Bucs v. Astros --Live Coverage

Here we go...the first live blog of the season. I'll try this out a couple of times during Spring Training and then possibly during season road games. Home game recaps should be full of pictures...with a view from where else, but Section 138. With just a few minutes to go until opening pitch...I'll be back.

1:06pm: Tim Neverett reading the line-ups. Astros take to the field. My first time hearing Bob Walk doing some color comentating.

1:08pm: Nyjer leading off. First pitch strike. After a 1-2 count, looks at strike 3. One away. Andrew McCutchen next up. First pitch ball, second one a strike. Cutch takes strike two. Hit to SS, ball in the dirt and Cutch is safe. One on, one out. Scored as an error.

1:12pm: Ramon Vasquez up to bat. Vazquez pops up to behind the pitchers mound. Caught by Berkman. 2 gone.

1:14pm: Adam LaRoche batting clean-up. Looks at strike one. Looks at strike two. Cutch runs on 2-2 count and gets a stolen base. Low throw. 3-2 runner on second.

1:17pm: LaRoche strikes out. Moehler pitches good inning. Staff ace Paul Maholm coming to the mound.

1:20pm: Matsui leads off. First pitch is a ball high and outside. Bixler makes a play without an error! One down.

1:22pm: Hunter Pence. 2-2 count. Strike three on Pence. Lance Berkman up next.

1:24pm: Berkman has a 2-2 count. No one on. Count worked full on a close ball three. Pop up to shallow right, Moss makes the catch. 0-0 after one inning.

1:28pm: Craig Monroe batting DH leads off the second inning. Walk hates that a DH is used when National League teams play each other. I would have to agree with him on this. Why not make Spring Training as similar to the regular season as possible? Monroe grounds out to the third baseman 5-3 ground out.

1:30pm: Brandon Moss up to bat. Crushed a pitch that was over the plate just over the wall. 1-0 Buccos. LaRoche Jr, pops out to CF. Two gone.

1:31pm: Bixler to bat. some little kid yelling for his mommy. Gotta love ST ball. Bixler hits it deep into the CF gap. Two out double. Robinson Diaz up to bat.

1:32pm: Diaz grounder to third base. Thrown out. Pirates lead 1-0 off Moss' homer.

1:35pm: Carlos Lee up to bat against Maholm in his final inning of work. Bounces first pitch to Bixler for a 6-3 ground out.

1:36pm: Tejada up next. Two hopper to short. Two gone.

1:37pm: Blum up now. 0-2 count following a hard hit foul ball along third base. Swing and a miss for the final out. Maholm pitches well and sits down all 6 batters he faces. Jeff Karstens coming to the mound next for the Pirates.

1:40pm: Back to the top of the order. Morgan puts down a bunt that rolls foul. Morgan grounds out to second.

1:42pm: Cutch up to bat. Draws the walk thanks to an odd call on the pitcher.

1:43pm: Vasquez hits to second. 4-6-3 double play. Inning over. I'll be cutting down on how much I'm writing now as I try to make myself something to eat for lunch.

1:45pm: Jeff Karstens on the mound. One hit on a slight miscommunication between Bixler and LaRoche, Jr. All is forgiven as Quintero hits into a double play, to who else, but Bixler.

1:55pm: Craig Monroe hits what should have been a 2-run homer. Thanks to LaRoche barely running down the line on a hit back to the mound, it's only a solo shot. More on that coming up at the break.

2:00pm: LaRoche, Jr drills a ball up the middle for a two out base hit. Bixler flies out to right field for the final out. Buccos lead 2-0 after Monroe's homer.

A lot has been said about Doug Mientkiewicz and his attitude in the clubhouse. Check out any of the major Pirates blogs or messageboards and you can see that this guy had a huge fan following in Pittsburgh. He had passion. Part of that passion was making sure you run out every ground ball and put forth your best effort. Adam LaRoche did not do this in his last at bat. Adam is in the hotseat this year and he needs to put forth some effort to make sure he is ready to be traded to a contender come the end of July.

2:07pm: Bottom of the 4th. Matsui on. A hit past Bixler at short results in an error and two men on. Matsui tags and scores on a sac fly for Berkman. 2-1 Pirates. Lee flies out to Moss two down. Tejada is out. Karstens wraps up his pitching duties. Sounds like Evan Meek will be coming in to pitch the next inning.

2:13pm: Robinson Diaz hits a deep shot to left center off of Jose Valverde. Third homer for the Pirates. 3-1. Lots of muscle being flexed today.

2:16pm: Nyjer hits a ball to the outfield. Base hit and is on first. One on, none out and one run has already crossed the plate. Morgan gets a stolen base. Momentum is all on the Pirates side now it seems.

2:18pm: McCutchen strikes out. First guy down. Vasquez up to bat. Vasquez hits a shot up the middle. Morgan scores from second beating the throw from the outfield. 4-1 Pirates.

2:20pm: Adam LaRoche back up to bat. Meek has sat down in the bullpen, Capps up and pitching. LaRoche works the count to 3-0. Now 3-1. Strike out, throw up double play.

2:27pm: Capps in to pitch. First batter flies out to left fielder Jeff Salazar. Capps strikes out the second batter. Two gone. Seems to be pitching a much better game compared to his first outing. Bixler unable to come up with the next batter's hit. One on, two outs.

2:29pm: Hit back to Bixler. Flips to second baseman Shelby Ford. Third and final out of this inning. Pirates still lead 4-1.

2:34pm: Top of the 6th. First two Pirate batters have sat down. Frank Coonelly in the booth with John Wehner and Tim Neverett. Not too much action on the field. Coonelly, Neverett, and Wehner talking about the starting pitching and how they have gone through 4 ST games without giving up an earned run (Snell gave up two runs the other day, both were unearned thanks to a Bixler error). We go to the bottom of the 6th with the Pirates ahead 4-1. Frank Coonelly will be joining the broadcasters again.

2:41pm: Jesse Chavez strikes out Matsui. Coonelly, Neverett, and Wehner talking about renovations made to Pirate City. Neil Walker unable to get Bourn out after a bunt. One on, one out. Coonelly now marks out for Walker. Former Pirate Jason Michaels up to bat.

2:48pm: Gall RBI double. Former Pirate Matt Kata hits a RBI triple. Kata ripped the ball deep to center field. 4-3 Pirates. Two out.

2:50pm: Phillips flipps a grounder behind first to Chavez covering the bag. End of the 6th. Pirates lead 4-3.

2:54pm: Bixler up first and gets out. Wehner says Bixler seems more comfortable at the plate this year compared to last year. Diaz up now and walks. Jeff Salazar up to bat.

2:57pm: Jeff Salazr hits a two run shot. 4th homer for the Pirates today. They double their lead to 6-3. McCutchen up to bat.

2:59pm: McCutchen gets his second strike out. Shelby Ford up next to bat. Shelby grounds out to third. Heading into the stretch, it's Pittsburgh 6 Houston 3.

3:09pm: Craig Hansen comes in to pitch the 7th inning. Hits the first batter he faces. Neverett and Wehner talking about control issues from last year and Hensen having an advantage for the bullpen as he is out of options for this year. Hensen proceeded to get the next three batters out. We go to the 8th inning. Pirates doubling the Astros, 6-3.

3:14pm: Not too much going on in the top of the 8th. Wehner and Neverett talking about Pedro Alvarez being on the "fast track" to the majors. Garrett Jones gets a basehit. He'll be replacing Moss in right field. Neil Walker hits to Matt Kata for the final out of this half of the 8th.

3:22pm: Denny Bautista gives up a hit and then a RBI triple to Bourn. 6-4 Pirates. Jason Michaels back up to bat. Salazar makes a great catch. Bourn scored from third. 6-5. Game is getting interesting once again. Bautista not having such a great outing right now. Evan Meek is once again warming up in the bullpen.

3:36pm: Joe Kerrigan comes to the mound. Bautista walks the go ahead run. Garrett Jones saves Bautista as he catches a shallow pop-up. Going to the 9th, Pirates lead 6-5. Rough outing for Bautista.

3:46pm: No runs for the Pirates in the top of the 9th. 6-5 as they attempt to get their third win of the Spring Training season.

3:47pm: Evan Meek looking to pick up a save today. Reggie Abercrombie leads off. The bunt from Reggie catches Neil Walker off-guard. He reaches base to represent the tying run for the Astros. Abercrombine steals second. No one out and the tying run on second.

3:49pm: Juan Mateo warming up in the pen. Meek strikes out Towles. Smith grounds out as Ford throws it to Phillips. Abercrombine to third. Two down.

3:53pm: Meek throws a strike to Bourn, 0-1. Bourn fouls off the second pitch, 0-2. High pitch, 1-2. Bourn lines the ball foul. A ball nearly hits a kid on the concourse. Broken bat looper to Lopez. Third out. Pirates win Pirates win! 6-5.

Pirates pick up their 3rd win of the Spring Training season as they beat the Astros 6-5. 4 home runs, 3 of them solo shots, by the Pirates helped them win this game. The starters continue to post a 0.00 ERA through 4 games this season as Maholm and Karstens combine for 4 innings and 1 unearned run. Paul Maholm gets the win. Moehler gets the loss. Evan Meek picks up the save. Another radio only broadcast tomorrow at 1:05pm.

Lets Go Bucs.

Pirates Drop First Game...Possible Live Coverage Today

So the Pirates lost to the Braves yesterday afternoon 5-2. The headline of yesterday's game seems to be that Tom Gorzelanny pitched two decent innings without yielding a run. He had two walks in his outing, however, everyone seems to be more impressed with the no runs allowed. Without hearing or seeing Gorzo's performance, it's hard for me to get excited about what he did (unless he went out and threw an 18-pitch 6 strikeout outing).

Today, the Pirates will square off against the Houston Astros. Paul Maholm will lead the Buccos against their NL Central Division rivals at 1:05pm. The game will be broadcast on 104.7 FM in Pittsburgh. I will make an attempt to listen to the game and provide live updates as the game goes on.

Check back in to see whats what.

Lets Go Bucs

Pirates Improve to 2-0

What do the Pittsburgh Pirates have in common with the Twins, Yankees, and Mets? They are all tied atop the Grapefruit League with a 2-0 record. That comes after the Buccos pulled off a nineth inning come from behind 2008-style victory over the Boston Red Sox.

Ian Snell gave up two unearned runs in the bottom of the first. Boston pitching looked solid until the top of the nineth as prospects Neil Walker, Jose Tabata, and Pedro Alvarez all came across the plate to place the Pirates in the lead 3-2.

Former Red Sox minor leauger Daniel Haigwood came in for the save. It took only 9 pitches for this kid to get out 3 Red Sox players. Not too bad of an outing by the Pirates pitching staff. Clutch hitting in the 9th by some prospects should put them in a more positive light with fans...especially that Pedro guy.

Lets Go Bucs

Spring Training Game 1: Phillies @ Pirates

The Pirates hosted the World Champion Philadelphia Phillies this afternoon in Bradenton. Buccos topped the Phils 8-2 in a rather impressive pitching and offensive showing. I know, it was a lot of minor league players and relief pitchers...no superstars batting 3-4 times a game, so on and so on.

Mind you, I only listened to the game from the 8th inning on, so most of my opinions will be based off of what I read on the box score.

Chris Bootcheck seemed to pitch well. That's about it.

Matt Capps had some difficulties and was the only pitcher of the 9 Pirates that went out on the mound to walk batters. It was like a flashback to Opening Day last year in Atlanta. He'll get his control issues figured out though.

Romulo allowed the first run of the day for the Pirates. Still no real harm as the Pirates would come back to score in the bottom of the 3rd.

Shelby Ford. Remember that name, because one day, I think he's going to be a GREAT baseball player. He cracked a 3 run homer in the bottom of the 4th, the first and only of the game. Plus, doesn't Shelby Ford sound like such a great baseball name?

Evan Meek sounded solid today. Jesse Chavez...not so much.

I know this is a very small sample size, however, I do feel pretty encouraged by what I have seen and heard today.

Tim Neverett sounds like a stereotypical baseball/sports broadcaster. I think he fills Lanny's shoes rather nicely...except for he doesn't quite have the passion that Lanny had.

It'll be interesting to see how the extended ST plays out.

Pirates improve to 1-0 on the season.

Let's Go Bucs!
Vote for Romulo

Countdown to Opening Day...Sort Of

We are just 2 days away from the first game of the 2009 campaign. Well, sort of. The Pirates open up Spring Training play this Wednesday against the world champion Philadelphia Phillies. This is when I start to get excited about the upcoming season. It'll be exciting to see so many different options playing for the Pirates this spring. It'll be interesting to see who the real surprises are this year.


Phil Dumatrait is still being looked at as a starter, instead of a bullpen pitcher. I liked Dumatrait a lot last year. Until his injury, I feel like he was one of the most solid pitchers in the rotation. I will be excited to see him come back this year. At least management hasn't ruled this guy out yet.

I was looking at pictures of Gorzelanny this week on the PG website. He looks a lot thinner than last year and looks to be in great shape. I'm hoping that he is going to pitch the same way he did two years ago. If we can get Snell, Gorzo, and Maholm pitching well, I feel like there are good odds of the Pirates improving on their 67-95 record of last year.

Let's Go Bucs!

Oh Man!

I'm not trying to read too much into this, but it seems like the Pirates may be adding some security and depth to their bullpen this year when a certain super Jew may no longer be on the team.

It was reported on ESPN.com that the Pirates are in talks with Will Ohman, formally of the Atlanta Braves. According to the report, Ohman is also in talks with the Marlins and Padres. Add on to that list some possible contention teams (which aren't all teams in contention at this time of the year?) and it seems like there really isn't a good chance of Ohman coming to the Pirates so I'm pretty much done wasting my time writing on him.

Bring in Joe Beimel. At least last year Beimel had a drunken fan that sat in the bleachers and was quite amusing. He also had sideburns that reminded me of John Popper from Blues Traveler.

On a side note...I have two goals for this season:

1. Have Romulo Sanchez voted as the Fan Voted Bobblehead
2. Have John Grabow sign something "Top Jewish Pitcher of 2008"

That would make 2009 the best season yet for me.

Let's Go Bucs!
Vote for Romulo!

The Great Nate Contract

Well well well....

It came down to the eleventh hour today, but Nate McLouth and the Pittsburgh Pirates reached a very nice three-year deal, with a club option for a fourth year. Knowing that McLouth was going to be a necessary center-piece to the future of this team...maybe keystone would have been a better term...or corner stone.

Anyhow, McLouth will be vital to this team's success in the upcoming years, as long as he can put up similar or better numbers to those of last year. I think most fans would be pleased with a .276/25+ HR/90+ RBI season which included a Gold Glove and All-Star appearance. And for a guaranteed $15.75 million over three years, it could be a worthwhile expense. With bonuses, there is the potential for $27 million over three years. As with some of the other players recently signed to long-term deals, I hope McLouth doesn't crap the bed and go on the DL for three months.

I'm not going to pass judgment on whether or not this was a great signing until I see some results from McLouth. I know that I am personally hoping that he puts up some great numbers so the baseball and bat that I have signed by him will be worth something some day.

I would also like to add that, from a PR standpoint, this was a great move by the front office.

In other news...

There was a package on some ABC News show tonight featuring Rinku and Dinesh being the first ever India baseball players signed to a contract by a major league team. It was a good piece even though its all stuff we already know. I don't know if I'm just buying into the hype, but I feel like at least one of these guys will make it big.

I honestly don't find too much exciting about the start of Spring Training, so for the next 7-8 days, my posts may be limited. Once we get into more game action, then I'll be excited.

Lets Go Bucs!
Vote for Romulo!

Back to Baseball

There is no question in my mind that Pedro Alvarez is going to be the most watched player in Spring Training.

Is it because he was the big name first round draft pick from last year? No.

Is it because he is the future of the Pittsburgh Pirates? No.

It's because "El Gordo", as some have come to refer to him as, showed up to mini-camp last month large and in charge. Alvarez irked many in Pirate nation when he showed up out of shape and obviously packing a few extra pounds. And given the contract fiasco of last summer, it's going to take a lot of time Alvarez to fall into the good graces of fans here. There is no doubt in my mind that when he does finally make it to PNC Park, there will be a smattering of boos from the fans when his name is first announced. Many will call him a "cancer". Ol' Pedro has been tagged as a stand-up kid from humble beginnings. Alvarez will need to prove himself as a leader in the clubhouse. He will need to put up ridiculous numbers in his rookie year just to win fans over. Even then, the most cynical of fans will say it was beginners luck. I would not want to be in Pedro Alvarez's shoes the first time he walks onto the field at PNC Park. The magnifying glass will be on him so intensely that he may end up burning like an ant under the hot summer sun.

Moving on...

In an article posted on pirates.com yesterday, Nate McLouth believes that as his agent and the Pirates talk, it is possible for arbitration hearings to be avoided before the scheduled date of February 17th, which is this coming Tuesday. It's not going to happen. Nate McLouth will be the only one of the six Pirates players that will head into his arbitration hearing. McLouth's performance last year was just too good for his agent to agree to what the Pirates have offered Nate the Great. Unlike some players (Jack Wilson & Adam LaRoche) who have fallen out of good graces with many Pirate fans, McLouth is seen as a vital part of the future of this team. He will not be hated by the fans for this sort of thing. With McLouth ready to play an entire season in CF this year, don't expect his numbers to fall off like they did at the end of last season. I'll predict a 30 HR year and another All-Star game for Nate.

Let's Go Bucs!
Vote for Romulo!

A Non-Baseball Post and Some Other Things

So I know that today is the first day for pitchers & catchers to report to Spring Training and I should probably be posting on that topic. And I will here at some point tonight. However, I wanted to make a non-baseball related post about something that has been irking me for some time now.

That thing...Jon & Kate Plus 8 (from here on out to be referred to as JAKP8). A staple of the TLC Network. Easily the most popular show on the network and probably one of the most aired programs. It seems like everyday of every week, there is a mini-marathon of JAKP8. I will list some of the most annoying things about this show.

The Never Ending Show

TLC needs to just make a special channel dedicated only to JAKP8. Just about anytime I turn on TLC, JAKP8 is on. And it's either the new episode that aired on Monday, some older show from when the sextuplets were just born, or some clips and best of show. It's time for TLC to give the Gosselins their own channel. Then, they could just air their lives live and unedited.

Kate Gosselin

Probably the most annoying part of the show. I feel like this list is going to be endless. First, I can't decide if Kate is a semi-hot mom or an annoying cooter. The more I watch the show, the more I am leaning towards the later. Second, I hate how Kate makes it seem like she is supermom taking care of 8 kids on her own. No you dont you annoying anal witch. You have hired help, which is more than likely paid by the sponsors and advertisers of the show. Third, clean freak. How can you expect to be a clean freak with 8 kids? They are going to get dirty and want to try and explore things. Get over it Kate that they are going to get dirty and poop in their pants. It's natural and isn't the worst disaster in the entire world. Clean it up and move on with your life. Fourth, the belittling of Jon. I tend to view Jon and myself as having similar personalities. Very easy-going and indecisive. When you mix someone like Jon and an Anal Annie like Kate, there are going to be differences on how your house should be run. Leave him alone and let him live life. He's made it this far in life with that personality. It's not likely going to change either, no matter how much nagging you do. To quote Jon..."When are you going to pull the stick out?"

Influence on Society

Thanks to the Gosselins, it seems like there is a rise on people wanting to have multiple births. Doc Octo Mom is the latest example of this. Multiple births and the attention whores of families they create is so annoying. I dare you to watch 5 minutes of coverage on Octo Mom and not be annoyed with her by the end of the time limit.

I literally feel better getting this off my chest. My hate for the Gosselins is weird. Despite the venom I just spewed about the show, I still find myself watching the show when it is on. And, I always feel annoyed and angry after watching this show.


Back to sports...

Daniel Sepulveda, punter for the Pittsburgh Steelers, will be speaking at the Jubilee conference at the convention center tomorrow. I will be going down to check out his speaking and perhaps I will post an update on here sometime tomorrow.

"The Flying Dutchman" Endorses Romulo

Not as good as the previous post, however, seeing that inspired me.

More Propaganda

Thanks to Pirate Revolution & WHYGAVS.

Rinku & Dinesh Go To Pirate City

That's it. I'm calling the movie rights to these two guys right now. The story writes itself. Someone places a casting call for a reality TV show in India to find the most powerful and accurate arm in the entire country. The prize: a trip to the United States of America to pitch infront of major league scouts and the opportunity to sign a contract to a baseball team. And then, to the amazement of many, two men, who don't even have the slightest clue of what a baseball is or what the rules of baseball are, are signed to a contract. Yankees? No. Red Sox? No. Dodgers? Nope. The Pittsburgh Pirates. Ding ding ding! Already a laughing stock of the American sports world, the Pirates, of all teams, take a chance on two guys that never picked up a bat., ball, or glove.

I'm seeing a mixture of Slumdog Millionaire, Rudy, and Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle.

Well, everyone's favorite Indians have arrived in Bradenton, FL for Spring Training. They are so egar to pitch, but they must wait one more week. I'm hoping the best for these two guys. I'd love to see at least one of them be successful so the movie can be made.

I believe that the best writers in Hollywood couldn't even write stuff like this:

"We also going American Doctor. this is first time we ever going doctor like this. He having many things he testing us with. They hit knee with rubber hammer. He looking in our nose and ears even. He also checking us for hernia. We not saying how he checking, but we happy JB Sir telling us Doctor doing this thing. If he not telling us, being big surprise."

Let's Go Bucs!

Catching Up

I've been pretty busy with work the past few days, so I haven't really had the time to sit down, review Pirates news, and write. So I'm going to go through some news and get caught up with what has been going on.

TJ Beam Claimed Off Waivers By Blue Jays
-- Just as I predicted, Beam was picked up by the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday. No big surprise because I think Beam has the potential to be a decent pitcher. Nothing spectacular, however, nothing horrible either. Best of luck to TJ Beam

Andy LaRoche Tweaks Swing
--According to pirates.com, Andy LaRoche went to hitting coach Don Long's place in the winter to work on some swing mechanics. LaRoche had an awful August and September last season after coming over the the Pirates from the Dodgers. If this kid is going to be our everyday 3rd baseman, he really needs to step it up and live up to that top tier prospect tag he had while in the Dodgers system. Unless Ramon Vasquez or Neil Walker have a great Spring Training, LaRoche will be on 3rd.

Just over 6 days until pitchers and catchers report.

Lets Go Bucs!
Vote for Romulo!

A Vote for Romulo Campaign update

Over the past few days, I have been feeling really down. Not because I hate my job sometimes or because my wife has been really busy. No, those things don't get me down, because I know that once summer comes, I will be on vacation for 3 months and in a few weeks, my wife will be done with the conference she is planning.

You see, the reason why I'm down is because of the sudden lack of support from the Vote for Romulo campaign. The VFR campaign began as a joke back on Sunday January 25, 2009 while I was at PirateFest. I made a visit to the Trib kiosk to place my vote for the Pirates fan voted bobblehead and to lie through my teeth to the Trib representative about how I occasionally buy the Trib on Sundays and eventually shoot down his "special offer" for a subscription. I put Romulo Sanchez down on the line, simply as a joke. As I walked around PirateFest for another hour or so, I was thinking to myself, "Wouldn't it be awesome to start a campaign to get a Romulo Sanchez bobblehead and see how many people would buy into it." And, I had recently had an interest in starting a blog about the Pirates...as I was inspired by various other Pirates blogs, and my good friend, The Unemployed Asshole. And so it started with a little post that evening.

That Monday, BucDugout.com picked up the story on the campaign.

On Tuesday, it was The Green Weenie.

Wednesday, WHYGAVS.

And then...much to my delight...Thursday morning on the PBC Blog on the Post-Gazette website, Dejan linked to WHYGAVS and the story of the Vote for Romulo bobblehead. I emailed Dejan the day before about getting this blog on the list of blogs on that site, but couldn't due to missing one key qualification...I wasn't a year old in blogger.

Then, as quickly as the momentum built up, it seemed to come crashing down. All of a sudden, people on the PBC blog started to post "Why vote for Romulo? We should be voting for any of the '90-'92 Pirates." Then it just got worse from there.

Honus Wagner.

One of the greatest players, not only in Pittsburgh Pirates history, but in all of Major League Baseball history. I mean, Dejan clearly laid out Honus' track record:

3,415 hits
.391 OBP
.327 average
.857 OPS

Plus, numerous other accolades. He is honored with a statue outside the home plate rotunda at PNC Park. He's in the Hall of Fame. His baseball card is worth HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of dollars.

Why disgrace...yes I said DISGRACE such an important ball player with a freaking bobblehead? last year, Tom Gorzelanny had a bobblehead that was giving the middle finger!

You know what will happen with a Honus Wagner bobblehead? Every 9-15 year old kid at that ballpark will say "This isn't (insert popular or current Pirates or other player name here). I'm breaking this thing apart!" I can guarantee there will be hundreds of Honus Wagner pieces laying around PNC Park by the time Matt Capps throws his final pitch against the Dodgers and picks up his 60th save of the year.

What worth is a Manny Sanguillen signature going to have on a Honus Wagner bobblehead? NONE.

What worth will a Romulo Sanchez signature have on a Romulo Sanchez bobblehead? Well...a little more than nothing.

Maybe, just maybe with the love and support of Pirate Nation, Romulo Sanchez will have a year like none other. Maybe, just maybe, we can make him the most sought after reliever after the 2009 season.

Honor the players that DESERVE to be honored with a bobblehead...the current ones.

Honor the greats where they deserve to be honored...in the Hall of Fame, as a retired number, as a statue towering over fans as they enter or walk around the ballpark. Not as a goofy looking bobblehead.

All of that being said, I must thank all of my continued supporters in the Vote for Romulo campaign. Including my two newest supporters, Raise the Jolly Roger and Bucs Trade Winds.

It seems that the battle lines have been drawn in the sand. You have until April 30th to make it happen.

Now, more than ever, Lets Go Bucs...Lets Go Romulo!

Coup d'état

And so it begins. Posters on the PBC blog have started to resist the Vote for Romulo campaign. Dejan has even joined the bandwagon to have a Honus Wagner bobblehead as the fan vote bobblehead.

Why would you take a man who had one of the gretest careers in baseball history and honor him with a goofy looking bobblehead? I don't feel as if a bobblehead is the best way to honor such a historic player. Bobbleheads should be reserved for current players. Historic and important players should be saved for retired numbers and statues.

I encourage you to continue to vote for Romulo.

Let's Go Bucs

Goin' 2 Da Ship

Breaking News: Pirates Third Most Popular Professional Team In Pittsburgh

Obviously, there isn't too much going on in the world of PNC Park today. Dejan has a couple of interesting reports in his weekly Hot Stove article. Andy LaRoche needs to work on building up morale, the Pirates will field trade offers for Adam LaRoche later in the season, more scouts have been added around the world, Neil Walker talks about pressure from the top and bottom at third, John Grabow has elbow chips, the Pirates have changed the way they set up conditioning programs, and yes...more on Eric Hinske.

Steelers...DO IT!
I'll be sure to post more on the headline at some point today.
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photo credit: Hines Ward leaps his way into the end zone and is well on his way to Super Bowl XL MVP - Dan Powers, The Post-Cresscent