OnlyBucs
June 21, 2000
Aug 17, 2000
Dec 7, 2000
April 1, 2001
April 18, 2001
Pirateball
Dec 20, 1996
July 7, 1997
April 14, 1998
Dec 12, 1998
April 18, 1999
Oct 2, 1999
May 11, 2000
Aug 18, 2000
Feb 2, 2001
|
|
Sunday, February 03 2008 @ 11:04 am UTC
Contributed by: WTM
Views: 1,951
by Wilbur T. Miller
Dejan Kovacevic ran an interesting article in the Sunday PG. He notes that the Pirates are placing an "internal value" on the free agents they've attempted to sign and have refused to go above that value. The approach: "A dollar value for a player is formulated by the baseball staff based on market and performance analysis, and a contract agreement is reached only if the terms do not exceed that value."
Wednesday, August 01 2007 @ 03:32 am UTC
Contributed by: Staff
Views: 1,171
by Wilbur Miller
DAVE Littlefield’s desperation to save his job by trying to avert another 95-loss season reached new heights as he traded for the expensive and declining Matt Morris to shore up the Pirates’ rotation. The stunning part was that Littlefield agreed to pick up all of Morris’ hefty salary. If they don’t exercise their 2009 option, the Pirates will be on the hook for a minimum of more than $15M over the next year and two months. With two expensive shortstops, both among MLB’s weakest hitters, already under contract — assuming the Pirates exercise Cesar Izturis’ option, which seems highly likely given Jim Tracy’s affection for his former LA out machine — the Pirates have gone well over their projected payroll and probably eliminated any semblance of financial flexibility for the near future.
Thursday, July 26 2007 @ 03:44 am UTC
Contributed by: Staff
Views: 1,214
by Wilbur Miller
WITH Dave Littlefield becoming almost universally vilified for his non-existent ability to evaluate talent, his claim to being a better (or less atrocious) General Manager than Cam Bonifay is entirely based on the notion that he hasn’t saddled the team with bad contracts. I don’t think this is a valid argument.
Bonifay was notorious for four contracts: Meares, Bell, Young and Kendall. But has Littlefield really done so much better?
Monday, June 25 2007 @ 03:50 am UTC
Contributed by: Staff
Views: 1,273
by Wilbur T. Miller
THOSE words were spoken by an anonymous Pirate official when Dave Littlefield traded away Jason Kendall. With the contracts of Kendall, Kevin Young, Derek Bell and Pat Meares off the books, Dave was finally going to get the chance to remake the Pirates in his own image. So it came about that Dave labored to build a team that fulfilled his vision. And when his labors were done, Dave rested and looked upon what he had wrought...and hit the panic button.
Thursday, February 01 2007 @ 03:58 am UTC
Contributed by: Staff
Views: 1,195
by Wilbur Miller
Pirate fans should take up a new slogan: “Show Me the Money.” The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review ran an article on June 18 discussing the Pirates’ take from revenue sharing, specifically asking the question, “Where is the money going?”
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/pirates/s_458555.html
It’s obviously a pertinent question, because the Basic Agreement provides that “each Club shall use its revenue sharing receipts (from the Base Plan, the Central Fund Component and the Commissioner’s Discretionary Fund) in an effort to improve its performance on the field.”
Wednesday, January 31 2007 @ 02:19 pm UTC
Contributed by: Staff
Views: 1,494
by Wilbur Miller
One of the more popular topics among Pirate fans in recent years has been the quality of the job done by General Manager Dave Littlefield. Thanks to the team’s continued poor play, this subject probably generates less controversy than it once did, but there still remains a segment of the team’s shrinking fan base that considers Littlefield to be at least an adequate GM. Well, as one unnamed member of the organization said after Littlefield traded Jason Kendall, “This is Dave’s team now.” Since it’s finally “Dave’s team,” it must also be a good point at which to judge Dave’s performance.
Tuesday, January 30 2007 @ 02:24 pm UTC
Contributed by: Staff
Views: 1,087
By Wilbur Miller
Maury Brown, at The Hardball Times, has posted an article examining a subject that owners like Kevin McClatchy and David Glass would probably prefer did not get much public airing: the upcoming collision between revenue sharing and labor talks with the union. The Upcoming CBA. This article is worth reading, because it’s going to have significant implications for the Pirates.
Tuesday, January 30 2007 @ 12:30 pm UTC
Contributed by: Staff
Views: 1,174
by Wilbur Miller
This is just a short piece inspired by some recent developments that may impact the future of revenue sharing in MLB.
Joe Sheehan pointed out today in an article in the subscribers’ area at Prospectus that there are signs the wealthier owners are getting tired of subsidizing teams like the Pirates and Royals. He pointed to an article in which John Henry questions whether the current system provides enough incentive for teams to compete.
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2333455
Tuesday, January 30 2007 @ 02:35 am UTC
Contributed by: Staff
Views: 1,192
by Wilbur Miller
Baseball America recently posted an online article by Jim Callis — in the subscribers’ area — entitled “Royals’ Latest Plan Won’t Work Either.” What’s most striking about the article is that, if you substitute a few names, it could just as easily have been about the Pirates.
Sunday, January 28 2007 @ 02:40 pm UTC
Contributed by: Staff
Views: 1,200
by Wilbur Miller
We can all rest easy now: Kevin McClatchy has declared Dave Littlefield’s off-season acquisitions a success. Littlefield, according to McClatchy, more than fulfilled his mission to acquire two bats. He acquired three: Victor Santos, Damaso Marte and Roberto Hernandez…er, no, they all own bats, but McClatchy was probably referring to Sean Casey, Jeromy Burnitz and Joe Randa. Various articles are already referring to these players as “solidifying” the middle of a batting order that ranked at or near the bottom in nearly everything in 2005. “Solidifying” is the word I keep seeing. It seems carefully chosen to avoid use of the more relevant word: “improving.” Is there a reason we don’t see the latter word? Let’s try directly addressing the question that seems to be escaping scrutiny elsewhere.
|
|
Please visit the OnlyBucs Fan Forums!
Enter Here
Or click the banner at the top of this page.
Remember, you need to register separately for our forums and front page.
The chat room is currently unavailable.
Contact Us:
administration@onlybucs.net
Sunday 10-Oct
Saturday 09-Oct
Friday 08-Oct
Thursday 07-Oct
Wednesday 06-Oct
Tuesday 05-Oct
Monday 04-Oct
Sunday 03-Oct
Saturday 02-Oct
Friday 01-Oct
|