The Incline

Game 3 Recap: Defensive Failures

2012-09-25T00:12:00.002-04:00

The Steelers lost a game they shouldn't have yesterday in Oakland by the score of 34-31. The Oakland Raiders put up 34 points on the Pittsburgh Steelers after scoring 27 points combined in their first two games. This makes 2 games out of 3 where the defense has looked very below average. It is a disturbing trend that unless it is somewhat remedied, will make this team a borderline playoff contender and more likely a 8-8 or 9-7 team.

What went right? Big Ben continues to shine in Todd Haley's new offense and looks crisp and decisive in his decision making. And look at Heath Miller finally being utilized as much as he should be and has 4 TDs already on the season. The Steelers are also finishing drives and scoring TDs in the red zone, something that was sorely lacking under past coordinator Arians.

How can the defense be fixed? I think the answer to this is twofold. First, the young guys need to step up and produce. Lawrence Timmons looked ready to reach elite status just 2-3 years ago but now is pretty much invisible for most of the game. He's not alone but having him live up to expectations would be a great place to start. Second, I think the scheme needs an adjustment. Dick Lebeau has done a lot of great things in his career but he needs to adjust to the new NFL. Playing soft zone coverage and dropping your best pass rushers into coverage is not going to work in today's NFL. Quarterbacks will pick you apart up and down the field and we have seen that to be true so far this season. The teams that play great defense in the NFL these days aren't necessarily great cover teams, they are teams that can get after the QB and play physical man to man coverage that disrupts timing and forces turnovers. Today's rules are structured such that it is very hard on defensive backs to cover receivers to it is crucial to get after them in the first five yards by playing bump and run and getting after the QB. So far, the Steelers have not done this enough and it seems like when they do blitz more than four, the corners are still playing 7-10 yards off the line which negates the pass rush because the QB gets rid of the ball quickly to the underneath receiver(s).

Moving forward, the most important thing I think is for the defense to be aggressive and attacking again. Get after the QB with your younger athletic defensive ends and let Woodley rush the passer way more than he has been allowed to so far. Also, play physical man coverage with the big corners that the Steelers have. The talent is still there I think. The players just need to perform better, the scheme needs altered some and the Steelers need to attack again on defense and not worry so much about giving up the big play. (which by the way, is still happening despite them apparently playing to prevent it) Let's see some Blitzburgh!

The Steelers are off to a disappointing start, but if there is anything the NFL has taught us is that you never know what to expect. The early bye may actually be at the perfect time for this team as they get healthier and have time to analyze what is and what isn't working on the defensive side of the ball. Don't give up yet Steeler Nation, it is a long season and I think this coaching staff deserves the benefit of the doubt to make adjustments and put the players in the best position to win. The rest of course is up to the players themselves to step up and make the plays.

Slip Slidin' Away: Pirates Back at .500

2012-09-19T23:13:00.002-04:00

The monumental collapse continues. The Pirates fell to the Brewers tonight by a score of 3-1 and now sit at 74-74. There is too much frustration and sadness to even begin to comprehend how and why this happened but it has yet again for the second consecutive year although this one stings so much more.

The Pirates are 14-30 since August 1st and have looked pretty horrible in doing so despite having a fairly easy schedule during that time. What was looking so promising has just completely fell apart and "the streak" looks like it will reach 20 freaking years. The saddest part is that there is no way anyone can possibly have any faith in this team no matter what kind of a start they get off to next year. It really is incomprehensible how this can happen in consecutive seasons to his degree.

As an avid fan who follows the whole system, not just the ML team, I too am at a breaking point finally. My will has been shattered, my heart broken and my hopes for this team gone out the window. Looking at the roster and the upper minors, there is no help coming from within on the offensive side of things which is where they need more help. Therefore, they will need to make trades in the off-season to improve the club. I am pretty confident that I need to see some commitment this off-season to winning and some bold moves need to be made. This is the time to take a stand and start acting like a winning organization.

Bob Nutting takes a lot of crap and I still don't fully trust what he says. I need to see action. The deadline this year was a dud after we kept hearing that the team would make the necessary moves once in contention. If 16 games over .500 isn't in contention, then I don't know what is. This is the off-season to stop with the talk and get walking. If Nutting is serious about fielding a winning team and building a solid winning organization for years to come, it is time to move forward in the process.

First, fire Clint Hurdle. Clint did his job by taking a young group of players and instilling confidence in them and lighting a fire throughout the organization. But now that fire is out and he isn't the manager to take this club to the next level. His in game management is poor and is reflected by him having just one winning season in his 10 or so as manager. Next, it is time for Neal Huntington to go as well, the job will be more attractive to candidates now with some talent in the pipeline and some pieces to build around. However, the system still lacks a lot of depth despite spending lots of money in the draft. Trades will be a big part of this off-season if the Pirates are to improve and I want a GM who has a better track record for trading. Next, it is time to fire the scouting and development staff. Enough of these minor league players coming up lacking fundamentals and basic baseball knowledge. Time to get serious with development and stress fundamentals thoroughly. The Pirates scouting and development is still lacking and needs addressed.

Basically, I am calling for an overhaul. This group assembled now has done an admirable job and has now seen three straight years of improvement in the W column. However, two consecutive collapses and lack of minor league depth and proper development shows that there are still problems. This is year 5 and they still are not all too close to being serious contenders when you break down the system. The organization is at a crossroads where they need a new regime to take this organization into the next phase. A regime that can build upon what Huntington and Co. have done what be more efficient and creative in making necessary free agent signing and trades. It is time to win NOW. If Bob Nutting truly wants to win then he will not accept mediocrity. He will not accept consecutive collapses. To be a champion, you need to act like one and makes the moves necessary to reach the ultimate goal. This needs to be the off-season where drastic, bold moves are made to improve the club and go into next season with a squad ready to win NOW. If Nutting is not willing to make the necessary moves, he will be risking losing a lot of fans because after yet another collapse, us fans cannot really take much more.

Notre Dame Joining The ACC

2012-09-12T11:53:00.003-04:00

It was rumored for a long time, but today it became official. The Fighting Irish of Notre Dame will join the ACC in all sports, except football, whenever they pay the paltry exit fee of the Big East. Notre Dame will play 5 ACC schools per season in football, although the rotation and the status of Pitt's series with the Irish is still undetermined.

Some are saying this is bad for the ACC. Some are saying they are now the new Big East. They are wrong. The ACC has already upped its exit fees to $50 million. That means no more rumors of Florida State and Clemson leaving for the Big 12. It also means that the ACC will have a case to renegotiate its TV deal with ESPN. It also means that the bowl tie-ins for the Big East will suffer. The ACC's will improve.

I think this is just one step towards Notre Dame football joining a conference full-time. Again, this is not the same situation Notre Dame had with the Big East. I only see positives. As for Pitt, they will either keep ND on the schedule for years, or at least have them on a rotating basis. If the Irish become a rotating opponent every three or so years, this will allow Pitt to schedule West Virginia and Penn State. This move helps Notre Dame, the ACC, and especially Pitt.

Game 1 Recap: Steelers lose 31-19

2012-09-10T07:46:00.001-04:00

Good season, Steelers but that's all she wrote. The sky is falling and the window is shut. Dick LeBeau is washed up and Roethlisberger isn't clutch. Good try Stillers, but you'll have to get after it next year with a whole new roster because this one is too old and washed up. Oh yeah, bring back Arians too because Todd Haley's gameplan was horrible.........

Of course these are not mine, nor any other rational fan's thoughts after last night's loss but reading the message boards after the game (which is never really a good idea, but I wanted entertainment after a crappy Pittsburgh sports weekend) the comments above are pretty much a summation of what I saw from a majority of posts. Now, I know it's crazy to think that Steeler fans overreact but it's really scary how some fans think and react to one road game against one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time where the Steelers could've won the game on their last possession.

This game was filled with many positives and unfortunately overshadowed by mainly the play of the defense. But, let's look at what went right first, because after all I consider myself more of the glass is half full type.

1) Offense seemed to have a plan and was able to control the clock. - I was most impressed with the offense's ability to control the clock and put together sustained drives. Ben was getting rid of the ball a lot quicker and taking what was there underneath. Ben killed it on third down and was able to run the no huddle quite a bit which is also encouraging. Some may complain that early on the offense was a little too run heavy, but those are probably the same people that complained the Steelers didn't run enough under Bruce. I can't really complain about the gameplan as it featured a lot of variety and not every single run went to the right side like it has for the past couple seasons under Arians. I see this game as a nice stepping stone to continue to grow the offense.

2) Dwyer ran HARD. - Even though it looks like Mendenhall will be returning a lot sooner than expected, it was still nice to see Dwyer run so hard and continuously break tackles. I thought he definitely outplayed Isaac Redman and would like to see him get the bulk of the carries moving forward and be the #2 behind Mendy once he returns.

3) Steelers leave Denver relatively healthy. - This is a big one considering how close teams in the NFL are. It will be important for the Steelers to stay healthy moving forward and tonight it seems as of this posting that Gilbert and Foster are the only two possibly significant injuries from last night. It is significant that they are both OL since that unit seems to be hit with injuries every game. We will find out the severity in the coming days but I don't think either injury should be long term.

Well, that's about it for the positives so let's look at what went wrong.

1) Defense looked to have no answer for the no huddle. - The Steelers defense looked strong to start as it forced a turnover and two punts on Denver's first three possessions. Then Peyton Manning made the switch to the no huddle and suddenly the defense could not slow down the Bronco offense. Not every QB can run the no huddle like Manning and obviously he is one of the all time greats even after missing all of last season but you can expect teams to use this against the Steelers until they come up with a solution to slowing teams down.

2) Too many impact defensive players were invisible. - Did anyone really notice Timmons or Woodley? How about Polamalu when he wasn't dancing around the line pre snap? I am not concerned about Woodley because I know he turns it on and is a force every season but it has been awhile now since you could look back at a game and say Lawrence Timmons was dominant. He is really disappointing and is getting to the point where I am not sure if he will ever be what the fans and coaches expected. A few years ago he looked to be on the verge of superstardom, now he just looks like an average Joe. Steelers need him to be a force in the middle and it just is not happening. As for Troy, I am going to hold off judgment for now and trust that he will still impact games somewhat close to how he used to.

3) Young DL and CB.- I think the thing I come away from this game most disappointed in is the play of the DL. All we heard and saw all offseason was how much Ziggy improved and how McLendon was beast mode in the preseason. Last night they pretty much got it handed to them by a good Denver OL. The Broncos were able to control the line and run the ball pretty well and the Steelers got absolutely zero pressure once Denver went no huddle. As for the DB's, Manning will do that to a lot of corners so I am not overly concerned yet, but the cushions and losing out on balls that should be intercepted or broken up happen too often and the cushions made it way to easy for Manning to hit guys on comebacks and outs. Steelers need the young guys to step up and show marked improvement or it could be a long, tough year for the defense.

At the end of the day, despite all the problems on D, the Steelers had the ball with 3 minutes left down 6 with the chance to win the game. They opened in a tough place to play where fatigue no doubt played a role in the Mile High City. After one game, I think the offense's issues were more execution based and I really think this offense is going to continue to evolve and grow and really become lethal as the season moves forward. That will be needed because I am not as optimistic about the defense because I see their issues as both personnel and execution based. Getting Ryan Clark back will help because he is very solid and allows Troy to do more (and Mundy just plain sucks) and hopefully Harrison can return and be somewhat close to his former self. Those will be nice additions but the Steelers defense is going to need to get pressure or we will see more games like this even when it's not Manning lined up under center. I really want to see more aggressive DB play and the young DL start to dominate and get a push at the line.

Last night was only one game and there were definitely good things to take moving forward. One big question will be how the defense adjusts to the no huddle and whether or not they can figure out ways to get pressure on the QB consistently. They need the DL to step up and the secondary needs to be more aggressive. Offensively, they need to tone down on the penalties and continue to progress as they showed good signs in their first real game with the new offense. I am not down on this team by any means but they do have some significant issues on defense that do have me concerned. I still have confidence in Dick LeBeau and the defensive staff though so I expect to see some adjustments and better play from the younger guys especially once they are out of the thin Denver air and back home next week vs. the Jets.

Speaking of the Jets, they demolished Buffalo yesterday 48-28 and we will get to see our buddy Timmy Tebow next Sunday at Heinz Field at 4:25. It will be important for the Steelers to bounce back and avoid a dreaded 0-2 start. Keep checking back during the week for more Steelers and Pirates talk as well as NFL week 2 predictions.

Are You Ready for Some Football?

2012-09-09T19:09:00.001-04:00

Well, it is finally upon us. Now the games count and in a mere 2 hours, the Steelers will be well into the first quarter in Denver. Peyton Manning returns after missing last season and the Steelers return to the city where they were "Tebowed" in last year's wild card game. Lots of interesting storylines for the Steelers this season after losing key veterans like Aaron Smith, Hines Ward and James Farrior. A new offensive coordinator in Todd Haley and a revamped offensive and defensive line. How things will shake out is impossible to tell but the Steelers, as usual, should compete for the division and the AFC title.

Here are 5 things to watch for tonight in Denver:

1) Chris Carter replacing James Harrison - Harrison has been one of the best pass rushers in the NFL for the past 5 years or so. Carter didn't see the field much last year but has progressed nicely this year in training camp and looks ready to take on a larger role.

2) Steelers D vs. Peyton Manning- Manning returns after missing last season with a neck injury. What better way to test out his recovery by hitting him early and often. Manning tends to get happy feet in the pocket once the opposition shows they can get consistent pressure. Pressure will be key for the Steelers as they don't want to give Manning all day to find the many weapons the Broncos have.

3) The health of the running backs- With Rashard Mendenhall still not quite ready to go, Isaac Redman and Jonathan Dwyer figure to get the bulk of the carries. Both have showed flashes at times but the Steelers will need them to pound the rock tonight and hold onto the football in order to establish time of possession and keep that Manning guy off the field.

4) Big Ben's first real game with the new offense- Ben and the offense have had all offseason and preseason to learn and master the new offense but there figures to still be some growing pains. Limiting mistakes will be key and with a fierce Denver pass rush led by Elvis Dumervil and Von Miller, we will see just how different Haley's offense is from that other guy who's name shall not be mentioned.

5) Money Mike's Return- After sitting out all offseason and essentially proving nothing, Mike Wallace will play tonight and provide the Steelers with their valuable deep threat. Hopefully Wallace has kept in proper shape and can avoid the nagging leg injuries that seem to plague players to miss the majority of the offseason.

The Steelers will be without James Harrison and Ryan Clark in this game and both are pretty big losses. Hopefully Carter and Mundy can step up and fill in nicely. It is always important to get off to a good start on the season and a win in Denver vs. Manning would be a great way to start the season. Don't worry though Stiller Nation if the Steelers come up short as I'm sure we all remember last year's opening weekend 35-7 pounding from Baltimore, only to finish the season 12-4. With that said, I think it will be a tight game and with so many unknowns (Manning, Steeler O) it is hard to predict what type of game this will be and honestly no outcome would really be surprising. I am going to take the Steelers in this one by a final score of 27-20.

Now, take a deep breath and enjoy it.....football season is finally here.

HERE WE GO STEELERS HERE WE GO!!!!

The Pirates Blowing Their Chance

2012-09-08T10:17:00.000-04:00

Regardless of your feelings on the Pirates coming into the season, the fact is that they are now only 1.5 games back of the final wild card and are legitimately in the wild card race despite playing sub .400 ball for the better part of the past month. While the team's play may not reflect that of a playoff contender, no team is running away with the final playoff spot and the Pirates have as good a chance as anyone with the schedule they have remaining...assuming they take advantage of it. Unfortunately, that hasn't been the case and the Pirates are just 2-2 in the first four of six games against the Cubs and Astros. Last night's game was simply unacceptable getting beat 12-2 and committing 7 errors. It is games like these and the failure to beat bad teams that tempers the enthusiasm around the team despite them being just 1.5 games out of the final wild card.

Moving forward, the Pirates get to play the Astros three more times, Cubs six more times and Brewers three more times. If the Pirates are going to make the playoffs they really need to take advantage of these games. Anything less than 8-4 is not good enough. The team needs a leader right now, someone who is going to carry this team and put the team on their back. They need good pitching first and foremost and it has been way too inconsistent in the second half. Starting tonight, it would be nice to see J-Mac string together a couple good outings in a row as it seems he has been alternating good and bad starts lately. Offensively, Garrett Jones and Cutch need to continue to carry the load and Walker needs to get healthy soon. Rod Barajas should not be playing but I doubt Hurdle will change his ways now.

Games like last night cannot happen in the final month of the season. Last night's game should already be put behind them and their focus should be on winning the last two games of the series against a poor Chicago team. Ultimately, not beating bad teams often enough could end up dooming the Pirates and that would be a terrible feeling knowing how much more they could have accomplished by beating bad teams. It's time to buckle down and tighten their game up. It starts with the manager and works its way down to the rookies. Let's prepare for the worst and hope for the best, either way it should be exciting...unless they turn in more performances like last night.

Pitt Looking to Bounce Back Against Cincinnati

2012-09-06T12:18:00.001-04:00

After what can only be described as a demoralizing and typically Pitt result last Saturday, the Panthers only had five days to prepare for tonight's game against Cincinnati (ESPN, 8pm). What I'm most interested in is how Pitt bounces back after the upset loss, especially on defense. The team has had little time to prepare, but they won't have to deal with Isaiah Pead anymore. They will have to deal with new Bearcats QB, Munchie Legaux. Yes, that's the name of a real person.

Pitt's offense looked "okay" against YSU. Not good, great, or wonderful as some would have you believe, especially considering the opposition. However, if Tino can duplicate his performance from last week, the Panthers should be in good shape.

This game should be a real test and the players will certainly know the stakes. One of the most storied, treasured, and hallowed trophies is on the line for possibly the last time tonight. The River City Rivalry trophy goes all the way back to before the Obama Administration and before the advent of the iPhone. These two teams will want to forever be a part of its lore. It should be a great battle tonight.

I'll have more after the game, but during the game follow my completely serious, non-sarcastic thoughts on Twitter @The_Incline.

Hurdle's Decisions Continue to Hurt Club

2012-08-25T14:44:00.002-04:00

First off, let me preface this article with the fact that I believe the ultimate blame/reward goes to the players while the manager/coach can be criticized for only strategic decisions. Ultimately, as the saying goes, the players play and the coaches coach. The role of the coach/manager is to put the talent he has in the best position to win and put the players into roles that best benefit the team. The coach/manager has the task of putting the team in the best position to win night in and night out. Whether that is through personnel decisions or in game decisions or a combination of both, the results may not always be what the fans or team wants, but the coach needs to put players into a position where they are likely and more often than not do succeed.

This brings me to my post today which is a follow up to the one I did a few days ago on the Pirates' front office. With the Pirates playing not so good baseball for the past few weeks, and 19 years of losing frustrating a fan base and team that thought it was a lock to break "the streak" as little as two weeks ago, frustration is skyrocketing. So much so that people are looking to blame shooting clay pigeons on an off day as a reason why Bob Nutting is the devil and the Pirates continue to lose. My own way of venting is to analyze what has been going on and look at some ways the team is not being put in the best position to win on a nightly basis. In my post on the front office, it focused on not giving Clint Hurdle and staff the best 25 man roster to work with, especially when it came to the bullpen. Today I am focusing on Mr. Hurdle himself and how his decision making has been questionable at best, and why nothing about his managing style has changed but the fans and media are only starting to notice now.....because of player performance.

Last night Wandy Rodriguez was pulled in the seventh inning with two outs and just a man on first. Rickie Weeks was due up followed by Ryan Braun, Aramis Ramirez and Corey Hart. With Rodriguez being a lefty, Hurdle decided to bring in Jared Hughes. First off, I see why he did it with four right handed hitters coming to bat. However, Wandy was doing fine and Hurdle has kept starters in recently who were performing much worse that Wandy was last night.....much, much worse actually. (See Burnett, AJ and McDonald, James.) Let's move past that though and look at what happened next. Hughes plunked Weeks on the first pitch then walked Braun. That brought up Ramirez and what should have been a huge freaking red flag that Hughes just wasn't on last night. It happens. At that point in time, the smart move would have been to go to Jason Grilli who has been awesome this year and has gotten huge outs many a times. But, Clint stuck with a struggling Hughes and don't you know our old buddy A-ram hit a bases clearing double to break the game open. This decision and usage of the bullpen is just one example of how poor Hurdle has been at handling the starters and relievers.

Back in the first half of the season when the pitching was dominant, these decisions were masked. They were masked by the fact that whoever Hurdle went to, they were getting the job done. If Hurdle left a struggling starter in for an extra batter or two, they were getting the out. Now, not so much. Same with the relievers. This goes back to my whole point that it is about player performance ultimately but the coach also plays a role. Hurdle needs to give the team that best chance to win every single night. That is only magnified when in a pennant race. His refusal to go to Grilli or Hammer except when in the lead is straight stupid. Now that certain players are struggling and the pitching staff as a whole is struggling, Hurdle's poor staff management is really beginning to show. He has been reluctant to pull starters when it is obvious they don't have it and the team is still in the game only to see the starter blow up and the game get out of reach. Same with the 'pen and how he sticks with a struggling reliever rather than bringing in Grilli or Hammer for a game deciding out.

No matter how the season ends for the Pirates, and unfortunately it is starting to look like a very, very depressing and sad one, Hurdle needs to start making better decisions that put the team in the best chance to win. Now is not the time to stick with a guy struggling so you don't hurt his psyche or so you show faith in him. The players will not always come through, but there is something to be said about putting your best option on the field in crucial situations. Seeing Daniel McCutchen come into the game in San Diego to face the middle of the lineup after the Pirates fought back so hard to tie it was criminal. The losing streak and the team's level of play has been very frustrating but it can be turned around and it starts with Hurdle making better decisions and managing with some urgency......you know, like the team was in a pennant race or something.

Do the Pirates Know How to Take the Next Step?

2012-08-22T16:26:00.003-04:00

After another loss to the mighty San Diego Padres last night, the Pirates are now at .500 since the All Star break but have not been playing good baseball for the past couple of weeks. As I sat up late last night watching the game, I kept thinking about how the roster is assembled and wondering about how this team has handled being in a pennant race. The one conclusion I came to was that I am not convinced at all that management or Hurdle know how to manage this team for a pennant race. This is not playing out the season with a losing record, or building for the future. The future is now and your best players need to be on the field and the manager needs to put the best players in the best spots to win games....now.

Last night was disturbing for the simple fact that Chad Qualls took the ball in the eighth instead of Grilli, then after the game went to extra innings, Daniel McCutchen took the ball instead of Joel Hanrahan or.....well just about anybody else in the 'pen. I can see saving Hanrahan for a save opportunity, but at the same time you need to pitch your best pitchers first and to see McCutchen give up the winning home run while Hammer never threw a pitch, that was disturbing to me.

Getting away from in game management (which has been real sketchy lately, but that's another post), I am not sure Huntington has transitioned his thought process as fast as the team has transitioned to legit playoff contender. It is one mentality to break down and rebuild a team, and an entirely different mentality to do what is required to take that team through a pennant race. Every single damn game counts and now is not the time to play around with the roster and keep veterans on it just because they are veterans. Chad Qualls needs to be DFA'd and not pitch again. There is no reason to not turn to Wilson, Leroux or even McPherson down the stretch. While they are not full of ML experience, they cannot be worse than how Qualls is performing, and after seeing Wilson and McPherson debut, they should be on the team over McCutchen as well.

Having said this, I understand the 19 inning marathon and players being on leave have an impact on roster assembly so I am willing to see what happens after the game today with the day off tomorrow. However, this has been the management's MO all season, sticking with vets over younger (more talented) players. It is time to put the pedal to the metal and quit messing around. Trust in the talent no matter how old and go with it. Put your best 25 in uniform, use your best players how they should be used, sack up and play some ball.

Pitt Football Season Preview

2012-08-06T12:06:00.000-04:00

Head over to SB Nation Pittsburgh to see my preview of the upcoming Pitt football season.

It's getting closer to football season, here's a little something to hold you over...

Getting Ready For Camp: Is Ray Graham Ready?

2012-08-02T14:12:00.000-04:00

As Pitt prepares to open camp next week, a few questions remain: How will the O-line perform? Is Paul Chryst ready for primetime? Is Tino Sunseri still holding onto the ball like throwing it away will cause an infant to die? However, none of these questions may be as important as this one: Is Ray Graham one-hundred percent?

Paul Zeise of the Post-Gazette recently explored the topic at Big East media day. Graham and his doctors say he's ready, but Graham himself said that he doesn't really know how the knee will react when placed under stress. This could be concerning for Pitt fans. Graham's knee seems like it should be fully recovered and it sounds like it is. However, the part that concerns me is the psyche of the player. If Graham has an ounce doubt making those cuts and jukes that make him so hard to stop, then he will not be as effective.

Its a touchy issue for any athlete. Is my arm going to hold up? Is my knee able to handle this plant I'm about to make to reverse field? Is this next hit going to end my career?

Graham is also in a tough spot because (thankfully) the Panthers are blessed with a plethora of talented backs ready to step in. Sometimes those backups come in for the starter and never relinquish the spot. Rushel Shell and Isaac Bennett may have that chance. These two will put even more pressure on Graham to perform.

Hopefully, Graham will quickly regain the confidence in his knee. Pitt's offense will depend heavily on the running attack, whether it includes Graham or not. Any hesitation or slow start equal more playing time for Shell and Bennett. We'll know more as camp starts next week. For now this is just something to keep in the back of your mind.

Congratulations to Antonio Brown

2012-07-28T10:39:00.000-04:00

Antonio Brown signed a 5 year extension yesterday worth around 42.5 million dollars. This is a great signing for the Steelers as they lock up a young promising receiver long term. What makes this signing even more interesting is that it happened in light of the holdout by Mike Wallace. Mark Koboly of the Trib reported that Wallace turned down the Steelers latest offer that was reportedly around 5 yrs and 50 million. Should that report be true, see ya Mike! Wallace is looking and acting more and more like those diva receivers you see on other teams. I understand it is a business but at the same time he has no leverage in this situation and is just hurting himself and his team. If he turned down all that money and believes he is worth more, I don't blame the Steelers for cutting off negotiations. As a team that is constantly up against the cap, they need to be smart in not overpaying players. On top of that, the Wallace signing is tricky because he is a speed guy who really hasn't fully transitioned his game to be more of an all around receiver. He is one leg injury away from never being the same and losing some of that speed.
As for Brown, this signing shows that if you keep your head down, mouth shut and work hard while producing results, the Steelers will reward you and reward you fairly. Antonio Brown has become one of my favorite Steelers because of his relentless work ethic and attitude. Maybe Mike Wallace should take note.

Votto Out 3-4 Weeks....Pirates To Make a Move?

2012-07-16T19:56:00.003-04:00

Joey Votto is going to be out the next 3-4 weeks after having surgery to repair a torn meniscus. This is great news for Pirates fans as Votto is no doubt one of the best hitters in the game. The question now is- are the Pirates able to take advantage? The Buccos have a pretty soft schedule to finish out the month and one would figure that the stars are aligning for the Pirates to maybe take control of the division heading into August. It will be up to them to take advantage of this fortunate break and put more than a game or two distance between them and the Reds.
Having said all that, Cincy is still a good ball club and while losing Votto hurts their lineup, they still have solid pitching and other players like Brandon Phillips and Jay Bruce who can pick up the slack. The next question is whether or not Cincy makes a move and also if the Pirates would be better off making a move earlier before the deadline to maximize the time the Reds are Votto-less. It should be interesting to see what happens and if the Pirates can take advantage and really make this thing interesting.

Why Appel is Dumb

2012-07-13T17:51:00.002-04:00

It's official. Mark Appel has chosen not to sign with the Pittsburgh Pirates. While the Pirates will not have a 1st round pick to show for 2012, they will receive the 9th overall pick in the 2013 draft in addition to their other 2013 first round pick still to be determined. I for sure thought Appel would sign considering the Pirates were reportedly able to offer as much as 3.8 million, which is well above the recommended slot price of 2.9 million. However, Appel would rather return to college for his senior season and take the chance of getting picked higher next year and signing for more money. Whether this actually happens or not is debatable and a huge risk for Appel. Economically speaking, Appel probably should go back to Stanford and take an economics class to learn about cost/benefit analysis, because for this particular decision, his potential costs extremely outweigh the potential benefits. Here's my reasons why I believe Mark Appel made a very poor decision.

1) He will lose bargaining power by being a college drafted senior next year. Whoever drafts Appel next year will have instant bargaining power to offer him essentially slot money or even slightly below. Being a senior, Appel would have no choice but to accept or further delay his professional career and wait it out another year by playing independent ball or overseas.

2) Injury. Being a pitcher, Appel is taking a larger risk than if he was a position player. Appel is one pitch away from his career being in jeopardy or over. Tommy John sets him back at least 2 years in his development and would cost him big bucks in lost potential wages.

3) Realized gains. Say Appel signed this year for 3 million. He would have that 3 million in the bank. His money no matter what happens to him in his career. Now, with his decision he has 0 dollars. Say next year he gets taken top 3 (chances are slim he actually will). The drafting team will sign him for anywhere between 4 and 6 million dollars most likely. (this factors in fact he is a college senior and team won't go over slot most likely). Appel would gain in the most optimistic scenario, less than 3 million dollars. However, he will be one year further behind in development and one year further away from arbitration and consequently free agency. 3 million is pocket change compared to what he could get in his first year of free agency if he is even an average ML pitcher. So in the end, he is potentially getting more money a year from now, but in the end there is a lot of risk and real potential loss of overall earnings in the long run.

4) Absolutely all the chips would have to align for this to be a good decision. Essentially Appel would need to go #1 or #2 overall to make this worthwhile. For this to happen, everything would have to go right for him and even then he may not realize that much of a gain. He would have to stay healthy (out of his control for the most part), pitch as well and most likely better than he did this year when he already put up impressive numbers, not have any other baseball players in college or high school emerge and pass him up(out of his control), and oh yeah, hope the team that drafts him actually pays him the slot price.

At the end of the day, Appel made a poor decision whether you look at it from a baseball perspective (lost development time) or a financial one (lost earnings). The only thing I can think of to rationalize this is that either he really thinks he can be the top pick or two next year and wants the extra money up front that bad, or he and Boras think there may be tweaks to the new draft system that may allow him to make substantially more next year. Another factor may be that he is willing to take the risk because he comes from a very wealthy family and should something happen, I am sure he has their wealth to fall back on. Either way, I am not upset about Appel not signing since he was a luxury pick so to speak and if he is willing to turn down 3+ million dollars to play baseball, I am not sure about his passion for the game and if I want him in my organization.

Buccos At The Break

2012-07-08T23:50:00.000-04:00

Well, what a first half that was. The battlin' Buccos are in first place by a game over the Reds and sit at 48-37. That's right.....11 games over .500 and just 33 wins away from breaking the streak. So, what has gone right, what has gone wrong and where is this team headed? Let's take a look.

What went right?
The pitching staff as a whole was dominant. James McDonald has taken his game to the next level and AJ Burnett has become revitalized in the Burgh. The bullpen has been lights out especially in the 8th and 9th innings thanks to Jason Grilli and Joel Hanrahan. Offensively, the season started abysmally. Since June 1st however, the offense has been one of the best in the ML. Andrew McCutchen is having an MVP type season and leads the majors in BA (.362). Pedro Alvarez is showing continued signs of growth and his power is much needed. Neil Walked finished up the final two weeks of the first half on an absolute tear and his average sits at .291 at the break after a 5-5 day on Sunday.

What went wrong?
First off, not much at the end of the day. Hard to complain when the team is 11 over .500 but there have been some bumps along the way. First, Charlie Morton went down with an elbow injury and needed season ending Tommy John surgery. Erik Bedard has been terrible since leaving a start in Washington with back stiffness. Clint Barmes and his 2 year 10 million dollar contract have been struggling to hit over .200 all season and has played shaky defensively at times. Nate McLouth was a disaster and was released and Jose Tabata just looked like he didn't give a shit and was finally demoted.

Where are they headed?
With an easy schedule, its hard not to get excited about the Pirates making a lot of noise in the 2nd half of the season. The team will benefit from knowing what to do this time around and how to better prepare for the stretch run. Having 2 anchors in the starting rotation helps and the emergence of Alvarez and superstar play of Cutch will help a struggling offense. The team could probably use an upgrade to both the starting rotation and a corner bat. Jones and McGahee have been hot of late but an upgrade that relegates them to the bench makes the team much stronger. Prized AAA OF Starling Marte should also make his debut and he could be a huge shot in the arm to the club at the top of the order.
Things are looking up for the Buccos but they will have to take it one game at a time and show the ability to limit the damage when the inevitable slump begins. Last year the Pirates suffered a 10 game losing streak. Every team will hit a rut here and there but the good teams limit the damage. I think the Pirates are better equipped to limit the damage and should be able to stay in contention for the foreseeable future.

What to expect?
Well, I am going to be cautiously optimistic about this 2012 version of the Pirates. Last year the team had a brutal collapse after the break but it wasn't a huge surprise. As I said earlier, this year's team is better equipped to keep up their play and not realize a huge drop off. Last year's experience should benefit this team and they are one year older which also plays a role.
Here are 10 predictions for the 2nd half:
1) Andrew McCutchen will win the batting title.
2) Pedro Alvarez will hit the 30 HR mark
3) Both AJ Burnett and James McDonald will win at least 15 games.
4) Mike McKenry will finish with more HRs than Rod Barajas.
5) Starling Marte will hit over .290 and steal at least 15 bases from the top of the order once promoted.
6) Mark Appel will sign.
7) Clint Barmes will finish the year as the starting SS despite never hitting over .220.
8) The Pirates will win at least 55 home games. (currently 29-14, so at least 26-12 in 2nd half)
9) Ryan Dempster will be a Pirate.
10) I will be bankrupt if the Pirates make the playoffs.......and not care.

LETS GO BUCS

Happy 4th of July

2012-07-04T23:47:00.003-04:00

Looks nice, doesn't it?

Enjoy your holiday, this guy sure is...

Counterpoint: Playing The Waiting Game Is A Dangerous Business

2012-07-04T01:28:00.003-04:00

"Mmm, supple."

A few years ago, while discussing the Pens, I had a talk with a friend about building for the future. My point was that the Pens should not risk the farm unless they had a reasonable chance of winning it that year. His response: screw the future, win now.

That friend recently wrote this article. While having many valid points, especially about trading from positions of strength to acquire players in positions of need, I'd like to argue that signing Zach Parise (or Ryan Suter, but Parise is more likely in my opinion) is both productive for the short-term and the long-term future of the Penguins.

Parise gives Crosby that long-term, much sought after winger. He'll most likely sign a deal that will last for over a decade. The possibility of having Crosby, Parise, and Malkin (hopefully) until their late 30s is something to drool over. Also, Parise's leadership, style of play, and track record point towards him being a great fit in Pittsburgh. Will he be a bit overpaid? Most likely. I would shocked if Parise got over $8 million a season. What is he truly worth? Who knows, especially if Jaromir Jagr got $4.5 million from the Dallas Stars. I might hit the open market, but I digress. Drafting, developing, or trading for quality forwards is just as risky in the NHL. Its not like the NFL where rookies can come in and make a difference, unless you are picking in the top-5, or so. Developing draft picks takes years. Trading for star wingers using young prospects, most likely defensemen, also has some hazards.

Say the Pens make a play for Rick Nash, Bobby Ryan, or maybe even Corey Perry at the trade deadline. What happens next? Rick Nash and his soft, underachieving ways come with a cap hit of $7.8 million. Ouch. Bobby Ryan? He comes with a cap hit of $5.1 million and the prospects of the Pens losing many of their best, well, prospects. And then there's Corey Perry, he's a UFA after next season. He's currently a $5.3 million cap hit. He'll command much more on the open market. Trading for him at the deadline means you'll most likely want to re-sign him. Again, this seems like a Parise situation all over again.

The point is this: Parise can be the future as well as the present. His addition would make the Penguins a threat for the rest of Crosby's career. Yes, Shero needs to draft better, and I would love them to stockpile some forwards in the system, but the chance to strike hot is there. It's time to take that chance. They're trying to take that chance. The rest is up to Zach Parise.

The Waiting Game

2012-07-02T08:47:00.000-04:00

As I write this post this morning, no new news has surfaced in regards to the Penguins pursuit of Zach Parise or Ryan Suter. Hopefully, by the end of today we have good news regarding at least one of them. With the opening of free agency comes tons of rumors from "sources" about what offers players are receiving, what teams are in the mix and what those close to the player have said regarding their thoughts. Most is bogus. However, where there is smoke, there is indeed fire and most reports show huuuuuuge offers on the table for both players. This got me thinking......

Ray Shero has done a great job since taking over GM duties for the Penguins. He has made many great moves and few questionable ones. However, as fun as it is for us fans to dream of landing big name free agents, are the Penguins taking the correct route in building their franchise? Playing the free agency game is a risky business as you usually overpay for your target player because of competition from other teams to sign said player. In the era of the salary cap, this can be a dangerous scenario. The Penguins are already loaded with stars and will be right up against the cap every season so it is important for them to maximize their dollars efficiently. Sounds like another team in town doesn't it? Well, there is no doubt Parise and/or Suter would be a huge boon to the team but at what cost exactly? Do I think Zach Parise is worthy of north of 8 million a year average cap hit for the next decade? No I don't. Suter? Nope. But in all likelihood at the end of the day today (or whenever they decide) they will probably end up with that or at least something very close. This is the danger of the free agency game. The prices of these two great talents are being driven up by first, competition amongst teams that want them and two, the fact there is a huge gap between them and the next best available free agents.

The Penguins can ill afford to get wrapped up in this free agency game and would be better off taking a approach similar to what the other team in town does in regards to team building....through the draft. I know the circumstances this year are different and it is a rare opportunity to land a winger for 87 for the next decade, but this isn't the first time the Penguins have attempted to fill holes through big time free agents. Remember a few years ago when we were all jacked about landing Paul Martin and Z for long term deals north of 4.5 million a season? Seems like such a long time ago eh? Well, the Penguins need to be careful in this situation and not go above what Parise or Suter is worth.

Regardless of what occurs today, the Penguins need to draft better and focus more on developing from within and using free agency to find role players and serviceable players that can put you over top without breaking your budget. With so many large contracts on the books, it is vital the Pens don't rely on big time free agents to fill voids. While Shero has done a fantastic job of stockpiling young defensemen, the system is too lopsided and most likely trades will happen and that is exactly what should happen moving forward. Draft the best players available when it is your pick and then trade the extra assets to address needs throughout the system. Right now, the Penguins are teetering in a dangerous game more than I would like them to. The risk of overpayment is real as is the possibility of not landing the target(s). Get out of the free agency game Shero, build from within, trade your extra assets to address neeeds and use free agency only as a device to fill out your roster with small upgrades here and there. After today, let's not make a habit of playing the big time free agency game every offseason.

Farewell Jordan Staal

2012-06-24T08:14:00.000-04:00

My analysis can be found here. I'll elaborate a little more later this week, but until now I'll leave you with Staal's defining moment as a Penguin.

Good luck #11.

The Pirates Are Making Us Take Notice (Again)

2012-06-20T07:30:00.000-04:00

About the same time last year I wrote about the surprising play of the 2011 Pirates. I wrote that if they continued their play, I'd be forced to buy MLB Extra Innings so I can watch from 450 miles away. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. Jerry Meals happened.

Admittedly, I'm not the biggest baseball fan. I'm not like Brian, the baseball geek. I played the sport my whole life and could have played in college if I wanted. However, MLB baseball turns me off. First of all, its not really fair for teams like the Pirates. Secondly, the Pirates have been terrible for..well...pretty much my whole life.

These same feelings are creeping in again this year. The Bucs are back again. However, I'm starting to believe that this year that the Pirates are better situated to continue their run and avoid the dreaded 'coming back to earth'. I think they learned a lot from last year's collapse. They also have veteran starters like A.J. Burnett and Erik Bedard to keep the rotation intact. Last year, the pitching fell apart in the second half. This year, they have a better chance of succeeding. Another aspect of this year's team that I love is its ability to beat bad teams. Whether its the Twins or the Royals, the Bucs have shown them that they are the superior club.

So keep going Buccos. This town and it's fans want this team to be successful more than anything. Keep teasing us. Tease us until September this season. We'll love you for it. You are a likable bunch, much like the Penguins in their run for their 3rd Stanley Cup. There's personality, young stars, and crafty veterans. Pittsburgh needs the Pirates. We want it more than anything. My dad always said that Pittsburgh is a baseball town. Show us. Keep it going.

-Pat

Paul Chryst Still Can't Recruit

2012-06-16T17:16:00.002-04:00

Paul Chryst just isn't a recruiter. He's not a salesman. He can't pitch the program. He doesn't have the motivation or the personality to win in the living rooms of high school kids. Wait, what's that you said? Corey Clement, a 4-star RB from New Jersey just committed? Sorry, carry on with your day.

Maybe we should give this guy some time before we label him as a poor recruiter, just a thought.

Appels and Oranges

2012-06-07T16:12:00.003-04:00

The MLB first year player draft wrapped up yesterday and it looks like the Pirates have done well for themselves. In the first round, Stanford junior right hander Mark Appel stunningly fell to the Pirates at pick 8. Heading into the draft, many pundits had him as the first overall pick with most agreeing top 5 at worst. Appel is similar to Cole although not as polished. Signing him should not be to difficult as Appel really has nothing to gain by going back for another year and entering in 2013 when the draft class is presumably stronger limits his chances of being picked higher than eight.
So let's assume Appel gets signed. The Pirates now have four legitimate number 1 starter potential pitchers in their system (Cole, Taillon, Appel and Heredia). Obviously, Heredia is still a ways away and just 18 years old. Cole and Taillon are definitely on the right track, especially Cole, and Appel figures to move quickly through the system as well. Add this to the Pirates already solid pitching depth on the ML squad and in AAA, and Neal Huntington has pretty much accomplished what he set out to do in acquiring pitching and stocking the system with it. I love this approach because as most know, pitchers can be injury prone and there is a high attrition rate for pitching prospects. The more prospects you have, the more likely you are to see some of them impact your MLB team. The chances of all four reaching their potential are slim at this point in time, although there is definitely hope as all four have strong pedigrees. What the drafting of Appel does is give the Pirates another card in the hand and now you can feel pretty confident about 1 of them becoming a bona fide number 1, and most likely two of them will. Anything after that is a bonus.
Another factor to this pick and the Pirates being fortunate for once, is that the depth of pitching grows even stronger and allows Huntington to feel more confident in making a pitching for hitting trade knowing he has more depth now. The success of the Pirates minor league system is not based on how many legit hitting prospects there are vs. pitching prospects. It's the success of those prospects once they reach the majors and what Huntington does with the surplus of pitchers in addressing other teams needs. If the Pirates system remains lopsided towards pitching, that is not a bad thing, so long as those pitchers perform and the surplus pieces are used to address other areas via trade.

Sooooo.....About Ben

2012-05-31T16:00:00.000-04:00

Let me start by saying I am a fan of Big Ben. He's helped deliver two Super Bowls and nearly a third. He makes plays that stun you. He is clutch and a fierce competitor. All things you want in your QB. He is also a drama queen and it's getting old......quick.

There's two columns over in the Trib, one by Dejan Kovacevic and one by Joe Starkey that talk about Ben's "acceptance" of the offense. Ben makes a lot of remarks that aren't really necessary and while they could just be sarcasm, or him messing with the media, I don't think he is. Ben needs to accept, quickly, the fact that him and butt buddy Arians' offensive style, philosophy, whatever you want to call it, had run its course and wasn't successful enough. I don't care how many yards he threw for or that Brown and Wallace both had 1,000 yard seasons. Yards are for losers, show me the points. The fact is the offense under Bruce wasn't consistent enough, which is to be expected when you're constantly going downfield with low percentage plays. If you hit them, offense looks good. But more often time you're not going to and thus the offense looked like crap.

Todd Haley, I think, can bring a ton to this team. I think he is a hell of a coordinator and can really take this offense, and Ben to the next level. Let's just hope Ben's ego doesn't get in the way and he realizes that this could be the best thing to happen to him in his career. With a new OL that could develop into one of the league's best, and numerous weapons all over the offense, this offense could take off and make the Steelers really dangerous for the next 5-7 years of Ben's career. If Ben is willing to let it.

Sunday Funday

2012-05-27T11:14:00.001-04:00

Some sweet Sunday notes:

1) The Pirates offense continues to struggle mightily but luckily the Cubs suck more. On a positive note, it looks like Matt Hague will get consistent at bats so we will finally be able to see what he can do at the ML level.
2) Jason Grilli is straight filthy right now. He's struck out the side in back to back appearances and the last batter of his previous outing to bring his total to 7 straight. Overall, in 18 innings he has 33 strikeouts for a 16.5 K/9 ratio. Grilli could take over the closers role should Hanrahan eventually get moved.
3) Josh Harrison has been a nice spark for the offense but he is not an everyday player with no real defensive position. However, given the anemic state of the offense he needs to be in the lineup while he's hot.
4) Rod Barajas has rebounded nicely from a rough start and is back on track along with his career norms. As bad as a signing that Barmes, McLouth and McGehee have been, Barajas has worked out as expected thus far.
5) Look for Kevin Correia to move to the pen when Jeff Karstens finishes his rehab assignment. Correia has been the weak link in the rotation thus far and provides no long term value to the club as this is most likely his final year with the Buccos.

On the Gridiron:

1) The Steelers wrapped up their first week of OTAs and from what local reporters have been tweeting, Chris Rainey will definitely be someone to watch as he has been flashing astounding speed. He could be a huge matchup problem out of the backfield, granted Todd Haley actually attempts to utilize his halfbacks pass catching ability unlike Brucie.
2) The expected line of Adams - Colon - Pouncey - DeCastro - Gilbert has tremendous potential but it could be a rough start with two rookies on the line who will not be able to attend OTAs until graduation. Adams will need to step up big time or else Jon Scott or Trai Essex may end up manning LT until he's ready. My guess is the line won't really hit its stride until the mid way point in 2012.
3) The player I am most rooting for to make the team or at least the practice squad is Brandon Lindsey. (I'm biased). Lindsey is undersized but has flashed tremendous pass rushing ability. If there is any team you want coaching you in the transition from 4-3 DE to 3-4 OLB it's the Stillers. Hopefully he will show a little something and be a solid prospect for team depth.
4) Another story to watch will be which players emerge as team leaders now that long time veteran leaders Ward, Farrior and Smith have moved on. I don't think this team will have any problems with guys stepping up across the board and assuming more of a leadership role.
5) Early prediction for breakout player of the year: Cameron Heyward.

Hellooooooo Offense.....

2012-05-23T16:11:00.001-04:00

Alright, so the posts have been severely lacking but I'm hoping to pick it up here and get things going again with the Pirates in full swing and the Stillers starting OTAs. After today's game the Pirates stand at 20-24 with 6 games remaining on the home stand. The pitching has been outstanding but the offense has been even worse than I anticipated and I anticipated it to be pretty bad. Many are calling for changes...immediately. It's to the point now where it is hard to say that a guy will magically just turn it around especially when career numbers and trends say otherwise. It's unlikely Garrett Jones is going to carry this team or become a threat. It's also unlikely that Nate McLouth rediscovers 2008 and Casey McGehee rediscovers 2009-2010. Instead of writing an article on what the Pirates should do, I am going to take a look at how it got this bad. Let's face it, we all have ideas on what the Pirates should do before they are too far out of a weak division, but it doesn't look like Neal and Co. are in any kind of rush.

Let's start by looking back at this past offseason. The Pirates had strong pitching for four months, crappy pitching for the final two and an inconsistent lackluster offense for all six. So, what would the Pirates do? Of course they made smart gambles on Burnett and Bedard to help along a younger pitching staff and provide some stability. These look like even better moves now with the way the two of them are pitching but regardless of results, they were well calculated smart moves with little downside and lots of upside.

Now, onto the most pressing issue of the offense. How would the Pirates and their "small market" budget attract players at the most glaring needs of 1B, SS and corner outfield? They signed Clint Barmes, traded for Casey McGehee and Yamaico Navarro and signed C Rod Barajas. They knew signing Barmes wasn't going to improve the offense dramatically but it looked like a clear upgrade over the frustrating Ronny Cedeno. Can't blame them on this one really unless you want to be picky and say they should have made a run at injury riddled backup Jed Lowrie of the Red Sox, who the Astros got for a small price. Lowrie has lots of upside but was never fully a starter and battled injuries throughout his career.

My most pressing concern with the way the off season unfolded was that it seems Huntington was ok with settling on Garrett Jones and Casey McGehee platoon. Here's where I really get frustrated because there really wasn't urgency. There is no way you can head into this season with pretty much the same lineup as last year and expect significantly better results. Garrett Jones needed to be a bench bat and the Pirates needed a power hitting RF or 1B. (Before I rant, I do not know of the details of how aggressive the Pirates were in trying to acquire the upcoming players, all I know is they didn't end up with them.)
Three bats were available: Michael Cuddyer, Josh Willingham and Jason Kubel. Boom there's your power. None got ridiculous contracts by baseball standards and any one of them would have been a clear upgrade to the team. Willingham has an OBP over .400 and Kubel was hitting over .300 just a few days ago. Cuddyer is also coming along and putting together a solid season. So I ask this......why wasn't more done then, and why isn't more being done now. What on God's green Earth are they waiting for? The pitching will not be that much better with Cole and Taillon than it is now as a whole. The team ERA now is 3.34. Why is there no urgency with this management? Why was there none this offseason in trying to aggressively upgrade a terrible offense? They couldn't possibly have thought the group they entered the year with would be enough offensively to seriously contend.

Moving forward to the present makes this whole situation even more frustrating. OK, you screwed up and you didn't upgrade the offense and are now feeling those effects. What does good ol' Neal do? Makes excuses. Lame excuses like (and I'm paraphrasing), "we are more competitive in games" (he mentioned this on his Sunday radio show) and "there isn't trading in May or even much in June". EXCUSES! A loser's mentality. I raise this question, how can it possibly be justified that Nate McLouth has a roster spot still? What does he do to bring something positive to the team? If you can answer that you're a freaking genius. I don't even want to post his stats they are so terrible. Same with McGehee. Are you waiting for something Neal? Are you not going to make a move until you start trading away guys in late July because the team is out of it? I'm not asking for a huge trade, or even a trade at all. Just show something that you're attempting to upgrade the team. Would it hurt to call up Hague? Mercer? Fox? Granted their impacts may not be huge, but they surely cannot be worse than what McGehee and McLouth bring to the table and hell, they could get hot for a couple weeks and help you win some games! Any small upgrade at all could be enough for the time being to help win some more ball games until it's "trading season". All McLouth's replacement would have to do is get a hit, and boom! UPGRADE.

To wrap up this mammoth of a post/rant, all I am saying as a 23 year old who can't remember seeing winning baseball in Pittsburgh is that I am damn tired of waiting for the future. The future is now in front of them. They are getting championship level pitching almost every night and yet they sit idly by watching the offense failing to produce. (By the way, the Pirates are something like 18-9 when scoring more than 2 runs!) The division is up for grabs and the Pirates can compete for the title or extra wild card with an offense that even performs at MLB average or slightly below (accounting for the fact the pitching remains close to current level). The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and again and expecting different results, which is what the Pirates are doing with their lineup card every night. Bring some guys up, cut the dead weight and see what happens. It honestly can only go up from here.