2011 Bucco's Spring Training

[Borski]

I can't wait for the Spring Training to start! I'm ready to go to some games.

[cakmakli]

Pirates want more consistency from Cedeno

Saturday, February 19, 2011
By Tim Povtak, Special to the Post-Gazette

BRADENTON, Fla. -- Shortstop Ronny Cedeno insists he didn't hear all the chatter -- he was too busy playing Winter Ball in Venezuela -- but when he arrived Friday for his first day of spring training, it didn't take long.

He is on the clock.

"It's a can-do league, and it's time for Ronny to do well for extended periods of time, and not just flash it," said general manager Neal Huntington Friday.

"He has to push himself. He has to be internally motivated to do the things he needs to do. He has to be more than just the guy who intrigues you with his skills. He needs to perform."

Tick, tick, tick, tick.

The Pirates failed to upgrade his position, but it wasn't for lack of trying.

They tried to trade for Jason Bartlett of Tampa Bay before he went for San Diego.

They looked at J.J. Hardy of the Minnesota Twins.

They debated the future of Cedeno in Pittsburgh several times this winter.

"I didn't hear anything [this winter]. I just came to play the position every day," Cedeno said before his first workout at Pirate City.

"If they want competition for the position, I have no control over that. I'll do what I have to do, and do what they want me to do."

What they want from Cedeno is consistency. He has the physical skills to be a better-than-average major league shortstop. What he has not yet shown is the mentality and the toughness to do it through the grind of a long season.

His attention wanders.

Read more: LINK

[steelpride12]

Yeah Cedeno was too inconsistent. Some games he would be error ridden and have a bad day at the base or go 3-4 and perfect in field. Gotta make up his mind.

[steelpride12]

Yates' perseverance may lead him to Bucs' 'pen

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?...s_pit&c_id=pit

[BPS3akaWirels3]

• Paul Maholm told Rob Biertempfel of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that he's willing to discuss an extension with the Pirates, which pleasantly surprised GM Neal Huntington. "Paul's done some good things for this organization," said the GM. "We'll give it due consideration." The team holds a $9.75MM club option for Maholm's services in 2012 after he earns $5.75MM in 2011.

The Pirates have not yet extended GM Neal Huntington's contract according to Rob Biertempfel of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Team president Frank Coonelly said "it's our expectation that Neal will be here for a long time." Huntington's contract expires after the 2011 season

[Galax Steeler]

Go Phillies

[BPS3akaWirels3]

Go Phillies

What's that? You say the Silly Phillies can't compete unless they spend a $1 billion on players? Ok, just checking..

[Galax Steeler]

What's that? You say the Silly Phillies can't compete unless they spend a $1 billion on players? Ok, just checking..

Ha Ha I got you fired up this morning.

[steelpride12]

LOL just another organization who can't win without pulling out their check book.

[steelerdude15]

The Pirates have not yet extended GM Neal Huntington's contract according to Rob Biertempfel of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Team president Frank Coonelly said "it's our expectation that Neal will be here for a long time." Huntington's contract expires after the 2011 season

They better not extend his contract. Fire him.

[Borski]

The Pirates have not yet extended GM Neal Huntington's contract according to Rob Biertempfel of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Team president Frank Coonelly said "it's our expectation that Neal will be here for a long time." Huntington's contract expires after the 2011 season

Speaking of Neal, the other day when I went to training camp he was talking to my mom for a little while and right before he went back to talk to the players and coaches my mom said to him "Are you guys are gonna play better this year, I sure hope so because we can't have another season like last year?"

[Borski]

http://pittsburgh.pirates.mlb.com/vi...18887&c_id=pit

I like Matt Diaz's attitude going into the season. Positive, confident, ready to play.

[polamalubeast]

Go Phillies

Go Red sox!

[steelpride12]

Go Red sox!

Bandwagon! :P JK, but come on seriously GO BUCS!

[Borski]

Bottom of the 2nd and we are showing those Manatee's who is boss!

MCC - 1
PIT - 7

[Borski]

Bottom of the 3rd

MCC - 1
PIT - 12

This is our Year!

[Borski]

21-1 in the 7th! We are unstoppable!

[X-Terminator]

Wait...these are the same guys that LOST to Manatee CC last year and struggled to beat them in recent years. This year they're beating the shit out of them? Wow...

[steelpride12]

Good to see the Bucs spank the shit out of these guys!

[steelpride12]

Bucs fell to the Rays 5-9 blah. Morton and Lincoln split a couple of innings each and played well early, but the pen struggled late.

[steelpride12]

Bucs beat Rays 10-3, McCutchen went 3 for 3 with a homer, a pretty solid game over all for them.

[BPS3akaWirels3]

Bucs beat Rays 10-3, McCutchen went 3 for 3 with a homer, a pretty solid game over all for them.

Wish I had time to keep up with this.. I sure will in a month..

[BPS3akaWirels3]

Coonelly On Budget, Draft Picks, Payroll, Extensions

By Mike Axisa [February 25, 2011 at 8:20am CST]
Kevin Creagh of Pirates Prospects recently interviewed Pirates team president Frank Coonelly, who spoke about a number of hot stove topics. Let's recap...

• If GM Neal Huntington wants to make a move that would cause the team to exceed its budget, whether it be a trade, free agent, draft signing, etc., Coonelly said "Neal and his staff will make a case for such a decision and I will then take that case to [owner] Bob Nutting. If Bob agrees that the case has been made and that exceeding the budget for the proposed signing will not hinder our ability to make the other investments that need to be made, he will approve the acquisition."
• Nutting and Coonelly will bring the fans' interest into the equation if a trade involves a popular player, such as Nate McLouth or Jason Bay.
• "We need to reduce the compensatory selections so that the second selection of the club drafting first in the country is not 58 or 60 instead of 31," said Coonelly, with regards to the draft pick compensation system. "Now, [the Rays] received those selections because it lost good players in free agency but it is difficult for the draft to serve its purpose when there are so many compensatory selections before the second round."
• The team would not be able to support a $70-80MM payroll right now, but they "will be able to support that payroll very soon if [their] fans believe that [they] now have a group of players in Pittsburgh and on its way here in the near future that is competitive."
• Nutting told Rob Biertempfel of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that payroll is not dependent on attendance. "We're not artificially handicapped by extreme limitations on dollars, as we have been in the past," said the owner. "I don't see there being an artificial constraint as we move forward."
• Factors such as track record, health, makeup, and character go into the decision about whether or not to sign a player to a long-term deal. "We need to be convinced that we can count on the player over the long term and that requires trust in the player as a person and as a teammate," said Coonelly.

Coonelly also spoke about his day-to-day responsibilities, minority partners, and how he spends his free time.

[X-Terminator]

• The team would not be able to support a $70-80MM payroll right now, but they "will be able to support that payroll very soon if [their] fans believe that [they] now have a group of players in Pittsburgh and on its way here in the near future that is competitive."
• Nutting told Rob Biertempfel of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that payroll is not dependent on attendance. "We're not artificially handicapped by extreme limitations on dollars, as we have been in the past," said the owner. "I don't see there being an artificial constraint as we move forward.

So, basically what they're saying (well Coonelly, anyway...the "Larry Fine" of the 3 Stooges) is that they want us to buy their crappy product before they'll spend more in payroll? Way to go, guys. Take a nice, heaping shit on the fans once again. It's all you know how to do.

[JayC]

this is the first time in a long time i think the pirates have a decent chance at still being in it after the all star game. we definately got some hitting but consistency is an issue and we don't have any stud pitchers

[BPS3akaWirels3]

this is the first time in a long time i think the pirates have a decent chance at still being in it after the all star game. we definately got some hitting but consistency is an issue and we don't have any stud pitchers

I think this has been said 18 times before..

[Borski]

I do think we have a shot at getting close to 500 this year, I don't quite think we have what we need to break it this year but I am liking our young group of talent.

[steelpride12]

Buccos blanked the Yanks 2-0 earlier today. Of course the Yanks had none of their big hitters for the game, but still got the shut out and had some good pitching from a guy Im looking forward to seeing as a regular guy in the rotation James Mcdonald.

[Borski]

Awesome game today We shut out the Yankees 2-0! I had a great view of it too!

[X-Terminator]

Does a shutout against the Spankees really count if they had their big guns out of the lineup? I don't think so...