Archive for February, 2009

See you on Monday after we get a few exhibition victories under our belt everyone. I will be sure to grab as many pictures and quotes as possible.

The Pirates have been mentioning they will run this year. Do you believe them? I do. I heard JR mention it at Piratefest, he mentioned it the other day as well. At Piratefest He alluded to the fact that the team wasn’t built for speed prior to the trades of Bay, etc. I am not certain it is built for speed now either outside of Morgan, who was caught nearly 50% last season. I took a very quick look as I have to head to Florida today. The Bucs were last in the division in the category. The Pirates stole [...]

I could care less what he looks like. A guy with the nickname of El Toro. He better not be 6’2” and 180 pounds. To me and people a lot smarter than me, he looks like a ball player. A great ballplayer. There are always the doubters who point out that he struck out 13.9% or 19% in college. Whatever. And then on Feb 13, Alvarez said he wasn’t in “shape, shape, but baseball shape.” The world stopped in Pittsburgh. The talking heads were spinning…..and then the message boards lit up. Alvarez…he better get his ass in…oh the panic. Baseball [...]

For some reason I can’t seem to find it on the website for NBC’s America’s Toughest Jobs. I see the Episode guide and I scan through Mountain Rescue, Logging, Monster Trucking, Bridge Crew, Bullfighting, Trucking, Oil Drilling, and Gold Digging (no comment). Some of those are just hilarious. In my humble opinion the toughest job in America has to be selling Pirates Tickets. I am not being a wise ass. Don’t you agree? Let me list some of the reasons why I feel this way: 1. Do you really need a list of reasons? Come on man. 2. I had [...]

Walker works with Coach Ritchie Neil Walker has been a hot topic lately. Many of you are asking my thoughts. I think he will be around for a while. He appears calm and relaxed. Some think he may end up at an even different position before his career is up in Pittsburgh ala Craig Biggio. Some feel he should move back to catcher. Or the outfield corner. Or… lets face it, there are many options available. He is athletic and he can play defense. He quickly proved his major league ability while learning third base. The quetion to answer is [...]

After all the baseball nonsense is over today, many players, coaches, and staff will head out to the links.  (God I’m jealous! Come on Spring)  The Pirates host their 2nd Annual Golf Tournament today at River Wilderness Golf and Country Club.  The golf course, designed by Ted McAnlis, is situated on 150 acres of pristine landscape and is a part of the Georgia Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary System which blends the property’s natural beauty with an abundance of wildlife.  45 tees on the driving range, par 72 and 7139 yards from the tips today gentlemen.  Now that sounds like a great [...]

Nate said he had a gut feeling and he was right.  (So much for my dumb dream).  Nate has been signed to a multi-year deal and now the pressure really mounts.  He was a steal making roughly $425K, now he is in the millionare club.  Those expectations can have an impact on a player.  The Pirates and the faithful fans trust it will only make him play harder.  Coming off a career year, it is a lot of trust. So, I wonder how the flight to Phoenix was? I am sure the pilot was aware of how important this flight was [...]

How often does a small town loser make Sports Illustrated? Obviously that answer is simple.  Never.  And this isn’t some regional issue, no it’s big fella.  You can buy a hardbound version at www.sipittsburghbook.com. The guy in the one inch by inch photo isn’t wearing gloves.  He is staring directly at the cameraman.  And weeks later he now knows it is SI photo supergenius Rob R0sato.  The kid that grew up in the tiny coal mining town that was so small they combined the towns (Philipsburg Osceola),  never made the Faces in the Crowd section of Sports Illustrated.  Never once did Peter King [...]