[Just to make sure we long-suffering Bucco fans don't get too overheated here's a splash of cold water from Mr. Madden - jtf]
By Mark Madden, Beaver County Times
July 5, 2013
Gerrit Cole (4-1, 3.94 ERA) suffered his first loss as the Pirates dropped a 6-4 decision to the Phillies in Pittsburgh yesterday. (AP)
It’s tough to not be excited about the Pirates’ season so far.
But I’m not.
I’m 52. From Roberto Clemente through Barry Bonds, I saw a lot of excellent baseball. I saw a team run honestly, with intent of winning.
The Pirates play good baseball now. But 20 years of torture can dim anyone’s enthusiasm. Perhaps you’re a victim of Stockholm syndrome. I am not.
I don’t trust ownership. I don’t trust management. Bob Nutting didn’t suddenly decide he wants to win. A successful season for the first time in two decades could be used as leverage to perpetuate the con for another two decades.
It’s like three-card Monte. Let the suckers win occasionally and they keep handing you cash. The odds are with the house. But you keep betting. Winning a hand after losing 20 doesn’t mean the game isn’t crooked. It means quite the opposite.
If 20 straight losing seasons didn’t make you cynical, I’m envious. Seriously.
The manager, coaches and players deserve high praise for what they’ve achieved so far. These Pirates don’t look like collapsing.
But their window will be narrow. Perpetuating a good baseball team means spending money. A playoff berth would increase Nutting’s take. But there’s nothing like a sure thing. A muted payroll, a great ballpark and shrewd marketing is a sure thing. Profit-wise, the Pirates don’t need to win.
You watch anxiously as the Pirates prove themselves on the field.
I’m more anxious about what they do off the field. That’s the proof I want.
The Pirates need to make helpful moves between now and the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline. If GM Neal Huntington doesn’t want to deal top prospects like pitcher Jameson Taillon and outfielder Gregory Polanco, I understand.
But they must legitimately try to get better. Huntington must upgrade right field. If the Pirates can’t afford Miami’s Giancarlo Stanton, at least get this year’s version of Ryan Ludwick. Another arm is needed for that overworked bullpen, too.
The excuse for standing pat: We don’t want to disrupt the chemistry. What a crock. Baseball is an individual sport that cobbles together a team result. Most of the game breaks down to pitcher vs. batter. Chemistry is absolutely minimal.
If anything, Huntington and Nutting hurt chemistry last season by doing so little before the deadline. The players were disappointed. The effort sagged.
The biggest test of ownership’s desire to compete comes in the off-season.
A.J. Burnett is 36. If he’s going to keep pitching, Burnett wants to keep pitching for the Pirates.
Burnett gives the Pirates guts. He is a ruthless competitor. As much as anyone, Burnett has turned the clubhouse around emotionally. Gerrit Cole can’t replace that. Taillon can’t replace that.
Burnett is making $16.5 million this year, but the New York Yankees pay half. Next year, the Pirates have to pay full freight at about the same rate. One year, maybe two. But the Pirates get an extra $26 million next year courtesy of MLB’s new television deals. They can afford Burnett.
If the Pirates sign Burnett, they are truly in the winning business. If not, they are in the business business. Same old crap. This season will prove an aberration.
What’s going to happen?
I know which way I’m betting.
The playoffs are a lock, incidentally. The Pirates will battle to the end for the National League Central crown, but the field chasing that division’s second- and third-place teams for the two NL wild cards is too weak and too far back.
Mark Madden hosts a radio show 3-6 p.m. weekdays on WXDX-FM (105.9).
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