7/25/ game thread Cards to crumble in late innings?

[Bobster21]

4C6D654C676F080 wrote: And Joe Block's endless chattering goes on and on and on.


The Bucs losing would be bearable if it were not for Block's constant irrelevant chattering on and on.  I would even be happy to hear Lanny Frattare chatter on and on  about US Presidents between pitches.


I was switching over to the Mets game occasionally to compare broadcasts. They have Ron Darling and I think Gary Cohen. They sounded very professional and polished. They didn't stray from the game and weren't afraid to allow 20 or so seconds of silence while the camera showed a batter or a pitcher. Then I switched back and Block was talking about hot dogs and mustard and generalizing about history and batting and defense and whatever he could think of between "ers" and "uhs" in order to maintain a constant patter with no breaks. It sounded more appropriate for a minor league game, which is what I think Block should be doing. What I find so annoying is that the game is just fodder to help him get through his daily 3-hour gabfests. He's looking for anything to talk about to continue his non-stop banter so it helps when there is a play going on, but he sometimes misses them. The game seems no more significant to him than his talking about mustard.

[SteadyFreddy]

Yea I’m with you on Block Bobster he has become insufferable to listen too when he is on TV. I don’t think Bob Walk and especially John Wehner like working with him all that much. Wehner I notice tends to get very annoyed with Block more times than not during the course of the game. How the Pirates hired Block and how he beat out 150-200 other possible candidates that tried out for the Pirates announcing position to replace Tim Neverette when he left I will never understand. He is beyond terrible and I don’t know anybody that really likes the guy. All the talk you hear about him is all negative.

[SCBucco]

436564736575060 wrote: rooting for Cards to hit 6 batters in a row here. 




Rick Ankiel isn't coming in.

[Bobster21]

321504000518271304050518610 wrote: Yea I’m with you on Block Bobster he has become insufferable to listen too when he is on TV. I don’t think Bob Walk and especially John Wehner like working with him all that much. Wehner I notice tends to get very annoyed with Block more times than not during the course of the game. How the Pirates hired Block and how he beat out 150-200 other possible candidates that tried out for the Pirates announcing position to replace Tim Neverette when he left I will never understand. He is beyond terrible and I don’t know anybody that really likes the guy. All the talk you hear about him is all negative.
I suspect Block is doing what he was hired to do. The Pirates don't offer dedicated fans a competitive team so they market toward casual fans. Block provides pleasant, casual chatter throughout the game which might keep casual fans entertained who aren't that interested in the nuts and bolts of the game they are watching. To the dedicated, hardcore fans his style distracts from the game and is annoying. But I suspect Nutting feels it's more important to appeal to casual fans who want to be entertained but aren't too concerned about the outcome of the game.

[JollyRoger]

I find it very frustrating to get swept by a Cardinal team who is without Carpenter or Molina. Except for a couple of decent runs in May and in late June/early July; the Pirate offense and pitching were simply not in sync.



Too many injuries and too many marginal talent guys on the pitching staff to have competed this year.



I don’t think Taillon will ever be the pitcher we were counting on as the #2 pick in the draft. It will be interesting to see if Kuhl and Santana will be difference makers next year

Williams, Musgrove, and Archer were simply not consistent enough to be heavily counted on.

You guys can call for Hurdle’s or Huntington’s dismissal; but it simply will not matter. Until Nutting is willing to give them a average ML payroll ; the team is doomed to be able to compete unless it catches lightening in a bottle. As a betting man; I don’t like those odds!

[DemDog]

183D3E3E2B003D353720520 wrote: I find it very frustrating to get swept by a Cardinal team who is without Carpenter or Molina. Except for a couple of decent runs in May and in late June/early July; the Pirate offense and pitching were simply not in sync.



Too many injuries and too many marginal talent guys on the pitching staff to have competed this year.



I don’t think Taillon will ever be the pitcher we were counting on as the #2 pick in the draft. It will be interesting to see if Kuhl and Santana will be difference makers next year

Williams, Musgrove, and Archer were simply not consistent enough to be heavily counted on.

You guys can call for Hurdle’s or Huntington’s dismissal; but it simply will not matter. Until Nutting is willing to give them a average ML payroll ; the team is doomed to be able to compete unless it catches lightening in a bottle. As a betting man; I don’t like those odds!


For Nutting to spend he must give up the small market idea and spend. Other small marked teams have spent and shown success. Another thing the Bucs have to do is take a page from the Cards organization that goes from top to bottom. The Cardinals don't just Hope to win they Expect to win. Nutting should open his pockets and demand that NH use it wisely to bring in players and coaches who expect to win and not just hope to win by being competitive year after year. As we can see this season and the past 3 being competitive will not bring a winner to the Burgh.

[Ecbucs]

04212222371C21292B3C4E0 wrote: I find it very frustrating to get swept by a Cardinal team who is without Carpenter or Molina. Except for a couple of decent runs in May and in late June/early July; the Pirate offense and pitching were simply not in sync.



Too many injuries and too many marginal talent guys on the pitching staff to have competed this year.



I don’t think Taillon will ever be the pitcher we were counting on as the #2 pick in the draft. It will be interesting to see if Kuhl and Santana will be difference makers next year

Williams, Musgrove, and Archer were simply not consistent enough to be heavily counted on.

You guys can call for Hurdle’s or Huntington’s dismissal; but it simply will not matter. Until Nutting is willing to give them a average ML payroll ; the team is doomed to be able to compete unless it catches lightening in a bottle. As a betting man; I don’t like those odds!


I would hope (but not necessarily expect) that NH's replacement get some sort of promise to spend more.



That may be wishful thinking since NH has not been able to get more money.



either way though we have seen what NH can do with resources provided and he has come up short. Someone else deserves a chance.

[skinnyhorse]

76514044415C63574041415C250 wrote: Glad to see Hurdle using Vazquez today in the 9th inning down 3 runs but on Monday when this series opened and the game was tied in the 10th inning when things weren’t a total mess yet he was unavailable and hasn’t pitched at all since the game on Sunday because Hurdle was worried about resting Vazquez in this series. Can we please get rid of this manager and coaching staff it’s just become so infuriating to watch Hurdle do this crap so often that I can’t take it anymore.
This is exactly where I am until changes are made with management, I am out on being more than a casual viewer. I get just to upset watching the complete misuse of these players and the don't care attitude of management that trickles down to the players. Soooo frustrating can't watch it, I get to upset, and life's to short. Kinda like trying to help a drunk who doesn't want to quit drinking.

[JollyRoger]

6D4C446D464E290 wrote: I find it very frustrating to get swept by a Cardinal team who is without Carpenter or Molina. Except for a couple of decent runs in May and in late June/early July; the Pirate offense and pitching were simply not in sync.



Too many injuries and too many marginal talent guys on the pitching staff to have competed this year.



I don’t think Taillon will ever be the pitcher we were counting on as the #2 pick in the draft. It will be interesting to see if Kuhl and Santana will be difference makers next year

Williams, Musgrove, and Archer were simply not consistent enough to be heavily counted on.

You guys can call for Hurdle’s or Huntington’s dismissal; but it simply will not matter. Until Nutting is willing to give them a average ML payroll ; the team is doomed to be able to compete unless it catches lightening in a bottle. As a betting man; I don’t like those odds!


For Nutting to spend he must give up the small market idea and spend.  Other small marked teams have spent and shown success.  Another thing the Bucs have to do is take a page from the Cards organization that goes from top to bottom.  The Cardinals don't just Hope to win they Expect to win.  Nutting should open his pockets and demand that NH use it wisely to bring in players and coaches who expect to win and not just hope to win by being competitive year after year.  As we can see this season and the past 3 being competitive will not bring a winner to the Burgh.


Yes. Great point about the Cards organization. They expect to win and most of the time they are in the pennant race. It helps that they are not hesitant to add a Goldschmidt. Pitt and StL may both be small markets however St Louis has always drawn bigger crowds than the Pirates. Of course when you go 2 decades without an above .500 record even once you are bound to lose fan support.

[pghpaulatl]

My biggest baseball gripe is that the Cards are considered a "small market" team. Nothing could be further from the truth, they draw 3M fans a year and could spend $150M on payroll if they wanted to, so how are they a small market team?



I'm calling BS on MLB!!