NY Daily News and Buc bashing

More great stuff recently in this article by Bill Madden (strong sarcasm)  Now I know that the Daily News only differentiates itself from Charmin in that Charmin is much softer and doesn't chap your ass, but is this really the best that a guy who writes about sports (and books about baseball for that matter) can do?  I also know that none of this matters until the Bucs actually start winning but its tough to read an article bashing your team that lacks any type of creative thought or journalistic work without commenting.  Please read at your own caution, the opinions expressed below are the work of a true idiot.   

Some tidbits:

"Privately, the Yankees were astounded at the seemingly underwhelming return Seattle GM Jack Zduriencik got for Jarrod Washburn  especially after he'd pulled off such a coup earlier in the week by fetching shortstop Jack Wilson and former 14-game winner Ian Snell out of the Pittsburgh Pirates' firesale for light-hitting shortstop Ronny Cedeno, defensively challenged catcher/first base prospect Jeff Clement and three low-level pitching prospects.

"What has happened in Pittsburgh - where the Pirates have assured themselves of many more losing seasons after this, their 17th straight, by gutting their roster of just about every player that made more than $2 million - is a disgrace. Selig's former salary police chief Frank Coonelly has traded Jason Bay, Xavier Nady, Adam LaRoche, Nyjer Morgan, Nate McLouth, Wilson, Freddy Sanchez, John Grabow and Tom Gorzelanny in one questionable deal after another.

"...only two, Double-A pitcher Tim Alderson (acquired from the Giants for '06 NL batting champion Sanchez) and righty Charlie Morton (who came over from the Braves in the McLouth deal) are regarded as potential frontline prospects - and neither of them was rated by their teams as top-tier."

Ok, so a lack of foresight for a team in PGH is understandable from a NY sportwriter, right?  Should we expect him to do enough homework to point out that the Bucs included cash in some of these deals in order to get the best group of prospects?  Is it unreasonable to point out that the powerhouse of a Pirates team that included Nady and Bay won 5 more games at this point in the year?  Fine, just please don't confuse Adam LaRoche for his younger brother. 

In case you are inclined to believe that Bill actually critically evaluates deals before he just spouts off about how poor Pirates' management is, let's examine a deal that he has actual evidence to use when evaluating:

Earlier this year

"Despite creditable starts by their 4-5 starters, ex-Yankees Ross Ohlendorf and Jeff Karstens, it would be a stretch to suggest the Pirates may actually have gotten the better of the deal with the Yankees last summer (that also netted them outfielder prospect Jose Tabata). For now they can at least be content at having gotten more out of it in April than the Yankees have gotten from Nady  and the $12 million man, Damaso Marte."

He's just an optimist holding out hope, right?  I mean, nobody in their right mind would argue in hindsight that this lopsided deal went the Yanks way.  Unfortunately, notice a trend here but his lack of ability to think critically demonstrates itself even at the time the deal occurs:

Last year when the trade occcured:

"Did the Yankees just get revenge for 1960?

As word of the Yankees' trade for Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte from the Pirates filtered through the annual party thrown by Hall of Fame chairman Jane Clark on Friday night, no one was more stunned than Pirates Hall of Fame second baseman Bill Mazeroski, whose homer against the Yankees won the 1960 World Series.

"I can't believe it!" Mazeroski said. "We just traded two of our best players for four guys I never heard of. How could we do this?"

In exchange for power-hitting outfielder Nady and lefty reliever Marte, the Yanks gave up outfielder Jose Tabata and pitchers Ross Ohlendorf, Dan McCutchen and Jeff Karstens.'

Just had to point out how little skill it takes to be a writer for one of the major newspapers in the world's largest cities.  Thankfully for Bill, his profession is so full of a lot of kindred idiotic minds - his job should be safe.