After checking out the standing following the Pirates' 11-8 loss to Cincinnati Friday night, Pittsburgh has a great deal of work to do if it wants to avoid a 19th straight losing season.
The loss to the Reds saw Joel Hanrahan have a rare poor outing, and the Bucs sit at 58-65 heading into today's game on Fox at 4:10 p.m. EST. It's unfortunate that the Pirates weren't on national TV in early July when they were hot.
With 39 games remaining, Pittsburgh would have to finish 24-15 to win 82 games. A 23-16 finish would put that exactly at .500.
I know it's simple math, although it will be a tough stretch, and personally, I don't think the Bucs can do it.
That have had a decent season considering what manager Clint Hurdle has to work with, but the pitching has come back down off its high and the offense is terrible. Not power, no average and they don't always do the fundamentals.
Hurdle is doing all the right things, but you can't make chicken salad out of chicken (enter expletive here.) I will not use foul language on here.
With 58 wins, the Pirates have already surpassed last year's total, but that's not saying much.
What hinders Pittsburgh's chance to break .500 is the schedule. The Bucs still have seven games against the NL Central leading Milwaukee Brewers, including three at Miller Park to close out the season, seven against St. Louis and five against the Reds.
They get a reprieve with six games against Houston and three against the Chicago Cubs, but the last time the Cubs played Pittsburgh was a series to forget for Bucco fans.
It appears everything will even out, although the Pirates will fall just short of breaking .500. I guess we'll have to wait another year. Maybe I will see a winning season before I die.
What has happened to Kevin Correia? The guy started off so well, he still has equaled his career high with 12 wins, but he has 11 losses and continues to struggle, especially at home.
They will probably not break the streak sadly enough. It has been a successful season though. It is upsetting in the sense that back in mid july it looked like the streak had a good chance of being busted, but the clock struck 12 and the bottom fell out.
ReplyDeleteThings look good for the future though and a 16-18 game improvement is still good. Morton and McD look like decent anchors and Karstens too.
Cutch took a big step forward this year with pop and NW proved he was no fluke. Tabata looks like legit and Presley too. Marte will be up next year and despite what the idiots at the Smizblog say he does have power. If Locke Owens or Mcpherson can step in you are looking at 85-90 wins next year.
Dog
If the Pirates don't win 78 games this year, NH should NOT receive an extension. I've been saying that since about May, and I stand by it. The team hasn't won 78 games since 2004, which I believe was also the last time they lost fewer than 90 games. Even a 16-18 game improvement on last year means little, because last year as historically awful. Personally, four years in, I'd like to have seen more than a 10-game improvement on Littlefield's last year.
ReplyDeleteI just wanna say SeanAY smacked down roger pretty hard in that other thread. Sean you seem a pretty fair poster and I've seen you on both sides of the fence so I don't know why you get crap from the Anti-Buccers. Ever notice how guys like roger and Sharky are in their 60's and still are trolling internet blogs acting like lunatics and calling people douchebags and telling them to STFU? Then they tell people they need to get a life. The irony is so thick you'd need a chainsaw to cut through it all.
ReplyDeleteBy the way I called that Hanrahan blown save yesterday. As soon as Hernandez came in to pinch hit I saw it coming, and as soon as the tying run scored I turned the game off. Fuck that noise, I'm tired of watching them come up with new ways to lose.
Dan, I don't take pride in "smacking down" someone. I'm not some internet bully, and I would prefer that not be the perception of me. I do, however, like to think I'm pretty fair in my assessments, so thanks for that.
ReplyDeleteI just get frustrated with Roger because I feel he has selective content consumption. When he sees one of my posts, unless it remotely corroborates his cartoonish, exaggerated image of me, he ignores it. When it is the so-called "Pro" stance, he paints it in whatever image he sees fit.
I don't personally consider Sean to be in a specific "camp". I agree with his self-assessment of being fair minded most of the time. While I don't always agree with every post, and certainly didn't appreciate the comments last week, I can respect him and his point of view more than others with whom I don't always agree.
ReplyDeleteAnd I can certainly appreciate not taking pride in smacking someone down on the internet. The old saying from my AIM days regarding "smackdowns" via the internet still holds true in my mind.
*Sigh*
ReplyDeleteOk, lets clear some things up.
---SeanAY. You (on another thread), got mad at me for telling you to STFU. You also get mad at me for what you feel are unsubstantiated attacks on you. You say you are fair in all your assessments, and you never attack me, and wonder why I always attack you.
"SeanAY said...
Yeah, so much for this blog being the oasis in the desert of all this Pirate Propaganda. So much for this grassroots movement with the aim of somehow removing Bob Nutting from power by...embarassing him on a blog?
August 19, 2011 1:19 PM"
Ok Sean, please tell me how you can possibly call this post of yours "constructive criticism"? Snarky, attacking, condescending, without merit, mean-spirited, and so on. I pointed out that the authors here were busy with other things, and you conveniently ignored that. But you accuse me of "selective" reading of your posts, and you do the same. You say that you arent in any "camp", but you always attack the anti position, and the quote from you above proves it. You have a history of this behavior, then issuing denials. So if you arent in any camp, why do you feel the need to attack the anti positon, posters, and blogs? I feel that is a very, very fair question.
You said you never take an uncivilized tone with me. Huh?? You have constantly argued with me, even when there is nothing to argue about. We rarely find common ground, but that is ok. I just simply do not understand why you insist on saying that you are neutral, corteous, and not in any camp, but the facts state otherwise, with your attacks, belittling, and argumentative statements. What is especially sad is that you do make some good points, but they get lost in your seeming need to belittle the anti position.
I may also add that your post about the lack of content on this blog was out of bounds. and yet I am sure that you and other people will say I am wrong in that assessment. So be it. Bottom line is that if you dont want to be brandished in a certain camp, dont attack the other camp. If I say I love blonde women, yet all I date is brunettes, and mock blondes, how is my statement about loving blondes in any way correct?? It isnt. You say you arent in any camp, but you attack anti posters, polsitions, and blogs. How can you honestly say you arent in any camp??
Like I said, I am sure you and others feel I am 101% wrong on this, so I dont expect to change any minds. I just wanted to point out facts, but i dont think that will do any good.
Dan:
ReplyDelete"Dan said...
I just wanna say SeanAY smacked down roger pretty hard in that other thread. Sean you seem a pretty fair poster and I've seen you on both sides of the fence so I don't know why you get crap from the Anti-Buccers. Ever notice how guys like roger and Sharky are in their 60's and still are trolling internet blogs acting like lunatics and calling people douchebags and telling them to STFU? Then they tell people they need to get a life. The irony is so thick you'd need a chainsaw to cut through it all.
August 22, 2011 8:35 AM"
"Dan said...
Jesus Christ, you two are violently insane. Go see a f*%kin shrink!
August 24, 2011 4:13 PM"
(referring to Daquido and myself.)
I just simply do not even know where to begin with these statements.
First and foremost dan, you are guilty of the exact same behavior that you decry here. Exact.
I also find it funny you say I got smacked down. How so? I called SeanAY out for his incredibly biased comment about the lack of content on this site, and yes I did tell him to STFU. Why? Because he isnt one of the authors of this blog, and his opinion was 101% unjustified. So he smacked me down? Ugh.
2nd, I am not in my 60's. Not even close. yet another unfounded attack by you, and you are another poster that says he is innocent and neutral 100% of the time. Irony? You do the things you decry, and blame others. Just wow.
As for the "violently insane" quote, I addressed it on another thread, but I will address it here also. I am not violently insane. Those people go to special jails/wards. I am not there, nor should i be. Any particular reason you attacked me like that? No, but I have come to expect that from some people, so be it. You are another person I don not expect to change their mind on by presenting facts, but I will throw them out there anyway. I know you will also think I am 101% wrong, but again, so be it.
(Sorry, but I really didnt want to put 3 posts here. I tried to copy it as one, but I couldnt.)
ReplyDeleteYou know guys, I have endured many attacks on Smizblog, suffered deletions, insults etc., but I am still standing. I have cut back on posting both there and here, but my points are still the same.
I feel that people like you, Sean and Dan, and also Smizik were trying to silence me permanently. If it wasnt attacks, it was insults. If it wanst insults, it was outright censorship. If it wasnt censorship, it was mass deletions, even if i said good morning, bloggers. I didnt back down, I pointed these things out, of course and was deleted/attacked more, but I didnt go away. Yes, I have posted less, but that is sheer common sense, as I dont like to bang my head against the wall with people whose main purpose is to attack/delete me, then claim memory loss and innocense.
I am sorry for taking up a long portion of this column with this post, but i wanted to point out facts, hypocrisy, and explain why I said what I said. I fully expect more attacks because of this post, but I cant control that at all. I am tired of people attacking me and my friends, then saying they didnt. I am tired of people making up lies about me (60's??????), and then sayong I am the bad guy.
I take 100% accountability for my statements. I run from no one. I really dont care who likes or dislike my statements. I dont make shit up, then blame others. I dont attack people in a certain group, then say I didnt, and I am neutral. I have fended off multiple attacks from multiple posters, and am still here. I know I will be told I am always 100% wrong. But thats fine.
If anyone, and I mean anyone doesnt like this, 2 things:
1) ban me.
2) too bad.
I dont always bring Pulitzer-Prize winning posts to these blogs, but I am not stupid, old (!), or 100% wrong. I have wasted enough time here on this.
And if people really hate me that god damn much, just ignore me. That goes for anyone, anytime. I dont wear lipstick, and I dont kiss ass, and I am not about to start on anyones behalf now.
Enjoy your rebuttal attacks gentlemen.
That goes for anyone, including blog authors.
I honestly need the humor in my day.
"
ReplyDeleteI feel that people like you, Sean and Dan, and also Smizik were trying to silence me permanently. If it wasnt attacks, it was insults. If it wanst insults, it was outright censorship. If it wasnt censorship, it was mass deletions, even if i said good morning, bloggers. I didnt back down, I pointed these things out, of course and was deleted/attacked more, but I didnt go away. Yes, I have posted less, but that is sheer common sense, as I dont like to bang my head against the wall with people whose main purpose is to attack/delete me, then claim memory loss and innocense."
Go cry somewhere else about being bullied on the internet. Boo-hoo. The reason you always got banned and deleted is because you post like an asshole, you're off-topic 95% of the time, you present wrong information and you claim known falsehoods to be true. There's no epidemic over there. It's you and Dog and a fistful of others who have no interest in anything but causing trouble and being an asshole.
Yea I'm like that sometimes because I call out bullshit when I see it and speak my mind. And yea I get deleted sometimes (though rarely) over there too. But I sure as hell don't friggin' cry about it for a year like you have, if I did something wrong I accept the consequences and don't whine about it. It's the internet. A deleted post doesn't ruin MY day.
Your biggest problem is you deal in absolutes (no middle ground) and you never back off your position in the face of facts. You're the kind of guy who calls a person a flip-flopper when really they're just not so stubborn and stupid that their mind can't be changed when they're wrong. And as such, there is no way to have an actual conversation with you. Because you can't accept when you are wrong, which is where the whole three column-ettes of whining about getting deleted comes from.
Good day, roger. I do not hate you. I do even not dislike you. I just think you're crazy. And Daquido too, for talking about how Nutting should be chased out like Gadhafi is in Tripoli right now. Sorry, but that's violently insane.