The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

I've been away for some time and didn't get a chance to react to the Pirates off season moves as they happened.  Some made sense, some didn't.  For this I'm going to give my opinion of the Pirates off season so far by looking at some cards I have. 

The Good
The Pirates signed Nate McLouth to a MINOR LEAGUE deal for $1.75 million.
I like this signing a lot. Nate was awesome when he was in Pittsburgh.  He even won a gold glove in CF in 2008 for the Bucs, as he was a breakout star.  After signing a very team friendly contract in the offseason of 2008 and being told that "Nate McLouth is a large part of our plans for the Pirates future," he was traded to Atlanta in the summer of 2009 for Charlie Morton, Jeff Locke, and Gorkys Hernandez.  Charlie had a breakout year last year.  Jeff made his major league debut after starting the season in AA.  Gorkys was promoted to AAA and is still ranked as the best defensive outfielder the Pirates have in the system.  Nate on the other hand struggled A LOT for Atlanta and was even demoted to AAA while over there. 

I have 2 jersey relics of Nate the Great and am happy to move them in my cardboard stack of "Former" Pirates to Current Pirates.  The Allen & Ginter relic is like every other Ginter relic out there.  Plain, boring, blah.  But the Topps Authentic Ticket Stub & Jersey Relic is unique.  I like this concept and hope Topps can revisit this idea again soon.  I just wish Nate was wearing #13 instead of #49 in the photo.

It's nice to see a fan favorite back in Pittsburgh.  Now if we could only get Jason Bay or Jose Bautista on a 1 year minor league contract, all will be right with the world

The Good
Ryan Doumit signs with the Twins before the Pirates have to offer arbitration for him, thus ensuring the Pirates get a draft pick compensation for losing Doumit (a type B free agent).

The Good

The Pirates signed often injured, but very talented Erik Bedard to a 1 year deal for $4.5 million + incentives.  I like this signing.  With the Pirates buying out Paul Maholm and his $9.75 contract, they lost a veteran lefty.  While I will miss Paul, I think Erik will fill that role nicely for half the price.  Let's just hope he can stay healthy. 

The Bad

Ryan Doumit signs with the Twins on a 1 year deal for only $3 million and we sign Rod Barajas for $4 million.
I'm going to miss Doumit a lot.  It's really sad actually.  Doumit was never a top tier fielder, but his bat was something special.  There was a number of times that I just knew he would come up with a huge hit when the Pirates needed it most.  He's actually one of the main reasons, Trevor Hoffman was taken out of being the Brewers closer in 2010 when he hit 2 grand slams in back to back nights in the 9th inning off the then all-time saves leader. 

I still plan on collecting cards of Dewey, even though he did stuff like what's below when runners were attempting to steal a base.

I'll miss you Ryan Doumit.  At least, you're reunited with Matt Capps and Steve Pearce.
Anyone got an opinion on Rod Barajas? Because I sure as hell don't.  I'm still mourning losing Doumit.

The Ugly

The Pirates avoid arbitration of players who could have proved to be useful next season.  That list includes Steve Pearce, Ronny Cedeno, and Ross Ohlendorf.  I don't think any of these guys are big time stars and probably don't deserve being on a 25 man roster for any team except the Pirates, but here's some facts.
Prior to injuries Steve Pearce and Ross Ohlendorf were absolutely amazing in 2009 and 2010.  They both wouldn't have gotten much of a pay increase and probably deserved taking a flyer on at spring training this year.  Ronny Cedeno, for as inconsistent as he can be with the bat, is actually a damn good short stop.  Few NL shortstops provided a better fielding UZR or fielding percentage than Cedeno. 

I'm not terribly upset about these releases, but am dumb founded on taking a guy like Clint Barmes at SS and giving him all the money that these 3 could have made collectively.  Clint Barmes is not that good.  PERIOD

I'm finally back & healthy

It's been a crazy couple of months for me dating all the way back to August when I was admitted to the hospital for viral meningitis then experiencing 9 days without power from Hurricane Irene. Fast forward a couple more health scares with both myself and my family and enter Snowtober.  The 6 inch snowstorm on Halloween knocked out power for my street for another 8 days.  Then the holidays came and went.  Well, I'm finally back and healthy and ready to complete ALL the trades I've promised over the past couple months.  For those of you that sent me packages, please send me your current address along with what the trade proposal was so I can finish up my end.  Thanks to all and God Bless you for your patience.

Since it's been awhile and I had many cards that needed to be added prior to my illness, I'll present a few cards on this post.

Up first is a 2011 Topps Marquee on card AUTO of Neil Walker.  This card is numbered 16/185 and features a nice standard pose of Neil holding the bat on his shoulder.  I absolutely loved the Topps Marquee line when it came out and picked up a slew of Jose Tabata & Andrew McCutchen relics/autos.  It was nice to see a Topps set contain autos & relics of current Pirates players.  No offense to Ralph Kiner, but I don't want to see him in any more sets for the forseeable future.  Neil finished the year with a vote for a golden glove, which is very surprising considering he had a -0.3 defensive WAR.  I'm not completely sold on sabremetrics though and evidently the voters aren't either because Neil performed above average in my opinion.  Offensively, Neil Walker began the season with a slam, a grand slam to be exact.  The last Pirate to hit a Grand Slam on Opening Day was Roberto Clemente. 

Neil will be a cornerstone in the Pirates future for years to come as the Pittsburgh Kid wants to bring a championship to the Steel City.

Up next is a manufactured bat barrel of Garrett Jones.  I'm not a huge fan of manufactured items, but this looks awesome.  The barrel is curved and the card is very thick.  This black bat of G.I. Jones is numbered 15/25.  My girl friend has one too and we are going to try and collect all 25.  Keep your eyes open for us, please.  Jones had a year of ups and downs.  It was announced during the off season that he would be used in a strict platoon with Matt Diaz in Right Field.  That didn't work out too well as neither Diaz or Jones could adjust to playing in a platoon role in Pittsburgh.  When Lyle Overbay completely tanked mid season and trade acquisition Derrek Lee got injured, Jones was the only suitable option at 1B.  He excelled beyond expectations in the month of August and had a Walk Off Home Run that landed in the Alleghany River.  There's no denying that Jones has a powerful left handed bat and is a presence to be feared when he's not swinging at balls in the dirt.

Here's 2 of Pittsburgh future hurlers, 2 Luis Heredia Autographs and a Stetson Allie State College Spikes jersey relic.  These 2 guys are fireballing teenagers.  Heredia was signed last year as a 16 year old with velocity up to 97MPH and great control.  Allie was a big bonus baby as he signed a multi million dollar signing bonus as a 2nd round draft pick.  Heredia, although younger, has better command of his pitches and will certainly be a front of the rotation starter in Pittsburgh in a couple years.  Allie, on the other hand, will need to work on his control in order to become a shutdown 9th inning closer.  Although Allie is still considered a starter, I suspect they will move him into the bullpen in the next year. 

Speaking of 9th inning closers, there wasn't many NL closers better than Joel Hanrahan this year as he was voted to NL All-Star game for the 1st time in his career.  Prior to the All-Star game he hadn't blown a save opportunity, had a WHIP of under 1, and an ERA around 2.00.  Ridiculous numbers!  As a matter of fact, his only blown saves for the entire year was when he was trying to pitch more than 3 outs.  Joel would like to remain in Pittsburgh, but he becomes a free agent in 2014.  It will be curious if the Pirates hold onto him in 2013 when they should be legitamely contending for the NL Central or trade him for top 10 prospects.  I hope the Hammer stays in the Burgh.

Well that's all for now. It feels good to be back.  Now I have 700+ emails to attend to.....
Until Next Time

Happy Roberto Clemente Day

just a few more ebay pickups

Today's theme is autographed cards of pitchers using the bat. 
We haven't seen much offense from Pirates pitchers this year.  To be perfectly honest, we haven't seen much in terms of pitching from these guys either.

Evan Meek had a breakout season last year as he was selected as a 2010 All Star and was one of the best setup men in baseball.  Due to injuries and a loss in velocity, this year has not been so kind to Super Meek.  He has only pitched in 15.1 innings despite appearing in 18 games.  Compare that to 2010 when he appeared in 70 games with 70 strikeout in 80 IP and a WHIP of 1.05.  Evan is back after a lengthy stay on the DL and pitched a scoreless inning in his return last night.  This 2011 Bowman Platinum (460/1166) features an autograph and jersey swatch.  It also shows Evan and his 1.000 average and 2.000 OPS swinging the bat.  Evan has only had 2 plate appearances in the majors and is 1 for 1.

 Justin Wilson has yet to make the majors, but I suspect he may be a mid-season callup next year if he continues to improve as a prospect.  Justin performed superbly earlier in the season at AAA Indy before running into some trouble mid season.  He regained form and finished the season strong.  It was reported that his fastball touched 97 towards the end of the season which is really incredible for a LHP.  He had 94 Ks in 124 IP at the AAA level.  Unlike the other autographed cards of pitchers swinging the bat, Justin actually performed well with the stick.  He batted .231 with 2 RBI in 13 AB.  He also had 2 doubles.  Pictured above is his 2010 Bowman Sterling AUTO

2009 Tristar Pursuit Zach Von Rosenberg 16/199 Autograph.  Of the three of these guys Zach Von Rosenberg performed the worst statistically.  Zach was signed as a big draft bonus baby out of high school in 2009.  He has a very projectable frame at 6ft5 and is still only 20 years old.  His K/9 is still very good and he lowered his walk rate, but he needs to continue to make progress on keeping the ball in the park.  He had a 8.2K/9 and lowered his BB to 1.6/9 in 2011.  He's still looking for his 1st professional hit in the minors. 

BEST BIRTHDAY PRESENT EVER!!!

A couple days ago I thought I was going to be celebrating my 30th birthday in the dark, because I was still without power for the 8th day thanks to Hurricane Irene.  My girlfriend told me that because our post office was closed for a couple days I may not have my birthday gift for a couple more days.  No big deal.  Shortly after that, the power came back on and all seemed right with the world.

Well today I got the present I was hinted about.  It was in a tiny box so I suspected some kind of random cards of Cutch or Doumit for my PC.  Boy was I pleasantly surprised when I opened up and saw this.

My reaction was "Are you f&*#ing kidding me?" I was stunned.  Jameson Taillon autos go for quite a bit of money, but a dual auto with Bryce Harper. HOLY SHIT! This card is so awesome, I had to show the back too.

BEST BIRTHDAY PRESENT EVER!

I also got these 2 Bat relic cards of Dave Parker & Bill Madlock

Trade post with Ryan's Memorabilia Blog

Mike at Ryan's Memorabilia Blog had seen the Jim Palmer/Brian Matusz dual auto I had up for trade and sent me a plethora of Pirates & Steelers cards in exchange.  He saw that I was searching for more Ryan Doumit cards to add to my collection and sent me 2 Autos, a 2011 Topps Silk Collection (48/5), 2011 Diamond Anniversary, and 2 Bowman numbered parallels.  As an added bonus he also included a Willie Stargell Triple Threads, and a very cool Dave Parker/Willie Stargell bat rack card.  I really like that Fleer Bat Rack card.  I had never seen that before and am very glad to add the card to my collection.

He also included 8 Steelers cards including 2 Roethlisberger, 2 Hines Wards, and a Maurkice Pouncey rookie.  Sweet additions to the treasure room.

Maz Monday: Celebrating the greatest defensive 2nd Baseman of all time

What a wild and crazy week I had.  It took the electric company 8 days to restore my power due to the massive flooding, broken poles, and uprooted trees from Hurricane Irene.  Fortunately, all I lost was power and there was very minimal flooding in the basement.  When the power came back on yesterday, it was the best birthday present I could have asked fore as it restored life as I knew it "back to normal".  The aftermath of Irene truly made me appreciate how much I take for granted everyday.  Without phone service, electricity, and having to take many detours on my road just to get into town to work I am truly more grateful for all that life has blessed me.  Thank you to those that sent messages and wished me well during the week.

I have received several trade packages as the post office began delivering mail again and will highlight those in future posts.

Today though I wanted to do something a little different and highlight the birthday of Bill Mazeroski.  Being a young dude, I didn't get a chance to see Maz play obviously.  However, I have seen numerous videos, interviews, and read many articles/books about Maz.

Last year I made the trek from NJ to Pittsburgh to celebrate my birthday and see Bill Mazeroski's statue unveiled on September 5th.  It was an awesome weeked overall, even though the Pirates lost to the Nationals for both games I was out there.  Here's some of the highlights

SO HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAZ! AND HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO YOUR STATUE

Now for the cards

Above is the relic cards I have of Maz that I previously had not posted.  I really like that Topps Stadium Series Seat card with the iconic image of Maz rounding 3rd after hitting the walk-off homerun in the 1960 World Series.  And because this card is so damn awesome I have reposted the Three Rivers Stadium Seat with Maz, Parker, and Madlock.  I have added a Bill Mazeroski folder to my Picasa photopage. 

On another note I went to my local card store yesterday and picked up a bunch of randomness along with supplies and some Jerome Bettis cards for the PC.  If anyone is interested in anything below, let me know.