Oh Pirates, where shall I begin? Not too long ago, my Pirates traded away Nate McClouth - not a popular move in Pittsburgh. There was much angst and many cries of "Here we go again". I chose to believe that management does indeed have a plan and that they are simply trying to stock up on as many good players as possible, even if those players may not make the team for a couple of years -- if at all. The other thing I tried to remember is that while McClouth was a very good player on a pretty bad team, he's just an above average ballplayer on a good team. And while Atlanta has certainly faced their share of troubles this year, Nate wouldn't have to come into that clubhouse and be the savior of the team. There's not too much pressure on him -- kind of like a reverse Adam LaRoche.
Then they recently traded away Nyjer Morgan, a speedy and effective leadoff hitter. The big knock against him is that he is just now breaking into the big leagues, at age 28. In exchange for him we received Lastings Milledge and Joel Hanrahan (I think that's his name, I didn't bother to look it up). It seems to me that this management team is willing to swing for the fences and hope that a deal works out. I have to say, I think it's a good idea. With this team, you have to be willing to take a few chances if you want to compete and want to win. If Lastings can get his head on straight, he can have a huge impact on the performance of this team.
And the silver lining of all of this is that Andrew McCutcheon now gets to come up to the big leagues and play every day. And boy howdy, has he ever stepped up!
Anyway...all of this to say -- there is hope for the Pirates yet. If I'm the last one rooting for them ever, I'll still root for them.
Let's go Bucs!
Monday, July 6, 2009
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I was able to take my son and daughter to their first pro ball game on June 4th to see the Pirates (my son's fav) vs. the Mets (my favs). I was very impressed with PNC park and I was even more impressed with watching how Andrew McCutcheon played in his first game since being called up. However what made my day and my son's day and earned my up most respect was Evan Meek. Evan was signing auto's and we got there shortly before the game was to start. Evan was starting to walk away and Evan saw Scott (8yrs old) coming and turned around and came back. Scott nor myself said nothing to get his attention. He greeted us kindly and signed a program for my daughter and then he signed a used baseball for my son. I asked Evan if it was ok that I could take a picture with Him and Scott and I explained to him it was his first time being there at PNC and he did and with a hint of coolness (the Pic is on my facebook page). He asked Scott if he played ball (OF and wants to pitch) at all and talked to us for a few minutes before heading off. My son was so happy that day that he got to meet a pirates player. Evan Meek has become a favorite in this family and I couldn't thank him enough for his gratitude. So despite all of the bull that Pittsburgh is pulling there is definitely some bright spots still shining through with it's players.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment Tim. That's a great story about Evan Meek. Those are the kinds of stories that make baseball great and why I even got into baseball cards at all. Hopefully the Buccos can turn things around. I'm an eternal optimist when it comes to the Pirates.
ReplyDeleteSorry about the Mets season - bummer. Always next year, right?
Hopefully I'll have time to get back to this blog, it's fun. Thanks for stopping by!
Not a problem. Yes the mets have blown in it fashion this year- through injuries and not by crumbling with 17 games left either.
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