Mr. Silver Lining

The end of the World Series is traditionally accepted as the beginning of winter (aka The Season of Doom™) here at The Home Office. If not for hockey, I think I might just pull the covers up over my head and wait for spring. But, just to show even I have an optimistic side, here’s the good news that comes from the end of baseball season:

No Tim McCarver until next year.

For me, that means almost a literal year, as I avoid Fox games in season, in part because they start at 4:00 Eastern on Saturdays, but mostly to avoid him. Here are a few of his standout comments from the year’s World Series:

California became a state in 1850, just one year after the 49ers discovered gold there in 1849. (not just a master of the obvious, unnecessary comment, but a mathematician.)

What a headline: a home run and a flare. (After Edgar Renteria hit a home run to give the Giants the lead in Game 2, with a cross reference to his Series-winning single in 1997. I get the reference, and I still don’t know why he said this.)

Last night he was in rare form, criticizing Rangers’ manager Ron Washington for pitching to Renteria with two out and runners on second and third in the seventh inning of a scoreless tie. With first base open, McCarver wanted Renteria walked, even though he’d hit only 3 home runs in 243 at bats and Cliff Lee was pitching. McCarver—and too many others in baseball—want to walk everybody holding a bat. It started with Jack Clark in the 80s and reached its peak with Barry Bonds, where some managers would walk him in the first inning with men on and first base open. The best hitters make outs 70% of the time, and the greatest sluggers hit home runs less than 10% of their at bats. Cliff Lee is a legitimately great pitcher who was on his game last night. The worst part is, Renteria went deep, so we had to listen to McCarver and his smug little sidekick Joe Buck go on about how smart he is for the rest of the game.

Bottom of the seventh, Ian Kinsler up, 3-1 count. “He has to take here,” McCarver said. “Make Lincecum throw two strikes.” Sure enough, Kinsler was taking all the way and Lincecum walked him on the 3-2 pitch. I still think it’s a bad move. Down two runs (Nelson Cruz had homered to cut the Giants’ lead to 3-1), sit on a pitch you can hammer. The way Lincecum is throwing, getting a runner home from first is not a foregone conclusion, and Kinsler was, in fact, stranded.

After going on about how Kinsler had to take, McCarver had no issue with David Murphy swinging at a 2-0 pitch in the next at bat. Murphy was completely overmatched all night, swinging at pitched he couldn’t have hit with a bed slat, yet Kinsler should take and Murphy can swing. He swung at ball three and eventually struck out, stranding Kinsler.

A bonus from last night, after a brief video reminder of the Giants’ last World Series victory, in 1954: “That was 1954. Now they’re in San Francisco.”

As I’ve said before and will say again, Tim McCarver is living proof there is no just and merciful God.

Another good thing about the end of the Series is, we don’t have to listen to the Rangers’ organist playing that four-note “Let’s Go, Rangers” chant any more. You usually want to whip up the crowd when your team is at bat, but this was played with maddening frequency when the Giants were hitting. Even if you can’t trust your fans to sit for a single pitch without some intervention on your part, mix it up a little. I prefer the organ to that stupid “Everybody clap your hands” or “Day-O,” but show some variety.

I knew the Rangers were beat when Cruz hit his home run that might have given them life. He trotted around the bases like it was June, and no one came out of the dugout, just slapped hands as he came in. I expected to see him tear-assing around to fire up his boys, who had come onto the field to thank him for starting their potentially game-winning rally. Lincecum had them beat and they knew it, as was shown a few minutes later when Benji Molina pulled up a step short of the wall and let an easily catchable pop-up fall unattended. It didn’t hurt them—Feliz still struck the guy out—but it spoke volumes.

Congratulations to the Giants. They had the best pitching I’ve seen in a Series for years, and enough offense and defense to make it stand up. Depending too much on pitching is always risky—pitchers get hurt—but if this group can stay healthy—and theGiants can afford them—they should contend for several years.

The Line of the Year

From Phillies' manager Charlie Manuel, after Roy Halliday's no-hitter put the Phillies up 1-0 in the NLDS:

"You saw some great managing tonight."

Priceless.

I Guess He Was Teaching Them To Win

The Pirates have fired Altoona manager Matt Walbeck, who just guided the Curve to the Eastern League (AA) championship, supposedly for not following their developmental rules rigidly enough.

And here I was, thinking he might replace Russell. Dumb ass.

Pitching

The first two were fun. This is going to be work.

STARTERS
Ohlendorf and McDonald have earned opportunities to be in the rotation for a full year to see how things shake out. Both look like they have the potential to solid major league starters.

Zach Duke needs to cut a bargain. We have plenty of pitchers who can give us an ERA over 5.00 for a lot less money. He's been around long enough to figure things out. It's time to produce.

Paul Maholm is under contract for 2011, and he's been a stalwart on a bad staff before, so let it ride. He also needs to pick things up, or there's no reason to tender him for 2012.

Karstens is already penciled in as the emergency man, sixth starter and long reliever. He was probably the Pirates' most valuable starter for much of this year, stepping in and doing well when everyone was falling apart. He deserved a spot, assuming his arm is sound.

Charlie Morton is the most frustrating pitcher I've ever seen. If he ever gets the command and consistency to match his stuff, watch out. He's looked much better of late, but falling in love with a good month from a young pitcher is a sure way to get your heart broken.

Brad Lincoln. Showed flashes, but not enough. Needs to come up big in spring training and establish something in the SHow before the kids currently at Altoona start pounding on the door and he becomes the staff's forgotten man.

Daniel McCutchen, Chris Jakubauskus, Bryan Morris, Donnie Veal: Step up, boys. Plenty of chances for everyone.

BULLPEN
Got to give Huntington credit, he can build bullpens. Had a good one and blew it up at the deadline, and already has the core of a good one in place. Keeping Hanrahan and Meek was a good start, but I don't think anyone can say they haven't been surprised by Chan Ho Park and Chris Resop and keep a straight face. Bullpens are inconsistent by nature, but Huntington has given reason for optimism on this front.

The Outfield

Continuing on...

Left Field - Jose Tabata. This one's easy.

Center Field - Andrew McCutchen. Another gimme.

Right Field - Enough candidates that a healthy platoon arrangement would be great to get everyone some at bats while things sorted themselves out, but...all the best candidates hit left-handed. (Lastings Milledge is, at best, a fourth outfielder on a mediocre team.) Bowker has shown flashes, Presley is an intriguing player (though the Pirates really need a corner outfielder with some pop), and Brandon Moss drove in 96 runs for Indianapolis (though with pedestrian OBP/SLG/OPS numbers). Garrett Jones can't be left out of the mix. His not quite outstanding power numbers can be carried better in the outfield than at first, and he's not a bad outfielder. Aside from catcher, right field probably has the most questions, but also the most potential answers.

The Infield

The season ends this weekend, so I decided to get my thoughts on the Pirates down before hockey takes over. (Yes, I know it's football season. I'm just not jazzed about it this year, and I'm not 100% sure why not. Maybe watching the Baltimore game on Sunday while wearing my Hines Ward shirt will rev me up.) The Pirates have played pretty well down the stretch, winning seven of nine on their last home stand, beating St. Louis impressively last night. (Sure, it's a St. Louis AAAA team, but Pujols and Holliday played, so I'm taking full satisfaction.) The home record was 40-41, so even a return to being bad on the road next year can lead to quite a bit of improvement. (Just winning one of three on the road would have made this season's final record 67-95, which stinks, but we'd all take it right now.)

I'll get the whole team during the week. I'll start with the infield.

Catcher - Not really a weakness right now, but not a strength, and no one can afford to spend what will probably be at least 25% of next years budget on one position that's not better than this. Doumit can hit, can't catch; Snyder can catch, but can't hit. One of them has to go. It looks like the hitting might be coming around in other positions, and this will be a young staff that might benefit from a better receiver, so I'm thinking Snyder stays. The backup has to have a bat, so one may have to be obtained, unless they want to roll the dice with Eric Kratz, who hit well in Indianapolis. Tony Sanchez is on the way, but not before 2013.

First Base - If Garrett Jones hits like he did the second half of 2009, this position is set. If he hits like he did this year, he could be a decent left-handed half of a platoon if you can find a right-handed bopper. Getting half a player is easier than getting a whole player, so this might work out. (Steve Pearce, anyone?)

Second Base - Neil Walker. Boy, did our crack scouts miss the boat on this one.

Shortstop - Ronny Cedeno stinks. I'm not scout, but even I can see why teams keep giving him a chance. 2010 was his sixth year in the Show; if he was going to show any consistency, he would have shown it. He continues to make errors on routine plays, which a contact pitching staff such as ours can't afford. On offense, he has some pop, but his average is low, and only Stephen Hawking walks less. A key position to upgrade.

Third Base - Pedro Alvarez. Coming on strong, closing holes in his swing. Looks like he might be as good as they said he'd be.

Next: The Outfield

Slipping Under the Radar

The NHL salary cap has been a great equalizer for the league, and has probably save a few teams from folding or moving, notably the Pens. Still, teams with money can get around it too easily.

New Jersey got a lot of ink and flak for its 17-year, $102 million contract with Ilya Kovalchuk, a deal that so blatantly circumvented the spirit of the cap the league had to intervene. (The contract's voiding was upheld by an arbitrator and new jersey signed Kovalchuk to a slightly less offensive contract. The league's subsequent $3 million fine was piling on.) The league was right to step in in this sort of contract, of which several had been signed. (Most notably the Blackhawks' deal with winger Marian Hossa.) Still, there's another loophole that's being increasingly exploited that only rich teams can take advantage of: minor leagues.

The cap only counts players on the major league roster. There is some relief for long-term injuries, though it appears to be hard to get. What's easier, and becoming more popular, is to avoid a cap hit by sending the player to a minor league, as the Blackhawks did this week with goalie Cristobal Huet.

Yes, Pittsburgh did the same thing with Miroslav Satan a couple of years ago to make room for Bill Guerin during their 2009 Cup run, but that was at the end of the season where they had some cash to play with. The Hawks have send Huet yodeling off to Switzerland for the entire season, eating $5.5 million. The article doesn't say whether he can be recalled. Even if he can't that's a hell of lot of cap relief if you can afford to pay for it.

This makes the cap more like the tax code, allowing for assets to be shifted to they don't count. Anytime anything is compared to the tax code, you know there's something unfair about it.

The Tim McCarver Moment for September 7, 2010

Pirates broadcaster Tim Neveritt on Fox Sports Pittsburgh:

"That was Delwyn Young's second home run from the right side of his seven. The others have come from the left side."

Best Moment in the All-Star Game

During the in-game dugout interview with Derek Jeter, the Fox correspondent asked if Jeter had any stories about George Steinbrenner the general public didn't know.

Stifling a chuckle, Jeter said, "I have a lot of stories the public doesn't know." Didn't say it in a disrespectful way, but like someone who was asked such a question about a recently deceased friend and had such a story pop into his mind unbidden. A rare unguarded moment for a public figure, both touching and laugh-out-loud funny at the same time.

Random Thoughts

I may have to change my mind about John Russell. The more I know about the Pirates' front office, the less culpable Russell appears for the team's problems. The fingerprints of Neil Huntington and Frank Coonelly appear on more head-shaking decisions all the time.

* * *

Why does Tiger Woods need so many women? The golf media suck his dick for him every day.

* * *

Saw Josh Hamilton play for the first time last night. Sweetest swing since Will Clark.

* * *

The Blackhawks need to cut payroll dramatically; they're already over the new salary cap, and they only have fourteen players under contract. Here's an interesting question for Ray Shero: If a deal could be worked out, would you rather have Marian Hossa's $5.6 million salary cap hit, or Sergei Gonchar at his current $5 million? Not that a deal could be worked out, but, given his brief history in Pittsburgh, Hossa's two-way play would look awfully good next to Sid, with Kunitz on the other wing to rock people's worlds once in a while.

* * *

Along those lines, the Pens currently have four defensemen signed: Orpik, Letang, Goligoski, and Lovejoy. What say we close on Leopold and Eaton, bring up one other D from WBS, and call it done?

* * *

If hockey is an example, I could live without baseball for a year if it meant establishing a salary cap. The problem is, no one in baseball wants one. The shitty teams should be clamoring for salary stability, but they make too much money off the revenue sharing. A salary cap would cut into their profits.

* * *

Contrary to popular belief, rich teams still have an advantage when salary caps are imposed on a league. The caps restrict only players' salaries. Teams are still free to spend what they want on coaching, player development, and scouting, all of which may be more important than how much money the roster makes.

Light at the End of the Tunnel

The Pirates have lost nine in a row, and they're finding creative ways to lose close games now. Badly timed pitching mistakes. Errors. mental miscues. A lack of timely hitting. Still, I think things are looking up, and the imminent arrival of Pedro Alvarez in Pittsburgh is as good a time as any to point it out: the kids we've been waiting for look good.

For the first time in several election cycles, there are young players with talent on most positions. (We'll address pitching another day.) There are really only two holes in the lineup, one of which should be pretty easy to address in the off-season. To wit:

C - At 29, this is probably as good as it gets for Ryan Doumit. It'll do. Nothing great, but he hits better than most catchers, has the requisite leadership skills, and his defense isn't a weakness. It's hard to defend his record for (not) throwing out base runners, but the pitchers deserve a lot of the blame for that. It's not Doumit holding the team back. (Unless he plays first base.)

1B - Let's say Garrett Jones for now. The Legend is solid in the field, and his average has climbed steadily the past few weeks. He doesn't have Ryan Howard power, and last year's 21 homers in half a season is probably too much, but he should be a consistent 20-30 home run man who can play a couple of different positions well. Definitely a keeper.

2B - We all assumed Andy LaRoche would wind up here when Alvarez arrived; now the job is Neil Walker's to lose. Walker has done everything anyone could ask, and his fielding has been a revelation, considering he just started playing second at Indianapolis this year. Let Bill Mazeroski work with him on turning the double play next winter in Bradenton and he could be a solid middle of the infield player for years.

SS - Hole Number 1. Ronnie Cedeno does everything just well enough to allow you to believe he's not killing you, but he is. His OBP is awful, and his fielding can be an adventure. Shortstop is the most critical upgrade on the roster.

3B - Alvarez is here. If he's all they say he is, he can be a cornerstone of a successful franchise for years to come.

LF - Jose Tabata has only been in The Show for a week, but it's been an impressive week. On base every time you look, great speed (and aggressive with it), has centerfielder's range. No problems here.

CF - Andrew McCutchen is the real deal. Still four years shy of his Age 27 season, he's a four-and-a-half tool player, and if his power picks up even a little he'll fill out the fifth tool. Without question the Pirates most talented player since Barry Bonds, with none of Bonds' downside. (Even in Pittsburgh, Bonds was a tool.)

RF - Hole Number Two. Ryan Church is killing the team with his .180 average in the middle of the lineup, and there's nothing Lastings Milledge does well. Doesn't hit for average or power, has great speed but barely knows you're supposed to turn left at each of those white things, and he might be the worst outfielder I've seen. Every ball is an adventure, and his Web Gems are usually because he's gotten a bad jump or taken a bad route to the ball. Fortunately, this is the easiest hole to fix. Corner outfielders who can hit are in relatively good supply. If one can't be found and a first baseman is available, Jones can move to right, where he was much better than I expected.

Bench - Andy LaRoche can be a good utility man if he can at least manage a league average OPS. He's an excellent athlete, smart, and has a great attitude. Jason Jaramillo is a good receiver, but it doesn't appear he's going to hit. Switch-hitting backup catchers can have long careers, so he's worth keeping around, assuming Doumit can stay healthy. Jaramillo's okay for a start or two a week and some late inning work, but you don't want him getting 20 at bats a week. No one knows what Delwyn Young can do; they only play him when there's no way around it. We've seen what Aki Iwamure can do, and he should be free to do it elsewhere. (In fairness, I has happy to see Iwamura come, but that knee appears to bother him more than anyone could have expected. With Walker being a revelation, there's no need for him.)

Now the key question is, what happens with this new core when they become arbitration eligible and start to make some real money? Management says they'll pay to keep the players they want, but it's been a long time since Pirate management said anything that turned out well for the fans or the team on the field.

After the Strasburg Rapture

Stephen Strasburg almost lived up to all the hype Tuesday night. I say “almost” because he didn’t part the Anacostia River or turn Bud Lite into beer. That’s the media’s fault, not Strasburg’s. He more than held up his end of the deal. There’s not a pitcher in baseball today who wouldn’t be satisfied with his line from Tuesday’s game:

7 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 14 K, 94 pitches.

In the interests of balanced reporting (take that, Fox News), here are some other things to consider about his effort.

True, the Pirates have the lowest batting average in baseball, but they don’t strike out much, only 15th out of 30 teams going into the game. He might only have struck out 10 Yankees that night, but he was still lights out.

His adrenaline seemed to wear off in the fourth inning, an he got knocked around a little. After Delwyn Young homered for a 2-1 Pittsburgh lead, Strasburg took the bit again and shut them down with prejudice the rest of the way. He’s a gamer.

Major League Baseball started counting pitches in the late 1980s. Strasburg is the first pitcher to record 14 strikeouts in under 95 pitches.

Even a phenom can’t get predictable. Strasburg and catcher Ivan Rodriguez tried the same sequence of pitches on Young in the fourth inning as they used to strike him out in the, and Young made them pay. Pudge should have known better.

Veteran baseball columnist (now senile) Thomas Boswell was comparing Strasburg to Koufax in his chat Wednesday morning. When discussing other previously untested pitchers who burst on the scene as spectacularly as Strasburg, he mentioned Fernando Valenzuela, Mark Fidrych, Vida Blue, and Dwight Gooden. Let’s hope he’s wrong, as the career numbers for each aren’t promising. (First record is their breakout season; second is career.)

Valenzuela 13-7, 173-153
Fidrych 19-9, 29-19
Blue 24-8, 209-161
Gooden 17-9, 194-112

All but Fidrych had good careers, but it’s safe to say there’s no one in Washington today who wouldn’t be disappointed if you told them Stephen Strasburg would win “only” 209 major league games.

There’s one last, sobering, comparison. Compare these two pitching lines:

7 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 HR, 0 BB, 94 pitches, 65 strikes, Win
6 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 HR, 2 BB, 103 pitches, 65 strikes, Win

Both games were major league debuts, home games against Pittsburgh. Both pitchers were 21 years old. (Thanks to Deadspin commenter EddieSuttons_SouthernComfort for the comparison stats.)

The first line is, of course, Strasburg’s, from Tuesday night. The second? Mark Prior, May 22, 2002. Prior’s career record was 42-29. He won 10 games in a season twice.

How about everyone just lets the kid pitch? What he does, he does. He appears to have his head screwed on right, and the Nats are playing it safe with his arm so far. He’s a pitcher, not Christ, and it’s not fair to treat him like the latter.

More Strasburg News

This just in...

Baseball Commissioner Bud "Bud" Selig has announced that Washington nationals pitcher will be allowed to make his umpiring calls tonight on balls and strikes, as well as plays at first base.

"I am invoking my 'best interests of the game' powers in advance to prevent any possibility of another travesty of baseball justice such as was perpetrated last week by Jim Joyce. This isn't Armando Galarrage we're talkjng abut here; it's Steven Fucking Strasburg."

Strasburg Worthy of the Hype

Today is the Big Day for Nationals phenom Steven Strasburg. Here are a few of the ways he spent it while waiting for 7:05 to roll around:

Plugged the Gulf oil spill.

Captured Osama bin Laden.

Performed open heart massage on a man he saw on the side of the road while driving to the park.

Threw a baseball so fast a wormhole opened up so he could go back in time and stop Pearl Harbor. (Thanks to the Show Tunes Correspondent for pointing this out.)

Successfully explained quantum mechanics to George W. Bush.

We’ll update this report as soon as we hear what he did after lunch.

Iron Man Must Feel a Little Like This

So there I was, all set to question the Post-Gazette's Dejan Kovacevic on why John Russell keeps moving Neil Walker from second to third. Alvarez is coming, and we need to find out pretty quick if LaRoche or Walker should be the leading candidate to play second when Iwamura is gone, which we all know he will be no later than the end of this year. What are we learning by running his .170-hitting ass out there every day, taking at bats away from Walker and LaRoche.

So, like I said, there I was, the question crafted in my head, ready to transmit it though my fingers and into the ether, when I read Walker is now the regular secondbaseman.

I promise to use this power only for good.

Inside the Mind of John Russell, Part I

Pirates’ manager John Russell does not convey a charismatic presence in the dugout. More accurately, he makes Cleveland (Cigar Store) Indians manager Manny Acta look like Robin Williams on speed by comparison. Fiery leadership does not a successful manager make. Joe Torre is positively placid on the bench.

On the other hand, Joe Torre wins; Russell doesn’t. His teams also have a history of collapsing down the stretch. (I say, “down the stretch” like they were in playoff contention, when Pittsburgh’s idea of a “stretch run” is to climb into fifth place in a six-team division.) True, upper management has a habit of trading every marketable (read: due for a raise) player by the deadline, but still. The newcomers all have something to prove. Show some effort.

My complaints with Russell are twofold: bizarre decisions, and an apparent lack of any sense of leadership. He sits stoically in the dugout, looking for all the world like he’d rather be elsewhere. Some of that is understandable; watching some of the stuff this team does every night could make the Dalai Lama strangle a kitten.

Fielding, baserunning, and concentration errors abound. A recent gaffe against St. Louis showed it’s not just the players who are unfamiliar with the rules, third base coach Tony Beasley isn’t exactly Bill Klem, either. At least some of this has to be laid at the feet of Russell and the coaching staff. He’s been here three years, and the same kinds of mistakes kept getting made.

(An interesting side discussion could be made as to the whereabouts of former infield coach Perry Hill, who walked away from the last year of his contract during the off-season. The team infield defense has regressed dramatically in his absence. No good explanation has been offered as to why Hill chose to take a year off rather than continue in Pittsburgh.)

It’s Russell’s decision-making that defies belief. (I suspect this will become a continuing trope as I watch more game this year.) Last night’s blowout against the Reds had several examples.

The Charlie Morton situation can be set aside for the time being. Why Morton is allowed to continue to get hammered in the major leagues when he has an option remaining and could get his feet under him in Indianapolis is a question for Talmudic scholars, and is an upper management decision, For the record, last night’s beating raised Morton’s ERA to 9.35—three runs higher than the next worst pitcher in the majors—and dropped his Won-Lost record to 1-9; the Pirates are 19-18 as a team when Morton doesn’t start.

Here are Russell’s puzzlers from last night:

1. Second inning, Cincinnati at bat, runners at first and third, no outs, Pirates behind 5-0. Russell plays the infield back, conceding the run even if they pull off the double play. Five-nothing is a deep hole, but it’s only the second inning; the game’s not over. Unless your manager gives up. (Third baseman Andy LaRoche made the point moot when he threw a potential 5-4-3-double play ball into right field.)

2. Top of the third, Pirates down 7-0, Morton scheduled to lead off the inning. The Reds have betted around in each of the first two innings and Morton has thrown 68 pitches. Russell bats for him. This is fine. He hit the pitcher eighth for all of April, a strategy even Bill James says is a wash because the benefits of having someone on base when the top of the order comes up at least balance out the extra at bats the pitcher gets with men on base because he’s been moved up. On the bench is Delwyn Young, who hit three doubles Monday night and was left off the lineup card in the three subsequent games (Consider this Issue 2A.) Who does Russell send up to bat for Morton? Pitcher Zack Duke, hitting .071. Honest to God.

Was Russell saving a bat for later in the game when a clutch situation might arise? You’re down 7-0 in the third inning. The odds this game will get close if you don’t start closing the gap right now are about the same as me winning a Pulitzer Prize for this blog. Earl Weaver, the greatest manager of my lifetime, used to say you should never lose with bullets left in the gun. If Russell didn’t have any bullets left, it was because, by hitting Duke in that situation, he never even felt like loading the gun.

If things like this makes a relatively casual observer wonder how badly Russell wants to win, what must it do to the players?

A Modest Proposal

The Designated Hitter has been the bane of all right-thinking people since its inception in 1973. I was only 17 then, and, contrary to the idea that my callowness would make such an exciting innovation cool and groovy, I hated it with a passion rivaled only by my hatred for the Cleveland Browns and Philadelphia Flyers. I never have been in favor of getting something for nothing, and the DH is nothing but that.

Since then it’s become a cluster fuck. Minor league games played under different rules in each city (depending on whether the parent club was playing Real Baseball or overhand fast pitch) morphed into World Series games with different rules depending on year or site, and into regular season games played under house rules as the apostasy of inter-league play gained momentum. Now we’re stuck with it, like an inoperable brain tumor: the Players’ Association won’t let MLB get rid of it because DHs are higher paid than the utility men who would replace them. (Those who argue the National League should give in and adopt the DH are taking the side of adding a brain tumor to the one that can’t removed. How’s that gonna help?)

Here’s my simple, elegant solution, one that captures the best elements of Real Baseball while allowing the simple-minded DHers their little gimmick: pitchers do not have to come out of the game when they’re hit for. The pinch hitter has to come out (unless it’s part of a two-for-one switch), but the pitcher can stay.

Pitchers would still bat once in a while. No point in wasting a bat off the bench when there are two out and on one on, or if you want to sacrifice the pitcher anyway. The decision points—and delightful elements for second-guessing, which is why people watch baseball in the first place—will come when the pitcher’s spot leads off an early inning, and you’d like to get someone on base with the top of the order coming up. Would managers walk the eight hitter as often, knowing the pitcher might not have to bat? How about bases loaded two outs, fourth inning?

Managers couldn’t do this too often, lest they not have a bat left late in the game when the game is on the line. It would also keep so many teams from carrying twelve or thirteen pitchers, which wouldn’t be such a bad thing, either.

Like I said, it will never happen. Which probably means it’s a pretty good idea.

Melting the Igloo

I meant to write this yesterday but didn’t have the heart for it. Losing is okay; half the teams in any game lose. Showing up would have been nice. The effort the Pens expended in Wednesday night’s Game 7 wouldn’t have taxed a squirrel in a rusty exercise wheel. With the exception of Jordan Staal, the “core” of the team—Crosby, Malkin, Gonchar, Fleury—mailed it in.

All credit goes to the Canadiens. They had a plan, they bought into it, and they made the sacrifices necessary to execute it to near perfection. (Aside from blocking just under three million shots, Hal Gill played Game 7 with 40 stitches and staples in a cut left hamstring.) If they continue this run, Jaroslav Halak will join Ken Dryden and Patrick Roy in the Habs’ pantheon, and deservedly so. That doesn’t mean he did it alone.

Pittsburgh would liked to have kept Gill when he became a free agent after last year’s Cup run; the Canadiens had more cap room. Gill has now played two consecutive series this year that, along with last year’s excellence, make one wonder if he isn’t the most underrated defensive defenseman in the NHL.

He had company. Josh Gorges and rookie sensation P.K. Subban were excellent throughout. Jaroslav Spacek returned from an illness to play key minutes in the final games after Andrey Markov went down with an injury. Forwards Mike Cammalleri, Scott Gomez, and little teeny Brian Gionta came up big time after time. Coach Jacques Martin’s lifetime playoff resume is less than impressive, but he’s been Toe Blake, Herb Brooks, and Scotty Bowman all rolled into one this year.

The Pens problems started at the top and worked their way down. Dan Bylsma was badly out-coached. He had no answers for the Canadiens’ match-ups, even when getting the last change for home games. What are little mistakes at the time can always be second-guessed in the aftermath of a Game 7 debacle, but this isn’t really second-guessing; I hollered “time out” at the screen after Montreal’s second goal. The game was already getting away from them. Fleury should have been pulled after Goal Three.

Crosby was mostly invisible, except for the horrible boarding call at 0:10 of the first period. How he could be surprised at that call may have shown more insight into the Pens’ problems than anyone cares to admit. They played like they were owed this one.

Crosby can’t be expected to play every series like he played against Ottawa. Montreal sold out to stop his line, and it worked. Pittsburgh has another superstar center, and Evgeny Malkin didn’t score any more than Sid did. This was the type of series where he needed to step up. Had his line produced, Martin may have been forced to reconsider his strategy on Crosby, Kunitz, and Guerin; Malkin and his line mates never put him on the spot.

Sergei Gonchar may be the league’s leading example of a heads-up offensive defenseman, but his defensive lapses were glaring at times this season, especially late in the year. The playoffs were no better, and his turnstile impression that led to the fourth goal when Travis Moen would have been content to kill some time was a backbreaker.

That gets us to Fleury. I’m not a Fleury basher. Hell, I own his tee shirt. I thought his play during last year’s Cup run should have silenced his critics for at least a year, but there were too many soft goals to make excuses for. There were plenty of defensive lapses in front of him this year, but an elite goalie makes more saves then he did in those situations. That’s what makes them elite, allowing their mates to take some chances in front of them, knowing they’ll be backstopped.

The Pens have played a lot of hockey the past three years: two trips to the Finals, and, for several, the Olympics. I bought the Center Ice package last fall, so I saw every game but one, and it was money well spent. I’ll re-up this year, ready to see the next version of the Penguins. The taste of Game 7 will be gone well before that.

Chattin' with the Porcine One

Washington Capitals coach Bruce “Porky Pig” Boudreau chatted with Washington Post readers this morning. Here are excerpts from his chat:

Mike DC: Who are you pulling for in game 7, Montreal or Pittsburgh?

Bruce Boudreau: I am pulling for Montreal. I could never see myself wanting Pittsburgh to win and Montreal is playing inspired hockey. I can see them winning. I do think whoever scores the first goal will win

Washington, D.C.: Yesterday I bet a free lunch for the four rabid Caps fans in our office if together they could name the teams still in the playoffs -- without Internet or other assistance. They couldn't do it, so they had to buy me lunch. What do you think of that?

Bruce Boudreau: Sounds like they are loyal Caps fans! They love our team and nobody else and like myself they probably have not been able to watch hockey since we lost - so they would not know.

(Then don’t be surprised when teams beat you doing exactly the same things next year, Fat Boy.)

Washington, DC: Coach, Mike Green recently suggested that the team's protracted commute home after game 4 played a role in the team coming out flat at the start of game 5. Do you agree? And in general, what impact do extraordinary travel delays have on a club in a series with little time off between games?

Bruce Boudreau: I think the fog flight had a profound effect on us. The players missed an entire night of sleep and got out of their routine. We missed practice the following day and it showed in the first 10 minutes of Game 5, when Montreal scored both their goals.

(Interesting how this never got mentioned when the Pens had to walk in from Canada for that Sunday afternoon game in February.)

So there you have it. The Caps aren’t just chokers; they’re excuse-making, petty, whiners to boot. Here’s hoping they roll up another 120 points next year and are still free to play golf on May Day.

New Lows

The Pirates lose; we've grown accustomed to that. It's how they lose that wears you down. Management trades favorite and productive players for prospects who may be years away, if they pan out at all. Field management has some strange ideas about strategy and accountability. (More on that later.) Last night the players showed they might have the physical skills to play with the big boys after all, if they could keep their heads glued on.

Zach Duke outpitched Cardinals ace Chris Carpenter into the seventh inning. The Cardinals were ahead, but all three of their runs were unearned. Two came when Ronny Cedeno appeared to look away from what should have been a first-inning-ending grounder to prolong the inning, allowing Yadier Molina to drive in two runs with a single against a bizarrely positioned infield. Normally reliable Andy LaRoche's throwing error opened the door for St. Louis' third run. (First baseman Garret Jones also botched a cutoff play to extend an inning, but Duke pitched out of it.)

The Pirates scratched out a couple of runs and had the Cardinals on the ropes in the eighth, with LaRoche on third, Andrew McCutcheon on first and Jones at the plate. Jones hit a sharp one-hopper to the pitcher, who caught LaRoche between third and home. He prolonged the rundown long enough for McCutcheon to make third and Jones to get to second, so the end result should have been second and third and one out, a net gain considering the ground ball.

Except that LaRoche forgot to let himself be tagged and went all the way back to third, currently occupied by McCutcheon. Catcher Molina properly tagged McCutcheon out, and the base legally belonged to LaRoche. La Roche didn't know the rule and stepped toward the dugout, allowing Molina to tag him as well to complete the double play. Only in Pittsburgh can a ground ball to the pitcher with runners on first and third and none out turn into a runner on second and two out.

Not a problem; they still got Jones home to tie the game. Then, in the ninth, Akimori Iwamura tagged the wrong hand of a sliding Cardinals runner, wasting a perfect throw from Ryan Doumit and allowing a stolen base. The runner eventually scored and the Cards won 4-3.

Hitting, pitching, and fielding are the core of the game; the players are primarily responsible for those. ("It's a simple fame. You throw the ball, you hit the ball, you catch the ball.") Cutoff plays, base running are also on the players, but those are areas management has much more control over. If players can't keep their heads in the game, it's the manager's job to see that they do. (Lastings Milledge was tagged out halfway between second and third Thursday night after hitting a bases loaded double; Milledge thought the ball was a home run and had entered his grand slam trot.)

This started as a rant for the players to get their heads out of their asses. People can live with a team that gets out talented by the opposition if the effort is there, but the Pirates make too many dumb mistakes to earn much of that trust. Watching the game and reading Dejan Kovacevic in today's paper had me ginned up for a John Russell rant in a day or two.

PNC Park Sold Out for Fan Euthanasia Night

From the Onion:

PITTSBURGH—PNC Park boasted a rare sellout crowd Tuesday when more than 38,000 eager Pirates fans showed up for "Fan Euthanasia Night," during which each attendee was guaranteed "the sweet release of a quick and painless death" courtesy of sponsor PepsiCo. "For a diehard Pirates fan who has been following this team for nearly 20 consecutive losing seasons, or really just anyone who watched them get beat 20-0 by the Brewers last week, this is certainly a well-deserved treat," said 46-year-old Jim Martin, walking through the turnstile to receive his souvenir program and his lethal dose of sodium thiopental. "I haven't seen so many people so relaxed and generally happy to be at a Pirates game in a long time." An estimated 200,000 Pirates fans who were unable to get tickets to the game reportedly listened to its radio broadcast while idling their cars inside closed garages.

Vin Scully

I’ve been taking advantage of a free trial of MLB’s Extra Innings TV package to watch Pirates games when I have a chance. (Fortunately I didn’t have such an opportunity during the series where Milwaukee made the Bucs their Bitches for the Ages.) I caught at least parts of all four games from Los Angeles over the weekend, picking up the Dodgers’ feed, and Vin Scully.

No one else in the booth with him, Scully carries the entire game by himself. He talks a more than I remember, but I’d only ever heard him on national games before, with one or two analysts, so leaving empty space was more important. Frickin’ guy is 82 years old and still makes fewer errors than big-time broadcasters half his age. (And with half his skill.)

Listening to him over the weekend, I can see why he’s worn so well with Dodgers fans. Mellifluous voice, easy manner, interesting comments, and he knows everything about these players. I also picked up one other thing about Vin:

He doesn’t think much of how the Pirates are currently operated. This is not because of my highly attuned ear, sensitive to any slight; he makes no excuses about it. A new paraphrased examples:

And, for the first time in the series, Pirates manager John Russell has the pitcher batting ninth. He’s one of those who sees benefit of hitting the pitcher in the eighth spot, though, with the Pirates losing 99 games last year, you have to wonder what those benefits might be.

This is uncharted country for the Pirates, as they led the league in double plays in each of the past three years. Of course, much of that is due to opportunity—they allow a lot of baserunners—but their current situation has more to do with trading away both the shortstop and second baseman from those teams.

He dropped other morsels during the four games; those two stick out because he used them, or variations, several times.

He wasn’t picking on the Pirates. Scully went out of his way to compliment the history of the organization, and told the story about how Roberto Clemente became a Pirate after “the Dodgers owned his rights, but thought they’d get clever and hide him for a year up in Montreal. Well, the scouts knew all about him, and when the winter draft came along…”

The Pirates lost three of four and got blown out on Sunday, but I watched to the end. Spending Sunday afternoon on the couch listening to Vin Scully is as relaxing as a shady hammock and a warm breeze. Almost enough to make me watch Dodgers games, just to listen to him.

Almost.

Welcome

I've been blogging about politics and whatever else comes to mind for about five years now. Frankly, much of the time it's pretty goddamn depressing. I don't want to get too snarky, because people won't take the message seriously. (Not that many are taking it either way.) The nice thing about sports is, the only people who (should) really take it seriously are those actually playing the games. Those fans who paint their bodies and have team logo tattoos or spend the rent money on Super Bowl tickets deserve all the snark they get. So let's have some fun.

I grew up near Pittsburgh as a Pirates, Steelers, and Penguins fan. I've been gone longer than I was there. But there's something about the Burgh and its sports teams that never leaves you. I still follow them closer than what are now my local teams, often treating the locals with disdain when I feel they've earned it. (Calling Washington Capitals fans "front-running bandwagon jumpers" can safely be described as disdain.) Other sports topics will sometimes require dissection; I'm game for that, too.

Feel free to comment at will; if we can't argue about sports and still be friends, what the hell are we going to argue about?