National League Preview: How to Fix the Pittburgh Pirates
Posted by Alan Hull on 29th February 2008
First, a Pirates poem from AOL Fanhouse’s MLB Poetry:
15 years since I’ve seen a good team.
15 beers to forget about Bream.
I want the cheers, but this isn’t a dream.
They say “We Will” and they fail to come through.
Its never a thrill when their words say “adieu.”
If only still I could discard this crew.
They boast a squad of Sanchez and Bay.
Oh my God, all my hopes fly away.
Let’s sign Tom Dodd, I’m sure he can still play.
But yet through spring, I’ll block out “way back when.”
I’ll see them swing, I’ll believe in our ‘pen.
That’s the thing, I have faith once again.
It must be hard to maintain faith as a Pirates fan through all the years of ownership apathy and Dave Littlefield media spin. I truly respect the sports fans who not only celebrate their team through the ups, but through the downs as well.
The Pirates are the biggest example of a franchise in the down–they are a bad team, but they would compare favorably with the Oakland Athletics and Baltimore Orioles on a major league-ready talent level, but unlike those two, the rebuilding process has yet to begin as far as player acquisitions go. A franchise does not lose for 15 straight seasons without something wrong within the organization and the Pirates had to start with the brain of the organization, so they hired Frank Coolney to serve as team President and his first major move was firing General Manager Dave Littlefield and hiring Neal Huntington.
I’ve expressed my optimism about the hiring of Neal Huntington as the General Manager of the team. I think he is a very bright and able person and has begun the project from the ground up, beginning with the front office and the infrastructure within the organization. That’s a good sign. What makes organizations like the Boston Red Sox and the Cleveland Indians so successful is that every single employee within the organization is on the same page. The Pirates are moving in that direction.
In covering the Pirates rebuilding efforts I will first provide some changes and new ideas Huntington and the new regime have shared in their recent interviews, then I will review the assets the Pirates currently have within the organization and some potential trade partners for these assets. Read the rest of this entry »
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Being a current sports journalism student at the fine institution of Arizona State University, I am thereby according to Sun Devil law an avid ASU sports fan. Being at such status, it was tacit that I would be attending last weekends DeMarini Invitational, hosted by none other than the Sun Devils themselves. If there is one thing I could say about the tournament, it would be this: Tempe certainly knows how to start off a season.
I’ve been patiently waiting all off-season. 
Rotogod here. The fantasy baseball season is just around the corner and I’m sure you’re all thinking about your respective drafts, auctions or whatnot. I’ve covered 
The National League, unlike the America league, lacks the superpower teams that are almost locks to make the playoffs beyond the New York Mets. After that, there are conceivably nine or ten teams vying for the final three spots. I doubt the San Diego Padres will be able to compete and it will take a lot going wrong for the Houston Astros to win the NL Central, leaving eight real, legitimate contenders.
