Roberto calling

by Clementefan on Nov 14, 2009 2:00 AM EST

In my youth, I remember the Pirates first three batters as "Cash, Clines, and Clemente". And I remember the hope of victory which was sustained through that era, the Willie Stargell era, and the brief time of the Drabek, VanSlyke, and Bonds era. Folks, it has been 17 miserable years. Every spring, for us Pirates fans, hope springs eternal because we are tied with every other team--0 wins and 0 losses. And then our owners trot out this lowly paid, minor league talent with a few legitimate major leaguers...we are the consecutive-year losingest major sports team in the history of sports ever. This league needs a salary minimum, not a salary max. The current owners don't care at all about fielding a winner...they care about convincing those of us with eternal hope that we should go to one of the greatest ballparks in baseball and watch the lowest paid team lose because the owners "have a plan". Well the plan is pitiful...they don't care...we have no established talent...and mark my words, they will sell the team when they have squeezed every dollar out of our hopes. We are blessed to have the Rooney's and Mario who care about fielding winners. We need to somehow boycott this disgrace and find someone in Pittsburgh baseball who cares about fielding a winner. I don't know if this post will see the light of day...

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of the managing editor (Charlie) or SB Nation. FanPosts are written by Bucs Dugout readers.

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Welcome.....

Welcome to sbnation; please refrain from mixing pain killers and alcohol from this point on….

"I choose to gamble with my life

Twice the risk, four times the prize

Nothing knocks me over"

by lighthouse913 on Nov 14, 2009 2:57 AM EST via mobile reply actions

+1

…And do not operate heavy equipment, farm machinery, and your keyboard in that condition.

by tjc on Nov 14, 2009 5:55 AM EST reply actions

But What About Those Bad 60's Teams?

We all share your frustration.

Anyway, I always liked the minimum salary idea but not sure what to do if a team does not spend it. Fine them? Then what? Also the issue is not money, it is talent. While $s can buy availible talent, spending $s does not insure getting talent.

Maybe we should have a free agent draft? Each free agent get picked by 3 teams and can sign with anyone of them. With (ofcourse) drafting by the teams in reverse order of the records. This would give the poor teams a shot at the best FAs. Then they would have no real excuse to actually sign them However the Players would never agree to this.

by zogger on Nov 14, 2009 9:24 AM EST reply actions

the players union

would NEVER allow this. They spent too long trying to allow a free agent to actually be FREE to sign with any team. Screams of collusion would ring out. I am one of the few Pirates fans that feels the current system works pretty well(my only real gripe is the Type A & B free agents rule). It’s only fair for a player to have the right to sign with whoever they want, for however much they’re offered, just like we have that same right to find ourselves a job in our career at our choosing.

by Danatural08 on Nov 14, 2009 11:56 AM EST up reply actions

I Agree

I agree that it is only fair that the players get a chance to choose their own destiny. But rarely will a loser like the Bucs have been attract quality FAs because the team offers only $s but no hope for WS ring. It is only when the team starts to get good that a FA wants to play for them.

by zogger on Nov 14, 2009 1:52 PM EST up reply actions

Everyone

always glosses over the awful ‘80s teams too. It’s not just 17 straight losing years, it’s something like 24 out of 27.

Not much longer .. not much longer …

by bucdaddy on Nov 14, 2009 10:54 AM EST reply actions

Actually....

It’s 22 of 26. Since 1984 the only winning Pirates seasons were in 88, 90, 91, 92.

by IAPiratesFan on Nov 14, 2009 7:57 PM EST up reply actions

Great timing

I got hooked on the Pirates as a nine-year-old in the summer of ’83…little did I know what was ahead. ;-)

by Traco Bucco on Nov 15, 2009 10:58 AM EST up reply actions

Yeah.

I became a fan as an 8 year old in 1988. By 1992, I thought being a Pirates fan was pretty cool. Four winning seasons in five years and three playoff appearances.

by IAPiratesFan on Nov 15, 2009 11:52 AM EST up reply actions

Note the "something like"

22/26 slightly less depressing, so thanks!

by bucdaddy on Nov 16, 2009 10:08 AM EST up reply actions

I find it strange that when someone like NH finally has the guts to blow the whole thing up and start rebuilding, he gets tons of flak for it. Rebuilding isn’t pretty, and it isn’t quick. Its also something that previous GM’s talked about but never followed through with.

by NastyNate82 on Nov 14, 2009 12:32 PM EST reply actions

I am revolting...

…against the contention that previous GMs never followed through with – they did, they just did it in an abysmally horrendous manner.

by Trogluddite on Nov 14, 2009 3:40 PM EST up reply actions

Which is why...

…past regimes always preferred talking about rebuilding instead of actually doing it.

Win or lose, NH has a big pair of brass ones, and I salute him for it.

by Vlad on Nov 15, 2009 12:33 AM EST up reply actions

NH has Bet His Career

NH has shown he is willing to “Go All In”. If the moves he has made don’t pan out, he will never get another job in MLB. If he succeeds, he can work anywhere he wants to. That is gutzy!

by zogger on Nov 15, 2009 6:13 PM EST up reply actions