Pirates

[4him]

"...and I am a sellout and would cheer for other teams if my local team sucked. Who cares about loyalty?"

[foghorn]

Well, the Buccos have lost five in a row and seem determined to beat the Brewers for that coveted last place finish. Whether you're a McClendon supporter or not, how can the Pirates possibly justify keeping him around. especially if his team is quitting on him? And if they're not quitting, they're sure doing a good impersonation of it.

[AUSTIN_22:22]

i dont know that the pirates are giving up on ole lloyd. they are a 10 games below .500 team w/ 10 games below .500 talent. they are the youngest team in the majors. next year they could be a 10 games over .500 team.

one reason the pirates seem to be struggling right now is that their starting rotation is no where near what it was in july when the pirates peaked for the season. benson is gone. kip wells is done for the year w/ a sore arm. sean burnett has to have tommy john surgery and will miss all of next season and will be essentially on recovery for another year after that. oliver perez seems to be wearing down after an excellent season on top of pitching a bunch of games in winter ball in the offseason. josh fogg is well josh fogg. john vb has probably never thrown this many innings in one season and is also wearing down. who does that leave??? dave williams and nelson figueroa.

firing mac is not the answer this offseason. if they are not above .500 after next season, then i believe it may be time for him to move on.

[4him]

Very well said Austin...Burnett going down is heartbreaking...future looked bright for him, but coming back from Tommy John's is tough.

[voncap]

Good points concerning the Pirates. Starting pitching, what many considered in July as the team strength not only now but for the future has quickly become a major question mark. As things stand now next year's staff could be as follows:

No. 1 - Oliver Perez
Hate to see him in the high pressure no. 1 spot this early in his
career but the Pirates have no other choice.
No. 2 - Kip Wells/Josh Fogg
If healthy Wells, if not Fogg becomes the second best starter on
this staff
No. 3 - Josh Fogg,
A tough spot for Fogg. On most staffs he would be a 4 or 5
starter, but this is the Pirates.
No. 4 - Dave Williams
Have always liked this guy and if he can stay healthy should be ok
in this situation. That is a big IF.
No. 5 - Vogelsong or Vanbenschoten
Vogelsong, IMO, still hasn't proven he is worthy of this position,
but he may get it by default. Vanben' likely to start season at
AAA.

A tremendous amount questions surround that potential staff.

[foghorn]

IMO Burnett was overworked this year. I don't know if this led to the injury, but it didn't help. I think the Pirates (like all teams) have to deal with the winter league problem with a lot of Latin players who I understand are under great pressure to play. Some teams have it written into a pitcher's contract that he can't play winter ball, though this causes problems too...