The Pittsburgh Pirates and Duquesne Baseball

The last time the Pittsburgh Pirates had a winning season was 1992.  George H Bush was the President, Windows 3.1 had just shipped, and Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana was the most popular song.  We are now in 2011, and evidently, the Pirate pierogasdadi mascot Andrew Kurtz, knew what he was talking about on his facebook post.  Yes Andrew, it does mean 19 straight losing seasons for the Pirates after 2011.

Worth the Dough:     Clint Hurdle - At least he had one winning season in the eight years he managed in Colorado. 

Bounce Back Year:    Ross Ohlendorf -  Ohlendorf had one win in 21 starts last year.  Ohlendorf will have much more success this year with the Pirates.  Eleven of his 21 starts were quality starts in 2010.  Ohlendorf (and others) was traded by the Arizona Diamondbacks for Randy Johnson in 2007.

Lower Expectations:  Pedro Alvarez - Alvarez was the 2nd overall pick in the 2008 MLB draft.  He had a solid rookie campaign hitting 16 home runs and may hit cleanup for the Pirates in 2011.  Why the lower expectations?  Alvarez is reportedly battling some weight issues, and his defense is suspect, committing 17 errors in 94 games last year.  Kung Fu Panda II?

Fantasy Reach:  Joel Hanrahan - Hanrahan has a plus fastball and averaged 12 k's per nine innings last year.  Certainly grabbing a non experienced closer on a potential 100 loss team is a reach, but Hanrahan may be worthy in deeper leagues.

Random Thought:  The last regular season game of 1992 produced a 2-0 win over the NY Mets.  Tim Wakefield was the winning pitcher, outdueling Brett Saberhagen.  See the box score here of the last time the Pirates closed a season with a winning record.

What I'm Reading:  My favorite Pirates blog is Raise the Jolly Roger.  I've included the Jolly Roger link to the left for all Pirate fans to access.

And you ask, why mention Duquesne Baseball?  Because the Pirates have as much a chance of winning the NL Central this year as the now defunct Duquesne University baseball squad.  I'll be the Pirates Parrot for Halloween 2011 if the Pirates have a winning season.

Until Next Time, 

C R Turley
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