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Sunday, June 29, 2008

PPG: Kovacevic: Pirates’ First Half

Worst personnel move: The wasting of $300,000 on a lifeless Byung-Hyun Kim in spring training stands out, but nothing looked worse than recalling Bryan Bullington for two weeks without having him pitch. It was a public display of a lack of confidence that benefited neither the team nor the athlete.

...

Worst front-office move: Agreeing with the Yankees to let Billy Crystal face Paul Maholm in a spring exhibition. No possible outcome could have benefited the Pirates or Maholm, as it cast them and their pitcher in the role of Washington Generals for a day.

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Worst managerial move: It might have been ordering the batting champion Sanchez to bunt as a pinch-hitter last Sunday, then watching Sanchez foul out to end a run of five consecutive singles for the team. It hardly cost the Pirates the game, but it did underscore Russell’s tendency to give away outs too freely.

Criticism of Kim and the Billy Crystal thing are always welcomed, though criticism of asking a guy hitting .232 to sac bun seems a little much.

Tim Lincecum-stain (SuperBaes) Posted: June 29, 2008 at 01:18 PM | 13 comment(s)
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1. Guts Posted: June 29, 2008 at 04:53 PM (#2836922)

The Pirates have the same record as the Dodgers. It'd be even better if they played in the West. Heck, they might be in first if they played in the West.

2. John Brill's #1 Fan (JMN) Posted: June 29, 2008 at 06:35 PM (#2837054)

The nickname would scan better as "Half Berkman, Half Berkmazing."

3. s.zielinski Posted: June 29, 2008 at 06:51 PM (#2837057)

Clearly the Coonington Pirates are looking for talent on the cheap. This effort is a vast improvement over the previously used method of signing known-to-be-washed up talent on the cheap. When a team adopts the first strategy, you get mistakes like signing Kim. If a team adopts the second strategy, the team not only signs Kim, but keeps him long after it is obvious that he can no longer play.

McClatchy and Littlefield wasted millions on players like Simon, Stynes, Mondesi, Morris, etc. Compared to these mistakes, the Kim signing was trivial.

4. Tim Lincecum-stain (SuperBaes) Posted: June 29, 2008 at 07:31 PM (#2837062)

The nickname would scan better as "Half Berkman, Half Berkmazing."

Excellent suggestion. Done.

Clearly the Coonington Pirates are looking for talent on the cheap. This effort is a vast improvement over the previously used method of signing known-to-be-washed up talent on the cheap. When a team adopts the first strategy, you get mistakes like signing Kim. If a team adopts the second strategy, the team not only signs Kim, but keeps him long after it is obvious that he can no longer play.

McClatchy and Littlefield wasted millions on players like Simon, Stynes, Mondesi, Morris, etc. Compared to these mistakes, the Kim signing was trivial.

Mientkiewisz and Michaels have worked out well, or at least as well as can be expected, this year. Jaret Wright did not. The difference in the regimes is that none of these players were penciled in as starters or major contributors for the Major League team, unlike the signings you mentioned.

5. Russ Posted: June 29, 2008 at 08:43 PM (#2837086)

The mere fact that McLouth, Doumit and Bautista were all given opportunities and the team stuck with them is enough to give me hope.

6. Walt Davis Posted: June 29, 2008 at 11:30 PM (#2837208)

though criticism of asking a guy hitting .232 to sac bun seems a little much.

That's batting champion guy hitting .232 to you!

7. Justin Zeth, dog Posted: June 29, 2008 at 11:37 PM (#2837211)

Freddy Sanchez would be right in the running for the Brad Ausmus Award if HITTER OF FAIL (I think his mom calls him 'Tony Pena Jr.') wasn't lighting the world on fire.

8. AJM Posted: June 29, 2008 at 11:42 PM (#2837212)

Agreeing with the Yankees to let Billy Crystal face Paul Maholm in a spring exhibition.

The Pirates are allowed to tell the Yankees which guys can bat?

9. Tim Lincecum-stain (SuperBaes) Posted: June 30, 2008 at 12:10 AM (#2837218)

The Pirates are allowed to tell the Yankees which guys can bat?

They agreed to the spectacle.

10. Justin Zeth, dog Posted: June 30, 2008 at 12:24 AM (#2837219)

Wait, since when does a team's farm club get a say in what it does in a spring training exhibition against the mother team?

11. jwb Posted: June 30, 2008 at 12:58 AM (#2837222)

Wait, since when does a team's farm club get a say in what it does in a spring training exhibition against the mother team?

None, but they are certainly at liberty to test his reaction time and the local EMT service's response time.

12. Paul DepoProvera Posted: June 30, 2008 at 02:02 AM (#2837228)

Agreeing with the Yankees to let Billy Crystal face Paul Maholm in a spring exhibition.

Was Crystal maaaaaaaaahvelous?

13. Slinger Francisco Barrios (Dr. Memory) Posted: June 30, 2008 at 09:16 AM (#2837274)

Was Crystal maaaaaaaaahvelous?

Well, the question can be answered as always by judging on whether he looked maaaaaaaaahvelous.

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PPG: Kovacevic: Pirates’ First Half

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