At times like these, we could really use a "YOU LYING RATBAG" metatag.

Did you really expect anything different, Vlad? It's obvious that the Nuttings are loathe to do anything that will upset the revenue sharing express that runs right through their bank accounts.

“We’ll pay attention to the slot, but we’ll take the best available player that we believe we have a chance to sign,” Coonelly said. “If we think a player’s value is over the slot, we’d certainly consider it.”

What did you expect? It's all words right now; let's wait and see what happens in June.

-- MWE

It's not so much that I expected something different, as it is that I'm disappointed that he'd come out of the closet as a lying ratbag so early in the year. I kind of liked that brief period of not knowing for sure that they don't see me as anything more than a walking ATM.

But wait, I thought it was different this time. Do you man that Coonelly and his crew (all of whom are indebted to Coonelly for their positions) are not well-meaning super geniuses who are going to turn around the Pirates? I am shocked. I read every word in those insipid Building Blocks articles the P-G decided to post (apparently they took over from the Trib as the Official Mouthpiece of the Pirates).

The team and its fans get what they deserve.

The team and its fans get what they deserve.

Come on, now. I'm a Pirates fan. What have I done to deserve this?

And don't say "support the team", because I live 700 miles away and haven't attended a game in 20+ years. And I don't have the Extra Innings package, either.

Is Coonelly pronounced Koo-nelly or Koon-i-lee?

The team and its fans get what they deserve.

PNC creates real problems when I go home every summer...

Support a crappy franchise vs. enjoy watching a few players I really like (Nate McLouth, Jason Bay, the Four Horsemen) lose in an absolutely beautiful environment

It's enough to foil even the wisest Hebrew king.

Pirates ownership is stealing your money. Stay away.

Russ, I'll generally go to games if I can score free tickets, and if I can't, I'll follow on TV or in the paper. I heartily recommend that approach.

I used to like listening on the radio, but that was before they changed their affiliation from KDKA to the local Republican blowhard network. Hearing promos for Michael Savage every ten minutes provides enough negative entertainment value to cancel out the average enjoyment from even a good game.

Is Coonelly pronounced Koo-nelly or Koon-i-lee?

Apparently it's pronounced "Koon-lee" according to one of the articles I read around when he was hired.

Hearing promos for Michael Savage every ten minutes provides enough negative entertainment value to cancel out the average enjoyment from even a good game.

At least we still have Lanny. I like Greg Brown, Bob Walk, and Steve Blass, but Lanny Frattere is the moneymaker. I liked how at least one of his calls would be the "Homer Call of the Week" from the old Dan Patrick show on ESPN Radio.

It's obvious that the Nuttings are loathe to do anything that will upset the revenue sharing express that runs right through their bank accounts.

It really is shocking that a goon hired out of Selig's office is keeping the Pirates down. June is always an exciting time for Pittsburgh fans; can anyone top the "We project him to be a good 3rd starter" line on the top pick in the draft?

They are the '08 Pittsburgh Pirates.

Except this edition of the '08 Pittsburgh Pirates won't be getting a career year from Honus Wagner.

Ah, yes, your '08 Pirates:

C: George Gibson. OPS+ 78 and an astonishing 140 games caught.
1B: a bunch of guys, none of them particularly good
2B: Ed Abbaticchio, OPS+ 108
3B: Tommy Leach, OPS+ 125 (and a terrific glove, too)
SS: Honus Wagner, OPS+ 205. Led the league in nearly everything. In the discussion when you talk about the greatest individual seasons ever.
LF: Fred Clarke, OPS+ 127
CF: Roy Thomas, OPS+ 121, just outside top 10 in OBP, actually had 22 XBH, which was a lot for him.
RF: Owen Wilson, OPS+ 74. Rookie; only 7 triples (the record was later)

P: Vic Willis, ERA+ 111 in 305 IP
P: Nick Maddox, ERA+ 101 in 261 IP; good hitter, too.
P: Howie Camnitz, ERA+ 147 in 237 IP
P: Lefty Leifeild, ERA+ 110 in 219 IP
P: Sam Leever, ERA+ 109 in 193 IP

And they still finished a game behind the Cubs.

Some things didn't quite work out. Jim Nealon was a pretty good 21-year-old 1B in '06, and not horrible in '07, but he was gone in '08 and he died in 1910 at the age of 25. Maybe he was already sick? That left a hole. Deacon Phillippe, who had had an outstanding career, must have been hurt, pitching only 12 innings. He would rebound for two more good years in '09 and '10. Babe Adams didn't really arrive until the next year or the year after (not that the pitching was exactly a problem, anyway.)

Those Pirates, like the Cubs, had excellent team defense and a split-the-load pitching philosophy that allowed multiple pitchers to have good seasons.