The Miguel Sano story is a touchy one for Pittsburgh Pirates fans. The details surrounding the age questions and the eventual signing of Sano by the Twins. How Rene Gayo handled the situation is also well documented. A new movie will address the topic in greater detail.

Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports has an interesting article on the upcoming movie in which Yahoo! states the Pirates sent a letter defending Gayo’s actions.

Be sure to check it out and don’t miss what Sano says about Gayo toward the end.

Clipped from: sports.yahoo.com (share this clip)

The day the Pittsburgh Pirates missed on signing Miguel ‘Hanley Pujols’ Sano was a sad one.  The rumors flew about just what happened.  Sano’s agent was on Dejan’s PG blog and I was lucky enough to be one of the people online firing questions that early morning.  But it was more a platform for Plummer to clairfy his intentions.

He just let Sano sign with the Twins for less money than the Pirates had on the table.

It seemed odd.  Very odd.

But never before had we received much more information on the details of the deal.  Until now.    Baseball Prospectus author Ken Funck details the news in today’s article, Pelotero, or, There’s Sano Business Like Show Business.

The article is about the new movie Pelotero which followed Sano during the time most teams in the majors had an interest in signing the talented player.  But no team was closer than the Pirates.  We still believe that.  We still feel something went wrong.  Terribly wrong if you consider the amount of time invested and how well Sano looks in the Twins system.

It appears we have some new information on the situation.

Just as Hoop Dreams framed coach Gene Pingatore in a negative light, Gayo is cast as Pelotero’s villain, with the film hinting that he ginned up the age controversy to scare off other teams and give the Pirates more leverage when negotiating with Sano. As the investigation drags on, we see the Sano family arrive at the league offices for a meeting with Gayo and MLB’s investigator. Gayo leads them inside to discuss something “away from the cameras;” subsequently, the family claims both Gayo and the investigator guaranteed them a positive outcome if Sano were to sign with the Pirates.

We are then shown an angry Sano family setting up a hidden camera in their house to catch Gayo saying something incriminating about this purported conspiracy—we hear Miguel’s mother steering Gayo to the overstuffed chair on which the camera is trained “so he’ll be more comfortable”—but there is no smoking gun, merely some talk that the Pirates are the only team who will make Sano an offer since they are the only one fully convinced of his age. The film’s narrative is that the family grew to distrust a deceitful Gayo, who got what was coming to him when Sano eventually signed with the Twins, but who can be sure? It’s impossible to know whether Pelotero’s take is the complete truth or just the most compelling way to convey a complex story—but compelling it is.

Here is the website for the movie with some spectacular photography….can’t wait to see it.

ESPN Magazine photo of the Sano family

The player the Pittsburgh Pirates covet has been partially cleared. What the hell does that mean? Miguel Angel Sano has been cleared. Partially. Well, sorta. 

Sounds like serious stuff, because it is.   And confusing too.

Sano’s  identity is regular (huh?) and his age undetermined.  MLB feels he is at least 17 years old.

I have a question. Is telling the truth about your age always a good thing? Seriously, when has someone’s age mattered this much? I can only think of one occassion.  And it was a much bigger deal.

The U.S. Consulate is now investigating Sano’s age to determine citizenship.  Sorry, but that sounds like it will take a while Bucco fans.  And there is also a backlog of 40 plus cases from March if you remember the Arangure article.

His agent Mr. Plummer (related to Chris?) says he will put in a clause cancelling the deal if its proven Sano lied about his age. Confident guy. He also says Sano goes where the money is largest. This guy is a genius.

Sure, Sano’s value certainly goes down if he is not as young as he says he is. If Sano really using his sister’s modified birth certificate, well, then we have a problem. But his identity is regular.  He is who we thought he was!

But holy jumping jingleballs, crime scene murder investigations have taken less time!

Now back to the most notable underage investigation that comes to mind at Rumbunter. And I am sure that you’re not surprised. One of the cast of the film ‘Zack and Miri Make a Porno’ was Traci Lords. It was filmed in Pittsburgh.

And surely you were wondering how I was going to tie it together weren’t you?

The premise was two Monroeville PA roommates Zack (Seth Rogan) and Miri (Elizabeth Banks) need some cash. So they make a porno.

If your bored sensless watch Traci dazzle you. If not, move it to 1:25 where she calls Pittsburgh names…. ”we shot in such a dreary place, we shot in Pittsburgh in the dead of winter: or if your horned up slide it to 4:45 where she talks about her ”lactating breasts. ”

*Enter

Traci Lords starred in the movie and also had a successful career in the music industry. And one other industry….. When she was 15.

Traci lived with her Mom’s ex-boyfriend (hmmm), he provided her a fake id that said Traci was 20. Not long after, Traci posed naked in the same Penthouse that featured Miss America Vanessa Williams. (my older brother had this one)

Most reports say that by the time she was 18 she had appeared in 100 adult films.

So there you have it,  lying can lead to success. Why didn’t my Mom ever teach me this?

So here is hoping that by the time Sano turns 18, or whatever the hell age he is he will be making noise (get your mind out of the gutter) in the Pirates farm system.  

Heh, if he is under 18 at least he will be wearing a uniform.  So what’s the big deal?

Until then enjoy the show…*Enter

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traci_Lords

Ugh. And Traci, I love the dead of winter in Pittsburgh. Its Steelers football season.