Bucs Trade Winds Bucs Trade Winds Talking Pittsburgh Pirates baseball from the ledge. Articles
Red Sox interested in...
2007-07-20 21:07:00 According to the Providence Journal, the Red Sox are interested in Pittsburgh Pirates left handed reliever Damaso Marte due to the struggles of lefty specialist Javier Lopez. The Red Sox are also interested in Salomon Torres, but the asking price by Dave Littlefield appears to be too steep. BTW Take: What do the Red Sox have to offer? Here is a listing of the top prospects in the Red Sox organization. Historically the Red Sox and Pirates have had a good dealing relationship. Freddy Sanchez was a top prospect for the Red Sox when he was traded to the Pirates. There aren't many trades in recent Pirates history that have worked in the Pirates favor, deals with Boston and San Diego have been the exceptions. Discuss this in the forum: http://dharr18.proboards61.com/index.cgi? board=pirates&action=display&thre ad=1184958223 More About: Este , Eres
Sports Minute (or so)
2007-07-20 20:08:00 The National Lampoon Spor ts Minute (Or So)Written by Steve Hofstetter, Adam Hofstetter, Cody Marley, Ryan Murphy, Rich Ragains, Elliot Steingart, and Chris Strait In Nashville, DUI charges against former Titan QB Steve McNair have been dropped. Much like all the Titans passes. The Carolina Panthers have signed Philippe Gardent, a former member of the French national bobsled team. Which is perfect in case the Panthers win it all, because Hell would have frozen over. French long jumper Salim Sdiri was accidentally hit with a javelin at an athletics meet in Rome. Hey, hole in one! In baseball, David Wells has been suspended seven games for arguing with an umpire. We're just happy Wells didn't eat him. The New York Mets have designated 48-year-old infielder Julio Franco for assignment. To Shady Pines retirement home. The Phillies became the first team in pro sports team to lose 10,000 games. Don't worry Raider fans, you've still got the only team to lose by 10,000 points. Longtime ... More About: Ports
Bourn to be a Pirate?
2007-07-20 20:04:00 Paul Hagan from Philly.com speculates on a deal between the Pittsburgh Pirate s and Philadelphia Phillies sending outfielder Michael Bourn to the Pirates for Chacon and either Torres or Marte. Bourn's stats at The Baseball Cube show a player similar in stature and ability to Duffy or McLouth. ESPN projects Bourn to be similar to Juan Pierre offensively. 2007 Outlook: He has been compared to Juan Pierre, but he has a bit more power and won't hit a consistent .300 for you. He'll likely start at Triple-A and become a reserve OF in the second half for the Phils. Could be a source of steals down the road. BTW Take: Bourn looks to be another Duffy/McLouth with more steals and a decent glove. His minor league stats could be confused with either of them. Supposedly he has some power, but has yet to show it at any level. The bright spot is he does show some plate discipline and is 2 years younger than Duffy. The price tag mentioned is fairly steep ... More About: Rate , Irate
Pirates Acquire Izturis from Cubs
2007-07-19 19:30:00 Post Gazette is reporting the Pirates have acquired infielder Cesar Izturis from the Cubs for a PTBNL.BTW Take:The story says to plan on a trade of Jack Wilson. We can only hope.I am more concerned with the PTBNL. Last time we traded with the Cubs, we got scrubs and sent a windfall their way. I have learned to fear the PTBNL when DL is involved.BTW: I am baaaack!!!!!I'll have a recap of the trip and the last few weeks posted sometime soon. More About: Rates , Acquire , Rate
Our of Town, In Town
2007-06-23 16:43:00 I will be on the road with the family for 2 weeks. We'll be in WV for most of the time making a trip to Pittsburgh for the June 30th game. Updates will be intermittent for the next couple weeks. Hopefully the Pirates will be near .500 when I get back to regular posting. Until then, entertain yourself in the forum and check back regularly for the intermittent updates. More About: Town
Random Madness and Links
2007-06-23 05:24:00 The Pirates have acquired Josh Phelps off waivers from the Yankees. Recently promoted Brad Eldred will likely be demoted when Phelps joins the team.BTW Take:Phelps is a DH on a National League team? He can play 1B and C, but is better known as a bat. He has mostly been used as a DH in his career, 299 games as a DH and 69 playing a position. This move is nothing more than adding a pinch hitter to the bench, undoubtedly something this team needs. Overall, I would say it is a good move for no other reason than adding power to the bench.According to Pirates.com, Jim Colborn is a favorite of Ichiro. Apparently Ichiro hold Colborn in high regard and is in regular contact with him.Don Kelly cleared waivers and will report to Indianapolis.BTW Take:Maybe the Pirates could add Ichiro in the off-season? He obviously isn't interested in money, he has turned down advertising contracts so he could focus on baseball. Maybe his closeness to Colborn could entice him to Pittsburgh, if owner... More About: Random , Links , Madness
Futures Game
2007-06-22 02:57:00 Once again the Pirates are getting screwed.A direct quote from Pittsburgh-Live/Pittsburgh Tribune Review:Pirates first base prospect Steven Pearce and right-handed pitcher Serguey Linares have been selected to lay in the Major League Baseball Futures Game , to be held Sunday, July 8 at San Francisco's AT&T Park.
Sports Minute (Or So)
2007-06-22 00:43:00 The National Lampoon Spor ts Minute (Or So)Written by Steve Hofstetter, Adam Hofstetter, Cody Marley, Ryan Murphy, Rich Ragains, Elliot Steingart, and Chris StraitThree-time boxing champion James Toney has tested positive for steroids. Officials became suspicious when his head couldn't fit through the ropes.USA Today reported that 48% of Americans have played organized basketball, and the rest have played for the Knicks. The paper also reported that 1% of French athletes 11-years-old and under have already used performance enhancing drugs. The others just drink wine like they're supposed to.Enrique Iglesias just released a new album entitled "Insomniac." If you shared a bed with Anna Kournikova, you wouldn't want to sleep much either.Dikembe Mutombo, Edgar Martinez and Kyle Petty were inducted to Boise, Idaho's World Sports Humanitarian Hall of Fame. Most overheard comment? "You've got a funny accent."Speaking of humanitarians, Cavs forward Ira Newble recently met with 15 Darf... More About: Ports
Maholm's Reasoning
2007-06-21 14:42:00 "What can you do when the other guy throws a four-hit shutout?" Maholm said.That is easy Paul, match him pitch for pitch. I am sure allowing 6 runs, 4 earned, over 7 innings is not the answer. This is Jeff Weaver, not exactly a Cy Young candidate. The Pirates have been making the horrible pitchers in the league look like Cy himself. This is a disturbing trend that needs to be addressed the same way the poor base running needs addressed.What a pitiful excuse for pitching poorly.
McClatchy Buys Into Gather
2007-06-20 00:40:00 Gather.com has a new minority owner, the one and only Kevin McLatchy. Gather.com is a Boston based social networking company.BTW Take:Is this the new direction of the scouting department? More About: Gather
Upcoming Schedule
2007-06-19 06:40:00 Tuesday at Seattle 7:05 PCTLHP Tom Gorzelanny (6-4, 3.04 ERA) vs. RHP Miguel Batista (7-5, 5.10 ERA) FSNPWednesday at Seattle 7:05 PCTLHP Paul Maholm (3-9, 5.00 ERA) vs. RHP Jeff Weaver (0-6, 10.97 ERA) FSNPThursday at Seattle 7:05 PCTRHP John Van Benschoten (0-1, 3.17 ERA) vs. Felix Hernandez (3-4, 4.58 ERA) NO TV More About: Schedule , Upcoming , Ming
All-Star Voting to Date
2007-06-19 06:32:00 NL All-Star Balloting 1st Base RANK PLAYER NAME NL TEAM TOTAL VOTES 1 Fielder, P. Brewers 899,997 2 Pujols, A. Cardinals 876,849 3 Garciaparra, N. Dodgers 801,419 4 Lee, D. Cubs 539,563 5 Delgado, C. Mets 488,392 2nd Base RANK PLAYER NAME NL TEAM TOTAL VOTES 1 Utley, C. Phillies 930,123 2 Kent, J. Dodgers 668,802 3 Biggio, C. Astros 567,030 4 Weeks, R. Brewers 469,808 5 Valentin, J. Mets 367,015 Shortstop RANK PLAYER NAME NL TEAM TOTAL VOTES 1 Reyes, J. Mets 1,017,893 2 Hardy, J.J. Brewers 761,471 3 Furcal, R. Dodgers 579,771 4 Rollins, J. Phillies 463,384 5 Renteria, E. Braves 427,338 3rd Base RANK PLAYER NAME NL TEAM TOTAL VOTES 1 Wright, D. Mets 1,055,723 2 Cabrera, M. Ma... More About: All Star , Voting
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
2007-06-19 06:12:00 At last, my off day look at what has happened since the last off day. Who would have thought I would struggle having only one good?The Good :The Pirates had a winning home stand going 4-2. Ideally they should have swept both series, but a winning record at home is better than what they had been doing. Possibly the most encouraging part of the home stand was the performance of Paul Maholm. He seems to have finally found his groove with another good outing this time against the White Sox.The Bad:After being hotter than a baked potato and winning player of the week honors, Jason Bay is in a horrendous slump. He has gone 5 for 46 over his last 13 games since being named player of the week.The only thing worse than Bay's recent struggles is Ian Snell's cooking talents.The Ugly :Zach Duke has been bad, but not as bad as the bullpen. Duke had a 3 run lead and was cruising before giving up 5 runs in the 4th of his last outing. The bullpen can't keep a lead in any outing. Thank God ... More About: The U , The Good , The Ugly
BTW Power Rankings - Week 11
2007-06-19 05:57:00 Some will wonder why I have St. Louis dead last. Simple, they aren't scoring runs, 27th in the league, and they don't prevent runs, 26th in MLB. The Cards are 29th in run differential, only the Devil Rays are worse. At least the Devil Rays score runs, 10th in the Majors.Other surprises are the Reds and Rangers. Why are they as high as they are with their putrid records? They both have a punchers chance at winning. The Rangers are 7th in the league in runs scored while the Reds are 11th. If either team could pitch, their records would be much better.The Pirates are 26th in runs scored, 23rd in runs allowed and 24th in run differential. Rank LW Team W L 1 1 Boston 44 24 2 2 LA Angels 44 26 3 5 San Diego 40 28 4 4 Cleveland 40 28 5 6 Detroit 39 29 6 7 NY Yankees 35 32 7 3 NY Mets 37 30 8 9 Oakland 37 31 9 8 LA Dodgers 39 30 10 ... More About: Power , Week
Capps Suspension Reduced
2007-06-19 00:01:00 Mat Capps 4 game suspension was reduced to 3 days according to the Tribune. More About: Redu , Suspension
Random Madness - Fathers Day Edition
2007-06-17 16:35:00 Jack Wilson talked about retiring in 3 or 4 years. Why wait?I got a ticket for my dad to the June 30th Pirates game against the Nationals, me and my oldest son are taking him. No, we really do love him. Happy Fathers Day Dad, lets go see two of the worst teams in the league. At least he will have a Bob Walk Bobble head to remember the game by.JVB pitched a good game in his return to the rotation. Too bad the two runs allowed were earned, LaRoche could not earn an error on the "throw" since he recorded an out and no one advanced. The bullpen and the bats let him down. Story of 2007 for the Pirates, every starter has had that said on his behalf at least once. Hopefully this is the start of a string of good outings from JVB.Duke had a good outing last time. Will he be able to duplicate the performance? Optimism might creep back into my vocabulary if he has a good day. More About: Random , Fathers Day , Edition , Madness
Pirates Notebook
2007-06-16 18:31:00 In the PG's Pirates Notebook , a few key notes to look at.Wilson may still be benched, he started due to Freddy having the flu on Friday.Cota was not claimed and accepted an assignment to Indy.Tracy will be in California for his sons graduation this weekend.Sharpless demoted.Capps still has heard nothing on his suspension. I think MLB is waiting on a MiLB ruling on the suspension.According to Jewett, JVB is ready and fully recovered. More About: Rates , Rate , Irate
Links
2007-06-16 07:25:00 The NY Post is reporting the Mets may be interested in acquiring Torres among a list of other potentially available relievers.The Akron Beacon Journal is reporting the Indians may be interested in Chacon to solidify their bullpen.Jim passes on info on the upcoming June 30th Protest. More About: Links
Saturday is a Big Day
2007-06-16 07:02:00 Saturday may be the start of many things for the Pirates and their fans.First and foremost, the BIG thing is JVB establishing himself as a legitimate MLB starter. If he has a strong outing and becomes the number 3 starter on the staff, the Pirates have an impressive rotation. Of course the front office will point out at least 100 times before the All-Star break how great player development has been for the Pirates since they are the only team in the league with 5 starters that came up through the organization. Actually the only team with more than 3 home grown starters.As of late Maholm has been pitching better than his stats show, Friday's game was a good example of that. Considering the White Sox couldn't hit a slow pitch softball pitcher lately, it may not be great proof.Snell and Gorzy have been great all season.Duke, well there is hope after his last outing.With JVB in the rotation, hopefully to stay, Chacon should solidify a shaky pen. Scary thought of BP solidifying any... More About: Saturday
Sharpless Demoted
2007-06-16 00:31:00 The Pirates demoted Josh Sharpless to Indy and recalled JVB according to the Tribune Review. Also, the Pirates will be without Jim Tracy for Saturday and Sunday. Maybe they can win both games now? More About: Mote
Classic Jack
2007-06-16 00:18:00 Not only has Jack Wilson cried to any reporter with a mic about his lack of playing time, now he is lowering his trade value as well.Wilson announced, yet again, in an article on Pirates.com that he is planning on retiring in 3 or 4 years. Good team player, lower your trade value when you are begging for a trade.What team will want a light hitting defensive specialist who will retire after his current contract? More About: Classic
Sports Minute (Or So)
2007-06-15 19:17:00 The National Lampoon Spor ts Minute (Or So)Written by Steve Hofstetter, Adam Hofstetter, Cody Marley, Ryan Murphy, Rich Ragains, Elliot Steingart, and Chris StraitThe University of Colorado has recently raised $125 million. The money will be used to bring the football program a higher caliber sexual assault victim.FSN has reached an agreement to sublicense up to 10 college football games to Versus. The nation's fly fishing fans are furious. You remember Versus, don't you? It's the place where hockey went to die.Detroit Lions defensive tackle Shaun Rogers is being accused of groping a stripper. Someone wants to get traded to Cincinnati.Speaking of crime, the Sopranos series finale squashed Game Two of the NBA Finals. Viewers preferred to watch something they couldn't predict.The Orlando Magic have signed Stan Van Gundy to coach the team. Billy Donovan applauded the club before changing his mind later on that day.In golf news, 12-year-old Alexis Thompson qualified for the women's... More About: Ports
Out with BP, In with JVB
2007-06-15 00:31:00 The initials are jumping around. JVB will be recalled to start on Saturday, no roster move will be made until then according to the Post Gazette.Speculation on the roster move anyone?Let's try to start some rumors...Armas has not pitched at all this season, see 8.07 ERA. His last appearance was 6/9 vs the Yankees. Possibly demoted or cut before Saturday?Jack Wilson has been crying to any reporter with a microphone about playing time. Apparently he doesn't understand the game has 3 aspects. Pitching, Defense and OFFENSE. Jack, plain and simple, you can't hit your way out of a paper bag. A few teams are looking for a defensive specialist. The Pirates already have two in Wilson and Duffy, that is one too many on any team. Jack gets traded before Saturday?We would have 14 on the roster if a pitcher or 2 aren't demoted before Saturday. Sharpless and Bayliss to Indy? With Kelly optioned to make room for Kolb... That means it is time, it is time to prepare for the return of....
Let the Protests Begin!
2007-06-14 07:05:00 The Pittsburgh Sports Insider has an announcement on a Pirates Fan Prot est that is being organized for June 30th. With any luck, and some fortunate timing, I may be able to make the event. As Pirates Fan living abroad, Iowa to be more specific, you know it will be difficult to make the event. Luckily I have vacation scheduled and will be near the area, 3 hours away in West Virginia. I will be at the game with my son and father celebrating Bob Walk Bobblehead Night. Hopefully I make it to the protest and will see many of you there. The protest is taking place Saturday, June 30, 2007 prior to the 7:05 game on Federal Street. Look for a Bucs Trade Winds t-shirt in the crowd and make sure you say say hey. If you haven't already, sign the petition BTW started. The link is to the right or click here. Pass the word to friends, family and random people you meet in the street or at the local bar. When enough signatures are gathered, I will forward this on to the Commissioners... More About: Tests , Protests
If I Were DL?
2007-06-12 07:26:00 I'd fire myself.Beyond that...Two trades I make this year:TRADE 1:Trade Jack Wilson. I want to see what I can get for him. I take the best offer and move on. No this has nothing to do with Castillo making some great plays at SS over the weekend. We all know what Castillo is capable of when he keeps his head in the game.This has to do with improving the team. Right now we have too many batters that fit the 8 hole perfectly. Jack is one of them.TRADE 2:Trade Duffy, McLouth and/or Davis. I have said it before, they are all the same type of player, lots of speed, little on base percentage. Speed does not help if the runners don't get a green light.You can't have 3 of the same player on the team. Especially if none can handle pinch hitting duties.Looking to the off-season:I beg and plead ownership to raise payroll to $70-$75M. I promise I will increase attendance by 1 million and get the team over .500 in 2008. How do I do that?First, with the trade of Wilson I get $6M off t... More About: Were
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
2007-06-12 07:18:00 The Good :If anyone remembers this far back, Jason Bay won player of the week honors in the NL. He was as hot as a batter could be, at least a batter without the nick name A-Rod. Bay raised his average over .300 driving in runs at breakneck speeds. Alas that ended.Also on the good side, LaRoche finally broke .200 and has remained above the Mendoza line for over a week.The Bad:Sally gets injured. Nady Gets injured. Doumit gets smacked in the head with a bat. Not a real healthy two weeks at the MLB level. Don't look down but Burnett and Bullington are both injured in Indy.The Ugly :Jack Wilson was horrendous on Saturday. Ronny Paulino wasn't far behind. The team is now 11 under .500. Tracy still believes he can get this team to .500 by the All-Star break.Even uglier, the draft. More pitchers. Yeehaw! And our first round pick? A left handed reliever that Creech is claiming could become a starter. Anyone see a Dr. Andrews surgery in this kids future? More About: The U , The Good , The Ugly
BTW Power Rankings - Week 10
2007-06-11 14:54:00 Comedy Central is proving the name correct. No team in the top 10 and 4 in the bottom 6.Milwaukee is high on the board at 12.Pulling up the rear is our beloved Bucs at 28.Here is week 10's Power Ranking s: Rank LW Team W L 1 1 Boston 40 22 2 3 LA Angels 40 24 3 2 NY Mets 36 25 4 5 Cleveland 37 24 5 4 San Diego 36 26 6 6 Detroit 36 26 7 13 NY Yankees 30 31 8 7 LA Dodgers 35 28 9 9 Oakland 34 28 10 8 Arizona 37 27 11 14 Seattle 33 26 12 12 Milwaukee 34 29 13 11 Atlanta 35 29 14 18 Chicago Cubs 27 34 15 10 Minnesota 30 31 16 15 San Francisco 28 34 17 16 Baltimore 29 34 18 19 Toronto 30 32 19 20 Florida 31 33 20 17 Philadelphia 32 31 21 22 Colorado 31 32 22 28 Tampa Bay... More About: Week
Upcoming Schedule
2007-06-09 04:39:00 Saturday at New York Yankees 1:05LHP Paul Maholm (2-8, 5.35 ERA) vs. RHP Roger Clemens (2007 Debut)FSNPSunday at New York Yankees 1:05RHP Shawn Chacon (2-0, 3.26 ERA) vs. RHP Tyler Clippard (3-1, 3.60 ERA)FSNPMonday OFF DAY IN PITTSBURGHTuesday vs. Texas 7:05RHP Kevin Millwood (2-5, 7.57 ERA) vs. LHP Zach Duke (2-6, 5.75 ERA)FSNPWednesday vs. Texas 7:05RHP Kameron Loe (1-6, 7.40 ERA) vs. RHP Ian Snell (5-4, 2.91 ERA)FSNPThursday vs. Texas 7:05RHP Robinson Tejeda (4-6, 6.28 ERA plus tonight) vs. LHP Tom Gorzelanny (6-3, 2.53 ERA plus tonight)FSNP More About: Schedule , Upcoming , Ming
Capps Will Be Available
More articles from this author:2007-06-09 04:08:00 Matt Capps will be available for the weekend series vs the Yankees. A ruling will be made early next week after the hearing today. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |
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