Pirates and Nationals … Hahahahahahaha
1-liner, Baseball July 1st. 2009, 1:00pmContract the Pirates (and take the Nationals, too): Two have-nots completed a dumb deal last night. The Pirates (of course) just gave away speedy and productive outfielder Nyjer Morgan in exchange for a ‘potential‘ guy (problem-ridden Lastings Milledge), who quickly wore out his welcome in New York and Washington (but was once the best 16-year-old in America!). When your GM utteres these words: “Big risks, no question, but with big upside,” as Pittsburgh’s Neal Huntington did, that’s when you stop going to games, buying merch, etc. But the sheeple of Pittsburgh, surely glutton for punishment, will continue to go to PNC park and line the pockets of another frugal owner. And from the Washington side of the equation, how drunk do you have to be to think these two new acquisitions can be ‘cornerstones of an organization?’ [Dog Days of Summer, Indeed]
78 Responses to “Pirates and Nationals … Hahahahahahaha”
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July 1st, 2009 at 1:03 PM
But the sheeple of Pittsburgh, surely glutton for punishment, will continue to go to PNC park and line the pockets of another frugal owner
only on fireworks nights.
the newspaper owners who have ruined the pirates have killed off a generation of potential baseball fans. sad really. arguably the best ballpark in america; arguably the worst franchise in america.
July 1st, 2009 at 1:06 PM
I think the Pirates are allowed to continue sucking to prevent Pittsburgh from becoming the next Boston. It doesn’t matter how many SBs the Steelers win or how many Stanley Cups the Pens lift. The Pirates will continue to suck.
/dad’s a Pirates fan since Clemente
July 1st, 2009 at 1:07 PM
At least the Pirates got younger? I don’t know. In other news this Roddick Hewitt match is awesome. This is old school Hewitt today. He’s getting to everything and Roddick is trying to pound the ball through him. Fascinating.
July 1st, 2009 at 1:08 PM
was this a scathing one-liner against the pirates fans or the pirates ownership?
July 1st, 2009 at 1:08 PM
Lastings Milledge is on his way to becoming Todd Van Poppel or Ruben Rivera. Half a dozen teams are going to get suckered in by his “what if he ever decides to put it together” potential.
July 1st, 2009 at 1:08 PM
Can you explain why this was a dumb deal?
July 1st, 2009 at 1:08 PM
No mention of Jack Wilson ripping on the years of deals that never lead anywhere? I think this was a smart deal by the Pirates. Not that Milledge is not probably gonna be a failure, but it’s not like Nyger Morgan is actually very good at baseball, speedy or not. And from the Nats side they at least have a pseudo-real centerfielder defensively now.
July 1st, 2009 at 1:08 PM
GO FUCK YOURSELF.
they had a decade of poor ownership. they have new ownership. they had a decade of front offices with no plan. they have a new front office with a plan. they also have a better record than a bunch of teams, despite losing their best power bat and starting catcher in April and the bad luck to be the only team with a positive run differential and a losing record.
July 1st, 2009 at 1:10 PM
it was dumb because………[runs away]
/tbl
July 1st, 2009 at 1:11 PM
jay:
todd van poppel’s biggest problem was he ran into dave duncan.
July 1st, 2009 at 1:12 PM
threadjack:
Alexis Arguello dead from gunshot
July 1st, 2009 at 1:13 PM
This post is strangely mean spirited. It’s like mocking special olympians after they complete a race.
July 1st, 2009 at 1:14 PM
Dumb deal or not, the Pirates are 6 games out in the NL Central.
So by TBL logic, the NL Central should probably be contracted and all existing contracts will be bought by the Mets, Yankees and Red Sox.
July 1st, 2009 at 1:14 PM
the pitcher the pirates got is actually quite good with a FIP below 4.00, as far as the outfielders this wasn’t a dumb move for pittsburgh nyjer morgan is what he is which is a good defender with a below average bat. Milledge(24)put up better numbers in the second half last year than morgan(29) ever has.
I agree with NickP and Sir Spicious this was a decent move for the Pirates, definitely not a terrible trade
July 1st, 2009 at 1:14 PM
You win big and lose small
July 1st, 2009 at 1:15 PM
Because Nyjer Morgan knows how to wear a uniform, and the Natinals unis suck ass.
/RWH’d
July 1st, 2009 at 1:15 PM
alright, i’m a little emotional because that’s the 2nd time TBL suggested contracting the Pirates in the last few months. sorry about that.
Rationally speaking, both big deals the Pirates have made this summer have been good moves. Nate McLouth is a nice player, but to get a starting pitcher and 2 of the Braves top 10 prospects is a win. Njyer Morgan is 29 with no power and he’s a poor baserunner. good defensively, but its kinda wasted in LF. Milledge was misplaced as both a leadoff hitter and CF, and Washington boned him by sending him down after a week. Bucs sold high and bought low on both deals. worst case they are a push.
July 1st, 2009 at 1:15 PM
Alright, the “Contract the Pirates” creed got old from the first time it was mentioned here. Too many asshats are bashing the Pirates for giving up Nyjer. How can a team be bashed for swapping a LF with 2 hrs for an actual bat like Milledge? And Milledge is several years younger.
But keep shitting on the ACTUAL fans, who support that team non-stop. The ownership group royally messed up when Nutting took over…that doesn’t mean longtime Pirates fans are gonna give up on their team. It’s called support. But when the Pirates finally do turn the page, we’ll all be labeled as bandwagoners.
July 1st, 2009 at 1:17 PM
No, Hanrahan is the suckiest suck whoever sucked.
July 1st, 2009 at 1:17 PM
i’m all for die-hard support, PSMP … i just dont see why you’d go to the park and give an owner money who is just going to pocket it and not actually try to help the team
July 1st, 2009 at 1:17 PM
You laugh, but it’s gotten to the point to where teams like the Pirates, Nationals, Rays, Royals, and the Marlins exist for one reason: so that Yankees/Mets/Braves/Red Sox fans across the country and transplanted East Coasters can watch their favorite teams play in their city every now and then. The fact that some of them win every now and then is purely conicidental.
July 1st, 2009 at 1:19 PM
so what you’re saying is that if you’re the GM, you make this deal? wonder how thrilled the locker room is (reading that one link tells a lot)
July 1st, 2009 at 1:19 PM
Royals have a large and loyal fanbase. Don’t know about the pirates. Marlins, Rays and Nationals, true.
July 1st, 2009 at 1:21 PM
I’m bookmarking this for the next time somebody says “Atlanta is the worst sports town anywhere ever”.
July 1st, 2009 at 1:21 PM
Taguchi, I used to go to like a dozen Royals games a year when I lived in Missouri, and the only times I ever saw them go over 10-15 thousand was when the Yankees/Red Sox/Cardinals were in town, or if there was a really cool giveaway.
July 1st, 2009 at 1:24 PM
Dude, there have been multiple walkout/protest attempts the past several years. They don’t work. Most Pirates fans I know love baseball and the hometown team…a shitty ownership group shouldn’t affect your love of the sport or your team. They may have run my team into the ground, but they aren’t taking my passion for the team
July 1st, 2009 at 1:24 PM
i make that deal every day of the week and twice on sundays. Nyjer has value to the Nats because he’ll play CF, but as a LF he has little value to the Pirates. Milledge will provide decent power to a lineup that has precious little. He’s also 4 years younger. Burnett was a joe bagadonuts, dime a dozen reliever. i think his numbers get worse when he’s not pitching exclusively to lefties. Hanarahan has gotten murdered by the defense behind him, he’s better than his numbers indicate.
July 1st, 2009 at 1:26 PM
i just dont see why you’d go to the park and give an owner money who is just going to pocket it and not actually try to help the team
tbl: you just described 90% of the owners in pro sports (5% of the remaining 10% are NYC teams that spend like crazy, but don’t know what the fuck they are doing, like the Rangers, Mets, and Knicks). The final 5% do it right, reinvest and spend wisely (Steelers, Patriots, Colts, Spurs, Red Wings, and others I’m sure I forgot)
July 1st, 2009 at 1:26 PM
also, i’m glad the players are friends and will miss each other, but guess what jack wilson, the guys in the locker room aren’t good enough. you need better players to win. stfu and play.
July 1st, 2009 at 1:29 PM
-1 for not bolding your all caps rage.
July 1st, 2009 at 1:29 PM
When I went to Royals games, I could give a shit less about the franchise’s lack of effort to compete (although if I was from there I might feel different). The reason I went to Royals games was because I couldn’t think of any other form of entertainment I would rather do in Kansas City on a nice Wednesday night for under $40 for me and the wife.
Maybe a lot of people in Pittsburgh feel the same way, and their ownership knows it.
July 1st, 2009 at 1:29 PM
Pirates owners also run a newspaper company. Tells you the level of their ineptitude and fail.
July 1st, 2009 at 1:30 PM
Royals averaged 19,986 last year which really isn’t bad when you consider how awful they are. Of course kaufmann is another piratelike situation with a pretty park and a pretty awful team.
July 1st, 2009 at 1:31 PM
Andy Van Slyke
July 1st, 2009 at 1:32 PM
PSMP – what do you have passion for? how can you love what the team has become in the last 10-15 yrs?
how long can you cling to memories of Van Slyke, Killer B’s, etc?
July 1st, 2009 at 1:33 PM
At least the K has dollar night.
July 1st, 2009 at 1:35 PM
There’s plenty of room in right center, if he hits one there, we can dance in the streets. Swung, base hit left field! One run is in! Here comes Bream, around third! Throw to the plate, he is……safe! Braves win! Braves win! Braves win!
/so ended the last winning season for the Pirates
July 1st, 2009 at 1:36 PM
when i was a laker in the 80s, i didnt throw in the towel when magic, worthy et al left. i was a die-hard nick van exel fan, i had faith in peeler, and yes, i even thought Divac was cool.
but in the nba/nfl you can turn things around quickly (salary cap!) … in baseball, it doesn’t seem like you can do that.
the rays have built something nice … but do the pirates have any really good pieces sitting around in the minors?
July 1st, 2009 at 1:37 PM
Yeah, contract these teams. We all know that losing teams never ever get better.
/science
July 1st, 2009 at 1:38 PM
TBL, you’re a jets fan. they haven’t won shit since 1969. they had the hired gunslinger last year. they’re shitty. should i call you a retard? should i ask you if you still pine for the glory days of ray lucas? should the pirates goal be to win 83 games, or to win a championship? should I prefer the FO takes a short view or should i hope they can try and build a sustainable winner, given the financial handcuffs that they have? my biggest question is why are the pirates and pirate fans they only ones you point your contempt towards?
July 1st, 2009 at 1:39 PM
they don’t have enough pieces, which is why they are making these trades. are you just being willfully ignorant?
July 1st, 2009 at 1:39 PM
PSMP – what do you have passion for? how can you love what the team has become in the last 10-15 yrs?
how long can you cling to memories of Van Slyke, Killer B’s, etc?
tbl: to be fair, you’ve only got a Namath 1969 finger wave, a Billy Buckner screw-up and a roided out Clemens in 2000 to cling to yourself
July 1st, 2009 at 1:40 PM
July 1st, 2009 at 1:40 PM
This statement, that supposedly came from a sports fan, is really disturbing to me. Even if you don’t like what the ownership has done, it should never change the passion for your team.
July 1st, 2009 at 1:43 PM
It’s not clinging to memories. It’s loving the sport and the team that plays in my hometown. So I either support my team and get shit because the owners are idiots, or drop the team and get shit for being a jaded bitch. Since I’m a baseball fan and Pirates fan, I’ll stick with my team.
Too many people are using the mistakes made by GMs Littlefield and Bonifay to judge the moves made by Huntington. Since Neal’s been here, he’s brought in Alvarez, Tabata, Gorkys Hernandez into the minors. For pretty much nothing. So we had to give up a few second-tier players like Morgan and McLouth…big deal. Those guys did jack shit when they were in Pittsburgh, so why the outrage when they’re shipped out for better talent?
I hate the Nuttings as much as the next guy, but if they take my passion for the team, then they’ve truly defeated all aspects of being a Pirates fan.
July 1st, 2009 at 1:47 PM
Ugh, you guys know what I meant to do with the quotes….
July 1st, 2009 at 1:49 PM
Alexis Arguello dead from gunshot
WOW! I remember his fights against Pryor. Damn….
July 1st, 2009 at 1:49 PM
Hey! The Rangers won a Stanley Cup in 93-94 (and are original six!) and the Islanders were dominant from ‘79 to ‘84!
Oh, who am I kidding? TBL even admitted he watched like 8 seconds of hockey this year…
July 1st, 2009 at 1:54 PM
Let’s contract the Knicks. Those losery fraudsters haven’t had a winning record since the beginning of the decade.
July 1st, 2009 at 1:54 PM
It’s an unfortunate situation in Pittsburgh. Their park looks downright amazing: http://imagecache2.allposters.com/images/pic/147/PNC~PNC-Park-Pittsburgh-Pennsylvania-Posters.jpg
July 1st, 2009 at 1:55 PM
SC: That’s why i didn’t mention hockey. He’s not “taking credit” for a sport he doesn’t like-lol
Besides, with a Vince Lombardi Trophy and a Stanley Cup at Pittsbugh City Hall in the last five months, the whole argument is a joke
July 1st, 2009 at 1:58 PM
So we had to give up a few second-tier players like Morgan and McLouth…big deal.
A 26 year old Allstar who hit .276 with 26 HRs, 94 RBIs and a Gold Glove last year is a 2nd tier player? Jesus Christ those are some high standards, especially for someone from the Burgh.
July 1st, 2009 at 1:58 PM
jets have had their moments. i encouraged and applauded the favre signing, and man it was looking good at 7-3. but the NFL is a different animal than MLB – each team is on a level playing field and it’s not like im watching the Patriots go out and grab $200 mil worth of players while my team is just spending $50 mil and sucking.
the pats have just made better moves and drafted better. maybe Tanenbaum is the guy in NY. who knows. i like the rex ryan move, love bart scott, and really like sanchez. imo, he’s 3-for-3 this year.
July 1st, 2009 at 2:00 PM
is there even a strategy in Pitt? it’s like they’re rearranging deck chairs on the titantic. the rays clearly had a plan and executed it. they swindled some folks. they drafted very. found pitching gems.
wTf are the pirates doing? i go back to the mclouth deal as terrible – a wise GM would have hoodwinked my yankees last year at the AS break and gotten top-shelf talent.
July 1st, 2009 at 2:05 PM
I once did a ballpark road trip from St. Louis to Boston. In terms of rating the new ballparks I went to on that trip (Fenway and Yankee are in their own category):
(forgive me if I have some of the corporate sponsors confused)
1. PNC (Pittsburgh)
2. Cinergy (Cincy)
3. New Busch (St. Louis)
4. Citizens Bank (Philly)
I went Pittsburgh first because of the view and overall aesthetic quality. Cincy 2nd because the Pete Rose exhibit next to the park ruled. Busch was okay, but there’s still the hole in the ground where Old Bush was when I was there. Philly’s stadium was nice, but as a lot of people say, it’s just in a big parking lot in the middle of nowhere.
July 1st, 2009 at 2:06 PM
He did that one year apart from 3 blah seasons with the team. And don’t bring All-Stars into this…the Pirates HAVE to get one thanks to that shitty rule. Aside from a Gold Glove, what did Nate do FOR THE TEAM? 4 seasons of under .500 ball. Give me a break…are you really claiming that McLouth would be an All-Star or top-tier player on another team?
July 1st, 2009 at 2:06 PM
Those poor poor Marlins fans that can only win a championship every 6 years or so because of their cheap owners. Baseball doesn’t need a salary cap, because it doesn’t matter how much money you spend if you don’t spend it wisely. Fact: The Marlins, the Cardinals, the Diamondbacks, and the White Sox all have more World Series titles since 2001 than the Yankees.
July 1st, 2009 at 2:08 PM
I think they missed the mark on the McLouth deal, but Nyjer Morgan? If they had sent him to the minors nobody would have blinked. At worst, this is a completely nothing move.
July 1st, 2009 at 2:10 PM
The Marlins have done a brilliant job of trading their studs for younger studs. It’s hard to find a trade that hasn’t worked out for well for them.
With that said, Beinfest needs to be in pinstripes.
July 1st, 2009 at 2:11 PM
WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK WE DID THIS YEAR WITH MORGAN? If you’re claiming that Nate was a sell-high guy, then why the faux-outrage over giving up no-power-all-defense, sell-high guy like Nyjer Morgan to get an actual LF bat in return in Milledge?
If the Buccos trade Nate during his “All Star” season last year, the Buccos get shit for selling off their big name players like we did with Bay last year. If we wait a year to see what Nate did after the AS break, we get shit for not moving him soon enough.
No matter what Huntington does, he’s gonna get shit from lose/lose people who keep making these insane arguments.
July 1st, 2009 at 2:11 PM
The McLouth deal is funny. On one side, you have guys like TBL saying it’s terrible for the Pirates. On the other side, you have a bunch of Mets and Phillies apologists saying that McLouth is a non-factor. Certainly both cannot be right. Personally, I’m going with McLouth is a solid player, but the Pirates won’t miss him that much, since they weren’t going to win with him, and they turned him into some other pieces.
July 1st, 2009 at 2:13 PM
Until Bill Wirtz dies. Right, SouvenirCity?
Oh, and Jack Wilson deserves Ben-Gay in his jock for that crack about all those trades with “nothing” to show for them. One of the “nothings” we got for Xavier Nady posted this line last night:
Ohlendorf: 7 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 8 K
Then again, maybe Jack has forgotten how he arrived in Pittsburgh in the first place:
Jul 30, 2000: Pittsburgh Pirates traded Jason Christiansen to the St. Louis Cardinals for Jack Wilson.
July 1st, 2009 at 2:16 PM
@Jay, I thought Cincy was Great American, but that place looks sooo small. looks almost like a large minor league stadium.
July 1st, 2009 at 2:17 PM
if the yanks had traded for him last year, he could have possibly hit leadoff. it’s not like his OBP was considerably lower than Damon’s; he’s more better on the basepaths than jeter.
and yes, they sold Morgan, but do you really think they got quality in return? LM, who has rotted on my fantasy bench all season, has a rough history. and the pitcher? eh.
July 1st, 2009 at 2:17 PM
All the advanced defensive metrics say that McClouth is a really bad centerfielder, one of the worst in the league. He’s batting .323/.448/.771 this year so far, which is, um, not good, and that’s right in line with what he’s done since June 1st. He’s not very good.
July 1st, 2009 at 2:18 PM
Huntington has been doing a great job in Pit so far.
By the by, who gives Hossa that huge of a deal? Are the Hawks going to be able to keep Kane now?
July 1st, 2009 at 2:19 PM
The Marlins have done a brilliant job of trading their studs for younger studs. It’s hard to find a trade that hasn’t worked out for well for them.
The Beckett for Ramirez trade may go down as one of the most benficiary trades for both teams ever. When all is said and done, both teams may have gotten one of the greatest players to ever play their respected positions.
July 1st, 2009 at 2:21 PM
Because this is the mark of a terrible player.
He looks significantly better if you move him to left, which, if things work out the right way, the Braves might do.
July 1st, 2009 at 2:22 PM
not sure why people think cuban is all that. his greatest attribute — best as i can tell — is being a media whore.
July 1st, 2009 at 2:24 PM
been there several times. it’s nothing short of a palace.
July 1st, 2009 at 2:26 PM
I didn’t know Tom Seaver, Nolan Ryan, Roy Halladay, Walter Johnson, Cy Young, Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, Johan Santana, Christy Matthewson, Sandy Koufax, Whitey Ford, Roger Clemens, Bob Gibson, Satchel Paige, Bert Blyleven, Pedro Martinez, Randy Johnson, Peter Alexander, Gaylord Perry, Steve Carlton, Don Sutton, Phil Niekro, and Eddie Plant had the possibility of rubbing shoulders with “greatest ever” Josh Beckett.
July 1st, 2009 at 2:28 PM
sportshernia:
much better view of pnc park from the upper deck behind the plate.
http://cavecreekcopywriting.com/pnc_park.jpg
July 1st, 2009 at 2:29 PM
Hey look, one of the greatest ever has given up 4 runs in 2.1 innings to the Orioles!
July 1st, 2009 at 2:29 PM
Alright, you gotta take the Yanks outta the equation. All of this just sounds like you’re upset that your team didn’t get a guy you wanted. We traded Nate for 3 prospects…what were you expecting the Buccos to get back from any team last year? A guy having his first actually good season…but it’s not like anyone was willing to ship an All Star our way for Nate McLouth. Huntington saw nothing he liked, and held onto him. He was not on the trade block this season, but the Braves’ offer blew him away.
And yes, I could give a shit less about LM’s “checkered past.” I’m supposed to be blind to his talent because he didn’t fit in with the worst team in baseball in DC?
Huntington has been on the job what, 2 seasons? And in that time, he’s turned the littlefield shitshow into a club that’s only 6 games back in the Central and has a staple of young guys like Alvarez, Tabata and Hernandez. Oh, and he finally gave a stud like McCutchen his chance. That’s another reason McLouth didn’t go last year…Cutch wasn’t ready like he was this year
July 1st, 2009 at 2:33 PM
Hey look, one of the greatest ever has given up 4 runs in 2.1 innings to the Orioles!
Hate the sawx, but respect Beckett, cuz the guy puts teams on his back in October and rides them to Championships. Yes, if you judge a guy by playoff performances than I do put him in that equation. Funny how you say Nolan Ryan, most overrated pitcher ever.
July 1st, 2009 at 2:49 PM
They wouldn’t have gotten anywhere near the package they got for McLouth had they traded him last year because of the ridiculously team friendly contract he signed this offseason.
But hey, facts have no place in this argument I guess.
July 1st, 2009 at 3:03 PM
from the link…
There were many nights where I would come back from work and he would be doing his homework just five feet from the television with and empty container of 30 wings. The best part was the he sometimes would be wearing 3-d sunglasses watching Sponge Bob Square Pants.
and what is it that drives Riley crazy and didn’t want to draft him???
July 1st, 2009 at 3:15 PM
I think Cuban can do well in an environment where everyone plays by the same rules (e.g., a salary cap)–innovative tactics/thinking can make a big difference. In baseball, innovation can take you pretty far, but you need a ton of cash reserves to sustain success.