The Minnesota Twins Make The Type Of Trade The Pirates Should Be Making
The Minnesota Twins are a, "Small Market Team," not unlike our Pittsburgh Pirates. They're probably going to lose Johan Santana and they already did lose Torrii Hunter. They play in an ugly ass dome, with a small payroll, usually in front of small crowds, and they were almost contracted a few years back. And none of that is stopping them from making a legitimate baseball trade in an effort to make their team somewhat - check that, a lot - better.
Young has a checkered past, sure - he once threw a bat at an umpire after getting ejected from a Minor League game - but he also has big time talent. The middle of the Twins lineup will now consist of Young, Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau. That's one guy who probably should have won an MVP award (Mauer), one guy who did win an MVP award (Morneau) and one guy who probably could win an MVP award (Young). All of them are under the age of 27. Mauer and Young are under the age of 24.
Don't look now folks, but baseball's winter meetings are, like, a week away. That means it's time to dream of third basemen and centerfielders and players we can't possibly afford.
Let's get it started:
First, we have this from CBS Sportsline: The Pirates, with new GM Neal Huntington directing yet another rebuilding process, are discussing sending corner outfielder Xavier Nady (.278 batting average, 20 homers, 72 RBI in '07) and center fielder Nate McLouth (.258, 13, 38, 22 steals) to San Diego for third base prospect Chase Headley (.330, 20, 78 for Double-A San Antonio).
I don't know much about Chase Headley - I know nothing - but scouting websites and the like seem to think he can play. Is he enough for both Nady, coming off his best full season in the Majors, and Mclouth, a potential short-term answer in Center? I'd have to assume there's something else involved.
Then, ESPN.com made mention that the Pirates are, "actively trying to trade Matt Morris." My response? The sky is blue, dogs hate cats, Pizza is good. If there's one guy on the Pirates that i'd be happy with a bag of stale ruffles in return, Matt Morris would be the guy. Every year there is a seemingly endless supply of veteran fifth starters floating around the league, and many of them, I'd hope, are cheaper than the ten million dollars Matt Morris is set to make in 2008. Or whatever absurd amount of money he's due.
Matt Morris: Dave Littlefield's parting gift to the Pittsburgh Pirates.
I don't know what Neil Huntington is going to do as the Pirates General Manager, and I don't want to see him rush into stuff and make a move simply for the sake of making a move, but I almost wish he'd do something to give us something to analyze and break down. I mean, all we're left with at this point to judge him is a bunch of fluff quotes in random articles. We're trying to judge the guy and the only things he's done are:
1. Hire a coaching staff - which only be as good as the players he provides. 2. A bunch of house cleaning - non-tenders, 40-man rosters, get rid of Cesar Izturis, etc. etc. etc. 3. Moved the file cabinets from the right wall to the left wall. 4. Took down one of those corporate office pictures with the motivational tone, probably one that said, "TEAMWORK" and pictured a bunch of guys in suits jumping in the air, in unison, with their fists pumped in the air, and replaced it with a picture of dogs playing poker.
Being a blind optimist and Pittsburgh Steelers homer, i'm willing to look past the final score of last nights "game" and accept it for what it is: A win. A win to push the Steelers to 8-3 and maintain their two game (tiebreaker) edge in the AFC North. That's good enough for me.
Was it pretty? No. Was it good football? Not at all. Was it entertaining? Parts of it were funny, I guess. There were no lines on the field, which made it look like the two teams were playing on a soccer field, while the scoring matched. Punts were sticking in the ground like lawn darts, uniforms were muddy, footing was non-existent, and if Hines Ward doesn't haul in that late fourth quarter pass to help set-up Skippy Reed's eventual game winning field goal, I don't think anybody scores in that game. That said, I was rooting for a bad snap on that last Dolphins punt so the Steelers could win 2-0. It would have been a fitting score for the game.
That said, some actual football things to mull and chew on:
- Ben Roethlisberger, despite the weather and playing surface, set a Steeler single game record for completion percentage (18-of-21...that's 86%, kids).
- This Najeh Davenport as the short-yardage back experiment isn't working. He has a role on this team, but it's not as a bruising, power back in the mold of Jerome Bettis. He just isn't that type of player, despite his size.
- The offensive line is still bad.
- If you watched James Harrison's sack of John Beck on fourth-and-11, you'll see the left tackle (or tight end, whoever it was) had quite the bear hug on Harrison, who still managed to toss him aside and put his shoulder squarely into the rookie's back. I admit, I wasn't quite sure how Harrison would play as a starter, but he's been nothing short of awesome to this point. And an animal.
Sticking with the score for a minute, the 3-0 final was the lowest combined point total in the history of Monday Night Football (the previous low was last season's Steelers-Jaguars game, 9-0), but beyond that, it was lower than the combined score of every Pirates-Marlins last season. Nothing like being outscored by two of the worst teams in Major League Baseball.
As it turns out today, however, a lot of people are more concerned with the condition of the field (we get it, it stinks) and the fact the NFL decided to skip the National Anthem than they are the outcome of the game. Apparently, Vince Neil was supposed to sing the National Anthem last night, and when the game was delayed due to lightning, the NFL (or the Steelers, i'm not 100% sure whose call that was) decided to just start the game. A lot of people were pissed off by this. I don't see what the big deal is, less Vince Neil is a good thing.
Last weeks loss to the New York Jets seems to have damaged the psyche of the Steelers Nation. The scuttlebutt around the turkey day dinner table seemed to be one of panic, worry, and "we might blow this." The Cowboys thrashing of the Jets didn't do much to soothe those jangled nerves. ESPN's Emmitt Smith called the Steelers overrated and said they, "didn't deserve to be in first place." He offered no suggestion as to who is more deserving, however - the Browns, who can't stop anyone from scoring? The Ravens, who can't score on anyone? Or perhaps the Bengals, who can't score on anyone or stop anyone from scoring?
My question is this: Who cares where the Steelers (or any team for that matter) stands in week 11? Isn't the goal to be considered elite in early February, not late November?
Right now the Pittsburgh Steelers are 7-3. In 2005, in week 11, after ten games, the Pittsburgh Steelers were...wait for it...7-3 and coming off a 16-13 overtime loss in Baltimore against the Ravens (a game that wasn't all that different from Sunday's debacle in the Meadowlands).
In 1995, in week 11, after ten games, the Pittsburgh Steelers were 6-4 and coming off a 20-7 victory over the Cleveland Browns.
You might recall those teams as being the last two Steelers teams to win, or play in, the Super Bowl. Now, what does that matter to this years team? The answer, of course, is not a damn thing. It's just one of those bullet points that makes homers like me feel good. The point, however, is that neither of those teams were running away with anything after the first ten games of the season. They weren't favorites to win the Super Bowl, and they weren't favorites to win the AFC (In 2005, if you'll recall, the Colts were 10-0 and still three weeks away from their first loss - they were the unstoppable force that was going to dominate everything in their path, especially with home field advantage). And none of that stopped the Steelers from having an opportunity to play for footballs ultimate prize.
That said, I don't expect the Steelers to win the Super Bowl this season, nor do I expect them to play in it. I'm not, however, ready to forfeit the remainder of the season because they played a craptacular game in week 11 against a bad team.
I'll be honest, nobody was more infuriated during yesterday's debacle than yours truly. Let's face it, that was ugly at its finest. But, I think it's a little too early to be reaching for the PANIC(!) button, don't you? It's important to keep in mind that the Pittsburgh Steelers are still 7-3 and they're still in first place with a two game lead (yes, i'm aware it's technically a one game lead, but with the tie-breaker they own over Cleveland, it's essentially a two game advantage) in the division. You could be in worse situations.
As with many losses, the result after yesterday seems to be a mass exodus from the bandwagon and an outcry of, "WE'RE FLAWED, WE DON'T STAND A CHANCE AGAINST NEW ENGLAND!" '
PANIC! PANIC! PANIC!
Yes, we are a flawed team. But is that a surprise to anyone? I thought it was a generally accepted fact that the Steelers were severely lacking on the offensive line heading into this season. After all, the left side of the line is a year older, Jeff Hartings is soaking up retirement, and the right side of the line was never any good to begin with. That was a problem. It's tempting after a loss - a loss to a one-win team - to start thinking about who you can fire, who you can draft to replace who sucks, and why they just aren't very good, but...they're 7-3. You'd think, after yesteday and the resulting reaction, that they were 3-7.
Here is a story that is starting to make its way around the web - The Washington Wild Things offered Barry Bonds a contract (nice photoshop on the picture, fellas). After reading that, I asked myself the question: How many home runs would he hit in the Frontier League where the best players are guys who weren't good enough to play in the New York-Penn League? After my initial answer of, "About 140 in the first game," I figured the answer to be not as many as you'd think. He'd never get a pitch to hit. Ever.
I think he ends up in Oakland. Or Anaheim. Or New York. Or Washington County?
Speaking of baseball free agents, the Yankees got an early start on the mayhem by (reportedly) locking up 36-year old catcher Jorge Posada to a four-year $52 million dollar contract. Not enough to excite you? Consider the offer to 38-year old closer Mariano Rivera. Yeah. That's a lot of money, and it must be nice to sign checks with a stamp. Alex Rodriguez might make a bazilliongillion dollars before it's all said and done. Speaking of which, I have a case of beer (Sam Adams Winter Lager, to be exact) riding on where he ends up. I say he's going to Boston for a number that was once thought to be made up. A lot of money is going to spent this off-season, most of it, poorly.
On the local front, Jason Bay's name has come up in internet trade rumors and to that I give two thumbs down. Setting aside the fact he was the most disappointing player on another disappointing Pirates team this past season, now is not the time to be trying to move him. First of all, I'd like to believe that last season was a fluke and he can regain his 2004-2006 form. Second, trading him now would be trading him at his rock bottom, bargain basement, everything must go absolute lowest value. If you're going to trade him at some point - and let's face it, that's going to happen - let's see if some of his value can be boosted back up. It's not like his contract is going to hamper the Pirates budget. Not when you're paying Matt Morris $10 million dollars (Thanks, Dave, really, you shouldn't have). The only way I support this is if Kosuke Fukudome is the replacement.
Sticking with Pirates trade rumors (you know, the winter meetings are just around the corner) here is a rumor out of New York that says the Yankees and Bucs are talking Damaso Marte and Freddy Sanchez. It doesn't say what the Pirates would hypothetically receive, but I imagine the name Cabrera would be involved. Actually, he's the only player that makes sense from either side. The Yankees aren't going to trade Hughes, Chamberlain, or Tabata for those guys (although, if Dave were still here you know he'd ask for all three...and more) and they don't have anyone else that the Pirates would want or be able to afford. Of course, the entire thing could be completely made up and totally irrelevant.
Switching gears a tad, the Penguins called up Kris Letang today from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. I'm not sure how this solves the Penguins overwhelming need for defense, but, here we are. Letang, by the way, was benched earlier in the year by the Baby Penguins coaching staff due to poor play. Even when he's at his best, he's overkill on a team that already pays defensemen Sergei Gonchar and Ryan Whitney a lot of money to not play defense. Alain Nasradeinne was waived to make room for Letang. If that's supposed to mean something, I don't know what it is
In other local sports news, there are reports that Steeler safety Ryan Clark is now out for the season, which means Anthony Smith becomes your starting Free Safety for the long haul. Smith has oodles of talent and a temper to match. Just don't step on anymore people.
Hopefully he's able to harness that aggression and release in the proper situations at just the proper moment. Sort of like this......
Check out the ground he covers when looking at the replay from the end zone shot. Impressive. And painful.
Finally, I challenge you (you being, the four people who read this) to find a better video game than Mega Man 2. The entire series was great, but 2 took video game greatness to an entirely new level.
Right now, the opening round is taking place and it features Jeff Reed Vs. Tampa Bay Devil Rays outfielder/criminal/felon Elijiah Dukes, and sadly, Dukes has a commanding lead that not even Jeff Reed can overcome.
And in case you were wondering, last years Sports Human Of The Year was won by a horse.
The Penguins just dropped another divisional game, this time 3-2 to the New Jersey Devils. High expectations and goals are good. Unrealistic expectations are bad.
Tonight on Monday Night Countdown, Bill Parcells was talking about how fungible and disposable the running back position is and how stupid it is to throw 60-70 million dollars at it. He went down a list of teams who have had success with multiple scrapheap running backs, Denver and New England being the most notable. I'd like to add Pittsburgh to that list. As i've said here before, none of the running backs on the Steelers 53-man roster were a draft pick of the team.
Willie Parker - Undrafted Carey Davis - Undrafted Dan Krieder - Undrafted Najeh Davenport - Signed as a free agent, fourth round draft pick by Green Bay Gary Russell - Undrafted
The last day one running back the Steelers selected was Amos Zereoue in the third round of the 2000 draft. And that Jerome Bettis guy? A draft day trade after the Rams had him written off as a tub of goo that would never make it in the NFL. Yeah, they sort of missed on that one.
This conversation on countdown came about after the crew basically called Seahawks running back Shaun Alexander a bloated bag of cream cheese, who took it easy after signing his big contract and was, "like charmin when you tackle him." Not big Shaun Alexander fans I gather. Seems kind of unfair since the average career of an NFL running back is four years and Alexander is closing in on 30 years of age...the running back finish line. I think he just got old, not quite lazy and fat.
- San Francisco just looks lost right now. Alex Smith is running for his life, and when he throws the ball it's nowhere near his targets. The niners were just flagged for false starts on back-to-back plays. The Seattle crowd is going bonkers.
- Seattle is just picking apart the San Francisco free agent secondary. Nate Clements just went for an interception and whiffed. First down Seahawks.
I think the final score of Sunday's Steelers game is taking away from what really happened on the field. That of course being, the Browns offense went nearly three full quarters without a first down.
Second quarter: one first down Third quarter: zero first downs Fourth quarter: zero first downs until the final drive with two minutes remaining in the game.
Joshua Cribbs kept them in the game and almost won it by himself.
- It's hard to believe the 49ers were 2-0 when they played the Steelers. They haven't won since.
I'm still having a hard time comprehending what happened last night in San Diego. The Chargers went from running the Colts out of the stadium to almost getting Norved in the end. Thankfully for the Chargers, Mr. Clutch thought he was Mike Vanderjagt and shanked a glorified extra point with the game on the line.
- San Francisco is trying to stay in this game, it's only 10-0 and Seattle is punting...and how about that, the Seahawks down it at the one-inch line and now the Ninera have to go the length of the field.
The Penguins just lost - again - and in the process were absolutely embarrassed by the Philadelphia Flyers. Unfortunately, it's starting to look like this was a poorly constructed team by the once invincible Ray Shero. Perhaps now it's time to stop drinking that kook-aid?
The Flyers tonight built a brick wall around goaltender Martin Biron, refusing to allow the Penguins to get anything that resembled traffic in front of him. The Penguins, however, opted to go with the screen door on a submarine approach and once again left Marc-Andre Fleury out to dry.
Head Coach Michel Therrien has done an awful job handling Fleury, but that was taking place long before he got here. As far as i'm concerned, there's only so much Therrien can do with what he's been given. And what he's been given is a team that has a bunch of really good centers, two gifted offensive-defensemen that can't play defense, and....well....that's pretty much it. Who is the best defensive defensemen on this team? Mark Eaton? Where would he rank in Ottawa? And the wingers? Two of your top-four are over 40 and providing nothing. Petr Sykora has been solid, but you need more than one capable winger if you want to get beyond the first round of the playoffs, or, hell, even make it to the playoffs.
Forget About Being On The Same Level As The Big Two
Monday night's systematic dismantling of the Baltimore Ravens has sparked some debate as to whether or not the Pittsburgh Steelers are on the same level as the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts - you know, the only two teams in the NFL. Some people say, yes, yes it does. Others, like ESPN's resident dimwit Skip Bayless, would say "no" regardless of what happens the rest of the way (for the record, Skip said the win Monday didn't matter because it was played in the rain, and the only reason the Steelers won was because Ben Roethlisberger has big hands. I don't even know what that means, nor do I care to know what it means.).
I say, who the hell cares? Look, unless something unexpected happens, the Patriots and Colts are going to be the one and two seeds in the AFC playoff picture. And good for them for accomplishing that (assuming they do in fact accomplish that). But what does it mean? Well, nothing.
The last three years the most dominant team in the NFL regular season not only failed to win the Super Bowl, it failed to even reach the Super Bowl.
- In 2004, the Steelers finished the regular season 15-1 and needed two missed field goals by Doug Brien in the final two minutes of the game, plus overtime, to survive their opening round game with the New York Jets. The following week, the Steelers were bounced by the Patriots.
- In 2005, the Colts finished 14-2 after starting the season 13-0. No way this team was going to lose, not with home field advantage, not with that talent, not with everybody having to travel to the dome. They were bounced in their first playoff game to the Steeler (YAY!) who were in the process of three straight road wins. I remember watching the Broncos-Patriots game the night before and hearing Phil Simms preview the game. Simms said something about how the Steelers would need a miracle and an "out of body experience" to even have a shot at winning. Good call, Phil.
- In 2006, the San Diego Chargers were the sexy pick, 14-2 in the regular season, the best running back, the best tight end, the best linebacker, the best team...and a first round exit. Similar story for the number two seed, the Baltimore Ravens, who were also bounced in their opening playoff game against the eventual champion, Indianapolis Colts.
The last three years the Super Bowl Champion has had to win at least one game on the road while the dominant regular season team has either struggled in the first game, or lost out right. Let's not concern ourselves with being on anybody elses "level" right now, and only concern ourselves with getting to the playoffs by any means necessary. That starts Sunday with Cleveland.
Here is mlbtraderumors top-50 free agent rankings and where they could maybe potentially possibly sign. Not surprisingly, they don't think the Pirates will be players for any of them. And it's worth pointing out...
12. Kosuke Fukudome - Giants.
Come on Pirates, get in the game and make it happen!
Still, that seems like a rather weak free agent class once you get beyond Alex Rodriguez. That's a bunch of guys just waiting to get overpaid. If Dave Littlefield were still here he'd be licking his chops ready to dive in wallet first. Pedro Feliz? COME ON DOWN!
What a difference a year makes, eh? Sure, it rained from the time we left the parking garage until the end of the first half. And, yeah, the wind started to pick up and the temperature dropped like Steve McNair's passer rating, making the weather conditions about as awful as you could imagine at a sporting event, but none of it mattered. Simply put, that was awesome.
As the guys on the 'DVE morning show said today, this is one of those games that in five years 100,000 people will all share stories about how they were there and how James Harrison recorded 18 sacks, intercepted four passes and defeated a grizzly bear at midfield with his bare hands.
There were four Ravens fans sitting in front of us, one of them was wearing a Kyle Boller jersey while one of his buddies sported a Trent Dilfer jersey, I gather they don't sell Ed Reed jersey's in B-town? That's the only logical explanation, I mean, who wears a Trent Dilfer jersey unless you're actually Trent Dilfer? Beyond that, they were pretty cool guys until they left at halftime, which was actually one half longer than their team stayed.
Speaking of them, when the Ravens took the field just prior to kickoff, the song, "It's Raining Men" was blasted over the PA system. That's just awesome.
As for the game itself, the Ravens came in with two guys named Harry playing corner, and for some reason, Rex Ryan decided it would be a good idea to leave them in man-coverage with Santonio Holmes and Hines Ward while Ed Reed played centerfield and the other eight guys hung around the line of scrimmage. Needless to say, the Steelers exploited that. All night the Steelers receivers were running free and easy behind the Baltimore secondary, and once seven was able to shake off pass rushers, it was pitch-and-catch for six.
And when that wasn't happening? James Harrison was happening. Honestly, I haven't seen a Steelers linebacker dominate a game like that since Joey Porter's game against Oakland back in 2002, and that wasn't as fun because the Steelers lost that game.
Another big divisional game on Sunday when the Cleveland Browns (Yeah, really) come into town. Should be fun. I hope.
Some random tidbits:
- Monday night was the second time in Ben Roethlisberger's career that he's posted a perfect passer rating. The third time he's been over 158, and the fourth time he's been over 150.
- Over the past four games, Roethlisberger is completing 75-percent of his passes.
- Joey Porter's name received a 60/40 (that's a guess on my part) boo/cheer split when it was announced at halftime during the 75th anniversary celebration. I can't say that I approve of his "gang up on an unsuspecting Bengal in a casino and beat him up," policy, but I do approve of his Kellen Winslow policy.
- In your weekly Steely McBeam update, I am happy to report that I once again spotted him outside of Heinz Field on Monday night, but did not see him inside the stadium at any point. I'm starting to think he was banned from the inside of the stadium, and for that, we are all better.
Yesterday, as I was talking about John Russell being named (we think) the new manager of the Pirates, I made mention of him being an in-house guy, and that's technically not true. While he was once a coach for the Pirates, he spent last season managing the Phillies Triple-A team.
I was wrong in a big, big way, and for that I deserve to be ridiculed and laughed at.
Various Sources: John Russell The New Pirates Manager
Everyone from Ken Rosenthal, to John Perrotto to The Tribune-Review is reporting that the Pittsburgh Pirates are set to announce John Russell as their new manager on Monday.
I have to be honest, that doesn't really excite me as he's an in-house guy and the best thing for the Pirates, in my opinion, is to rid themselves of everything that resembled the previous front office. Russell does not do that. Of course, it really doesn't matter who the manager is because the Pirates will only be as good as Neil Huntington makes them.
So, there you go...John Russell. Unless of course this becomes another Russ Grimm fiasco where we wake up on Monday to see Joel Skinner getting introduced. Wouldn't that be something? No? Okay.
Charlie Weis Is The Greatest In-Game Coach......EVER!
Forget for a second that Notre Dame is now 1-8, and forget, if you can, that they just lost to Navy for the first time in 44 years, and try to focus on what just took place in the mind of Charlie Weis. Two situations from today's game:
1. Notre Dame has the ball on its own 30-yard line, down by seven, with seven minutes to play, and facing a fourth-and-14. Weis, elects to go for it. Now, to be fair, this worked as quarterback Evan Sharpley avoided a blitzing Midshipmen defensive back and somehow completed a 15-yard pass for a first down to extend a drive that ultimately led to the game tying score. But, i'm not going to let the success of that drive blind my judgment in what is the most desperate coaching call ever.
Now, fast forward to the fourth quarter...
2. Notre Dame is sitting at the Navy 23-yard line facing a fourth-and-8 with 45 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. The game is tied at 28. Charlie's call? GO FOR IT! Result? Sack. Now, i'm not saying a 40-yard field goal for a college kid is an automatic kick...but going for it? Just crazy.
Final score: Navy 46 Notre Dame 44
- Pitt narrowly avoided an embarrassing defeat as the Panthers held on to defeat the Syracuse Orangemen (I refuse to call them the Orange) 20-17. With Rutgers, South Florida and West Virginia remaining on the schedule I can't see this team winning another game. That, of course, will keep Dave Wannstedt out of a bowl game for a third consecutive season.
There are two positives for the Pitt football program right now.
1. LeSean McCoy is the real deal. Today, he became only the third freshman running back in Pitt history to rush for 1,000 yards (Tony Dorsett was one of the others, he was the real deal too).
2. Pitt Basketball season is just around the corner.
