Pirates Greatest Need - Leadoff Hitter

The last great base stealer in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization was Lloyd McClendon. Unfortunately, he was the manager and is well known for literally stealing a base after arguing a call with an umpire.

The organization is quietly building a nice team, but the lack of a true leadoff hitter may prevent the team from taking the next step. Starling Marte is an up and coming star in left field, but he doesn't project to be a true leadoff hitter. He is a pure hitter with speed and is capable of driving in runs. Andrew McCutchen and Travis Snider are better suited for similar roles as Marte.

The infield features power hitting Pedro Alvarez, non-hitting Clint Barmes, Neil Walker, and Garrett Jones - None of which are leadoff hitters. Russell Martin should be an upgrade at catcher, but he certainly has no leadoff hitting capabilities.

Out of necessity, Starling Marte may be the Pirates leadoff hitter in 2013. This is not ideal, but the Pirates have no choice.

The club still has time to make a move over the off-season and they should seriously consider it. If you glance at the 2012 playoff teams, one commonality is a quality leadoff hitter. A great leadoff hitter can help generate an extra run or two in a game. An extra run or two every so often is the difference between a chronic below-.500 team and a team contending for the playoffs.

Trade Big Ben While You Still Can

The Pittsburgh Steelers appear to be a team that could be mediocre for several years. The current roster has a plethora of holes and very few splash players. The team has very little starter-capable depth and the only cure will be several years of strong drafting - the sole reason they are in this situation to begin with. The organization will feature question marks in the 2013 season at RB, WR, OL, DL, LB, CB, and S. Can you remember the last time the Steelers had so many question marks on their roster?

You could argue that the only player helping the team sustain mediocrity is Ben Roethlisberger. Without Ben, this Steelers squad could realistically be a 4-12 or 5-11 team. And for that reason, the Steelers should unload him now and begin restocking the system. Ben will be 31 at the start of the 2013 season and his trade value will only decline from this point forward. However, at 31, the team could receive great value for him and the draft picks acquired with Ben's departure would help the organization re-tool for the future.

A move of this magnitude is isn't likely to happen. It would be highly ridiculed by the fan base and the organization would be admitting that their problems are more than a quick fix. However, such a bold move could help the organization return to relevance sooner than doing nothing at all. The Steelers are butting against the salary cap and have very little to show for it. It's been a fun ride, but it's time to gut the system and start over.

Best James Harrison Moment Ever

With the realization that James Harrison may have played his last game for the Pittsburgh Steelers, I was thinking about some of his greatest moments as a Steeler. You could talk about one of his countless sacks, his game changing interception in the Super Bowl, or simply the ability he had to physically punish offensive linemen, tight ends, and running backs.

But, at the end of the day, I will never forget the day that James Harrison body slammed a Browns fan that was running across the field.

Thank you James for the great memories...Just in case you are playing for somebody else next year.

2013 Pirates - Year of the What If's

The 2013 Pittsburgh Pirates could be successful this year...or not. That's my prediction and I'm sticking to it.

Kidding aside, the Pirates have a realistic shot at making the playoff's if more of their "What if's" are successful than not. Regardless, the team will be beginning the season with the most polished starting pitching staff they've had in a very long time.

Let's take a look at some of the "What if's" in the starting rotation.

What if AJ Burnett can repeat last year's success?

What if Wandy Rodriguez can pitch like the Wandy we grew to hate over the course of his career in Houston?

What if Francisco Liriano can stay healthy and the switch to the NL has the AJ Burnett effect for him?

What if James McDonald returns to form and regains confidence???

You get the idea. The starting rotation could has the potential to be above average this year. There is less certainty, however, for the position players. The position players, for the most part, are young players with a wealth of upside.

Pedro Alvarez - What if Pedro can reduce his number of strikeouts, become less streaky, and improve his batting average a little bit? He would quickly become on of the best 3rd basemen in the NL.

Clint Barmes - What if Clint woke up and was 27 and in his prime again? Nevermind...Forget I brought up Barmes.

Neil Walker - What if Neil returns at full strength from his nagging back injury and picks up where he left off? Neil is already a top 10 MLB 2B and is said to be in terrific shape.

Garrett Jones - What if Garrett Jones can repeat the career year he had last season?

Starling Marte - What if Marte plays to his potential and becomes one of the most exciting and dynamic young players in baseball?

Andrew McCutchen - What if Cutch can build on last year's success and post even better numbers?

Travis Snider - What if Snider can play to his first round draft pick potentiail and be a staple in right field?

Russell Martin - Russell Martin began his career in the NL and played 5 seasons for the Dodgers. Martin's 5 year batting average in the NL was .272. In 2 seasons in the AL with the Yankees, Martin's batting average dipped to .224. What if the switch back to the NL makes Martin more productive at the plate?

When you look through the list of Pirates starters, there are certainly more questions than answers. However, the club is just a few answers away from shocking the baseball community with a broken 20 year losing streak...and maybe even a shot at the playoffs.

PED's Make Pro Sports More Exciting

Performing enhancing drugs (PED's) have been a large part of our current era of professional sports. We've witnessed the careers of many of our heroes be ruined because of their association with PED's. The guys that seemed to be super-human may have had some help. Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Sammy Sosa, Mark McGuire, Jose Canseco, Lance Armstrong, etc. etc. etc. The list could go on forever, but the point I'm making is that this is the reality of professional sports.

I'm sure many players have played by the rules. However, playing by the rules doesn't always create great entertainment for the fans. I remember watching Mark McGuire hit his 70-something home run against the Pirates. I was there. The ball landed a few rows away from me. At the time, he was in a home run slug fest with Sammy Sosa and it was one of the most exhilarating things I've ever witnessed as a baseball fan.

Barry Bonds was amidst a hall of fame career during this time and his great play was overshadowed by the PED-using sluggers. Bonds decided to join the party. Bonds was so exciting to watch post-PED that I would stop to watch his at bats if a game were on TV. I couldn't get enough of it.

Imagine if the NFL truly begins to cut down on PED's. I'm sure they have to an extent, but most human bodies aren't capable of reaching the plateau achieved by many of these players. When the speed, size, and strength are diminished - the game becomes less exciting.


I'm sure my point of view isn't popular, but I would argue that PED's improved professional sports. The days of watching 500+ ft home runs is over and has been replaced with 1-0 pitchers duels.

Call it cheating...call it what you want. Just know that you will likely never see a one-testicled man win 7 Tour de France's again in your lifetime.

Back at it

So, I've stopped and started this blog more often than a NASCAR race...not that I would know because I really don't watch NASCAR.

I began contributing to the short-lived Pittsburgh-Pierogi.com with Pittsburgh sports satire articles and the itch to begin blogging again returned. So here we go...

I pulled up the blog just to read some old posts. In of the posts, I made predictions on the Pirates and Steelers. Unfortunately, it seems that fortune telling might not be in my future. For example, I predicted that 2012 would be the year the Pirates would break the losing streak. I was close, but no cigar. I claimed that Josh Bell was the steal of the draft. Could be, but his injury shortened season prevented us from knowing. Then, in other posts, I basically re-reported sports information. That's pretty boring, so I wont be doing that anymore.

Maybe my most accomplished post contained exclusive pictures of Jeff Reed partying on the night he was arrested for beating the snot out of a Sheetz paper towel dispenser. That post made me relevant - based on the 5 or 6 comments it received. Well, maybe not relevant, but at least somebody read the post. From this point on, I would prefer to make bold predictions, outlandish statements, and opinions. Who knows, at some point I have to predict something that comes to fruition...even if by luck and I will look like a pretty smart dude when I say "Told you so"...