Every year in recent memory, July 31st (the trade deadline) has been a frustrating day for me. There was the year that the Pirates seemed to trade every recognizable player to the Cubs (the one that really hurt was Aramis Ramirez). Then, there was last year when they payed a gazillion dollars for a washed up pitcher who isn't pitching!
That brings us to this year...the Pirates have made two big trades. First, they traded Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte to the Yankees for 4 prospects. I like these two players, but I can't say I was very attached to them. Plus, the X-man's contract was up after 2009 and with the evil Scott Boras as his agent, there wasn't really any hope of retaining him long term. The Pirates got some prospects in return including outfielder Jose Tabata, who has been described as being like Manny Ramirez (um, yea?) and pitcher Jeff Karstens, who shut out the Cubs yesterday. This deal did not upset me. I did not feel emotionally attached to either player. While I am tired of the Pirates constantly rebuilding, I keep hoping that they can get it together and end up like the Tigers or Brewers or Twins, other small market teams that have been able to have success.
The next trade hit me harder. It came at the 11th hour, allegedly at
3:59 pm (the deadline is 4 pm). The Pirates traded away their best and most recognizable player, Jason Bay, to the Red Sox as part of the deal that sent Manny being Manny to the Dodgers. In recent memory, the Pirates have been a team of no-names, young, unproven players that only the biggest Pirate fan or baseball geek could name. While Jason Bay doesn't have the name recognition of say Derek Jeter, his was a household name to most baseball fans. I think it's important for the fan base to have players to root for. In the Pittsburgh team shop, they sell Clemente and Stargell shirts rather than current players because there aren't any recognizable ones playing. Bay was a two-time all star. More than that, he was easy to root for; he seemed like a nice guy. I felt a connection with him because he's from Trail, B.C., the site of a major projects at my old job. He's in the Trail sports hall of fame, though he's one of the few non-hockey/curling/skiing athletes (another being his sister, a softball player). He's not flashy; he doesn't have Manny being Manny moments, he's not out on the town with Madonna. I liked him; he was my favorite Pirate.Maybe the trade will pan out---they're getting 4 prospects, one of whom is, oddly enough, the brother of their current 1st baseman. Maybe the LaRoche boys will become like the Alous or the Griffeys. Maybe, but the fallout has not been all that positive. ESPN describes the Pirates as "losers" and the Pittsburgh Post Gazette is critical of Pirates management: "Pirates management, in its various incarnations, has been writing this script for 16 years, an evident narrative arc to nowhere. Characters come and go, none fully developed, and they are replaced by others, far less developed. And, if you were chilled by Chapter 2008, wait until you see Chapter 2009."
I think I will continue to root for Bay even though he's a Red Sock now. I know there are some Red Sox fans reading this post, but I have no tolerance for the Red Sox anymore. I rooted for them up until they won their first recent World Series, but now I find their fans intolerable [pay attention Cubs fans should the curse be broken!]. They are worse than Yankee fans...though I definitely still hate the Yankees more than the Red Sox. Watching this highlight reel of Bay's first game in Boston made me sick to my stomach. He should be in Pittsburgh damnit!
If you've made it through this whole post, which has taken me more than an hour to write, I'll reward you with this gillette commercial from the 1960s starring Bill Mazeroski.
1 comment:
Nice post, E! Maybe one day some of these Pirates prospects will start panning out. Tabata was a big name to get, as he's been very young for every level he's been in (usually a very good sign). He just need to get his head on straight.
It's kind of sad to see the big teams always getting the big names. But as a Cubs fan I can't complain too much, since they've been doing much the same the last 5 years or so. :)
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