Let's get the ball rolling

[Novelist]

Now is the winter of my discontent; well, to be truthsome, now is the fifteen years of my discontent. It just doesn’t sound as nice.

At the end of the season, I joined the chorus who sang, “Ding dong, the dolts are gone.” Seeing McClatchey and Littlefield shown the door was a wonderful thing. The added bonus of Tracey being packed off in his arrogant-mobile and sent back to California was just icing on the proverbial cake.

I know we are cautioned to let the new administration get some time in place before rushing to judgment, but when we look at the emerging body of work, I fear that we’re just replaying the last five years in a Groundhog’s-day loop.

The team has signed no one, made no trades of value and see its average-at-best bullpen reduced in potential without anything of real value returning. We’ll see the same seven or eight faces in the field and the same starting rotation. It’s going to get ugly – no, it’s already ugly – now we’re in for truly dismal.

I know, I hear some of you saying that the underperformers will rebound and the youngsters will get better, but we don’t know that. It’s just as likely that the overpreformers will return to normal. This team has a serious talent deficit.

At the old OnlyBucs forum, where I was registered under a different handle, I was an infrequent poster. When I did post, though, I focused on the ownership problem. That is still my mantra: we have the best park in the world and the worst owners. (I am a charter member of the IrateFans club and have my yellow tee-shirt to prove it.)

Does anyone out there have any positive spin on our new regime? I content they are hamstrung by evil-madman G. Ogden Nutting and nothing good can ever happen except by accident.

- Novelist

[Richard A. Mathews]

Personally, if Duke really has convinced the current regime to let him go back to his prior motion - tipping his pitchs and all - but getting his movement back on the baseball, Zake's potential alone makes the 2008 version of these Bucs worth watching.

Duke even at nothing more than a slightly better version of Paul - I'm scared stiff to throw the baseball over the plate - Maholm could give the team a fairly solid rotation.

I was truly impressed with Doumit's improvement defensely in right during 2007 and few can dispute that for even as a career long streak hitter, when Ryan is healthy and on a hot streak he can be produce long balls at a solid rate.

My biggest ongoing question is "How does Huntington think he is going to get Nady and Doumit at alone Pierce enough at bats?"

I'm not ready to give up on Bautista yet and hope the rumors Nady is pulling out his third base glove are just that rumors.

We can always dream the 2008 team might make the same type of turn the Bucs did going very young in 1968, 1969 before really breaking out in the early 70's with first Roberto then Willie to lead them.

[Dogknot3]

I know the names are the same, but I think it is a new ownership group.  I say that because Bob Nutting did say that he knew nothing about baseball and needed to hire guys who did.  He did that in hiring Coonelly and Huntington.  They might not have been the best guys to turn an organization around, but they are at least baseball men.  I am willing to give them time to prove themselves.

I do think the Pirates lack talent, but Bob Nutting did say that he wants to rebuild from within.  Meaning, this season means nothing.  This is the season that the Pirates will get some guys playing better and then can get better return in a trade.

I wouldn't be shocked if Bay, LaRoche, Wilson and Nady are traded at the trade deadline.  Sanchez might be in there too depending on his upcoming contract.

I know I am bias, but I do like the fact that the Pirates got baseball people in the right spots, expanding in scouting and building up Latin America.

If the Pirates play .500 (which they can), it would be a bonus.  But if they don't, no one should panic.

[Max Power]

I'm one of the few that are happy we didn't see a bunch of trades for the sake of trades happen.  Either I'm blind by hope or I truely sense real baseball people at work here.  None of the off season moves were earth shattering and no pick-ups are cure alls for what ales you.  We have also done no harm to those who could truely become the players of the future. 

I'm the last one who thinks it can be done over night - let alone in one off season.  The "ball is rolling" and we are slowly making the moves towards a stable environment.  The moves we've made are low risk high reward types.  If we compare us to an infant, we need to learn first to crawl before we can walk, let alone run.  I want to see us sprinting someday, but will take a good run first. 

The new management is doing what is says it would.  Should the right move come along, they'll do it, but not for the sake of just doing it.  In order to buy low and sell high, we need production out of our guys.  To sell them off now is but to prolong the agony.  We don't need that now. 

Baseball is a business different from all others.  We are not in a position to dump a whole lot of cash to jump start a corpse.  Fresh paint on a junker of a car is still a junker with a paint job.  The needs are far greater than the sum of parts.  Going forward with the group of underachievers could reap benefits.  I believe that our rotation could be good.  We have enought to find some of the answers for the Pen.  Let's get some of the position players to play well and together as a unit they just may.  Then they can look at moving the right pieces to help out where it's needed.  By then some of the kids will be moving forward. 

Then and only then the ownership group will be in the position to add payroll.  For then it would not be a waste.  Then things will be different - more clear and more cohesive.

Color me crazy if you have to.. I hope I'm a raving lunatic, because I believe in the new management.