Straight from the McLouth

Anyone else find it ironic that the Pirates had Franco Harris speak to the team before the game, only for the Bucs to go out and lose by a touchdown? Maybe he also shared the secrets of avoiding contact and running out of bounds like a girl.

On to more serious topics, Jesus Christ we have some terrible pitchers.

Exhibit A: Zach Dookie, the latest in a long line of Pirates pitchers to have arm trouble. He's initial assessment came back as just being a tender elbow. However he is scheduled to fly to Alabama to meet with the illustrious Dr. Andrews this week for a second opinion. I don't know about you but in my opinion when players go to see Dr. Andrews for a second opinion, they tend to come back needing Tommy John surgery or some other kind of invasive surgery. How much says Dookie boy has something more serious going on?

John Van Benschoten is terrible. The guy can not locate a pitch to save his life. The problem is that you can't send him down because who are you going to bring up? He's the best of the crap that's down in AAA. I just looked at AA and saw that Dewon Brazelton is there. Remember him? Young hotshot pitcher the Devil Rays rushed up to the majors only to watch him get slammed. He's now at our AA affiliate after cruising from team to team for the last couple of years. He's pitching relief at Altoona. Now that we've brought up Youman there really is nothing left in the minors that we can bring up. Burnett and Bullington need more time to come back from injuries, Armas is not an option...the only other idea is to give it back to Chacon. I think the Pirates are hesitant about doing that because of two reasons:
1) It leaves the bullpen really short
2) They are getting ready to trade him and want to showcase him as a reliever where he'll have more value.

Now some good news. Nate McLouth needs to start. He plays with a reckless abandon that Duffy NEVER shows. His slide last night into home was beautiful. He's one of the few players on this team who gets me excited. I love nothing more than when I go to a game and he's in the lineup. That's probably why I love going on Sundays, Nate Dog and Doumit usually always start. He's about the only motor guy on this whole team and it says a lot about the Pirates that they didn't follow his lead last night. I've never seen a team look more comatose. It's unbelievable. Jason Bay looks like he's just riding out the next 2.5 years of his contract uninjured so he can sign a big deal somewhere else or get traded in the summer of 2009.

I love how the Pirates Bandwagon is trying to build up the next 7 games as "make or break". Make or break what? .500? Do people actually believe that this team can contend for the Central? Obviously people do and that amazes me. Perhaps it's because it's been so long since people have seen good baseball that they can't remember what a good team looks like. There's no way this team can catch the Cubs, let alone the Brewers. I believe that both teams will be in the playoffs; Brewers as the division winners and Cubs as the Wild Card.

I am going to the game tonight, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. I must be a masochist...or a baseball fan. (Aren't they the same though?)