Beaver County Times, February 23, 2014

There's a billboard in midtown Manhattan that purports to constantly update this country's national debt.
The dot matrix numbers change constantly. It's a well-known gimmick started 25 years ago by a critic of government spending, and maintained by his heirs.
Pittsburgh needs a similarly conspicuous tote board for the Pirates' current payroll. Put it on Mt. Washington, where that big hillside sign used to flash the time and a sponsor's message.
There seems to be a constant focus on how much the Pirates are spending on players, and it's a curious obsession.
It seems to matter little whether the players are good, or whether they're signed to favorable contracts. What matters is that total, even though outspending the Pirates by $38,614,952 last season didn't do the Cubs much good.
Who got better value last season, the Yankees with the $28 million they paid Alex Rodriguez, or the Pirates for their $4.5 million investment in Andrew McCutchen?
But that overall number is the thing, and a lot of people can calculate it to the last dime at any given moment.
The Pirates had MLB's fifth-lowest payroll last season, and were fifth in winning percentage. One of the few teams they trailed was Oakland, which had an even smaller payroll.
These are facts. You can call it a one-year fluke and project doom for this season, but the numbers are indisputable. If you broke into GM Neal Huntington's spring training bungalow at 3 a.m. and zapped him with a truth ray, he would undoubtedly admit he'd rather have $150 million to spend.
Being rich is a less stressful existence, and it's pretty easy to cover mistakes when you can just write another check. Ned Colletti, the marginally-competent GM of the Dodgers, doesn't stress over what prospects are doing at Class AA when he can go out and acquire Adrian Gonzalez with little regard for the cost.
There is no doubt the Pirates run a preternaturally thrifty operation. It's going to be that way for the foreseeable future. That doesn't mean they can't be successful, as last season showed.
With MLB's alarming spike in salaries this offseason, it becomes even more important to run a quality scouting and player development system. There has to be a steady flow of genuine prospects coming up through the minor leagues.
The last two seasons produced Starling Marte and Gerrit Cole. Jameson Taillon and Gregory Polanco should be next.
A few of the players can be signed long-term. McCutchen already has been, and the deal looks better all the time. But there's high risk when locking up players.
The Pirates signed Jason Kendall to a six-year extension in 2000 that bought out his last year of arbitration and six years of free agency. Before it was over, the miserable Kendall was counting the hours until he could escape Pittsburgh, and the Pirates were stuck with an expensive albatross that made other acquisitions impossible.
Even when they were finally able to trade him in 2004, they had to pay part of his salary and take onerous contracts in return. Big signings are a one-day feel-good and headline; after that they're an obligation. Proceed with great caution.
MLB's grossly uneven playing field requires teams like the Pirates to be fluid, and to always look internally first. It isn't fun, and it isn't sexy. It's just reality.

Beaver County Times, February 16, 2014

The Phillies come to town for the July 4 weekend, so that should create a rowdy party atmosphere if A.J. Burnett pitches.
He won't get a good reception. You left us? Aw, never liked you anyway. That's the way Pittsburgh works for outdoor sports. (On the other hand, the Penguins produce warm and fuzzy welcome back videos for Tyler Kennedy).
Pirates fans booed John Smiley when he appeared in a visitor's uniform, even though Smiley had been traded away and wept when he was told he was leaving.
Burnett has a one-year, $16 million contract, which apparently represents $4 million more than the Pirates were willing to offer him. GM Neal Huntington says the agent told him Burnett's decision was based on the 100-mile proximity to his Maryland home. That seems like a pretty serious commute, but whatever.
Burnett didn't owe the Pirates anything. It would have been nice if the matter had been settled earlier, but that's OK.
Don't think the Pirates won't miss him. He gave them 191 reliable innings last season on a team that depended heavily on its pitching.
The mythical "leadership" qualities that have been ascribed to him are less of an issue. Whatever mentoring value Burnett had was undermined by his occasional selfish bursts of temper.
Unless the Pirates want young pitchers to yell at the manager and complain about  defensive shifts backed by extensive research, they shouldn't want them to follow Burnett's example. A real leader would have handled not getting the Game Five playoff assignment better, too.
At times it seemed like Burnett was cranky just for the sake of being cranky. No big deal, but it speaks to an overall peevishness that can wear thin.
Clint Hurdle has a track record of getting what he wants (Clint Barmes, for example). If Hurdle had been more adamant about wanting Burnett back, would this scenario have played out differently? At minimum, maybe the Pirates would have made the $14.1 million qualifying offer and set themselves up to get an extra draft pick.
We'll never know. Burnett is getting fitted for a Phillies uniform now, and the Phillies should be ready to expect some fits from him.
If he has another year in him like 2013 at age 37, good for the Phillies.
The Pirates have a challenge to replace what he contributed last year. They'll miss the 191 innings, the 3.30 ERA and the 209 strikeouts. But the supposed leadership? Don't sweat that.
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--FAMILIAR FACE
NBC's Olympics reporting roster is deep enough to include Root Sports alumnus Trenni Kusnierek.
Added as a part-timer, she's been covering curling. (This is based on spy reports and not first-hand knowledge. Even being snowbound can't justify watching curling).
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--ANOTHER FAMILIAR FACE
Joey Porter is back with the Steelers as an assistant coach.
Of course, Mike Tomlin couldn't step out of the bunker long enough to comment on this. Instead, he issued a statement which said in part, "Joey spent a number of years with Pittsburgh as a player, and now he's back to assist the coaching staff."
Hard to dispute that.
If anyone is figuring that Porter can motivate the defense to play better, that probably won't happen. The Steelers' defensive problems reflect a shortage of talent, not inspiration.

Beaver County Times, February 9, 2014

Let's nip this non-controversy in the bud and be blunt: Should anyone be surprised that Ryan Clark said some Steelers smoke marijuana?
Doesn't anyone remember the 2008 Santonio Holmes traffic stop that turned into something bigger when police searched his vehicle? When Holmes was Tweeting "wake and bake," he wasn't talking about popping a tube of Pillsbury biscuits into the oven.
Does this mean that when the Steelers called themselves a band of brothers, they were really doobie brothers?
Clark said players use marijuana as a pain killer and a way to wind down. That's understandable.
The players live in a bowl where they must perform. Most people can make mistakes in their job without listening to them enumerated on talk radio. Players function in a here today, gone (ganja?) tomorrow world. It's lucrative, but it isn't easy.
A past generation of Steelers' stress-relieving joint was a place called Dante's, where they got stinking drunk. It was considered a bonding experience.
A lot of NFL players come from environments where having a stash is no different than having a liquor cabinet. They all go to college, a traditional weed garden.
Once they're pros, they get invited to the best parties. They're surrounded by flunkies who delight in being able to deliver the goods to a celebrity.
It's not 1970. Attitudes have changed. Even squeaky-clean Rick Santorum admits to smoking when he was in college. Presidents and Supreme Court justices have, too.
Wasn't it just a few years ago when the Steelers invited hometown rapper Wiz Khalifa to perform at a game? Aside from Cheech & Chong, what recording artist has done more to glorify marijuana use?
Before anyone starts singing, "Here we go Stoners, here we go," understand that Clark was speaking of the Steelers because that's his frame of reference. It would be safe to assume that use is widespread across the NFL.
You can buy recreational marijuana at retail in Colorado. It looks like a mom and pop business now, but major corporations will probably get involved. There's profit in vice.
Someday the NFL merchandise catalog might include rolling papers with official team logos. Wait until Zig Zag bids on stadium signage alongside Budweiser. Synergy? NFL sponsor Frito-Lay can promote its products as the answer to midnight munchies.
Who knows, 50 years from now there may be a need to post a disclaimer at the Art Rooney statue explaining that the fatty in The Chief's hand is just a cigar.
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--HISTORY NOTE
At the first outdoor cold weather Super Bowl, the NFL charged $11 for hot chocolate.
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--PAINFUL REMINDER
The Seahawks defense -- fast, aggressive, violent -- brought back memories of the way the Steelers used to play.
It also served as a reminder of how much work the current Steelers have to do.
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--KINER'S CORNER
Ralph Kiner's passing brought back the famous Branch Rickey quote of, "We finished last with you, we can finish last without you."
What Rickey's dismissive putdown didn't note was how many tickets Kiner sold for the Pirates when the teams were pretty rotten.
Kiner was a genuine drawing card. The Pirates were last in a lot of categories in those years, but attendance wasn't one of them.

Beaver County Times, February 2, 2014

If the Pirates don't re-sign A.J. Burnett, what will they do to replace him?
You can make the case that Burnett is far from Cy Young, that he wants too much money, that he's near the end of the line, and that he's often a tattooed pain in the neck.
All valid points, but here's the overriding issue: He was a durable and dependable starting pitcher on a team that succeeded mostly because of its pitching in 2013.
There's a price tag on every player. Teams decide what a player is worth, and that doesn't always coincide with the figure the player has in mind. That's why salary arbitration and free agency are part of the process.
The Pirates may have decided Burnett is too expensive, and that's fine. But if he leaves, they have to make up 191 innings and some pretty good work.
What makes abandoning Burnett risky is the Pirates don't have a rotation that should inspire a lot of confidence.
Wandy Rodriguez didn't pitch after June 5 last year. He's 35. Jeff Locke made the All-Star team, but had a terrible second half. He was only trusted to start four times over the last 31 games.
Francisco Liriano did a tremendous job. He showed signs of wearing down at the end, though, and wasn't nearly as good in the last month of the season.
Charlie Morton, as always, has tremendous talent. But is he a go-to guy?
Gerrit Cole got better as the season went on, and was the Pirates' best starter at the end of the season. However, his resume consists of 21 major league starts.
Free agent Edinson Volquez has been signed with the hope pitching coach Ray Searage can engineer the kind of rebuild he did with Liriano. Searage is good, but he couldn't fix Jonathan Sanchez last year, and he didn't find a way to straighten out Locke in the second half.
GM Neal Huntington has said more than once that a team needs seven or eight starters rather than five. Injuries always happen.
The Pirates have Jameson Taillon in the wings, and he could be up by mid-season. He's a prospect, but Jim Leyland was fond of saying, "A prospect is somebody who hasn't done anything yet."
Brandon Cumpton was competent, but his track record is five major league starts. Jeanmar Gomez was a capable swing man.
The Pirates will still apparently have a spotty offense. Marlon Byrd, who helped greatly down the stretch, is gone. They're going to rely on pitching again, and that currently appears to be a risky proposition.
They don't have to re-sign Burnett. But they do have to replace him.
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--WINTER WONDERLAND
The New York Rangers had a two-game stand at Yankee Stadium last week.
They won outdoor games on Sunday afternoon and Wednesday night.
The NHL has struck gold with outdoor games. Not only do they get a gate that's two to three times larger than a standard game, they also sell commemorative merchandise at the customary mark-up.
One of these days fans are going to wise up and realize they're paying premium prices to freeze and sit a mile away from the action.
Until that happens, though, the league is redefining the term cold cash.