Pride. Passion. PATIENCE. I Guess My AVG is .667

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 late inning comebacks by the Pirates are making me feel good. Bucs pull one out today over the Reds.

The email received today from the Pirates saying that Opener tickets are still available makes me worry.

The pitching of Ross Ohlendorf is impressive.

Sending the message that all the jobs are up for grabs-then…when it counts talking about options, building for the future, it’s business, swing the bat in Indy…that gets really old.  And I have to wonder if players really trust management?

No scholarships means at least a few.  Trust me I understand, I just hate it.   Let’s win.

I have complete trust in our coaches that the best starting players are on the team for the opener in St. Louis.

And if they aren’t they will be in May.

Or perhaps August.

Or not. But we will contend in 10.  That is enough for me.

No it’s not.

Andrew McCutcheons reaction to being sent down was professional.

I trust McCutcheon takes out his anger on the baseballs he sees in Indy.

And also it looks to me that he needs to learn how to become a leadoff hitter.  12 BB this spring helps. 16K doesn’t help.

Brian Bixler and Andy LaRoche…are those the same guys from last year?

I heard Neil Huntington call Luis Cruz the finest defensive player in the system.  I am so pumped!

Somewhere Scott Boras is figuring a way around this extra year madness where a team sends a player down for a few weeks and keeps his rights for another year.

I imagine a clause in Boras contracts forthcoming. Just sayin.  Maybe not overnight, but mark it down.

Get this right and you have too much time on your hands.  Who leads the Pirates in strikeouts this spring with 16?

I am just glad it’s not Will Ohman.  And I thought I was having a poor year…Wow, did he miss out on the money this year or what?  He plays for the love of the game I guess.  Rather than sign a major league deal with the Bucs he signed a minor league deal with the Dodgers.  So much for that great year with the Braves.

The defensive play still scares me from the Pirates.

The quick jump start and increase in wins really made us believe, if for just a few days, that this might end.  We still believe, trust me, we still believe.

Jose Tabata has a cannon arm.  Don’t ever forget that if you are the opposition.

Donnie Veal.  Oh what talent this man has.

Donnie Veal.  How long can we keep him camoflauged? He was flying along early.

Pedro Alvarez spring OBP .500

Jose Tabata spring OBP .500

Whoever found Garrett Jones should get a bonus check. 

WHIP for Starters: Maholm .56, Snell 1.62, Duke 1.30, Ohlendorf .77, Karstens 1.47

There is something about this team that I like.

I just haven’t figured it out quite yet.

I don’t miss Bay or Nady.

And definently not Marte.

But my PATIENCE is running thin.  Send me back to the minors to keep working at it I guess.

EXTRAS:

Chris Bootcheck leads the Pirates with 16 strikeouts this spring.

John Perroto does a great job of eyeing the potential moves the Pirates can make. http://www.piratesreport.com/page/blogs.detail/display/55/Pirates-eye-Niemann–infielders.html