July 14, 2009 All-Star Game Play-By-Play and Box Score - Baseball-Reference.com
Neither Zach Duke nor Freddy Sanchez got into last night's All-Star Game. I have better things to do than watch a bunch of silly pageantry, so I don't know why this happened. (Well, okay, I half-watched a few innings with the sound off. But I still don't know why this happened.) But it seems there's a tension between the game "mattering" and the fact that you have to include guys from last-place teams. It's true that the NL didn't have to include two Pirates, but the rosters are so huge and Sanchez and Duke were buried so far at the end of them.
Selig says Pirates are on right track - Pittsburgh Pirates news, fan forums, schedules and blogs - PiratesReport.com
Bud Selig apparently thinks the Pirates have one of the best farm systems in baseball. Selig said it, so obviously it isn't true, but it hopefully will be in a year or so, once there's been two or two and a half full years to clean up Dave Littlefield's mess. The farm system is probably about average now, or maybe a little above. It's thin in top talent and major-league-ready talent, but it's filled with very inexperienced players with upside.
Post-Gazette: Sano affair still wide open
Miguel Sano's people deny Jorge Arangure's report that there is a "90 percent chance" that the Bucs will sign Sano, although the Pirates remain very much in the running.
Pedro Martinez agrees to one-year contract with Phillies - MLB - SI.com
Pedro Martinez has agreed to a one-year, $1 million deal with the Phillies that includes $1.5 million in possible incentives. The report claims that the Pirates were also interested, but I'm fine with them staying away--as great as Pedro once was, he hasn't had a really good year since 2005. I'd say the odds of him helping any team this season are remote.