Yesterday, Dejan Kovacevic reported that Mario Lemieux made an offer to buy the Pirates. While most Pittsburghers have gotten extremely excited about the Pennsylvania, such as the writers at thepensblog.com, I am not on board with this at all.
Now the reason I'm against it is not because I don't think Mario could do a good job, I don't think there's a way to predict how he would fair, my reasoning comes from elsewhere.
I'm going to just come out here and say this right now, and it may cost me some readers, but I don't care - I don't like the Penguins. All of my friends and most of my fellow bloggers that participate in the game blogs know that, and now all of my readers are going to know it as well.
It hasn't always been like this, I was a huge Penguins fan growing up, but since the lockout I have not been a fan. I tried to get back into it, but all of the new fans and all of the hype about Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin really turned me off. Now if you talk to me in person, I am pretty violent in my talk about the Penguins fan base. I will try and be more reasonable and more sensible about it here, though. In my experience, a lot of the Penguins fans I know have very little knowledge about the game and the team. Very few of them gave any regard to the team when they were losing, and then a winning season and a pretty-boy face come to town and they jump on the bandwagon like there was free money on it. That, a long with the fact that it seems half the league doesn't speak English has turned my slight distaste for hockey into a pretty full-on dislike. I'm not going to use the word 'hate', but we're getting closer to it.
So there's a short version of my story with the Penguins, now let's back on topic.
The Pirates are closer now to being a contender than they have been in a long time, however most Pittsburgh sports fans don't see that. The unintelligent baseball fan looks at everything the Pirates have done negatively, and gives no thought to the idea that all the moves made were necessary. Now keep that in mind for a minute.
Let's say that Mario buys the team, and two years later they make a playoff run. Who are the new bandwagon Pirate fans going to give the credit to? Neil Huntington and current management for rebuilding the team correctly and being smart with their money? No, they are going to make even more of an idol out of Mario Lemieux than he already is. They will say that the Pirates never would have been successful if Mario hadn't bought the team. And if I would ever hear somebody say that, I would probably be more angry than I have ever been in my entire life.
The fact is that if the Pirates have a winning season or make a playoff run in the next 5 years, almost all of the credit should go to Neil Huntington, Bob Nutting, and the rest of the Pirates management team. If Mario Lemieux buys the team and they start winning, there are going to be multitudes of the dumbest fans in America coming into PNC Park to see the Pirates play. All of those fans will be blindly praising Mario Lemieux for "saving the Pirates". While that is not the worst thing in the world, I think the current ownership and management deserve the chance to finish what they started and get credit for what they do, if that credit ever turns out to be due to them.
So that's where I stand, I may be standing alone, but I do not want to see Mario Lemieux buy the Pittsburgh Pirates.
*edit*
I don't think I made my main point clear enough here. The reason people want Mario to take over, besides the fact that he is a familiar face and he has a good track record running a small-market team, is that they don't trust Bob Nutting. I am one of the few that do trust the Pirates' management. They have laid out this plan for making the team competitive again, and they have stuck to it, so far. Therefore I believe they deserve every chance to finish that plan and not be bought out before they can start reaping the benefits. I have nothing against Mario Lemieux, and yes, my hatred of bandwagon fans probably weighs my points down at times, but I like the road the Pirates are on and I want to see the end result with Bob Nutting and Neil Huntington in the drivers seat.
Pedro Alvarez - Baseball's 8th Best Prospect
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MLB.com revealed their top 50 prospects for the 2010 season tonight, and there was only one Pirate on the list. That Pirate is Pedro Alvarez, the Pirates first round pick in the 2008 draft.
Pedro took a long time to sign after we drafted him, so he didn't play in our minor league system at all in '08. However, he made a big impact last year. In his first full professional season, Alvarez started slow, but then turned it on and was one his league's best hitters. Alvarez finished the season hitting .288 with 27 homers and 95 RBI. He did all of that in 126 games with two different teams (A Lynchburg and AA Altoona). Alvarez has big expectations from Pirate fans everywhere, and his performance last year didn't let anyone down.
The only concern with Alvarez lies with his defensive game. Despite being a top 10 prospect, nobody sees a gold glove in this guys future. His defense is not good, but it's only going to get better with work. There have been definite speculation that Alvarez will be moved to first base eventually, but the Pirates are going to give him a shot at third base for now. I expect Alvarez to make his big league debut this season. He will most likely start the year in AAA and be a summer call-up. If he doesn't play well in the AAA or misses time due to injury, they might hold off until the rosters expand in September to call him up, but I expect to see him earlier than that.
The rest of the top 10 looks like this:
1. Jason Heyward, ATL
2. Stephen Strasburg, WAS
3. Mike Stanton, FLA
4. Buster Posey, SF
5. Brian Matusz, BAL
6. Desmond Jennings, TB
7. Neftali Feliz, TEX
8. Pedro Alvarez, PIT
9. Justin Smoak, TEX
10. Madison Bumgarner, SF
You can see that San Francisco and Texas are looking pretty good in their farm systems; each team has 2 prospects on that list.
The most familiar names on that list are Strasburg, Posey, and Feliz. Strasburg was one of the most highly-touted college players in the history of the game, and Posey and Feliz have already seen time in the majors. Feliz put up some ridiculous numbers coming out of the bullpen at the end of the season last year for the Rangers - 31 IP, 1.74 ERA, .677 WHIP, 11.3 SO/9. He's the real deal, and I'm pretty surprised he wasn't higher on the list.
Also, the number 1 overall prospect should be making his big league debut this year with the Atlanta Braves. Jason Heyward is a 6 foot 4 left handed outfielder that hit .323/.408/.555 with 17 HR, 63 RBI, and had 10 SB to boot. Heyward was the the #14 overall pick in the 2007 draft; a great pick from the Braves there.
When I first saw the list, I first checked from Alvarez's standing, and then I looked for Jose Tabata's name, however I did not find it. Jose did not make the list, but he had to have been pretty close. He will also be making his big league debut in 2010, barring injury or setback, so he will have his chance to make an impact on the big league level soon.
Pedro took a long time to sign after we drafted him, so he didn't play in our minor league system at all in '08. However, he made a big impact last year. In his first full professional season, Alvarez started slow, but then turned it on and was one his league's best hitters. Alvarez finished the season hitting .288 with 27 homers and 95 RBI. He did all of that in 126 games with two different teams (A Lynchburg and AA Altoona). Alvarez has big expectations from Pirate fans everywhere, and his performance last year didn't let anyone down.
The only concern with Alvarez lies with his defensive game. Despite being a top 10 prospect, nobody sees a gold glove in this guys future. His defense is not good, but it's only going to get better with work. There have been definite speculation that Alvarez will be moved to first base eventually, but the Pirates are going to give him a shot at third base for now. I expect Alvarez to make his big league debut this season. He will most likely start the year in AAA and be a summer call-up. If he doesn't play well in the AAA or misses time due to injury, they might hold off until the rosters expand in September to call him up, but I expect to see him earlier than that.
The rest of the top 10 looks like this:
1. Jason Heyward, ATL
2. Stephen Strasburg, WAS
3. Mike Stanton, FLA
4. Buster Posey, SF
5. Brian Matusz, BAL
6. Desmond Jennings, TB
7. Neftali Feliz, TEX
8. Pedro Alvarez, PIT
9. Justin Smoak, TEX
10. Madison Bumgarner, SF
You can see that San Francisco and Texas are looking pretty good in their farm systems; each team has 2 prospects on that list.
The most familiar names on that list are Strasburg, Posey, and Feliz. Strasburg was one of the most highly-touted college players in the history of the game, and Posey and Feliz have already seen time in the majors. Feliz put up some ridiculous numbers coming out of the bullpen at the end of the season last year for the Rangers - 31 IP, 1.74 ERA, .677 WHIP, 11.3 SO/9. He's the real deal, and I'm pretty surprised he wasn't higher on the list.
Also, the number 1 overall prospect should be making his big league debut this year with the Atlanta Braves. Jason Heyward is a 6 foot 4 left handed outfielder that hit .323/.408/.555 with 17 HR, 63 RBI, and had 10 SB to boot. Heyward was the the #14 overall pick in the 2007 draft; a great pick from the Braves there.
When I first saw the list, I first checked from Alvarez's standing, and then I looked for Jose Tabata's name, however I did not find it. Jose did not make the list, but he had to have been pretty close. He will also be making his big league debut in 2010, barring injury or setback, so he will have his chance to make an impact on the big league level soon.
2010 Lineup Forecast
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Earlier this week I fired up my XBOX 360 and popped in MLB 2K9, which is a terrible game. However, it was the only option available for XBOX last year so I bought it. The only thing I really like about the game is the ability to download recent rosters off the internet. I threw in the ethernet cable and downloaded the Pirates current roster. I added Octavio Dotel manually (his virtual self actually asked for a lot less money than his real self), and I was all up to date and ready to go.
I started a new franchise with the Pirates and began the season. Before Opening Day rolled around, I had to set the lineups and the pitching rotation. While the rotation was pretty easy (I put McCutchen in the #5 spot), I had a couple different things to choose from with the lineup. Here's what I came up with:
1. Andrew McCutchen, CF
2. Akinori Iwamura, 2B
3. Garrett Jones, LF
4. Ryan Doumit, C
5. Lastings Milledge, LF
6. Jeff Clement, 1B
7. Andy LaRoche, 3B
8. Bobby Crosby, SS
9. Pitcher
The first, and most obvious issue, was who would start at shortstop. I chose Bobby Crosby to be my starter, however I probably would not make that same decision in real life. Crosby has better rankings on the game, and I was interested to play with him since he's a new Pirate, so that's why I chose him on the game. However, in real life I would be more likely to go with Cedeno. Granted, spring training has not even started yet and there is no way I could make the best decision right now, I feel like Cedeno brings more upside to the table. Crosby is statistically better defensively, and their offensive numbers are nearly identical. However, Cedeno is younger and just has more potential than Crosby. While I don't really like either of these guys to be the shortstop for a long time, of the two I would choose Cedeno.
The second problem I encountered were the issues with the 5-7 slots in the lineup. I was happy with Jones and Doumit going 3-4, but then I really didn't really know where to go from there. You normally want your power bats at 3-4-5, so I did consider batting Clement, who has more power than Milledge, in the 5 spot. In the end, however, I decided to put Milledge there. This will be Clement's first real season in the major leagues, so we really have no clue what we have with him. We have a much better idea what we have with Milledge, and I feel confident in his abilities to drive in runs. Because of the questions I have with Clement, I started the season with Milledge in the 5. Now, if Clement shows that he is a legitimate power bat and has the ability to drive in runs, I would rather quickly move him up to the 5, or possibly even the 4. When you compare Andy LaRoche to those three, he is certainly the least threatening of the trio. He does have upside in terms of power, but we haven't seen enough of it to even consider batting him in the middle of the lineup yet. I think LaRoche is best served in the 7-hole for now, and I think if you compared him to the other #7 hitters in the league, he would rank pretty highly.
The final issue was at the top of the lineup. We have all heard speculation that McCutchen could be a #3 hitter. I'm not buying it right now. You want your speed at the top of the lineup, and while Iwamura could surely handle it, McCutchen is a much better option. While 'Cutch has the power to hit 20 homers, his speed and run-scoring ability is to great to consider removing him from the top of the lineup. His power certainly doesn't compare to that of Jones, Doumit, and Clement, so I'm going to say that 2010 is not the year for McCutchen to bat anywhere but lead off. That leaves Iwamura as the obvious #2 bat. In 2008, his last full year of play, Iwamura led off in all but 1 game he played in. In his limited time last year, he hit mainly at the bottom of the order, in the 7-9 slots. He has above average speed and gets on base at a decent clip, at .354 for his career. I think he fits the #2 hole very well for this lineup.
With the additions of Jeff Clement and Akinori Iwamura, the Pirates have a good amount of options when the injury bug comes. Ryan Doumit has been the main victim of that bug, so if (when) he gets hurt again, the lineup should be able to compensate with Clement and Milledge sliding up a slot, LaRoche moving to the #6 spot and Jaramillo filling in at the 7.
While our lineup really doesn't compare to the other teams in our division, I don't think it looks as bad as people think. We have 25+ homer potential in Jones, Doumit, and Clement, and I would honestly be kind of surprised if one of those guys doesn't get near it. We have great speed at the top with Cutch and Iwamura, and good upside with guys like LaRoche and Milledge. I'm not real concerned with what we get out of the shortstop, because it shouldn't be too much worse than what we've been getting from Jack Wilson for the last handful of years.
Bottomline is, if guys like Jones, Clement, and Milledge hit well this year and continue to get closer to their potential, I think the Pirates lineup could score enough runs to give us a shot at a winning season. The pitching will have to do their part to match up, and the chances of both of those things happening aren't too great, but I like where we are right now in the rebuilding process.
I started a new franchise with the Pirates and began the season. Before Opening Day rolled around, I had to set the lineups and the pitching rotation. While the rotation was pretty easy (I put McCutchen in the #5 spot), I had a couple different things to choose from with the lineup. Here's what I came up with:
1. Andrew McCutchen, CF
2. Akinori Iwamura, 2B
3. Garrett Jones, LF
4. Ryan Doumit, C
5. Lastings Milledge, LF
6. Jeff Clement, 1B
7. Andy LaRoche, 3B
8. Bobby Crosby, SS
9. Pitcher
The first, and most obvious issue, was who would start at shortstop. I chose Bobby Crosby to be my starter, however I probably would not make that same decision in real life. Crosby has better rankings on the game, and I was interested to play with him since he's a new Pirate, so that's why I chose him on the game. However, in real life I would be more likely to go with Cedeno. Granted, spring training has not even started yet and there is no way I could make the best decision right now, I feel like Cedeno brings more upside to the table. Crosby is statistically better defensively, and their offensive numbers are nearly identical. However, Cedeno is younger and just has more potential than Crosby. While I don't really like either of these guys to be the shortstop for a long time, of the two I would choose Cedeno.
The second problem I encountered were the issues with the 5-7 slots in the lineup. I was happy with Jones and Doumit going 3-4, but then I really didn't really know where to go from there. You normally want your power bats at 3-4-5, so I did consider batting Clement, who has more power than Milledge, in the 5 spot. In the end, however, I decided to put Milledge there. This will be Clement's first real season in the major leagues, so we really have no clue what we have with him. We have a much better idea what we have with Milledge, and I feel confident in his abilities to drive in runs. Because of the questions I have with Clement, I started the season with Milledge in the 5. Now, if Clement shows that he is a legitimate power bat and has the ability to drive in runs, I would rather quickly move him up to the 5, or possibly even the 4. When you compare Andy LaRoche to those three, he is certainly the least threatening of the trio. He does have upside in terms of power, but we haven't seen enough of it to even consider batting him in the middle of the lineup yet. I think LaRoche is best served in the 7-hole for now, and I think if you compared him to the other #7 hitters in the league, he would rank pretty highly.
The final issue was at the top of the lineup. We have all heard speculation that McCutchen could be a #3 hitter. I'm not buying it right now. You want your speed at the top of the lineup, and while Iwamura could surely handle it, McCutchen is a much better option. While 'Cutch has the power to hit 20 homers, his speed and run-scoring ability is to great to consider removing him from the top of the lineup. His power certainly doesn't compare to that of Jones, Doumit, and Clement, so I'm going to say that 2010 is not the year for McCutchen to bat anywhere but lead off. That leaves Iwamura as the obvious #2 bat. In 2008, his last full year of play, Iwamura led off in all but 1 game he played in. In his limited time last year, he hit mainly at the bottom of the order, in the 7-9 slots. He has above average speed and gets on base at a decent clip, at .354 for his career. I think he fits the #2 hole very well for this lineup.
With the additions of Jeff Clement and Akinori Iwamura, the Pirates have a good amount of options when the injury bug comes. Ryan Doumit has been the main victim of that bug, so if (when) he gets hurt again, the lineup should be able to compensate with Clement and Milledge sliding up a slot, LaRoche moving to the #6 spot and Jaramillo filling in at the 7.
While our lineup really doesn't compare to the other teams in our division, I don't think it looks as bad as people think. We have 25+ homer potential in Jones, Doumit, and Clement, and I would honestly be kind of surprised if one of those guys doesn't get near it. We have great speed at the top with Cutch and Iwamura, and good upside with guys like LaRoche and Milledge. I'm not real concerned with what we get out of the shortstop, because it shouldn't be too much worse than what we've been getting from Jack Wilson for the last handful of years.
Bottomline is, if guys like Jones, Clement, and Milledge hit well this year and continue to get closer to their potential, I think the Pirates lineup could score enough runs to give us a shot at a winning season. The pitching will have to do their part to match up, and the chances of both of those things happening aren't too great, but I like where we are right now in the rebuilding process.
Brad Lincoln
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One of the most talked about Pirates among bloggers this week has been Brad Lincoln, the Pirates number 1 pick of 2006. Unfortunately, being selected in the first round has probably been the highlight of his career. In his professional career, Lincoln has a 3.99 ERA with 1.8 BB/9 and 6.2 SO/9. Now, those numbers aren't horrible, but not too great for a guy that was supposed to be a future ace. The low point of Lincoln's career was missing the entire 2007 season after his Tommy John surgery. However, last year was an encouraging season, as he pitched phenomenally in AA and then was sent to AAA, where his numbers weren't the greatest (however that was probably because he was there to work on his fastball and changeup, so he didn't have a chance to mix it up, in other words, getting batters out wasn't his main focus). Now, in 2010, Lincoln seems ready to make him big league debut.
Dejan Kovacevic interviewed Lincoln down in Bradenton the other day, and in that interview Lincoln showed his excitement for his chance to make the team out of spring training. While I don't think it would be in the Pirates best interest to bring Lincoln up out of spring training, I really want them to give him a chance, for competitions sake.
This year in Bradenton there will be competition for the #5 spot in the rotation. The two obvious contenders are Kevin Hart and Daniel McCutchen. However, I really want the Pirates to let Lincoln know that he has a chance to make the team out of spring training. That way, they will get optimal effort out of all 3 contenders, and that can only make good things happen.
While I am all for the competition and giving Lincoln a shot, I think the only way the Pirates actually bring him to Pittsburgh for opening day is if he absolutely amazes everyone. Looking at his season from last year, there are a lot of flaws in his game that he needs to improve on before he's ready to face major league hitters. The main things he needs to work on are his fastball control and his changeup. He has pretty good velocity, and has a plus curveball. If Lincoln can develop a good changeup and get locate his fastball well, he could be a very good pitcher. He will probably never reach #1 in the rotation status, but it's not out of question for him to be the Pirates #2 or #3 starter for a very long time. At the very worst he is a solid 4 or 5.
If the Pirates are going to trade Zach Duke or Paul Maholm this season, Lincoln will be the man to take their spot. However, I would like to see him in the big leagues before a trade like that happens. That way, we will have a little bit of an idea of what Lincoln will bring to the table in the majors, although he will not have nearly enough starts to know anything for sure. I would like to see the Pirates bring him up in late June or early July, that way he will get a good amount of time in the majors in 2010 and we will save the money by starting his clock 3 months later.
The Pirates minor league system isn't exactly full of good starting pitching prospects, so the future of the rotation is strongly relying on Lincoln to turn into a good major league pitcher. Besides him, we don't have much down there, at least in AA and AAA. There are a good amount of strong arms in A ball, but we are a couple years away from knowing what we have in those guys.
Dejan Kovacevic interviewed Lincoln down in Bradenton the other day, and in that interview Lincoln showed his excitement for his chance to make the team out of spring training. While I don't think it would be in the Pirates best interest to bring Lincoln up out of spring training, I really want them to give him a chance, for competitions sake.
This year in Bradenton there will be competition for the #5 spot in the rotation. The two obvious contenders are Kevin Hart and Daniel McCutchen. However, I really want the Pirates to let Lincoln know that he has a chance to make the team out of spring training. That way, they will get optimal effort out of all 3 contenders, and that can only make good things happen.
While I am all for the competition and giving Lincoln a shot, I think the only way the Pirates actually bring him to Pittsburgh for opening day is if he absolutely amazes everyone. Looking at his season from last year, there are a lot of flaws in his game that he needs to improve on before he's ready to face major league hitters. The main things he needs to work on are his fastball control and his changeup. He has pretty good velocity, and has a plus curveball. If Lincoln can develop a good changeup and get locate his fastball well, he could be a very good pitcher. He will probably never reach #1 in the rotation status, but it's not out of question for him to be the Pirates #2 or #3 starter for a very long time. At the very worst he is a solid 4 or 5.
If the Pirates are going to trade Zach Duke or Paul Maholm this season, Lincoln will be the man to take their spot. However, I would like to see him in the big leagues before a trade like that happens. That way, we will have a little bit of an idea of what Lincoln will bring to the table in the majors, although he will not have nearly enough starts to know anything for sure. I would like to see the Pirates bring him up in late June or early July, that way he will get a good amount of time in the majors in 2010 and we will save the money by starting his clock 3 months later.
The Pirates minor league system isn't exactly full of good starting pitching prospects, so the future of the rotation is strongly relying on Lincoln to turn into a good major league pitcher. Besides him, we don't have much down there, at least in AA and AAA. There are a good amount of strong arms in A ball, but we are a couple years away from knowing what we have in those guys.
Some Links
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Well there has been a good amount of Pirates news going around in the last day or so, and I am late on most of it, so instead of summarizing what other blogger's say, I'll just share some links.
- First, Dejan Kovacevic reports that the Pirates DFA'd Steven Jackson and claimed Brandon Jones off waivers. This is a very interesting article because it seems to be setting up another Neil Huntington trade. The surface says that the Pirates made this move to free up a spot on the 40-man roster for recently signed Ryan Church. Now, since Jackson has just been designated for assignment, the Pirates have 10 days to trade, waive, or release him. Also, there are rumors that the Brandon Jones signing was made to help in a trade. The Pirates were 2nd in line on waivers, so they had the chance to sign Jones before 28 other major league teams. Now Jones has a lot of potential, so it is sure that other teams had interest in him. The Pirates already have a surplus of outfielders, so Jones very well could have been signed just to be traded again with Jackson. We could definitely be seeing the Pirates send Jackson and Jones to another team in exchange for one player. That's all the information I have on that topic for right now.
- My main man Lanny Frattare is contending for the 2010 Ford C. Frick Award, which is an award presented every year for excellence in baseball broadcasting. Lanny is now a professor at my school and I would love to see him win this award.
- In more 2010 Pirates related news, Jennifer Langosch has the details of Zach Duke's newly signed 1-year deal. The Pirates made this agreement yesterday to avoid the arbitration process for Duke, which will probably end up saving them a good amount of money. Also, the one-year deal will make it pretty easy for the Pirates to trade Duke in July if they like the return. If Duke pitches anywhere near as well as he did last year, there will be a lot of interest for him around the deadline.
- For more on the very interesting Steven Jackson situation, check out Bucco fans, WHYGAVS, and see what Neil Huntington had to say about the move.
Pirates Pre-Sale
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Well I just got done ordering my tickets for the Pirates home and season opener against the Dodgers on April 5th. The Pirates were more generous this year as they gave every e-bucs subscriber the opportunity to buy tickets early. Today marked the first day that subscribers could buy tickets for the home opener, skyblast games, the Cleveland Indians series, and the Andrew McCutchen bobblehead game. If any of you want to buy tickets for any of those games and don't get the e-bucs e-mails, leave a comment here with an e-mail address and I will gladly forward you to the e-mail with the link and the password. The sale is valid through Friday the 29th, so you have some time. There should be opportunities to get some pretty good seats for all of the games except maybe the opener, those tickets go fast.
I have been lacking on normal posting with all the speculations and signings the Pirates have been making, but that is because my next semester of school just kicked off last week and the workload is beginning to come in strong. There really isn't too much to talk about besides the situations with Brendan Donnelly, Octavio Dotel, DJ Carrasco, and some other minor things.
We're 29 days away from Pitchers & Catchers day, so I'm sure there will be a lot of talk about the 40 man roster and other things when the players begin to get together down in Bradenton. The outfield is in need of some sorting out, and there is competition in the infield. It's going to be a very interesting spring training, and it can't come soon enough.
I have been lacking on normal posting with all the speculations and signings the Pirates have been making, but that is because my next semester of school just kicked off last week and the workload is beginning to come in strong. There really isn't too much to talk about besides the situations with Brendan Donnelly, Octavio Dotel, DJ Carrasco, and some other minor things.
We're 29 days away from Pitchers & Catchers day, so I'm sure there will be a lot of talk about the 40 man roster and other things when the players begin to get together down in Bradenton. The outfield is in need of some sorting out, and there is competition in the infield. It's going to be a very interesting spring training, and it can't come soon enough.
Church.
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During the Pirates last 17 seasons of losing, they have tried a lot of different things to correct it, and unfortunately none of them have worked. Today the Pirates are trying a different approach; they are getting religious.
Dejan Kovacevic reported today that the Pirates are close to signing free agent outfielder Ryan Church.
Church started last season with the Mets, and was the starting right fielder for awhile until he was traded to Atlanta for Jeff Francoeur. He was plagued by injuries and only played 111 games in 2009, hitting .273/.338/.384 for the season. The Braves non-tendered him last month and he hit the free agent market, but didn't get much attention. The Cardinals were really the only other team interested, and I'm sure some of that interest tailed off when they signed Matt Holliday. The Pirates are now stepping in and are most likely going to sign him. A twitter update surfaced today that said Church was just waiting a physical and "excited". I guess that's good news... it's not very often you find someone that is excited to play in Pittsburgh.
Church's best season came in 2007 when he hit .272 with 15 bombs and 70 RBI for the Washington Nationals. He is 31 years old now, so he is not far removed from his prime. However, he will surely not have the chance to replicate those numbers with his role in Pittsburgh, as he will mainly be coming off the bench.
The opening day outfield is set with Milledge, McCutchen, and Jones, barring injury. Clement will start the year at first base and Jones will back him up. Therefore, Church will be their to provide relief if one of the outfielders or Clement goes down or underperforms.
This provides quite a log jam in the outfield for the Pirates. Normally a club carries 4 outfielders, and 5 if one of those players can play multiple position. Right now the Pirates have Milledge, McCutchen, Jones, Moss, Raynor, and now possibly Church on the roster, which is 6 outfielders, so one or two of them will have to be lost. My vote is for Brandon Moss, which is easier said then done because he is out of options, and releasing it would make the Pirates eat a lot of his salary, which is not something Neil Huntington likes to do. Raynor also can not be sent to the minor league because he was a Rule 5 pick, but I think releasing him would be foolish, as he has a large amount of upside. Moss has had his chance and hasn't shown us anything, so it's time for him to go.
All-in-all, that outfield looks pretty darn good, and will look even better when the Pirates call up Jose Tabata in mid-summer. Church will be a good addition to the club, even though he won't see the field very often. He is certainly a better signing than Craig Monroe or Eric Hinske last year. His contract will surely be just a one-year deal, so their will be no repercussions if they can trade him and get something for him at the deadline.
Dejan Kovacevic reported today that the Pirates are close to signing free agent outfielder Ryan Church.
Church started last season with the Mets, and was the starting right fielder for awhile until he was traded to Atlanta for Jeff Francoeur. He was plagued by injuries and only played 111 games in 2009, hitting .273/.338/.384 for the season. The Braves non-tendered him last month and he hit the free agent market, but didn't get much attention. The Cardinals were really the only other team interested, and I'm sure some of that interest tailed off when they signed Matt Holliday. The Pirates are now stepping in and are most likely going to sign him. A twitter update surfaced today that said Church was just waiting a physical and "excited". I guess that's good news... it's not very often you find someone that is excited to play in Pittsburgh.
Church's best season came in 2007 when he hit .272 with 15 bombs and 70 RBI for the Washington Nationals. He is 31 years old now, so he is not far removed from his prime. However, he will surely not have the chance to replicate those numbers with his role in Pittsburgh, as he will mainly be coming off the bench.
The opening day outfield is set with Milledge, McCutchen, and Jones, barring injury. Clement will start the year at first base and Jones will back him up. Therefore, Church will be their to provide relief if one of the outfielders or Clement goes down or underperforms.
This provides quite a log jam in the outfield for the Pirates. Normally a club carries 4 outfielders, and 5 if one of those players can play multiple position. Right now the Pirates have Milledge, McCutchen, Jones, Moss, Raynor, and now possibly Church on the roster, which is 6 outfielders, so one or two of them will have to be lost. My vote is for Brandon Moss, which is easier said then done because he is out of options, and releasing it would make the Pirates eat a lot of his salary, which is not something Neil Huntington likes to do. Raynor also can not be sent to the minor league because he was a Rule 5 pick, but I think releasing him would be foolish, as he has a large amount of upside. Moss has had his chance and hasn't shown us anything, so it's time for him to go.
All-in-all, that outfield looks pretty darn good, and will look even better when the Pirates call up Jose Tabata in mid-summer. Church will be a good addition to the club, even though he won't see the field very often. He is certainly a better signing than Craig Monroe or Eric Hinske last year. His contract will surely be just a one-year deal, so their will be no repercussions if they can trade him and get something for him at the deadline.
LaRoche Turns Down 17 Million Dollars
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The San Francisco Giants are trying to acquire former Pirate Adam LaRoche, however, it has turned out to not be as easy as they thought it might be. They offered him a 2-year contact worth 17 million dollars, and he turned it down. Yes, LaRoche is a good left-handed bat (at least when he's not in a Pirates uniform), and he is one of the top first basemen on the free agent market, but I think 17 mill is much more than he's worth. He finished 2009 with a .277 batting average with 25 bombs and 83 RBI. He really did turn it on after he left Pittsburgh though, hitting 13 homers and batting in 43 in his last 63 games. But still, he turned down 17 million? The Giants have backed off for the time being and may not make LaRoche another offer, which would probably make me happy. You know what else would make me happy? If I had 17 million dollars. This got me thinking of all the things you could buy with 17 million dollars... so here's a mini-list.
- 2 bleacher seats to every Pirate home game for the next 42,500 seasons.
- 31% of Tiger Woods' house (cost $54 million to build).
- 340 2010 Cadillac Escalades with angry-wife insurance.
- 1% of Yankee Stadium (cost $1.5 billion to build).
- 1,133,333 Tom Gorzelanny flipping-you-the-bird bobblehead dollars
- 41 seasons of Andy LaRoche's services, counting by his current salary.
- 340,000 pairs of Wrangler camouflage pants
- 226,000 private pitching lessons from John Dopson, who could probably teach you how to throw an Ephus.
- 16,037,735 junior bacon cheeseburgers, and if you were willing to spend an extra dollar last month, you could accompany every burger you buy this year with a junior frosty for no extra cost.
- An Andrew McCutchen jersey for yourself and 66,000 of your closest friends.
- Covering up half a percent of the money spent thanks to Obama's stimulus package.
- Pay back the Pirates the money they flushed down the toilet thanks to the signing of Matt Morris, and have a little bit left over to pay for that surgery Oliver Perez had to have after kicking his lawn cart.
- Donating it all to research on time travel, so maybe we could go back in time and not hire Dave Littlefield.
The Intrigue of Trading Andy LaRoche
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In recent days, there have been small rumors the Oakland Athletics having interest in Pirates 3rd Baseman Andy LaRoche. Of all the trades and trade rumors that have been surrounding the Pirates for the last year, none of them have had LaRoche's name in them. This was kind of unexpected, but the possibilities are exciting.
The Pirates were never looking for a trade for LaRoche, so the only way they would make one is if they were extremely happy with the return. Earlier today, The San Francisco Chronicle reported that the Pirates demands for LaRoche were too high, not surprising news to hear. The Pirates allegedly were asking for minor league pitching prospect Gio Gonzalez and young outfielder Ryan Sweeney. There is little doubt that the Athletics would be foolish to make that trade.
When I think about it, I am intrigued with the possibility of bringing in a top pitching prospect for Andy LaRoche. LaRoche is a good young player, but his upside is limited in Pittsburgh. Pedro Alvarez, our top prospect, is expected to make his big league debut in Pittsburgh this year, and that debut will be at 3rd base. There have been thoughts of moving LaRoche to second base, which could work, although he wouldn't be able to get much playing time there this year with Akinori Iwamura on the team.
This leads me to believing that Andy LaRoche has far more value in and a far better chance at being an every day major league third baseman in Oakland than he does in Pittsburgh. If the Pirates were to lose him, it really would not hurt us that much. Also, the Pirates have a much bigger need for young starting pitching than a young third baseman. Therefore, I think the Pirates should lower their demands for LaRoche and make the trade. Bringing in a strong AA or AAA level starter with big upside could help the organization greatly.
Here's Oakland's top 20 prospects, according to minorleagueball.com.
The Pirates were never looking for a trade for LaRoche, so the only way they would make one is if they were extremely happy with the return. Earlier today, The San Francisco Chronicle reported that the Pirates demands for LaRoche were too high, not surprising news to hear. The Pirates allegedly were asking for minor league pitching prospect Gio Gonzalez and young outfielder Ryan Sweeney. There is little doubt that the Athletics would be foolish to make that trade.
When I think about it, I am intrigued with the possibility of bringing in a top pitching prospect for Andy LaRoche. LaRoche is a good young player, but his upside is limited in Pittsburgh. Pedro Alvarez, our top prospect, is expected to make his big league debut in Pittsburgh this year, and that debut will be at 3rd base. There have been thoughts of moving LaRoche to second base, which could work, although he wouldn't be able to get much playing time there this year with Akinori Iwamura on the team.
This leads me to believing that Andy LaRoche has far more value in and a far better chance at being an every day major league third baseman in Oakland than he does in Pittsburgh. If the Pirates were to lose him, it really would not hurt us that much. Also, the Pirates have a much bigger need for young starting pitching than a young third baseman. Therefore, I think the Pirates should lower their demands for LaRoche and make the trade. Bringing in a strong AA or AAA level starter with big upside could help the organization greatly.
Here's Oakland's top 20 prospects, according to minorleagueball.com.
Attended Sports Events of the Decade, Part 2
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Yesterday I started counting down my list of the ten greatest sporting events I attended this decade. I counted down from 10 through 5, so tonight I am bringing you the top 4.
4. Harrisburg Senators vs. Altoona Curve, July 25, 2009:
That's right, number 4 comes at you with some minor league baseball. It was a boring summer week, and my friend Nate and I decided that we wanted to go see Pedro Alvarez play in Altoona, so we looked at the schedule, found the next home game, and took off. It was a Thursday and the trip was totally spontaneous. It was about a 2 hour drive, which wasn't bad at all. I wrote a more detailed recap of the day on my old blog, which you can read here. There were two big plays in the game which I will long remember. First, the Senators turned a triple play, the only one I have ever seen in person. If you click the game link you can read more about that play. The second play was a Pedro Alvarez home run, which is exactly what I made the trip to see. Now I didn't have the best angle to see the pitch, but I could swear the pitch was a low and away curveball that Pedro had to reach for, and he still muscled it out of the park. It was my first glimpse of what could be the Pirates best power hitter in decades.
3. New York Mets vs. Pittsburgh Pirates, June 4, 2009:
Another spontaneously attended game here. The reason this game made the list is because it was the much anticipate debut of Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen. The McLouth trade was made 2 nights earlier, and I was thrilled to hear that McCutchen was getting the call. I called a couple of friends the night before (the aforementioned Nate and Nick) and we went down to PNC Park and bought some outfield seats, right behind where McCutchen. This was also the spot where I took my blog's picture, with the ghetto-rigged McCutchen #22 shirt I made from my McLouth #13 shirt. You can read more details about this day in this post from my old blog. McCutchen is going to have a long and hopefully very successful career with the Pirates, and I am proud to say I was there when it all started.
2. Milwaukee Brewers vs. Pittsburgh Pirates, July 2, 2004:
Here's one that I actually had to go back some years to recall. This was a double header between the Bucs and Brewers, and it was by far the best day I've ever had at the ballpark. In the first game, Tony Alvarez hit a grand slam in the 3rd inning to put the Bucs up 5-0 early. Later, the magic continued with a Jack Wilson inside-the-park home run. The Pirates went on to win the game 8-1, while Oliver Perez struck out 11 in 7 innings of 5-hit ball. That was only the beginning however, the second game was equally as exciting. Josh Fogg made the start and pitched well, going 6.1 innings giving up only 2 earned runs. Despite that performance, the story of the game was Jason Bay, who went 4-for-5 with 8 RBI. He hit his 10th home run of the year in the 7th inning, and his other 3 hits were all doubles. It wasn't all Pirates that made it a great day, I even got on TV while dawning my friend Brandon's hat which had every MLB logo on it (he was too afraid to go on camera, so I grabbed it and hopped right on). Despite all that, the best part of this double header was probably that it was part of a 10-game winning streak for the Bucs. These were the 6th and 7th wins of the streak, and it was a great day to be at the ballpark.
1. Xavier Musketeers vs. Duquesne Dukes, February 7, 2008:
As I said before, I am a huge basketball fan. My sister attended Duquesne University and got me and 3 of my friends tickets in the student section for this game. The Dukes were taking on a very good team in Xavier, who were ranked number 9 in the country at time. We really didn't think Duquesne had any kind of chance to win the game, but somehow they pulled it off. Duquesne's star point guard Aaron Jackson had 21 points, and small forward Bill Clark went 4-4 from 3-point land and was second in scoring with 18. The Dukes were physically overmatched, Xavier had some trees down there under the hoop, and ended up out-rebounding Duquesne 46-31, a ridiculous number. However, the Dukes were hot all day from the floor, shooting .636 from the field (to Xavier's .538) and took the victory. The absolute best part of this experience, and probably the best experience in my sports-loving life was rushing the court after the game. I always dreamed of doing it some day, and I got the chance to that night. The clock hit 0 and the student section ran onto the court, red-out shirts ablaze. I have never jumped and screamed that much in my life. The game was shown on Sportscenter the next day, and I even saw myself in the fracas on TV, which was pretty dang cool.
So that's it, my top 10 attended sports events of the decade. If the Pirates had a winning season this decade, maybe they would have had a chance to be involved with #1, but they just can't cut it. Let's hope that when I write this post again in 10 years, number 1 will be the clinching game of the Pirates first World Series since 1979. Let's Go Bucs, and Let's Go Sports.
4. Harrisburg Senators vs. Altoona Curve, July 25, 2009:
That's right, number 4 comes at you with some minor league baseball. It was a boring summer week, and my friend Nate and I decided that we wanted to go see Pedro Alvarez play in Altoona, so we looked at the schedule, found the next home game, and took off. It was a Thursday and the trip was totally spontaneous. It was about a 2 hour drive, which wasn't bad at all. I wrote a more detailed recap of the day on my old blog, which you can read here. There were two big plays in the game which I will long remember. First, the Senators turned a triple play, the only one I have ever seen in person. If you click the game link you can read more about that play. The second play was a Pedro Alvarez home run, which is exactly what I made the trip to see. Now I didn't have the best angle to see the pitch, but I could swear the pitch was a low and away curveball that Pedro had to reach for, and he still muscled it out of the park. It was my first glimpse of what could be the Pirates best power hitter in decades.
3. New York Mets vs. Pittsburgh Pirates, June 4, 2009:
Another spontaneously attended game here. The reason this game made the list is because it was the much anticipate debut of Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen. The McLouth trade was made 2 nights earlier, and I was thrilled to hear that McCutchen was getting the call. I called a couple of friends the night before (the aforementioned Nate and Nick) and we went down to PNC Park and bought some outfield seats, right behind where McCutchen. This was also the spot where I took my blog's picture, with the ghetto-rigged McCutchen #22 shirt I made from my McLouth #13 shirt. You can read more details about this day in this post from my old blog. McCutchen is going to have a long and hopefully very successful career with the Pirates, and I am proud to say I was there when it all started.
2. Milwaukee Brewers vs. Pittsburgh Pirates, July 2, 2004:
Here's one that I actually had to go back some years to recall. This was a double header between the Bucs and Brewers, and it was by far the best day I've ever had at the ballpark. In the first game, Tony Alvarez hit a grand slam in the 3rd inning to put the Bucs up 5-0 early. Later, the magic continued with a Jack Wilson inside-the-park home run. The Pirates went on to win the game 8-1, while Oliver Perez struck out 11 in 7 innings of 5-hit ball. That was only the beginning however, the second game was equally as exciting. Josh Fogg made the start and pitched well, going 6.1 innings giving up only 2 earned runs. Despite that performance, the story of the game was Jason Bay, who went 4-for-5 with 8 RBI. He hit his 10th home run of the year in the 7th inning, and his other 3 hits were all doubles. It wasn't all Pirates that made it a great day, I even got on TV while dawning my friend Brandon's hat which had every MLB logo on it (he was too afraid to go on camera, so I grabbed it and hopped right on). Despite all that, the best part of this double header was probably that it was part of a 10-game winning streak for the Bucs. These were the 6th and 7th wins of the streak, and it was a great day to be at the ballpark.
1. Xavier Musketeers vs. Duquesne Dukes, February 7, 2008:
As I said before, I am a huge basketball fan. My sister attended Duquesne University and got me and 3 of my friends tickets in the student section for this game. The Dukes were taking on a very good team in Xavier, who were ranked number 9 in the country at time. We really didn't think Duquesne had any kind of chance to win the game, but somehow they pulled it off. Duquesne's star point guard Aaron Jackson had 21 points, and small forward Bill Clark went 4-4 from 3-point land and was second in scoring with 18. The Dukes were physically overmatched, Xavier had some trees down there under the hoop, and ended up out-rebounding Duquesne 46-31, a ridiculous number. However, the Dukes were hot all day from the floor, shooting .636 from the field (to Xavier's .538) and took the victory. The absolute best part of this experience, and probably the best experience in my sports-loving life was rushing the court after the game. I always dreamed of doing it some day, and I got the chance to that night. The clock hit 0 and the student section ran onto the court, red-out shirts ablaze. I have never jumped and screamed that much in my life. The game was shown on Sportscenter the next day, and I even saw myself in the fracas on TV, which was pretty dang cool.
So that's it, my top 10 attended sports events of the decade. If the Pirates had a winning season this decade, maybe they would have had a chance to be involved with #1, but they just can't cut it. Let's hope that when I write this post again in 10 years, number 1 will be the clinching game of the Pirates first World Series since 1979. Let's Go Bucs, and Let's Go Sports.
Attended Sports Events of the Decade, Part 1
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Okay, I know I'm a couple days late on the end-of-the-decade thing, but today I was thinking about what my favorite sports events I attended this decade were, and I feel like writing them down. So, because it's January and there isn't too much to talk about Pirates-wise, I've decided to start another mini-series and tell you all the 10 greatest sporting events I attended this decade. They aren't spectacular, I am a college kid with very little money, so there wasn't too much I could do, but I think I've compiled a decent list for my circumstances. I've even hunted down for the box scores of all the games for you to enjoy, let me know what you think! Here we go, starting with 10!
10. Boston Celtics vs. Cleveland Cavaliers, October 14th, 2009:
The list gets off to a pretty lame start with a pre-season NBA game. However, I have always been a fan of the NBA, I've played basketball almost all of my life, and this was the first NBA game I ever attended. Also, it was 2 days after my 18th birthday, so it was sort of a celebration of that too, which made it even better. I was with 4 of my best friends and it was an altogether great night. Lebron James put on a show in warmups, but then turned the ball over like 5 times in the first half and played very poorly, which was kind of disappointing. The most memorable moment I took from it was seeing Zydrunas Ilgauskas having to get a booster seat to sit in his chair on the sideline, because his legs were too long. Also, seeing Kevin Garnett is always an adventure.
9. Detroit Tigers vs. Pittsburgh Pirates, July 1st, 2006:
Seeing this, I'm sure that none of you really get why it's on the list. The Pirates were 28-54 at this point and this game was pretty much meaningless. The thing that made it so great was that this game, somehow, seemed like a playoff game to me. We were sitting in a section full of Tigers fans, drunk and rowdy Tigers fans. We began throwing insults back and forth and cheering extra loud when the Pirates had big hits and big outs. The game was close until the 7th inning, when they put 7 runs on the board. That was one of the most fun innings of baseball I've ever watched. I was so into it I ended up throwing a half-full cup of Pepsi at a Tigers fan who was leaving the ballpark. Being only 16, that probably wasn't the best idea, but the Tigers fan didn't do anything more than give me a dirty look. The Pirates went on to win 9-2, and for that one day I felt like the Pirates were a good baseball team. I'll always remember that game.
8. New Orleans Saints vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, November 12, 2006:
This list just would not be complete without a Steelers game on it. Sadly this is the only game I am going to mention on here, because I don't make it to many. I have been to about 5 games in my life, and this was by far the best one. Willie Parker ran for 213 yards and the Steelers won 38-31, a key win in their Super Bowl season. If they hadn't won that game, they would been 7-9 to finish the year and they would not have made the playoffs, so it was a big win.
7. Washington Nationals vs. Baltimore Orioles, June 26, 2009:
Well here begins a series of 5 sporting events on the list that occurred in the year 2009, which was by far the greatest sports year of my life. The only reason this game is on the list is because it was part of a summer road trip that I went on with 3 of my friends, a trip in which we went to Nationals Park and Camden Yards for 2 games (the other game will be mentioned later). We had great seats for this game, we were in the home plate club about 20 rows back. The Orioles destroyed the Nationals, so the atmosphere was great. There were fireworks after the game (which paled in comparison to fireworks at PNC) and it was a great ending to a trip I won't soon forget. Camden Yards is a great place to watch a baseball game, and I hope I get a chance to go back there some day (maybe for a Pirates vs. Orioles World Series Game... or maybe not).
6. Charlotte Bobcats vs. Cleveland Cavaliers, November 31, 2009:
Yes, this really was just two short months ago. It was the first and only regular season NBA game I have ever been to, and the greatest part of it was it was pretty much spontaneous. My friend and I were excited for the new NBA season and he is a big Bobcats fan, so we decided to buy some tickets literally 4 days before the game happened, and we got in the car and drove up there the day of. After the game we made the nearly 3 hour trip back home and made a day out of it. The Cavaliers won the game, we had great seats, and I got to see Shaquille O'Neal in person, which was awesome. The Q was electric, I have never felt that much excitement in a sports arena (which shouldn't surprise anyone considering I'm a Pirates fan). The pre-game was probably the best part, when flames shout out of the scoreboard when announcing the beloved home team's players.
5. Boston Red Sox vs. Washington Nationals, June 25, 2009:
This game was a part of the aforementioned road trip I went on with my friends. This game was the better of the two by far. The first reason was because it was John Smoltz first start of 2009, so it was hyped up a lot and covered on ESPN quite a bit. Secondly, because it was my first visit to Nationals Park, which is a great ball park. There is a ridiculous amount of seating there and everything looks brand new. I was very impressed with the stadium. However, the fans weren't the greatest, which you could expect from the Nationals, who were one of the worst teams in baseball history this year. The crowd was probably 70% Red Sox fan, but not me, you know I was donning the Nationals gear. I bought a Ryan Zimmerman shirt the day of the game and wore it to the game, acting like the biggest Nationals fan in the stadium. My friend Nick joined me, and became the 2nd biggest Nationals fan in the stadium. However, my friend Clint is a Red Sox fan, so he had a Dustin Pedroia jersey on; there was much smack talk during the day. The Nationals came out on top, hitting Red Sox pitching early and often, which was reason to be excited for Nick and I. Clint ended up paying us both 5 dollars at the end of the day, and we high-5'd just about every Nationals fan we could find after the game. It was a great time. Our hotel was just 2 blocks away so we didn't even have to worry about parking or traffic.
So that's numbers 10 through 5, I'll be back tomorrow with my top 5.
10. Boston Celtics vs. Cleveland Cavaliers, October 14th, 2009:
The list gets off to a pretty lame start with a pre-season NBA game. However, I have always been a fan of the NBA, I've played basketball almost all of my life, and this was the first NBA game I ever attended. Also, it was 2 days after my 18th birthday, so it was sort of a celebration of that too, which made it even better. I was with 4 of my best friends and it was an altogether great night. Lebron James put on a show in warmups, but then turned the ball over like 5 times in the first half and played very poorly, which was kind of disappointing. The most memorable moment I took from it was seeing Zydrunas Ilgauskas having to get a booster seat to sit in his chair on the sideline, because his legs were too long. Also, seeing Kevin Garnett is always an adventure.
9. Detroit Tigers vs. Pittsburgh Pirates, July 1st, 2006:
Seeing this, I'm sure that none of you really get why it's on the list. The Pirates were 28-54 at this point and this game was pretty much meaningless. The thing that made it so great was that this game, somehow, seemed like a playoff game to me. We were sitting in a section full of Tigers fans, drunk and rowdy Tigers fans. We began throwing insults back and forth and cheering extra loud when the Pirates had big hits and big outs. The game was close until the 7th inning, when they put 7 runs on the board. That was one of the most fun innings of baseball I've ever watched. I was so into it I ended up throwing a half-full cup of Pepsi at a Tigers fan who was leaving the ballpark. Being only 16, that probably wasn't the best idea, but the Tigers fan didn't do anything more than give me a dirty look. The Pirates went on to win 9-2, and for that one day I felt like the Pirates were a good baseball team. I'll always remember that game.
8. New Orleans Saints vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, November 12, 2006:
This list just would not be complete without a Steelers game on it. Sadly this is the only game I am going to mention on here, because I don't make it to many. I have been to about 5 games in my life, and this was by far the best one. Willie Parker ran for 213 yards and the Steelers won 38-31, a key win in their Super Bowl season. If they hadn't won that game, they would been 7-9 to finish the year and they would not have made the playoffs, so it was a big win.
7. Washington Nationals vs. Baltimore Orioles, June 26, 2009:
Well here begins a series of 5 sporting events on the list that occurred in the year 2009, which was by far the greatest sports year of my life. The only reason this game is on the list is because it was part of a summer road trip that I went on with 3 of my friends, a trip in which we went to Nationals Park and Camden Yards for 2 games (the other game will be mentioned later). We had great seats for this game, we were in the home plate club about 20 rows back. The Orioles destroyed the Nationals, so the atmosphere was great. There were fireworks after the game (which paled in comparison to fireworks at PNC) and it was a great ending to a trip I won't soon forget. Camden Yards is a great place to watch a baseball game, and I hope I get a chance to go back there some day (maybe for a Pirates vs. Orioles World Series Game... or maybe not).
6. Charlotte Bobcats vs. Cleveland Cavaliers, November 31, 2009:
Yes, this really was just two short months ago. It was the first and only regular season NBA game I have ever been to, and the greatest part of it was it was pretty much spontaneous. My friend and I were excited for the new NBA season and he is a big Bobcats fan, so we decided to buy some tickets literally 4 days before the game happened, and we got in the car and drove up there the day of. After the game we made the nearly 3 hour trip back home and made a day out of it. The Cavaliers won the game, we had great seats, and I got to see Shaquille O'Neal in person, which was awesome. The Q was electric, I have never felt that much excitement in a sports arena (which shouldn't surprise anyone considering I'm a Pirates fan). The pre-game was probably the best part, when flames shout out of the scoreboard when announcing the beloved home team's players.
5. Boston Red Sox vs. Washington Nationals, June 25, 2009:
This game was a part of the aforementioned road trip I went on with my friends. This game was the better of the two by far. The first reason was because it was John Smoltz first start of 2009, so it was hyped up a lot and covered on ESPN quite a bit. Secondly, because it was my first visit to Nationals Park, which is a great ball park. There is a ridiculous amount of seating there and everything looks brand new. I was very impressed with the stadium. However, the fans weren't the greatest, which you could expect from the Nationals, who were one of the worst teams in baseball history this year. The crowd was probably 70% Red Sox fan, but not me, you know I was donning the Nationals gear. I bought a Ryan Zimmerman shirt the day of the game and wore it to the game, acting like the biggest Nationals fan in the stadium. My friend Nick joined me, and became the 2nd biggest Nationals fan in the stadium. However, my friend Clint is a Red Sox fan, so he had a Dustin Pedroia jersey on; there was much smack talk during the day. The Nationals came out on top, hitting Red Sox pitching early and often, which was reason to be excited for Nick and I. Clint ended up paying us both 5 dollars at the end of the day, and we high-5'd just about every Nationals fan we could find after the game. It was a great time. Our hotel was just 2 blocks away so we didn't even have to worry about parking or traffic.
So that's numbers 10 through 5, I'll be back tomorrow with my top 5.
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