Pirates@Reds 3/28 Opening day Game Thread...

[Bobster21]

5E6C60607446656C61646B6C0D0 wrote: NH was interviewed on 93.7FM prior to the game. he was angry that a scout had given a very negative report on Bell.



“Josh Bell can’t play. He’s not a good defender. He’s a big lump. He has bad agility, bad footwork. He can’t run. Supposedly he’s a big power threat, but he hit 12 home runs at first base. This is not a kid! This is his third year in the big leagues! I don’t think he’s got the ability to get better.”



“They drive me crazy,” said Huntington. “Read the other previews and there’s a lot of criticism of other team’s players, most tend to happen to be minorities which is scathing in and of itself but it’s not just Pirates players it’s kind of all over the board and sensationalism sells and I think it’s a shame, I really think it’s a shame for our game that that is what plays out. Josh Bell is a very talented athlete, we believe he is going to turn into that hitter with power and he’s continuing to get better at first base.”



https://937thefan.radio.com/articles/pi ... -bell-hack



So NH praised his chronically inept 1Bman and blamed the report on racism.  And then Bell proceeded to demonstrate exactly what a defensive liability he is.



It's only 1 game but it's a shame that, while we hoped for improvement over last year, he so quickly showed his weaknesses. If he hits 30 HRs and is a run producer, his cringe-worthy D might be tolerable. But if he's going to hit .260ish with 15 HRs or less, they might be better with Moran at 1B. Moran will likely hit that well and might not be the liability at 1B that Bell is.   


eh, if the worst thing he ever does is stand up for his employees, that's okay by me. 



did you listen to it?  It sounds a lot different in RL than the written word.   I think he  was legitimately angry more than if someone had just said that one of the players wasn't good.
Yes, I was listening live as it happened. I don't expect him to trash his player. But Bell's defense has consistently been awful and his hitting was very disappointing last year. NH seemed a bit too angry over the criticism when defending a player who's been a disappointment so far. He could have said he expects Bell to prove the scout wrong without taking the approach that the scout is a racist, know-nothing, hack. And it didn't help that Bell then went out and had yet another miserable defensive game.

[DemDog]

If Bell starts to hit the long ball and his defense does not improve we can start calling him



Dr Strangeglove

[MaineBucs]

The best that we can say about yesterday.



1) Tallion looked good for 6 innings despite the lousy defense. Really managed the pitch count.



2) Burdi looked like he could be an asset.



3) Kang looked good on defense.



4) The Pirates didn't roll over and quit when they lost the lead.



5) Dickerson didn't come through in the 9th, but he continues to look like a professional hitter.



6) Last I checked, half the teams that played yesterday lost. Unfortunately, the Pirates were one of them.



Sadly, while I know that neither Cabrera or Dietrich are good defensive outfielders, it sure would have been nice if the Bucs had signed him and his 16 HR bat (last year) over Cabrera. Also good to see his enthusiasm in running the bases (even if it was against the Bucs).

[rucker59@gmail.com]

Neal was not responding to an unfavorable report. It was an over-the-top hit job attributing anonymous sources. such personal attacks have no place in journalism.



If someone wants to write about Bell's deficiencies, that's fine. This is another matter. I don't blame Neal.



And there is no way the Pirates or any team with a need at 1st gives up on Bell. He may fail, but there are a lot of teams that would give Bell the opportunity.

[SteadyFreddy]

626E6F343D343C31362933040 wrote: About as good as the Pirates could have hoped for having the bases loaded and Dickerson up with the game on the line. Disappointed in Marte missing the entire game for a Migraine headache. There are medications you can take for that that can make it go away within a certain amount of time. Maybe I’m reading too much into it but not the kind of start you wanted for a guy like Marte to start the season.
I've had migraines. Thankfully, not for years. But when they hit, you are incapacitated. It is extremely painful, it hurts to even open your eyes and you are nauseous. Anyone who thinks you can just take medication and it goes away has never had one. I played softball and baseball for over 30 years and hated to ever miss a game. I was the most reliable player on any team I was on. One day we were going to be down to the bare minimum of players and I got a migraine. As much as I hated to bail, there was no way I could play with a migraine. They are debilitating. All you can do is lay quietly in a dark room and hope you don't throw up. I'm sure Marte didn't want to miss the game. But if he had a migraine, he could not have played. 


I understand that migraines are very debilitating, but Marte appears to have this ho hum attitude at times , and that drives me crazy. I guess I am an old school fan who wants to see players give it 100% when on the field. I hate seeing Marte strikeout, and then walk back to the dugout with a nonchalant attitude.




I don’t ever remember Marte missing a game before because of a migraine so I don’t know what his history with getting them is. Maybe it’s just a horrible coincidence but him getting a migraine 2 hours before opening day just seems odd to me. With that being said Marte better not miss another game for a long time.

[SteadyFreddy]

4D6F7C616267606F4C7B6D6D610E0 wrote: Rather than getting my hopes up like I usually do, I'm trying to accept reality right out of the gate that this team isn't good, the starting rotation isn't great, and the division is crazy good.



It all adds up to a nightmarish season.



And the front office is almost exclusively to blame.



THEY MADE NO ATTEMPT TO IMPROVE THE TEAM.



This is the result. Yea when you have JB Shuck as your opening day center fielder when Marte can’t go you know you’re team is probably not very good.

[dmetz]

787F69616F783F334A6D676B6366246965670A0 wrote: Neal was not responding to an unfavorable report.  It was an over-the-top hit job attributing anonymous sources.  such personal attacks have no place in journalism. 



If someone wants to write about Bell's deficiencies, that's fine.  This is another matter. I don't blame Neal. 



[highlight]And there is no way the Pirates or any team with a need at 1st gives up on Bell. He may fail, but there are a lot of teams that would give Bell the opportunity[/highlight]. 




Should be easy to find a trade partner with one of those teams. 

[SammyKhalifa]

587F6E6A6F724D796E6F6F720B0 wrote: Rather than getting my hopes up like I usually do, I'm trying to accept reality right out of the gate that this team isn't good, the starting rotation isn't great, and the division is crazy good.



It all adds up to a nightmarish season.



And the front office is almost exclusively to blame.



THEY MADE NO ATTEMPT TO IMPROVE THE TEAM.



This is the result. Yea when you have JB Shuck as your opening day center fielder when Marte can’t go you know you’re team is probably not very good.




To be fair Shuck is like their 3rd or fourth choice for the job.

[rucker59@gmail.com]

2D242C3D33490 wrote: Neal was not responding to an unfavorable report.  It was an over-the-top hit job attributing anonymous sources.  such personal attacks have no place in journalism. 



If someone wants to write about Bell's deficiencies, that's fine.  This is another matter. I don't blame Neal. 



[highlight]And there is no way the Pirates or any team with a need at 1st gives up on Bell. He may fail, but there are a lot of teams that would give Bell the opportunity[/highlight]. 




Should be easy to find a trade partner with one of those teams. 


It would be fun to make a list of infamous trades....



I never mentioned a trade. I said no one in their right mind would give up on Bell (that’s the key, see). I assume you’re the one looking for a trade. Or he such a lump, let him walk...

[Bobster21]

7B7C6A626C7B3C30496E64686065276A6664090 wrote: Neal was not responding to an unfavorable report.  It was an over-the-top hit job attributing anonymous sources.  such personal attacks have no place in journalism. 



If someone wants to write about Bell's deficiencies, that's fine.  This is another matter. I don't blame Neal. 



[highlight]And there is no way the Pirates or any team with a need at 1st gives up on Bell. He may fail, but there are a lot of teams that would give Bell the opportunity[/highlight]. 




Should be easy to find a trade partner with one of those teams. 


It would be fun to make a list of infamous trades....



I never mentioned a trade. I said no one in their right mind would give up on Bell (that’s the key, see).  I assume you’re the one looking for a trade.  Or he such a lump, let him walk...
The Pirates aren't about to give up on Bell. He's supposed to be their answer to a quality 1Bman, something they've had precious few of over the last 5 decades. Bell is supposed to be a switch-hitting power bat who can also hit for average. I'm sure they expect his defense to improve and a no better than average glove at 1B is adequate for a top run producer. All-Star caliber 1Bmen command high salaries, so the Pirates have tried to either develop them (with little luck) or fill the position with low ceiling journeymen. Another bad year from Bell would be disheartening and could have them searching for internal options next year. Will Craig might be a possibility (I'm not sure how high they are on him). Maybe Kang would re-sign next year and play 1B. Maybe Moran would be as productive as a hitter (which isn't saying a lot) with better defense.