Play Ball! ... APRIL FOOLS, Pirates Fans!!!

Hope springs eternal in Springtime. Well, degrees of hope, anyway, if you're a fan of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

We'll take what we can get! ... which ain't much.

As Pirates fans, we will settle for glimmers of sporadic excellence and just enough entertainment -- good and bad -- to keep us interested throughout the season.

So far as the anticipated record in 2011, expectations are low. It's unrealistic to expect this crew to improve much. There was no major influx of on-field talent during the off-season, unless you count new manager Clint Hurdle and some of his coaching staff, and they don't play.

The pitching looks absolutely abysmal. Depth is non-existent. The fielding could be problematic. Hitting is likely to lack much punch. Speed is so-so. There you have it.

This could be a long year. Again.

Will they lose 100 games? 105? 110? 115?

Losing "only" 99 games would require at least 63 wins, an improvement of six wins over last season. That sounds reasonable, doesn't it? Or does it?

We could possibly see a slight improvement over 105 losses, which is what they had last season. But we could also see them losing, say, 115 games.

One could certainly make the case they didn't improve themselves much at all in the off-season, and that their pitching staff could be even more of a disaster than it was last year. Already, the Pirates have scrambled to sign castoffs shed from the 40-man rosters of other teams in late spring training! NOT an encouraging sign.

One thing the Pirates (and the more optimistic of their fans) seem to be banking on is continued improvement from the young position players thrust into starting roles last year. Granted, those players -- Pedro Alvarez, Neil Walker, Jose Tabata -- all show considerable promise. It is unrealistic, however, to expect all three to improve dramatically in all phases of their game, especially at the plate.

If anything, as the history of baseball has shown repeatedly, there is such a thing as "the sophomore slump," and these guys may very well fall victim to it if they fail to adjust to the adjustments to be made inevitably by opposing pitchers.

Alvarez has the most upside for power, but he definitely also has the most potential for a prodigious number of strikeouts -- 119 strikeouts in 337 at-bats last season! That's a lot of whiffs, and the number will increase with more at-bats, if he stays healthy all year. He absolutely has to get better in the field, too (17 errors in just 276 chances last year). His fielding has to be a concern, and if the Bucs are banking on the team's overall infield defense to improve based on Lyle Overbay digging out errant throws all year (from third, short and second), they are expecting too much.

Here's what ESPN has to say about Alvarez and his strikeouts vs. power potential:

"Only 16 players in the history of baseball have struck out 100-plus times in a season and averaged at least 1.25 whiffs per contest, and only three did it in 2010: Adam Dunn, Mark Reynolds and Alvarez. So when you're evaluating Alvarez's seemingly limitless potential, keep that in mind as a significant trouble spot for him entering his sophomore year. He'll be a liability in terms of batting average as long as he maintains a strikeout rate well over 30 percent (it was 34.3 percent in 2010). That, combined with his struggles versus lefties (.228/.302/.342 rates in 2010), could be exploited to the point where he'll slump enough to require an assignment back to the minors. Everything else about Alvarez's future, however, remains bright. His power upside is immense; he swatted 27 home runs in 126 games in the minors in 2009, then 29 between the majors and minors in 161 games in 2010, and his .201 isolated power was the 51st best in the modern era(1901 and later) among rookies with 300-plus plate appearances."

Overall depth is another concern: If any of the starting position players go down with an injury for any length of time, there's almost zero depth (proven depth) behind them. Say, for example, Neil Walker goes on the DL for a month -- and keep in mind that he sustained a pretty nasty concussion last year in an outfield collision with everybody's favorite, Lastings Milledge. If Walker were to go down, heaven forbid, who plays second base? Who? Who?

You could ask the same question about just about any other position, really. Third base, first base, left field, center field, catcher. Take your pick. A lot of question marks. Too many.

One of the biggest question marks already is that gaping black hole at shortstop. Unless Ronny Cedeno somehow has a breakout year -- and he's given scant evidence that he will -- the Pirates must find somebody else to play shortstop. Cedeno may be on a short leash, but there is nobody to take over. Oh, and by the way, Cedeno had 18 errors last year.

The team starts the season with, essentially, three new positional starters, at catcher (Chris Snyder, when he gets off the disabled list), first base (Lyle Overbay) and right field (the Matt Diaz/Garrett Jones platoon).

Snyder was awful at the plate and disappointing behind the plate after he came over from Arizona in the deadline deal July 30. Maybe he's good with pitchers, but that's hard for us to evaluate in any case, and especially with a pitching staff that is, ahem, uneven at best. Given his health issues, he may be damaged goods n any case.

Overbay batted .243 last year for Toronto and signed with the Pirates as a free agent only after receiving scant attention from other clubs.

Considering all this, the more it seems like the over-under should be right where they ended up last year -- at 105 losses. And Joey Porter's Pit Bulls wouldn't be at all surprised if they lose 110 or more.

For all that, here's what the Post-Gazette's Dejan Kovacevic had to say on his blog recently ...

The Pirates again will finish last, though they will fall short of 100 losses.

The mere math of turning 57-105 into something respectable is daunting. But the team made very few noteworthy additions in the offseason, and none of impact. This means that the young players have to improve and pretty dramatically. That sounds swell when people say it, but the reality is that Neil Walker and Jose Tabata both batted .300 last year. Their ceilings cannot be a whole lot higher than that. Pedro Alvarez does have big-time room for growth, but one player getting better will not do it.

More than anything, though, this is about the pitching.

If I could have seen any one thing in my week in Bradenton that could have even begun to make me think the Pirates were on the cusp of some big turnaround, it would have been seeing the starting pitchers look a lot better. Instead, to a man, they all looked the same. Same issues, same problems, same inconsistencies and, yes, almost all of the same names. And, fact is, my one week was not all that different than all the weeks of spring that preceded it.

Analyze the Pirates all you want, but nothing about them will change until the starting pitching does.

Just one more thing, and that's a quote from new infield instructor, Nick Leyva (yup, the former manager of the Phillies who once famously had an all-time profanity-filled meltdown in response to reporter's question during a post-game news conference):

Leyva quickly pointed to an offseason pick up as a reason for improvement anticipated to transcend from spring into the regular season.

"Here's the biggest reason we are better: Lyle Overbay," Leyva said of the first baseman with a .995 fielding percentage. "Nothing against the guys who played the majority of the games at first base in the past, but this is a true first baseman over there who doesn't get the recognition he should because he didn't play in New York or somewhere like that."

Dream on, Nick. Overbay can do only so much. He can't snag errant throws that are 11 feet high and wide, and he can do nothing to help the other infielders not botch plays. It's just asking too much.

The forecast? Cloudy, with a good chance for 105 losses and possibly even more.

As for today's opener in Chicago, maybe the Buccos can play a little April Fool's joke on The Little Cubbies. Hope springs eternal, doesn't it?

Happy Birthday, Manny Sanguillen!

Happy Birthday, Manny Sanguillen!

Or, as the Gunner would call him, the Happy Panamanian!

The Pirates WFC Blog offers a great write-up on Sangy's career here.

It's Just Starting to Get Drafty in Here

The NFL is in lockout mode, so there's not much to discuss. Unless, that is, you're the Post-Gazette and actually thought it worthwhile to work up a headlined article about Hines Ward practicing for "Dancing With the Stars." That's really scraping the bottom of the barrel.

Aside from an possible "labor" settlement, the next major event on the calendar is the NFL Draft, which starts Thursday, April 29. Joey Porter's Pit Bulls expect a Collective Bargaining Agreement to be in place by then. If not, the draft will be held, anyway, so it's not too soon to begin looking at potential scenarios.

It's impossible to say who the Steelers might pick. We can look at positional holes to be filled -- and there are plenty -- but when your team picks 31st (too bad it's not 32nd), it's pretty much a waste of time at this point to get overly excited about individual players the Steelers might draft.

The University of Florida's Mike Pouncey -- Maurkice Pouncey's twin brother -- is perhaps the guy that tantalizes many Steelers' fans. Maurkice's success with the Steelers as a rookie Pro Bowler has elevated the level of scrutiny on Mike Pouncey, who (like his brother) can play either center or guard. He might last until pick No. 31, but it's unlikely.

Naturally, the Steelers' coaching staff attended the NFL Scouting Combine and college pro days such as the one conducted last week by the University of Wisconsin. At least two Badger players are considered first-round prospects: tackle Gabe Carimi and defensive end J.J. Watt.

Either player would fit perfectly with the Steelers, but neither is likely to last until pick No. 31. The NFL Network's Jon Jansen, a former tackle himself, compares Carimi to longtime stalwart Jon Runyan, a former Eagle, and that looks about right. A lot of mock drafts have Carimi going either to Philadelphia or Dallas.

Watt also drawing high praise, and understandably so. From what we saw of Watt on video, he's cut in the mold of longtime Steelers' standout Aaron Smith. That kind of player is rare in the extreme, and the Steelers would be lucky to get him. The Steelers need a successor to the aging Smith, but Watt is projected as a top-20 pick.

If Watt somehow lasts until No. 31, we wouldn't be surprised if the Steelers draft him.

What would be interesting is the choice the Steelers would have to make, if somehow two of these three players -- Pouncey, Carimi, Watt -- are somehow still available at No. 31. Then, the Steelers really would have to make a decision.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

"If You're Lucky Enough to be Irish ...

You're Lucky Enough."

An Irishman walks into a pub in a small town in Ireland and orders three beers. The man takes the beers to a table where he sits alone and polishes them off in about an hour. He gets up, orders three more and does the same thing. Another hour later, he gets one more round of three, drinks them and leaves.

This scene repeats itself the next evening and then the next, and pretty soon this pub is abuzz about the man they're now calling Mr. Three Beers. When he comes in again, the bartender's curiosity is overwhelming, and he asks his new favorite customer what the deal is.

He replies that he has two brothers who are no longer in Ireland, they're worlds apart, and they all vowed that each would order an extra two beers whenever one of them went drinking to keep the brotherly bond.

The bartender and the tavern regulars bought the story, admiring the brotherly love, and Mr. Three Beers became a pub favorite.

But one day he came in and ordered only two beers. The bartender poured them and the pub crawlers took immediate notice, thinking the worst -- that one of the brothers had passed away. This went on for several days.

One day, the bartender offered his condolences on behalf of himself and the pub regulars. The man thanked him for the thoughtfulness but said his two brothers were alive and well.

So what's with ordering only two beers? the barkeep asked.

"It's Lent," the man replied. "And I, myself, have decided to give up drinking until Easter."

It is National MS Awareness Week

The AM-radio sports station in Pittsburgh, 970-ESPN, this week broadcast an interesting and informative public-service interview about this being National MS Awareness Week.

The interview was with a group of Pittsburghers living with multiple sclerosis or involved in conducting research to find treatment for it.

Multiple sclerosis is incurable, but it's not unbeatable. Still, it's awfully tough to live with, or to know somebody who has it. Multiple sclerosis is one seriously nightmarish, horrible, insidious and mysterious disease. So, we're spreading the word.

The radio station hasn't saved a podcast of the interview on its Web site, but you can learn more about MS by visiting the Western Pennsylvania Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and the Allegheny General Hospital Multiple Sclerosis Treatment Center.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to all people affected by MS and also, of course, to all victims of the tragic events in Japan.

It's Ash Wednesday: What might Charlie Sheen give up for Lent?

Block Out The Lockout!

Lockout? What lockout?

Joey Porter's Pit Bulls are pretty much tuning it out, as if it never will happen. And it probably never will.

"Nevermore," quoth The Ravens. There's too much money at stake.

In this era of rampant unemployment, continuing crises overseas, skyrocketing gas prices, chainsawed government services, ongoing layoffs, non-existent health insurance, transit cutbacks, burgeoning inflation and an uncertain future for so many, why should we worry about how $9 billion annually will be split among the likes of Jerry Jones, Peyton Manning, Roger Goodell, DeMaurice Smith, Daniel Snyder, Michael Vick, Bill Bellichek, Adam "Pacman" Jones, et al?

Why, really, should we fans care about so few arguing over so many billions?

As we explained in correspondence with our blogging friend Gordon over at UK Black and Gold, Joey Porter's Pit Bulls feel ill-equipped to speculate how it will shake out. There's almost certainly more going on behind closed doors that any of us could possibly know.

Granted, it's more complex than money. Then again, usually when somebody tells you it's not about the money -- it's about the money.

The NFLPA isn't really even a union (not a real union like, say, the Teamsters or the United Steelworkers). Still, it does represent the players ("labor"), and they do, or should, have some rights with respect to working conditions. Issues other than money presumably include: the number of games played per season (and pre-season); player safety; health insurance and other benefits, roster size, pensions for retired players, etc. And, for what it's worth, Commissioner Goodell, Joey Porter's Pit Bulls HATE the idea of an 18-game season.

Whatever. We'll turn to the Post-Gazette's Gene Collier for perspective, as he presents his typically cogent take in Thursday's column titled, "Fans, reality not part of NFL spat."