Irate fans make WPXI
Enjoyed seeing the video online. These guys are getting lots of attention, and that is nothing but good. You'd have to say that the niche they have identified is poised for growth. If I were a sports writer visiting Pittsburgh and looking for a good story, I would be seeking these guys out.
If I were advising the Irate Fans guys, I'd recommend against reusing one of the phrases that Possum (I think that who it was) used to WPXI, though. I don't think it's smart to emphasize the need for an owner with "deep pockets"--doing so is an invitation to McClatchy & Nutting to use the convenient alibi that they have used to such great effect for so many years. I continue to think that it's not the depth of the pockets that has been the problem, it's the bad decisions about how to spend available funds.
The pockets last winter were deep enough to overpay Jeromy Burnitz and Joe Randa, and deep enough to make similarly idiotic decisions during the entire McClatchy tenure; so clearly, there is something else that is amiss. The Iraters would be better off talking about that something else: bad management and the absence of a coherent plan.
If I were advising the Irate Fans guys, I'd recommend against reusing one of the phrases that Possum (I think that who it was) used to WPXI, though. I don't think it's smart to emphasize the need for an owner with "deep pockets"--doing so is an invitation to McClatchy & Nutting to use the convenient alibi that they have used to such great effect for so many years. I continue to think that it's not the depth of the pockets that has been the problem, it's the bad decisions about how to spend available funds.
The pockets last winter were deep enough to overpay Jeromy Burnitz and Joe Randa, and deep enough to make similarly idiotic decisions during the entire McClatchy tenure; so clearly, there is something else that is amiss. The Iraters would be better off talking about that something else: bad management and the absence of a coherent plan.
posted by Billy at 4:53 PM
10 Comments:
But shouldn't they be called Irates rather than Iraters? Welcome back . . . thought we'd lost you. The team looks pretty good without Jack, and Jose B looks like a real ballplayer wherever they put him.
A smart GM with some guts would exploit the market's overvaluation of Jack Wilson to the long-term advantage of the team. The emergence of Sanchez makes Jack unnecessary. Now is the perfect time to sell high with Jack.
Won't happen, though...of course.
Welcome back . . . thought we'd lost you.
Although I've been very busy, I also can't deny that I feel more motivated to blog when the team is playing terribly.
Careful. I know Freddy's a good defensive player too, but you're talking about a premiere defensive shortstop in Jack, one of the three or four best in the game (Vizquel's Gold Glove was a travesty.) I want to see Bautista play third for awhile to find out whether he wears Freddy's glove or Ty Wigginton's before I go opening a big hole on the left side of the infield. The infield defense right now is one of the few strong suits the Pirates have.
Gotta give to get, bucdaddy. We need a legit left-handed corner. Jack can be the cornerstone of that deal.
Agree with Scat. The win value of the difference between Freddy's offense and Jack's offense is greater than the win value of the difference between Jack's defense and Freddy's defense. A good general manager who understands this would be in a position to turn it to the team's advantage.
Guess I just like Jack a lot. The only thing he doesn't really do well is hit for power. He has a well-established level of ability, plays the game all-out, he's a good actor, he seems to be the kind of guy fans should be raving about, how fortunate the Pirates are to have such a player. Yet we seem eager to ship him off and take our chances replacing him (effectively) with a guy who has about a month in the majors because ... why? He doesn't have A-Rod's bat? I dunno ... I like Freddy, he has a lot of Jack's qualities, and he's cheaper (but I'm damn tired of being cheap, aren't you?) but ... would you trust Pirates management to get the full value in return on a player like Jack?
I have some trade thoughts but I'll put them on the most recent post, the one at the top.
I think Freddy/Bautista will develop into a much stronger offensive tandem than Jack/Freddy. Bautista has seen enough time in the minors. We need to go with him, and see where his beautiful swing (the best on the team, according to Wehner :P) can take us.
Fair enough, but I want to see what we're getting for him first. If it's Pujols, I say, OK.
But who says Bautista won't be necessary elsewhere? He's a much better offensive upgrade on McLouth than he is on Sanchez.
Y'all are also presuming, based on about a half-season's worth of evidence, that Sanchez is a .340 hitter.
would you trust Pirates management to get the full value in return on a player like Jack?
That question effectively ends all discussion, which is not what we want in a comments thread on a blog, I think.
No, I don't trust Pirates management to do anything other than to piss me off. These arguments all require a willful suspension of skepticism that assumes, just for the sport of it, that Pirates management actually wants to win a championship some time.
As for Freddie...I don't think he is a .340 hitter; I think that his offensive abilities are sufficiently superior to Jack Wilson's that they more than make up for any difference there is in their defensive abilities (which, in my opinion, is not as large a difference as most people think).
I agree that Freddy is a superior defensive third baseman. Since no one but Jack ever plays much shortstop for us, I can't say I have a clue about his ability there.
While my gut feeling is no, I have no idea if the Pirates can handle a stars-for-stars transaction. I can't recall the last time they made one, they've been making 1-for-3 deals so long ... and bombing at them.
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