The Dave Show
Ladies and Gentlemen, these ARE your 2007 Pittsburgh Pirates. You know, the players we passionately call "Dave's Group"? He's drafted or traded for most of them, he's fed many of them from a bottle all the way through the Pirates farm system, and now they are in Pittsburgh performing just as Dave and his group prepared them for.
The name of the show? Dave's Circus Acts, Part VI.
It's brutal just watching the misery on the field anymore. You can almost hear every player crying out loud for help but there's nobody around that seems to care enough to make a difference.
It's really a shame.
And don't expect it to get any better anytime soon. Oh, they might win a game here and there - after all, Dave's prepared them as good actors. But the bottom line is, they all seem mentally drained just as it shows on the field.
Now we'll start hearing excuses I'm sure - probably everything from nagging injuries to the flu. That's how team's cover it all up. You know how the game is played.. they will say it's THEIR fault pointing to the players.
Well, it was the type of game you would expect from a team riddled with problems - few emotions, lack of concentration, and little effort. Four leadoff doubles went for one run, and that was lucky as it was a Bay seeing eye groundball through the left side to score Sanchez or we wouldn't have scored any runs.
No - it wasn't Oswalt. He was very hittable and didn't have his typical command. We're just flat - as flat as flat can be. The heart for the game is gone.
The game ended as you would expect - with the three-ring act of the night.
Bottom of the 9th, two outs, bases loaded, and Freddy Sanchez up against Brad Lidge. Sanchez struckout swinging on a slider in the dirt that Ausmus didn't catch so Sanchez started running to first base.
While all that was happening, Rajai Davis was down at third hesitating while Ausmus looked around for the ball. Finally Davis broke for the plate and about 20' away he pulled up thinking he was out.
But he wasn't - Ausmus couldn't find the ball and Davis would have been safe and the game tied if he had hustled on the swing of the bat since there was an 0-2 count on Sanchez.
Finally the ball was located and Ausmus tagged the plate about a step or two before Davis leisurely strolled in and the Bucs lost their seventh consecutive game sending them to the cellar where we belong, and where I'm sure we will stay for a while.
And, as usual lately, the local media missed the entire play.
Here's a video showing the final out as well as Lee's home run just over a great attempt by Bay to grab it:
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Gorzleanny threw one pitch all night over 90 mph that I saw, and that is mentioned below. He seemed to have lost a good 3 - 4 mph off his routine fastball from what I can tell and maybe a lot more since he was routinely at 86 - 88 last night. As I mentioned yesterday, he tired out after the 4th in his last game and he was out of gas after the 6th Friday but was forced to throw another 33 pitches in the 7th.
I'm going to put up a red flag on him because I think he's headed for problems, if he already doesn't have them, since Tracy and Colborn refuse to pull him when he's tired and that can only lead to an injury.
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Doumit threw a smoker from medium right field to the plate to nail Lortetta at the plate with the bases loaded that saved a run in the 7th. Then Gorzy struck out Biggio on a 93 mph heater to end the inning. The Astros had the bases loaded and one out and scored nothing.
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The really weird part about this game was that Joe West called the plate and he's seen the 10th highest number of runs scored in games he's called this year out of all MLB umps (narrow zone).
Strangely, Rapuano calls the plate Saturday and he's had the 5th fewest runs scored in his games (huge zone) and, if you remember, Capps exited the game April 22cd with a mitt over his mouth seemingly giving Rapuano a few choice words. It will be interesting to see how Capps is met by Rapuano Saturday if he pitches.
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JvB was scratched from Sunday's start to work on a mechanical flaw the Pirates announced they just magically found after he's made six starts throwing 25 innings. If you believe all that then you have to wonder about the amount of time it took for the Pirates to break down their young starter.
But I don't buy it one bit. Probably more like letting his arm rest from fatigue since he's been pushed to the max.
Keep him on your red flag list - he'll probably get rocked good next week in Philly even with any change to his delivery.
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Anybody else hear all the boos at PNC Friday night? Man, Bay, Wilson, Sanchez, and Doumit all got wailed but good from the crowd. The fans are getting very frustrated.
Evidently Jack Wilson's mom was at the game because there was a lone sign in left that said we love Jack with a heart. Puh-lease.
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Looks like Snell is headed for a suspension after using the 'kill' word after his start Wednesday. We'll have to see where this goes.
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The latest Davis base running blunder has to be enough to send him packing. He's a clown on the base paths. How he remains on the roster is beyond me.
It's time to pull the plug on the manager. He keeps running the same players out their expecting different results. Come on shake up this line up. Bench Bay, Wilson, Paulino, LaRoche,and make it more than one game. Take them all out, could anyone play any worse than these clowns. Put Davis, McClouth and Doumit in the outfield. Put Nady (1st), Sanchez, Isturez, Castillo and Cota behind the plate. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Tracy has got to go, please get rid of him, please. Littlefield choose him trying to play it safe it's time for bold moves not safe move.
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I am a long time Pirate fan who happens to live in Houston. I was watching the game on local TV in the bottom of the 9th. The local (Houston)announcers couldn't believe that Davis hesitated and didn't tear towards home on the Sanchez strikeout. Of course they weren't aware of all the base running GAFS that Davis has made this season. The replay you posted clearly shows the latest GAF. I was worried when Tracy out him on first to pinch run for Paulino. The kid has serious problems base running and you would think Tracy would recognize that.
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I disagree with you all on Davis. I haven't seen him play all that bad. He can't be any worse than Bay or McClouth. I think his speed adds a dimension to the game we sorely need something to add to the game. I say give Davis a chance to play left bench Bay for at least a week. Davis makes mistakes but most of the ones are aggressive mistakes. I'd rather see agressive mistakes than this base to base **** we've seen out of this team. I just want someone to hustle. Now I realize he wasn't busting it on this play but I've seen him put pressure on some pitchers. Tracy needs to go now why wait is anything every going to change for the Pirates.
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No excuse for Davis' hesitancy last night. Unacceptable. He shouldn't be on the roster today.
Easy on Jack, Jake. He's beloved for his passion, regardless of his faults and twig-stick.
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Any chance Sanchez gets traded? Who would want Wilson's contract??? It is not like we don't have other players who could play second. Castillo is riding th pine. I would think we could get a couple of good players for him.
Bill
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kent - just my own opinion here but as long as we have a franchise type player in Bay on the roster I think he needs to be in the lineup unless he states he's injured. And I do think we could play worse with Davis and Morgan et al - I think we would go down to being a 46 win team.
Bill - Wilson will be gone if he's shipped out with the Pirates paying his entire contract. He's become Benson II.
As for trading Sanchez, it's going to boil down to whether Littlefield keeps his job and if there is a replacement GM, what direction they go.
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Lets look at the roster -McLouth and Duffy = severly overrated. Same with Jack Wilson also he's way overpaid. Lets analyze these 3 players- McLouth is being touted for this world class speed he supposed to have which i haven't seen yet in a pirates uniform he's a Brant Brown Clone with a tad bit more defensively. Chris A.O Duffy - a.o best describes him Automatic Out. Jack Wilson now he's making over 5 million this year almost 7 next and over 7 the next plus over the last few years he's not making the routine plays so he needs to be put under the scope and he's a lifetime .250's hitter obp about .310 which Izturis who got added to the team is so both of them = worthless. Xavier Nady now after a slow start he's been the Pirates best player the last few months. Jason Bay he had a real bad slump a few years back and at the time Gerald Perry saw he was dipping his shoulder and fix that problem got him more aggressive and he had a big 2nd half after the fix. Msnto is a horrid hitting coach and it shows. Freddy Sanchez a slap hitter thats how he is this year has been less effective with RISP which has been disappointing in turn with that he had to move up in the order cause the leadoff spot has been worthless for the Pirates. The Bench = worthless except for doumit couple pinch hit homers. Doumit a nice surprise in RF , Catching awful. Ronny Paulino = huge disappointment same with Adam EK Laroche at ist. Pitching side has been disappointing except for Ian Snell, Tom Gorzelanny, Damaso Marte, and Matt Capps this equals = 40-55 and dead last.
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Jake, I understand what your saying and I'm not saying bench Bay forever but bench him for several days. He is batting below .200 the last 2 months and I can't believe Davis can't do that well. So how does it hurt you. If you never give young players a chance you will never see anything but the same old guys trotted out day after day. If Randa hadn't got hurt Sanchez would have never gotten a chance to play last year because Randa was the veteran who gets ever chance and the young guys get very few chances. Now you have to hedge your bets but give some of these young players a chance you might be surpised like we were last year with Sanchez.
I can't believe the chances LaRoche has been given a younger player would not ever be shown this type of patience. Again I understand you have to be fairly sure the guy can play but my goodness do you really think LaRoche will ever be more than an average player. Give me a break this guy will never be a star.
Pirates7@hotmail.com has a very good observation of the players and I basically agree with him. It's time to give the guys who want to hustle a chance.
Kent
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Jake , remember Alex Cole in CF. Rajai is at least 20 times better then that goof and Alex Cole got a starting job with the Pirates. We need to acquire a young CF like Franklin Gutierrez he's 24/25 got some pop in the bat and play centerfield he was a top prospect CF with the Dodgers. We missed out on James Loney in the offseason your boy Kotchman and both are tearing up. Pirates need aome talent to go around Nady, and Bay before bay gets too old and starts to decline. Jeff Manto needs to go.
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