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It doesn’t get any better, really
Forget the fact that it is early in the season. Forget the fact that they are a small-market team with a limited budget. It is time to turn up the heat on the Pirates' ownership, management and players. Let's quit babying the Buccos.
So long as the media, Pirates fans and politicians who made PNC Park possible continue to accept the low standards established by the organization (more than 10 years of incompetence), they will never get better. If what educators say is true, then all of us need to demand a better effort.
A look at the standings Thursday showed the Bucs last in the National League Central Division with a 3-6 record, while Florida and Washington were both 5-4 and tied with Atlanta for the N.L East Division lead.
Of course, it was only nine games into a 162-game schedule, but both Florida and Washington looked far more competitive than the Pirates. That really indicts Pirates' ownership and management, considering that the oft-troubled Marlins won the World Series in 1997, tore that team apart, but rebuilt and won another World Series in 2003. They have done so with sketchy attendance and without a new ballpark.
The Nationals, despite their incredible struggles to survive in Montreal before moving, continue to make decision makers in the Pirates' organization look bad. How is it that they can play pro baseball better than Pirates, despite the fact they have been more of a barnstorming club without a home in recent seasons?
Even more frustrating is the development of Florida's three leading pitchers as compared to the struggles of the Pirates staff. As of Thursday, the Marlins' Dontrelle Willis was 2-0 with an era of 0.00 and two complete-game shutouts. Pirates ace Oliver Perez was 0-2 with an era of 11.00. Florida's Josh Beckett was 2-0 with an era of 0.00, one complete game and a shutout.
Pittsburgh's Kip Wells was 0-2 with an era of 8.03, having surrendered five home runs. The Marlins' A. J. Burnett was 1-1 with an 2.40 ERA. The Pirates' Josh Fogg was 1-0 with an era of 2.03 but had surrendered three home runs in 13 1/3 innings.
For years, the Pirates have preached that pitching is the base of their rebuilding effort. With only Fogg among their top three starters showing any early production and with ERAs like 7.20 for Mike Gonzalez, 7.71 for Ryan Vogelsong and John Grabow, 6.23 for Brian Meadows and 12.27 for Rick White, one can conclude the Pirates foundation is made of sand.
Florida manager Jack McKeon summed up my point best in The Sporting News this week. That magazine contains an article on Willis, Burnett and Beckett called 'Times a-wasting.'
McKeon is characterized as old school with little or no patience for the current philosophy of pitch count to which so many organizations, including the Pirates, are married. McKeon has his pitchers throw until they are tired, and then they pitch some more working through dead-arm periods.
It is a throwback to the days of great pitchers like Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale, Bob Gibson and Juan Marichal, not to mention Nolan Ryan. No one babied them.
Let's not baby the Pirates anymore. Let's scream and yell when they stink,
which they do. And, let's stay away from the ballpark, too.
