The Pittsburgh Pirates

Okay . . . let's try this again.

Moderators: Shirley, Sabo, brian, rass, DaveInSeattle

Gunpowder
The Dude
Posts: 8525
Joined: Mon Mar 11, 2013 7:52 am
Location: Dipshitville, FL
Contact:

Re: The Querst in Perpetuity: The Pittsburgh Pirates

Post by Gunpowder »

If Neil Walker were from Arizona, people would like this trade. IMO of course.
Pack a vest for your james in the city of intercourse
User avatar
bapo!
The Big Lebowski
Posts: 1729
Joined: Tue Mar 12, 2013 1:47 pm
Location: in the 'high danger' areas

Re: The Querst in Perpetuity: The Pittsburgh Pirates

Post by bapo! »

Gunpowder wrote:If Neil Walker were from Arizona, people would like this trade. IMO of course.
Exactly.

DSG, I like the Don Kelly idea. But Pine-Richland is marginally more blue-collar than Mt. Lebanon, so Kelly could never be a true Pittsburgh Kid like Walker was.

Heard yesterday that Sean Rodriguez might be coming back, which wouldn't surprise me. I still can't believe that Hurdle started Rodriguez at first base in the wild-card game.
Gunpowder
The Dude
Posts: 8525
Joined: Mon Mar 11, 2013 7:52 am
Location: Dipshitville, FL
Contact:

Re: The Querst in Perpetuity: The Pittsburgh Pirates

Post by Gunpowder »

Pine-Richland is at best like a milky collar. It ain't like he's Neil Walkerinzky from Monessen.
Pack a vest for your james in the city of intercourse
User avatar
bapo!
The Big Lebowski
Posts: 1729
Joined: Tue Mar 12, 2013 1:47 pm
Location: in the 'high danger' areas

Re: The Querst in Perpetuity: The Pittsburgh Pirates

Post by bapo! »

Gunpowder wrote:Pine-Richland is at best like a milky collar. It ain't like he's Neil Walkerinzky from Monessen.
Like I said, marginally more so than Mt. Lebo.

The Pirates need to sign Matt Adams. He's from Central PA, which isn't ideal, but 1) he went to college in Western PA, 2) he's white, and 3) he weighs 260 pounds.
User avatar
brian
The Dude
Posts: 27742
Joined: Mon Mar 18, 2013 10:52 am
Location: Downtown Las Vegas

Re: The Querst in Perpetuity: The Pittsburgh Pirates

Post by brian »

Important!

Image

Only DSG and I will probably get a laugh out of that, but still worth it.
Bandwagon fan of the 2023 STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS!
User avatar
DSafetyGuy
The Dude
Posts: 8730
Joined: Mon Mar 18, 2013 12:29 pm
Location: Behind the high school

Re: The Querst in Perpetuity: The Pittsburgh Pirates

Post by DSafetyGuy »

brian wrote:Important!

Image

Only DSG and I will probably get a laugh out of that, but still worth it.
I was also going to mention that the Pirates would get a minimum of three near-crying appearances from Leyland as a bonus of signing Kelly.

I'm sure Kelly also already says, "yinz", so there is no reason not to bring him in.
“All I'm sayin' is, he comes near me, I'll put him in the wall.”
User avatar
bapo!
The Big Lebowski
Posts: 1729
Joined: Tue Mar 12, 2013 1:47 pm
Location: in the 'high danger' areas

Re: The Querst in Perpetuity: The Pittsburgh Pirates

Post by bapo! »

Hey, we didn't acknowledge Pedro Alvarez. He was non-tendered, so I guess he'll be taking his talents to, um, an American League city, I guess. End of a frustrating era. Never a popular player here, showed just enough promise to tantalize, a disaster at third base and then at first base.

I felt bad for him towards the end. Teammates talked him up, talked about how hard he worked on his defense, but he just isn't a good glove. Having to learn a new position at the highest level is a lot to ask of somebody.
User avatar
bapo!
The Big Lebowski
Posts: 1729
Joined: Tue Mar 12, 2013 1:47 pm
Location: in the 'high danger' areas

Re: The Querst in Perpetuity: The Pittsburgh Pirates

Post by bapo! »

The Pirates traded Charlie Morton to Philly for a single-A pitcher. I'm bummed. Morton has always been incredibly frustrating, but he's been one of my favorite Pirates every since he got here. But he was an erratic pitcher with an injury history due a lot of money next season, so it's no surprise that he's gone. The question now is, how are they going to spend the money they just saved?

PiratesFest is going on now. It's a promotional thing they do every year at the Carnegie Science Center to drum up interest in the upcoming season. Coaches and players and broadcasters show up to meet the fans and take photos, etc. No big additions to show off this year. Instead, they jettisoned Neil Walker, one of their most popular players, along with Alvarez and Morton. Not great timing for a party.
User avatar
bapo!
The Big Lebowski
Posts: 1729
Joined: Tue Mar 12, 2013 1:47 pm
Location: in the 'high danger' areas

Re: The Querst in Perpetuity: The Pittsburgh Pirates

Post by bapo! »

The Pirates signed Ryan Vogelsong. This is pretty much the baseball equivalent of 'Gag on that cock, you lemon-stealing whore!'

A timeline: GM Cam Bonifay serves as GM of the Pirates for a few years. Does some good things, does a lot of Pirates things. Somebody goes to a game and hangs a banner: 'Face it: Cam has failed.' That's about as blunt as you can get. A week or two later, the Pirates face it and fire Bonifay.

David Littlefield is hired as Bonifay's replacement in 2001. His first big task is selling off parts before the trade deadline. He deals Jason Schmidt to the Giants for Vogelsong, Armando Rios, and John Vander Wal. Vogelsong pitches two games before hurting his elbow and undergoing Tommy John surgery. Rios plays two games before tearing his ACL. Vander Wal becomes The Other Man in the Derek Bell 'Operation Shutdown' saga.

This all comes back when hearing about Vogelsong's signing. I thought we had moved past this. Ugh.
User avatar
bapo!
The Big Lebowski
Posts: 1729
Joined: Tue Mar 12, 2013 1:47 pm
Location: in the 'high danger' areas

Re: The Querst in Perpetuity: The Pittsburgh Pirates

Post by bapo! »

Opening Day!

I don't have a lot of things that excite me in life. So, who thought that it was a good idea to have Opening Day on the same day as Wrestlemania? I want to space out my big events. Why wasn't I consulted? (There's also a Penguins game today that I will probably miss entirely.)

Anyway, baseball! I've been so distracted by other stuff, and I'm not in a baseball mindset yet. I'll probably be excited about the start of the season in three or four days, once I realize that it's a part of my daily routine again.

And part of that lack of excitement might be due to the fact that the Pirates are going to take a step back this year. They certainly aren't going to win 98 games again. St. Louis will still be good. Chicago will be even better. And the Pirates have huge question marks at 3, 4, and 5 in their rotation. That's not a recipe for success. They'll be a good team, but I'm thinking that they'll miss the playoffs. Maybe 84 wins, something like that.

They finalized their roster this morning and added a back-up infielder I had never heard of. Cole Figueroa. Sounds interesting, tho. Math geek and numbers guy. It's easy for me to root for players like this.

Let's go Bucs.
howard
Karl Hungus
Posts: 9467
Joined: Mon Mar 18, 2013 12:00 pm

Re: The Querst in Perpetuity: The Pittsburgh Pirates

Post by howard »

Ok, I'm an instant fan of Cole Figueroa. I first had that argument with my coach in high school. I cited as my reference, Williams TS and Underwood J The Science of Hitting, 1970. Some selected illustrations here: http://regressing.deadspin.com/the-beau ... 1511889371" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

here is one:
Image
Who knows? Maybe, you were kidnapped, tied up, taken away and held for ransom.

Those days are gone forever
Over a long time ago
Oh yeah…
User avatar
bapo!
The Big Lebowski
Posts: 1729
Joined: Tue Mar 12, 2013 1:47 pm
Location: in the 'high danger' areas

Re: The Querst in Perpetuity: The Pittsburgh Pirates

Post by bapo! »

howard wrote:Ok, I'm an instant fan of Cole Figueroa.
Yep. A fringe player confident enough about what he knows to be able to tell a star player, 'Don't listen to the coach. He's full of shit.'
User avatar
Steve of phpBB
The Dude
Posts: 8437
Joined: Mon Mar 11, 2013 10:44 am
Location: Feeling gravity's pull

Re: The Querst in Perpetuity: The Pittsburgh Pirates

Post by Steve of phpBB »

bapo! wrote:And part of that lack of excitement might be due to the fact that the Pirates are going to take a step back this year. They certainly aren't going to win 98 games again. St. Louis will still be good. Chicago will be even better. And the Pirates have huge question marks at 3, 4, and 5 in their rotation. That's not a recipe for success. They'll be a good team, but I'm thinking that they'll miss the playoffs. Maybe 84 wins, something like that.

They finalized their roster this morning and added a back-up infielder I had never heard of. Cole Figueroa. Sounds interesting, tho. Math geek and numbers guy. It's easy for me to root for players like this.

Let's go Bucs.
FWIW, Joe Sheehan's newsletter has the Pirates winning the division with 92 wins. The Cubs got better players over the offseason, but they weren't as good as their record last season and were incredibly lucky not to have any significant injuries, especially to their starters. Their bullpen also played above their heads.

The Cubs have a lot of depth in the lineup, but not so much with their rotation, and their bullpen is due to regress this season.
And his one problem is he didn’t go to Russia that night because he had extracurricular activities, and they froze to death.
User avatar
A_B
The Dude
Posts: 23323
Joined: Mon Mar 11, 2013 7:36 am
Location: Getting them boards like a wolf in the chicken pen.

Re: The Querst in Perpetuity: The Pittsburgh Pirates

Post by A_B »

Steve of phpBB wrote:
bapo! wrote:And part of that lack of excitement might be due to the fact that the Pirates are going to take a step back this year. They certainly aren't going to win 98 games again. St. Louis will still be good. Chicago will be even better. And the Pirates have huge question marks at 3, 4, and 5 in their rotation. That's not a recipe for success. They'll be a good team, but I'm thinking that they'll miss the playoffs. Maybe 84 wins, something like that.

They finalized their roster this morning and added a back-up infielder I had never heard of. Cole Figueroa. Sounds interesting, tho. Math geek and numbers guy. It's easy for me to root for players like this.

Let's go Bucs.
FWIW, Joe Sheehan's newsletter has the Pirates winning the division with 92 wins. The Cubs got better players over the offseason, but they weren't as good as their record last season and were incredibly lucky not to have any significant injuries, especially to their starters. Their bullpen also played above their heads.

The Cubs have a lot of depth in the lineup, but not so much with their rotation, and their bullpen is due to regress this season.
Reverse jinx much?
You know what you need? A lyrical sucker punch to the face.
User avatar
Steve of phpBB
The Dude
Posts: 8437
Joined: Mon Mar 11, 2013 10:44 am
Location: Feeling gravity's pull

Re: The Querst in Perpetuity: The Pittsburgh Pirates

Post by Steve of phpBB »

A_B wrote:
Steve of phpBB wrote:
bapo! wrote:And part of that lack of excitement might be due to the fact that the Pirates are going to take a step back this year. They certainly aren't going to win 98 games again. St. Louis will still be good. Chicago will be even better. And the Pirates have huge question marks at 3, 4, and 5 in their rotation. That's not a recipe for success. They'll be a good team, but I'm thinking that they'll miss the playoffs. Maybe 84 wins, something like that.

They finalized their roster this morning and added a back-up infielder I had never heard of. Cole Figueroa. Sounds interesting, tho. Math geek and numbers guy. It's easy for me to root for players like this.

Let's go Bucs.
FWIW, Joe Sheehan's newsletter has the Pirates winning the division with 92 wins. The Cubs got better players over the offseason, but they weren't as good as their record last season and were incredibly lucky not to have any significant injuries, especially to their starters. Their bullpen also played above their heads.

The Cubs have a lot of depth in the lineup, but not so much with their rotation, and their bullpen is due to regress this season.
Reverse jinx much?
Shhh.
And his one problem is he didn’t go to Russia that night because he had extracurricular activities, and they froze to death.
User avatar
bapo!
The Big Lebowski
Posts: 1729
Joined: Tue Mar 12, 2013 1:47 pm
Location: in the 'high danger' areas

Re: The Querst in Perpetuity: The Pittsburgh Pirates

Post by bapo! »

Steve of phpBB wrote:FWIW, Joe Sheehan's newsletter has the Pirates winning the division with 92 wins. The Cubs got better players over the offseason, but they weren't as good as their record last season and were incredibly lucky not to have any significant injuries, especially to their starters. Their bullpen also played above their heads.

The Cubs have a lot of depth in the lineup, but not so much with their rotation, and their bullpen is due to regress this season.
Thanks for that, Steve. I've given baseball almost zero thought since October, so I don't have the most informed opinion right now. But I figure that all of Chicago's young studs are going to be a year older and a year better. And they have that traitor Heyward now. (And I look at St. Louis the same way that I look at the Blackhawks: I'll just assume that they'll be good until proven otherwise. That seems to have worked for many years now.)

I want to note that the Pirates' regular first-baseman is John Jaso. (Michael Morse will start against left-handers.) He's never played first base before. This is the second year in a row that they're experimenting at first base. The Pedro Alvarez experiment didn't work out so well. Hopefully, this year will be better. Also, Jaso is a white guy with dreadlocks. For that reason, even if he plays adequate defense and hits .320, he will never be a fan favorite in Pittsburgh.
tennbengal
The Dude
Posts: 11975
Joined: Wed Apr 17, 2013 7:07 pm

Re: The Querst in Perpetuity: The Pittsburgh Pirates

Post by tennbengal »

If only the Cubs had the resources to make a deal for pitching later this year when they decide they need additional arms...
User avatar
rass
The Dude
Posts: 20209
Joined: Mon Mar 18, 2013 9:41 am
Location: N effin' J

Re: The Querst in Perpetuity: The Pittsburgh Pirates

Post by rass »

I felt aswirl with warm secretions.
User avatar
rass
The Dude
Posts: 20209
Joined: Mon Mar 18, 2013 9:41 am
Location: N effin' J

Re: The Querst in Perpetuity: The Pittsburgh Pirates

Post by rass »

Big game tonight! Who's watching?
I felt aswirl with warm secretions.
Gunpowder
The Dude
Posts: 8525
Joined: Mon Mar 11, 2013 7:52 am
Location: Dipshitville, FL
Contact:

Re: The Querst in Perpetuity: The Pittsburgh Pirates

Post by Gunpowder »

rass wrote:Big game tonight! Who's watching?

Im across the street...but watching basketball at a crazy Cleveland bar. Close?
Pack a vest for your james in the city of intercourse
User avatar
Steve of phpBB
The Dude
Posts: 8437
Joined: Mon Mar 11, 2013 10:44 am
Location: Feeling gravity's pull

Re: The Querst in Perpetuity: The Pittsburgh Pirates

Post by Steve of phpBB »

Man, you guys have had a rough time lately.
And his one problem is he didn’t go to Russia that night because he had extracurricular activities, and they froze to death.
User avatar
rass
The Dude
Posts: 20209
Joined: Mon Mar 18, 2013 9:41 am
Location: N effin' J

Re: The Querst in Perpetuity: The Pittsburgh Pirates

Post by rass »

thanks steve
I felt aswirl with warm secretions.
User avatar
Steve of phpBB
The Dude
Posts: 8437
Joined: Mon Mar 11, 2013 10:44 am
Location: Feeling gravity's pull

Re: The Querst in Perpetuity: The Pittsburgh Pirates

Post by Steve of phpBB »

Yeah, not exactly a brilliant observation on my part. Ranks up there with "It's raining," and "My, you're tall" and "So this is it, we're going to die."
And his one problem is he didn’t go to Russia that night because he had extracurricular activities, and they froze to death.
User avatar
rass
The Dude
Posts: 20209
Joined: Mon Mar 18, 2013 9:41 am
Location: N effin' J

Re: The Querst in Perpetuity: The Pittsburgh Pirates

Post by rass »

I felt aswirl with warm secretions.
User avatar
Steve of phpBB
The Dude
Posts: 8437
Joined: Mon Mar 11, 2013 10:44 am
Location: Feeling gravity's pull

Re: The Querst in Perpetuity: The Pittsburgh Pirates

Post by Steve of phpBB »

rass wrote:shit...
Yeah, it looks somewhat serious. But you never know until the investigation actually happens.

Maybe he did it to retaliate for the slide that broke his leg last year?
And his one problem is he didn’t go to Russia that night because he had extracurricular activities, and they froze to death.
User avatar
mister d
The Dude
Posts: 29048
Joined: Tue Mar 12, 2013 8:15 am

Re: The Querst in Perpetuity: The Pittsburgh Pirates

Post by mister d »

"LOL" - @PK88
Johnnie wrote: Sat Sep 10, 2022 8:13 pmOh shit, you just reminded me about toilet paper.
User avatar
rass
The Dude
Posts: 20209
Joined: Mon Mar 18, 2013 9:41 am
Location: N effin' J

Re: The Querst in Perpetuity: The Pittsburgh Pirates

Post by rass »

stabbed in the chest
I felt aswirl with warm secretions.
User avatar
Steve of phpBB
The Dude
Posts: 8437
Joined: Mon Mar 11, 2013 10:44 am
Location: Feeling gravity's pull

Re: The Querst in Perpetuity: The Pittsburgh Pirates

Post by Steve of phpBB »

Yeah, WTF guys.
And his one problem is he didn’t go to Russia that night because he had extracurricular activities, and they froze to death.
User avatar
brian
The Dude
Posts: 27742
Joined: Mon Mar 18, 2013 10:52 am
Location: Downtown Las Vegas

Re: The Querst in Perpetuity: The Pittsburgh Pirates

Post by brian »

Athletes in Chicago have a history of getting away with rape though so I wouldn't worry too much.
Bandwagon fan of the 2023 STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS!
User avatar
A_B
The Dude
Posts: 23323
Joined: Mon Mar 11, 2013 7:36 am
Location: Getting them boards like a wolf in the chicken pen.

Re: The Querst in Perpetuity: The Pittsburgh Pirates

Post by A_B »

brian wrote:Athletes in Chicago have a history of getting away with rape though so I wouldn't worry too much.
What am I missing? I thought this was bumped because of the HR barrage to lose last night's game.
You know what you need? A lyrical sucker punch to the face.
User avatar
brian
The Dude
Posts: 27742
Joined: Mon Mar 18, 2013 10:52 am
Location: Downtown Las Vegas

Re: The Querst in Perpetuity: The Pittsburgh Pirates

Post by brian »

A_B wrote:
brian wrote:Athletes in Chicago have a history of getting away with rape though so I wouldn't worry too much.
What am I missing? I thought this was bumped because of the HR barrage to lose last night's game.
Oops. My bad.
Bandwagon fan of the 2023 STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS!
User avatar
rass
The Dude
Posts: 20209
Joined: Mon Mar 18, 2013 9:41 am
Location: N effin' J

Re: The Querst in Perpetuity: The Pittsburgh Pirates

Post by rass »

I felt aswirl with warm secretions.
User avatar
A_B
The Dude
Posts: 23323
Joined: Mon Mar 11, 2013 7:36 am
Location: Getting them boards like a wolf in the chicken pen.

Re: The Querst in Perpetuity: The Pittsburgh Pirates

Post by A_B »

That's a hurter.
You know what you need? A lyrical sucker punch to the face.
User avatar
bapo!
The Big Lebowski
Posts: 1729
Joined: Tue Mar 12, 2013 1:47 pm
Location: in the 'high danger' areas

Re: The Querst in Perpetuity: The Pittsburgh Pirates

Post by bapo! »

Thought that this thread was bumped because a McCutchen trade happened. It's only a matter of days now, right?
User avatar
brian
The Dude
Posts: 27742
Joined: Mon Mar 18, 2013 10:52 am
Location: Downtown Las Vegas

Re: The Querst in Perpetuity: The Pittsburgh Pirates

Post by brian »

I always think he's younger than he is. I didn't realize Cabrera is only three years older.
Bandwagon fan of the 2023 STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS!
User avatar
rass
The Dude
Posts: 20209
Joined: Mon Mar 18, 2013 9:41 am
Location: N effin' J

Re: The Querst in Perpetuity: The Pittsburgh Pirates

Post by rass »

Purposely not following that.

Gonna be a hurter.
I felt aswirl with warm secretions.
User avatar
mister d
The Dude
Posts: 29048
Joined: Tue Mar 12, 2013 8:15 am

Re: The Querst in Perpetuity: The Pittsburgh Pirates

Post by mister d »

The team that deals for Cutch is going to be really telling and there's like an 80% chance this will be the right move but I get it. He seems awesome.
Johnnie wrote: Sat Sep 10, 2022 8:13 pmOh shit, you just reminded me about toilet paper.
User avatar
Rex
The Dude
Posts: 7264
Joined: Mon Mar 18, 2013 3:10 pm

Re: The Querst in Perpetuity: The Pittsburgh Pirates

Post by Rex »

Cutch for Ellsbury sounds totally fair to me and I'm surprised nobody has ever proposed it before.
User avatar
rass
The Dude
Posts: 20209
Joined: Mon Mar 18, 2013 9:41 am
Location: N effin' J

Re: The Querst in Perpetuity: The Pittsburgh Pirates

Post by rass »

I felt aswirl with warm secretions.
User avatar
brian
The Dude
Posts: 27742
Joined: Mon Mar 18, 2013 10:52 am
Location: Downtown Las Vegas

Re: The Querst in Perpetuity: The Pittsburgh Pirates

Post by brian »

What is this, Minority Report? How can he commit a crime in THE FUTURE!
Bandwagon fan of the 2023 STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS!
Post Reply