Pirates tab Cole,Bell and Dickerson in draft

The Pirates took two college standouts in rounds one and three and sandwiched in a selection that could pay huge dividends with a player that seems to be a tough sign at best.

As expected,the Pirates took Gerrit Cole from UCLA with the first overall pick.
I stand by my word that I would have preferred Anthony Rendon,but of the college pitchers available and conceding that a college pitcher was what they wanted-Gerrit Cole was the best one to fit the Pirates needs.
Cole has been been clocked as a three digit fastball thrower combined with a "wipeout" slider and a above average changeup,which can be devastating when paired with that type of fastball.
Cole has been compared to Stephen Strasburg by some and if the Pirates can get someone close to to that level,then this pick is a good one...



With the first pick of round two,the Pirates gambled for the second year in a row in round two on a player that dropped due to signablity issues in Texas high school outfielder Josh Bell.
The 6'4 power hitting outfielder has a strong commitment to play for the Texas Longhorns and went as far to tell many teams not to draft him.
However,there is hope as he has retained Scott Boras as an "advisor",which means he would at least listen to the Pirates offers,I would suspect.
Bell was rated as the top high school power hitter in the draft and without the Texas offer,would have likely gone in the upper half of round one.
This is a gamble by Neal Huntington,but could have a HUGE payoff,if they can land such a stud in round two for the second year in a row after adding Stetson Allie last season with a similar gamble.


The Buccos grabbed Alex Dickerson of Indiana at pick 91,which was the first pick in round three.
Dickerson won the triple crown in the Big Ten last season and was rated as one of the top sixty players in the draft,so again,a possible steal.
Dickerson was rated as one of the best hitters in the draft,but has been noted as lacking a true defensive position.
The comment heard most on Dickerson is "The bat will have to carry him".



Gotta love this draft,if all three can be signed.
Off to bed,will try to return later with a look at the Indians selections.

Kiss with a fist....

This is the first of what I hope to be three posts today,the others will look at the first two or three picks by the Pirates and Indians in the draft.

However,it is time to weigh in on Mr.Bryce Harper,since it seems the net is booming with opinions on the "kiss" thrown by Hagerstown Suns outfielder Bryce Harper to Greensboro pitcher Zachary Neal on Monday night after crushing a pitch to deep right center off Neal.
I like to think that I have a special perspective on this being that I was one of the couple hundred attendees of what turned out to be a great game.
I saw the first inning strikeout of Harper by Neal on an admittedly borderline pitch and I didn't see Neal do anything and if he did-Harper never saw him because he was grousing to the umpire.

When Harper smashed the ball from the field of play,he cartwheeled his bat,stood in the box watching it fly and then strutted around the bases.
Neal was talking to the umpire about the showboating,I never saw him look at Harper and then the umpire chased Harper around the bases as he either A-Gave him some grief or B wanted to be position to break things up if they got close to physical.
The Herald Mail claims that Neal could have started it with a kiss of his own on the first inning fan,but I saw no such thing.
Of course,the Herald Mail has been kissing Harper's ass for the last two months,why start with any possible issues now?

In my opinion,this hissy fit all goes on Bryce Harper.
However,I am not suggesting any punishment for this incident.
This goes on all the time and only gets attention when a prospect of high notoriety takes part and I think Grant Dayton of Greensboro zipping the first pitch of his next appearance by Harper's ear was more than enough in return.
What I do think that it does is show the immaturity of Harper that has been shown all year at various points and that can only be dealt with by the parent Washington Nationals.
The Hagerstown Suns can do very little about any issue involving players and I have "heard" (Hearsay) that the team has received complaints about his behavior,but I have no direct knowledge or verification of these rumors,although watching him blow off a season ticket holder with one item to sign (Not an autograph regular either) that was standing by herself and refusing to even acknowledge her presence after a game ranks as one of the rudest things I have seen in years here.

Before anyone claims that this is an autograph issue-Full Disclosure.
I have never talked to,approached or asked Bryce Harper for anything ever.
I have never met the young man,but I have observed behavior that crosses the line,especially early in the season on a kids day that set a clearly poor example,especially in a small park like the Muni,where one can hear the players almost like they are next to you.
The Washington Nationals have a choice- they can crack down on this now or they can watch it spiral out of control and no,I don't want to hear about how National big leaguers will take care of this in due time.
They had chances in spring training and apparently did nothing about Harper's arrogance

Talent wise,Bryce Harper is (in my opinion) the most talented hitter in the history of the Hagerstown Suns.
He has star written all over him-talent wise and I admire the way he plays the game.
Hustle is part of his game and he always busts his hump,but the attitude needs some work and the sooner that the Nationals work on this,the more likely any instruction will hit home.

Sometimes,there really is more to learn in the minor leagues than just playing the game.
Here is hoping that maturity is another gift that the minors can give to Bryce Harper....

Pirates to take Gerrit Cole?

Looks like the Pirates are going to go against my thoughts and the opinions of many fans and select UCLA righthander Gerrit Cole tonight with the first pick in the MLB draft.
I am still hoping for a change of heart and a selection of Rice third baseman Anthony Rendon,but it looks like Cole according to most sources.

Give the Pirates credit for one thing,this is not a financial issue as Cole and Rendon are both represented by Scott Boras and would likely be roughly the same cost either way,so this time it isn't about money or signability.
As most of you know,I am a "pitching guy",but as I have written in the past-I just have huge concerns about the workloads of elite college pitchers.
College coaches have to win to keep their job and in order to do that,they have to do what it takes and often at the cost of the players arm.
I am not saying that teams should never take a college arm as I would have taken both Stephen Strasburg and David Price in their draft years because they were clearly the top overall player in the draft.
I don't have Cole rated that highly,although he is a top talent despite a less than expected season at UCLA.

Rendon does have issues with his ankle and I understand that being an issue,but what I don't like hearing about are rumors (and just that rumors) about Pedro Alvarez being down on an Rendon pick because he wants to stay at third base.
First,unless a player is locked up for about ten years and is clearly invested in the franchise,I am not really interested in his input on the draft,let alone Pedro Alvarez's opinion,he of the lusty .208 average,next to no fielding range and on the DL to boot.

Gerrit Cole is a talented player and could very well be an impact player,so this is not a Bryan Bullington pick,Cole has top of the rotation stuff and a Cole/Jameson Taillon future could give Pittsburgh a powerhouse combo on the mound.
I just would have went a different way.....

General Announcement

I need to make a general housecleaning announcement-I will have one day off during the rest of this month and that will likely affect things here.
Some days,I will have more time than others and I want to stay updated as much as I can.
I am looking into the long awaited portable PC purchase,I just need to see if I can scarf a free signal at work-IF that is the case,things not only should be the same here-they should improve!

If things slow down,the most likely effect will be in game coverage,which might be slowed.
I hope to get a post up shortly for tonight's MLB draft and post tomorrow on the Pirates and Indians selections.
In order to save time and be able to sleep before tonight's Hagerstown-Greensboro game,I'll keep the post to the draft and stay away from the more time consuming Phillies series for the most part...

Thanks for understanding!

A wrong righted....

Skipping the Pirates today as I missed the Thursday collapse (thanks Battlin' Bob,LOL!) and I watched the first nine innings of last nights win over the Phillies in extra innings due to time constraints

My time could be even more limited or I may have a few days next week before the latest run of work,so that is still to be determined.
If I get some time,I have some things in the works that should be fun,I hope.
I hope to have an updated signing front,the promised Forgotten Superstars piece and maybe even something on the Hagerstown Suns.

The NHL might have had no other choice and I am sure that some in the front office are not thrilled,but no matter how,Winnipeg has returned to the NHL where they belong with the relocation of the Atlanta Thrashers.

This day has been a long time coming for Winnipeg and is the first step of the collapsing of Gary Bettman's Richard Nixonish "Southern Strategy".
As happy as I am for Winnipeg and righting a wrong (although the best scenario would have been bringing the original Jets home from Phoenix),I must say a few words for the Atlanta fans.
I have been critical of several of the southern hockey cities and their fans (or lack there of),but to the true fans that supported and lost their second team there,my condolences.
The biggest issue was that there just were not enough of you,but despite the numbers-I sympathize and know how you feel as I have teams that moved (Browns to Baltimore) and at different times had teams close to leaving (Cavaliers to seeming half the country and Canada in the Ted Stepien years and the Devils flirting with Nashville in the mid 90's).

Winnipeg still has issues despite this victory.
It will be the smallest market in the league,playing in its smallest arena (15,000) and will likely have to draw near capacity houses every night to keep the dough rolling in.
Is that possible?
Yes,or I could also see trouble after five or six years of a bad hockey team.
The Canadian dollar is strong right now,as long as that stays near or above the worth of the US dollar,I think things are OK.
The weakness of the Canadian dollar in the 90's was the largest stumbling block that Winnipeg had in keeping the Jets and that has changed now,although these things are often fluid.

The Winnipeg fans seem to want the old Jets name,logo etc back and Bettman has said that it is theirs to use,if they like and that makes sense to me.
When your fanbase wants something overwhelmingly-give it to them!
It only makes good fiscal sense and not doing that is rowing upstream.
I look at the almost thirty year run of various owners of the Cavaliers that tried color scheme after scheme when the fanbase wanted the original colors as the classic example of this.

Winnipeg will travel a lot this season as the late timing will keep them in the Southeast division/Eastern Conference for next season,but will likely be transferred to the West for the 2012-13 year.
A five team division of the four Western Canada teams,Minnesota or Colorado would be a fun one to follow and might happen that way.
The "Jets" have some nice young players that can be built around such as Dustin Byflugen,Evander Kane and Zach Bogosian,but they are still a distance away,but in the beginning that will not matter much to the fans that just want the return of the NHL.

In any event,Congrats to Winnipeg and the question now is who's next?
Quebec City needs to get an arena built,Kansas City has an arena with market questions,Seattle has arena needs and Hamilton always has the bad bad wolf in Toronto knocking them down.
As for us?
I have not forgotten this pledge-make the right choice and I'll live up to the pledge for the inevitable move to the Western Conference.

Photo Credit-SportsLogos.net

Late rally again drops Mets.

A five run seventh inning with few of the base hits being hard hit allowed the Pittsburgh Pirates to rally for a 9-3 win over the Mets in NYC.
Kevin Correia was the winner and became the majors first eight game winner (8-4).
The series concludes today at 1.

Pirate Hooks

1) Lots of swinging bunts,bloopers and balls placed in the right spot paced the comeback.
You don't want to count on these type of wins,but you take them where you can.

2) Andrew McCutchen's sliding catch not only ended a Met threat,but the play was the defensive play of the year for the Pirates to this point.
McCutchen did get lucky that he didnt get his spike caught in the wall though.
That could have meant broken ankle and season over.

3) Another win and solid six innings from Kevin Correia.
Correia has proven me wrong thus far on his signing,although I think the run support will even out over the course of the season.

4) I liked Neil Walker bunt to kick the rally into gear.
It wasn't a messed up sac bunt either,Walker took advantage of a deep third baseman and whether he did it or it was called from the coaching staff,it was a great call...

Few hooks today as I need some sleep,still hoping to get the Thrashers to Winnipeg post up when I can...

Come from behind works both ways

One night after allowing the New York Mets to rally for a 7-3 win,the Pittsburgh Pirates did the same to the home team with a come from behind 5-1 win last night in the Big Cesspool.
Evan Meek was the beneficiary of the late onslaught and evened his record at 1-1.
Daniel McCutchen was the loser Monday and fell to 1-1.
Chris Snyder homered (3) Monday for the only Pirate dinger.

Pirate Hooks

1) The Pirates starters have been doing their part with 12 consecutive starts of allowing two earned runs or less.
Charlie Morton and James McDonald continued the run against the Mets.

2) Give Morton credit too because he put together a good outing without having his best stuff.
That shows the possible maturation of Morton as the past pitcher would have a seven run outing when not at his best...

3) James McDonald had his curve working and allowed just a run and six hits over six innings,but his best work was getting the final out with runners on in the sixth...

4) Josh Harrison made his MLB debut at third and his single with two outs tied the game.
Harrison is listed at 5'8,but I bet he is closer to 5'6.
Nice to see guys get that first hit out of the way quickly,one never knows when the chance comes again.

5) Chris Snyder homered Monday,but the bigger concern is his two and almost more passed balls catching Charlie Morton.Morton has to keep the ball down and if Snyder cannot block Morton,the Pirates are going to have huge issues...

Will try to be back later with thoughts on the Atlanta Thrashers moving to Winnipeg....