Pirates President Frank "Lying Liar" Coonelly did an interview with Vinnie and Cook on 93.7 "The Fan" today at 11:00 AM. He was smug and well contented with his below .500, 5 games out of 1st place in early June ballclub. He was not subject to many really challenging questions from the Dynamic Duo of oldtime baseball fans and when sensitive subjects were broached, he managed to spin and lie his way out of them without anything in the way of hard hitting follow-ups.
There were a few quotes I took down for posterities sake, so we can have him here on record if and when (trust me, it’s a matter of when with Frank) these statements can be added to his litany of lies.
In regards to the trade deadline: “We have the flexibility and approval (from ownership) to add payroll if we need to, and we are in the hunt.”
I’ll now pause for a moment so my fellow cynics out there can stop laughing hysterically and wipe the tears out of their eyes so they can continue reading.
Okay, good?
In regards to the organization’s overall motivation: “I can assure you it has not been all about the bottom line. We are focused on putting a winning product on the field.”
That’s right folks, the organization that drafted Daniel Moskos over Matt Wieters and that cut loose Jose Bautista and Matt Capps while they still had exclusive control over their rights to save some realative spare change has been ALL about putting a winning product on the field.
Finally, the Lying Liar was very clear about the organizations intentions with veteran lefty Paul Maholm, with whom they have a 1 year club option remaining on his contract at $9 million dollars: “We have no intentions to move Paul”
I’ll just keep that one tucked away in my hat until the trade deadline and see if once again we can nail the liar to the wall.
Should the Pirates keep Maholm though? I would say so, because there is nothing in the organization that I see to replace him as a legitimate left handed starter. He has been durable and passable, if not overwhelming in his time here with the Bucs. He is 29 years old, so he still should have some life left in his left arm. I just question if the start of this season has been him playing a bit over his talent level in a (sort of) contract season. It is definitely the best he has thrown since 2008, which was his best year in the big leagues, and the last time he was up for $$$. That year (and this season) his WHIP was in the 1.15-1.25 range. His career average is more in the 1.45-1.60 territory. His ERA+ (when compared to the rest of the league with 100 being average) has moved bounced back from a dreadful career low of 78 last year, back up to 120 this season.
The prudent course of action would be to wait and see if Maholm reverts back to his average before committing to him as part of the teams long term plans. I also call into question his win-loss record. I know that is not a situation totally under his control, but the fact is, he has gone out there and been outdueled by other pitchers around the league this year. To me, that speaks not to his talents as a pitcher, but to his desire as a competitor to win. It is not a stat (that unlike some baseball writers) I’m willing to totally dismiss.
I think that NH has already been extended again. DK wrote an article in the Trib saying he deserves one (his article wasn't very convincing even if I hadn't already known Opie's record).
ReplyDeleteI think that will be the next lie.
Listening to This garbage spoken by the liar Frank & Miser Nutting ( you guys posted yesterday) are worse than watching 18 years of futility.
ReplyDeleteThe media seems to be falling all over themselves congratulating These fools.
Even some of their harshest critics.
Look this season has been a surprise thus far, but i truly believe itbis the blind squirrel theory, not a rebuilt team/organization.
Regardless, if this team is still sround .500 come July, well see who is authorized to do what. I think we all know what will happen
While I'll agree that the W-L record for Maholm shouldn't be totally dismissed out of hand, I don't think it has anything to do with his "competitiveness" or "willingness to win." Nor do I think it has everything to do with run support.
ReplyDeleteThe fact is, that is the kind of pitcher Maholm is at his best. 6+ IP, 2-3 ER. That's fairly mediocre to above average, depending on the day. I don't think looking at his 3-7 record then screams that he doesn't have any guts.
Basically, I think he's been unlucky this year, but not amazingly unlucky.
As for saying, "we have no intention of moving Paul"...well, what's he supposed to say? "Yes, we can't wait to move this guy and get his salary off our books. Call and offer your problem prospects now!"
I couldn't care less about that statement. I can't see why you'd want to nail Frank Coonelly to the wall by answering a question the way 95 percent of baseball executives would answer it.
@SeanAy: If the Bucs do end up tanking and dealing Maholm, I would nail the lying liar Coonelly to the wall for, once again, lying to the fans through the media. It is not so much about Maholm specifically as it is about this management’s systematic style of promising to lock in a ‘core’ to build around, and then dealing the players off whenever it would comes time to put their money where their (lying) mouth is. And then they start promising again to build around the remaining ‘core.’ If Coonelly doesn’t want to be held accountable for what he says, then either don’t go to the media making these bold declarative statements, or get out of the job.
ReplyDeleteI am skeptical of Maholm's "resurgence" this season, but the fact remains that I see no options from within the organization ready to take over his role as a durable inning eating lefty starter. If they DO deal him it is another sign that they are not serious about putting winning baseball above their bottom line. If they take on his club option next year and pay him around $9-10 million that would be the right move. It is probably slightly more than he is worth, but there are no other real options for what he brings to the team out there.
I question pitchers records like I would a goalies record in hockey. They are not playing directly against each other, but they are sharing the same playing field and reality at that moment in time within the game. And one comes out on top at the end of the day. I’ll take the ‘ugly’ winner over the ‘dazzling’ loser on my team any day.
Pucks--
ReplyDeleteSo, peripheral stats notwithstanding, would you say then that Correia is head-and-shoulders better than Maholm this year? He fits the mold of the "ugly winner" you're talking about.
Again, we'll just agree to disagree. I think the W-L record for a pitcher is a combination of luck and skill. Look at it this way: of the players with ERAs better than Maholm, one has four wins (Jordan Zimmermann, WAS), a few have five wins, and everyone else is 6+ wins. It's not unreasonable to say he's been unlucky, as it looks like he's the outlier on the plot.
Now, RE: trade comments--
Again, I couldn't possibly care less about what any team official says for anyone. They're not going to announce their intention to trade Maholm if they have one...that's just good business. If he had stated that intention, would you have then "nailed him to the wall" for limiting whatever leverage the Pirates had in trade negotiations?
I didn't listen to the interview, was he asked directly about Maholm? Because then he would just be answering their question.
@SeanAY:
ReplyDeleteWhy do you and other defend Coonelly so damn much??
I DO care what he says, because he has yet to tell the truth. He is an embarrassment to the planet, let alone the Pirates.
I am just amazed at the lack of standards people have regarding lying. Maybe I am old-fashioned, but at the end of the day, all a person has is his word, and Coonelly's isnt worth anything !!!
Roger,
ReplyDeleteI guess some people have been lied to so much by the and previous versions of the Pirates front office that they expect it. They only want to hear good news, even if it is a flat out lie. I don't appreciate the lying and would respond better to the truth.
Maybe guys like SeanAy "can't handle the truth".
But as for me, I would find it to be a refreshing change, even if it wasn't what I wanted to hear.
Sharky:
ReplyDeleteI think Coondog lies because he knows his job performance is not worthy of the troof :)
SeanAY: I would actually take Correia and Karstens performances this year over Maholm. Their WHIPs are 1.22 and 1.08, comparable to Maholm's 1.14. They both have better K/BB ratios, with Karstens an outstanding 3.92 in that category. Moreover, I feel they both give the team a better chance to win when they are out there. JKs performance last night was a prime example, I doubt Maholm would have given the Bucs the 1-0W.
ReplyDeleteAs for trading Maholm: I understand that Coonelly can't just say flat out we will dump him for AA warm bodies, but will ANY gm in baseball be shocked when the Bucs come calling around late July with a guy due for a payhike available, no matter what is said?
He was asked flat out if they would deal Maholm, and he flat out responded that this year their goal was to CONTEND in the NL central and he wouldn't move him. So if they do, the lying liar will have, once again, lied.
And the Smizblog today is all about trading Maholm.
ReplyDeletePucks, Maybe you need to go on there and report what FC said on the radio yesterday.
Coonelly lies every time he opens his mouth. I don't believe anything that shyster says.
ReplyDeletePucks--
ReplyDeleteSo, hypothetically, what if they don't trade him?
SeanAY: If they actually did keep Maholm and were willing to pay him through at least next season at a little above market value for the purpose of trying to move the team forward I would consider it a small step in the right direction for the franchise. I wouldn't hold my breath.
ReplyDelete