OnlyBucs

0B1B1A2D3B3B37580 wrote: Harrison probably gets that slow roller in the 9th. The defense is bad, but I feel the wrong guys are playing the wrong positions.


How about we just don't have the roster to be that good.  It's not about guys playing in the wrong position.  We didn't take care of our needs in the offseason, hence these results.  You can't forsee  Taillon going down, or maybe the Marte thing, but they didn't go after and solve true needs.


We've lost four guys from the lineup, one (Frazier) was a bench player until trusted into the starting lineup.  Of the four, Kang could have been anticipated (OBN was warning that Kang's problems are serious and visa may not be easy, the FO ignored OBN's warning) but choose to believe 1) it will be resolved in time for Kang to have meaningful impact on the Pirates season and 2) the Pirates could compensate while they waited.



The problem is, they also chose to NOT anticipate the impact of one more injury (or drug bust!) and the impact on the roster.  They didn't concern themselves with a weak bench knowing they were already down a man.  They assume they can row the dice in every "cut corner" and their recipe for success is that the dice will always come up a winner. 



I'm reading a book on Chernobyl (for our younger members, look it up). One poorly trained sap, at a bargain basement nuclear power plant, made one little mistake and who woulda thunk it would cause such problems!?  Granted, baseball is not life and death (well.....) but it goes to show, when you live on the margins don't be surprised when you die on the margins. 



(I recognize I am surely the first person to draw a parallel between the Pirates and Chernobyl; this could alter geopolitical alliances and the history of the USA )



Edit- actually both Frazier and Freese were both bench players until forced into full time action.  So the Pirates have fallen completely apart because of two starters??  Impact, yes.  Pull baseball back to the stone age??  Surely not but that's what it looks like.

49424A464342591C1A6D544C454242034E422D0 wrote: I thought it was a tough play in right by Polanco. I don't blame him, glad he kept it in front of him and got some glove on it. Then of course, a slow roller gets through.



Mercer might have had play of the year by a SS.  He could be really something if he could hit .280.


It was a tough play because Polanco started with 3 steps back on a blooper fly ball.

2225333B3522656910373D31393C7E333F3D500 wrote: a parallel between the Pirates and Chernobyl




DAMN YOU NUTTINGS

5B4B4A7D6B6B67080 wrote: Harrison probably gets that slow roller in the 9th. The defense is bad, but I feel the wrong guys are playing the wrong positions.


How about we just don't have the roster to be that good.  It's not about guys playing in the wrong position.  We didn't take care of our needs in the offseason, hence these results.  You can't forsee  Taillon going down, or maybe the Marte thing, but they didn't go after and solve true needs.


I disagree. We absolutely have a roster to win. We've been without Kang, Marte, Taillon, Freese, Frazier, and Cervelli for about a week. Despite missing all of that, we have had about 4-5 games we lost for just inexcusable mistakes. That would put us around 18 or so wins, which would be great considering how short handed we are..

04363A3A2E1C3F363B3E3136570 wrote: a parallel between the Pirates and Chernobyl




DAMN YOU NUTTINGS




>:(



Let's just say I hope Nutting doesn't go into the nuclear power plant business! Homer Simpson stating in RF, I mean at the right steering wheel!!>:(

102627303B3A2032113C2020530 wrote: I thought it was a tough play in right by Polanco. I don't blame him, glad he kept it in front of him and got some glove on it. Then of course, a slow roller gets through.



Mercer might have had play of the year by a SS.  He could be really something if he could hit .280.


It was a tough play because Polanco started with 3 steps back on a blooper fly ball.


First step should always be back until you pick up the ball. His speed made up for it. Yeah, many will make that play but that doesn't mean it was an easy play. It was a big turning point in the game, but still a tough play in my opinion.

666D65696C6D763335427B636A6D6D2C616D020 wrote: I thought it was a tough play in right by Polanco. I don't blame him, glad he kept it in front of him and got some glove on it. Then of course, a slow roller gets through.



Mercer might have had play of the year by a SS.  He could be really something if he could hit .280.


It was a tough play because Polanco started with 3 steps back on a blooper fly ball.


First step should always be back until you pick up the ball.  His speed made up for it.  Yeah, many will make that play but that doesn't mean it was an easy play.  It was a big turning point in the game, but still a tough play in my opinion.




He made steps back and then ignored a universal principle - the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. The guy ran a loop and by the time he finished the loop he miscalculated his "point B" as he had to stretch to the limit to get his glove on the ball.



He misplayed the ball off the bat

He ran a very long route to get to the ball once he realized the ball was in front of him

He misjudged where the ball was going to fall

He failed to hold on to the ball when it was clearly in his glove.



Other than that it looked like Polanco did just fine.



You can't put lipstick on a pig..... That was another ugly play that is caught at least 95 times out of 100 and that assumes Polanco gets 5 of those 100 attempts.



If I sound harsh, it's because this lost another game and there is no excuse for this guys amazingly poor play.

3235232B2532757900272D21292C6E232F2D400 wrote: a parallel between the Pirates and Chernobyl




DAMN YOU NUTTINGS




>:(



Let's just say I hope Nutting doesn't go into the nuclear power plant business!  Homer Simpson stating in RF, I mean at the right steering wheel!!>:(
:D



I agree with your main argument that we didn't make (and never seem to make) contingency plans, instead expecting absolutely everything to work perfectly.  No, people are right in that we couldn't have expected the injuries and the Marte thing, but that's kind of the point isn't it?  It's not like picking up an offseason flunky AAAA outfielder would have cost anything either, so I am not even sure I buy the argument that it's because of money.  We just didn't plan for the unexpected.

If that was Jaso or Osuna, that ball drops in front of them with no glove on it.



Bob Walk and Jack Z. were giving him a hard time too. I just don't think it was that routine as they made it sound. That's all.



Mercer did make a great play. I love watching Mercer play. He is so smooth out there. I also thought it was funny as he knew it was a double play and ran off the field.

29222A262322397C7A0D342C252222632E224D0 wrote: If that was Jaso or Osuna, that ball drops in front of them with no glove on it. 



Bob Walk and Jack Z. were giving him a hard time too.  I just don't think it was that routine as they made it sound.  That's all. 



Mercer did make a great play.  I love watching Mercer play.  He is so smooth out there.  I also thought it was funny as he knew it was a double play and ran off the field.


When I speak of "95 out of 100" Jaso and Osuna are not counted as RFers. Dog, he ran an AWFUL route. Bob and Jack wouldn't just decide to pick on Poor Gregory.