The hot question circulating last week was simple:
If the Pirates reached the one-game wild-card playoff round for the fourth consecutive year, which pitcher should they start?
The issue was spurred by the ongoing disappointment of Gerrit Cole's season and the corresponding rise of Jameson Taillon, who has now made 11 major league starts.
The question was ultimately pointless, though.
You don't designate an Oct. 4 starter on Aug. 21. Too many things can happen over that time.
Depending on how Taillon is used over the rest of the season, he may be at his innings limit after missing two seasons of competitive pitching.
The question also presumes the Pirates will be able to ease into the wild card game and set up a preferred pitching rotation. They may have to win the last game of the season just to qualify, so the wild card starter could be the next man up.
So, aside from killing hours on sports talk radio, the question serves no real purpose. Just something to fill the time between commercials for libido problems and bars with $2 draft specials.
---
--BIG SPLASH
You can get all weepy about the stories of courage and perseverance that are part of the Olympics, but this is reality:
The headlines can be easily hijacked by a band of drunken swimmers who misbehave, then lie about what happened.
People love a scandal, and that's why the story of the partying pool boys took over for a few days.
---
--SCARY STORY
ESPN is running a "30 for 30" film called "Darryl & Doc," a look back at the disappointing careers of Darryl Strawberry and Dwight Gooden.
It's a story of what could have been. They had the ability to be Hall of Fame players, and their team, the Mets, had the ability to win more championships than the Bill Buckner-aided World Series victory in 1986.
The takeaway from the show is that Gooden, who is 51, appears to be at least 20 years older than that.
It's been a hard life.
---
--INTRODUCTORY PRICING
Pirates rookie utility player Adam Frazier did an autograph signing Saturday.
The promoter ran radio commercials announcing it was Frazier's first appearance in the area.
The tab was $19 per signature.
Seems like that's a lot for a guy who has fewer than 100 major league at-bats, whose career arc may wind up resembling that of Rob Mackowiak.
Makes you wonder what the price would be for a star's autograph.
---
--SUBTLE FAIL
The Pirates have had a number of disappointments this season, large and small.
One that's mostly gone under the radar has been the lousy season of Jared Hughes.
He was valuable as a sixth or seventh inning reliever, especially coming into situations where he inherited runners. He had an almost Houdini-like ability to escape those jams with minimal damage.
There's been none of that this year, and his failure has been a factor in the need to reconfigure the bullpen on the fly.
---
--BAD IDEA
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred seems amenable to just about any bad idea that's proposed.
When he was initially asked about reconsidering Pete Rose's case, he offered some hope. Thankfully it turned out to be false and Rose remains rightfully banished from baseball.
Agree now, think later seems to be his philosophy.
It was recently suggested that in the ongoing zeal to trim game times, MLB might consider limiting the number of relief pitchers a team can use.
When the Players Association gets done laughing at that one, it will disappear. The union won't stand for a measure that deprives its members of opportunities to work.
---
--FACE THE NATION
You have to love it when Le'Veon Bell posts a video apology and directs it to "Steeler Nation" as though it's a sovereign state unto itself.
Come to think of it, it may be.
No comments:
Post a Comment