Chicago Cubs vs. Pittsburgh, 7 September 2007

by Charlie Wilmoth on Sep 7, 2007 6:58 PM EDT in News

7:05 PM, FSNP, WPGB

Rich Hill (8-7, 3.84) vs. Tom Gorzelanny (13-7, 3.57). Here's the box.

You know how rooting for the Pirates can produce a conditional sort of fandom? You know, liking this player but hating that one and wanting the bad player to flame out so badly that even the braindead front office can figure out that he needs to be replaced, or wanting the team to win but recognizing that 70 wins instead of 65 will only mean more "hope" - a.k.a. misery - for the franchise in the long term, and so on? Well, it is with an enormous amount of happiness that I declare that I am unambiguously pulling for the Pirates in this one. Dave Littlefield is gone, and this game probably has nothing to do with whether or not we get a new GM smart enough to figure out who the crappy players are. And I'd rather have the Brewers win the division than the Cubs, since Milwaukee offers a pretty good blueprint for Pittsburgh to follow. Go Pirates! That may be the first time I've ever written that here.

Anyone want to bet who's still going to be around when the smoke clears? Here are my guesses at the chances of other Pirate honchos being retained past December 31, 2007:

Farm director and interim GM Brian Graham: 75%
Manager Jim Tracy: 40%
Scouting director Ed Creech: 5%

There's a poll on Tracy inside the thread.

Poll

What are the chances of Jim Tracy keeping his job until December 31?

0-20%

17 votes

21-40%

8 votes

41-60%

9 votes

61-80%

1 votes

80-100%

2 votes

37 votes | Poll has closed

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Comments

It will be interesting to watch Tracy

Not just tonight, but down the stretch. He has to feel uncomfortable. Watch and see if he buries the young guys just to try to squeeze out a couple more wins. Or, like, uses Capps 4 straight days, that sort of thing.

Or, conversely, I can see him burying DL by putting the young guys in bad spots, and then saying, "Look. Look at what this guy gave me to work with. Look at the hand I was dealt. These are bad, bad players with no talent. Give me talent and I can win, (perfunctory) I proved that in LA."

Also might be interesting to see how the players react or what they say. See if any of them volunteer support for Tracy or his assistants.

by azibuck on Sep 7, 2007 5:23 PM EDT reply actions

Tracy

Tracy's a dead man walking now. Nutting, the new CEO and GM will all want to disassociate themselves with "the culture of losing." While Tracy may not be primarily responsible for it, he is part of it. Like him or hate him, he's gone.

by David Todd on Sep 7, 2007 5:27 PM EDT reply actions

Tracy

Since he only got hired because he and Littlefired are great buddies, he may as well start packing his things now to save time later.

by matskralc on Sep 7, 2007 5:37 PM EDT reply actions

And you know what

Well, it is with an enormous amount of happiness that I declare that I am unambiguously pulling for the Pirates in this one.

You're right. For the first time in years, I don't have to root for us to both win and lose.

by matskralc on Sep 7, 2007 5:38 PM EDT up reply actions

Always Rooted for the Bucs

First, I always rooted for the Bucs to win. Can't root against my team-ever!

Secondly, having worked in corporate America for years, I know first hand that bad leaders are not fired due to continuing poor performance. Only regime change causes leadership changes.

So now we have step one of what we wanted-old leaders out. Next is selecting new, good leaders. I wish Nutting luck and good wisdom. Hire slow, fire fast.

As for Tracy, he no longer matters. His fate depends upon the new CEO and GM desire to clean house or feel they have to clear up more important matters first. His day of reconning will come soon.

Viva la Bucs!

by zogger on Sep 7, 2007 5:50 PM EDT up reply actions