Sabtu, 20 Agustus 2011
Harrison, Troy back as anchors
By Dejan Kovacevic, PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/?_s_icmp=nav_sports
Friday, August 19, 2011
PITTSBURGH - AUGUST 18: Troy Polamalu(notes) #43 of the Pittsburgh Steelers runs with an intercepted pass against the Philadelphia Eagles during the preseason game on August 18, 2011 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)
There was a whole lot to like about the Steelers' first-teamers in the 24-14 domination of Philadelphia's self-proclaimed Dream Team Thursday night, not least of which was Ben Roethlisberger in peak playground form, the Rashard & Redman rushing express, an offensive line patching up for two lost left tackles, and a defense that rendered Michael Vick as mobile as Kent Graham.
Really, it was about as exhilarating as an exhibition gets, especially after the egg laid last week in Washington.
"This was our chance to show what this defense was all about," linebacker LaMarr Woodley said.
Me, I would have settled for the NFL's Defensive Players of the Year for 2008 and 2010 simply walking onto, then walking off the Heinz Field grass without the help of a cart, stretcher or trainer.
Instead, I got much more.
No, James Harrison and Troy Polamalu weren't wholly themselves in their first real action since Super Bowl XLV. Neither recorded a tackle for the better part of the first half in which the first-teamers played. Neither even spent much time near the ball, with Polamalu so deep in center field he could have been confused with Andrew McCutchen.
Still, true to the history of these exceptional athletes, they delivered the back-to-back knockout blows late in the half.
With 1:12 left, Harrison and cornerback Donovan Warren swarmed Vick from behind for a shared sack, Harrison's left arm crashing down on Vick's shoulder like an anvil.
"The whole game felt good, felt strong," Harrison said. "We were able to do a lot of good things."
With the next snap on third-and-10, Vick's pass downfield was tipped by Woodley and descended into the arms of Polamalu, who winded his way back 36 yards, that mane flapping left and right with each dodge, before Vick brought him down with a dangerously low tackle.
"It's reckless, immature, Pop Warner," teased fellow safety Ryan Clark of the return. "But it's fun."
Yeah, just like the old No. 43.
When Polamalu returned to the sideline, coach Mike Tomlin greeted him by saying, "I'm over it."
"I want to take it back if I can," Polamalu said. "In the middle of a play, you're not thinking too much. Really, I just wanted to go out there and play ball. It felt good to be out there."
Sweeter still for this symmetry, Harrison had made such a bold initial rush that he would have drawn a holding penalty if not for the interception.
By halftime, the Eagles' offense had wasted 6:57 of everyone's time, and the Steelers' defense had its dynamic anchors back.
"Those guys are who they are," Tomlin said. "They're both former defensive-player-of-the-year type dudes, so we come to expect that play from them."
Hey, if you can name something that matters more to the Steelers' fortunes for 2011 than a healthy Harrison and Polamalu, I'm all ears. For all the other terrific pieces and all Dick LeBeau's schemes, the great separator with this defense is that it's next to impossible for opponents to scheme against Harrison, Polamalu and Woodley.
Harrison is 33 now, and he's coming off two surgeries in February and March to address a herniated disk in his lower back. There have been no complications so far, but any doctor will attest that there's no such thing as minor back surgery. All come with risk, all are prone to relapse, and uncertainty mounts with age. For sure, it was plenty sobering to see that back wrapped in ice after his exit last night.
Polamalu crossed into 30 since we last saw him and the rest of the secondary gobbled up by Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers, and he still isn't fully recovered from the Achilles' tendon he injured last December. Sure, he toughed it out after that and was helped by a coaching staff that allowed him to play well off the line of scrimmage. But that's Clark Kent to Polamalu's Superman.
It's going to take time.
Or, as Harrison put it, "It's coming."
Give both credit for being blunt about their health. Harrison said again last night that he "won't be 100 percent" until the Sept. 11 opener, and Polamalu reiterated, "I'm not 100 percent yet." Those figures were confirmed on the field last night, but at least the trend is headed upward.
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/?_s_icmp=nav_sports
Friday, August 19, 2011
There was a whole lot to like about the Steelers' first-teamers in the 24-14 domination of Philadelphia's self-proclaimed Dream Team Thursday night, not least of which was Ben Roethlisberger in peak playground form, the Rashard & Redman rushing express, an offensive line patching up for two lost left tackles, and a defense that rendered Michael Vick as mobile as Kent Graham.
Really, it was about as exhilarating as an exhibition gets, especially after the egg laid last week in Washington.
"This was our chance to show what this defense was all about," linebacker LaMarr Woodley said.
Me, I would have settled for the NFL's Defensive Players of the Year for 2008 and 2010 simply walking onto, then walking off the Heinz Field grass without the help of a cart, stretcher or trainer.
Instead, I got much more.
No, James Harrison and Troy Polamalu weren't wholly themselves in their first real action since Super Bowl XLV. Neither recorded a tackle for the better part of the first half in which the first-teamers played. Neither even spent much time near the ball, with Polamalu so deep in center field he could have been confused with Andrew McCutchen.
Still, true to the history of these exceptional athletes, they delivered the back-to-back knockout blows late in the half.
With 1:12 left, Harrison and cornerback Donovan Warren swarmed Vick from behind for a shared sack, Harrison's left arm crashing down on Vick's shoulder like an anvil.
"The whole game felt good, felt strong," Harrison said. "We were able to do a lot of good things."
With the next snap on third-and-10, Vick's pass downfield was tipped by Woodley and descended into the arms of Polamalu, who winded his way back 36 yards, that mane flapping left and right with each dodge, before Vick brought him down with a dangerously low tackle.
"It's reckless, immature, Pop Warner," teased fellow safety Ryan Clark of the return. "But it's fun."
Yeah, just like the old No. 43.
When Polamalu returned to the sideline, coach Mike Tomlin greeted him by saying, "I'm over it."
"I want to take it back if I can," Polamalu said. "In the middle of a play, you're not thinking too much. Really, I just wanted to go out there and play ball. It felt good to be out there."
Sweeter still for this symmetry, Harrison had made such a bold initial rush that he would have drawn a holding penalty if not for the interception.
By halftime, the Eagles' offense had wasted 6:57 of everyone's time, and the Steelers' defense had its dynamic anchors back.
"Those guys are who they are," Tomlin said. "They're both former defensive-player-of-the-year type dudes, so we come to expect that play from them."
Hey, if you can name something that matters more to the Steelers' fortunes for 2011 than a healthy Harrison and Polamalu, I'm all ears. For all the other terrific pieces and all Dick LeBeau's schemes, the great separator with this defense is that it's next to impossible for opponents to scheme against Harrison, Polamalu and Woodley.
Harrison is 33 now, and he's coming off two surgeries in February and March to address a herniated disk in his lower back. There have been no complications so far, but any doctor will attest that there's no such thing as minor back surgery. All come with risk, all are prone to relapse, and uncertainty mounts with age. For sure, it was plenty sobering to see that back wrapped in ice after his exit last night.
Polamalu crossed into 30 since we last saw him and the rest of the secondary gobbled up by Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers, and he still isn't fully recovered from the Achilles' tendon he injured last December. Sure, he toughed it out after that and was helped by a coaching staff that allowed him to play well off the line of scrimmage. But that's Clark Kent to Polamalu's Superman.
It's going to take time.
Or, as Harrison put it, "It's coming."
Give both credit for being blunt about their health. Harrison said again last night that he "won't be 100 percent" until the Sept. 11 opener, and Polamalu reiterated, "I'm not 100 percent yet." Those figures were confirmed on the field last night, but at least the trend is headed upward.
Kamis, 18 Agustus 2011
Pirates' Tabata yearns to honor Clemente
By Rob Biertempfel, PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/?_s_icmp=nav_sports
Thursday, August 18, 2011
If only for one game, Jose Tabata would like to play right field at PNC Park wearing No. 21 on the back of his Pirates jersey. (Chaz Palla/Tribune-Review)
If only for one game, Jose Tabata would like to play right field at PNC Park wearing No. 21 on the back of his Pirates jersey.
"That's my dream," Tabata said Wednesday.
No Pirates player has worn 21 since Hall of Fame right fielder Roberto Clemente. The team retired the number at the start of the 1973 season, four months after Clemente was killed in a plane crash while attempting to deliver supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua.
As Tabata begins the process of becoming at least a part-time right fielder — playing in front of the 21-foot-high Clemente Wall at PNC Park — he wants to honor the man who was his childhood idol.
"My wish is to one day ask (the Clemente) family if I can wear that number for at least one day," Tabata said through interpreter Luis Silverio. "I am so proud to play the same position as my hero."
Tabata was born in Venezuela 15 years after Clemente's death. Like thousands of other Latin American children before and since, Tabata grew up eagerly listening to stories about Clemente.
"My father told me about Clemente when I was 7 years old," Tabata said. "I heard about the type of person he was on and off the field, the way he played the game, the way he respected the game, and how he died trying to help others. That's what made him my hero."
Clemente remains among the most revered players in Pittsburgh sports history. Tabata said his hope to wear No. 21 is not intended as a slight at Clemente's legacy.
"There is only one Roberto. I realize that," Tabata said. "He's my inspiration to keep working hard. At the end of my career, my numbers won't be the same as Clemente's, but at least I was able to do something for the Pittsburgh Pirates."
Tabata made his first major league start in right field Wednesday. He has played 158 games in left field and 15 in center in his career.
"I want to play (in right)," Tabata said. "It's where the team wants me to play, and I will honor that."
Tabata figures to get a lot more time in right, especially when Alex Presley comes off the disabled list.
"Presley is better suited to the gap (in left-center)," manager Clint Hurdle said. "Jose still has the range to go get the ball (in left), but his throwing arm is strong enough for right field."
Hurdle also is impressed that Tabata wants to patrol right field because of Clemente.
"It's very refreshing to see a kid like Jose, who's tied to it — the heritage, the history, the position, all of it," Hurdle said. "It's old school. He wants to play in front of the Clemente Wall."
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/?_s_icmp=nav_sports
Thursday, August 18, 2011
If only for one game, Jose Tabata would like to play right field at PNC Park wearing No. 21 on the back of his Pirates jersey.
"That's my dream," Tabata said Wednesday.
No Pirates player has worn 21 since Hall of Fame right fielder Roberto Clemente. The team retired the number at the start of the 1973 season, four months after Clemente was killed in a plane crash while attempting to deliver supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua.
As Tabata begins the process of becoming at least a part-time right fielder — playing in front of the 21-foot-high Clemente Wall at PNC Park — he wants to honor the man who was his childhood idol.
"My wish is to one day ask (the Clemente) family if I can wear that number for at least one day," Tabata said through interpreter Luis Silverio. "I am so proud to play the same position as my hero."
Tabata was born in Venezuela 15 years after Clemente's death. Like thousands of other Latin American children before and since, Tabata grew up eagerly listening to stories about Clemente.
"My father told me about Clemente when I was 7 years old," Tabata said. "I heard about the type of person he was on and off the field, the way he played the game, the way he respected the game, and how he died trying to help others. That's what made him my hero."
Clemente remains among the most revered players in Pittsburgh sports history. Tabata said his hope to wear No. 21 is not intended as a slight at Clemente's legacy.
"There is only one Roberto. I realize that," Tabata said. "He's my inspiration to keep working hard. At the end of my career, my numbers won't be the same as Clemente's, but at least I was able to do something for the Pittsburgh Pirates."
Tabata made his first major league start in right field Wednesday. He has played 158 games in left field and 15 in center in his career.
"I want to play (in right)," Tabata said. "It's where the team wants me to play, and I will honor that."
Tabata figures to get a lot more time in right, especially when Alex Presley comes off the disabled list.
"Presley is better suited to the gap (in left-center)," manager Clint Hurdle said. "Jose still has the range to go get the ball (in left), but his throwing arm is strong enough for right field."
Hurdle also is impressed that Tabata wants to patrol right field because of Clemente.
"It's very refreshing to see a kid like Jose, who's tied to it — the heritage, the history, the position, all of it," Hurdle said. "It's old school. He wants to play in front of the Clemente Wall."
Rabu, 17 Agustus 2011
Ward wants to hit 1,000 in catches
By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
They usually don't open doors and barriers for Hines Ward, he knocks them down. He has accomplished just about everything there is in football, with one personal goal left, to join a club that is among the most exclusive in sports. Only seven players in the history of the NFL have had 1,000 pass receptions in their careers. Hines Ward is poised to become the eighth.
"That's like 3,000 hits, 600 home runs," said Ward.
Not really because the NFL's 1,000 Catch Club is more exclusive than those two in baseball. There have been 28 baseball players with 3,000 career hits. Jim Thome this week became the eighth player to hit 600 home runs.
Ward has 954 receptions. He needs 46, and he has caught more passes than that in every season except 1998, when he caught 15 as a rookie. He said he wants to win a third Super Bowl in his 14th NFL season, but hitting 1,000 remains a personal goal.
"That would be awesome to get 1,000 catches and do it all for one organization," Ward said. "It wasn't like I'm in a prolific passing offense, it's not like I'm playing in a dome. I think it's just a milestone of consistency I've had my whole career and just being there. That would be huge."
It would add to his considerable resume that includes four Pro Bowls, two Super Bowl rings, one Super Bowl MVP award and virtually every team receiving record, including his 11,702 yards. And, remember, a few Hall of Famers also played the position in Pittsburgh, Lynn Swann and John Stallworth.
Hitting 1,000, "I think that puts him in the Hall of Fame, first ballot," said Steelers offensive coordinator Bruce Arians. "I think he already is without it, but I think that legitimizes it.
"Hines always needs something, he always has to have either a chip on his shoulder or a goal just to keep him rolling. I love when he's frosty and he has a chip on his shoulder."
Arians also noticed something different about Ward in this training camp.
"He looks spryer than he did last year. I think getting the knee cleaned out [is the reason]. It swelled on him a lot last year. I think that has helped, losing a little weight through the dancing and I'm sure that dancing stuff tightened up his core. He looks good."
Ward rejoined his teammates in practice last week after June 1 thumb surgery to repair a ligament. The knee surgery, to remove some lose cartilage, occurred a week after the Steelers lost the Super Bowl. He is 35 and wants to play at least through the 2012 season and maybe beyond. But he does not want to overextend his stay and points to how Franco Harris finished his career in Seattle for a few weeks in 1984 as an example.
"I don't want to play for any other team. I don't want to be like Franco, in his last year he goes for Seattle. I have two years left on my deal, this year and next year. We'll see how it goes, when I want to retire. I do want to finish my contract out and go from there. I do want to win another Super Bowl."
And wants those 46 receptions. He caught 59 last season, the fewest since his rookie year. There are younger, faster receivers all around him -- Mike Wallace, Emmanuel Sanders, Antonio Brown. Their talents demand more and more attention from the quarterback. Getting 46 won't be as easy as it was maybe even last season. The season before that, however, he more than doubled that total with 95.
"The opportunities you get, you have to capitalize," Ward said. "I think I've done that my whole career."
He counted up the number of quarterbacks from whom he caught passes and came to eight, including catching his first touchdown from Mike Tomczak against the expansion Cleveland Browns in 1999. The others include Kordell Stewart, Kent Graham, Tommy Maddox, Ben Roethlisberger, Charlie Batch, Byron Leftwich and Dennis Dixon. He also caught touchdown passes from Jerome Bettis and Antwaan Randle El, including the one from Randle El that helped the Steelers win Super Bowl XL and Ward that game's MVP.
"Ten different guys, that's crazy," Ward said.
One thousand receptions might be even crazier. He would become the only receiver to do so playing his entire career on the grass outdoors in the northern climate.
"I know I'm getting older," Ward said, "but I'm in great condition, I look crisp out there, I feel good. It's a matter of staying healthy for 16 games and, hopefully, make the playoffs and being that guy the team can hang their hat on. In the Super Bowl, I pride myself on making plays."
For more on the Steelers, read the blog, Ed Bouchette on the Steelers at www.post-gazette.com/plus. Ed Bouchette: ebouchette@post-gazette.com and Twitter @EdBouchette.
Pirates cheap? Not anymore
By Dejan Kovacevic, PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/?_s_icmp=nav_sports
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Gerrit Cole, the overall number one draft pick, signed a minor league deal with an $8 million bonus.
OK, can we now finally, formally move past the stale narrative that the Pirates are cheap?
Never mind that they spent $17 million on the full draft class, the most expensive in the sport's history.
Never mind, even, that they added $5 million to the payroll at the July 31 trade deadline by taking on Derrek Lee and Ryan Ludwick, making for a grand total of $22 million committed in a 16-day span.
Forget it all for a moment, if only because most of the above was expected.
Not Josh Bell.
I could break down dollars and decimal points all day to illustrate that the Pirates really are putting their cash back into baseball rather their pockets, their Seven Springs ski-lift upgrades or wherever else the conspiracy theories go. But it's so much simpler to point just to Bell, their second-round pick who stunned the baseball community by signing for $5 million.
"We're excited about the whole draft," owner Bob Nutting said Tuesday at PNC Park, "but we're especially happy about that one."
Bell, a 6-foot-3 outfielder out of Dallas Jesuit High School with breathtaking natural power, was ranked No. 6 on the Pirates' board and top-10 on most independent rankings. But Bell made clear he intended to honor his commitment to the University of Texas, and his family penned a letter to all 30 teams asking them not to pick him. His adviser, super-agent Scott Boras, floated through the media that not even $10 million could change Bell's mind.
If you're the Pirates, even if you think Boras is bluffing — and, trust me, there's ample precedent — why take on that headache?
No one would have complained if the Pirates bypassed Bell, just like the 29 teams that were scared off by his letter. In Cole, the Pirates already had a 6-foot-4 flame-throwing stud out of UCLA to add to an arsenal of elite pitching prospects.
And hey, the Pirates could have kept that $5 million for themselves, if only to cover the exact amount wasted on Lyle Overbay this summer.
But they didn't. They spent it.
And, maybe just as telling, they seemed as giddy as schoolchildren yesterday that they did.
Nutting: "Obviously, it's a tremendous day. I couldn't be more pleased."
Team president Frank Coonelly: "It's a great day for all of us."
General manager Neal Huntington: "We're just delighted."
Even manager Clint Hurdle, who has little to do with the draft, caught up with Nutting behind the batting cage and boomed out: "Great job!"
The Nutting ownership has done some dumb things since taking over in 2007, and I've taken pains to point those out: Nutting never should have paid that $20 million in 2008 to cover taxes for the minority owners and converted equity, a move made primarily to protect his stake. He should have been better informed and more aggressive in preventing the Matt Wieters and Miguel Sano fiascos.
But all the seven-figure checks being sent out of 115 Federal St. provide overwhelming evidence that it's well past time to cast aside the caricature of Nutting the Miser and the penny-pinching Pirates.
"Well, I would hope so," Coonelly said. "Bob has demonstrated a great commitment to this franchise."
Still cynical?
Let's look at the broader issue of major-league payroll.
The Milwaukee Brewers, based in a market two-thirds the size of Pittsburgh, have a $90 million payroll that dwarfs the Pirates' $50 million. But what if it could be shown that each team is spending to its means?
The Brewers will outdraw the Pirates by a 3-2 ratio at the gate, and their prices are 44 percent higher, which brings them $25 million more in ticket revenues. From there, estimate that the Brewers are making $5 million more in suites and sponsorships, even if that's probably low.
We're down to a $10 million difference in the teams' ability to spend.
Well, the Pirates just outspent the Brewers by $9 million on the draft — extra money that could have gone into major-league payroll — and our difference is now $1 million.
Finally, Rick Schlesinger, Milwaukee's chief operating officer, told me over the weekend that his team will lose money. That means the Brewers are spending beyond their means.
Are we at zero yet?
Yes, the Pirates need to keep adding to payroll, so they can keep the core of their roster together, so they can have a product that maximizes revenues at PNC Park.
For now, let's turn the page.
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/?_s_icmp=nav_sports
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
OK, can we now finally, formally move past the stale narrative that the Pirates are cheap?
Never mind that they spent $17 million on the full draft class, the most expensive in the sport's history.
Never mind, even, that they added $5 million to the payroll at the July 31 trade deadline by taking on Derrek Lee and Ryan Ludwick, making for a grand total of $22 million committed in a 16-day span.
Forget it all for a moment, if only because most of the above was expected.
Not Josh Bell.
I could break down dollars and decimal points all day to illustrate that the Pirates really are putting their cash back into baseball rather their pockets, their Seven Springs ski-lift upgrades or wherever else the conspiracy theories go. But it's so much simpler to point just to Bell, their second-round pick who stunned the baseball community by signing for $5 million.
"We're excited about the whole draft," owner Bob Nutting said Tuesday at PNC Park, "but we're especially happy about that one."
Bell, a 6-foot-3 outfielder out of Dallas Jesuit High School with breathtaking natural power, was ranked No. 6 on the Pirates' board and top-10 on most independent rankings. But Bell made clear he intended to honor his commitment to the University of Texas, and his family penned a letter to all 30 teams asking them not to pick him. His adviser, super-agent Scott Boras, floated through the media that not even $10 million could change Bell's mind.
No one would have complained if the Pirates bypassed Bell, just like the 29 teams that were scared off by his letter. In Cole, the Pirates already had a 6-foot-4 flame-throwing stud out of UCLA to add to an arsenal of elite pitching prospects.
And hey, the Pirates could have kept that $5 million for themselves, if only to cover the exact amount wasted on Lyle Overbay this summer.
But they didn't. They spent it.
And, maybe just as telling, they seemed as giddy as schoolchildren yesterday that they did.
Nutting: "Obviously, it's a tremendous day. I couldn't be more pleased."
Team president Frank Coonelly: "It's a great day for all of us."
General manager Neal Huntington: "We're just delighted."
Even manager Clint Hurdle, who has little to do with the draft, caught up with Nutting behind the batting cage and boomed out: "Great job!"
The Nutting ownership has done some dumb things since taking over in 2007, and I've taken pains to point those out: Nutting never should have paid that $20 million in 2008 to cover taxes for the minority owners and converted equity, a move made primarily to protect his stake. He should have been better informed and more aggressive in preventing the Matt Wieters and Miguel Sano fiascos.
But all the seven-figure checks being sent out of 115 Federal St. provide overwhelming evidence that it's well past time to cast aside the caricature of Nutting the Miser and the penny-pinching Pirates.
"Well, I would hope so," Coonelly said. "Bob has demonstrated a great commitment to this franchise."
Still cynical?
Let's look at the broader issue of major-league payroll.
The Milwaukee Brewers, based in a market two-thirds the size of Pittsburgh, have a $90 million payroll that dwarfs the Pirates' $50 million. But what if it could be shown that each team is spending to its means?
The Brewers will outdraw the Pirates by a 3-2 ratio at the gate, and their prices are 44 percent higher, which brings them $25 million more in ticket revenues. From there, estimate that the Brewers are making $5 million more in suites and sponsorships, even if that's probably low.
We're down to a $10 million difference in the teams' ability to spend.
Well, the Pirates just outspent the Brewers by $9 million on the draft — extra money that could have gone into major-league payroll — and our difference is now $1 million.
Finally, Rick Schlesinger, Milwaukee's chief operating officer, told me over the weekend that his team will lose money. That means the Brewers are spending beyond their means.
Are we at zero yet?
Yes, the Pirates need to keep adding to payroll, so they can keep the core of their roster together, so they can have a product that maximizes revenues at PNC Park.
For now, let's turn the page.
Senin, 15 Agustus 2011
Patience with Alvarez will pay off
By Dejan Kovacevic, PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/?_s_icmp=nav_sports
Monday, August 15, 2011
MILWAUKEE — If anything torments a follower of the Pirates more than watching them fall apart at Miller Park for five years now, than watching the Brewers' 275-pound first baseman and a relief pitcher beat out infield singles, than watching the tying run stranded after a leadoff triple in the ninth, than watching an unassisted forceout at home plate in the 10th ... OK, well, maybe it doesn't get much worse.
In the summer-long category, though, I'll put watching Pedro Alvarez atop my torment list.
The Pirates' best power-hitting prospect in a decade has become utterly cringe-worthy, whether a pitch or a grounder is headed his way. His average is down to .197 after again going hitless in the Pirates' 2-1 loss Sunday, and his three home runs and 15 RBI seem frozen in time next to those 66-and-counting strikeouts.
Since returning to the Pirates on July 25, he is batting .176 and astoundingly has hit the ball out of the infield only 16 times in 72 plate appearances.
The kid looks terrible.
He is terrible right now.
But those pronouncing Alvarez a bust are ridiculously premature. He's played 150 games in the majors. Seriously, how about at least waiting until he has played a full season before burying him?
One look at that 275-pound first baseman for the Brewers illustrates the potential payoff: Prince Fielder is the heart-of-the-order force found in most contending lineups, owner of 27 home runs, 89 RBI and, just for kicks, a .305 average. He's the kind of thumper many still expect Alvarez to be.
Fielder's advice: Leave Pedro alone.
"What's probably the problem for him is that people are trying to classify him as a power hitter instead of him just being a hitter," Fielder told me this weekend. "You've got to learn how to hit first. Anytime you hear people telling that you're one thing, it puts a little pressure on you because you're trying to be that. Just think about hitting the ball hard. You can't put a GPS on the ball and make it go over the fence. Once he gets that down, he'll be fine."
He had better be. The painful fact for the Pirates is that Alvarez is just too important to the franchise, the only hitter with real power potential at any level of the organization.
Management made a mistake in recalling Alvarez from Triple-A Indianapolis last month, just as some of the latest instruction -- drive outside pitches the opposite way, be more aggressive early in counts -- was resonating. He was batting .365 in 18 games. But he also had dug himself into 0-2 counts in a third of his at-bats, and that should have been a glaring red flag.
This isn't hindsight on my part. I backed management when they kept him down despite fans' howls, and I panned management when, in a move highly unlike general manager Neal Huntington, he promoted a critical piece of the future because of a need with the parent club.
Huntington, to his credit, acknowledges the mistake.
"Some of this is on us," he said.
The Pirates' next move isn't easy. Hearing the brass assess him over the weekend -- "He looks a little like he's lost his way," Huntington said -- it sounds like Alvarez could be headed back to Indianapolis, maybe as early as today. Only 21 games remain on Indianapolis' schedule, but there's a risk he can beat himself down further by staying.
"Obviously, I'm not doing as well as I want," Alvarez said yesterday in an interview he clearly wanted to have about as much as a tooth extraction. "I'm just going to keep trying."
Trying at what?
"Just have good at-bats, whatever that takes."
And his confidence?
"You know, I have every bit of confidence that I'm going to get out of this. I've just to keep with my routine, learn from my coaches and teammates. I know for a fact that it'll turn around."
Call me nuts, but I believe him.
Alvarez hit well enough at Vanderbilt that he richly earned being the No. 2 pick in the 2008 draft. He started slowly at every level of the minors, then dominated every one of those levels. In the majors, too, let's not forget that in 2010 he had 16 home runs and 64 RBI in 95 games, had back-to-back two-homer games and was the National League's Rookie of the Month for September.
Baseball people will swear, no matter the contrary examples, that power hitters arrive late.
"There's some patience involved, some challenges," manager Clint Hurdle said. "If you believe in the player, if you believe in the person, you have to give him the opportunity to work through those."
"He's too good a hitter, and he cares too much," Huntington said. "We believe very strongly in Pedro Alvarez. He'll be fine."
Let's find out.
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/?_s_icmp=nav_sports
Monday, August 15, 2011
MILWAUKEE — If anything torments a follower of the Pirates more than watching them fall apart at Miller Park for five years now, than watching the Brewers' 275-pound first baseman and a relief pitcher beat out infield singles, than watching the tying run stranded after a leadoff triple in the ninth, than watching an unassisted forceout at home plate in the 10th ... OK, well, maybe it doesn't get much worse.
In the summer-long category, though, I'll put watching Pedro Alvarez atop my torment list.
The Pirates' best power-hitting prospect in a decade has become utterly cringe-worthy, whether a pitch or a grounder is headed his way. His average is down to .197 after again going hitless in the Pirates' 2-1 loss Sunday, and his three home runs and 15 RBI seem frozen in time next to those 66-and-counting strikeouts.
Since returning to the Pirates on July 25, he is batting .176 and astoundingly has hit the ball out of the infield only 16 times in 72 plate appearances.
The kid looks terrible.
He is terrible right now.
But those pronouncing Alvarez a bust are ridiculously premature. He's played 150 games in the majors. Seriously, how about at least waiting until he has played a full season before burying him?
One look at that 275-pound first baseman for the Brewers illustrates the potential payoff: Prince Fielder is the heart-of-the-order force found in most contending lineups, owner of 27 home runs, 89 RBI and, just for kicks, a .305 average. He's the kind of thumper many still expect Alvarez to be.
Fielder's advice: Leave Pedro alone.
"What's probably the problem for him is that people are trying to classify him as a power hitter instead of him just being a hitter," Fielder told me this weekend. "You've got to learn how to hit first. Anytime you hear people telling that you're one thing, it puts a little pressure on you because you're trying to be that. Just think about hitting the ball hard. You can't put a GPS on the ball and make it go over the fence. Once he gets that down, he'll be fine."
He had better be. The painful fact for the Pirates is that Alvarez is just too important to the franchise, the only hitter with real power potential at any level of the organization.
Management made a mistake in recalling Alvarez from Triple-A Indianapolis last month, just as some of the latest instruction -- drive outside pitches the opposite way, be more aggressive early in counts -- was resonating. He was batting .365 in 18 games. But he also had dug himself into 0-2 counts in a third of his at-bats, and that should have been a glaring red flag.
This isn't hindsight on my part. I backed management when they kept him down despite fans' howls, and I panned management when, in a move highly unlike general manager Neal Huntington, he promoted a critical piece of the future because of a need with the parent club.
Huntington, to his credit, acknowledges the mistake.
"Some of this is on us," he said.
The Pirates' next move isn't easy. Hearing the brass assess him over the weekend -- "He looks a little like he's lost his way," Huntington said -- it sounds like Alvarez could be headed back to Indianapolis, maybe as early as today. Only 21 games remain on Indianapolis' schedule, but there's a risk he can beat himself down further by staying.
"Obviously, I'm not doing as well as I want," Alvarez said yesterday in an interview he clearly wanted to have about as much as a tooth extraction. "I'm just going to keep trying."
Trying at what?
"Just have good at-bats, whatever that takes."
And his confidence?
"You know, I have every bit of confidence that I'm going to get out of this. I've just to keep with my routine, learn from my coaches and teammates. I know for a fact that it'll turn around."
Call me nuts, but I believe him.
Alvarez hit well enough at Vanderbilt that he richly earned being the No. 2 pick in the 2008 draft. He started slowly at every level of the minors, then dominated every one of those levels. In the majors, too, let's not forget that in 2010 he had 16 home runs and 64 RBI in 95 games, had back-to-back two-homer games and was the National League's Rookie of the Month for September.
Baseball people will swear, no matter the contrary examples, that power hitters arrive late.
"There's some patience involved, some challenges," manager Clint Hurdle said. "If you believe in the player, if you believe in the person, you have to give him the opportunity to work through those."
"He's too good a hitter, and he cares too much," Huntington said. "We believe very strongly in Pedro Alvarez. He'll be fine."
Let's find out.
Cotchery finds Steelers the perfect place to catch on and build a future
Former Jets wide receiver felt he was passed over in New York
Monday, August 15, 2011
By Gerry Dulac, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/
Jerricho Cotchery was tired of being passed over when the New York Jets kept bringing in former Steelers receivers such as Santonio Holmes and Plaxico Burress. At 29, he felt he had no future with the team that had its Super Bowl hopes dashed seven months ago in the AFC championship at Heinz Field.
So, even though he was scheduled to earn nearly $2 million this season with the Jets, Cotchery asked for his release and jumped to the team he always has quietly admired.
And the Steelers are glad to have him. Cotchery brings experience and depth to a position loaded with young talent and gives the Steelers a fifth receiver who is proven and productive in the NFL.
"I'm just here to help the team get to the Super Bowl -- and winning it," Cotchery said. "That's exactly why I came here -- to play for a Super Bowl contender. And the atmosphere. The way they handle their guys over here, it's something I need at this time. It's the best atmosphere for me to thrive in as a player and as a person."
The Steelers have not specified a role for Cotchery, 29, who averaged 51 catches and 645 yards in seven seasons with the Jets. Instead, they told him they would find a spot for him once they see how he fits in their offense.
Even though he played with a herniated disc in his back in 2010 and finished with just 41 catches and 443 yards -- his lowest totals in five years -- the Steelers are glad to have him.
"He knows how to play in those grimy areas of the field -- inside the numbers where you're going to have some hands on you all the time," offensive coordinator Bruce Arians said. "We'll find a role for him as soon as we find out what he does best."
Cotchery visited the Steelers a week ago and stayed for two days, but left without signing a contract. At the time, the Steelers felt as though Cotchery was looking for a better situation where he might be a third receiver. But, after visiting with the Baltimore Ravens, Cotchery changed his mind and signed a one-year contract with the Steelers.
"After my visit here, I felt like this is the place for me, this is the type of atmosphere I need to be in," Cotchery said. "Business-wise, you still have to take the visit; that was the best thing to do. But, all along, I felt like this was the place for me.
"I was talking to Ryan [Clark] earlier and I was talking how I used to watch interviews and hear their guys say, 'We do things a certain way here,' and I always wondered what they were talking about. When I came here on my visit, I got it. It's a great atmosphere. Everyone is tight, everyone is close here. It's a great atmosphere to be in, a great atmosphere to work in."
The Steelers were looking for a veteran receiver who could play the slot -- a role filled last season by Antwaan Randle El, who was released. Cotchery, who has played all seven NFL seasons with the Jets, was a perfect fit because he is bigger (6 feet, 203 pounds) and scrappier than Randle El.
Cotchery had 358 catches, 4,514 yards and 18 touchdowns in his career with the Jets. His best season was 2007 when he started 15 games and had 82 catches for 1,130 yards and two touchdowns.
"Now we have depth at the wide receiver position," said injured wideout Emmanuel Sanders (foot), who hasn't practiced in nearly two weeks. "And coach [Scottie] Montgomery said it keeps the wide-receiver room hot. That's great. You always want that competition in the room."
"He's a great wideout," veteran Hines Ward said. "He's been making plays since he's been in the league.
"We really don't have a lot of experience other than me and Mike [Wallace]. We're just adding that extra veteran guy to be there in case something happens. If he gets an opportunity in the three- or four-wide sets, he definitely adds strength to the wide receiver corps."
Cotchery, a fourth-round draft choice in 2004, still had two years remaining on a contract with the Jets that was to pay him $1.8 million in 2011. But he asked for -- and was granted -- his release because he said he didn't feel as though he was a big part of their future plans.
When the Jets re-signed Santonio Holmes and added former Steelers wide receiver Plaxico Burress and veteran Derrick Mason after the lockout, he said he thought it was time to move on.
"It was time for a change, time for a change of scenery for myself and the organization, as well," Cotchery said. "It was time to move on. Future-wise, I didn't really see myself fitting in. People on the outside looking in might say, 'Well, you've been there that long, you're part of the future,' but I didn't really see it that way. I think it was beneficial for both sides to move on."
Cotchery's numbers declined last season because of his back injury -- he also led the Jets with eight dropped passes, according to Stats Inc. -- but he had surgery in February to correct the problem.
Nonetheless, in the AFC championship at Heinz Field in January, Cotchery had five catches for 33 yards and a 4-yard touchdown against the Steelers.
"They need a veteran guy to come in and make some plays, that's about it," Cotchery said. "Nothing is given to you here. You have to come in and work your tail off and earn your stripes."
Photo: Matt Freed/Post-Gazette
Gerry Dulac: gdulac@post-gazette.com; Twitter@gerrydulac
Monday, August 15, 2011
By Gerry Dulac, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/
So, even though he was scheduled to earn nearly $2 million this season with the Jets, Cotchery asked for his release and jumped to the team he always has quietly admired.
And the Steelers are glad to have him. Cotchery brings experience and depth to a position loaded with young talent and gives the Steelers a fifth receiver who is proven and productive in the NFL.
"I'm just here to help the team get to the Super Bowl -- and winning it," Cotchery said. "That's exactly why I came here -- to play for a Super Bowl contender. And the atmosphere. The way they handle their guys over here, it's something I need at this time. It's the best atmosphere for me to thrive in as a player and as a person."
The Steelers have not specified a role for Cotchery, 29, who averaged 51 catches and 645 yards in seven seasons with the Jets. Instead, they told him they would find a spot for him once they see how he fits in their offense.
Even though he played with a herniated disc in his back in 2010 and finished with just 41 catches and 443 yards -- his lowest totals in five years -- the Steelers are glad to have him.
"He knows how to play in those grimy areas of the field -- inside the numbers where you're going to have some hands on you all the time," offensive coordinator Bruce Arians said. "We'll find a role for him as soon as we find out what he does best."
Cotchery visited the Steelers a week ago and stayed for two days, but left without signing a contract. At the time, the Steelers felt as though Cotchery was looking for a better situation where he might be a third receiver. But, after visiting with the Baltimore Ravens, Cotchery changed his mind and signed a one-year contract with the Steelers.
"After my visit here, I felt like this is the place for me, this is the type of atmosphere I need to be in," Cotchery said. "Business-wise, you still have to take the visit; that was the best thing to do. But, all along, I felt like this was the place for me.
"I was talking to Ryan [Clark] earlier and I was talking how I used to watch interviews and hear their guys say, 'We do things a certain way here,' and I always wondered what they were talking about. When I came here on my visit, I got it. It's a great atmosphere. Everyone is tight, everyone is close here. It's a great atmosphere to be in, a great atmosphere to work in."
The Steelers were looking for a veteran receiver who could play the slot -- a role filled last season by Antwaan Randle El, who was released. Cotchery, who has played all seven NFL seasons with the Jets, was a perfect fit because he is bigger (6 feet, 203 pounds) and scrappier than Randle El.
Cotchery had 358 catches, 4,514 yards and 18 touchdowns in his career with the Jets. His best season was 2007 when he started 15 games and had 82 catches for 1,130 yards and two touchdowns.
"Now we have depth at the wide receiver position," said injured wideout Emmanuel Sanders (foot), who hasn't practiced in nearly two weeks. "And coach [Scottie] Montgomery said it keeps the wide-receiver room hot. That's great. You always want that competition in the room."
"He's a great wideout," veteran Hines Ward said. "He's been making plays since he's been in the league.
"We really don't have a lot of experience other than me and Mike [Wallace]. We're just adding that extra veteran guy to be there in case something happens. If he gets an opportunity in the three- or four-wide sets, he definitely adds strength to the wide receiver corps."
Cotchery, a fourth-round draft choice in 2004, still had two years remaining on a contract with the Jets that was to pay him $1.8 million in 2011. But he asked for -- and was granted -- his release because he said he didn't feel as though he was a big part of their future plans.
When the Jets re-signed Santonio Holmes and added former Steelers wide receiver Plaxico Burress and veteran Derrick Mason after the lockout, he said he thought it was time to move on.
"It was time for a change, time for a change of scenery for myself and the organization, as well," Cotchery said. "It was time to move on. Future-wise, I didn't really see myself fitting in. People on the outside looking in might say, 'Well, you've been there that long, you're part of the future,' but I didn't really see it that way. I think it was beneficial for both sides to move on."
Cotchery's numbers declined last season because of his back injury -- he also led the Jets with eight dropped passes, according to Stats Inc. -- but he had surgery in February to correct the problem.
Nonetheless, in the AFC championship at Heinz Field in January, Cotchery had five catches for 33 yards and a 4-yard touchdown against the Steelers.
"They need a veteran guy to come in and make some plays, that's about it," Cotchery said. "Nothing is given to you here. You have to come in and work your tail off and earn your stripes."
Photo: Matt Freed/Post-Gazette
Gerry Dulac: gdulac@post-gazette.com; Twitter@gerrydulac
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