Beam Me Up (Down) Hunty

Reliever TJ Beam was designated for assignment to make room for Eric Hinske on the 40-man roster. The Pirates will look to place him on waivers and have Beam clear them so he can be assigned to AAA Indy.

I don't think Beam will clear, and thus, will be picked up by some other team. His 4.14 ERA over 32 games (45.2 innings) isn't horrible. However, he will need to work on his K:BB ratio for better success. He had 24 Ks against 20 BBs last season.

Beam, I feel, would be a decent low risk, high potential pick up for some team out there.

Crap...I just realized that I made another Hinske related post.

Lets Go Bucs!

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photo credit: TJ Beam as a Yankee - 316sports

Maholm\Hinske\Mientkiewicz...Are We Done Yet?

I'm not in much of a blogging mood. And if you've lived under a rock for a majority of the day, then you should just smash your head off of said rock. The Pirates have officially signed Paul Mahom and Eric Hinske to their contracts.

Maholm, signed a 4 year deal worth a guaranteed 14.5 million Bucs. Actually, the contract is for 3 years, and a club option for the 4th year, Maholm's first in free agency. Given the track record of management and long-term contracts, I would expect to see Maholm on the DL by mid-May and pitching in Indy around August 15th.

Eric Hinske was signed as a free agent from the AL Champion Tampa Bay (Devil) Rays. Hinske's contract could total 2.5 million Bucs (1.5 million base pay and 1 million in bonuses). The 31 year old Hinske was signed over the widely popular Doug Mientkiewicz, and the ancient Luis Gonzalez. Hinske will be able to play the corners of the in and out fields. He is another left-handed power bat, which I think will workout well in PNC Park. Just as Maholm is leaving for the DL, I expect Hinske to be getting regular playing time at first base. That'll last until mid-June when Adam LaRoche will decide to hit well.

Now that these contracts are signed, I do not want to have to make another post featuring the names Paul Maholm, Eric Hinske, or Doug Mientkiewicz for a long, long time.

More Blogs on Hinske

Mike from The Unemployed Asshole took a bit of a Hugh Morris spin on the Hinske signing.

As Expected, Pirates Hinske/Maholm Inks Deal

As I predicted, Paul Maholm and the Pirates have agreed to a multi-year deal earlier this morning. According to Dejan, this is a three year deal, with a club option for a fourth year. This will secure Maholm through all three years of arbitration plus his first year of free agency. No monetary figures have been released as of tonight. Those should be available following a physical and the official contract signing. I'm still predicting that Nate McLouth will head to an arbitration hearing on the 17th of February.

Also, as expected, Eric Hinske was signed this morning to a one year deal. As with Maholm, Hinske will need to complete a physical before the t's are crossed and i's are dotted. A total cost has not been released, however the base salary is believed to be around $1.5 million. There could be as much as $1 million in performance bonuses.

In my opinion, these were two pretty important signings today.

Good bye Doug.

Let's Go Bucs!

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photo credits: Eric Hinske - www.soxnest.com, Paul Maholm - AP Photo/Pat Sullivan

We've Made It to The Show

It has taken less than a week for the Vote for Romulo campaing to reach the big time. We have made it to the OFFICIAL PBC Blog on the website of the Post-Gazette. In his daily Morning Links post, Dejan posted a link to the WHYGAVS post featuring the Vote for Romulo Campaign.

I know you must be asking yourself, why didn't DK link to your site, Eron? Well I can answer that for you. I emailed Dejan the other day asking for the requirements to have this blog listed on the PG website. I met all but one of the requirements...I haven't been posting for at least one year. At some point today, I will post those email conversations.

Anyhow, I have to thank Pete from WHYGAVS for picking up this story. I'd also like to thank The Green Weenie, The Unemployed Asshole, and any other bloggers or message board writers that may have picked up this story and are helping to spread the word.

Of course, spreading the word isn't good enough. The Pirates faithful NEED to vote several times a day, everyday.

Lets Go Bucs!
Lets Go Romulo!

Capps Crew Represent

Twice in the past year, members of the Original Capps Crew have been published in the Post-Gazette. Perhaps its just coincidence that our seats are located right in the Notch. Anyhow, here are the two photos.

Let's Go Bucs!

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photo credits: Jay-Bay (6.11.08) and Luis Gonzalez (1.28.09) - postgazette.com

Bobble Bobble Bobble

WHYGAVS has joined the campaign trail to vote for the Romulo Sanchez bobblehead. This is one of the more popular blogs that follow the Pittsburgh Pirates. Thanks to Pete for helping to spread the word!

Lets Go Bucs! Lets Go Romulo!