Road to Respect starts with pitching

The 2000 Pittsburgh Pirates featured a starting rotation that included the likes of Jason Schmidt, Kris Benson, Todd Ritchie, Bronson Arroyo, and Francisco Cordova. Their bullpen had guys with names like Jose Silva, Mike Williams as the closer, Scott Sauerbeck, and Jason Christianson.

The team was projected to win 80 games or more but finished 5th in the division losing 89 largely because their pitching staff gave up an unheard of 888 runs during the year - the most of any Pirate club since the early 50's.

Just two months and two weeks into the 2001 season, Cam Bonifay was ultimately fired.

Fast forward to 2007. The Pirates staff, consisting of the likes of Tom Gorzelanny, Ian Snell, Salomon Torres, Matt Capps, and Shawn Chacon, gave up 846 runs. It would be the fourth consecutive yearly increase of runs allowed totaling more than 100 runs over the period, and the highest number of runs allowed since the nightmare changeover year in 2001.

And Dave Littlefield was ultimately fired on September 7th.

Without a mashing machine like the Reds have, 700+/- runs allowed is the magic number to be competitive in the NLCD and that amounts to a little less than one-half a run per each inning pitched (.48) over a season.

In 2007, Tom Gorzelanny (.45), Ian Snell (.45), Shawn Chacon (.44), Damaso Marte (.31), and Matt Capps (.28) where the only ones even close of pitchers who threw 25 innings or more. In 2006, only Mike Gonzalez (.24) and Salomon Torres (.45), Matt Capps (.46), and Tom Gorzelanny (.47) qualified.

The fact is, the Pirates only have two pitchers on their entire staff who have a two year track record with them of that production capability - Gorzelanny and Capps, and Capps is the closer. Marte obviously fills the role as well but he's another limited innings specialist.

Of 118 MLB pitchers (ave 4 per club) who made 20 or more starts in 2007, they  averaged 176 innings of work and allowed .52 runs per inning pitched. That's the mean for the #1- #4 rotation slots.

The Pirates have averaged .59 the last two years (89 more runs than the average NL staff alone in 2007 - second highest in the NL).

So Huntington has no choice - he has to reduce runs allowed. That's the name of his game.

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Tony LaCava in St.Louis? Wow, what a blow that would be to Pirate fans. Word on the street is that LaCava could be getting a call for the St.Louis GM slot. Now, will he be interested? Thanks a lot Chuck. Geezz..

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The Pirates seem to be trying to find another manager willing to take the reigns and are not having much luck I'm hearing. If we have to have a virgin, Huntington should go get Tom Kotchman before Maddon does. The winningest active manager in professional baseball didn't just earn the title by accident.

But here's one Pirate fan's plea for Bob Walk to become manager.

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Cubs lost. That's ok - it's just one. With Webb out of the way, the runs will start pouring in now.