More on the Morgan/Burnett Trade

"He's a good player. They'll be trading him soon."

-50-year-old yinzer woman in front of me at Friday's Pirates-Royals game

When I heard the woman say that after Nyjer Morgan's home run off of Gil Meche last Friday, I instantly chuckled and dismissed it as a rant from a bitter yinzer who didn't know what she was talking about. Don't I look stupid. When I first heard the news about the trades yesterday, my initial reaction was "duck, the whiners will be at it again soon". Then I started thinking about the trade and at first I didn't quite get it. The trades up until this one have been ones that have stocked the minors. You trade one big league guy and get three in return, etc. This time they traded a speedy outfielder/lead off guy and a shaky set up man for another speedy outfield/lead off guy and a shaky set up man. Then I came around on it, not because I drank the kool-aid, or bought into the "high ceilings" for Milledge and Hanerahan ( I think that's how you spell it, no time to look it up now.) No, I came around by asking myself one question... why not? At the beginning of the year everyone was saying Morgan had no business starting, so why act like the Bucs traded away 1997 Kenny Lofton now? And Burnett, the first batter he faced as a National took him deep, no big loss there. I'm with Bob Smizik (for once) Neal Huntington is right being five games out of first, and dead last doesn't make you a contender. Stop your whining Jack Wilson. You weren't getting that pennant this year, or next. Maybe since there's no one to back you up in the bare-cupboard Pirates minor league system, you will be there when the Pirates do make it above .500.

I spent last week in PA and checked out the Pirates, Curve, and the State College Spikes. I'll have a lot more to say in the next few days.