The Sports Monitor

Here it is deadline day and the Pittsburgh Pirates have been mentioned in some possible deals to bolster their team. Yeah, it's nice to hear the Pirates as being buyers instead of sellers at this stage of the summer. It's a much-needed change. But, really, do you truly expect the Pirates to make a blockbuster deal to go all-in and try to win a title this year? I don't. Here's what I expect to come out of Pirates GM Neal Huntington after the deadline passes: "We wanted to add to our club, but the price was too high. We did not want to sacrifice our minor league system at the expense of a short-term gain." That's all nice, but the team is just a couple of games out of the lead in the division. Are all those minor league prospects going to pan out? They rarely do. And maybe it's also about the money too. Never underestimate the cheapness of the Nutting regime. The Pirates already missed out on John Lackey and Jon Lester. Now we're wait...

There's no question the Pittsburgh Pirates need a catcher next season. The rumor is the Bucs are prepared to offer Yankees catcher Russell Martin a three-year contract worth $25 million. That sounds about right for the Neal Huntington regime. They overpay for washed up veterans. It's like clockwork. I'm sure Erik Bedard, Clint Barmes, Nate McLouth and Rod Barajas are still fresh in your memories. Maybe Huntington has forgotten. He certainly hasn't learned from past mistakes. If reports have any validity to them, Huntington is pursuing a player in decline. Martin hit .211 last season, which follows a trend in falling batting average since 2007 (.293, .280, .250, .248, .237 and .211). He played for the Dodgers before his move to New York, where his power numbers improved (7 and 5 homers with the Dodgers before 18 and 21 for the Yankees). Maybe the rumors aren't true. Maybe the Yankees will decided to up the ante. Maybe someone like the Seattle ...

A couple months ago, I was sitting at work basking in the Pirates' first-place standing in the NL Central. "They'll collapse. They always do," a co-worker said. I knew it was true, but I wanted to enjoy the moment. How often can you celebrate something with the Pirates? Since that day, the Pirates have erased anything good from those fun months of the summer. Since that day, the Bucs have utterly collapsed, shamelessly raised ticket prices and inexplicably extended general manager Neal Huntington's contract. Talk about promoting goodwill. But, hey, that's how these Pirates operate. Yet on the heels of all that good news, the Pirates continued their track record by extending their own mark of failure on Wednesday. The Battling Buccos clinched their 19th straight losing season. It's been well documented, but just typing those two numbers is unbelievable. 19. I had to type it again just to get used to that number, because you know we'l...

I was caught up in the football frenzy yesterday and missed this on SI.com. Jon Heyman is reporting that the Pirates are considering extending GM Neal Huntington. I'd really like to see a real GM in Pittsburgh. I guess that might happen when they get a real team. I've been thoroughly unimpressed by Huntington's evaluation of major league players. But, when you're a cheap franchise, you get what you pay for.

I want to buy into the hype that the Pirates are contenders. The crowds and excitement generated last weekend were unbelievable. They're playing good baseball, to boot. But I'm still not convinced. Maybe it has something to do with 18 straight losing seasons. That's a long history that's hard to erase. So I'm still on the fence. But I know what will get me to buy into this season. The Pirates need to be buyers at the trading deadline. If the organization believes in this team and is willing to spend money, then I'm on board. The Bucs begin the second half only one game out of first place. This division is up for grabs. The Cardinals and Brewers don't have the look of inevitability this season, even with the Brewers acquiring Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez. The Bucs need to take their shot. You never know when that chance might come around again. Teams are looking to shed payroll -- like the Pirates used to -- and key hitters could be acqui...

The story about the Pirates strong-arming the Stroll Inn seems to be taking a life of its own. The latest revelation is that the owner claimed Frank Coonelly scolded her. You can hear the an interview here . Again, the Pirates really should be more concerned with what's happening on the field than what others are doing off the field. I still think the Stroll Inn should have kept the promotion. Maybe, however, the Stroll Inn realized that before too long, they would be giving away free pitchers of beer, or, it would have to pay customers to buy a pitcher, if losses exceeded the cost of the pitcher. I'd like to see other bars offer a similar deal as a show of solidarity. To help them along, here are some ideas to consider: Bad Trade Night . Half off a beer every time the Pirates trade an established player for a minor leaguer. Bad Pitcher Night . Half off a pitcher of beer every time a Pirates starter gives up more than five runs in a game. Another game under .500...

If you tell a lie often enough, it becomes the truth. That adage might work in politics, but it certainly doesn't work when it comes to the Pittsburgh Pirates. At least that's my feelings a week after Pirates president Frank Coonelly uttered the phrase that soon will not be forgotten. "Today is our future because 2010 is the beginning of the next dynasty of the Pirates for me." I'm sure you heard it. And it's probably a safe bet that you're just as flabbergasted as I am this long after his proclamation. 2010 simply will be another year in a long line of losing seasons for the Pirates, no matter what Coonelly says. Spring training is supposed to be a time of optimism. I don't have it this season when it comes to the Bucs. Bob Nutting can boast about a great team. GM Neal Huntington can, too. Same goes for manager John Russell. I can't trust or believe a word these guys say -- just like a politician. Do they really think anyone that f...

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...

My cousin got married last week and I finally was able to grab a minute to talk to him at the reception. Of course, the topic quickly moved to sports, and he couldn't help but bring up the Pirates. "You know, I was at a game earlier this year, we were in the box and no one cared what was going on during the game," he said. That's understandable and pretty reasonable, I guess, considering how the team has played for 16 years. His next question really stumped me. "When are they going to win again?" he asked. I didn't have an answer. To him, and what seems like many Pirates fans, the baseball season has become a distraction between the end of the Penguins' season and the start of Steelers training camp. After hearing the news Wednesday night about the Pirates' trade of Nate McLouth to the Atlanta Braves for three minor league players, I'd be able to tell him that it's at least a couple years longer than it was last week. To call the trade a ...