Rebuilding the Bucs

One of a negative Pirate fan’s greatest weapons in his mind is to say the following: “…same old Bucs. We do the same thing every year. Trade the good players away for minor leaguers. I’m not going to follow them anymore.”

This is the type of criticism that I hate, because it usually comes reflexively without looking at the facts of the situation. To counter these claims, we need to start with a couple of salient points about how to win baseball games in a big way. Here is how you have to win in the MLB:

• Drafting and development is the key. You have to field a team of mostly homegrown players.
• Give the kids time in the majors to either sink or swim. You need to see what you have with what you’ve drafted and developed.
• After you’ve seen what you have, fill in the holes. This can be done through free agency or trades. The trade aspect is why you have to continually draft and develop well.
• Stay away from bad contracts. Perhaps much easier said than done.
• Keep your stars but choose wisely!

That’s it. That’s how you win. These steps are magnified for small market teams; the smaller the market/payroll, the more important these are. Now, let’s compare the Pirates performance in these ways under Dave Littlefield and Neal Huntingdon.

• Drafting and development – Littlefield’s failure in this key area is why the Bucs are in a position where they have to rebuild. First look at his first round picks. The only ones currently with the team are Paul Maholm and Andrew McCutchen. The Cutch pick was out of character for Littlefield; he was a high schooler with a lot of upside. The Maholm pick was more in line with his philosophy; college arms with low ceilings. Maholm represents the only success among these college arms; Bryan Bullington and Daniel Moskos represent the worst of these decisions. He also missed on Neil Walker (perhaps being blinded by the fact that Walker is a local product). Neal Huntingdon has only been in charge for two drafts. However, in his first draft he showed a willingness to go for upside and to pay overslot for top talent. This draft featured Pedro Alvarez as the top pick (who has been tearing it up at AA Altoona in July), but also contained lower round signability guys like Robbie Grossman, Quinton Miller and Wesley Freeman. All in all, the Bucs spent almost $10 million on the 2008 draft signees (which ranks in the top 5 in history). This year, the Bucs went even more extreme in the draft, taking a low risk, low upside guy at #4 overall (Tony Sanchez) in the hopes of spreading even more money around in the later rounds. They drafted a bunch of high upside high school arms like Trent Stevenson (signed away from LSU), Zach Von Rosenburg (currently committed to LSU), and Colton Cain (Texas). Allowing the draft budget to be the same as 2008, and giving the $2.5mm slot deal to Tony Sanchez, that leaves around $8 million for the Bucs to spend on getting these guys. It is important to get young arms en masse, because young arms routinely fail, all the time. The more arms you get, the more chances you have to succeed, and the more upside they have, the better chance you will unearth a star or two. It has to be said that Huntingdon is a big improvement over Littlefield in this area.
• Letting the kids play – Under Littlefield, the Bucs were famous for misevaluating talent and pulling the plug way too early on experiments. Nate McLouth sat on the bench for 2 years before the Huntingdon/Russell combo realized he deserved a full time chance. They ruined Zach Duke when Jim Tracy came aboard. Craig Wilson saw sporadic playing time for the likes of Raul Mondesi and Jeromy Burnitz. The tone under Huntingdon has changed dramatically. McCutchen was given a full blown opportunity at the MLB level once McLouth was traded; he has run with it and proven that he can be part of the core of the next great Bucs team. Young guys Snell and Gorzelanny were given plenty of time to sink or swim; they sunk. Steve Pearce and Lastings Milledge will play every day for the rest of the year. These are the kinds of things that will hasten the process of building a model organization.
• Filling in the holes – Huntingdon hasn’t reached this point yet, so he can’t be judged. But lets illustrate what he has to “live up” to. Jeromy Burnitz, Joe Randa, Chris Stynes, Raul Mondesi, and Matt Morris were just some of the guys that Littlefield handed big money to. For those Bucs fans that complain about payroll, wouldn’t you rather spend the money when McCutchen needs to sign a long term deal in 2012 than spend it on these chumps? The answer to this, if you are serious about winning, has to be yes.

Rebuilding a franchise takes a lot of effort, and it is vastly unpopular. That ultimately is why Cam Bonifay and Dave Littlefield never did it. Neal Huntingdon is one of the 3 most unpopular people in Pittsburgh right now, but he did the right thing. Trading the mediocre pieces we had right now for the best we could get would help speed up the process of rebuilding. Targeting young arms in large numbers is a great strategy to get some quality big league arms. Another strong trend is getting players who were previously well-regarded but for some reason cast aside and undervalued by their previous organizations (Milledge, Gorkys Hernandez, Jeff Clement). With these trends, plus his proven proclivity for taking reasonable risks in the draft, means that Huntingdon is doing things the right way. Some moves will succeed, probably more will fail, but the plan is being executed, and that is the important thing right now. It is certainly different than anything else attempted in these 17 shameful years of losing.

Athletes and Twitter go together like....ammonia and bleach

And anyone who had high school Chemistry knows that can be a lethal combination.

Twitter is something that has exploded in popularity and we're only seeing the tip of the iceberg here. There are plenty of more famous or more controversial tweets out there, but I'll share a few that are of the type that have to drive coaches nuts.

These gems come from one Visanthe Shiancoe, who is best known for revealing a little more than he intended last season following a big win for the Vikes. If you don't know what I'm talking about, feel free to google his name and see what you find.

Anyway, on the first day of training camp, here was his first notable tweet:

Here we go with the meetings again..the first week highlights fundamentals. So boring but essentail

I'm sure Brad Childress is thrilled to hear that he has players that are bored.....on the first day of camp. But wait, there's more!

Zzzzzz zzzzz zzz zzz (in meetings) lol.. Introducing the staff

But somewhere along the line, he acquired a conscience.

My earlier tweet with the"zzzzzzzz's" was concerning an administrative meeting and not a teammeeting

But don't worry, he assured us there's more hilarity/coaching headaches to come:

Don't worry I got you tweet world.. Allll camp!

Ortiz and Ramirez: Cheaters

The New York Times is reporting today that Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz failed the "anonymous" drug test done in 2003. This was the same test result that was leaked that revealed that A-Rod truly was A-Fraud.

Is it me, or is this the worst kept secret we've seen in a while? The MLBPA is a very powerful union, one that was assured these tests would not only be anonymous, they would be destroyed. How did they allow this to happen?

At this point, the guys who have been outed have to call for the rest of the names to be revealed, just to make them look a little, uh, better, right?

Response to Jarv, Part 2

If you would have told me at the beginning of the year that as the trade deadline approached that the Red Sox would be looking for pitching, I would have said you were crazy.

At the beginning of the year it appeared that what the Red Sox did have was pitching. They had the best starting rotation in the bigs from top to bottom with Josh Beckett, Daisuke Matsuzaka, John Lester, Brad Penny, and Tim Wakefield. And they had depth with Justin Masterson, Clay Buckholz, and first ballot Hall of Famer John Smoltz waiting in the wings.

Pair that with a shut-down bullpen featuring veterans Hideki Okajima and Manny Delcarmen, flamethrowing newcomer Daniel Bard (if you haven't had a chance to see this guy pitch, you're missing out) with Jonathan Papelbon slamming the door at the end and you have a wonderful pitching scenario.

Well, that was then and this is now. Beckett and Lester have been as great as expected but Penny has been inconsistent. Daisuke is arguing that Japanese have different shoulder anatomy. Even reliable Wakefield is on the DL. And Smoltz hasn’t returned to form.

What good is a stellar bullpen when your starting pitching has already given your opponent an insurmountable lead?

The Red Sox have been forced to sit idly by as the Yankees have roared past them. I don’t know if I’ve ever said this, but the AL East race will be an interesting one to watch this year.

Will the Red Sox pitching prove to be as stellar as earlier advertised or will the Yankees find themselves the de facto champs of the East? Time will tell.

What started as a comment has turned into a post

Jarv, what a great entry. So much to comment on. I started typing a comment and it became a post.

I've been chanting the name Freddy Sanchez around the house hoping that just wanting it enough would result in a trade. This has done nothing good for my sanity nor for that of my wife.

But instead the Giants were able to get him straight up for the fourth best prospect in their minor league system. Are you telling me the Twins couldn't match that? I very nearly sent Bill Smith an extremely short email expressing my disgust. But part of me wants to be welcome at Twins games for the next sixty years or so.

A pox on you, Bill Smith. Signing Joe Crede doesn't redeem the bonehead Santana trade, the Matt Garza (ALCS MVP)and Jason Bartlett (currently 3rd in AL in hitting) for Delmon Young and Brendan Harris trade, or giving $8.5 million to a guy who wouldn't make the Washington Natinals and refuses to quit sliding head first into first base.

The Twins are getting an atrocious .505 OPS from their second baseman. If that doesn't demand a move, I don't know what does.

Even a sweep of the hated White Sox doesn't improve my mood regarding the Twins decision to stand pat - unless you count signing 39 year old Mark Grudzielanek to a minor league deal as a significant move.

Trading Deadline Special: AL East

One of the problems with having a limited amount of contributors (and an even more limited amount who actually post—I’m pointing at myself here) is the problem you run into of sharing fan bases. I can think of a few of our beloved staffers who bleed Black and Gold. I seem to share a good deal of teams in common with the Gentleman from South Dakota. Such is the case here and while I am much more knowledgeable in all things AL Central, in the attempt at fair coverage (although this division gets more press than Lindsay Lohan…wait where has she gone?) I will pontificate on the trade issues affecting the AL East.

I once had a love affair with New York Yankees. It was torrid. It was illicit. It seemed bandwagon-influenced, but rest assured it was geographically based, and thus legit to enter and leave that relationship. Repeat I am not a Bandwagon Jumper. If you have doubts, please read rules 18-20 of Bill Simmons’ rules on fan loyalty. Anyway, I have not followed this division much lately, so I figured what better way to inform myself of its state in general than taking in an interdivisional game? Here’s what I learned about trades in the AL East and other things from watching the ESPN telecast of the Yankees vs. Rays:

--The Roy Halladay front is all quiet. Personally, I think the Phillies-Indians trade made both teams better and the Phillies were wise to go after Lee rather than give up too much to get Halladay. Really, you have to think the Fightin’ Phils have the best shot to win the NL again…getting away from the AL East…dangit!

--I miss Matt Garza. Wait Derek Jeter just tripled to open the game…I don’t care…Garza’s stuff is electric and Delmon Young is now riding the pine in Minnesota full time behind Carlos Gomez and his sub-.650 OPS…AL EAST, AL EAST…c’mon Aaron, you can do it!

--By the way, allow me to throw in a plug for Jim Beam sourmash bourbon-style whiskey. A good sipping whiskey is to baseball what Jenny is to Forrest…may be a stretch, but I’m enjoying myself.

--Jason Bartlett is hitting .332 (3rd in AL) and he’s hitting 9th? Is the Rays’ lineup really that good?

--Steve Berthiaume intrudes with a Breaking Trade Update…Freddy Sanchez is going to the Giants for some minor league prospects…once again, I’m caring none for the AL East right now and only cursing Twins GM Bill Smith and pouring another glass of J.B. How can we do nothing again? Even as Morneau, Nathan, and even Mauer (very soft-spoken) are pitching fits to Star Tribune reporters daily. How are we going to re-sign Mauer after next season when management shows no commitment to be anything but an 88-win team every year? Actually, there are lots of retorts to this, which could jumpstart many a lively discussion. There have been many teams who’ve screwed themselves for years going after that “one extra piece.” Should Nathan and the M and M boys be questioning their middle infield instead? Perhaps their own crew of starting pitchers who were shaping up to be a very good young group last year, but who have been middling at best this year? Perhaps their over-hyped aging adolescent manager? Is blaming the front office at the trade deadline really the wisest take as a fan? I don’t know, but it is fun…

--Steve B. cuts to the A’s-Red Sox only to see Brad Penny get rocked for 5 runs in his first 37 pitches. With an unhappy Matsusaka (stressed out because of an off-day throwing schedule? Please…) and an injured bullpen, it will be interesting to see if Boston does anything to bolster their pitching in the next couple of days. Penny was on the block as recently as last week (prime candidate for a trade being that he only signed a one-year deal in the off-season) but I can’t find anything that suggests anything is brewing tonight…although really, if you need pitching are you really going to get rid of Brad Penny when you seem primed for another post-season run? I think not.

--Jeter just put down a beautiful bunt single for his second hit of the night…he’s hitting .325 with 11 HR this year (.855 OPS)…Nice production out of my shortstop, especially for one in his 14th season (I know he’s a below average defender). Speaking of needs for the Yankees…I know they are perpetual buyers, but I don’t see them making a trade for another bat at least…they have the best 1-9 in the game…and with the Phils (Koke and Hughes...sounds like a law firm) coming on strong in the bullpen with Rivera, and with 4 strong starters (Joba, Andy Pettitte, Burnett, and Sabathia) it’s hard to believe they’ll make a big trade…maybe one more bullpen arm if anything.

--Steve Phillips is talking like the Red Sox or Yankees are still trying to put together a package for Halladay, but I can’t believe the Jays would trade him within the division…I’m saying the Sox have more of a chance of doing this if it were to happen, but look for him to go out West if he’s going to go anywhere…Phillips is stressing right now that the AL East is a two-team race between the Yanks and Sox…he doesn’t think the Rays can hang in…they’re under-performing this year, but is a line-up that features B.J Upton, Carl Crawford, Evan Longoria, and Carlos Pena out of it just yet?...Yeah, just checked the standings and they’re 6.5 back…thought they were closer than that…with Boston, Seattle, and Texas all in good shape for a potential wild card, it will be hard for TB to overcome…it looks as though they’re more than one piece away at this point. Jon Paul Morosi and Ken Rosenthal are reporting as of tonight that the Rays may be a “long shot” to try and get Halladay. But they are also mulling getting some more bullpen help, just after they considered moving relievers yesterday…once again doesn’t seem like they are just one piece away.

--As I am writing this, I see that Yanks’ Brian Cashman has in fact gone after some pitching, but in the manner I expected…taking a flier on Jason Hirsh from the Colorado Rockies and re-assigning him to AAA Scranton-Wilkes-Barre. Don’t know what Cashman sees in Hirsh as he’s 6-7 with an ERA of 6.66 this year pitching for the AAA Colorado Springs. They only gave up a player to be named later, and upon further research, it looks like they’re only doing this for depth in the organization to protect against injury down the stretch.

--The Orioles suck and have sucked for a long time. I don’t feel like wasting time researching their needs, which are many. Besides, I’m teaching the second installment of my Faith and Film class at church next Friday and I need to prep for it. Peace out baseball lovers!

How could we be so wrong?

How could we be so wrong? I remember the jubilation in Minnesota when the Timberwolves acquired Stephon Marbury for Ray Allen. We boldly proclaimed that he, paired with Garnett, would be the next Stockton and Malone. After watching these videos along with his pitiful play over the past five years or so, I'm utterly speechless.

Reflecting on today's MLB trades

While many eyes in the sports world are focused on the opening of training camps, and Rachel Nichols is still camped out on Brett Favre’s lawn, I can’t bring my attention away from the trade rumors in baseball. Yesterday, I called for the Twins to trade for Freddy Sanchez. Today, it appears that the Giants may be the closest to acquiring the doubles-hitting second baseman. But Twins GM, Bill Smith, always plays very close to the vest and we only hear about trades involving the Twins after the transaction has occurred.

The Phillies, after kicking the Roy Halladay’s tires for weeks, have acquired the next best thing in Cliff Lee. Lee, after all, is the reigning Cy Young award winner and didn’t come at the expense of Kyle Drabek or any of the other top prospects the Blue Jays were demanding. No, Cliff Lee isn’t Roy Halladay. But he’s darn good and has to make the Phillies the favorite to win the pennant.

That’s not a shot at the Dodgers and their wonderful, young position players. But Philly now has the pitching to go along with that extremely potent offense. Jamie Moyer and Pedro Martinez are question marks going down the stretch, but Lee gives them the depth required for a deep run in the playoffs. And here’s a stat to note – Cliff Lee has a career record of 12-2 with a 3.18 ERA against NL teams.

So if that is one of the better trades we’ve seen this season – one that benefits both teams – we also saw a trade today that goes down as one of the worst and most one sided (if that isn’t being redundant) of the season. Pittsburgh unloaded troubled pitcher Ian Snell and the nimble Jack Wilson and his $7.25 million contract to Seattle for a slew of prospects. I’ve followed the Pirates since 2002 and instantly was a Wilson fan. Perhaps it was for his stunning defensive plays, or maybe it was for his goofy answers to questions that they’d play on the scoreboard between innings. It was most likely a combination of both.

It’s sad to see him go, but let’s be real about who Jack Wilson is. He’s a great defensive shortstop, but has a career .687 OPS. He’s not exactly a threat offensively and despite not losing any defensive range with age, he’s due to make $8.4 million next year. This is a great trade for the Pirates. They got a pile of prospects in exchange for an emotionally troubled pitcher and a light-hitting web gem machine.

But all this begs the question: what the heck are the Mariners thinking? They’re 7.5 games out of first place and trade for…drum roll…an aging, expensive defensive shortstop? Teams just don’t do this. Why take on contracts of guys who can’t put you over the top? The Mariners won’t contend this year. They don’t have the talent of the Rangers or the deep pockets of the Angels.

Oh, to be a fly on the wall in the Mariners war room today. That would be ripe for an SNL skit.

Are more moves to come for the Mariners? They already have Carlos Silva, in one of the worst contracts on record right now, wrapped up for four years at $48 million. Perhaps they’ll trade for the remaining years on Barry Zito’s contract (averaging $18 million a year with an ERA over 4.50 since joining the Giants). I could go mining for other awful moves for them to make but it’ll be more fun to sit and watch for their next move. Or, shockingly, their last move of 2009 will be this trade. And that will look awfully silly when they finish the year over 10 games out of first place with a farm system devoid of several of its best prospects.

This was yet another of Pittsburgh’s many great moves this year. Does this reflect really well on Neal Huntington or extremely poorly on David Littlefield? I’d say both, but mostly the latter.

Things to watch as we approach the trade deadline, AL Central version

Two posts in a day from me? Am I driven by guilt because of my recent globetrotting, er, rather nationtrotting ways that left me (thankfully) miles from my laptop? Perhaps. Is it because I'm leaving Friday for 9 blissful days sans laptop on a trip in which I plan to conquer a fourteener and visit my 13th MLB ballpark? Perhaps. I'll leave all speculation to the readers and just publish this post.

Every year around this time it becomes clear who is serious about winning a championship. Teams become either buyers or sellers. And every year the pressure mounts to mortgage your future to win this year. Two, sometimes three top prospects are typically the asking price for an extra bat or an arm that can be the difference in the playoffs. Sometimes it works out – the Florida Marlins traded Adrian Gonzalez so they could get Ugueth Urbina to bolster their bullpen the last time they won the World Series. Sometimes it doesn’t, such as last year when CC Sabathia failed to lead the Brewers to the World Series. The loss of top prospects, like in the case of Sabathia, is softened a bit by MLB’s compensation (draft picks) for losing top flight free agents. This allows teams to trade top talent for a three month rental.

Well, let’s look at who’s buying and who’s selling in the AL Central.

There are three clear contenders here: the Twins, Tigers, and White Sox being the buyers, and the Royals and the Indians being the sellers. Cleveland has already sent Ryan Garko packing and Cliff Lee and Victor Martinez have been discussed as possible departures as well. There have been no rumblings involving the Royals as they seem intent on maintaining their extremely average nucleus.

The Twins, despite contending late in nearly every season this decade nearly never buy. It’s just not how they do business. But this year may be the year to buy. They’re moving into a new ballpark next year. Joe Mauer is a free agent after next season and they need to do something to let him know they’re serious about winning. They have the top two OPS guys in the league and three of the top six. They are one of those teams that are one bat and one bullpen arm away from contending for a championship. Will they go against their model and make the trade they need to make?

The toughest part about it is the best fit for a trade for the Twins would be the Pittsburgh Pirates. They have Freddy Sanchez and at least a couple decent bullpen arms. But with the Pirates great selloff this year, they really need to receive a high return to make any additional trades more palatable for fans. So, while the need is great, the likelihood of a deal going through is low.

The Tigers pulled off what some observers called the best trade of the offseason by trading outfielder Matt Joyce for Edwin Jackson. Jackson bolstered the Tigers starting rotation giving them a solid 1-2 punch with Jackson and Verlander. But they’re still looking for more consistency out of Porcello and Galarraga so the addition of another solid starting pitcher would definitely help. And the trade of Matt Joyce leaves them with their biggest need of a good corner outfielder. They could conceivably win the division without making a move, but prudence demands that a move be made.


As far as the Sox go, they have a pretty solid lineup from top to bottom. They could use another solid starting pitcher because as one White Sox blog put it, Bartolo Colon is always “one cheeseburger away from the DL”. But they likely won't want to pay the premium price teams are asking for guys like Roy Halladay. With the Jake Peavy trade falling through earlier this year and Cliff Lee pitching within the division, there just isn't top notch talent to be had at starting pitcher. If the Sox are to make a run, they'll have to do so either with what they have internally or by making a minor deal, likely after the non-waiver deadline.

Thoughts on Favre, Vick, and our Sports Media

Of course we were all sick of the Brett Favre coverage before it even started this year. Is there anyone out there who loves hearing his name more often? But before I go after Brett too hard, we must ask the question: is he the problem or just merely a symptom?


Allow me to explain. Brett could have gone through all this “consideration” without public scrutiny. The workouts, the decisions, the surgery. None of that needed to be publicized. Was all of this in the news because he’s a helpless narcissist – which he clearly is – or rather was this in the news because of our absurd craving for this sort of thing? For instance, there was something extremely unnerving about the press coverage of Michael Vick’s release from jail. Sportscenter had his driving route plotted and camped out outside his home for days to cover the event and tape him pulling into the driveway. I can’t summon the words necessary to disapprove of the gall it takes to cover this event in this way. But in reality, ESPN is only covering this stuff because, apparently, we as sports fans have an insatiable appetite for this stuff.

Speaking of Vick, it has been announced that Roger Goodell has been floating the idea of what amounts to an additional five game suspension for Mr. Vick. While I, along with nearly every sports commentator was initially opposed to such a suspension for the simple reason that he has already paid a very high price for his deeds, I’ve since changed my mind. While the league could go about this by reinstating him and then banning him for life for any future misdeed, that option has no concern for Michael Vick, the human being.


These additional weeks of suspension will allow Michael Vick to come back as both a player and as a person. This will allow time for him to get the mentoring and personal rehabilitation that he needs for life in general. No one honestly believes that prison time actually effectively rehabilitates someone. There is no doubt that Michael Vick has had the past two years to reflect on his past and plan his future, but the addition of someone the caliber of Tony Dungy could change Vick’s life.

It’s clear that prior to Vick’s incarceration he just didn’t have the right influences on him. He had no one in his inner circle that was good for him personally or professionally. Even on the day he was going to jail, he purchased a $99,000 Mercedes with a debit card. Who’s to say that he’s somehow acquired better judgment about people and money simply by sitting in a jail cell? If he takes this seriously, these five weeks could be life changing. Whether or not the reasoning behind Goodell’s plan is anything like mine, it is still a good plan.

SEC You Later!

OK, so the title of this blog post is horrible. It's horrendous; beyond horrible, terrible, whatever. It's still not as bad as this: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/stewart_mandel/07/24/sec-espn/index.html?eref=sihpT1

Reading this article made me angry. The first weekend of college football season, 7 (!) SEC games will be on the ABC/ESPN family of networks. They also are the only football conference that CBS really cares about. Why should any of the rest of us care about non-SEC football?

The arms race that is occurring in the SEC is pretty frightening. Each school continues to up the ante; my school, Tennessee, is the latest to do this, spending an ungodly amount of money on assistant coaches after hiring Lane Kiffin. The best football coaches now all reside in the SEC - Urban Meyer and Nick Saban being the two current best, Houston Nutt proving last year that he's a good one as well, Les Miles being the luckiest coach in America, Kiffin being the most quoteworthy and taking that title from Steve Spurrier (also the former best coach in America)...it is all very, very dizzying.

They've won the last 3 national championships, and their pride in the conference is sickening. Seriously, rival fanbases hate each other on gameday, but if they are playing someone out of conference (like MAC schools, since they never play a tough OOC game) they all root for each other. It's really disturbing.

And they are spending millions and millions, tens of millions, of dollars on football. All to prove that they are best team in the best conference in the best geographical area for football in the country. Well, you know what? I don't care.

I root for a non-SEC BCS school. I enjoy college football, a lot. However, I know that if my team runs into the buzzsaw that is Joe SEC Football school, we will lose. Not just lose; get slaughtered.

I've decided I don't care about this. The journey for me is winning the Big East, and then getting to tell 50 guys who play football at Florida that they will be sorry when they work for Pitt alumni. Academics at SEC schools are a joke.

Sorry, this was a really disjointed rant but I'm just sick of SEC football.

Answer my Question, Bill Simmons! (Vol. 2)

Q: Sports guy, which was a greater sin upon the citizens of Seattle?

1. Taking their beloved Sonics and turning them into the OKC Zombies
or
2. Making them keep the Seattle Storm of the WNBA.

Congratulations, Jamie! (and Ashton)

US wins world junior championships

"AUCKLAND, New Zealand (AP) — The United States broke an 18-year gold medal drought when it beat Greece 88-80 Sunday to win the FIBA under-19 world basketball championships.

Tyshawn Taylor had 18 points and five steals to lead the United States to its first victory at the world junior tournament since it claimed the gold medal at Edmonton, Canada in 1991.

Ahston Gibbs finished with 13 points.."

Greatest all-time linebackers

I should be writing my dissertation, so naturally I am thinking about the greatest linebackers ever.

In my view the top 4 are, in roughly this order:

1. Lawrence Taylor
2. Dick Butkus
3. Jack Lambert
4. Ray Lewis

After that, I think Ray Nitschke, Mike Singletary and Sam Huff have to be in the top ten. After that, I am not sure who belongs to round out the top ten. Junior Seau? Jack Ham? Ted Hendricks? Any suggestions? Any disputes about the top 4? What are your thoughts?

You know we've all been there

There's some er, analysis of the most recent Twins game over at Twinkie Town that includes more about Tecmo Bowl than baseball. Yeah, it's that good:

http://www.twinkietown.com/2009/7/9/943837/twins-done-in-by-the-computer

5 Reasons to Watch: Bucs 2nd Half

Well, as we near baseball's midsummer classic (a week from today!), the evidence starts to pile up. This will not be a winning season for my beloved Bucs. They are currently 9 games under .500 and in last place in the division (although, quirkily, they are only 7.5 back of the Cards). However, I am feeling a lot more optimism for this team than I have in the July's of past. Why is that? Well, here are 5 reasons to watch the Bucs in August and September that will keep you optimistic:

1. The outfield situation - in the last two seasons, the Bucs have traded away four starting outfielders. This may be a technicality, since Nyjer Morgan shouldn't start on any contending team, but they still traded the guys who took the majority of the outfield at-bats. However, the situation here is exciting, looking from the major league roster to the depths of Single A West Virginia. McCutchen has been a revelation in center; he is going to be a star for the Bucs for at least the next 5+ years. Brandon Moss has been mostly a failure so far in RF, but he should still be given chances to produce over the next two months. Lastings Milledge has the pedigree (as a former No. 1 overall prospect of the Mets, as well as leading the Nats in HR and RBI last summer) and now should be given a chance; he won't be sent down to AAA after 7 starts like he was in April by the Nats (at least for performance purposes). Garrett Jones, Steve Pearce, and Delwyn Young will still get opportunities to show what they can do by getting spot starts all over the outfield (although I'm not bullish on any of the three; Young has the most potential as a pinch hitter). In the minors, the Bucs have at least two potential above average major leaguers at Altoona in Gorkys Hernandez and Jose Tabata. Robbie Grossman is performing admirably for a 19-year-old rookie at West Virginia, and Starling Marte has shown a lot of promise in his 2 weeks with the team. Overall, the Bucs have greatly improved their outfield depth throughout the organization while sacrificing only one above average major league player (Jason Bay).

2. The 2009 Draft Class - the Bucs just went Moneyball on everyone's @$$ and people still aren't recovered. They drafted a bunch of high upside high school pitchers after quickly coming to terms with Tony Sanchez at No. 4 overall. They will be tough signs, but it is worth watching the situation until August 17 to see who the Bucs are able to sign. Also, the Latin American market is clearing up, and it appears that the Bucs should be able to sign Miguel A. Sano. This will be the biggest international signing yet for Neal Huntingdon, who has signed players from all six baseball playing continents in his less than 2 years on the job. Seriously, he has signed players from: Holland, South Africa, Australia, India, Taiwan, and various Latin American countries.

3. The pitching depth - Maholm and Duke are probably locked in as #3-4 starters. Ohlendorf has sparkled at times this year, and he's almost a certified genius, but he isn't throwing as hard as he did last summer. Charlie Morton is the big variable; he has the best stuff of anyone on the staff but it needs to translate into major league success. His first four starts have been encouraging; he bears watching. In the minors, top prospect Brad Lincoln needs to prove his stuff at AAA Indy after being dominant in Altoona. If he does, he may earn a rotation spot for next April. Snell and Gorzo still have major league success in their backgrounds, if they can ever throw enough strikes again they could still be viable major league options. All of this coupled with the aforementioned draft has greatly improved the Bucs pitching situation; it should only get better from here.

4. The trade deadline - We don't have anyone who is going to bring back a ton this year, but Grabow, Ad. LaRoche, Freddy Sanchez, Jack Wilson, and Capps are all candidates to be dealt. The question about the middle infield lingers into 2010; if Sanchez and/or Wilson are traded, there aren't people to replace them yet in the system. Which of the guys will go, and how much will the fanbase cry over their departures?

5. The march to 82... - wins or losses? Well, it was said here earlier that it will be losses, and in truth it will probably be many more than 82. This will mark a 17th consecutive losing season, a record for American professional sports. There isn't too much more to say about this. It's inevitable. It will probably happen around September 13-14; all I hope is that its not against Houston, for some personal reasons.

Anyway, this second half should be more exciting for the Bucs than it normally is. This is a sign that the team is going in the right direction. Let's hope that Huntingdon and company keep it up to meet my 2012 deadline; they have to compete by then for me.