EARLIER PREDICTIONS OF A MEDIOCRE PIRATES SEASON COMING TRUE

The Pirates are headed in the wrong direction. Just when many fans and media were talking as if the Pirates might win 90-100 games, the Buccos have dropped eight of their last ten games. This is no time to pile on. The Pirates are struggling on all fronts and now face a much tougher schedule. I said at the beginning of the year that I thought they’d win 75 games. Right now that prediction is looking better and better.
• The Pirates’ bullpen is really struggling right now. They gave away a game they should have won against the Cardinals over the weekend. If that’s not bad enough, closer Felipe Vazquez is hurt. The Pirates don’t have the kind of team that’s necessarily going to out-slug teams on a daily basis. That’s why they need their bullpen to come through for them. They’d better get it together soon.
• Gregory Polanco started the season flashing the power we always thought he had. Since then he’s been terrible. Polanco looks lost at the plate. Not surprisingly, some are calling for him to be sent back to Triple A. I’m not one that believes that’s the best thing for him. Polanco isn’t going to get better by being demoted. He needs to figure it out at the major league level. Hopefully he’ll get some rest and find his swing again.
• I was a little surprised that Austin Meadows wasn’t sent back to Triple A. I thought the Pirates would do that so he can get every-day at bats. Instead, he’s staying in the big leagues for the time being. Clint Hurdle hopes he’ll play every seven out of ten days. It’s an interesting idea. I hope it works out for Meadows and the Pirates.
• That was some pre-game show prior to Game One of the Stanley Cup Finals. Vegas has fallen in love with hockey and their Golden Knights. I didn’t expect the shootout we saw from the Knights and Washington Capitals. It was a pretty exciting game. The Golden Knights are now just three wins from raising the Stanley Cup. Hope they win it all.
• I don’t watch much NBA basketball. I do, however, tune in this time of year when the playoffs are winding down. Love him or hate him, and there are many fans who feel both ways, Lebron James is one of the most amazing athletes we have ever had the pleasure of watching. James will now take his team to an almost unbelievable eighth straight NBA Finals. How he got this Cleveland team to the Finals is beyond me. Michael Jordan is considered the greatest of all time when it comes to basketball. Win or lose in the finals and you can certainly make a case that James is the best ever. He’s that good.
• Suddenly the national anthem controversy is back in the news after the NFL owners addressed the issue last week. I don’t know if they got it right or wrong. I’m still of the opinion that players should stand for the anthem, whether they want to or not. The Players Association says it did not bargain with the owners over this new policy. To that I say…too bad. As employees there are things we may not necessarily like at our place of business. We either follow the rules or we run the risk of losing our jobs. The same should apply to NFL players.