The Young Quote Controversy

"There are a lot of good players over there, and there's a road block every which way you look," Young said. "You come over here, and you have opportunity everywhere you look. So, it's a good thing to come over here and be a part of that." --Delwyn Young 4.17.09 Post-Gazette interview

It seems that the recently acquired Delwyn Young has stirred some up some controversy based on a statement he made the other day during an interview to discuss his trade from the Dodgers to the Pirates.

I don't see what the issue is about this. It's obvious that this team is not one that is set to go out and win championships. The Pirates are lacking many of their top prospects on their 25 man roster. And until those prospects start to come up, they are still in a rebuilding mode. Considering that guys Adam LaRoche, Jack Wilson, Nyger Morgan, and possibly Brandon Moss will probably be gone by the end of the year to make way for the prospects, I feel like Young's statement was pretty accurate. There are at least two outfield positions and probably one or two positions in the infield that are not necessarly secured by one particular player for the next two to three years. He does have a lot of opportunities to play here.

There is nothing wrong with saying that there are pleantly of opportunities to play here in Pittsburgh. Give the kid a break and let us see what he can do. And if you want to crucify someone, start looking at our third baseman.

Don't forget to vote for Romulo

Let's Go Bucs!

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photo credit: Delwyn Young, from MLB.com

Just A Reminder...Vote for Romulo

Write in Romulo!

Voting ends April 30th.

Saturday afternoon baseball returns tomorrow. Check back for updates and pictures from the game.

Several Home Opener pictures are here.

What's a Sports Fan to Do?

This coming Wednesday and Friday presents quite a delima for myself and sports fans all around Pittsburgh. The Buccos are offering Buc Night, with $1 hotdogs, popcorn, soda, and tickets on Wednesday. Then on Friday, its $1 hotdogs. Add to that the fact that the Pirates have actually been playing decent baseball (at least on every other day), what is a sports fan to do on these days when the Penguins host the hated Flyers?

Well, for most, the choice should be obvious. If you've got the cash, plunk down the money on Stubhub or eBay and buy yourself some playoff tickets. Or, the better option, sit on the lawn with thousands of Pens fans. There is no doubt in my mind that aside from Mikey and Big Bob flapping their lips, sitting in the lawn is so much better than being in the arena. It's a completely different atmosphere on the lawn. It's lawless and fun. Despite the lawlessness, it still is much calmer than what you'd expect.

But what about those great offers from the Pirates? $1 tickets...$1 sodas...$1 hotdogs...what a great deal. Well, don't worry, because every Friday night the Pirates are selling $1 hotdogs. Well if the pattern holds true, the Pirates will suffer a crushing defeat following an awesome offensive performance. So, based on today's 7-0 win, the Pirates should lose on Wednesday. Which means, get your tickets for Wednesday or get ready to sit in the lawn, watching the Pens game on the large screen. On Friday, go for the Bucco game. You're bound to see a pitching clinic on Friday night as Paul Maholm takes on Jair Jurrjens.

As someone who spent $1,300 on Pirates tickets, its likely I'll still go to PNC over Mellon...unless I have a crowd of friends going to the Pens game to watch it. Then, and only then, would I choose the Pens over the Bucs.

Game #8 Prediction: HOU 7 PIT 8

Pirates home opener is today and here is the prediction for the opener thanks to MLB: The Show. Bottom of the 13th, bases loaded, Freddy blasts a 2 run, game winning double to CF to cap off an exciting extra innings game.

Click here for the box score

Even though I haven't posted predictions for a couple of days, the fantasy Pirates record is 3-5.

Slacker

So I've been slacking a bit on my game predictions this week. It has been busy at work the past few days and this weekend looks to be no different. Since I'm on break for a few days though, I will probably play a couple of games over the weekend and post results on game day. That means rosters may not be accurate...but we only care about the outcome. I would also expect a complete and accurate roster following the Home Opener on Monday. Jason Jaramillo will have played his first game by then.

It's too bad Evan Meek isn't on the real life roster. He's been doing well so far in the game. Now, in the real world of baseball...

2-2 coming out of St. Louie isn't too bad. I expect the Buccos to take 2 out of 3 in Cincy this weekend. The momentum will be lacking on Monday though. Snell is pitching against Aaron Harang Sunday and I'm expecting a repeat performance of Tuesday's game against the Cards.

Game #2 Prediction PIT 3 STL 4

It was another thriller between the Pirates and Cardinals in the second game of the season. Ian Snell had a bit of a rough start allowing 4 runs in the first three innings. He was able to settle down and keep the Cards from scoring. The Pirates scored a run in the 3rd, 7th, and 8th. In an attempt to rally the Buccos loaded the bases in the top of the 9th with 2 outs, however, Pearce struck out and was thrown out as the pitch went wild. Good game, check out the stats below.

(0-1) Pittsburgh Pirates 3
(1-0) St. Louis Cardinals 4
Final

Pitching Stats

Pittsburgh Pirates
Ian Snell 6.0 innings/8 H/4 R/4 ER/1 BB/8 K/6.00 ERA
Evan Meek 1.0 innings/1 H/0 R/0 ER/0 BB/0 K/0.00 ERA
Tyler Yates 1.0 innings/0 H/0 R/0 ER/0 BB/1 K/0.00 ERA

St. Louis Cardinals
Chris Carpenter 7.1 innings/7 H/3 R/3 ER/0 BB/2 K/3.68 ERA
Dennys Reyes 0.2 innings/1 H/0 R/0 ER/0 BB/1 K/3.38 ERA
Chris Perez 1 inning/2 H/0 R/0 ER/0 BB/1 K/0.00 ERA

Hitting Stats

Pittsburgh Pirates
Nyjer Morgan 4 AB/1 R/1 H/0 RBI/0 BB/0 K/.200
Nate McLouth 4 AB/0 R/3 H/1 RBI/0 BB/1 K/.700 (two doubles)
Freddy Sanchez 4 AB/0 R/1 H/0 RBI/0 BB/0 K/.100
Ryan Doumit 4 AB/0 R/0 H/0 RBI/0 BB/2 K/.333
Adam LaRoche 4 AB/1 R/1 H/1 RBI/0 BB/0 K/.222 (home run)
Andy LaRoche 4 AB/0 R/0 H/0 RBI/0 BB/0 K/.222
Brandon Moss 4 AB/0 R/2 H/0 RBI/0 BB/0 K/.444 (one double)
Jack Wilson 3 AB/1 R/1 H/0 RBI/0 BB/0 K/.250 (one double)
b-Eric Hinske 1 AB/0 R/1 H/0 RBI/0 BB/0 K/1.000
Ian Snell 1 AB/0 R/0 H/0 RBI/0 BB/0 K/.000
Evan Meek 0 AB/0 R/0 H/0 RBI/0 BB/0 K/.000
a-Ramon Vasquez 1 AB/0 R/0 H/0 RBI/0 BB/0 K/.000
Tyler Yates 0 AB/0 R/0 H/0 RBI/0 BB/0 K/.000
c-Steve Pearce 1 AB/0 R/0 H/0 RBI/0 BB/1 K/.000
a-Batted for Meek in the 8th
b-Batted for Wilson in the 9th
c-Batted for Yates in the 9th

St. Louis Cardinals
Scott Schumaker 4 AB/0 R/0 H/0 RBI/0 BB/1 K/.000
Chris Duncan 4 AB/1 R/3 H/0 RBI/0 BB/0 K/.600
Albert Pujols 4 AB/1 R/1 H/0 RBI/0 BB/2 K/.400 (double)
Ryan Ludwick 4 AB/2 R/3 H/3 RBI/0 BB/0 K/.444 (double, triple, home run)
Rick Ankiel 4 AB/0 R/1 H/1 RBI/0 BB/1 K/.333
Khalil Greene 3 AB/0 R/1 H/0 RBI/1 BB/1 K/.250 (double)
Yadier Molina 4 AB/0 R/0 H/0 RBI/0 BB/2 K/.000
Joe Mather 3 AB/0 R/0 H/0 RBI/0 BB/1 K/.167
Chris Carpenter 3 AB/0 R/0 H/0 RBI/0 BB/1 K/.000
Dennys Reyes 0 AB/0 R/0 H/0 RBI/0 BB/0 K/.000
Chris Perez 0 AB/0 R/0 H/0 RBI/0 BB/0 K/.000

Opening Day

It's finally here. It'll be exciting to see what all of the clubhouse buzz translates into on the field. First pitch is moments away. We'll see how well my MLB: The Show prediction holds against the real deal. Look for tomorrow's prediction here later tonight.

Let's Go Bucs!