What's up kids? Take one look at the title of this post and it doesn't take an IQ as high as mine to figure out what we're going to discuss today. After all, the Major League Baseball season has been going on for three months now and I haven't even made note of it. Hell, soccer got a post dedicated to it before baseball. But that's only because the first half of the MLB season is almost meaningless. Not completely, but almost. That being said, there is one story from the first half that deserves mention: The Pittsburgh Pirates. Until this year, the Pirates had been baseball's equivalent of Tiger Woods: Very successful in the past but unable to win anything in recent memory. OK, I realize the Pirates' impotence goes back MUCH further than Tiger's, but you get the point. [Let me go off on a quick tangent: I know Tiger's latest tournament withdrawals have been a result of "injuries," but when he first returned from his off-the-course issues and struggled to play effectively, I heard numerous sports analysts suggest that he take some time off and get his life and his mental state in order. Why? Why would that be acceptable for him? Did anyone suggest that Kobe Bryant take some time off when he had his own personal issues back in 2003? Absolutely not. And there are plenty of other cases where athletes made mistakes outside of their playing arena, yet the thought of them taking time off just seems selfish and downright silly. Just something to think about.]
Back in the late '80's and early '90's, the Bucs were a perennial contender, advancing to the NLCS three straight times from '90-'92 under . But after the '92 season the front office decided to rebuild, which clearly was a well-thought-out decision: The franchise has not finished a season with a winning record since. But maybe, just maybe, this is the year. They're currently three games over .500 (45-42) and just a game and a half out of first place in the NL Central Division. Closer Joel Hanrahan will play in his first All-Star game next week and they have one of the most exciting players in baseball in Andrew McCutchen, a guy that most people consider to be an All-Star snub. Pirates' Manager Clint Hurdle recently commented that the NL All-Star coaching staff "whiffed" on McCutchen by not selecting him. Considering his .291 batting average, 12 homeruns, 48 RBI's, .491 slugging percentage and 15 stolen bases, I'm with Clint. According to the MLB Attendance Report on ESPN.com, the Pirates are averaging close to 23,000 fans at home games this year. That's about 3,000 more people per game than they drew in 2010 which is especially impressive considering that the overall league attendance has dropped this year as a result of the weather and the economy. Although I'm a Phillies fan, I'd love to see the Pirates continue their success and make a playoff run.
On another note, what's up with the MLB's policy, or lack thereof, on arguing calls with umpires? Seemingly every day there's a player or manager that gets in an umpire's face, close enough that they'd be kissing if they simply puckered up, and screams expletives for an extended period of time. What's the punishment? An ejection from that game and nothing more. In the NBA you get thrown out of a game for looking in the referee's direction after they make a call. Wanna get in a ref's face and look as if you're ready to fight? I hope your pockets are nice and fat because you'll be coughing up some serious dough while watching your team from the bench for the next several games. And finally, baseball, please expand your use of instant replay. At least use it for plays at the plate to get the call right, and preferably at the rest of the bases too. I'm sick of watching teams lose games because of a blown call. More importantly, I'm sick of watching pitchers get screwed out of a PERFECT GAME because of some incompetent first-base ump. No big deal though, perfect games happen all the time. If you're not going to change the instant replay rule, at least hold the umpires responsible for their failures because, well, is there any other job you can think of where you aren't held accountable for your mistakes?
A tiny dose of Karma:
"The designated hitter rule is like letting someone else take Wilt Chamberlain's free throws."
-Rick Wise (bonus points if you know who Rick Wise is, 'cause I don't)
-Brusk Dollas
Lets go bucs!!
ReplyDelete