I Can't Do It

I think my math and history is correct here to say that Neil Walker and Moskos would have been in the same recruiting class at Clemson in '04.  Neil was drafted that year, and Moskos was a junior this year, which means his freshman year ended in '05, so part of the '04 class.  

Not sure it has any relevance.  But it occurred to me.

here is our fearless leader mcclatchy:

"Sure you're conscious of [media criticism] and aware of [fan displeasure], but...if this player turns out to be successful for the Pittsburgh Pirates, I think people will look back and say, 'This was a good draft.'"

i really don't think it's that simple, kev.

I am old Pirates fan.

I listened to the 1960 World Series on radio. Bill Virdon, Don Hoak, Bob Friend, Elroy Face, Harvey Haddix, Dick Groat, Dick Schoefield, Maz, and others took the blows from the hated Yankees and keep coming back. Lose by 10 runs, win by 1 run. Battle every day. Don't give up until the last out.

I watched the '71 and '79 teams battle to World Championships against the O's and Earl Weaver. The Great One, Pops, Steve Blass, Kent Tekulve, Dave Parker, Phil Garner, and others show leadership, pride, and poise under pressure.

I watched the '92 Bucs lose on Cabera's line drive inches over Jay Bell's glove and Bond's terrible throw to the plate. How can you not throw out Sid Bream?

I never really followed the draft much. I do recall the Pirate's signing Bob Bailey to be the next Hall of Fame 3rd baseman way back when. Other than that, I figured it was just luck who was drafted and who made it to the show.

However, today it is different. The Pirate's need  better everyday players. That is why I agree that this draft was terrible. How could (other than to save $) can the Pirates pass up any potential hitter to draft another pitcher? Are you kidding me? We have enough Dukes, Maholms, etc. We don't have another Dave Parker, Willie Stargell, Barry Bonds in the minors. Other than Bond's in the 80's, what hitter has come from our farm system in any recent times? Van Sylke, Giles and Bay were via trades.

I agree that this ownership does not appear to care about winning as much as it cares about $. That being said, I am a Pirates fan and pledge not to switch until the Pirates leave Pittsburgh.

My grandfather (a Pirates fan for his 60+ years) suffered thru the poor teams in the 50's and 60's, so I will suffer thru these teams until we win again.

Maybe I too am trying to keep or get back my wonder of the game I had as a kid. But that is why we love baseball!

I quit on a Pittsburgh team once before. True story. I was a Penguins fan from day 1, went to dozens of games while I was in college, put up with a lot of crappy hockey, and then they got even worse and bottomed out in the mid-'80s, while I lived out of state (it's how they ended up with Mario).

Anyway, a guy I worked with and I would talk Penguins, and I often noted that they seemed to have on-ice talent or at least were accumulating it and didn't seem to mind spending the money on it but that they always always ALWAYS went cheap on a coach.

And I would say, "They need to just hire, like, Scotty Bowman and give him a blank check and five years and say, 'Win the Cup.'"

So the Pens are in their biannual coach search and I'm on the copy desk at my newspaper the day a story moves that lists the candidates for the job, and there among the obscurities and minor-leaguers and nobodies is the name ... Scotty Bowman.

And for about five seconds I was elated. "Scotty Bowman wants the Penguins job? I can't believe it!"

And then I realized: They're not going to hire Scotty Bowman. They're going to hire one of these chumps and skate on the cheap again, like they always do. And that's what they did (I think it was Pierre Creamer, or maybe Eddie Johnston, I don't know and don't care).

And that's the day I quit being a Penguins fan. And yeah, I was OK that they won their two Cups six or seven years later, but I couldn't help thinking how many years of Mario they wasted (and later Jagr too) before they got wise and hired ... who? ... Scotty freakin' Bowman, who got them ... what? ... a Stanley Cup.

So I couldn't really enjoy the Cups, I was still too pissed. And to this day I'm a lukewarm or cooler Penguins ... I can't call it "fan." Observer, I guess.

I'm just spewing all this as a warning to the Pirates: I dumped the Pens after almost 20 years. You can be dead to me after 40. I'm watching you cheapjack lying bastards verrrrrrrry closely the rest of the year. This marriage is on shaky ground.