OnlyBucs

Don’t know if anybody heard his comments at Spring Training this morning but he basically ripped the team saying they don’t have the mindset and the demand to win when guys come in the clubhouse. Basically saying everybody from Hurdle down needs to do a better job. He sounded pretty fed up from his comments which I found to be very interesting.

Wow. I didn't hear or see the quotes.



File a grievance against him, cut him, and not pay him. Would Freese be willing to walk away from his contract?



If this is true, I take back my post about him being a good, positive veteran presence in the clubhouse. It also seems to be some kind of agenda by the media asking all these negative questions. It's certainly working to get the fans against the organization. Is it enough to get Nutting to sell? That has to be the agenda, right?

Here it is.

I didn't really have a problem with what he said



http://triblive.com/sports/pirates/1331 ... een-in-air



BRADENTON, Fla. – David Freese arrived at spring training with a lot on his mind and the Pirates third baseman didn't hold back when talking about their offseason trades and the problems of the past two seasons, blaming clubhouse culture and a lack of accountability and urgency.



Freese sounded off Friday morning at Pirate City in a wide-ranging, 20-minute interview in front of his locker stall, saying "it was time" for the team to trade five-time All-Star Andrew McCutchen and ace pitcher Gerrit Cole in separate deals that shook the fan base.



"My opinion is I don't think we lost 87 games because (Starling) Marte wasn't there or (Jung Ho) Kang wasn't there," Freese said. "I think we lost 87 games because our environment doesn't allow. I think that's something we have to work on. I think it's important to focus on, kind of the foundational components of what it takes to have a winning culture.



"I think this place kind of gets ahead of itself. They try to keep up with the way analytical stuff is working but you've got to have urgency, you've got to have accountability, you've got to have all these things. I've been here for two years and we kind of lacked in that department, so we've got to pick that up.



Freese touched on a lot of topics, and no one in the Pirates organization escaped his criticism, of which he first included himself.



On necessary changes



"I think everybody can do better: (Manager Clint) Hurdle, the coaches, the players, everybody around can focus on what's truly important. But you've got to start from the ground up. You can't do all these things if you don't have the accountability, the demand to win. What's the point in doing anything? The last two years, we haven't done as well as we could've because of our environment. That's what I think. I walk in every day and it's just not in the air. The demand to win just hasn't been in the air. That's what you need. You can say all you want about how we're going to win, this and that. But if you don't walk in and don't feel it and see it in people's eyes, it's just not going to work."



On what it will take to turn the Pirates around



"I don't want to say 'patience' when talking about urgency but it's just how you go about it. That's it. It's that simple. When you walk through the door, eight, nine, 10 hours a day, you're focused on how to beat that guy on the mound and how to get those guys out on the other team. As you gradually come together as a unit and you're on the same goal, it's just going to get better. You have to have the talent, not a ton of experience but, sheesh, who needs experience? If you're good, you're good and you're going to play well. These young guys on this team are animals, studs and a few of them are going to be superstars. We need the guys that have been around to step up and play better. Whether you're an everyday guy or a bench guy, you've got to do your part. But the three hours that you're in that dugout and on that field has to be about kicking some (butt). When you're losing 10-2 in the pouring rain against (the Cubs and manager) Joe Maddon and you're laughing, that's not good. That says a lot."



On playing with pride



"I'll be the first to say I haven't 100 percent done the best job of coming in ready to go or being a leader, but we've got to take pride in getting that vibe in the air that when people come into our place they're going to have to work their tail off to win that series and when we go somewhere else, the same thing. I feel like the last two years, people come in and they're like, 'OK, we've got the Pirates. Let's just take care of them.' That's unacceptable. You go through '13, '14 and '15 – and I wish I was here for that, because I think I would have a better understanding of the difference. People talk about the different feeling from those three years to these two and I walked in when I signed and I could tell. I walked into a clubhouse coming off a 98 wins, like here we go. Then, within a day or two, you're like, 'What are we missing? What's going on here?'"



On the Pirates coming up short with McCutchen



"You've got a guy like Cutch, I think he deserved better in the sense of, he's a guy that took this organization from the ground into the spotlight. He did it – nobody else. He was the centerpiece of it. You just hope all the people in Pittsburgh, all the fans, you wish that it could have ended better for him, surrounding a group that just wanted to beat some (butt) just for him. He's obviously going to be a hero or whatever you want to call it for the City of Pittsburgh forever but, man, it could have been so much more."



On All-Star second baseman Josh Harrison requesting a trade and criticizing the club's direction after the McCutchen trade: "It's just somebody being real. JayHay is real. He's up there at the top of my list as a guy who plays as hard as anybody. He has a right to say what he wants. I'm glad he's here. I know we all are. … The guy wants to win. He signed an extension here – he might have three months left, whatever – but I think '13, '14, '15 was so exciting. I was a part of '13. I can still hear that crowd when Pedro (Alvarez) hit that homer off (St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Michael) Wacha (in the NL divisional series). My goodness, why wouldn't you want that here?



"After '15, when you look around, maybe some deals weren't matched and some guys don't show back up that you wish were still around, it's going to pop the balloon a little bit. That's just human nature. After '15, that hit some guys hard. There's guys that haven't won. Guys literally grew up their entire lives not only wanting to play in a World Series but to win it. And I think that's just an honest feeling."

I liked it. It seems like that culture of losing that prevailed for 20 years and left for 3 has come back. Good for Freese for addressing the lack of commitment to win, both for players and mgt.

725F52434455420201300 wrote: I liked it. It seems like that culture of losing that prevailed for 20 years and left for 3 has come back. Good for Freese for addressing the lack of commitment to win, both for players and mgt. 


Agreed. Sounds better than just stating he "ripped the team". He had reasons and took some blame. He also can be a man in that clubhouse to turn around that energy. I liked how he said how everyone can do better and gave praise to the young guys saying they can be stars.

404B434F4A4B501513645D454C4B4B0A474B240 wrote: Wow.  I didn't hear or see the quotes.



File a grievance against him, cut him, and not pay him.  Would Freese be willing to walk away from his contract?



If this is true, I take back my post about him being a good, positive veteran presence in the clubhouse.  It also seems to be some kind of agenda by the media asking all these negative questions.  It's certainly working to get the fans against the organization.  Is it enough to get Nutting to sell?  That has to be the agenda, right? 


There is zero problem for a player saying this in this instance if the proof is in the pudding. Harrison essentially said the same thing with his trade request that there is no direction in this organization to challenge for a play off spot in the near future.



Cole said it ... Harrison said it in a round about way ... Freese is saying it. They all see it, the vets see it. There needs to be some balance off the words of our owner, GM and manager who are way off base with their comments.

There's more, and it pertains to ownership. http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2018/02/ ... rustrated/



“You have to understand when you walk through the door why we’re here. Is it to stay out of the red a little bit? It’s about winning. We’re all better for it. Do we have to win? Not necessarily, but damn, you have to be exhausted at the end of the year, because you tried your tail off collectively, to win as many games as you could. And I think the fans deserve that in any city, especially as passionate as these guys are. And we deserve it.”



“You look at the Steelers, and the Penguins. You got the Pirates, and if I’m handling the situation, I’d be losing sleep trying to compete with those other two teams. To have all three teams in a city like Pittsburgh be on top of each league, that would be incredible.”



“This is a different organization, where if you get drafted, you look at a guy like Jameson Taillon: It sucks that if you pan out, you have your future written for you in an organization like this. You either fold and sign a team friendly deal, or you’re bounced out of here. I think that’s unfortunate. ”

5D4D4C7B6D6D610E0 wrote: Wow.  I didn't hear or see the quotes.



File a grievance against him, cut him, and not pay him.  Would Freese be willing to walk away from his contract?



If this is true, I take back my post about him being a good, positive veteran presence in the clubhouse.  It also seems to be some kind of agenda by the media asking all these negative questions.  It's certainly working to get the fans against the organization.  Is it enough to get Nutting to sell?  That has to be the agenda, right? 


There is zero problem for a player saying this in this instance if the proof is in the pudding.  Harrison essentially said the same thing with his trade request that there is no direction in this organization to challenge for a play off spot in the near future.



Cole said it ... Harrison said it in a round about way ... Freese is saying it.  They all see it, the vets see it.  There needs to be some balance off the words of our owner, GM and manager who are way off base with their comments.


It's how you say it. Freese was respectful and professional about it. Cole was not. There's a big difference.

File a grievance against him, cut him, and not pay him. Would Freese be willing to walk away from his contract?



If this is true, I take back my post about him being a good, positive veteran presence in the clubhouse. It also seems to be some kind of agenda by the media asking all these negative questions. It's certainly working to get the fans against the organization. Is it enough to get Nutting to sell? That has to be the agenda, right?


29 minutes later:



He had reasons and took some blame. He also can be a man in that clubhouse to turn around that energy. I liked how he said how everyone can do better and gave praise to the young guys saying they can be stars.


Sometimes I wonder if there re two different people posting from Dog's account.