You can look in a lot of directions for possible second-half upgrades for the Pirates, but it's this simple: They need pitching.
It's not that they don't need help at other spots, but the most critical need is pitching. The Pirates showed last year that a team can win with spotty offense, as long as the pitching is good enough.
The pitching staff, as presently constituted, is a cause for concern. Temporary success from Jeff Locke, Vance Worley and Brandon Cumpton may make it seem like there's an abundance of starters, but that isn't the case.
None of those is a proven commodity, and there isn't much behind them that's major league-ready at the moment. Opportunities have come because Gerrit Cole is on the disabled list for the second time, and Francisco Liriano is due to come off the DL today. Neither has pitched as well as he did last year.
The old hypothetical question -- Who would start if there was one must-win game? -- has no clear answer right now.
There are other leaks: Josh Harrison is providing fewer miracles, Gregory Polanco is suddenly waving and missing at a lot of pitches, and first base is a frustrating black hole.
Whether they make their evaluations from a spreadsheet or trained eyes, baseball people will generally agree a team never has enough quality pitching.
The Pirates are no exception to that rule.
---
--DIFFERENT VERSION
Root Sports occasionally does retrospective specials, and players take full advantage of the opportunity to rewrite history.
There's one where Bill Madlock describes his success by saying, "I worked hard at it. I would hit, hit, hit, hit. There's no substitute for swinging the bat."
The fact is Madlock rarely took batting practice when he was with the Pirates, and he was so good that Chuck Tanner didn't mind. Madlock's usual pre-game routine at Three Rivers Stadium was to sit in a recliner watching TV with a bowl of potato chips.
He would hit the field about a half hour before game time, stretch, and usually go 2-for-4.
But the real disconnect came in Root's special on Tanner where Bert Blyleven says, without irony, "If you couldn't play for Chuck Tanner, you couldn't play for anyone."
Oh really? In 1980, the Pirates were defending World Series champions when Blyleven quit the team in late April because he felt Tanner was taking him out of games too early. Blyleven said he personally liked Tanner, "but I didn't like the way he handled me. He showed no confidence in me in the late innings of a close game."
Regrets? He had none. When he returned to the Pirates 10 days later, Blyleven said, "I'm proud of what I did, and I might do it again. Until they trade me, I'll do what I have to do. I was always looking over my shoulder after the fifth inning. Tanner showed little faith in me. I began to lose my competitiveness. I feel that I can't produce under Chuck Tanner."
The Pirates were so mad that they traded Blyleven after the season, exiling him to Cleveland for a four-man bag of nothing. Tanner, who rarely criticized a player in public, referred to his wandering pitcher as "Cry-leven" after the fact.
Just some small details that have been lost with the passage of time.
---
--ON THE MARK
Usually the most memorable home run calls reflect jubilation. But Tim Neverett's plaintive, "Not again....not again" was just about perfect when the Pirates lost a second consecutive game in St. Louis on a walk off home run.
Saturday, July 19, 2014
Beaver County Times, July 6, 2014
Back when the Bill Cowher weekly press conference was must-see TV, you could count on two things:
He would make at least one reference to the "thin line between winning and losing" and he would assert at least once that he wouldn't play the "what-if" game.
In tribute to those days, let's play the what-if game to demonstrate the thin line between winning and losing.
Since the Rangers eliminated them from the Stanley Cup playoffs, the Penguins have fired their general manager, dumped the entire coaching staff and turned over about one third of the roster. They're not done making changes, either.
So what if Sidney Crosby had scored just one more goal during the Rangers series? He had one in the seven games. Had another goal come at an opportune time, the Penguins probably would have won the series, maybe in five games. They would have been favored in the next series against Montreal, and would have had an excellent chance at beating the Canadiens.
It's doubtful they would have beaten Los Angeles in the Cup final, but just getting there would have represented progress and radically rewritten their disturbingly consistent postseason story line.
Crosby couldn't get that other goal. The Penguins lost. So now moving companies and realtors are experiencing booming business. When you tally up the money remaining on the contracts of Ray Shero and Dan Bylsma, and add that amount to the lost ticket revenue from a third playoff series, the number is somewhere north of $10 million. That's what the lack of a second Crosby goal cost the organization.
Much of the roster churn may have been inevitable, given the Penguins' salary cap situation. The Penguins were in no position to pay the kind of money Matt Niskanen and Brooks Orpik found on the open market. But the overall changes wouldn't have been nearly as radical if they had beaten the Rangers.
Crosby didn't find that second postseason goal. Now there will be a new group of players greeted by a new staff when training camp opens in September.
That thin line between winning and losing is the reason you don't drive yourself crazy playing the what-if game.
---
--FALLING STOCK
Clint Hurdle used his pre-game session the other day to express a degree of disappointment with Pedro Alvarez.
Interesting as it was to hear those words, Hurdle's actions speak even louder. When you're removing the club's projected clean-up man for pinch hitters and replacing him for defensive purposes in the late innings, it's pretty apparent the manager has lost confidence in the player. After a bad start, the Pirates have an urgency to win games. Hurdle is making it clear their best chance to do that sometimes involves putting Alvarez on the bench.
Alvarez is two years away from free agency, which makes this offseason the ideal time for the Pirates to explore their trade options.
Hurdle isn't going anywhere, and he's showing his opinion of Alvarez has dropped.
---
--BIG SMILES
The Pirates had Photo Day recently, where fans get to come on the field and take pictures with the players.
It's always good to see a smiling fan with his arm around someone he's been ripping on social media for the last three months.
---
--MIRROR IMAGE
A lot of people have noted Ike Davis' obvious resemblance to former Pirates first baseman Adam LaRoche.
As LaRoches go, better Adam than Andy.
He would make at least one reference to the "thin line between winning and losing" and he would assert at least once that he wouldn't play the "what-if" game.
In tribute to those days, let's play the what-if game to demonstrate the thin line between winning and losing.
Since the Rangers eliminated them from the Stanley Cup playoffs, the Penguins have fired their general manager, dumped the entire coaching staff and turned over about one third of the roster. They're not done making changes, either.
So what if Sidney Crosby had scored just one more goal during the Rangers series? He had one in the seven games. Had another goal come at an opportune time, the Penguins probably would have won the series, maybe in five games. They would have been favored in the next series against Montreal, and would have had an excellent chance at beating the Canadiens.
It's doubtful they would have beaten Los Angeles in the Cup final, but just getting there would have represented progress and radically rewritten their disturbingly consistent postseason story line.
Crosby couldn't get that other goal. The Penguins lost. So now moving companies and realtors are experiencing booming business. When you tally up the money remaining on the contracts of Ray Shero and Dan Bylsma, and add that amount to the lost ticket revenue from a third playoff series, the number is somewhere north of $10 million. That's what the lack of a second Crosby goal cost the organization.
Much of the roster churn may have been inevitable, given the Penguins' salary cap situation. The Penguins were in no position to pay the kind of money Matt Niskanen and Brooks Orpik found on the open market. But the overall changes wouldn't have been nearly as radical if they had beaten the Rangers.
Crosby didn't find that second postseason goal. Now there will be a new group of players greeted by a new staff when training camp opens in September.
That thin line between winning and losing is the reason you don't drive yourself crazy playing the what-if game.
---
--FALLING STOCK
Clint Hurdle used his pre-game session the other day to express a degree of disappointment with Pedro Alvarez.
Interesting as it was to hear those words, Hurdle's actions speak even louder. When you're removing the club's projected clean-up man for pinch hitters and replacing him for defensive purposes in the late innings, it's pretty apparent the manager has lost confidence in the player. After a bad start, the Pirates have an urgency to win games. Hurdle is making it clear their best chance to do that sometimes involves putting Alvarez on the bench.
Alvarez is two years away from free agency, which makes this offseason the ideal time for the Pirates to explore their trade options.
Hurdle isn't going anywhere, and he's showing his opinion of Alvarez has dropped.
---
--BIG SMILES
The Pirates had Photo Day recently, where fans get to come on the field and take pictures with the players.
It's always good to see a smiling fan with his arm around someone he's been ripping on social media for the last three months.
---
--MIRROR IMAGE
A lot of people have noted Ike Davis' obvious resemblance to former Pirates first baseman Adam LaRoche.
As LaRoches go, better Adam than Andy.
Beaver County Times, June 29, 2014
The Penguins' eventful offseason took an especially interesting turn when Mike Johnston's hiring as head coach was announced last week.
It wasn't even that Johnston was hired after he failed to make the initial list of candidates. Rather it was the simultaneous announcement that Rick Tocchet would be his No. 1 assistant.
Tocchet's inclusion on the staff was apparently mandated by ownership, part of the organization's stated goal to increase its level of grit after five years of playoff disappointment. Tocchet's hiring appeared to be non-negotiable, and it reportedly became a deal breaker for at least one potential coaching candidate.
Little wonder. Coaches want to pick their own assistants. Staffs spend hours together, and it's important that they're all on the same page. It's difficult to feel that loyalty when you don't even know the guy who's been selected as your top aide.
This may all turn out fine. Tocchet is a hard worker whose devotion to hockey was unquestioned as a player. He was a key addition to the Penguins' second Stanley Cup team, a fierce competitor who once played after his jaw was broken. He wore six different uniforms in the NHL, but he always played like a Flyer.
Tocchet's coaching record was too spotty to make him a serious candidate for the head coaching job, so he's been cast as an assistant. He's been designated as the butt kicker, the hard guy who will try to translate his approach to the game to a team that often seems to lack passion.
But it's an awkward fit, especially with a rookie head coach who doesn't have the name or NHL history that Tocchet does. Tocchet is close to Mario Lemieux. He watched playoff games from the owner's box this spring. Isn't it disconcerting to know your assistant plays golf with your boss?
What if the players take Tocchet's message more than Johnston's? Pascal Dupuis did an interview on 93.7 The Fan and said his reaction to the hiring was to do a Google search on Johnston. He'd obviously never heard of him. There isn't a player in the locker room who doesn't know who Tocchet is.
What happens if the players look past Johnston to hear what Tocchet has to say? If Tocchet becomes their go-to guy, doesn't Johnston then become an empty suit, a head coach in name only? The situation has the potential to be uncomfortable.
Ownership's philosophy is basically correct. The Penguins will be a better team if they play with the commitment that Tocchet had a player.
But the execution of bringing that fire to the team is clumsy, and could wind up being disruptive.
---
--BOOK IT
The Angels will now try to figure out what went wrong with Jason Grilli.
It could be that age has caught up with him, it could be that an accumulation of injuries has made him less effective, or it could be that he's just going through a rough patch that can be corrected.
Here's what it's not: It's not that he's been distracted by promoting his awful book. Baseball isn't football, where every minute of game day is programmed by the team. Shaking hands with people at Giant Eagle at noon isn't likely to have an effect on a relief pitcher's performance 10 hours later.
Players routinely make appearances for the team on game days. It isn't a big deal.
---
--HI, FRIENDS
There was a time when the phrase "drone at PNC Park" was a pithy reference to Lanny.
It wasn't even that Johnston was hired after he failed to make the initial list of candidates. Rather it was the simultaneous announcement that Rick Tocchet would be his No. 1 assistant.
Tocchet's inclusion on the staff was apparently mandated by ownership, part of the organization's stated goal to increase its level of grit after five years of playoff disappointment. Tocchet's hiring appeared to be non-negotiable, and it reportedly became a deal breaker for at least one potential coaching candidate.
Little wonder. Coaches want to pick their own assistants. Staffs spend hours together, and it's important that they're all on the same page. It's difficult to feel that loyalty when you don't even know the guy who's been selected as your top aide.
This may all turn out fine. Tocchet is a hard worker whose devotion to hockey was unquestioned as a player. He was a key addition to the Penguins' second Stanley Cup team, a fierce competitor who once played after his jaw was broken. He wore six different uniforms in the NHL, but he always played like a Flyer.
Tocchet's coaching record was too spotty to make him a serious candidate for the head coaching job, so he's been cast as an assistant. He's been designated as the butt kicker, the hard guy who will try to translate his approach to the game to a team that often seems to lack passion.
But it's an awkward fit, especially with a rookie head coach who doesn't have the name or NHL history that Tocchet does. Tocchet is close to Mario Lemieux. He watched playoff games from the owner's box this spring. Isn't it disconcerting to know your assistant plays golf with your boss?
What if the players take Tocchet's message more than Johnston's? Pascal Dupuis did an interview on 93.7 The Fan and said his reaction to the hiring was to do a Google search on Johnston. He'd obviously never heard of him. There isn't a player in the locker room who doesn't know who Tocchet is.
What happens if the players look past Johnston to hear what Tocchet has to say? If Tocchet becomes their go-to guy, doesn't Johnston then become an empty suit, a head coach in name only? The situation has the potential to be uncomfortable.
Ownership's philosophy is basically correct. The Penguins will be a better team if they play with the commitment that Tocchet had a player.
But the execution of bringing that fire to the team is clumsy, and could wind up being disruptive.
---
--BOOK IT
The Angels will now try to figure out what went wrong with Jason Grilli.
It could be that age has caught up with him, it could be that an accumulation of injuries has made him less effective, or it could be that he's just going through a rough patch that can be corrected.
Here's what it's not: It's not that he's been distracted by promoting his awful book. Baseball isn't football, where every minute of game day is programmed by the team. Shaking hands with people at Giant Eagle at noon isn't likely to have an effect on a relief pitcher's performance 10 hours later.
Players routinely make appearances for the team on game days. It isn't a big deal.
---
--HI, FRIENDS
There was a time when the phrase "drone at PNC Park" was a pithy reference to Lanny.
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