As the Bucco faithful were reeling from the team's disappointing opening week, a caped crusader swooped it to shed light on what he considered the organization's top problem -- frugal ownership. Robinson native, Michael Keaton blasted the Pirate ownership in a press conference before he threw out the first pitch in the team's home opener:

I fear they will take advantage of the good will of the people who continue to show up," he continued. "For my money, that's disrespectful. At some point, you either have to write the check or do something and not assume, well, we're OK and, ultimately, the franchise is valuable, anyway

Wow. Batman has beaten a number of formidable foes over the years, but turning the tide on the Bucs' 13 consecutive losing seasons may be too much for even him.

<__trans phrase="Posted by"> <__trans phrase="at"> 7:02 AM | <__trans phrase="Permalink">

It's that time once again for my official fearless predictions for the upcoming season. Or, if perhaps you remember my predictions from last season, "clueless" may be a better word for what follows than "fearless." Last year, I threw some longshot picks in the mix to make things interesting (Seattle?! What was I thinking). This year's picks are more straightforward (and as a result, probably equally off-base). Nevertheless, onward into the breach:

AMERICAN LEAGUE

East
New York Yankees
Boston Red Sox
Toronto Blue Jays
Tampa Bay Devil Rays
Baltimore Orioles

Central
Chicago White Sox
Cleveland Indians
Minnesota Twins
Detroit Tigers
Kansas City Royals

West
Los Angeles Angels
Oakland Athletics
Seattle Mariners
Texas Rangers

MVP Vladimir Guerrero
Cy Young Rich Harden
Rookie of the Year Ian Kinsler
Manager of the Year Joe Torre

NATIONAL LEAGUE

East
Atlanta Braves
Philadelphia Phillies
New York Mets
Washington Nationals
Florida Marlins

Central
St. Louis Cardinals
Houston Astros
Chicago Cubs
Milwaukee Brewers
Cincinnati Reds
Pittsburgh Pirates

West
San Diego Padres
Los Angeles Dodgers
San Francisco Giants
Arizona Diamondbacks
Colorado Rockies

MVP Albert Pujols
Cy Young Jake Peavy
Rookie of the Year Ryan Zimmerman
Manager of the Year Bobby Cox

POSTSEASON

ALDS White Sox over Yankees
ALDS Angels over Red Sox
ALCS Angels over White Sox

NLDS Cardinals over Dodgers
NLDS Braves over Astros
NLCS Cardinals over Braves

World Series Angels over Cardinals

<__trans phrase="Posted by"> <__trans phrase="at"> 8:26 PM | <__trans phrase="Permalink">

Pirate beat reporter Dejan Kovacevic posts his take on the state of the Bucco organization in today's Post-Gazette. Aside from some minor quibbles (Duffy a building block?), I think DK did a very good job of summing up where the Bucs are and why. He offers a more even-handed take on some of the organization's problems that I've been recently harping on -- namely the current talent gap in the minor league system and the recent poor draft crops. Of particular interest is the section on the organization's international signings.

Also of interest is the topic of the team's recent veteran stopgap spending spree:

One argument against such spending is that this money, if funneled instead to the developmental level, would create an immense pool for signing amateurs.

"With a team like Pittsburgh, that's what I'd be doing," one National League executive said. "At the lower levels, they can compete financially with anyone. Not in the bigs. You're just throwing the money away instead of continuing to build."

Couldn't have said it better myself. Once the season kicks off, I'll be rooting for every player in a Pirates' uniform, but the acquisitions of Sean Casey, Jeromy Burnitz, Joe Randa and Roberto Hernandez still leave a bad taste in my mouth. It doesn't matter if the team breaks the .500 barrier if there is no foundation for continuing success.

<__trans phrase="Posted by"> <__trans phrase="at"> 7:58 PM | <__trans phrase="Permalink">