Introducing The Mad Griffin

Drum roll, please...no, seriously. Far from an old hand at this sort of thing. I'm just a long-time Pirate fan who likes to think he may know a thing or two about Bucco baseball. You may disagree and that's okay, too. I chose the moniker "The Mad Griffin" because things make me mad, just not necessarily what you might think. See, it's too easy to get mad about the obvious things like the Pirates losing. That's a beaten and bludgeoned topic if there ever was one. No, I get mad over the more minute details, like whether or not the Nate McLouth trade was a good trade. In short, YES I believe it WAS a good trade. What makes me mad about it is those who complain that Nate was traded because he was POPULAR. Look, good baseball decisions aren't always POPULAR decisions. This wasn't the ARam deal (now that TRADE made me MAD). Look, to hold Neal Huntington and Frank Coonley accountable for the previous 15 years prior to their arrival is utter nonsense. Finally, it appears we have a management team that has an actual plan - a good plan. And, please, do not buy into any team's PR jargon about "core" players, like the Pirates did when they signed Nate to his contract extension and proclaimed him part of their "core". It was PR - plain and simple. Lets face it - a team such as the Pirates will make ANY player available for the right return, "core" player or not. If some team offers Huntington the moon for Paul Maholm, you can bet the farm Maholm is an ex-Pirate. That's the way it SHOULD be. Fans buying Pirates jerseys and getting their favorite player name and number stitched on the back should remember that they're likely wearing a relic quicker than they think. Small-market players are transient. That's the reality of 21-st century MLB. So, please, don't get upset you just dropped a nice chunk of change on that #13 McLouth jersey. Stick with the retired players. At least you know THEY'RE not getting traded.

See Craig Monroe was designated for assignment after tonight's Bucs-Rox game. Steve Pearce has been recalled from AAA Indianapolis. Whether Pearce will be a solid contributor is open for discussion, but Monroe needed to GOOOO! What makes me mad about the situation isn't the fact Monroe was designated or that the Bucs signed him in the first place. It was that the guy was worthless as a pinch-hitter, slow as molasses, and then couldn't believe he was actually sent packing and wasn't given opportunities. What??? Here's an idea, Craig. If you had actually PRODUCED when called upon, you might still have a roster spot. Maybe it's just me. Silly me.