Shocker: McLouth traded

After three hours in the rain and cold at my daughter's softball game tonight, I thawed out (after a win) and called in the score to the Observer-Reporter. When the reporter told me the Pirates traded Nate McLouth to the Braves for three minor leaguers, I was more than shocked. It was definitely a WTF moment.

McLouth was dealt to Atlanta for triple-A pitcher Charlie Morton, double-A outfielder Gorkys Hernandez and single-A pitcher Jeff Locke.

It's tough to see McLouth go. He's a very good player who has worked his ass off to get everything he has in baseball. Nothing was given to him and he was seen as an afterthought for a number of years in the Pirates system.

When he made it to Pittsburgh and started having success (no thanks to former manager Jim Tracy though he would tell you otherwise), it was all earned. Last year's All-Star game nod, his performance in that game, his Gold Glove season and the career year McLouth had were all enjoyable to watch for a good player and a good person.

It was assumed by many that he was a face-of-the-franchise guy and he had a long-term contract already. His production hasn't slowed any and he remained the Pirates most consistent all-around player.

Here is the statement from Pirates general manager Neal Huntington:

“This may be the toughest decision we have made in my time with the organization,” said Huntington. “Nate is a quality player and person, but as we have said several times, tough decisions will need to be made as we build and sustain a championship caliber organization. Nate has worked as hard as any player to become a starting Major League Player, proving wrong anyone who may have doubted him. When we signed Nate to a long-term contract we did so with the intent on having him remain part of our core of homegrown talent. But the quality and quantity of talent we are receiving in this trade moves us closer to our goal of building that sustainable championship caliber club and compelled us to move a very good player and an outstanding young man.”

To the Pirates credit, they are sticking with their plan of rebuilding the minor league system. Since Huntington and president Frank Coonelly have come on board, that has been one of the focuses is rebuilding the depleted minor-league system.

The question remains at what cost is this occurring. Many fans believe, and have every right to do so, that this is the same old Pirates dumping talent for cheap minor leaguers. It's the same pattern that has occurred time and again for the past 16-plus years.

The organization should be thankful that they have as many fans show up as they do. No fan base should be put through what Pirates fans have been put through since 1992. All the organization seems to keep doing is alienating what few real fans they have left and not just the ones who show up for fireworks nights.

Even with Andrew McCutchen waiting in Class AAA, McLouth was still thought to be a mainstay in the organization and something the organization could actually be proud of - a homegrown talent who made it to the majors and reaped the benefits of his hard work.

Though maybe the biggest benefit of all to McLouth is that he gets out of this so-called major-league organization.

Six years ago, the night that another homegrown talent (Aramis Ramirez) was traded, then Pirates outfielder Brian Giles stated his displeasure with a very truthful statement and sentiment felt in the clubhouse: "Not all of us are lucky enough to get traded."

Today, McLouth got lucky. And now guys like Jack Wilson, Freddy Sanchez, Adam LaRoche and others feel exactly the same way that Giles did that night.

Enjoy watching Andrew McCutchen while you can Pirates fans. It won't be too long before he's the next one to be shipped off.

Matt Wieters facts

With the baseball draft upon us next week, it is once again time for the now annual teeth nashing that dummy Dave Littlefield didn't select catcher Matt Wieters in the 2007 draft instead of pitcher Danny Moskos.

Wieters has already become so legendary even though he has been in the majors less than a week, he has earned facts that rival those of Chuck Norris.

http://www.mattwietersfacts.com/

A deal is a deal

It's been more than six weeks since I've written on this blog, an eternity in the blog world, and there have been a variety of reasons why I haven't done so.

Without getting into all of the specifics, the main reason is that it is simply a difficult task to do so when your heart really isn't in it anymore. See, when I lost my job at the Observer-Reporter 3 1/2 months ago, I started this blog because in my mind I wasn't really gone from sports writing yet and there were still a lot of things that were very fresh in my mind. But as the days and weeks and months have dragged on, the more I have become removed from that scene and I've come to the realization that that chapter of my life has come to an end (all puns intended.)

However, one thing brought me back onto this blog ... my wife. The same wife that didn't like me covering the Pirates a whole lot during the years that I did so again for a variety of reasons, brought me back on this blog.

Without going into too many specifics, we made a deal ... if she went to the gym, I would write on this blog again. Sounds simple enough, yet she first went to the gym after we made this deal two days ago and I am now just getting back on this blog.

Why?

I guess this whole experience has been like a death in the family to me of sorts. The longer since someone died, the less you talk about the person. We all get caught up in our own lives and our families that even the people that were the closest to us who have passed get put on the backburner on a daily basis even though those memories still burn deep.

The same has been true for my situation and, in turn, this blog. The farther since the death of my sportswriting career, the more this blog has been pushed onto the backburner, even though I still follow baseball very closely and miss covering it and other sports very much. I know there is a time and place to move on, but some things are just harder to do than others I guess.

So, with that in mind, I am going to give this one more shot. I am not going to make any grandiose promises that this blog will be this or that. I'm not sure what its going to end up being to be honest with you. Yes, baseball will obviously be tied in and still a focus, but there may be times when it is not the sole focus. Just like in a baseball game where so many things occur that it is hard to focus on one thing as to why a game was won or lost, so is that also true in life. And even though we all have a gameplan, sometimes you have to change that plan in midstream in order to be successful.

I thought I had a perfect gameplan in place at ome time, until that completely blew up in my face. Now, like a manager starting a rookie in his first game, there is a lot of uncertainty in this game and the plan has completely changed.

I just still hope that I can come out a winner.

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