Bucs win and earn the Sweep!

The Pirates earned a sweep yesterday with a 5-4 win over the Astros in Houston. The Sweep was the Pirates 1st ever over the Astros since their move to Minute Maid Park.
I wish I had more insight from what I saw,but a power outage here in town KO'ed my electricity until the 6th.
Which means I missed all runs except for the 9th Inning Homer by Craig Biggio off
Salomon Torres.
The funny thing about the Biggio homer was this-just as he went to the plate,I spoke that "Biggio seems to have had trouble getting around on the ball in the series."Next Pitch-Bang!
Tom Gorzelanny got the win over 5 Innings of work,although for just 5 innings,his pitch count seems a bit high.
Sorry not more in depth,blame the screw-ups at city power.

Tonight is the season opener for the Hagerstown Suns,but more importantly here-The
Hickory Crawdads are coming to town for the ONLY time all season.
I will try to talk about the Crawdads here,but be warned-I will complain OFTEN about the idiotic South Atlantic league schedule.
The Crawdads look pretty weak,if their record last year at Williamsport was any indication.
The hurlers look non-descript with possible exceptions being Michael Felix, Jared Hughes and Stephen Mcfarland.
Felix was the Pirates 2nd round pick last year from Troy State,he had a respectable ERA,but went 1-6(albeit on a bad team) and walked more than expected.
Felix should start games this year,but may be a reliever in the long haul.
Hughes had nice numbers at Williamsport,but was hit hard in his Hickory outings.
McFarland mostly pitched out of the pen at Williamsport and his numbers intrigue me as someone to keep an eye on.
I thought Pat Bresnahen had nice numbers at Williamsport and figured he would be the staff ace,but He surprisingly was skipped a step and will begin the season at High A Lynchburg
The infield looks be led by 3b Eddie Prasch (a returning Crawdad) and 2b Jim Negrych (a local player from Pitt).
Prasch improved over the 2nd half last year,but still could use some extra time at Low A.
Negrych seems to be a player that his bat will have to carry him through higher levels.
The outfield has the most controversial player in Jamie Romak.
Romak had a reasonably solid season for Rome in the SAL last year and was the other player acquired in the LaRoche-Gonzalez deal.
I would have thought that Romak would start at Lynchburg,but apparently Captain Dave and the crew have decided to start him at Hickory.
Either the Pirates look at Romak as a toss-in and dont consider him a real prospect or there is a logjam at the upper levels and he goes up ASAP.We will see.
During a visit to Williamsport last season,I had a few fans tell me that they thought Alex Presley was the best player on a bad team.His numbers dont seem to be anything special,but hey-I am open minded!
James Boone returns after a injury-plagued 2006.Boone was the Bucs 3rd rounder in 2005 and needs a big year at the age of 24 to still be considered a prospect.
Ill try to give a game report tomorrow and maybe a picture or two as well.

Reflections on Pittsburgh in Round 1

Pittsburgh lost yet another 1st round draft pick to arm injury yesterday with the loss of
Brad Lincoln to Tommy John Surgery.
Ryan commented on the Buc draft pick disasters,so I thought I would show this disaster.
Cant blame Captain Dave for all of these,the previous clueless fool (Cam Bonifay) drafted some as well.
1999) Bobby Bradley-Arm Injury out of baseball
2000)Sean Burnett-AAA Indianapolis-after TJ surgery
2001)John Van Benscoten-AAA Indianapolis-Shoulder surgery
2002)Bryan Bullington-AAA Indianapolis-Shoulder surgery
2003)Paul Malholm-Pittsburgh
2006)Brad Lincoln-Tommy John surgery

So since 1999,the Pirates have used 6 1st rounders on pitchers and 5 have had some type of major surgery!!!
The 1st two were high schoolers selected by Bonifay,the other 4 college guys by Littlefield.
This cannot be a coincidence.
Either the Pirates and their medical staff arent doing their homework on health before the draft or the Pirates Minor league staff are not paying enough attention to mechanics and arm injuries are the result.
In either case,there is simply NO reason for this to be happening.
Wasted picks,wasted money and wasted time-That is Pirates Baseball.

The Pirates are off tomorrow and I will be at the Hickory-Hagerstown game,so Fridays blog will likely be on that topic,but sometime over the next few days,just for fun,I will be tossing on some youth baseball stories and opinions on the blog.
Those of you that are friends know about the 10 years I have been involved in coaching and know the good times and bad times,but in any case-I was always a figure of controversy in those leagues.
So here and there,you might see a story on a past game or event or just as likely the problems that I see in the youth game and my solutions.
Just something to look for.

Also a quick hello to Bob Stambaugh.I ran into Bob today and it was great seeing him this afternoon.
Bob was an assistant coach for me for 3 different years and he did a fine job as a coach and he is an even better person.

Hope to post early this morning (since I am off work) on the Pirate finale tonight in Houston and if anything else catches my fancy.

Well,there is good news and BAD news........

Well.let us begin with the good news.
The Battlin' Bucs came from behind for the second straight night to defeat Houston 3-2.
Ronny Paulino smacked a double in the top of the 8th to tie the game at 2 and Xavier Nady
blooped a single into center field to give the Bucs the lead that they held onto for the win.
Ian Snell fired an impressive 7 innings and Matt Capps along with Saloman Torres closed the show.
Of all the Pirates young starters,IF one becomes a top of the rotation stud,I would bet on Snell.
I love his stuff and his poise.
Exciting stuff for Bucco fans! 2-0!!!
The Bucs go for the sweep tonight in Houston as they send Tom Gorzelanny to the hill vs the Astros Woody Williams.Game time 8;05 EST.

Now for the bad.
Brad Lincoln went under the knife today in Birmingham for the dreaded "Tommy John' procedure.
First off-supposedly he was fine as recently as last week and no notice was given otherwise.
All this happened in one day? Sure and I am getting Littlefield's job from the Easter Bunny.
This again comes back to two issues that Captain Dave and his cronies havent understood yet-
1)College pitchers come with more mileage on them, My post from a few days ago on just this
topic.
2)When your organization passes on the best player available in the draft because you are too cheap to pay that player-it bites you in the ass EVERY time.
The best player in a weak draft was clearly Andrew Miller of North Carolina last year and while it seems as if I am contradicting myself here (Miller was a college pitcher too),I am giving the following reason.
If you want a college pitcher in the draft-Why not the best one???
In this case-it is because either A) your baseball people are imbiciles or B) You are just a bunch of cheap misers!
So now as you watch Brandon Morrow start the season in Seattle,Tim Lincecum
rocketing through the Giants system and Miller,instead we get our 4th injured 1st round pitcher in this century doing Tommy John.
I know,I know all 3 of those guys are college pitchers,but again,if you HAVE to have one,as Littlefield always seems to-maybe either the best one or the healthiest one???
Maybe more on this tomorrow..

The New Jersey Devils grabbed a shootout win over the Ottawa Senators tonight to move within 1 win of a clinching the Atlantic Division title and the 2nd seed in the Eastern Conference.
John Madden beat Ray Emery in the shootout to give Lou Lamierello the victory in his return to the bench.
A Devil win thursday nite over the Flyers locks it up.
Marty Brodeur won his 47th game of the year.This ties the record of Bernie Parent of the Flyers.

Random Ramblings.......

Nice start by the Bucs last night to upset Houston 4-2.
Anytime you win a game against the best pitcher in the National League (Roy Oswalt), it is always a surprise.
The Bucs (as expected) struggled vs the Wizard. but 3 home runs in three innings by
Nate McLouth(as a pinch-hitter), Xavier Nady and the 2 run game winner by Jason Bay, cost Oswalt the win and tagged the Astro bullpen with the L.
Was very impressed with Zach Duke's 7 innings of work last night.
For 1 day.at least-there is optimism in Pirate Nation.


Tough evening for THE Ohio State University last night, as the Buckeyes lost the NCAA final to the Florida Gators 84-75.
This one wasn't as painful though as the better team won and deservedly so.
The football loss hurt much more, as IMO, OSU was the better team, just picked the wrong night to have a horribly off night.
Greg Oden was dominant though in defeat and showed anyone that would even ponder choosing Kevin Durant over Oden (assuming that Oden is healthy and can be counted on to play consistently) in the NBA draft is undeserving of holding an NBA job.
If you grade them as equal players, you take the big man every time, but if anything about Oden's health scares you and with big men that often happens, you take Durant.
If you are picking first and you are concerned, I'm not chancing another Sam Bowie, but otherwise, Oden would be the choice as watching this game, none of the vaunted Gator frontcourt stars even had a chance to stop him.
As much as I would love to see 1 more year from Oden at OSU, my wager is that last night was his college swan song.

Busy day for my teams as my beloved New Jersey Devils made a coaching change as Claude Julien
got the axe from GM Lou Lamoriello and the Lou will assume coaching duties for the playoffs.
This came as a shock, but I think this is a great move for the Devils and a need to shake things up.
I wasn't a proponent of Julien from the start and despite the Devils excellent record, it has seemed all year like something has been missing.
Hopefully, this move is the adjustment the Devils need going into post-season play.

And in sadder news, it appears that Michigan will hire John Beilein of West Virginia to be their new basketball coach.
Beilein is an excellent coach and teacher of the game and IMO is a tremendous hire for the state "up north".
Beilein should have Michigan improved quickly and should be out-coaching OSU's Thad Matta in no time.
This news greatly distresses me as I was hoping for another Tommy Amaker like hire.

Top 10 Pittsburgh Pirates Prospects-Part 2

Part 2 of the Bucco top prospect list.

6) Todd Redmond-SP
I saw Redmond pitch last year for Hickory and came away quite impressed.
Todd has an excellent change and a nice curve as well.His command was good as well of those two pitches and his fastball.
The downside? Not sure how his fastball will be effective as he rises higher and his stuff is more steady than overwhelming.
Redmond should start at High A Lynchburg.
Todd signed 2 cards for me last year and along with Matt Swanson chatted for a quite a few minutes.

7)Brad Corley-of
Brad showed some pop last year at Hickory when I saw him play,but his strikeout to walk ratio scares me to death!
When a guy whiffs 109 times and walks only 14 over the course of a season,the warning signs go off.Runs Ok for a big guy and seems to be a hustler.
We will know much more after his year at Lynchburg this season.
Brad signed lots of stuff for me last year and on a good signing team,might have been the most personable guy on the Crawdads!

8)Steven Pearce-1b
Pearce came out of nowhere last year to be a rare Pirate prospect with power.
Pearce spent time with both Hickory and Lynchburg last year and put up good numbers for both.He had been promoted by the time I saw Hickory,so I saw him with the Hillcats.
He isnt the largest 1st sacker around,but seems to field Ok.
Another older college player that this is a pivotal year for ,similar to Corley.
Pierce should start at AA Altoona,although starting the year back with Lynchburg isnt out of the question.
Steven signed two cards for me and seemed pleasant enough.

9)Wardell Starling-SP
Others dont seem to like Starling this high,but I really liked his numbers with the exception of his falling strikeout rate.
Wardell pitched for Lynchburg and Altoona last year and was effective at both.
Needs to improve his curve or maybe look for another breaking pitch.
He could start at Indianapolis,but a Altoona return is more likely.
Wardell signed a card for me at Altoona,although he didnt pitch that day and had a funny line as well.
When I informed him that the Pirates had him listed on the Hickory roster that day (in a common procedural move),he replied "Dude,I would rather go back to Legion ball than go back to Hickory"!

10)Jamie Romak-OF
Romak was obtained in the trade with Atlanta.His numbers seem to indicate power potential and a willingness to take the occasional walk.Not really sure what to expect from him,but very interesting numbers.
Romak hails from Canada,so he likely is a bit behind others his age in development due to lack of playing time.
Looking forward to scouting him at Lynchburg this season.

Honorable Mention to the following prospects;
Indianapolis;Jesse Chavez,Josh Sharpless
Altoona:Dave Davidson,Justin Vaclavik
Lynchburg:Pat Bresnahan,Steve Lerud and Shelby Ford
Hickory:Michael Felix,Jared Hughes,Eddie Prasch and Alex Presley.

There you have it,Ill try to do a Indian top 10 soon and I am sure that there will be several blogs on Hickory's only visit to Municipal Stadium starting this Thursday!

Top 10 Pittsburgh Pirates Prospects-Part 1

Since I have some extra time,here is my version of the top 10 prospects in the Pirate system
1:Andrew McCutchen-of.
McCutchen is clearly the jewel of the farm system,having a great spring training and rocketing to AA Altoona as he enters just his 2nd full season of Professional Baseball.
A five tool player that has surprised me with his power.
Andrew should make his debut in late 2007,unless the Pirates prefer to wait until next year.
Such a decision would only be to keep his arbitration clock from starting.
Saw Andrew at Hickory last year,got a few cards,a picture and a SAL ball signed.
A bit quiet,but not unfriendly.

2)Neil Walker-3b
Neil was the Pirates top rounder in 2004 and was moved from catcher to 3rd base in spring training this year.

I saw Neil catch for Hickory in 2005 and honestly I didnt think that he was the butcher behind the plate that he had the reputation for being.
Neil switch-hits and had excellent athletic ability for a catcher.
He struggled a bit last year at High A Lynchburg,but IMO ,that was due to a wrist injury in camp.
Neil seems to have a tremendous amount of charisma,when I met him,he chatted for a bit and seems completely at ease with the attention given to the Bucs top prospect (Pre-McCutchen)
Walker made a cameo at AA Altoona last year with McCutcheon and both will start there this year,in an attempt to give Altoona some real prospects instead of the Simon Ponds of the world.
Walker could follow the same 07 or 08 path as McCutchen.
Neil signed some cards for me on that night at Hickory and signed his Lynchburg card through the mail last season.

3:Brad Lincoln-SP
Now the quality drops.Lincoln was the top pick of the Buccos last year and the 4th player overall.Lincoln pitched very little for Hickory last year before being sidelined for the season with a oblique problem.
Now he has elbow problems and will not start the season with Hickory or Lynchburg as expected.
I'll go out on a limb and go with Lincoln at this spot,on projectability,but not looking good thus far.
Havent seen Lincoln,although I hope to sometime during the 07 season.

4:Brian Bixler-SS
Bixler was a 2nd round pick in the same draft that netted Neil Walker.
Bixler played very well last year as he split the year with Lynchburg and Altoona,I have seen Brian play for Hickory and Altoona.I am not sure about his power numbers,but should at least be a servicable utility type.
Bixler seems to have impressed Littlefield's gang somewhat,as he moved Brent Lillibridge to Atlanta in the Adam LaRoche trade..
I liked Lillibridge a little better,but IMO not by much.
Bixler will start the season at AAA Indianapolis and should make his Pittsburgh debut sometime this season.
Brian signed a few cards for me at Hickory.Nice signatures as well.
The more I do this,the more I think I need a scanner.

5;Yoslan Herrera-SP
The mystery man from Cuba.Who really knows what we have here until the season starts,but in this system,he ranks high by default.
The Pirates tossed him a big contract (by their paltry standards anyway).
He claims to be 25,but when it comes to the Cubans,ages are never reliable.
We will know a lot more on Herrera this year as he should be at AA Altoona.

Players 6-10 coming soon

Green could be our new Red,White and Blue??

I planned on posting my top 10 Pirates Prospects list today and if I have time later,I still may.
However,I was floored by the quote that I used in the title last night and wanted to blog on about it.
Sorry that I cannot take credit for it,it was uttered by NY Times columnist Tom Friedman
last night on Tim Russert's CNBC show.
I seem to be the only person that I know that ever watches this show,I think being on CNBC instead of MSNBC hurts viewership a lot. It is the only show I ever watch on the channel.
Anyway,Friedman was discussing his updated version of his best-selling book "The world is flat"
and was discussing his next project about the greening of our future.
The quote hit home very hard,when you think about this-what could be more patriotic than weaning our country from foreign sources,adding thousands of jobs,saving our environment and taking our money away from Middle East countries that are either out and out unfriendly or at best two-faced?
Really,where is the downside to this?
We should make this an immediate priority by making this goal this generations "Apollo Project".
If anyone can give me an argument against any of the above results,I would love to hear one,because I sure cant think of any.
"Green is our new Red,White and Blue".
Simple,Understated and Brilliant all at the same time.
Wish I had thought of it, Now lets see if anyone is smart enough to run with it.