Bold Moves Required...

As I've said on the radio version of Front & Center, the only way the Pirates will get out of their malaise is with bold moves. Here are some:

Hire Chuck Greenberg as new CEO: Very shrewd, knows Pittsburgh, would hire top-flight GM to get on-field product turned around...according to Rob Biertempfel of the Tribune-Review, Greenberg has yet to be contacted. I'm still not convinced Bob Nutting will give the new CEO the financial resources and power to right the ship.

Pre-emptively hire Jocketty and LaRussa: Will never happen as Reds' owner Bob Castellini is already working on moving the Cardinals' GM and manager to the Queen City...If Nutting and/or new CEO beat the Reds to the punch, I would do a 180 on my opinion of the Pirates' chairman.

Overpay for a top free agent or two: Desperate times, desperate measures. A lot of people point to the Tigers' turnaround as a result of their young pitching. Verlander, Bonderman, Zumaya, and Rodney were a big part of the rebirth in Motown. However, the Tigers got key pieces through free agency that set the stage. "Overpaying" Pudge Rodriguez and Magglio Ordonez seemed foolhardy at the time, but GM Dave Dombrowski signed them to long-term deals (with clauses to protect the team against injuries), when no one else was eager. Why? He had to take a chance that each would be healthy enough to play to their All-Star caliber. Further, the signing sent a message that the Tigers were serious about building a winner. Pudge's signing made it easier to convince Maggs. Having those two in the fold, made it easier to ink Kenny Rogers and Todd Jones. Placido Polanco, Carlos Guillen, and Brandon Inge recently agreed to contract extensions as an added consequence. Like it or not, Mr. Nutting, money talks, BS walks.

Trade one of your "untouchable" pitchers: It's laughable that a team with 14 straight losing seasons would deem ANYBODY untouchable. Even if you have to part with Gorzelanny or Snell to make a good deal...do it. Now, I wouldn't part with both of them, but, let's face it, they are among the most marketable players the Pirates have on their roster. Unlike Jack Wilson, they would actually get value back if they traded one of their young guns.

Sadly, I'll bet none of these moves will be made...it's just not in the DNA of this ownership group. Enjoy your revenue-sharing check and half-empty ballpark, fellas...

Things I Never Get Sick Of...

A few things I never get sick of:

Summer vacations
Diet Dr. Pepper
Quotes from Jim Leyland
Shawshank Redemption
Fantasy football
Vermicelli w/ Del Grosso's Sauce
The Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament
Grand Haven, Michigan
Seinfeld
Presidential Campaigns

A few things that I am sick of:

Overexposure/emphasis on youth league sports
Jack Wilson's lack of production
Governor Rendell's budget tactics
People not being accountable for their own actions
Mainstream media bias
Lack of awareness/resources/support for autistic people (http://autismspeaks.org)
Catholic/Christian-bashing
The Ford Family owning the Detroit Lions
Not finding the time to use my golf clubs
Grade schoolers out past 10 p.m.

Double Play Combo: McCain to Biden to Leyland

I didn't plan on it, but Tuesday night turned into more than just sports viewing escapism.

After watching the introductions of the players at the MLB All-Star Game on Fox, I decided to cruise the dial during what I knew would be another 4 1/2 minute pre-game commercial break. Little did I know...

I stopped on C-SPAN...and I hardly EVER stop on C-SPAN. Perhaps it was something about the "Iraq War" Graphic in the upper left-hand corner that caught my eye. Sen. John McCain was speaking and that also attracted my interest. Usually, when flicking by C-SPAN, it's some junior Senator from Idaho talking about something with much less gravity. But a Presidential candidate defending an unpopular war by citing a past Senator's comments about troop withdrawal from Vietnam? I was sucked in for half an hour.

Sen. Boxer and Sen. Biden both respectfully retorted to Sen. McCain's argument against a time-stamped troop withdrawal and, actually, made some good points. Like many Americans, I'm growing weary of the quagmire that has claimed over 3,600 of our men and women. However, I think a withdrawal at this point will give Islamic extremists a victory and likely lead to genocide in Iraq and increased conflict in the Middle East. It's clear the Bush Administration didn't have a good plan going in, but to leave now would be irresponsible and weaken our security. We must make every effort to get their government up-and-running before making significant troop withdrawals.

Anyway...after 30-minutes of a world too real...I decided it was time to take in the Midsummer Classic. Ichiro with the game's first-ever, inside-the-park job, Carl Crawford giving the Rays their highlight of the year (and maybe decade of existence) with a longball, and a late two-run blast by Victor Martinez seemed to put the A.L. in the safe harbor with a 5-2 lead. Especially with J.J. Putz and K-Rod available in the bully, right? Oops.

Jim Leyland was hoping to have a night off from watching a leaky bullpen. Two outs, nobody on, three-run lead...infield hit, two-run homer, three walks to load the bases...oy yoy yoy. When did Todd Jones get added to the AL roster?!!! The Phils' Aaron Rowand, though, hit a routine fly ball to RF Alex Rios and the AL held on for a win and home field advantage in the World Series. Does that count as the Fightins 10,000th loss?

Littlefield's Two Week Notice

While the Pirates played very well in their "biggest" week of the year--going 5-2 against the Brewers and Cubs--the off-the-field news of Kevin McClatchy's eminent departure just put a whole lot more pressure on Dave Littlefield.

The GM, who no doubt knew McClatchy was planning his lifeboat escape at some point, had his timetable for necessary improvement moved up to before the July 31 trading deadline. If the Pirates don't win consistently in the two weeks following the All-Star Break, Littlefield won't be able to justify a deal or deals that would address deficiencies in the rotation, centerfield, or shortstop to make this team a true player in a weak Central Division. Why would Bob Nutting sign off on adding payroll for a team that is eight or more games out of first place at the deadline? In fact, he might push Littlefield to peddle suddenly discontented Salomon Torres to save some future salary. I really don't see many other players currently on the roster that are tradeable (Jack Wilson and Tony Armas' salaries are too large for their lack of productivity) or that the Pirates should trade (trading Jason Bay, Xavier Nady, or solid set-up man Shawn Chacon would be foolhardy).

If the Pirates are seven games or less out by July 28, Littlefield has to go for it and Nutting would likely give him the go-ahead to be a buyer on the market. Kenny Lofton and Jose Contreras would be legitimate options that could improve the team over the final two months. They also wouldn't cost the Pirates a ton in salary or players going the other way.

The schedule after the break features road series against the top three teams in the NL East (Braves, Mets, Phillies) with a homestand against the beatable Rockies and Astros sandwiched in between trips. Littlefield must hope for at least nine wins in that 15-game stretch to be a buyer. If the Pirates don't get that done and the team languishes in mediocrity for the remainder of the season, the incoming CEO would likely be given the freedom to make a switch in the GM's chair. Oh, and that extension Littlefield was given through 2008 is apparently an option year. The Pirates can buy him out for a fraction of his salary if they want to find his successor before next season.

Front & Center: Sports, Autism, Religion, Politics

I took a brief run at this blogging thing last fall and winter (see the posts below) but I wasn't happy with the look, feel, and content...especially the content. I want this to be about more than sports. Yes, I'll blog about the games people play, but there are three other areas that I want to reference with regularity. As you see in the title of this post they are: Autism, Religion, and Politics. They are all naturals to me...so why not? I know I'll run the risk of actually offering views on the two things "people shouldn't talk about", but the opinions will be true to what I believe while not denigrating the views of others. I hope you enjoy, come back often, and offer comments when you feel compelled...