Play Ball!!!
Re: Play Ball!!!
by craig » Wed Mar 30, 2011 10:29 pm
about time huh !! i am taking the day off work from opening day !!..well not really but i am salmon fishing in the columbia rive in the morning and have to be back in front of the tele by 1 pm PST to watch the cards !!! if the world is right i will catch a nice spring chinook and the cards will win
- craig
- Posts: 177
- Joined: Thu Jan 13, 2011 1:00 pm
Re: Play Ball!!!
by Rich » Thu Mar 31, 2011 2:43 pm
The Art of Being Out of the Playoffs Before Game 1
By Kevin Jameson
October 14th, 1992. This is the date of the last meaningful game the Pittsburgh Pirates played.
Doug Drabek versus John Smoltz. Drabek had held the potent Atlanta offense to no runs through eight innings. In the ninth he loaded the bases. Later in that inning the bases were cleared—the details of this meltdown are still too fresh and maddening for a Pirates fan to recount. And the Pittsburgh Pirates lost their third NLCS in three years.
Since that season they have lost no fewer than 83 games in any year.
At the beginning of any season, there are probably anywhere between 20-25 teams that legitimately have a chance at making the playoffs. Maybe 10 of those are confident they can make a decent playoff run. Five or six of those have a real chance of advancing all the way to the World Series.
The Pirates are not one of these teams.
There are no guarantees in life except death, taxes and the Pirates not making the playoffs. In spite of several changes in ownership, front office personnel, managers, and venue (PNC Park opened in 2001), the Pirates haven't sniffed the playoffs since 1992 and have finished in the basement of the NL Central for the last five seasons.
This is tragic for a city that loves sports as much as Pittsburgh. Folks often say that Pittsburgh is too much of a football town—that even if the Pirates were good they wouldn't sell out games (like the Tampa Bay Rays). But these people forget the 1970's when Willie Stargell and Roberto Clemente were as big as Terry Bradshaw and Jack Lambert.
It seems like another lifetime, but Barry Bonds once wore black and gold.
They forget the early 1990's when Barry Bonds and Andy Van Slyke were heroes on par with Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr. This is a city that would love baseball if it were given a team to love.
Hell, Pittsburghers would love baseball if they were given a team that was merely competitive. AMEN TO THAT !!
But last year the lowly Bucs dropped a staggering 105 games, setting a franchise record for single-season futility in the 162-game era. There is no reason to believe this year will be any different.
Pirates fans have been told for the last 18 years—since the departure of Barry Bonds and Bobby Bonilla—that the team is "rebuilding." This is a term that Bucs fans have become quite familiar with since 1996, when Kevin McClatchy purchased the Pirates. "Rebuilding." It is a term that current owner Bob Nutting continues to use today.
But why does it take so long to rebuild? In the nearly two decades the Pirates have been "trying" to piece together a competitive roster they have let countless proven veterans and promising prospects get snatched up by teams that were willing to spend money. The Pirates are so cheap, in fact, that their 2010 payroll of $34,943,000 is only $2,353,822 more than they spent on their 1992 roster, when they spent $32,589,167 (or, roughly what Albert Pujols wants to get paid per year).
Let that sink in for a minute.
One would think that if a team can only afford to spend so little that they must be in pretty deep financial trouble. However, in financial documents released by Deadspin last August it was revealed that in 2007 the team made a profit of just over $15 million (they went 68-94 that season), and in 2008 the organization netted $14,408,249 (for a record of 67-95).
Could Jose Tabata be the man that brings the Pirates back to relevance?
Jared Wickerham/Getty Images So the question becomes: if Bob Nutting and company can earn that kind of money with the worst product in the sport, what is their motivation to field a competitive team that will invariably cost them more money?
In fairness to the organization, there are signs that the Bucs brass is spending a little more than in past years—it's just not on the field. In April of 2009 the Pirates announced that they had opened a multi-million dollar training facility in the Dominican Republic in an effort to more effectively develop and scout prospects in Latin America.
The early fruits of this labor have blossomed in the person of Jose Tabata—the 22-year-old Venezuelan who hit .299 for the Pirates in his rookie campaign last year and is expected to be one of the offensive leaders of the club going forward.
But if Tabata does develop into the superstar the Pirates hope he will become, will the team be willing to pay the money to keep him? Or will they trade him away for more prospects like they did with Brian Giles, Aramis Ramirez, etc. Only time will tell, but ultimately the Pirates are going to have to dust off the checkbook for some on-field talent if they ever expect to be competitive again.
In the meantime the Pirates take the field today knowing that the only thing they will be playing for this year is to stay out of last place. Baseball Prospectus places their odds at making the playoffs at a scant 0.8%. It is sad to say, but we all know they are being generous. The Pirates making the playoffs is more unlikely than VCU's NCAA tournament run.
And it will likely be that way for a long time to come.
BUT ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COIN.....I AM A YANKEES FAN !
Rich
By Kevin Jameson
October 14th, 1992. This is the date of the last meaningful game the Pittsburgh Pirates played.
Doug Drabek versus John Smoltz. Drabek had held the potent Atlanta offense to no runs through eight innings. In the ninth he loaded the bases. Later in that inning the bases were cleared—the details of this meltdown are still too fresh and maddening for a Pirates fan to recount. And the Pittsburgh Pirates lost their third NLCS in three years.
Since that season they have lost no fewer than 83 games in any year.
At the beginning of any season, there are probably anywhere between 20-25 teams that legitimately have a chance at making the playoffs. Maybe 10 of those are confident they can make a decent playoff run. Five or six of those have a real chance of advancing all the way to the World Series.
The Pirates are not one of these teams.
There are no guarantees in life except death, taxes and the Pirates not making the playoffs. In spite of several changes in ownership, front office personnel, managers, and venue (PNC Park opened in 2001), the Pirates haven't sniffed the playoffs since 1992 and have finished in the basement of the NL Central for the last five seasons.
This is tragic for a city that loves sports as much as Pittsburgh. Folks often say that Pittsburgh is too much of a football town—that even if the Pirates were good they wouldn't sell out games (like the Tampa Bay Rays). But these people forget the 1970's when Willie Stargell and Roberto Clemente were as big as Terry Bradshaw and Jack Lambert.
It seems like another lifetime, but Barry Bonds once wore black and gold.
They forget the early 1990's when Barry Bonds and Andy Van Slyke were heroes on par with Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr. This is a city that would love baseball if it were given a team to love.
Hell, Pittsburghers would love baseball if they were given a team that was merely competitive. AMEN TO THAT !!
But last year the lowly Bucs dropped a staggering 105 games, setting a franchise record for single-season futility in the 162-game era. There is no reason to believe this year will be any different.
Pirates fans have been told for the last 18 years—since the departure of Barry Bonds and Bobby Bonilla—that the team is "rebuilding." This is a term that Bucs fans have become quite familiar with since 1996, when Kevin McClatchy purchased the Pirates. "Rebuilding." It is a term that current owner Bob Nutting continues to use today.
But why does it take so long to rebuild? In the nearly two decades the Pirates have been "trying" to piece together a competitive roster they have let countless proven veterans and promising prospects get snatched up by teams that were willing to spend money. The Pirates are so cheap, in fact, that their 2010 payroll of $34,943,000 is only $2,353,822 more than they spent on their 1992 roster, when they spent $32,589,167 (or, roughly what Albert Pujols wants to get paid per year).
Let that sink in for a minute.
One would think that if a team can only afford to spend so little that they must be in pretty deep financial trouble. However, in financial documents released by Deadspin last August it was revealed that in 2007 the team made a profit of just over $15 million (they went 68-94 that season), and in 2008 the organization netted $14,408,249 (for a record of 67-95).
Could Jose Tabata be the man that brings the Pirates back to relevance?
Jared Wickerham/Getty Images So the question becomes: if Bob Nutting and company can earn that kind of money with the worst product in the sport, what is their motivation to field a competitive team that will invariably cost them more money?
In fairness to the organization, there are signs that the Bucs brass is spending a little more than in past years—it's just not on the field. In April of 2009 the Pirates announced that they had opened a multi-million dollar training facility in the Dominican Republic in an effort to more effectively develop and scout prospects in Latin America.
The early fruits of this labor have blossomed in the person of Jose Tabata—the 22-year-old Venezuelan who hit .299 for the Pirates in his rookie campaign last year and is expected to be one of the offensive leaders of the club going forward.
But if Tabata does develop into the superstar the Pirates hope he will become, will the team be willing to pay the money to keep him? Or will they trade him away for more prospects like they did with Brian Giles, Aramis Ramirez, etc. Only time will tell, but ultimately the Pirates are going to have to dust off the checkbook for some on-field talent if they ever expect to be competitive again.
In the meantime the Pirates take the field today knowing that the only thing they will be playing for this year is to stay out of last place. Baseball Prospectus places their odds at making the playoffs at a scant 0.8%. It is sad to say, but we all know they are being generous. The Pirates making the playoffs is more unlikely than VCU's NCAA tournament run.
And it will likely be that way for a long time to come.
BUT ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COIN.....I AM A YANKEES FAN !
Rich
- Rich
- Posts: 20
- Joined: Wed Jan 12, 2011 11:39 am
Re: Play Ball!!!
by kate » Thu Mar 31, 2011 5:46 pm
Well then you're happy today, along with Arlene.
The Cards were ahead when I checked in - how'd they do, Craig?
The Cards were ahead when I checked in - how'd they do, Craig?
- kate
- Site Admin
- Posts: 105
- Joined: Sun Jan 09, 2011 5:49 pm
Re: Play Ball!!!
by craig » Thu Mar 31, 2011 9:52 pm
Well Kate i took the day off , got up at 5 went and fished all day with no action , came home just in time to see the Cards blow the game with 2 outs in the 9th ..no closer.... then they lost it in the 11th , with sloppy play , and Big Albert set a record going 0 for 5 hitting into 3 double plays .... ANY QUESTIONS ????
- craig
- Posts: 177
- Joined: Thu Jan 13, 2011 1:00 pm
Re: Play Ball!!!
by russ » Fri Apr 01, 2011 5:49 am
Nonesuch Artists Weigh in on Baseball's Opening Day
MLB Opening Day 2011: Prystowsky, Newman
Today is Opening Day for Major League Baseball, and, as with fans everywhere and in all walks of life, team loyalties run deep among Nonesuch artists (and staff members). Chris Thile, an avowed Cubs fan, is on tour in Florida with the Punch Brothers and kicked off the day with an early morning and graciously ecumenical tweet, wishing everyone a "Happy Opening Day!"
The Low Anthem's Jeff Prystowsky, who is currently in Switzerland on a tour of Europe with his band, is among the "heavy-hitting bassists who happen to be big baseball fans" featured in ESPN's 2011 "bass-ball" preview. ESPN's Jim Wilkie says the sport "is interwoven into the life of The Low Anthem's Prystowsky," who once taught a course on the subject at a Providence high school.
Less fixed than his appreciation of the sport is his allegiance to any one team. "[W]hat I started to do is every year, I just loved the game, so every year I would pick a different team," Prystowsky tells Wilkie. "And last year I rooted for the Cardinals, and this year I'm rooting for the Orioles. (Laughs) Orioles is the short answer, but the long answer would be I'm a former Yankees (fan), so there should be like a support group for us, for former Yankees fans who are looking for a new team."
Read more of Prystowsky's explanation for his pick, find out a few of his favorites in the sport, and see some more of his predictions for the season ahead, at espn.com.
---
Paste magazine was able to track down musician fans of each of the MLB teams, including Dodgers fan Randy Newman. Yes, everyone knows Newman loves L.A., but, like Prystowsky, his support for the sport runs deeper.
"I love baseball," says Newman, who won a Grammy Award for his score to the classic baseball film The Natural. "My favorite teams were the Hollywood Stars of the PCL and the Brooklyn Dodgers. What I remember best about the experience of going to a ball game is how beautiful it looked when you came through the tunnel and you saw a green field. It didn’t matter whether it was Gilmore Field (the home of the Stars), the Coliseum (which incidentally was a very odd looking ballpark) or Dodger Stadium. The thrill was the same ... I think that baseball fields are about the most beautiful things in the world.”
Read more of what Newman has to say on the subject and read other musicians' takes at pastemagazine.com.
---
Emmylou Harris, another stalwart fan of the sport, recently chose a baseball metaphor for her and her band's first public performances of songs from her forthcoming album, Hard Bargain, at the SXSW Music Conference in Austin. "You're seeing our spring training," she quipped. You can watch one of the songs from that performance from the IFC Crossroads House here. Stay tuned for regular season play as Harris heads out on tour this spring; for details, visit nonesuch.com/on-tour.
http://www.nonesuch.com/journal/nonesuc ... 2011-03-31
MLB Opening Day 2011: Prystowsky, Newman
Today is Opening Day for Major League Baseball, and, as with fans everywhere and in all walks of life, team loyalties run deep among Nonesuch artists (and staff members). Chris Thile, an avowed Cubs fan, is on tour in Florida with the Punch Brothers and kicked off the day with an early morning and graciously ecumenical tweet, wishing everyone a "Happy Opening Day!"
The Low Anthem's Jeff Prystowsky, who is currently in Switzerland on a tour of Europe with his band, is among the "heavy-hitting bassists who happen to be big baseball fans" featured in ESPN's 2011 "bass-ball" preview. ESPN's Jim Wilkie says the sport "is interwoven into the life of The Low Anthem's Prystowsky," who once taught a course on the subject at a Providence high school.
Less fixed than his appreciation of the sport is his allegiance to any one team. "[W]hat I started to do is every year, I just loved the game, so every year I would pick a different team," Prystowsky tells Wilkie. "And last year I rooted for the Cardinals, and this year I'm rooting for the Orioles. (Laughs) Orioles is the short answer, but the long answer would be I'm a former Yankees (fan), so there should be like a support group for us, for former Yankees fans who are looking for a new team."
Read more of Prystowsky's explanation for his pick, find out a few of his favorites in the sport, and see some more of his predictions for the season ahead, at espn.com.
---
Paste magazine was able to track down musician fans of each of the MLB teams, including Dodgers fan Randy Newman. Yes, everyone knows Newman loves L.A., but, like Prystowsky, his support for the sport runs deeper.
"I love baseball," says Newman, who won a Grammy Award for his score to the classic baseball film The Natural. "My favorite teams were the Hollywood Stars of the PCL and the Brooklyn Dodgers. What I remember best about the experience of going to a ball game is how beautiful it looked when you came through the tunnel and you saw a green field. It didn’t matter whether it was Gilmore Field (the home of the Stars), the Coliseum (which incidentally was a very odd looking ballpark) or Dodger Stadium. The thrill was the same ... I think that baseball fields are about the most beautiful things in the world.”
Read more of what Newman has to say on the subject and read other musicians' takes at pastemagazine.com.
---
Emmylou Harris, another stalwart fan of the sport, recently chose a baseball metaphor for her and her band's first public performances of songs from her forthcoming album, Hard Bargain, at the SXSW Music Conference in Austin. "You're seeing our spring training," she quipped. You can watch one of the songs from that performance from the IFC Crossroads House here. Stay tuned for regular season play as Harris heads out on tour this spring; for details, visit nonesuch.com/on-tour.
http://www.nonesuch.com/journal/nonesuc ... 2011-03-31
for all the rest of my days...
- russ
- Posts: 798
- Joined: Mon Jan 10, 2011 11:33 am
- Location: Carrollton, Georgia
Re: Play Ball!!!
by Arlene » Mon Apr 04, 2011 8:26 pm
Hey Kate-
FYI. You know what other team lost their first three games of the season? The 1998 Yankees, who won 114 games in the regular season, and then went 11 and 2 in the playoffs, sweeping the World Series in four straight....
I'm still concerned that the boys in pinstripes won't make the playoffs-- I don't think I'd have similar concerns if I rooted for a team with the best and deepest starting pitching in the AL.
FYI. You know what other team lost their first three games of the season? The 1998 Yankees, who won 114 games in the regular season, and then went 11 and 2 in the playoffs, sweeping the World Series in four straight....
I'm still concerned that the boys in pinstripes won't make the playoffs-- I don't think I'd have similar concerns if I rooted for a team with the best and deepest starting pitching in the AL.
Arlene
- Arlene
- Posts: 322
- Joined: Mon Jan 10, 2011 5:14 pm
Re: Play Ball!!!
by kate » Tue Apr 05, 2011 7:25 am
Hey Arlene,
Has baseball season started? I thought I was watching spring training games. :)
Kate
Has baseball season started? I thought I was watching spring training games. :)
Kate
- kate
- Site Admin
- Posts: 105
- Joined: Sun Jan 09, 2011 5:49 pm
Re: Play Ball!!!
by craig » Wed Apr 06, 2011 10:02 pm
KATE ... O-5 ?? ARE YOU KIDDING ME ?? AT least my meager birds have eeked out 2 wins but losing to the pirates ,, thats like losing to the indians .. oops .. sorry .......
- craig
- Posts: 177
- Joined: Thu Jan 13, 2011 1:00 pm
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest