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Bob Smizik is My Best FriendAlthough, I respect him and am readily entertained by his writing, I rarely agree with him. I have a natural tendacy to play devil's advocate as well, but when it comes to Smizik, I go though extra mile.Smizik, this time, editorializes about the responsibility of Pirate's ownership. The centerpoint of Smizik's article is the promise that McClatchy made to the fans of Pittsburgh: Implicit in the construction of what was to become PNC Park was the promise -- made by McClatchy -- that the Pirates would field a competitive team. We heard time and again the new stadium would be a panacea for what ailed baseball in Pittsburgh. The revenue it produced would allow the Pirates to not just compete but to be a contender.Which part of that was the lie Bob, that the Pirate's would field a competitive team, or that PNC Park would bring in enough revenue for the Pirates to compete? It's an important question. Obviously the rest of your article is based on the fact that the Pirates DO have enough revenue, so I assume you feel cheated on the competitive team. To understand why this promise was made lets go back to a front office discussion in the fall of 1996: Kevin: I'm going to do whatever I can to get a new stadium built in this town. We're not going to come close to winning a championship with the roster we got, so I want you to get rid of them for the best young stuff you can get.Argue if you want about winning being McClatchy's true hope, but running off his popularity of saving the franchise, everyone in Pittsburgh buys into McClatchy's idea. What went wrong? Cam Bonify botched the plan. He started comprimising the future so that the team could look competitive, he made trades like Jon Leiber for Brant Brown, and Jose Guillen for Joe Oliver, that not only are big miffs in hindsight, but were obviously boneheaded at the time that they happened. When we did move into PNC Park, not a single one of those original prospects had panned out. To make up for it he bought the services of Pat Meares and Derek Bell, and overpaid for Kevin Young, and Jason Kendall. The Pirates learned a harsh lesson that year, money doesn't win ballgames. Moving into PNC Park was a wonderful opportunity for both the Pirates and the city of Pittsburgh, it was blown. So why spend $50 million to lose a hundred games when you can spend 30 and lose ninety. That's where we find ourselves now kiddies. One of the things you will constantly hear Dave Littlefield say is, "We are not a championship caliber team." While that may not be the best thing to say in public, he is trying to make a valid point. He now has a plan, I'm not sure what the plan is, or time frame, but I imagine it culminates in fielding a championship caliber team, and Littlefield is not going to waiver from that plan for any short term cosmetic fix. Littlefield is building a team, it takes time. I commend him for sticking to it, much unlike his predecessor. Let's face it, the Pirates are never going to buy a team [I will write one day about how I don't want this anyway]. At best we could fill two holes with decent free agents, or one hole with a great one. The current Pirates have way more then two holes. Think also about what Littlefield has to deal with that opposes this plan: A controlling ownership group, a fan base that wants higher payroll and playing time for it's prospects [a contradictory wish, that again will recieve it's own post], and the reputation of being the GM of the Pittsburgh Pirates. I am by no means nieve however, and I'm not going to believe that we have a well thought out plan based on faith, that would be stupid. Like a bitter ex-girlfriend, I've given the Pirate's my trust for way too long and gotten burned too many times to count (we broke up for a while after the Ramirez trade, but eventually got back together); I need a freakin bone. There's a few things they can do. The Nuttings can make a statement, wave to the city, be seen in public, anything that let's people know they exist. We can stop the practice of drafting cheap players and go after the best player available. Never again make any trade remotely resembling the Aramis Ramirez salary dump for nothing in return. Reward promising prospects like Bay and Perez and any other player who is the best thing to happen to Pittsburgh since Pierogies. Lastly, open the books, prove that you really did loose 30 million; I don't so much care what you're pocketing right now as long as you can assure me through these actions that there is a plan with goal in mind. posted by Rory at 5:36 PM | |
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This is a blog about the Pittsburgh Pirates. My vision: to write about the games at the games. Want to email me? Make it out to rory at bleache... you know the rest. |
