Skip to main content

Bucs headed in right direction

So, Jack Wilson and other Pirates are tired of these trades?

I think the fans are tired of losing, I know I am. Maybe the players should be tired of losing, too.

Like it or not, the management in place have a direction to take this team. Some might argue it's to make more money for the Nuttings. That could be the case, but it seems general manager Neal Huntington has a plan in place to make the team better.

I definitely think that's the case.

You can see it take shape. They have outfielders in place in the minors or already playing at PNC Park with Andrew McCutchen, Lastings Milledge, Jose Tabata and Gorkys Hernandez. Pedro Alvarez recently was promoted to Double-A Altoona and could be in Pittsburgh next season. Andy LaRoche is showing the promise he displayed in the minors.

To review, I didn't like the Nate McLouth trade, but I did like Tuesday's moves. But, I will concede that Huntington has a blueprint. He can't be blamed for the past seasons. Let's give him time to see if these moves pan out.

So what if the Pirates don't win 82 games this season? Is the city of Pittsburgh going to throw the Bucs a parade if they finish with a winning record? I'd rather have a solid foundation that could compete for a division championship.

Wilson said that the Bucs were only five games out of first place. It's nice to see him thinking positive. But Jack, who plays hard and is a fan favorite, is missing the bigger picture.

First, this team wasn't on pace for a winning season. They were four games below .500 when they traded McLouth. They're five games below today.

Entering Wednesday, the Pirates were not in a pennant race. They were in last place in the NL Central. And, to put things in a different light, the Bucs had better records than just three teams in the National League.

By making the bold move to trade Nyjer Morgan, the Pirates didn't doom the season to failure. They can finishing with a winning record without him. That's not guaranteeing it. They could just as easily end up with 75 wins.

An 82-win season shouldn't be the goal of the franchise or the players. The return of playoff baseball is.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Are the Steelers the team no one wants to face?

Embed from Getty Images There's a label attached to the Steelers this postseason: The team no one wants to face. Don't buy it? Monday Morning QB thinks so . Andy Benoit says an explosive passing game and creative defense makes Pittsburgh the most dangerous team in the AFC. I don't think the Ravens had any problems facing the Steelers two weeks ago. But, hey, the Ravens aren't in the playoffs, right? The problem with the Steelers is the defense. They might be creative, as Benoit suggests, but they're also vulnerable to the big play. The team seems to play up -- or down -- to its competition. So, again, there are no Ravens in the playoffs, so they can't be accused of playing down. However, the Steelers have to like their chances with the Bengals on Saturday. One Vegas line on Sunday night had Pittsburgh as a small favorite. Does that mean the Steelers could play down to Cincy? I'm sure the Steelers will be fired up. And it is the po

Don't compare the Steelers to last year's playoff team

Embed from Getty Images I'm already hearing talk about this year's playoff is unfolding like last year. You know how that went: The Steelers lost their starting running back in Week 17, then lost in the wild-card round against a divisional opponent. This year, DeAngelo Williams was injured in Week 17. And the Steelers face a divisional opponent -- the Bengals. That's where it stops. Williams has a sprained ankle, and is considered day-to-day. They also face an opponent that has a rich history -- of losing in the postseason. That's not to suggest that this game is a gimmie and the Steelers should book a trip to Denver. This will present it's share of challenges, namely A.J. Green and tight end Tyler Eifert. The Steelers will need to slow them down, no matter who's throwing the ball. But, if A.J. McCarron is behind center, that should be in favor of the Steelers -- also something different from a year ago.

It was a Burfict ending for the Steelers against the Bengals

Embed from Getty Images I've never seen an ending like that . Oh, sure, I've seen games play out like the scoring summary did from Saturday night's unbelievable wild-card game. Steelers take a 15-0 lead. It looks like they have the game in hand. The Bengals take the lead late in the game. The Steelers win it with a field goal in the waning seconds. That doesn't quite sum it up, does it? Not this game. Not the way it unfolded. Let's get back to the 15-0 part. Martavis Bryant gave the Steelers that lead with an incredible TD catch from Ben Roethlisberger. He actually caught it with his butt. I'm not sure how that was a football move -- but I digress. At that point, it looked like the Steelers were in control. Then Vontaze Burfict took over for the Bengals. Yeah, that guy. Burfict sacked Roethlisberger at the end of the third quarter, knocking Big Ben out of the game. Embed from Getty Images But all the Ste