big" (Tracy's term) hits in tonight's match. And even though the Pirates were aided due to the fact that it was Mulder's first start back, earlier in the season the team still wouldn't have responded to yesterday's loss by getting key hits tonight. No, I'm not about to be like the propaganda machine by claiming a one-time occurrence as an "encouraging" sign for next year. However, it was a reaction that should be expected of a legitimate MLB team, and for once, it was nice to see the Pirates reacting like a legitimate MLB team.
--Speaking of nice things to see, Steve Pearce hitting doubles is quite enjoyable. I could get used to seeing and enjoying that extremely easily. As Serious Lifelong Baseball Fan, featured in one of yesterday's posts, noted: "He's got a nice swing." Here's hoping he can keep hitting at the MLB level as he did in the minors this season.
--I seriously did a double-take when I saw the standings on FSN. No, not just due to the comical ineptitude of the NL Central. The Cardinals have 7 more wins than the Pirates. 7 more wins. While the Cardinals have played 3 fewer games than the Pirates, still, they have 7 more wins and are 2 games out of first place in the NL Central. A measly (and I realize it's not measly at all)10 more wins and the Pirates would be in the running for winning their pathetic division (they'd only be a mediocre club, but mediocre gets you contention in the NL Central some years). The fact that the team couldn't get those wins despite playing against (generously described) mediocre NL Central opponents should indict a lot of people, starting with people wearing suits down to the people wearing Bucco uniforms.
--In other baseball news, the Phillies imploded again today in allowing Atlanta to mount a comeback late in the game. I thoroughly enjoyed watching the Phillies implode when the Pirates managed an outpouring of offense in the 7th inning against them. While I enjoyed the Buccos' performance, the comeback wins of both Atlanta and Pittsburgh reveal that even teams that win more than they lose have issues. (I tend to forget this truth, given the multiplicity of problems facing my losing team.)
--Though, really, if the Pirates could mount a comeback against the Phils, and if they apparently can score runs, why in the world couldn't they manage to do that consistently enough to be, you know, within 5 games of .500? (I know, overall, the answer to that question is that they're just not very good and certainly not as good as they look when they're winning.) But, you know, it's really better not to ask such questions.
--For tonight, when my MLB team played baseball the way a MLB team should, I'll refrain from posing the questions that drive me to the edge of insanity and just remember that sermonizing screeds aside, I do love baseball. It's just nice to get a win every once in awhile, where hitting, pitching, and defense all do what they're supposed to do, that reminds me why I love baseball.
--Oh, and I've apparently returned to what I believe should be "normal" status for a Bucco fan. Expect a loss, but be pleasantly surprised when your team wins. Sad as it is to say, I wasn't convinced a 8-2 lead was safe, but I must admit, it's far more enjoyable to be surprised by an unexpected win than to find yourself down after a should've-been-expected-but-didn't-want-to-expect loss. Perhaps low expectations are the key to maintaining sanity when following the Buccos as a fan, at least until ownership, the GM, coaching staff, and the team actually set, and then maintain, and then meet, high expectations. For this fan, it's easier to follow the "low expectations" lead until higher expectations are legitimately set in place by the powers-that-be. That rant about high/low expectations aside, no matter the expectations, winning is always nice.
--Amazing enough to make me wonder if perhaps I should post sermonizing screeds about how my baseball team ruins my love of the game before every game. Though really, I do think facing a starter just back from surgery had more to do with the outcome of the game than any incredible skill of my baseball team. But at the least the Pirates took advantage and hit Mulder.
--While I'm not prepared to say that this solitary win means anything more than 1 more victory in the standings, at least the Pirates responded to leaving 10 men on base yesterday by getting those "big" (Tracy's term) hits in tonight's match. And even though the Pirates were aided due to the fact that it was Mulder's first start back, earlier in the season the team still wouldn't have responded to yesterday's loss by getting key hits tonight. No, I'm not about to be like the propaganda machine by claiming a one-time occurrence as an "encouraging" sign for next year. However, it was a reaction that should be expected of a legitimate MLB team, and for once, it was nice to see the Pirates reacting like a legitimate MLB team.
--Speaking of nice things to see, Steve Pearce hitting doubles is quite enjoyable. I could get used to seeing and enjoying that extremely easily. As Serious Lifelong Baseball Fan, featured in one of yesterday's posts, noted: "He's got a nice swing." Here's hoping he can keep hitting at the MLB level as he did in the minors this season.
--I seriously did a double-take when I saw the standings on FSN. No, not just due to the comical ineptitude of the NL Central. The Cardinals have 7 more wins than the Pirates. 7 more wins. While the Cardinals have played 3 fewer games than the Pirates, still, they have 7 more wins and are 2 games out of first place in the NL Central. A measly (and I realize it's not measly at all)10 more wins and the Pirates would be in the running for winning their pathetic division (they'd only be a mediocre club, but mediocre gets you contention in the NL Central some years). The fact that the team couldn't get those wins despite playing against (generously described) mediocre NL Central opponents should indict a lot of people, starting with people wearing suits down to the people wearing Bucco uniforms.
--In other baseball news, the Phillies imploded again today in allowing Atlanta to mount a comeback late in the game. I thoroughly enjoyed watching the Phillies implode when the Pirates managed an outpouring of offense in the 7th inning against them. While I enjoyed the Buccos' performance, the comeback wins of both Atlanta and Pittsburgh reveal that even teams that win more than they lose have issues. (I tend to forget this truth, given the multiplicity of problems facing my losing team.)
--Though, really, if the Pirates could mount a comeback against the Phils, and if they apparently can score runs, why in the world couldn't they manage to do that consistently enough to be, you know, within 5 games of .500? (I know, overall, the answer to that question is that they're just not very good and certainly not as good as they look when they're winning.) But, you know, it's really better not to ask such questions.
--For tonight, when my MLB team played baseball the way a MLB team should, I'll refrain from posing the questions that drive me to the edge of insanity and just remember that sermonizing screeds aside, I do love baseball. It's just nice to get a win every once in awhile, where hitting, pitching, and defense all do what they're supposed to do, that reminds me why I love baseball.
--Oh, and I've apparently returned to what I believe should be "normal" status for a Bucco fan. Expect a loss, but be pleasantly surprised when your team wins. Sad as it is to say, I wasn't convinced a 8-2 lead was safe, but I must admit, it's far more enjoyable to be surprised by an unexpected win than to find yourself down after a should've-been-expected-but-didn't-want-to-expect loss. Perhaps low expectations are the key to maintaining sanity when following the Buccos as a fan, at least until ownership, the GM, coaching staff, and the team actually set, and then maintain, and then meet, high expectations. For this fan, it's easier to follow the "low expectations" lead until higher expectations are legitimately set in place by the powers-that-be. That rant about high/low expectations aside, no matter the expectations, winning is always nice.
Playing Devil's Advocate for the Coaching Staff (Kinda)
Given the horribly negative and depressing tone of my latest post, I'd figure I'd flip the tone entirely and play Devil's Advocate for a second. And, yes, by Devil's Advocate, I mean, I plan to consider a couple of reasons why one could argue it would be beneficial to maintain this Bucco coaching staff for one more season.
(Caveat: I have the ability to make arguments with which I completely disagree. I doubt I'm going to agree with anything at all I write here in favor of the Devil's Advocate argument, but I offer it for the sake of consideration/conversation/trying to resume a more cordial and less depressing tone.)
I can list many qualms with Jim Tracy and his staff. Tracy rarely seems to field a lineup that is consistently the best. If the Pirates ever consistently played their best players, the team might have a better record. Whether it's the fault of general management primarily or the coaching staff primarily, it often takes too long to recognize who the best players are and then put the best players in a position where they have a chance to win the ball game. Beyond Tracy, the inconsistent results of pitching coach Jim Colburn still leave me wanting--and while I know Colburn doesn't literally make the pitches, he's still the pitching coach and responsible for the pitchers. (You'll notice I left out things such as Tracy's annoying post game comments about "special" players and not getting a "clutch" hit as well as ignoring Colburn's confrontations with different players at various points this year. While I actually don't think such details are impertinent to an evaluation of the coaching staff, and I don't think they're merely cosmetic issues, I do think when I address them in my usual snarky manner, I don't do them justice, so for the moment, they're being ignored.)
However, one could argue that there are two things that Tracy and his staff have developed for certain players, and in the case of certain players, both of these things could be critically important. The first critically important thing is knowledge of certain players (hold your tongues, naysayers, I'll get to your points very shortly). The second critically important thing are expectations based on that developed knowledge. And, when dealing with, for example, a pitching staff that's still very young, both intimate knowledge of players' strengths and weaknesses as well as expectations based on the player's profile are crucially important for future success.
Let's look at a couple of examples of how this knowledge/expectations thing works. First, take a gander at Freddy Sanchez. Though it took way too long, Freddy hitting at a ridiculously high rate eventually got Tracy's attention last season. He played his way into a starting position and won a batting title. Based on knowledge of what they've seen Sanchez do, up close and personal, he's the every day second baseman and ranks quite high in the NL in total hits this season. Tracy expects Sanchez to play at an All-Star level, and given those expectations, (and once healthy), Sanchez met those expectations. Given what coaches have seen and know that Sanchez can do, Sanchez gets the opportunity to meet expectations and do what he's expected to do.
Let's look at a pitching example of the knowledge/expectations thing when it comes to a pitcher. At the start of the 2006 season, Ian Snell was hit, and hit hard. He eventually rebounded to win 14 games and show that he had "nasty stuff" that left a few baseball people drooling in anticipation of what he might be able to become. Snell was sensational in the first half of 2007, conquering demons of keeping balls in the park while striking out lots batters while continuing to use his nasty stuff. He's struggled in the second half of this season. Yet for the better part of two seasons now, Snell gets the ball every fifth day. Sneeze as you might at Tracy's pronouncements (I surely do), there's an expectation that if everything ever gets to the point of continuously clicking with Snell, in terms of focus, command, and stuff, that he could be "very good" or "very special." (And while those are Tracy's words; they've actually been shared by a couple of other people outside the Pirates' organization.) But the knowledge in seeing flashes of dominance and mastery up close and personal, as well as the expectation that you need to become as good as you can be, do matter.
Now, of course, come the necessary follow-up questions. Doesn't any good manager and coaching staff, even if they're new, quickly acquire intimate knowledge of their players? (Talent-wise, yes. Personality wise in terms of mental preparation and mental motivation, I suspect, might not happen quite as quickly.) How important are expectations for players? (Critically. Expectations need to be high but not impossible or completely unreasonable, and expectations need to be based on actual and correct, not imagined and incorrect, knowledge of players.)
Thus, when it comes to evaluating the coaching staff, I want to know the answers to these two questions. Do Tracy and his coaches truly have accurate knowledge of each player's strengths and weaknesses? Do they have true knowledge of the players with whom they work, and I mean that in all ways--tools possessed, mental acumen, etc. Have they developed actual knowledge of their players in such a way that their already acquired and accurate knowledge is more beneficial to the players than an entirely new coaching staff would prove to be? Beyond having acquired accurate knowledge of their players, have they maintained expectations consistent with their knowledge of their players? Have they put the players in a position where they can meet or exceed high yet reasonable expectations?
Of course, for all this talk about "knowledge" and "expectations," the bottom line is that results are what matter the most. Results for the Pirates come in two ways: the individual progress/growth of a few talented young players and winning games. For every player who may have benefited from the knowledge and expectation this particular staff has developed of them (Sanchez), there's another player (Duke) whose results say they have regressed under the current coaching staff. When it comes to managers and their coaching staff, the bottom line is getting results.
But the question to ask is, Who is going to best be able to get results? Idealistically, who is coaching your young pitchers to conquer demons--whether too many home runs given up or walking too many batters issues or control and command issues or mental lapses? Idealistically, who can both evaluate talent in terms of the strengths and weaknesses of a player and a lineup and then create a lineup that takes advantage of a player's strengths while minimizing his vulnerabilities? And, especially, who can do this better for a majority of players who are either green in terms of time served or young or both? Is it coaches who, for whatever issues they clearly have (if you've read my snark, you know there are lots), do know the players and the players know them? (And keep in mind that "knowledge," especially when it's not accurate knowledge, can be and often is overrated.) Or is it coaches who've had no firsthand experience in terms of actual interaction with these players and who will have to gain "knowledge" of them and learn certain things that should (not that they necessarily are)already be known to the current coaching staff?
Of course, the bottom line question has to come, and it's this: Who will get the best results given the MLB players he will have at the start of 2008 training camp? The Devil's Advocate says there is something to be said for knowing your players, knowing how to work through your players' issues with them, them knowing how to work with you, and, of course, for expectations being maintained that are commensurate with who a player is (and please note, despite writing the Devil's Advocate position here, I know I don't agree with it.)
The antithesis to the Devil's Advocate position is that "knowledge" of players, especially knowledge that's resulted in screaming matches in the dugout this season, is completely overrated. The antithesis to the Devil's Advocate position is that expectations that are about to result in a 15th consecutive losing season and that have resulted in inconsistency and regression for too many players (even if progress was shown by a few) aren't high or reasonable and aren't even worthwhile expectations. On most days, especially after yet another loss, I tend closer to the antithesis of the Devil's Advocate position.
But on those rare days when the kids in the lineup hit and one of the young starting pitchers goes seven or eight solid innings and the team wins? Given overall results, I can't buy the Devil's Advocate argument, but I can acknowledge that true knowledge of players and high and reasonable expectations are good things when manifested by a coaching staff.
So, what do you prefer? The lunacy of the Devil's Advocate position, given the overall still horrific results? Or the antithesis of the Devil's Advocate position, again, given the overall and still horrific results?
But, seriously, if and when the coaching staff changes, here's to hoping the right kind of changes get made. Bottom line: that means results. But never forget that results in terms of individual players' progress and growth that results in more wins is helped tremendously by coaches who acquire true knowledge of their players, have the ability to interact with what they truly know about their players, and can uphold high expectations that their players, put in appropriate positions to succeed by general management and the manager, can then successfully meet and, yes, eventually, even, ultimately, exceed.
(Caveat: I have the ability to make arguments with which I completely disagree. I doubt I'm going to agree with anything at all I write here in favor of the Devil's Advocate argument, but I offer it for the sake of consideration/conversation/trying to resume a more cordial and less depressing tone.)
I can list many qualms with Jim Tracy and his staff. Tracy rarely seems to field a lineup that is consistently the best. If the Pirates ever consistently played their best players, the team might have a better record. Whether it's the fault of general management primarily or the coaching staff primarily, it often takes too long to recognize who the best players are and then put the best players in a position where they have a chance to win the ball game. Beyond Tracy, the inconsistent results of pitching coach Jim Colburn still leave me wanting--and while I know Colburn doesn't literally make the pitches, he's still the pitching coach and responsible for the pitchers. (You'll notice I left out things such as Tracy's annoying post game comments about "special" players and not getting a "clutch" hit as well as ignoring Colburn's confrontations with different players at various points this year. While I actually don't think such details are impertinent to an evaluation of the coaching staff, and I don't think they're merely cosmetic issues, I do think when I address them in my usual snarky manner, I don't do them justice, so for the moment, they're being ignored.)
However, one could argue that there are two things that Tracy and his staff have developed for certain players, and in the case of certain players, both of these things could be critically important. The first critically important thing is knowledge of certain players (hold your tongues, naysayers, I'll get to your points very shortly). The second critically important thing are expectations based on that developed knowledge. And, when dealing with, for example, a pitching staff that's still very young, both intimate knowledge of players' strengths and weaknesses as well as expectations based on the player's profile are crucially important for future success.
Let's look at a couple of examples of how this knowledge/expectations thing works. First, take a gander at Freddy Sanchez. Though it took way too long, Freddy hitting at a ridiculously high rate eventually got Tracy's attention last season. He played his way into a starting position and won a batting title. Based on knowledge of what they've seen Sanchez do, up close and personal, he's the every day second baseman and ranks quite high in the NL in total hits this season. Tracy expects Sanchez to play at an All-Star level, and given those expectations, (and once healthy), Sanchez met those expectations. Given what coaches have seen and know that Sanchez can do, Sanchez gets the opportunity to meet expectations and do what he's expected to do.
Let's look at a pitching example of the knowledge/expectations thing when it comes to a pitcher. At the start of the 2006 season, Ian Snell was hit, and hit hard. He eventually rebounded to win 14 games and show that he had "nasty stuff" that left a few baseball people drooling in anticipation of what he might be able to become. Snell was sensational in the first half of 2007, conquering demons of keeping balls in the park while striking out lots batters while continuing to use his nasty stuff. He's struggled in the second half of this season. Yet for the better part of two seasons now, Snell gets the ball every fifth day. Sneeze as you might at Tracy's pronouncements (I surely do), there's an expectation that if everything ever gets to the point of continuously clicking with Snell, in terms of focus, command, and stuff, that he could be "very good" or "very special." (And while those are Tracy's words; they've actually been shared by a couple of other people outside the Pirates' organization.) But the knowledge in seeing flashes of dominance and mastery up close and personal, as well as the expectation that you need to become as good as you can be, do matter.
Now, of course, come the necessary follow-up questions. Doesn't any good manager and coaching staff, even if they're new, quickly acquire intimate knowledge of their players? (Talent-wise, yes. Personality wise in terms of mental preparation and mental motivation, I suspect, might not happen quite as quickly.) How important are expectations for players? (Critically. Expectations need to be high but not impossible or completely unreasonable, and expectations need to be based on actual and correct, not imagined and incorrect, knowledge of players.)
Thus, when it comes to evaluating the coaching staff, I want to know the answers to these two questions. Do Tracy and his coaches truly have accurate knowledge of each player's strengths and weaknesses? Do they have true knowledge of the players with whom they work, and I mean that in all ways--tools possessed, mental acumen, etc. Have they developed actual knowledge of their players in such a way that their already acquired and accurate knowledge is more beneficial to the players than an entirely new coaching staff would prove to be? Beyond having acquired accurate knowledge of their players, have they maintained expectations consistent with their knowledge of their players? Have they put the players in a position where they can meet or exceed high yet reasonable expectations?
Of course, for all this talk about "knowledge" and "expectations," the bottom line is that results are what matter the most. Results for the Pirates come in two ways: the individual progress/growth of a few talented young players and winning games. For every player who may have benefited from the knowledge and expectation this particular staff has developed of them (Sanchez), there's another player (Duke) whose results say they have regressed under the current coaching staff. When it comes to managers and their coaching staff, the bottom line is getting results.
But the question to ask is, Who is going to best be able to get results? Idealistically, who is coaching your young pitchers to conquer demons--whether too many home runs given up or walking too many batters issues or control and command issues or mental lapses? Idealistically, who can both evaluate talent in terms of the strengths and weaknesses of a player and a lineup and then create a lineup that takes advantage of a player's strengths while minimizing his vulnerabilities? And, especially, who can do this better for a majority of players who are either green in terms of time served or young or both? Is it coaches who, for whatever issues they clearly have (if you've read my snark, you know there are lots), do know the players and the players know them? (And keep in mind that "knowledge," especially when it's not accurate knowledge, can be and often is overrated.) Or is it coaches who've had no firsthand experience in terms of actual interaction with these players and who will have to gain "knowledge" of them and learn certain things that should (not that they necessarily are)already be known to the current coaching staff?
Of course, the bottom line question has to come, and it's this: Who will get the best results given the MLB players he will have at the start of 2008 training camp? The Devil's Advocate says there is something to be said for knowing your players, knowing how to work through your players' issues with them, them knowing how to work with you, and, of course, for expectations being maintained that are commensurate with who a player is (and please note, despite writing the Devil's Advocate position here, I know I don't agree with it.)
The antithesis to the Devil's Advocate position is that "knowledge" of players, especially knowledge that's resulted in screaming matches in the dugout this season, is completely overrated. The antithesis to the Devil's Advocate position is that expectations that are about to result in a 15th consecutive losing season and that have resulted in inconsistency and regression for too many players (even if progress was shown by a few) aren't high or reasonable and aren't even worthwhile expectations. On most days, especially after yet another loss, I tend closer to the antithesis of the Devil's Advocate position.
But on those rare days when the kids in the lineup hit and one of the young starting pitchers goes seven or eight solid innings and the team wins? Given overall results, I can't buy the Devil's Advocate argument, but I can acknowledge that true knowledge of players and high and reasonable expectations are good things when manifested by a coaching staff.
So, what do you prefer? The lunacy of the Devil's Advocate position, given the overall still horrific results? Or the antithesis of the Devil's Advocate position, again, given the overall and still horrific results?
But, seriously, if and when the coaching staff changes, here's to hoping the right kind of changes get made. Bottom line: that means results. But never forget that results in terms of individual players' progress and growth that results in more wins is helped tremendously by coaches who acquire true knowledge of their players, have the ability to interact with what they truly know about their players, and can uphold high expectations that their players, put in appropriate positions to succeed by general management and the manager, can then successfully meet and, yes, eventually, even, ultimately, exceed.
How The Pirates Continue to Ruin my Love of Baseball
Seriously, the title of this post is not hyperbole. I'm completely serious when I say the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball organization is ruining my love of baseball. Why is such a contention not a hyperbolic statement? Here are three reasons the Pirates continue to ruin my love of baseball.
FIRST: A JUXTAPOSITION
Well, look at this juxtaposition. Allow me to posit rhetorical questions that should explain how the Pirates drive me to insanity while ruining my love for baseball.
Jim Tracy, first of all, if by some miracle your team is in contention next season (always a possibility if you're near .500 in the weakest division in baseball), aren't you going to want to have the arms of your starting pitchers healthy for that stretch drive? Wouldn't it be sensible to preserve the valuable arms of said starting pitchers in games that are meaningless because your team is currently closer to being the worst in all of MLB than to a playoff spot? And seriously, if you expect your starting pitchers to continue to transition from "promising potential" to "consistent production," there's no way that progress is going to happen with arms that have been abused pitching more innings and pitches than necessary in games that only count to determine if you're a fourth, fifth, or sixth place team in a wretched division. (Oops. I broke my rhetorical question rule.) Mr. Tracy, do you expect to win games next year if even one of Snell, Gorzy, or Maholm has to be shut down for any length of time due to an arm injury that was exacerbated by unnecessarily pitching too many innings? Even if you're not the manager next season, pretend you're an analyst: could any manager expect to win enough games to stay at .500 without those pitchers being healthy? As it is, they're still developing, and despite progress, they often stray too far toward the "potential" side than the "productive" side, and you want to complicate their progress by forcing them to learn that a season is "sixth months long?" Seriously, would you look at the Boston Red Sox, a team that wants to win it all now (and granted a team that has much better players than your team does) but still plans for the long-term and future in mind by MONITORING THE HEALTH OF THEIR PLAYERS AND PUTTING THEM IN THE BEST POSITION TO SUCCEED NOW AND IN THE FUTURE? Given that I'm shouting now, it's probably time for me to quit ranting, but would you please, please, just shut up about the future of September and October being "special" months? Because, really, can't you see that there's no way September and October could ever be "special" months if the most promising pitchers on your staff are shut down in May and June and July due to arm injuries caused by recklessness, carelessness, lack of planning, stupidity, and just plain idiocy?
SECOND: THE OUTSIDE PERSPECTIVE
Okay, I really, really know that I shouldn't read the blogs and message boards of other teams. Such an exercise is only going to serve to make me more bitter than I already am and further exacerbate the ways in which the Pirates ruin baseball for me. However, I can't help but find that the "outside" perspective is enlightening--a nice dose of cold water splashed on your head, so to speak, in the form of a wake-up call that you're not the only one who sees your organization for the ineffective monstrosity it's become.
That being said, reading random comments on these boards is highly ingratiating. Yesterday a question was posited, perhaps ironically, perhaps comically, but it was annoying. "With all this young talent, how are the Pirates so bad?" While a Cardinals fan replied to another Cardinals fan by explaining that the Pirates hated the pitching coach (another fascinating perspective from an outsider, given Colburn's various interactions with certain players this season), I thought I'd offer a serious answer to a question that would probably have been sarcastic originating from my mouth.
My Answer: Young talent? Inexperience, I'll give you. Green, I'll give you. Talent? A few of our pitchers have shown flashes of big-time major league talent. A position player or two has shown a couple of traits that might make him effective in some very secondary role someday. But young talent? The Pirates haven't drafted high upside talent in a long time. And even when the Pirates have accidentally drafted talent, I mean, do you expect that talent to be coached and developed properly in the system or upon arrival in Pittsburgh?
That last question brings me to another comment on one of our starting pitchers by a Rotoworld poster, who praised the pitcher's stuff while also noting, "I wish he (Snell) was in another organization. I just don't care for that organization."
My Response: I wish my organization didn't drive me to despairing that any of my team's starting pitchers might actually blossom in Pittsburgh. I wish I could be confident that my organization was the best place for promising players who have shown they have talent to develop and harness that talent. But, alas, see the juxtaposition of the Boston Red Sox and the Pittsburgh Pirates under Reason Number #1 the Pittsburgh Pirates continue to ruin my love of baseball.
The outside perspective, as much as it stings, is true. In their closing-in-on-15 (only a few more losses to go!) consecutive seasons of ineptitude, the Pirates have shown themselves to be a mess--and perhaps the most frustrating thing is that even when my Buccos stumble upon talent in the form of late round draft picks who turn out to be golden, they have yet to prove they even know how to handle/harness that talent and allow athletes to become the players outsiders can see they are capable of being--if only they weren't Pirates.
THIRD: MY OWN PERSONAL ISSUES WITH GIFTED UNDERACHIEVEMENT
Remember this lovely rant? Go ahead, click the link. Read what the blogger wrote on June 27th before Snell's swoon post All-Star break. It exemplifies a personal problem/pet issue that also serves to explain how the Pirates continue to ruin my love of baseball.
Back when I worked as a teacher, a certain type of student drove me crazy. I got angrier at this type of child, more frustrated, and more saddened than by any other kind of child. That type of child? The underachieving gifted kid. The one who would show you his or her intelligence so that you knew material could be learned, yet the child--whatever the reason--would refuse to learn material they were capable of learning more often than not. Whether lack of desire, effort, concentration, focus, or concern, the child's intelligence rarely, if ever, translated to actual performance. These were the kids who drove me, personally, the battiest. You're a discipline problem? Oh, whatever. You have trouble learning this kind of material this way? Not a problem; we'll work with that. You're smart but you do your work and quietly amuse yourself once you've finished your assignment? Terrific. You're crumpling your paper on the floor because you're frustrated that you're still struggling to understand the material? Well, here's a new sheet of paper, and let's have some patience. But you clearly can understand the material and do the work and yet you just won't? Now I want to collar and feather you--no, not literally, but seriously--would you just do what you're capable of doing? Please, save my sanity.
And when it comes to certain members of the Pittsburgh Pirates, and not just relatively green 1st or 2nd year players, I find myself experiencing the same exasperation/frustration that caused me to lose a little sense of sanity when it came to dealing with underachieving gifted kids. If you have the ability to hit the baseball, why don't you do that on a more consistent basis? (Sigh, Jason Bay, is your other knee injured?) If you can dominate a few innings of a game or several games, could you at least manage to get yourself to the consistently "very good" level in terms of giving your team a chance to win every game you start as a pitcher? I mean, really. It's not the Bucco players who simply lack quality MLB talent that bug the beeswax out of me. It's the players who've clearly shown they have MLB talent, even MLB talent that opposing scouts and fans are able to recognize, but don't consistently perform as such talent dictates that make me crazy.
Is the "underachievement" of such players really their complete fault? Not really, much as I wish it were, because it's a lot easier to control if it's only a player's issues. But if your manager doesn't put you in a position to succeed, if your coach isn't coaching you appropriately, if your general manager has you playing a role you're not best or yet suited to play, these people are setting you up for failure in much the same way that teachers who don't know what to do with gifted kids and schools that fail to give gifted kids an appropriate curriculum should not blame the kids themselves for failing to perform academically. And when it comes to Bucco management, well, suffice to say that they make many incompetently clueless educational administrators look like the very epitome of classy and competent professionals.
Still, I'm the one who has to (okay, I don't have to, I choose to) watch the few players with lots of latent talent and some with less but still latent talent not perform to the level at which not just I, but coaches, scouts and outside observers, believe they could. It's frustrating, it's exasperating, and when you don't get to watch players perform at the level their raw skill says they should, it makes it nearly impossible for you to continue to love a game in which it is a rare, too rare, event when one of your team's players does something amazing but something commensurate, or even a bit of a stretch, for his talent level. In that rare moment, you suddenly remember why you love baseball...but it's just that, for this fan, there have been far too many other moments from the PBC that continue to chip away at my love for the game of baseball.
FIRST: A JUXTAPOSITION
Well, look at this juxtaposition. Allow me to posit rhetorical questions that should explain how the Pirates drive me to insanity while ruining my love for baseball.
Jim Tracy, first of all, if by some miracle your team is in contention next season (always a possibility if you're near .500 in the weakest division in baseball), aren't you going to want to have the arms of your starting pitchers healthy for that stretch drive? Wouldn't it be sensible to preserve the valuable arms of said starting pitchers in games that are meaningless because your team is currently closer to being the worst in all of MLB than to a playoff spot? And seriously, if you expect your starting pitchers to continue to transition from "promising potential" to "consistent production," there's no way that progress is going to happen with arms that have been abused pitching more innings and pitches than necessary in games that only count to determine if you're a fourth, fifth, or sixth place team in a wretched division. (Oops. I broke my rhetorical question rule.) Mr. Tracy, do you expect to win games next year if even one of Snell, Gorzy, or Maholm has to be shut down for any length of time due to an arm injury that was exacerbated by unnecessarily pitching too many innings? Even if you're not the manager next season, pretend you're an analyst: could any manager expect to win enough games to stay at .500 without those pitchers being healthy? As it is, they're still developing, and despite progress, they often stray too far toward the "potential" side than the "productive" side, and you want to complicate their progress by forcing them to learn that a season is "sixth months long?" Seriously, would you look at the Boston Red Sox, a team that wants to win it all now (and granted a team that has much better players than your team does) but still plans for the long-term and future in mind by MONITORING THE HEALTH OF THEIR PLAYERS AND PUTTING THEM IN THE BEST POSITION TO SUCCEED NOW AND IN THE FUTURE? Given that I'm shouting now, it's probably time for me to quit ranting, but would you please, please, just shut up about the future of September and October being "special" months? Because, really, can't you see that there's no way September and October could ever be "special" months if the most promising pitchers on your staff are shut down in May and June and July due to arm injuries caused by recklessness, carelessness, lack of planning, stupidity, and just plain idiocy?
SECOND: THE OUTSIDE PERSPECTIVE
Okay, I really, really know that I shouldn't read the blogs and message boards of other teams. Such an exercise is only going to serve to make me more bitter than I already am and further exacerbate the ways in which the Pirates ruin baseball for me. However, I can't help but find that the "outside" perspective is enlightening--a nice dose of cold water splashed on your head, so to speak, in the form of a wake-up call that you're not the only one who sees your organization for the ineffective monstrosity it's become.
That being said, reading random comments on these boards is highly ingratiating. Yesterday a question was posited, perhaps ironically, perhaps comically, but it was annoying. "With all this young talent, how are the Pirates so bad?" While a Cardinals fan replied to another Cardinals fan by explaining that the Pirates hated the pitching coach (another fascinating perspective from an outsider, given Colburn's various interactions with certain players this season), I thought I'd offer a serious answer to a question that would probably have been sarcastic originating from my mouth.
My Answer: Young talent? Inexperience, I'll give you. Green, I'll give you. Talent? A few of our pitchers have shown flashes of big-time major league talent. A position player or two has shown a couple of traits that might make him effective in some very secondary role someday. But young talent? The Pirates haven't drafted high upside talent in a long time. And even when the Pirates have accidentally drafted talent, I mean, do you expect that talent to be coached and developed properly in the system or upon arrival in Pittsburgh?
That last question brings me to another comment on one of our starting pitchers by a Rotoworld poster, who praised the pitcher's stuff while also noting, "I wish he (Snell) was in another organization. I just don't care for that organization."
My Response: I wish my organization didn't drive me to despairing that any of my team's starting pitchers might actually blossom in Pittsburgh. I wish I could be confident that my organization was the best place for promising players who have shown they have talent to develop and harness that talent. But, alas, see the juxtaposition of the Boston Red Sox and the Pittsburgh Pirates under Reason Number #1 the Pittsburgh Pirates continue to ruin my love of baseball.
The outside perspective, as much as it stings, is true. In their closing-in-on-15 (only a few more losses to go!) consecutive seasons of ineptitude, the Pirates have shown themselves to be a mess--and perhaps the most frustrating thing is that even when my Buccos stumble upon talent in the form of late round draft picks who turn out to be golden, they have yet to prove they even know how to handle/harness that talent and allow athletes to become the players outsiders can see they are capable of being--if only they weren't Pirates.
THIRD: MY OWN PERSONAL ISSUES WITH GIFTED UNDERACHIEVEMENT
Remember this lovely rant? Go ahead, click the link. Read what the blogger wrote on June 27th before Snell's swoon post All-Star break. It exemplifies a personal problem/pet issue that also serves to explain how the Pirates continue to ruin my love of baseball.
Back when I worked as a teacher, a certain type of student drove me crazy. I got angrier at this type of child, more frustrated, and more saddened than by any other kind of child. That type of child? The underachieving gifted kid. The one who would show you his or her intelligence so that you knew material could be learned, yet the child--whatever the reason--would refuse to learn material they were capable of learning more often than not. Whether lack of desire, effort, concentration, focus, or concern, the child's intelligence rarely, if ever, translated to actual performance. These were the kids who drove me, personally, the battiest. You're a discipline problem? Oh, whatever. You have trouble learning this kind of material this way? Not a problem; we'll work with that. You're smart but you do your work and quietly amuse yourself once you've finished your assignment? Terrific. You're crumpling your paper on the floor because you're frustrated that you're still struggling to understand the material? Well, here's a new sheet of paper, and let's have some patience. But you clearly can understand the material and do the work and yet you just won't? Now I want to collar and feather you--no, not literally, but seriously--would you just do what you're capable of doing? Please, save my sanity.
And when it comes to certain members of the Pittsburgh Pirates, and not just relatively green 1st or 2nd year players, I find myself experiencing the same exasperation/frustration that caused me to lose a little sense of sanity when it came to dealing with underachieving gifted kids. If you have the ability to hit the baseball, why don't you do that on a more consistent basis? (Sigh, Jason Bay, is your other knee injured?) If you can dominate a few innings of a game or several games, could you at least manage to get yourself to the consistently "very good" level in terms of giving your team a chance to win every game you start as a pitcher? I mean, really. It's not the Bucco players who simply lack quality MLB talent that bug the beeswax out of me. It's the players who've clearly shown they have MLB talent, even MLB talent that opposing scouts and fans are able to recognize, but don't consistently perform as such talent dictates that make me crazy.
Is the "underachievement" of such players really their complete fault? Not really, much as I wish it were, because it's a lot easier to control if it's only a player's issues. But if your manager doesn't put you in a position to succeed, if your coach isn't coaching you appropriately, if your general manager has you playing a role you're not best or yet suited to play, these people are setting you up for failure in much the same way that teachers who don't know what to do with gifted kids and schools that fail to give gifted kids an appropriate curriculum should not blame the kids themselves for failing to perform academically. And when it comes to Bucco management, well, suffice to say that they make many incompetently clueless educational administrators look like the very epitome of classy and competent professionals.
Still, I'm the one who has to (okay, I don't have to, I choose to) watch the few players with lots of latent talent and some with less but still latent talent not perform to the level at which not just I, but coaches, scouts and outside observers, believe they could. It's frustrating, it's exasperating, and when you don't get to watch players perform at the level their raw skill says they should, it makes it nearly impossible for you to continue to love a game in which it is a rare, too rare, event when one of your team's players does something amazing but something commensurate, or even a bit of a stretch, for his talent level. In that rare moment, you suddenly remember why you love baseball...but it's just that, for this fan, there have been far too many other moments from the PBC that continue to chip away at my love for the game of baseball.
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
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?
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?
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