The Buccos are off to a nice start to the second half of the season. Their dramatic ninth inning win on Sunday gave them two out of three over the rival Cardinals. Not a bad weekend at PNC Park. Still, it’s hard to imagine the Pirates are going to contend in the second half of the season. But, things could get interesting if the Buccos can win a few against the division leading Brewers who next come to town. The next two weeks should tell if the Pirates will be in the race, or way out of it.
• Will the Pirates be buyers or sellers at the upcoming trade deadline? My guess is they will trade away players if they continue to fall back. The biggest question surrounding the Pirates is what to do with Andrew McCutchen? It’s not like a lot of teams covet outfielders, so that could impact what happens. Also, now that Cutch is on a tear would the Pirates even get an offer worth considering for their franchise player? Just a few months ago the Pirates would not have gotten a good package for Cutch. Now, who knows? If I’m the Pirates I deal McCutchen if the return is substantial. If not, I think they have no choice but to keep him.
• Now that pitcher Jose Quintana has been traded by the White Sox to the crosstown Chicago Cubs, Pirates’ fans are wondering why Neal Huntington didn’t make a deal for the lefthander. The Cubs gave up four players, including their top two prospects to get the proven starter. All he did in his first start as a Cub was strike out 12 Baltimore Orioles. This guy will make the reigning world champs better. The Pirates weren’t willing to give up their top prospects. That’s the way Huntington has done business. Now that Quintana is in the NL Central, the criticism directed toward the Pirates’ brass will only increase if he helps the Cubs win another title, which is entirely possible.
• Yankees’ slugger Aaron Judge is the new face of baseball. The kid put on an incredible show while winning Major League Baseball’s Home Run Derby last week. Wouldn’t teams, including the Pirates, love another shot at picking again in the 2013 draft? Judge lasted until pick 32. The Pirates actually passed him over twice, selecting Austin Meadows and Reese McGuire, who has since been dealt in a salary dump to Toronto. Think what Judge could do for the Pirates? Instead, he’s starring in the Big Apple.
• It was no surprise that the Pens lost some key players in free agency. There was no way they were going to retain Nick Bonino and Trevor Daley. Both deserve the deals they got and I wish them well. Given that he only got a one year deal for two million dollars, I’m a little surprised the Penguins didn’t seriously consider bringing back Chris Kunitz. The Pens didn’t waste any time when they brought in their replacements. I don’t think change is necessarily a bad thing. Teams need new blood and that’s what happened here. On paper the Penguins probably aren’t as good as what they were, but that’s not important right now. The club will probably make a few more moves before next year’s trading deadline. Then we’ll see if they can win three in a row.
• I love the move of hiring Sergei Gonchar as a full-time coach. Gonch is loved by the players and will help the defensemen, plus assist on the power play. The Pens will surely miss Rick Tocchet, who gets a chance to be a head coach again in Arizona. In hiring Mark Recchi, they’ve got another good hockey mind who is well liked and respected by the current players. Good moves all around.
• I don’t expect the Pens to trade Phil Kessel anytime soon, despite the speculation offered by Pittsburgh Post Gazette columnist Ron Cook. Kessel’s cap hit is 6.8 million dollars. Plus, he has five more years on his contract. I’m not sure there are many teams that would take on that contract, even if the Penguins pay some of his salary, just like Toronto is currently doing. They pay 1.2 million of Kessel’s deal.
• I also find it hard to believe the Penguins will bring back Jordan Staal and his big contract in a trade. I don’t see them having the cap space to do that, even if they move another player. And besides, is Staal really worth that kind of money anyway? He’s done little since signing his big deal to go to Carolina.
• The Steelers will be in training camp in less than two weeks. Hard to believe. Le’Veon Bell will be with the Steelers this year, but it’s still up in the air as to whether he will be with the team long-term. I’m not sure why Bell hasn’t already signed his one-year deal, but who knows what’s in his head. He could hold out, but that would not be a wise move on his part. His contract status will be one of the big stories of camp, if not the entire 2017 season.
• Martavis Bryant said he wants to sit down and talk with Ben Roethlisberger man to man. Why he had to go public with this is beyond me. Bryant, who cost his team last year when he was suspended for the whole season, should keep his mouth shut and just perform. If he wants to talk to Big Ben he should do it privately, and not let Steeler Nation know he intends to do it.
• I rarely watch tennis anymore. Then again, I think most Americans have the same viewing habits. I did, however, catch the end of Roger Federer’s 8th win at Wimbledon on Sunday. It’s called the Gentlemen’s Final, and Federer is the consummate gentleman. What a player, and what a nice man. Sports could use more like him.
