Ever since this blog started one of the projects I've been working on is a comprehesive overview of "the one that got away" Jose Bautista. Jeff Passan just beat me to the punch with a great piece you can find right here: Number Crusher: How Jose Bautista Went From Baseball Vagabond To The Game's Best Slugger
Imagine what the Pirates lineup could look like today if they had nurtured and developed this guys talent instead of casting him aside for a spare part of a spare part. I maintain that if they had the Jose Bautista we are seeing in Toronto, and had drafted Matt Wieters instead of Daniel Moskos, they could be contending not for .500 right now, but for 1st place in the division. With the pitching they are getting and a few more legit bats, its not hard to imagine.
Some highlights from the article include the Pirates not protecting him in the Rule-5 Draft and allowing him to wilt on the vine for a year of his development before reacuiring him as part of the Kris Benson salary dump. But my favorite is the section that explains his exit from Pittsburgh as another case of Pirate management thinking they know whats best for everyone and giving a very cold shoulder if you dare to defy their 'plan.'
"Bautista fell in and out of favor over the next four years with Pittsburgh, the prime of most players' careers. The Pirates batted him toward the bottom of the order and suggested he try to hit the ball to the opposite field. He chafed at the idea, and the sour relationship reached its nadir Aug. 13, 2008, when the team demoted Bautista to Triple-A. He went to Pirates GM Neal Huntington and suggested the team place him on waivers so it could shed the remainder of his $2.4 million salary and he could start over."
Here the Pirates had in their grasp one of the 5 best power hitters to emerge in the last decade, and they let him slip away. All it took was a swing adjustment and a new mental approach in Toronto, and he went from utility guy to Home Run King. How can we trust this Pirate management to build for the future at present when they have been so oblivious to such talent in the past? They had 8 years (from when they drafted him) to figure this guy out and they pissed it away. Toronto turned him into an All Star in less then 2. That math, not the salary cap disparity so often cited, is what damns us in this city to losing baseball for a unforeseeably long forsaken future.
And the Nutters fluff this off like it was nothing.
ReplyDeleteWhy do some morons continue to back these idiots? DK thinks NH deserves an extension. What a huge steaming pile of shit!!!
Guys,
ReplyDeleteI posted the below comment on a thread from yesterday, but wanted to put it on the most recent post so you can all see and make your own opinions.
Sharky, Roger squared, etc,
I am not The Dog and would appreciate not being called as such. I am actually looking forward to reading and posting on this blog as unlike many Antis and Over the top Pro's, I can keep a open mind on all topics and not just be for or against something based on how Anti or Pro it is.
I extend this olive branch to the posters on this blog. I swear I'm not the Dog, I'm a married,37 year old Pirate Fan, 25 game season ticket holder, and one who also cried after Sid Bream slid in safe 19 years ago who tends to, admittedly, look at the Pirates through rose colored glasses. The Dog and his alteregos are most likely a pimple faced 19 year old in his Mom's basement with too much time on his hands, and I do not agree with all of his ideas and opinions.
So is this PRO PIRATE guy allowed on here without the childish accusations?
@Fish: I can't speak for anyone else, but I am all for anyone expressing any opinion they want and I promise not to edit anyone who does not cross a line of being violently threatening toward others on the blog.
ReplyDeleteI may not agree with everything you have to say, but I will fight till the death for your right to say it.
If you want to debate any points in my posts, within a reasonable context, I will do my best to respond in kind.
@FishMonger
ReplyDeleteI certainly encourage any and every type of discussion on here. If we butt heads, so be it. I think we can all agree that we have the same goals for this franchise and everybody who considers themselves a Pirates fan is more than welcome to freely participate.
My objective here is to give a voice to fans without the limitations of a unilateral moderator such as SmizBlog. Every opinion matters here.
If you wanted to be treated with respect, why was your very first post this:
ReplyDelete"Fish Monger said...
Well, what else would be the seperator, Genius?
All contracts are about NEGOTIATION and finding a middle ground. I'm sure the hold up isn't about Andrew's want for chipped ham sandwiches on Friday's "
I am sorry but you get what you give. That post was very childish and Dog-like. You don't want to be treated the way you treat others, then treat others better.
And anyway, posting on here crying about being called Dog is exactly what the Dog would do. He pretended to be his own brother and when everyone was really tired of his crap, he made up a fake miscarriage story told by his "brother".
Sharky,
ReplyDeleteMy post was very fair. What else would hold negotiations up? It's a simple question.
I tried to be civil and put the truth out there. I believe in integrity. Thanks for the reponses P and P and Burress, but Sharky's response and continued accusations are all I need to hear.
Crying? It's called an "olive branch' to what I thought was intellegent posters on here whom I mostly enjoy debating with, and respect their opinions (BFD, Daquido, etc.). You are apparently not one.
P and P, maybe one of your regulars could use a Smizik type deletion, eh?
Anyway, I will enjoy reading this so far interesting Anti FO blog, but will keep my opinions to myself.
Keep up the good work.
I would say that starting your very first post with:
ReplyDelete"Well, what else would be the seperator, Genius?"
is someone looking to insult and looking for a fight. Now all of a sudden you want to extend an olive branch? Why?
It matters not what I think, anyway. I don't run this blog. Why does my posting effect you? You can post all you want. I'm not stopping you.
I also believe you were the one who posted this:
"sharkyhasnobrain said...
Yeah Sharky.
Why go from Smizik's blog, which has a mix of pro's and anti's and has both sides of the discussion, and where anti's do a whole lot of backslapping of their own, to here, which is basically an anti circle jerk of 8 people and is nothing but patting on the back of like minded people.
Hypocritical zombie..."
"P and P, maybe one of your regulars could use a Smizik type deletion, eh?"
ReplyDeleteOur steadfast policy is that we don't delete anyone unless they get violently out of hand.
We are not going to play nice police, if you don't like what someone says about you my best advice is to either ignore it or respond as you best see fit.
It wasn't me. I post under my one handle, always have, always will. But whatever, dude. You are a troll who has no opinions on sports, just a vedetta that you spout out from behind your faceless monitor.
ReplyDeleteBTW I didn't leave Smizik's. I came on here, as well, because I like to see how ALL sides think.
You, sir, have issues.
P and P,
ReplyDeleteJust how do you get "violently" out of hand on a keyboard with no visible opponent?
@Fish Monger:
ReplyDeleteWe are all adults here, right?
P&P and Myself have ZERO interest in policing comments because somebody's feelings got hurt. If you don't like what Sharky says, then don't take your ball and go home, acting like somebody here is actually going to miss you, just respond to him with your opinion.
As for your question regarding "violently out of hand": we will NOT delete any posts unless one individual is threatening another with physical violence.
Does that sum it up nicely for you? I am suprised that something like that had to be spelled out for someone who comes off as omniscient.
Fish: Mostly by suggesting violence in their posts I guess.
ReplyDeleteDefinition of VIOLENCE
1 : exertion of physical force so as to injure or abuse procedure
2: injury by or as if by distortion, infringement, or profanation
3 : intense, turbulent, or furious and often destructive action or force
4: undue alteration
Like I said, my best advice is if you don't like what someone is saying, then you can easily ignore them.
Insults online are like compliments in a way, if you can’t think of a rational reason why someone is wrong, you just tell them to “go blow a goat,” or something like that.
With that, I'm pretty much done on this topic for now. Thanks
P&P, Burress,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the clarification.