What the hell?

[Illinest]

Walk-off bomb. Nobody home?
Homework assignment for all of you - get excited about Bucco baseball.

For me - the thing that I liked the best about this game was seeing Pujols get frustrated when McC ran down his long fly ball in the 11th. We've all been watching Pujols for years as he'd put a hurting on the ball and immediately do that 'fuck you' pose. In the past we've just been bullied. Nothing we can do against a player who so clearly outclasses us.
But now we've got a player who is clearly in the same orbit.

Of course the Jones homerun was great and Walker made sure we got to extra innings.


Oh and one more thing. I am NOT done with this season. Morton has been pitching effectively again lately and I think there's still reason to hope that the starters will complete the job.
Maybe all 5 of them are pitching above their heads, but if they keep it up for a full season then who really gives a shit? Right?

 

[Darkstone42]

TA Training. I've been checking scores, but now that I've given my soul to graduate school, it's going to be tough for me to keep up with the actual games. It doesn't help that they're just about over by the time I leave work, either.

 

[Burgh Sports Rule]

I agree. I don't know, you'd think that the 10 gm losing streak would have sapped my energy & maybe it is just the extra juice I have from the HUGE Draft Day signings that we got done last night? BUT this team & this group of players, has me as fired up for Bucco Baseball, as I have been in a very long time.

As I said in my post earlier in the Draft Pick Signings thread:

It may not actually be showing up in a Big way in the W - L for the Big Club YET.

However, I just feel that for the last 4 seasons now, especially, in regards to the MLB Draft that the Pirates Organiation is now, finally, getting things right.

Sports gives us no guarantees, no matter which one or all that we happen to follow. However, the signings of Gerrit Cole & Josh Bell & the others from this draft & recent ones, has me believing that the Tide Is Turning for the Good for the Pirates & I am Finally really fired up again.

I am "All In" with this team & the Pirates organization again & I 'm happy to be here.

 

[Illinest]

Let me suggest an alternate way of thinking about the work that NH has done.
Now I'm sure you all know that I'm not a huge supporter - I only think he's done the minimum that any competent GM should be doing - but the guy he replaced was such a screw-up....

So I think that the greatest contribution that NH has made is that he's acquired all of the 3 star prospects that DL should've had in the system. Think about it this way - Brandon Wood, Xavier Paul, Ohlendorf, Karstens, Daniel McCutchen, Resop, McKenry, etc...
There's a long list of players who (for the most part) aren't all that great. Replacement level players. The reason it's good to have a guy like Brandon Wood on the roster is because in the past we would've had a guy like Amazega, Furmaniak, or Hill. The quality of our replacement level players is significantly better than it's been in the past. Our bench is significantly better as well.

I think DL had a hollow structure with a few towers sticking up. Mainly Jason Bay come to think of it. NH has created a solid structure that might very well lose when compared to the opening day lineup of a DL team, but is better prepared to handle injuries or slumps and to play situational baseball.

 

[element1286]

For me - the thing that I liked the best about this game was seeing Pujols get frustrated when McC ran down his long fly ball in the 11th. We've all been watching Pujols for years as he'd put a hurting on the ball and immediately do that 'fuck you' pose.

That was one of the best non-dive catches I've ever seen. I can't believe Cutch covered that much ground. Off the bat it looked like a sure double.

Oh and one more thing. I am NOT done with this season. Morton has been pitching effectively again lately and I think there's still reason to hope that the starters will complete the job.
Maybe all 5 of them are pitching above their heads, but if they keep it up for a full season then who really gives a shit? Right?

Me neither, there is still a ton to watch. Even if they aren't a playoff team, it is alright watching knowing they are a decent team that could win on any given night, although they will probably lose more than win this year when all is said and done. There are very few guys I find uninteresting on the team, ie I don't care to watch their ab's or watch them pitch.

 

[element1286]

Let me suggest an alternate way of thinking about the work that NH has done.
Now I'm sure you all know that I'm not a huge supporter - I only think he's done the minimum that any competent GM should be doing - but the guy he replaced was such a screw-up....

So I think that the greatest contribution that NH has made is that he's acquired all of the 3 star prospects that DL should've had in the system. Think about it this way - Brandon Wood, Xavier Paul, Ohlendorf, Karstens, Daniel McCutchen, Resop, McKenry, etc...
There's a long list of players who (for the most part) aren't all that great. Replacement level players. The reason it's good to have a guy like Brandon Wood on the roster is because in the past we would've had a guy like Amazega, Furmaniak, or Hill. The quality of our replacement level players is significantly better than it's been in the past. Our bench is significantly better as well.

I think DL had a hollow structure with a few towers sticking up. Mainly Jason Bay come to think of it. NH has created a solid structure that might very well lose when compared to the opening day lineup of a DL team, but is better prepared to handle injuries or slumps and to play situational baseball.

Great point, I think he has shown he knows how to build a bullpen, but it took him a few years. After a few years of struggles with the likes of Denny Bautista, Tyler Yates, Steven Jackson, Chris Bootcheck being brought in or relied upon as 7th inning guys, he seemed to get a better eye when scouting talent. Sure he still gets the same type of guys, Chris Leroux for example, but they are minor league fill-ins, and rarely have a shot at making a contribution unless injuries happen.

This is the first year he has correctly built the bench. He tried in the past, Ramon Vazquez, Bobby Crosby, Ryan Church, but failed miserably. There were some neutral signings; Erik Hinske and Mientkiewicz (probably throw Matt Diaz in with them) were decent players, but were counted on too much or didn't fit the team.

I think this year he has built the bench well. In that he has gotten decent players with good results, and he has gotten guys to fit the team. The Pirates were short on speed to begin the year, and really didn't have a backup CF, in comes Xavier Paul. The Pirates were struggling at third base, and didn't have an adequate backup SS, in comes Brandon Wood. The Pirates didn't have a catcher after Doumit/Snyder went down, in comes McKenry who isn't much better of hitter than Dusty Brown, but 10X the defensive player.

As much as we'd like to think NH should know how to build a bullpen, build a bench, when hired it is still a learning process for him, and he has shown improvement in knowing how to build a team. Next step, correctly identifying and acquiring everyday players in the free agent pool.

On a side note: I've always wondered if it was better to build a bench consisting of guys in their primes (26 - 30), ie Paul and Wood, who have failed at previous stops than it was to build the bench consisting of guys who have always been part time players/fringe starters and are past their primes, ie Diaz and Hinske. If one group out performed the other group on a whole.