James McDonald Shuts Down Rockies
by Charlie Wilmoth on Aug 5, 2010 9:46 PM EDT
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PrintJames McDonald! Yeah, that's right. McDonald was awesome in his Pirates debut, striking out eight and allowing only a walk and four singles in six innings. I missed the first few innings, but McDonald still looked great even when I got out of class. Even in the sixth, he was regularly hitting 92 MPH and touching 93, and throwing a hard-breaking curve and a good changeup. I just checked the gamethread, and apparently he threw as hard as 96 at the start of the game. The Rockies appeared to have a lot of trouble making solid contact off him. As I suggested over at SB Nation Pittsburgh, any Pirate who pitches this well in his first start begs comparisons to Jeff Karstens, who also was awesome in his Bucs debut, but unlike Karstens, McDonald obviously has a legitimate big-league repertoire. The contrast between his fastball and his change could really give major-league hitters trouble.
The rest of the team looked really good tonight, too - Garrett Jones and Ronny Cedeno homered, and Wilfredo Ledezma actually pitched a good inning in the seventh. The Bucs lost the shutout only when Cedeno muffed a grounder in the eighth.
Chris Resop pitched the ninth, and I was less excited about his performance than I was about what I saw of McDonald, but he looked good - his fastball is straight, but it comes in at 92-95 MPH, and he appears to be able to throw it for strikes consistently. Locating his breaking ball might be a bit trickier for him, but it's good enough to be a change of pace. He looks like he'll probably be a reliever, and not a starter, in the majors.
There was a bunch of fun news in the minors tonight. Anthony Watson started for Altoona and shut down Akron for six innings. He struggled in his first two starts this year after spending most of the season in the bullpen, but his overall stat line is still excellent, and it might be time to start thinking of him as a fringe prospect again. Starling Marte, back with Bradenton now, has three hits so far against Brevard County. Jose Ascanio pitched two innings in the next step of his rehab and struck out four batters. Zack Von Rosenberg pitched six scoreless innings and allowed only two hits for State College, and Mel Rojas went 2-for-4 with a double.
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where do I get my 'omnipotence card'
gheez, Charlie
that might be a record for pertinent happenings covered in one post. Let’s hope you’re challenged further.
I'm not as drunk as some thinkle peep I am.
Resop's fastball is flat, no doubt....
However, he does seem to be able to locate it well. He actually threw a very good curve on just off the plate to the outside on a 1-2 count to Olivo.
I think he is definitely worth keeping around and I hope they do. In the offseason/ST, they could tinker around with him to see if he can become a starter, but, if not, I still like the idea of having a guy who can consistently throw 94-95, with good placement, and a promising curve, albeit without the requisite control at this stage.
Re: Ledezma….you just don’t find LHPers who routinely sit in the mid-90’s with downward plane, which his does. I am not sure he feels confident with his other stuff yet, which will be a problem in the future as hitters will tend to sit on his heater. However, as a LOOGY, even if lefties know it is coming, it will still be hard to catch up with it, especially with his somewhat deceptive delivery.
Re: McDonald, his stuff was electric tonight. Anytime you can say that his 3rd best pitch was his mid-90’s fastball, you know you had a good night. His curve was located for strikes most of the time, especially as the game went on. Additionally, his change-up was fantastic, with late fade into righties, great deception upon the release, and 13-14 mph difference between his FB and CH. Really encouraging outing, particularly having his fastball, as you mentioned, hitting 93 in the 6th inning.
Only downer tonight for me: Pedro needs to adapt and be more aggressive early in the count. If he gets ahead on pitchers, he does really well. If he doesn’t, he does really bad. As I said in the game thread, he isn’t Bobby Abreu and can’t get by with looking at the first pitch EVERY time. As the game goes on, his approach gets better…..but he is giving too many at-bats away at this juncture. Don Long better earn his money and instill some adjustments. He did smack his RBI single, so that was a positive. He is young, and will be fine, but part of his learning process has to be making adjustments. That needs to begin with the first-pitch approach…..
Good stuff, Charles….
by CabreraKilledMyChildhood on Aug 5, 2010 10:04 PM EDT reply actions
For some perspective
His OBP when finishing at-bats ahead in the count is .588. When he finishes at bats behind in the count, that OBP dips to .138.
Yeah, I’d say he could use to get ahead in counts.
by Suffering Buc on Aug 5, 2010 10:11 PM EDT up reply actions
Good stuff....
I love when my eyes align with the stats. Although, I didn’t know it was that pronounced.
Damn….
by CabreraKilledMyChildhood on Aug 5, 2010 10:12 PM EDT up reply actions
Very correctable.
I just don’t expect Don Long to be aware of it, that’s all.
by Suffering Buc on Aug 5, 2010 10:16 PM EDT up reply actions
I am afraid you may be correct.....
I just haven’t seen any notable adjustments from many players, including Andy LaRoche, Pedro Alvarez, or Jeff Clement when he was with us the first time. It seems he only got straightened out when he went down to Indy….
by CabreraKilledMyChildhood on Aug 5, 2010 10:17 PM EDT up reply actions
Yeah, that curve to Olivo was good. That looked like strike three to me.
by Charlie Wilmoth on Aug 5, 2010 10:12 PM EDT up reply actions
Little outside....
I saw Snyder touch his chest, indicating, “My bad”….as I think he set-up outside too much and didn’t pull it back. Pretty classy move by Snyder, if you ask me.
by CabreraKilledMyChildhood on Aug 5, 2010 10:13 PM EDT up reply actions
Snyder is full of classy moves like that if you watch him. Just contrasting his body language behind the plate with Doumit’s is pretty amazing.
And I am not much of a believer in that “veteran leadership” stuff either.
http://bleedblackandgold.com/
by Say Hey Johnny Ray on Aug 6, 2010 11:14 AM EDT up reply actions
Dodger fan here
just wanted to say that I hated the trade so much, I called into Dodger Talk on Saturday to voice my disgust. No bandwagons here- I think J-Mac is awesome, and am sickened (but not surprised) that the Dodgers traded a promising pitcher AND a legitimite outfield prospect for a 36 year old relief pitcher. Well, I guess LA can be grateful that the trade worked out for the Dodgers tonight, anyway. I’m glad you guys finally have something to cheer about- nicely done to the Pirates’ front office.
(When they make Seinfeld the movie, I’m guessing that these references will be updated to reflect this trade.)
The trade wouldn’t have made much sense from LA in any scenario, but it’s made worse by the fact that they’re well behind two teams for their division lead. Relief pitchers aren’t what will help close that kind of a gap.
The Dodgers are still better off than we are, though.
by Suffering Buc on Aug 5, 2010 10:12 PM EDT up reply actions
Appreciate the insight, sarcastro9....
It is one start….but, with him and Lambo coming back for an aging-reliever that would have done us no good, we will take it.
Thoughts on Lambo, sarcastro9? Besides the usual scouting reports, how about some anecdotal/personal observation on your part?
Thanks, man.
by CabreraKilledMyChildhood on Aug 5, 2010 10:14 PM EDT up reply actions
don't know much about him
the Dodgers were high on him, until he got high himself this year, thus leading to a 50 game suspension. All I know is the same as you (ie. stuff I read online), given that he’s never gone past AA so far- lots of raw potentional, character issues might be an issue. His numbers were great before the suspension, so I guess we’ll see how it goes…
A word on Dotel
He’s good and he should help down the stretch. The price may well have been too high, but given that that is done, I think Dotel is a good guy to have around in high leverage situations. He lives by the sword a bit in that he gives up the long ball a bit too often, but he can get those key strikeouts late in games
I disagree....
LH batters will/have eat him alive and I don’t think a team in a pennant race will run him out there, with any degree of confidence, against LH batters.
His fastball moves so well that he has the ability to get himself out of jams, but, it is also the cause of why he gets into those jams. As an 8th inning guy, I see him having too many bad outings to be ‘reliable’ for the Dodgers.
I just think it was an awful trade, on paper, for the Blue Crew….
by CabreraKilledMyChildhood on Aug 5, 2010 10:40 PM EDT up reply actions
What pitch is he throwing in the picture?
Looks like a fastball grip but it is really deep in his hand.
depending on how he throws it
It might be his change. I don’t get to see live games anymore, so it’s just a guess — a fastball that isn’t very fast.
Pretty sure it's a curve
It would be the damnest change I ever saw gripped outside of a youth, and if it’s his fastball I don’t see how he’d get much life (explosion into a RH batter) since it is deep in his hand and he seems to be splitting to the ball with this thumb and index finger.
At first glance I thought it was a 4 seam fastball, but with the way his thumb is off and up on the side of the ball, I would have to say a curveball. I could have sworn I seen his index knuckle on the ball last night, which would indicate a knuckle-curve, witch is a slow but sharp breaking ball. Slider grip?? but that pitch is supposedly a work in progress
by Chucksberries on Aug 6, 2010 5:29 PM EDT up reply actions
Everyone who said curve is probably right
the grip in relation to the seams just seems really strage, that’s all
The fact that he was able to throw his curve for strikes sometimes...
…would argue against it being a knuckle-curve. It’s an impressive pitch when it’s working right, but there isn’t much margin for errror, command-wise.
Wow
I was really not expecting McDonald’s debut to be so stellar. What a treat to watch!
Someone ought to send Brad Lincoln of copy of video so he can watch how a pitcher with a good curveball should be using it!
So, a few notes from being at the game
I’m no scout, but I can tell you what the pitching scoreboard said.
McDonald sat at 95 regularly with his fastball for the first three innings, then settled in at 91 or 92 for the next three. His curve break is ridiculous. It doesn’t have the horizontal break Lincoln’s can have (saw him hit 12 inch vertical, 7 inch horizontal break once), but his vertical break is bigger than Lincoln’s, sitting at 15 inches regularly. His other pitch (slider, I’m assuming with little basis) varied anywhere from the low eighties to the low nineties, with a horizontal break anywhere from 6 to 11 inches. I didn’t mention it earlier, but his curve sat about 76, so a nice little 19 mph drop off.
His control was magnificent through the first three innings, but dropped off as his velocity did. Some of that could have had to do with my unfounded speculation that the ump randomly started calling a strike zone that got tighter as the game went on, especially in the 8th inning, where it seemed tiny (vertically, I wasn’t in a position to see how the zone was called horizontally).
by thecheeseisblue on Aug 5, 2010 10:39 PM EDT reply actions
Nah, he didn't throw a slider much, if at all....
His third pitch was his Change, which sat at 80-81 the whole game and was easily his best pitch, with late fade and going-away from Lefties and creeping on the hands of righties.
From what I have read, he is still working on his slider.
by CabreraKilledMyChildhood on Aug 5, 2010 10:42 PM EDT up reply actions
Ah
Excellent break on a change then.
by thecheeseisblue on Aug 5, 2010 10:44 PM EDT up reply actions
i'd argue
that if he can maintain the three pitches he has, he might not even NEED a slider. i was at the game, very near the colorado dugout…those first four batters were literally walking back looking bewildered. radio broadcast mentioned that macdonald’s curve not only has a strong break, but it’s very late, which really screws with hitters who are trying to sit on that fastball.
he definitely looked like a guy who needs to tinker some to try and avoid those long innings (hello IF defense) because as he gets tired the difference between his pitches gets more pronounced to the point that hitters arent as afraid of his offspeed stuff. we’ll see what happens once there’s a book on him.
Lorin, Irwin, and.....dare I say Alderson....
All had pretty good outings, with Alderson (relatively so) going 6 IP, 3 ER, 0 BBs, 2 Ks, 5 Hits, I believe.
Lorin went 5 scoreless, giving up only 2 hits.
by CabreraKilledMyChildhood on Aug 5, 2010 10:46 PM EDT reply actions
Can't wait to watch it.
We worked late tonight so I missed it. But I got it recorded, so yeah, sounds like fun. And with any luck, McDonald will pitch well again in the future some day.
to quote Ice Cube
Today was a good day!
by BadAndy on Aug 6, 2010 7:28 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
First Pitch Strikes
Went to the game and watched JM get out in front of most every hitter although he did go 3-2 on a few. His FB was 93 – 94 for the first 4 innings but most were 91- 92 in the 5th and 6th. Touched 93 once in the 6th. Low pitch count for having 8Ks. His delivery looks effortless. This is what I had hoped to see from Ohlendorf and Morton. While just one start it was promising. Surprising the Dodgers gave up their back to back (2008 and 2009) minor league pitcher of the year.
My Two Cents is that Alvarez stunk up the joint
Looked bad striking out a few times on 3 pitches without swinging.
AND, as usual, he dove at a ball only 1 step away from him and missed it.
And, as usual, his throws to first base are in the dirt and have to be scooped by GI Jones.
He did get an RBI single, but overall Alvarez has been worse than LaRouche for the past few weeks. He’s an easy out at the plate, and a liability in the field.
Wow....
On a night where the Bucs and their affiliates went 9-0, you’re still able to find something to whine about. You must be an absolute delight at parties.
At least it’s telling that the guy you’re complaining about even got an RBI single last night.
The
“tell-it-like-it-is,” “cynical” stuff is just his schtick. He’ll tell you he’s “the voice of reason,” when in fact you’re right, McGreal. He’s simply miserable. And unable to spell “LaRoche.”
For those of you calling for his ouster, please note he has said nothing to get tossed.
If you ignore him, however, his posts may become less frequent as nobody would be taking his bait.
Free your ass and your mind will follow.
by cocktailsfor2 on Aug 6, 2010 9:48 AM EDT up reply actions
I know!!!
Not only does he bounce balls to first but he airmails them into the stands every other throw. Fans are so afraid of being hit that attendance has dropped which hurts our chances of signing important players in the future. He is so fat that when he runs to first his spikes create divets in the ground putting our more important players at risk of injury. His swing is so hard that when he swings and misses he generates a strong wind which cools down opposing pitchers giving them an unfair advantage. He is so immobile and slow that he adds 45 minutes to the game waiting for him to “jog” on and off the filed between innings. That could lead to a future decrease in attendance. And the worst part is that he is already 23 so there is no chance that he will correct any of these problems and get better. Oh well, they should probably start Laroche the rest of the season. He was able to accumulate -.5 WAR in 233 PA’s while Pedro has only generated +.4 in 172 PA’s. If Pedro gets those extra plate appearances there is no telling how low is WAR can get! DOWN WITH PEDRO! DOWN WITH PEDRO! DOWN WITH PEDRO!
by Slick1 on Aug 6, 2010 10:01 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Hey, now.
I don’t think it’s unreasonable to point out that Pedro has been below-average in the field, or to express disappointment about that.
Vlad
Was it reasonable it to expect him to be anything but? His defense looks like what I had heard and seen in clips.
Vlad - IIRC, you were expecting him to be awful.....
And, moved to 1B very soon.
He has been about average, although I admit his play over the last couple of weeks has been trending downward. He doesn’t move well to his left or right, but has a strong arm, charges the ball well, and usually makes the routine play.
We could definitely upgrade at that position, but I don’t think he has been as bad as you and others were making him out to be.
by CabreraKilledMyChildhood on Aug 6, 2010 12:42 PM EDT up reply actions
For the record:
I said that he should be moved to first, not that he would be. I think he’s going to outgrow 3B within the next two years, and as such, we’d be better off just running him out at 1B right from the get-go and letting him adjust. But the team evidently disagrees, so c’est la vie.
His arm is fine – it’s the range that’s the problem. And given his build, I think it’s likely to get worse, rather than better.
Actually, I was expecting less
I now think if he can hit like he’s capable he has a good chance of staying at 3B for some years.
by MarkInDallas on Aug 6, 2010 12:44 PM EDT up reply actions
Me too
I’ve been pleasantly surprised with Pedro’s glove, especially given all the negativity from a certain Mr. Vlad!!!
The way Vlad was describing him....
…I was pleasantly surprised when Pedro was facing home plate while on defense.
by TravisDW on Aug 6, 2010 2:54 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
My comment goes beyond this thread...
and his use of hyperbole when describing Pedro’s defense. Saying that he has no range is one thing, but saying that he never fields balls hit right to him and bounces every throw to first is another. I felt if he wants to go to extremes than it’s only fair if I do.
Really dude
He is a rookie with tons of power making adjustments. I will take the K’s for now as he actually does have ability to drive the ball. He will get better
by eyeofhorus777 on Aug 6, 2010 4:34 PM EDT up reply actions
Get real, people!
What is it with some Pirate fans, the Buccos have a great outting like McDonald’s, and suddenly “we’re on track”, we’ve “turned the corner?” McDonald’s first game as a Pirate was absolutely impressive and Cedeno had a great night hitting in support, so it was good. But let’s not forget that the Pirates are still consistently losing more games than they are winning. In the end, they have to start playing .500 ball to be making what I would consider to be a REAL improvement. Then they’ve got to start beating teams like the Braves, Reds, Cardinals etc. consistently to make an impact in their division and the NL. Based on that yardstick, the Pirates still look dismal. Show me at least one good long winning streak of games in August and I’ll change my tune about whether or not the Pirates really are “moving in the right direction.”
Who said "we've turned a corner"?
Or, did you simply need an excuse to be miserable? Go back to the Post-Gazette blog where you and your ‘smart colleagues’ can talk about ERA and Batting Average and how cool Bob Smizik is and how funny Gene Collier is.
Seriously….why are these trolls allowed to push this BS in every thread? Take this ‘guy’ and BucsFaninCA and send them packing….
by CabreraKilledMyChildhood on Aug 6, 2010 4:51 AM EDT up reply actions
He has a right
to his opinion, misguided as it may be.
Just don’t take the bait.
Free your ass and your mind will follow.
by cocktailsfor2 on Aug 6, 2010 9:49 AM EDT up reply actions
But seriously...
Were allowed to have a positive blog on here without someone saying we need to ‘get real’.
by ryebr3ad on Aug 6, 2010 10:11 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
He can say what he'd like...
You don’t have to like it, or agree with it.
He hasn’t said anything that is a violation of terms.
You can respond if you’d like.
Bit if you ignore it, and others do, too, then the frequency of posts like it will probably decrease.
Free your ass and your mind will follow.
by cocktailsfor2 on Aug 6, 2010 8:20 PM EDT up reply actions
Poor angry man...
Show me at least one good long winning streak of games in August and I’ll change my tune
Don’t change for us Doug! We won’t have anyone to say “I told you so” too (on Bucs Dugout) when the Pirates start winning. Besides, like Cab said, who the hell are you talking to? I don’t remember reading anyone saying “we’re on track” so please quote that person next time so I don’t have to sort through a bunch of posts to try and determine if you are actually making a point or just being a jack ass!
Darn!
I was just dancing around my house singing “We’ve turned the corner! We’ve turned the corner!”
by MarkInDallas on Aug 6, 2010 12:47 PM EDT up reply actions
Quotation marks are generally used to set off things people actually said, not stuff that comes from your own mind.
by Charlie Wilmoth on Aug 6, 2010 4:49 PM EDT up reply actions
dingdingding!
Winnar!
Free your ass and your mind will follow.
by cocktailsfor2 on Aug 6, 2010 8:21 PM EDT up reply actions
The Cardinals are interested in Andy Laroche?
So says the Tribune. While I don’t put a lot of worth in the Trib’s reporting (or anything the Trib does for that matter), I find it hard to believe that they would write something without some semblance of truth to it.
However, does anyone really believe that he would clear waivers, to the point where 10-12 teams pass on him prior to the Cards getting their slot? I really doubt it, but could be wrong.
Anyways, I am not sure what the Cards have that we would like in return, but I do know there MiLB pitching isn’t stacked as that was one of the main reasons that Oswalt couldn’t be traded there. Their only ‘big chip’ is Shelby Miller….and Andy LaRoche ain’t bringing him back, unless we throw in Cutch on the side.
Strange….but maybe interesting to follow.
Anyone have any more info?
by CabreraKilledMyChildhood on Aug 6, 2010 6:33 AM EDT reply actions
Sing with me...Beat'em Bucs.. Beat'em Bucs
The Bucs are going all the way
All the way, all the way
Yes the Bucs are going all the way
All the way this year
Beat’em Bucs.. Beat’em Bucs
Stamina
So, given what we have seen in this one outing, is the issue with J-Mac about stamina (and control, although he looked decent tonight)? If so, can one increase pitching stamina such that his 94-95 mph FB can stay there at least through 5 or 6 innings? I’m just curious — I know inherent stamina is something scouts look for in top-flight pitchers (words like “had his fastball consistent even in the 7th inning”; supposedly this is one thing Taillon does well), so can he increase it by throwing regularly, side-sessions, off-season conditioning, winter ball, etc.?
i really dont think
that its anything to do with stamina. he’s been a SP for his entire professional career, he should have a very good idea of how to pace himself through the course of 6 to 8 innings.
The bigger issue is his handling by the dodgers. He started last season in the rotation and after four bad starts (mostly due to control, i’d assume, given his 6:14 K/BB in 14 1/3 IP), the Dodger’s solution was to move him to the bullpen and leave him there.
As such, he hasnt really had the chance to learn that MLB hitters aren’t AAA hitters, and you’re going to have to come at them differently so that you can be more efficient with your pitches. That way you’re throwing only three or four pitches per batter rather than five or six, and they havent seen everything you have to throw after the first time through the order, and you can get through perhaps a turn and a half of that order before they really start figuring anything out.
I really think it’s just a matter of getting ML starts under his belt with a team that’s patient enough to not dump him into the bullpen after four bad starts.
Plus
him going 6innings isn’t about his long-term stamina, but the fact that he hasn’t started in a while and he needs to be “stretched out” as it were.
Da'Sean Butler - A Mountaineer Legend
by McCutchenIsTheTruth on Aug 6, 2010 5:13 PM EDT up reply actions
McDonald threw enough offerings nowhere near the plate that I could see him struggling with control down the road, but hey. Great debut overall.
Agreed.....
Control will be the issue going forward, especially with his Curveball, which, while very good at times, was also all over the place at other times. It actually seemed like he had more control over it as the game went on, which, incidentally, makes sense if he was more calm and composed as the game went on instead of trying to overthrow it.
I really liked, however, how he controlled his fastball on the outer half at the knees. That pitch, with his velo and downward plane, could end up being his second best pitch behind his awesome change-up. I just hope the latter stays with him, as even he was surprised (after the game interview) with its effectiveness.
All in all, though……very hard to nitpick with 8 Ks, 1 BB, 4 singles in 6 innings.
by CabreraKilledMyChildhood on Aug 6, 2010 11:36 AM EDT up reply actions
Completely different question about this young man....
exactly how many McDonalds did we get in the trade from the Dodgers? Neveritt kept calling him Jason on last night’s broadcast and Blass would immediately call him James, hoping that Timmy would pick up on it. He never did. Perhaps we need to DFA some guys in the truck…
Add Neveritt to the Andy LaRoche package…
by Adam Reynolds on Aug 6, 2010 11:15 AM EDT up reply actions
Agree 100%
He is awfully bad at his job, especially when it comes to actually knowing the team he is supposed to be covering.
I used to like his voice (no homo) and I guess I still do….however, I long for the days when we have a play-by-play man that is knowledgable, doesn’t use RBIs to judge batters, doesn’t use ERA to judge pitchers (this goes for you too, Bob Walk), and actually knows the game and teaches me something everytime I listen to him. Neverett accomplishes none of the above.
He is a cartoon guy that feels his audience is either 7 years old or borderline retarded. While that may be the case, it isn’t the case for me…..(I’m 30 and a have a law-degree, fwiw)….
by CabreraKilledMyChildhood on Aug 6, 2010 11:33 AM EDT up reply actions
God I hate Neverett's voice.
It has really started to grate on me this year. I’ve switched over to the opposing team’s broadcast many times. To me he sounds like he is almost doing the whole broadcast as a parody of broadcasters.
by MarkInDallas on Aug 6, 2010 12:54 PM EDT up reply actions
I am a constant on 'opposing team's broadcast'......
You don’t realize how bad our announcers are, especially Brown and Neverett and Blass, until you hear other announce crews. I really like the White Sox, the Twins (Blyleven is one of the best, in my eyes), and I like the one-man-show of the Dodgers, eventhough he didn’t realize that all teams, not just the Pirates, hide their signs in various ways when a guy is on 2nd base. Phillies have a good crew as well, even with the unfortunate death this past year.
Bob Brenly is the exception – I cannot listen to him for more than 5 minutes without wanting to fight him.
by CabreraKilledMyChildhood on Aug 6, 2010 2:00 PM EDT up reply actions
You like the White Sox announcers? I hate when MLB Network does cut-ins to White Sox games with Hawk Harrelson. He’s just a collection of lame catch-phrases and over-the-top homerism.
I like the color-commentator on the White Sox....
He knows his stuff. I just don’t know his name….
Hawk is awful, I agree.
by CabreraKilledMyChildhood on Aug 7, 2010 6:24 AM EDT up reply actions
Radio color guy or TV color guy?
Just curious. If it’s the former, I’ll have to fire up my phone’s MLB app and check it out.
The Dodgers’ “one-man-show” is the legendary Vin Scully, the best baseball broadcaster in history. :)
Is Harrelson the one that says
“He gone” when there is a strikeout. Makes me want to punch him in the face everytime I hear it.
by eyeofhorus777 on Aug 6, 2010 4:42 PM EDT up reply actions
Yes.
Yes, he does.
And it’s almost as enervating as the “You can put it on the boooooooooooooard, yyyyES!” When one of the Sox hits a dinger.
Horrendous.
Free your ass and your mind will follow.
by cocktailsfor2 on Aug 6, 2010 8:26 PM EDT up reply actions
Ugh....
Hawk Harrelson is far less annoying with the Mute turned on. He’s slightly tolerable if you’re so drunk that you passed out and the TV’s volume is so low that a passing hybrid car can drown out the sound.
Oh lord
When I first started broadcasting, I was specifically told to NOT sound like Hawk Harrelson
The glare of the spotlight is harsh, and the pressure that success breeds immense. We revere our heroes, but expect much. And criticism can come as easily as praise.
Plus he calls Alex Presley “Elvis Presley” every time he appears in a minor league update.
by Adam Reynolds on Aug 6, 2010 7:28 PM EDT up reply actions
disagree
I think Neveritt has a great voice, is informative, and shows pride in his job
What you want in a broadcaster is very subjective.
I don’t mind Greg Brown, Bob Walk, Blass and Wehner although Greg Brown is the only one with real broadcasting skills. The others are what they are, former players speaking from their experience, which I appreciate. I expect them to entertain me and inform me somewhat and to be quiet if there isn’t anything interesting to say. Lanny was pretty good at that, I think, and I miss his voice on tv and on the radio.
Neveritt probably just takes some getting used to. It would be hard for anyone to replace Lanny and he probably knew that coming in. I have seen more of his sense of humor this year than last and he is growing on me a little bit. It bothers me, probably more than it should, when he gets simple things like this wrong and does it repeatedly.
Tekulve is the ultimate balancing act for me. I completely enjoy his perspective on things, especially when he talks about pitching, but if he could get through a sentence without saying “you know” or some abbreviated for of it, he’d be much easier to listen to. Like him alot, but that gets to me.
Brown is definitely the most polished, although, IMO, also the most likely to make moronic comments.
I like Walk & Blass quite a bit, and I loved when they got paired together for a few home games back in June. Blass gets a little too personal-life sometimes (as in “played a great game of golf with my buddy Sam yesterday”) but other than that I think he’s a good mix of education and entertainment.
I get uncomfortable when Neveritt starts giggling and fawning over Bob Walk
feels like we are intruding on a high school date.
Steve Blass puts me to sleep. I can’t forget when the Pirates won a game and he just yelled “INDEED, INDEED, INDEED” over and over!
Very true.....
Neverett definitely has a man-crush on Bob Walk, no doubt.
by CabreraKilledMyChildhood on Aug 6, 2010 2:05 PM EDT up reply actions
don't receive the buc broadcasts up here in Maine
but Neverett comes from a sports talk radio background where he was one of the long gray line of zero knowledge guys puking nonsense into a microphone five days a week..
The first time I heard him was on a now-defunct sports radio network; his program preceded Pittsburgh’s own Joe Chevalier. I recall one time he was busting Chevalier about his Pirate alliance. Ironic, huh?
My one concern
And I didn’t see the game – this is from reportage and game quotes – but apparently his change was far better than usual last night. Point being, he may not be anywhere near this effective with his normal change.
That said, he’s young enough that either his change should improve to being about that good on a regular basis, or else another pitch (the slider?) might come through.
An encouraging day, indeed.
True…I mean there aren’t many pitchers that have all their pitches working every game. Key will be how he survives when that change isn’t there. It’s nice to see that he has it though.
If you're talking about
McDonald’s quotes about himself and his change, etc.
I read those as more of a “Man, I know I have a good change, I just don’t quite have the feel down yet for it; Tonight was a huge step in the right direction” and less of a “well my change was alot better than it normally will be and that was a major part of my success tonight * surprised voice *”
I see that as very promising.
Da'Sean Butler - A Mountaineer Legend
by McCutchenIsTheTruth on Aug 6, 2010 5:18 PM EDT up reply actions
What are the odds Kerrigan is kept from JMac and Resop?
"It WILL happen."
Bill Mazeroski
June 19th, 2010
Probably non-existent.
I am trying to remember who I heard interviewed in the last week who said that Kerrigan has a philosophy of micro-management. The person said it works for some and not so much for others and I got the impression from the way he said it that he was hinting that he didn’t think that was a good thing. I really don’t know, but I liked Ray Miller’s way – work fast, change speeds, throw strikes. Maybe the guys who can’t do the detailed stuff should try that.
BTW
If McDonald shows this form on any kind of regular basis, then he alone is worth all 5 players we shipped away.
I think we all liked these moves the day they happened, but it’s hard to get your head around the upside. It’s early early early, but Snyder and McDonald already look like wins, and there’s another, what, 4 more guys, all of whom are (potentially) non-chum?
This deadline could end talk of the Bay trade for good.
In sane peoples minds, yes, I agree.....
In this city, with this media, with these COLUMNISTS, I don’t you are being realistic, unfortunately.
Fangraphs has a great article on what we got and what we gave up, written by Dave Cameron, I believe. Pretty informative….
Also, how about Smizik the other day attempting to take a shot at the FO by saying, “Apparently, NH and staff don’t value the ERAs of some of their recent acquisitions….” In Smizik’s attempt at being funny and smarmy, he showed how clueless he is in evaluating pitchers. I thought it was very telling……
by CabreraKilledMyChildhood on Aug 6, 2010 2:04 PM EDT up reply actions
have you read Smizik recently?
I avoided bringing it up here, simply because that s been hashed over and over, but dont worry about ending talk anytime soon!
Smizik's a tool, obvs
But honestly, if Snyder does what he can and McDonald turns into the best pitcher on the staff, not only will it be hard for anyone to say that NH is bad at trades, but also that would significantly improve the team’s on-field performance, and people – even Smizik – would be less eager to badmouth them.
But that’s a ways off. Let’s see McDonal do it twice before we consider whether he can do it 25 times a year.
If McDonald shows this form on any kind of regular basis, then he alone is worth all 5 players we shipped away.
Overall, that was around a -1.0 WAR package, but I get what you’re saying.
Dotel isn’t very good anymore. There were several stretches this season where he was just bad. Worst case, you could put McD in a setup role and he’d still be better than Octavio or Carrasco.
by Adam Reynolds on Aug 6, 2010 7:33 PM EDT up reply actions
Really liked watching McDonald last night, and I’ve always liked pitchers with his frame. But watching him also reminded me of Morton last year. If we want to dream, imagine McDonald of last night with Morton 2009 (excluding the one start at Wrigley) and we have a dynamic duo at the top of the rotation. If you want to be cynical, expect McDonald to follow the path of Morton. Reality will likely be somewhere in between.
I think McDonald succeeds where Morton did not
They both have tools, but McDonald is more of a cool customer, unassuming, very quiet and relaxed personality, just happy to be here with nothing to lose.
Morton seems uptight, wound up, struggles for no good reason, feels he has to prove himself every time.
It comes down to psychological disposition that makes success or eternal struggle. Hopefully Morton can learn something from McDonald if he ever gets to Pittsburgh.
can he give us consistent good outings
maybe we can get 60-70 good innings from him the rest of the way in 10-12 starts
i am not looking for a 10-0 record with a sub 1.00 ERA, but it woul dbe nice to see the young guy put together a 3.50 ERA or lower and a 6-4 record.
Also the Catcher might be the difference
Russell Martin in LA was not that good of a catcher.
From McDonald’s comments, Snyder really helped him.
Just another reason NoMitt needs to stay on extended rehab until he’s traded or released.
Walker really impressing
seems to be able to put together one good game after another. Alvarez showing power but coul duse to raise his AVG 30 points or so. McCitchen and Jones still performing well and consistent..Millege seems streaky but OK…seems like we should have some more wins
Not really because
outside of the start tonight our pitching has sucked big time this second half. Outside of Maholm we have had no other starters perform at or above their predicted levels this season.
I guess we could argue about Karstens but his ceiling is very much lower than others it wasn’t hard to aim higher. He has done a good job and should be in the mix next season at this point.
by eyeofhorus777 on Aug 6, 2010 4:50 PM EDT up reply actions
Should Karstens be in the mix at this point. Meh. The only locks for next season should be Maholm, Duke, and McDonald if the latter finishes strong.
by Adam Reynolds on Aug 6, 2010 8:32 PM EDT up reply actions
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