Jake

Wow, interesting turn of the conversation here. I need to go back and read some more. I have an interesting question for you guys: Do you think hendry would have signed grabow for this much money if he hadn't traded for him ? A lot of us are lamenting the trade because hart can't hit the broadside of a barn, and ascaino (sp?) seems done. So, it seems we got nothing for the deal. OTOH, we probably weren't going to re-sign grabow, and gorzo wore out his welcome, so that was addition by subtraction. And we have Josh Harrison, too.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/sky_andrecheck/04/08/pirates.order/index.html link to above mentioned article.

John Russell's rationale has to do with where to bat Andrew McCutcheon. One school of thought is to have him bat lead off, to take advantage of his speed. The other is to bat him third as we really are lacking power on the team, and he's as good as anyone not named Jones. So, this whole thing is a compromise. The first time through the order, he's batting second. Subsequent trips through the order he's effectively batting third. I think, if we had another top of the order choice, he'd be batting third. If we had more power, he'd be batting first. And, in either case, the pitcher would be 9th. Since we don't, they're trying this. That Aki is 0 for '10 isn't helping. I'm curious to see how this looks after a couple of weeks. There was a piece in SI by some guy I never heard of named Sky. He offers some interesting points on it.

Is that such a bad thing? Actually, it's more likely to be Cedeno. And, at least when Duke is pitching, the better hitter is hitting 8th.

Sorry. I only get to say this the first week of the season. Let me have my fun. Thanks.

re Josh Harrison - Not much has been said about him this spring. He was brought to a Major League game as a fill in recently, I can't remember when (Some time in the last week.) He's showing up on the "Others to watch" at the end of top prospect lists. He'll either be in Bradenton or Altoona. Ascaino is headed for the 60 day DL to start the season. (To complete the three players we got in the trade.)

I know how you guys like to track ex-Cubs. http://community.post-gazette.com/blogs/pbc/archive/2010/03/23/pirates-cut-xxxx-including-bonds.aspx

A lot of them come as empty seats, but you're right - they do sell enough tickets. Still, The Nats are in a significantly larger market than the Pirates.

One could say the same thing about the Mets, but no one would call them a small market team. That's just it, they're not in similar situations. If both teams would start doing well, the Nats would make a hell of a lot more money. More ticket revenue. More revenue from things like t-shirt sales. More cable TV subscribers. More revenue from radio. And so on.

Besides having played for both teams, I don't see what these guys have to do with each other? Two small market teams with new ballparks that haven't delivered on promises that have been exchanging youngish upside players to take new gambles on. I think his point was more about the teams being similar than the players themselves. DC is a small market?

Besides having played for both teams, I don't see what these guys have to do with each other?

Yeah, but who'd give a [expletive] if he could hit 40 HRs. (Which, I realize he can't.)

that works. give him a year or two to mature and improve and then trade him to us for a couple pieces of junk. thanks. Good, as in John Grabow?

Sorry, we're taking him. I hope.

Pirates @ Washington, June 8.

Fixed.

Neither can I.

Yeah, I can hear. There goes Jake with is delusional spring fantasies. And, in the past, that's what they were. Last year, I didn't even do one of these, I don't think. The years before that were all written from the heart and not the head, with a lot of if's (the proper response to which should have been along the lines of If the Queen had Balls, She'd Be The King.) But, this year is different. There are intangibles this year. Lots of them. There's an excitement I've never felt as a Pirates fan. The big difference this year is depth. In the past, if someone didn't meet their expectations, that was it. This time around, at many positions, there's another guy pushing him. There are young guys in the minors waiting to take any place not claimed. In the past I'd write about different players potential. There was a chance those players would reach that potential, although it was usually slim at best. This year, again, there's a lot of potential out there. Oh, there are still a lot of holes to fill, to be sure. But, a lot of the potential is reachable. So, this will probably be another losing season. I think these guys can win at 77 games this year, which is a 15 game jump over last year. I'm also betting that if you're in second place in September, you won't want to come to PNC park. So, instead of listing who's going to do what, a bunch of what if scenarios, I offer two words: Just watch.

I think if Washington passes on him then you have to draft him and sign him. How can you say that today? There have been so many Can't Miss Kids that have missed. In every sport.

Was wondering if there was a thread on him. Needless to say, he's getting lots of talk in Pittsburgh, a good chunk of it surrounding on whether or not management would pay his rates. It's going to be interesting to see how his season goes.

Gee, Thanks.

After he shows he has nothing left, Littlefield will talk Hendry into trading for him at the trade deadline, asking for no incentives.

And out revenge is that the Pirates gave Aramis Ramirez for free.... :twisted: Dude, that was almost 7 years ago. Move on.

@#&$(*&!@#&!@*#$@()$&@#$ I did know of this at the time. Supposedly wasn't a known injury - he got hurt post trade. Our revenge is hendry paid Grabow 3.5 mil/season. :-)

What's their incentive, though? So, they double their payroll to $70 million. How many teams w/ $70 million payrolls are going to win the WS ? :banghead: I'm still wondering why they didn't pick on the Pirates.