R.I.P. Harry Kalas

When I first heard the voice of Harry Kalas, it was on Sunday mornings. He and Steve Sabol used to do a show called "This is the NFL," a highlights-based show at a time where out-of-town highlights were still rare and Sportscenter was in its infancy.

Later I became aware of his work in baseball and always enjoyed his smooth style, like an East Coast version of Vin Scully.

I first met Kalas while covering the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2001. He was doing broadcasts for Westwood One and once while I was
talking to former Steelers announcer Myron Cope, Kalas came out to say hi to Myron, who introduced me to Kalas. He was very nice and respectful then though we just spoke for a minute.

I would see Halas more as I covered the Pirates for the Observer-Reporter when the Phillies would come to town. Even when he walked into the media dining room, Kalas had a presence about him. He was a legend.

If he would come and sit down at a table I was at, usually with other writers, I would usually sit quietly, somewhat in awe, of a man I admired as a broadcaster.

Then, last season, when myself and former Beaver County Times writer John Perrotto were eating dinner before a game, Kalas once again came and sat down. Since there were only three of us at the table, he wanted to know what not just John thought of the Pirates but my opinions as well. As we were sitting there talking the only thought going through my head was "This is Harry freaking Kalas. He's a legend."

He was also very gracious and giving of his time, even to a young sportswriter such as myself.

The sportsworld truly lost a legnedary voice today. We'll miss you, Harry.

Photo from phillies.com

Tale of two pitchers

I'm trying to give Ian Snell the benefit of the doubt, I really am. But the more he pitches, the more I'm starting to think he's just not going to come around to be a consistent starting pitcher.

I said it was a mistake to let Snell pitch in the World Baseball Classic. This is a guy that needs a strict regime, especially with a new pitching coach. While those at Tuesday's game said Snell got a couple of tough breaks, it couldn't have been that many to allow eight runs.

Wednesday's game, a completely different story with Zach Duke. Here's a guy who had a horrific year last year. He came into camp in good shape and with the right attitude. He also came out and established himself early in the game and that led to a very successful outing and his first win of the year.

When he froze Albert Pujols in the first inning, that set the tone for the game. A lot of run support also helped Duke. But nonetheless, just like Maholm on Monday, he showed that he was in control of the game early Wednesday.

Snell rarely shows that kind of control. And if he doesn't start showing it soon, he could and should be shown the door from the rotation.

It's only one game, but ...

So I was driving over to my mother-in-law's late yesterday afternoon. As I was driving the Pirates went down 3 and soon 4-2 in the eighth inning. After spending about 15 minutes chatting with her and my daughter who was staying there overnight, I got back in the car fully expecting to turn on the postgame show after the first Bucco loss of the season.

Much to my surprise that 30 seconds later Jack Wilson would be hitting his 3-run double to clear the bases and eventually give the Pirates the victory.

The Pirates have won their last three openers and, well, you know how the rest of the last two seasons have gone. There were a couple of positive and negatives from yesterday's game.

Positives: Nyjer Morgan, Paul Maholm. Morgan finally do what a leadoff guy is supposed to do. He got on base, stole a base, even drove in two runs. Maholm was super efficient and seemed in control the entire game, even after a fielding mistake cost him two runs and his own baserunning blunder cost him another.

Negatives: RISP (Runners in scoring position). Though the Pirates were 5-for-13 with RISP, they also didn't cash in on way too many other chances, especially early in the game. Ryan Doumit was 0-for-3 with RISP. Also, other than Matt Capps, the bullpen duo of Tyler Yates and John Grabow was shaky at best.

Also around the league:
For you fantasy baseball owners with CC Sabathia (myself included), you must be feeling very wary about that choice today. He was AWFUL. MLB Tonight had a great piece on Sabathia's total lack of command yesterday. Good thing for him it was away from the new Yankee Stadium. ... I thought Emilio Bonafacio was the opera singer (Leslie Nielsen) who sang the National Anthem at the end of the first Naked Gun movie. Apparently, he is also a Marlins' rookie who had an inside-the-park home run yesterday and is incredibly fast. He will be one to watch.

2009 Predictions

With one game in the books (boy Derek Lowe looked sharp for the Braves last night), today marks the real Opening Day, with 12 games on the schedule.

That means it is prediction time. Though I'm not going out on too many limbs, the fact is the good teams continue to be good and the bad teams (sorry Buccos) continue to suck. I predict that there won't be any Tampa Bay-like stories this year. As a matter of fact, i don't even see the Rays making the playoffs.

National League Central
1. Chicago Cubs - They simply have THE most talent in all of the division, if not the league. The starting pitching is solid and the Cubs will have plenty of offense again. My only concern is the closer's spot but if Kevin Gregg can do what he did in Florida, the Cubs will go deep into October.

2. St. Louis Cardinals - I hate Tony LaRussa. I think he's smug, arrogant, and he thinks he invented the game. That said, he's one of the best managers of all time. Albert Pujols is healthy and Chris Carpenter will return to have another solid year. Another shaky closer situation and a little less offense than the Cubs leaves the Cardinals in second.

3. Milwaukee Brewers - It's hard to lose C.C. Sabathia and Ben Sheets from the rotation and not falter. Trevor Hoffman (though injured) is the closer and is well past his prime. The Brewers will still hit, their pitching will falter some.

4. Cincinnati Reds - The Reds will be better than recent seasons and could crack the .500 mark. Jay Bruce and Joey Votto lead the lineup while Aaron Harang and Edinson Volquez lead the rotation.

5. Houston Astros - Though there are some solid players and Roy Oswalt is still a top pitcher, the Astros will slide mightily this year. If they top 75 wins I'll be surprised. Not even an aging Pudge Rodriguez will help.

6. Pittsburgh Pirates - Woe is the Buccos. I honestly think they'll a little more competitive this year than they were after the Bay-Nady trades last year. If they lose less than 90 games this year, it should be considered a successful season. I just don't see it happening.

National League East
1. New York Mets - The third time will be the charm for the Mets. The offense is solid every way around, the starting pitching should hold up and they finally have two, not one, good pitchers at the end of the bullpen in Francisco Rodriguez and J.J. Putz.

2. Atlanta Braves - The Braves have a lot more pitching than they did last year. with Lowe and Javier Vasquez leading the way. They scare me because Mike Gonzalez is the closer, but look for a bounceback year for Jeff Francoeur and Jordan Schafer is a Rookie of the Year candidate.

3. Philadelphia Phillies - The Phillies still have plenty of offense and a top closer in Brad Lidge. I think the starting pitching will falter a bit, especially with Cole Hamels' shaky health.

4. Florida Marlins - There's a ton of young talent here as usual. Their pitching is also very young and needs a year to develop.

5. Washington Nationals - They may not be the worst team in the league, but they will still lose 90-plus games. A couple of bright spots, but not nearly enough to contend.

National League West
1. Los Angeles Dodgers - Manny Ramirez will once again lead the Dodgers to the division title. The Dodgers also have a lot of good pitchers and Jonathan Broxton is turning into a top closer.

2. Arizona Diamondbacks - The D-Backs will push the Dodgers to the last weekend of the season. Brandon Webb and Dan Haren are two of the best pitchers in the league but Chad Qualls scares me as a full-time closer. The offense is solid, but needs more plate discipline.

3. San Francisco Giants - Pitching, pitching and more pitching will bolster last year's lifeless Giants back toward the .500 mark. Young starters Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Jonathan Sanchez along with vets Randy Johnson and Barry Zito make up a strong rotation. The offense still needs help, but will be better.

4. Colorado Rockies - Offense, offense, offense makes the Rockies go. Troy Tulowitzki, Brad Hawpe and Garrett Atkins are just a few of the strong bats in the Rockies' order. The rotation still leaves a lot to be desired.

5. San Diego Padres - Wow, they're bad. Other than Adrian Gonzalez at first base and Jake Peavy (for now) on the mound, there's not much else to cheer about. Look for the Padres to battle the Pirates and Nationals the worst record in the league.

American League East
1. Boston Red Sox - The boys from Boston have the most talent overall. The lineup is outstanding with Youkilis, Ortiz, Bay, Pedroia, Ellsbury, etc. The rotation needs to stay healthy but should be fine. Look for Brad Penny as an A.L.Comeback Player of the Year candidate. The best closer in the league also helps.

2. New York Yankees - All of the money the Yankees spent will pay off. Sabathia is a Cy Young candidate and the rotation is very good with A.J. Burnett, Andy Pettitte, etc. Center fielder Brett Gardner will be one to watch.

3. Tampa Bay Rays - The Rays will still be good, but they played so far above their talent last season that I see them falling back a little bit this season, perhaps to between 85-90 wins. Tampa's rotation doesn't have the depth of the Red Sox and Yankees.

4. Toronto Blue Jays - Roy Halladay is a top starter and B.J. Ryan re-emerged as a top closer. The offense has too many holes to stay competitive in this division.

5. Baltimore Orioles - Don't look now, but the Orioles have a lengthy consecutive losing streak of their own (11 so far, working on No. 12).

American League Central
1. Cleveland Indians - Grady Sizemore will have an MVP-type of season. Cliff Lee will again lead the rotation and Kerry Wood will be a good closer.

2. Minnesota Twins - Every year the Twins are in contention and this one will be no different. Francisco Liriano should return to be a top starter and Cy Young candidate.

3. Chicago White Sox - The White Sox will take a step back from their division title. Carlos Quinten and Alexei Ramirez are excellent players but the starting rotation doesn't have much depth.

4. Detroit Tigers - Miguel Cabrera will once again be a top player. That said, the Tigers have problems. The rotation is shaky and the bullpen is even more unstable.

5. Kansas City Royals - The Royals will have a $70-75 million payroll, their highest in team history. Too bad, it won't be enough to compete in a loaded Amercian League.

American League West
1. Los Angeles Angels - Bobby Abreu will bolster the lineup and Howie Kendrick continues to get better. The rotation is a little shaky, but should be good enough to win the division.

2. Oakland Athletics - If Matt Holliday sticks around all season and Orlando Hudson plays as he is capable of doing, the A's will contend. Their rotation is very, very young.

3. Seattle Mariners - After a last place finish last season, the Mariners will improve a little bit. Felix Hernandez is a stud pitcher. There are still a lot of holes on this team.

4. Texas Rangers - Josh Hamilton was a great story last year. I think he drops off a little bit this season. Ian Kinsler's health is shaky, Michael Young could be traded and Kris Benson (yes, that Kris Benson) is the No. 3 starter.

Playoffs
National League
New York Mets defeat Arizona Diamondbacks (Wild card)
Chicago Cubs defeat Los Angeles Dodgers
N.L.C.S. - New York Mets defeat Chicago Cubs

American League
Boston Red Sox defeat Cleveland Indians
New York Yankees (Wild card) defeat Los Angeles Angels
A.L.C.S. - Boston Red Sox defeat New York Yankees

World Series
Boston Red Sox defeat New York Mets 4 games to 2

PIRATES SET ROSTER

The Pirates demoted Evan Meek to Class AAA Indianapolis this morning and placed pitcher Phil Dumatrait on the 15-day disabled list.

That means (look out playoffs!) the 25-man opening-day roster has been set. Here it is:

PITCHERS
Starting: 28 Paul Maholm (LHP), 45 Ian Snell (RHP), 57 Zach Duke (LHP), 49 Ross Ohlendorf (RHP), 27 Jeff Karstens (RHP).

Relievers: 17 Sean Burnett (LHP), 55 Matt Capps (RHP), 43 Jesse Chavez (RHP), 34 John Grabow (LHP), 38 Craig Hansen (RHP), 56 Donnie Veal (LHP), 30 Tyler Yates (RHP).

CATCHERS
41 Ryan Doumit, 35 Jason Jamarillo

INFIELDERS
36 Luis Cruz, 25 Adam LaRoche, 15 Andy LaRoche, 12 Freddy Sanchez, 5 Ramon Vazquez, 2 Jack Wilson

OUTFIELDERS
16 Eric Hinske, 13 Nate McLouth, 18 Craig Monroe, 3 Nyjer Morgan, 44 Brandon Moss

MAJOR CUTDOWN

The Pirates, after sending SS Brian Bixler and OF Andrew McCutchen to the minors on Monday, made eight more cuts today.

Pitcher Virgil Vasquez was optioned to Class AAA, meaning Jeff Karstens is the fifth starter.

Also, sent to minor league camp are: pitchers Denny Bautista, Chris Bootcheck, Jason Davis; outfielders Garrett Jones and Jeff Salazar, utilityman Andy Phillips and catcher Erik Kratz.

That leaves 27 players in camp. With pitcher Phil Dumatrait set to begin the season on the disabled list, that leaves one exta player, likely a relever. According to the Post-Gazette, the finalists for the last cut are relievers Sean Burnett, Evan Meek, Donnie Veal and Jesse Chavez.

That also means that Luis Cruz will be an extra infielder and Craig Monroe has made the team as an extra outfielder.