The Pride of a Pirates Fan

Today, I attended the Pittsburgh Pirates Season Ticket Members Field Day at PNC Park. For almost 2 hours, I and my friend Dan were given the opportunity to play catch, take batting practice, and field fly balls on the field of PNC Park. This is my 3rd time taking someone to this experience, and I continue to be amazed that a Major League Baseball organization allows its fans to take part in such an event. It prompted me to write a letter to the organization, through my account representative. Below is my letter.

To Whom It May Concern:

As a long-time Season Ticket Member of the Pittsburgh Pirates, I want to take a moment to thank you for being such a great organization. I recently returned from the Season Ticket Member Field Days at PNC Park, my third time experiencing that benefit. The Field Days are truly a unique experience, and every person I have taken with me has remarked how lucky they feel to have this opportunity.

I always expected and practically demanded these experiences when the major league team was not successful every year. And as the on-field success increased year after year, you could have reduced or eliminated perks for Season Ticket Members and been completely justified in doing so. Instead, you have shown continued commitment and loyalty to the fans not only in these experiences, but with top-notch customer service, ticket exchanges, and placing our names on the outfield wall.

Thank you for everything you do for the fans, particularly the Season Ticket Members. I remember a time not too long ago where being a fan and Season Ticket Member of the Pirates brought me ridicule and jokes at my expense, even in my own city. Today, I can proudly say that I am a life-long fan of the best organization in Major League Baseball. I don’t see other playoff-contending teams letting their fans take batting practice and play catch on the field. Once again, you have shown that the Pittsburgh Pirates are in a class all by themselves both on and off the field.

With sincere gratitude,

Erik Hoeke

A Beautiful Rainy Night at PNC Park

Question: What's better than sitting in great seats, watching the Pirates win to take over first place, and meeting Arnold Palmer?

Answer: Not Much.

Last night, a friend treated me to Lexus Club seats at PNC Park. We sat in the 2nd row, just behind home plate. Despite 2 rain delays, it was a great night.

As we entered our section, a sign informed us that the signature drink of the night was an Arnold Palmer. And as we got close to our seats, we found out why: Arnold Palmer was sitting across the aisle from us. And, he ordered an Arnold Palmer, which begs the question: how does he order himself? Does he say, "I'll have a 'me'"?

As you can see, he graciously let me get a picture with him. But since there were 2 rain delays, he left after the first one, as many fans did. We stuck it out and were rewarded.

In the 4th, the Pirates scratched across 2 runs. "That's good, but I have a feeling it'll take more than 2 runs to beat this Reds team," I said. Fortunately, it didn't, and Joel Hanrahan closed out a 2-0 win with another lights-out 9th inning. Which means...

your Pittsburgh Pirates are in first place today, July 19, 2011. The best part of the night: seeing the Brewers' loss go final just as Hanrahan entered in the 9th, and then celebrating with other fans the dreamy fact that after 94 games, the Pirates are in first place. By themselves.

All in all, a pretty good night.

The White Knight

At last night's Pirates game, I got up after the 3rd inning to get a drink. As I turned into the aisle, I almost tripped over some blond haired doofus sitting in the aisle a couple rows back, dressed well and holding an iPad. That doofus turned out to be no doofus at all; it was Pirates GM Neal Huntington.

I love this man. I've loved him since the summer he arrived in Pittsburgh and began implementing the genius plan that is turning the Pirates around into a contending team for 2012. He stayed in our section for about 45 minutes, and if he wasn't deep in conversation, I would've loved to take a moment to thank him for all his hard work and courage in the face of stupid Pirates fans that don't understand baseball economics.

Actually, it was all I could do to keep from hugging him. I've said it pretty much since the day of the Jason Bay trade, and I'll say it again: I HEART NEAL HUNTINGTON.

Looking for a Savior

Finally, the day is here. Pedro Alvarez, the Pirates top prospect, will make his Pittsburgh Pirates debut tonight. Here's a taste of what he offers:



The entire city awaits with anticipation. He has long been touted as the "savior" of the franchise, and the expectations are such that one would hardly be surprised to see him riding into town on a white stallion, performing daring feats of rescue, or turning everyone's hot dogs into filet mignon.

Alas, it is just the most recent example of a group of people looking for a savior in all the wrong places. Americans saw Barack Obama as a savior of a nation less than 2 years ago. Businesses in decline seek saviors to bring things out of the red. Even churches are not immune to such misguided thoughts, often anticipating a change in pastor will turn things around more than Jesus Christ ever would.

I'm excited that Pedro is here, but the fact is he's going to have days where he's 0-4 with 3 K's - maybe starting with tonight. He's going to make errors at 3rd that cost us the game. He's going to hit into crippling double plays. And even if he blossoms into an All-Star slugger, that will probably take a few years to materialize. I'm as excited as anyone about seeing him play in the Bigs, but let's not expect him to be perfect. Let's remember that the savior of the world he is not. That job is already taken.

A New World Order

For most of my life, the Pittsburgh Pirates have been awful - a symbol of incompetency both on and off the field. They have spent the better part of 2 decades as the worst run and worst performing franchise in the history of professional sports. And, for most of my life, the Steelers have been wonderful - a symbol of success and class both on and off the field. For almost a half century, the Steelers have been a source of great pride. They have been a franchise worth looking up to in every way.

I used to love when football season came around, because the Steelers provided a welcome distraction from hearing all the bad news of the Pirates. Now, I find myself embracing the start of baseball season as a welcome distraction from the current free fall of the Steelers. Much of that pride and class is gone, and I'm really sick of hearing about the daily messes created by these spoiled frat boys called Pittsburgh Steelers. It's becoming clear that no matter how bad the Pirates may be this season, they will not disappoint me nearly as much as the Steelers have in recent months and years.

Let's Go Bucs!

Sadness and Joy

It was a bitterly cold Sunday morning in early February. I dragged myself out of bed early that day and headed out to pick up Dan and Will, two of my best friends. On a typical Sunday, we’d all be heading off to church, but this Sunday was different. On this particular winter morning, we granted ourselves a special dispensation from attending church, so we could head downtown to witness a historical moment in the history of the city of Pittsburgh. With coffee and donuts in hand, we stood on the banks of the Allegheny River, right under the Sixth Street Bridge, and watched this.

And just like that, Three Rivers Stadium, home of the Pirates and Steelers for over 30 years, was gone. All three of us spent much of our childhood attending baseball and football games at Three Rivers. For all of us, our formative memories as sports enthusiasts took place there, our fathers toting us there from the time we could walk, teaching us about these wonderful games that gave us such joy.

There we were, ready to watch our childhood home turn into a pile of rubble. As the time of implosion drew near, we shared stories of our childhood visits to Three Rivers. Together, we lamented the loss of something that meant so much to us. But as the morning wore on, our eyes began to be drawn away from Three Rivers and toward the new structure just across the river: PNC Park. Our sadness of losing Three Rivers began to give way to our excitement about a new, beautiful, baseball only stadium. And so it was that our emotions were tossed about that morning, alternatively weeping for what was lost and shouting for joy at what the future held. Dan was more excited than sad, but Will and I were still more sad than excited. But together, we stood there and watched as our past was torn down, and the future called us in.

In Ezra 3:10-13, we hear a very similar story: the beautiful story of the Israelites laying a foundation for rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem. As the foundation was laid, the community came out to celebrate the completion of the first phase of the rebuilding process. And as we hear, some were reminded of the previous temple, and wept at the loss of what they once held so dear. Others shouted for joy, energized by the prospect of what was in store in the future. But in this holy moment, the shouts of grief and the shouts of joy came together as one sound, “so that the people could not distinguish the sound of the joyful shout from the sound of the people’s weeping.”

I suspect that some of us in the Christian Church may identify with the weepers – those who mourn the loss of former glory, those who fondly remember the wonderful religious heritage that has preceded us. It is a heritage from which we all have come, one that formed and shaped the church we see today.

And, I suspect there are also some of us who identify with the joyful shouters – those who are energized and excited about what the future holds, those who might even look on religious heritage and say, “Good riddance!”

The reality is that most of us are probably somewhere in between. Many of us lament the loss of what we had as the body of Christ, but are also excited about what we might yet have. But what’s so interesting about this story in Ezra is that everyone – both the tearful and the joyful – are there. Whether they celebrate the foundation being laid or they shed tears over it, all are here to support the rebuilding of the temple. Whether they want the temple rebuilt in this way or not, they care enough to show up. And in a beautiful, spirit-filled moment, all the shouts of lament and shouts of joy blend into a single shout, and it becomes impossible to distinguish the tearful from the joyful. It is one body, with one voice, coming from one past, marching into one future.

What a beautiful model for facing the uncertain future that is before us now. What an example these Israelites provide for us – whether we long for the past or we wish to race energetically into the future, it is time to become one voice. It is time to balance each other out, for each of us to add to the one sound, rooting ourselves in the past but also embracing the future that lies ahead.

If you are a weeper, we need you to remind us of the glorious past that got us here. And if you are a joyful shouter, we need you to show us the way into the future. It is time to become that one voice, where no individual is silenced, where each one of us contributes to a joyful noise in praise of the Lord.

So, whether we weep or shout for joy or fall somewhere in between, let us all praise the Lord with our voices. Let us honor the reality that we have different voices, and we all may view the past and future a little differently, but if here in the present we center ourselves on the Lord, those many voices will combine as one voice, even if just for one moment. So let us cry. Let us shout. Let us praise God together.

And are we yet alive,
And see each others face?
Glory and thanks to Jesus give
For his almighty grace!

What troubles have we seen,
What mighty conflicts past,
Fightings without, and fears within,
Since we assembled last.

Ignominy

It's official.

We've known at least a few years that this day was coming, and I've long since accepted it, so I can't say it hurts. I do agree with my favorite Pirates blog, "WHYGAVS?", that it's sad the current front office and players will suffer ridicule for the errors of many incompetent predecessors. But it still stinks.

But there is hope. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, and I can finally see it. They probably won't be out of the dark until 2011 or 2012, but at least now we know they're on the way out. Until then, they'll probably extend this record another year or two, but no one can ever accuse me of giving up on this team. I'm in it until they win it, no matter how long it takes.

These shameful 2 decades are going to make it so much sweeter when they finally turn it around. Until then, we'll have to settle for watching the Steelers and Penguins rack up championships.

Flipping the Switch

Despite another losing record, this Pirates baseball season has been one of the most exciting ones in years. I accepted the inevitable losing record before it began, and I've had fun watching the young pups develop (or not -- I'm looking at you, Moss).

That being said, I have now flipped my internal switch from the "baseball season" position to the "football season" position. It began with my attendance at the Steelers' first preseason game, where they looked incredibly competent from the starters all the way down to the guys who will be cut 3 weeks from now. It was completed by the 14 runs the Cubs scored on the Bucs by the end of the 2nd inning yesterday. A humiliating 17-2 loss will do that to a man. Even our normally emotionless manager shot off a sarcastic response to a Chicago reporter's dumb question, so you know it's bad.

I didn't mean to flip the switch. It just happened. It's officially football season in my mind. If the weather would just drop to about 55 degrees, the stage would really be set for gridiron battle.

I'm sick of it...

...all of it. The 16 going on 17 straight years of losing. The horrible circus at PNC Park that's occasionally interrupted by baseball. The awful logos. The ridicule by other fans and un-funny late night hosts. The half-cooked trades of idiots-masquerading-as-GMs Cam Bonifay and Dave Littlefield. The embarrassing moments, including, but not limited to: Operation Shutdown, Lloyd stealing first, the Matt Morris trade, the Jimmy Anderson Experience, and the Kendall contract.

I've tried to take all of that in stride, but I've reached the breaking point. I've had it up to here with the media and fan criticism. We finally have a general manager who uses statistical analysis to evaluate talent. He's finally shipped away our mediocre at best major leaguers to create organizational depth and talent levels we haven't had since the 80's. Management has cut dead weight on the field and on the payroll. I know it looks like same old, same old rebuilding, but it's not. This is different. This is a plan of sustained success. This is a GM who doesn't let emotions or fan reactions get in the way of making personnel moves. This is a GM who understands the business of Major League Baseball better than the fans who think they could do better. This is progress toward the future.

Yes, the Pirates still stink. And they will stink next year too. But all I am saying is, give Neal a chance. Any GM deserves at least 4 years to rebuild a franchise, especially one so royally screwed up as the Pirates were when he arrived. Don't judge the trades by what we gave up, or by how much you loved the player(s) that left. GMs don't make trades based on emotion. Judge the trades based on what we acquired -- which admittedly, cannot be judged for a few years. And remember that all Huntington did was dis-assemble a team that had gone no better than 75-87 and finished no better than 4th place in the 8 previous years to his arrival. There was no hope in sight when he arrived. There is now hope, even if that's all there is right now. So get off Neal's back.

And finally, if you insist on criticizing Huntington and bad-mouthing these "worthless" prospects, be sure to put it in writing. That way, in 3 years when you start praising Huntington and jumping on the bandwagon as the Buccos are competing for a division title, you'll be able to literally eat your words.

Pittsburgh Pirates Spring Preview: Part III

Starting Rotation: Paul Maholm, Ian Snell, Zach Duke, Ross Ohlendorf, Jeff Karstens
There’s Paul Maholm, and there’s everyone else. Maholm had a stellar year in 2008, posting a 3.71 ERA with 19 quality starts out of 31 games started. He only had 9 wins, mainly because the Pirates never offered him run support. He’s clearly one of the most valuable if not the most valuable member of the 2009 Pirates.

Snell and Duke are following similar story lines: breaking on the scene as quality pitchers a few years ago, then completely imploding before our very eyes over the last 18-24 months. Snell’s problem seems to be lack of mental toughness, while Duke’s mechanics keep getting tweaked by hacks posing as Pirate pitching coaches. Hopefully, for both Snell and Duke’s sake, the Bucs finally have a pitching coach who knows what he’s doing, because they need to get things together if the Pirates are to avoid 95 losses this year. As long as they can put up solid numbers befitting mid-rotation starters, they’ll be an asset to the team. Otherwise, it will be time to seek other solutions from the mound.

Ohlendorf and Karstens both came over from the Yankees in the Nady/Marte trade last July. They are largely unproven commodities, but both showed they deserve a shot in the rotation based on the last 2 months of last year and this spring. Their performances this year will be under intense scrutiny. If they can hold up under that pressure, as well as the reality that their team isn’t going anywhere but they still have to compete, Neal Huntington might get relief from the fans’ incessant impatience.

Bullpen: John Grabow, Tyler Yates, Sean Burnett, Craig Hansen, Donnie Veal, Jesse Chavez
In a sense, bullpens are always a bit of a crapshoot. You have a couple guys that you know what you’ll get, and the rest can impress, disappoint, or fall somewhere in between.

Grabow and Burnett are the two that are predictable and dependable. Grabow remains one of the best lefty specialists in the game, and Burnett is a very solid long reliever. You might even throw Tyler Yates in there as well, if you count his mediocrity as dependable.

Then there’s the rest of them. All of them could make us very, very happy, or all of them could disappoint. It will likely be a mix of the two. The one to watch, though, is Craig Hansen, who came over from the Red Sox last July in the J-Bay trade. He has electric stuff, but no control. If he ever finds the plate, he could be a dominating set-up guy or even a closer down the road.

Closer: Matt Capps
Not the greatest closer, but better than at least half (if not 2/3) of the league. Bottom line, he gets the job done, and that’s what’s important with closers.

Pittsburgh Pirates Spring Preview: Part II

Left Field: Nyjer Morgan/Eric Hinske/Craig Monroe
All indications are that Morgan will be the starter on Opening Day, but I can’t help hoping that Hinske and Monroe, reserves who have experience as everyday players, steal a lot of at-bats from the light-hitting Morgan. He’s fast, and adequate defensively (minus the candy arm), but offensively he’s just okay. He’ll be serviceable at leadoff if he can repeat his .294/.345 from starting the last 1/3 of the season in 2008. But that’s a big if. When it comes to LF, I’m counting down the days until Andrew McCutcheon gets called up to assume the leadoff position for good. It won’t be too long now; he’s ready for the big show.

Center Field: Nate McLouth
The many people drooling over Nate the Great’s breakout year last year tend to gloss over the fact that he sizzled pre-All-Star Game, and fizzled down the stretch. Well, maybe he didn’t quite fizzle, but it rhymes. And he did have a pretty mediocre 2nd half in 2008, bringing his numbers back down to mortal levels. He’ll likely reach his 2008 numbers of .276/.356/.497/26/94, maybe even topping 100 RBI now that he’ll be hitting exclusively from the 3 spot. He’s a very solid player, and it’s nice to finally have one of those in center.

Right Field: Brandon Moss
One of the many prospects to arrive in all the trade deadline deals, Moss’ health is a huge factor in the Pirates’ success this year. If he’s healthy, there’s no reason why he can’t hit 25 HR with 90 RBI. He won’t wow you with average, but he’ll probably hover around .260-.270, which is fine if he keeps up his good walk numbers. Like McLouth, he has potential to be a very valuable everyday player.

Bench: Hinske (OF), Monroe (OF), Luis Cruz (IF), Ramon Vazquez (IF), Jason Jaramillo (C)
For the 2nd year in a row, Pirates GM Neal Huntington has assembled a good bench full of experienced veterans. Hinske and Monroe should add some power from the plate, and Monroe will be used in platoon situations against LHPs seeing as he’s the only right-handed hitting outfielder. Hinske will also be used occasionally at first and third base. Cruz and Vazquez can fill in when needed, particularly in the middle infield. I know nothing about Jaramillo, but the Pirates’ brass and coaching staff seemed really impressed with him this spring.

Tomorrow: Starting Pitching

Pittsburgh Pirates Spring Preview: Part I

With Opening Day arriving in a few short days, it’s time for me to give the preseason analysis of my beloved yet hopeless Pittsburgh Pirates. I’ll be doing so between now and Monday in a few installments. Today, I’ll review the infield. Let’s not waste any more time with small talk…

Catcher: Ryan Doumit
Doumit finally stayed healthy enough last year to show what he can contribute. While he is no all-star by any means, he is a solid presence behind the plate who could approach 20 homers and 80 RBI this year. Manager John Russell has already said he hopes to have Doumit play 150 games, which is asking a lot for the most physically grueling position on the field. If this happens, expect his average to dip to around .290.

First Base: Adam LaRoche
Well, well, well, back again for another Jekyll and Hyde season, eh? Adam LaRoche has a history of starting slow, and it was at its worst last year as he was an offensive liability well into June. I’m sorry, but if you’re a black hole in your team’s lineup for almost a half season, I don’t care how good your second half was. Sure, he was all-star caliber down the stretch, but a team like the Pirates cannot afford another slow start by Adam. But like it or not, we’re stuck with him for now.

Second Base: Freddy Sanchez
Since his All-Star showing in 2006, “Steady Freddy” has come back down to earth. 2008 Freddy (.271 AVG/.298 OBP/.371 SLG/9 HR/52 RBI) is the real Freddy Sanchez we all know and love. He’s solid defensively, but light hitting. He won’t hurt you in the field or at the plate, but he won’t exactly help you much either. Hopefully he’ll at least improve in his OBP, because .298 is way too low for a guy hitting 2nd .

Third Base: Andy LaRoche
Once a can’t miss prospect in the Dodgers organization, Andy is the little brother of Dr. Jekyll who came to the Pirates in last year’s 3 team Jason Bay deal. So far, he has yet to show signs of life, hitting .152 in 49 games after joining the Bucs. He’s a gamble that could work out big, but is more likely just a way to bide time until last year’s #1 pick Pedro Alvarez is ready in a few years. And no, I’m not forgetting Neil “The Real Deal” Walker. I know he exists, I just don’t think Walker will ever really live up to the hometown hero hype that has so mercilessly been placed on him. As for Andy LaRoche, I wouldn’t be shocked if he turned some heads with his play this season. He could be a real fun surprise. Or he could stink like sour milk in the middle of a fish market. I don’t know.

Shortstop: Jack Wilson
Jumpin’ Jack Flash is the last remaining Pirate to have experienced more than a few years of the losing streak. This, in my opinion, is a bad thing. He’s often touted as the team leader, which has always been a bit troublesome for me. He’s fiery, he’s competitive, he’s a “gamer”, yes, but the fact remains that he’s not the All-Star player that Pittsburgh fans treat him as. He’s also never come close to experiencing winning at the major league level. Sure, he’s a defensive whiz, and he’s fine for a #8 hitter, but let’s not forget: he’s a #8 hitter. Anything he gives you offensively is bonus. Look for another Wilson-esque season of .275/.310/.375 and some dazzling defensive plays.

Tomorrow: Outfield and Bench

Global Initiative

Yesterday, the Pittsburgh Pirates Baseball Club signed two pitchers from India, Rinku Singh and Dinesh Kumar Patel. You can read all about it here. These are guys who got noticed because they were finalists in some throwing contest, and have been playing baseball for about 6 months. They're actually cricket players. Earlier this year we signed a pitcher from South Africa, but at least he'd been playing baseball for awhile. I'm getting the feeling Pirates General Manager Neal Huntington has a huge world map on his office wall, and he just throws darts at it to decide where he'll sign guys from next. What's up today, boss? Uzbekistan!

Whatever. What have we got to lose? We might as well give globalization a whirl and see what happens. The Pirates may be the second-worst franchise in pro sports, but the front office definitely deserves an "A" for effort these days. I'm actually warming up to Huntington's creative thinking. Now, if we could just get more Latin American players like the other 29 teams...

Don't Worry, He's One of Us

The Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh just went through a nasty split. Most congregations left for the more conservative Southern Cone denomination, but some stayed with the main denomination. The congregations who stayed just selected an advisory bishop to help them search for an interim bishop. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette ran a story on this advisory bishop, a bishop fron Virginia, and they made sure to mention that he roots for the Pirates and Steelers. Of course, you can only take advice from people who root for our local sports teams.

Yep, it's good to be home.

Priorities on the Sports Page

Last night, Lisa and I went to the Stillers preseason game against the cross-state Iggles, compliments of a couple in the church. They're season ticket holders and weren't able to make the game, so they gave us their tickets. When we agreed to accept them, we had no idea where they were. Turns out, the seats were 2 rows off the field in the corner of the end zone -- the corner that the Steelers' tunnel from the locker room comes out. So we were about 20 feet away from the players during introductions. That was cool. The Steelers won 16-10 (I know, it's meaningless), and Jeff Reed kicked a 50 yard FG right in front of us.

As we left the game, we called Chip, and he alerted us that the Pirates were locked in a 0-0 game in the 10th inning against the Phillies. So we turned on the radio as we got into the car and listened to what turned out to be a 2-0, 12 inning victory by the Bucs. They won the game as we pulled into our driveway -- perfect timing! Big sports night in Pittsburgh.

So the Steelers win a meaningless preseason game 16-10. It wasn't all that exciting, and nothing big happened. The Pirates win a regular season game in the 12th inning, 2-0. Which one do you think will be the lead story in the sports section of the paper the next morning? If you're from Pittsburgh, you probably guessed the Steelers, and you guessed correctly. There's a huge photo of rookie Rashard Mendenhall of the Steelers on the front page, and the headline "Steelers Start Fast." Then, at the bottom of the page, there's a one line strip that reads, in small print, "Pirates top Phillies in 12 innings, 2-0. Story page C-7."


Yes, football has taken over, and nothing the Pirates do can make them more important than even high school football from this point on. It's sad, because I love baseball, but it's also exciting because it means football season's coming! The Steelers are less than a month away from starting, college football starts at the end of THIS month, and high school football is creeping closer by the day. Lisa and I are pumped! Being in a new area of Western PA, we've got new HS football teams to learn about and watch. It's mostly AAA schools around here -- Belle Vernon, Jeannette, Greensburg CC, Yough, Charleroi, Elizabeth-Forward. Our weekends will look something like this: Friday -- travel to best HS football matchup of the week in our area; Saturday -- watch college football all day long while doing things around the house (we're back in Big Ten country!); Sunday -- Church and then watch the Steelers at home, where they're always on!

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

So Long, Jason

J-Bay has been traded to the BoSox in a 3-team deal involving the Dodgers. The Pirates got 4 prospects, 3 of them major-league ready. From the Sox they gote a solid at best everyday OF in Brandon Moss and a closer in Craig Hansen with wicked stuff that hasn't done anything on the major league level but I guess has potential. I'm betting we let him close until Capps comes back, and re-evaluate our closer situation when Capps is healthy. We also got Adam LaRoche's younger brother, Andy LaRoche, from the Dodgers. Hopefully a change of scenery will make him realize he must live up to his billing as a top prospect. Finally, we got some guy I'd never heard of in Bryan Morris, but he's the guy with the biggest upside. Of course, he has arm problems and sat out all of 2007 after Tommy John surgery, so who knows what'll happen? My evaluation:

Pros:
1. Moss and Hansen can help now and are still young enough that they might help for several years down the road.
2. Bryan Morris' upside.
3. Andy LaRoche's arrival means organizational depth at 3rd for the first time ever for the Bucs, and hopefully he can convince his brother that hitting during the first half of the season is a positive thing.
4. J-Bay's salary off the books means more money free to sign our yet-unsigned top 5 picks from this year's draft. Not that it was a motivating factor in the trade, but it's surely a bonus.
5. J-Bay's playing for a team I pull for on occasion. Good luck in Boston, Jason.

Cons:
1. J-Bay is gone, so we lose our resident boringly consistent Canadian. It's tough to see him go, but perhaps our future is better for it.
2. Yet another pitcher in our organization will be a top pick with arm problems. He'll fit right in.
3. Dealing with casual fans that can't see the long-term effects of this will be incredibly annoying for the next 2 years.

Here we go Steelers, here we go...