Got my new Maxim issue today.  Best Christmas present the wife ever bought me.  It has a nice ”hard hitting, fast pitching, base stealing, trash talking, snuff chewing, steriod injecting 2009 MLB preview.” Although the Pittsburgh Pirates got only one mention, it was quite hilarious.
Maxim does a great job creating a preview like few magazines can duplicate.  They speak with Nate Silver, who has done some pretty cool things in his life.  Created PECOTA (Player Empirical Comparison and Optimization Test Algorithm–heh say that three times fast and the fifth starter job with the Pirates is yours!), works at Baseball Prospectus, and his [...]

The Pirates have a motto.
Pride. Passion. Pittsburgh Pirates.
Patience is the word that should be on the Pirates website.  They forgot that one in the hype surrounding the potential stars strutted onto the field this spring.
I personally am sick of waiting. 
Waiting for something to happen is something I struggle with in life.  I prefer to make things happen.  I need to change this in order to be a Pirates fan. 

The Pirates are fighting to gain headlines this spring. With so much sports action in Pittsburgh, it has been tough to focus on the Bucs.  Pitt’s basketball teams losses get some more available space in the paper for the Pirates.  There have been some exciting storylines coming out of Florida, that I look for some more details this week.
Jack Wilson would like to stay a Pirate. Wilson is in the last season of a three-year deal, with an $8.4M team option ($600K buyout) for 2010.
The Pirates have a decision to make. Brian Bixler had a great spring, but was cut [...]

As the Pirates struggle today against the New York Yankees, I lost focus.  The 12th batter was coming to the plate for the Bronx Bombers.  Zach Duke (9 hits, 3BB through 3.1 innings) had been chased after a rough, rough inning. Sean Burnett was in and facing  Pena.  The Yankees are up 8-2 in spite of seven Pirates hits off AJ Burnett.
My mind wondered around the world wide web and I discovered a very interesting article.  The name Babe Ruth in the search engine brought up a link to a story about the Pirates very own Pedro Alvarez hitting a ’Ruthian’ [...]

Each year The Pittsburgh Post Gazette gives a players poll.  A series of questions were asked of 20 Pittsburgh Pirates. 
The poll successfully predicted Nate McLouths All Star season last year.  Andy LaRoche was the winner this year.  
This year the response to one question really stood out.  Who is the funniest person in the clubhouse?  Nyjer Morgan won with ten votes.
However….two votes went to nobody.  Really?  That is awful.  Nobody?  Here is the story
 
20 Questions

Ok, I don’t like the idea of Robinzon Diaz getting sent down. The kid had a great spring smashing baseballs. Neal Huntington said he wanted a defense first catcher early in the season.  How about defense only?  And I don’t believe he is going to win any gold gloves. 
I am not thrilled that are choices in catchers are so limited in experience, but it’s the hand we are dealt.  The front office wanted these players, went out and got them, and live with it.
Diaz hit very well, Jason Jaramillo was awful at the plate and in perfect logic, I believe [...]

Wow. I am impressed. The kid really made my day when he ‘met the media’ to announce his statement.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09087/958948-63.stm
All I can say. Wow.

I don’t think a ”dog and pony show” is supposed to go like this.  No, this was not on the itinerary.  Well, only the Pittsburgh Pirates could be hit with a bombshell like this one.
Some of the highly coveted sponsors that are so important to the Pirates ownership are spending some time this week in Bradenton.  Also some of the high rolling season ticket holders have been invited as well.  Big festivities and celebrations will culminate after the last off day today of the Pirates spring training. Welcome to Bradenton.  Let the carnival begin!
Ladies and Gentlemen, children of all ages…Hold onto your Pirate [...]

You know sometimes you just need a game where you go out and it falls into place.  Last night was that night for me.  We had concerns about pitching for the Bucs.  And for another night with Ross Ohlendorf on the mound, it looked like we are going to be just fine.
As I listened to the game on 104.7, I was able to gather some nuggets of inspiration…
“He is not afraid of the hitters,” said Bob Walk  Gee Bob wonder where he gets that from?  Old Joe Kerrigan had Ross Ohlendorf throwing at dummies years ago.  Ohlendorf was going after the Braves.  [...]

Back in the cold days of the winter, Andy LaRoche was described at Piratesfest by Bob Walk as someone you could get really cheap for your fantasy team that will put up some big numbers for you.  Nice. 
If your a fantasy baseball fan, the Yahoo sports experts, hmm…that sounds like an oxymoron.  Well only one of their ”experts” has Andy ranked in the top 30 in MLB.  Apparently snubbing Bob Walk as a fantasy draft expert.  
Most of the speculation comes from last year.  For most of September, LaRoche was soundly booed at PNC Park. 
Welcome to Pittsburgh kid.  We really wanted [...]