Toga Party

Went up to Saratoga yesterday. Didn't cash a single ticket. I did however, get really sloshed, and witnessed a local prominent politician entering the Trailways Bus bathroom with his girlfriend on the way back, twice.

I was going to write a piece about how people should stop killing the Pirates for their trades...but after this weekend I think most people have stopped doing so. I still think it's hilarious that people such as Michael Kay were making outlandish embellishments about what a travesty the moves were. Newsflash, the people of Pittsburgh are not crushed because they lost Freddy Sanchez and Jack Wilson. Both are marginal middle infielders with slick gloves that are easily replaced. Not trading them would have made no sense. Personally, I would've taken just about anything for them. They acquired a talented outfielder in Lastings Milledge and obviously have some real talent out there. Adam LaRoche is a nice player, but he's not exactly Albert Pujols and he isn't getting any younger. Honestly, I don't know enough about most of the players they acquired to say whether they did well or not, but it is so typical of the prominent sportswriters to build a storyline about a city being crushed by moving a few average major leaguers.

I'm sure everyone saw Rachel Alexandra run away with the Haskell at Monmouth yesterday. If she comes out of that well she should be pointed toward the Travers Stakes at Saratoga in late August. Could be an incredible field of horses there if everything goes as planned for a few horses...and it will surely be a zoo. I dare say as great as Rachel is, she got a perfect trip at a perfect distance in conditions which worked well for her. She will certainly be a big favorite at the Travers, but betting against her could be of value. Of course, I didn't cash a single ticket yesterday so what do I know.

Pittsburgh's Pewch Pirates...

If you were not aware there was a move made today in MLB that is worth bringing up. The Pittsburgh Pirates have traded away all-star Nate McLouth in return for a handful of prospects, OF Gorkys Hernandez, and Pitchers Charlie Morton and Jeff Locke. The Pirates have now traded away Jason Bay, Xaiver Nady, and Nate McLouth which you can argue could be one of the best outfields in the game. I have never been a huge fan of teams trading away confirmed studs for prospects.

The move allows the Bravo's to find a replacement for Jordan Schafer who was relegated back to triple A ball after not being quite ready for the big show. The move works for the Braves team who are only 5 games back in the NL East, but do they really have the power and arms to contend? They just released Glavine, which seemed like a pretty raw deal. Glavine apparently worked his tail off to rehab and get back into playing shape and right when he was ready to get back on the mound the Braves ripped the cord. They brought up stud prospect Tommy Hanson and claimed the move was pure "performance based." Its a tough situation for both parties as Glavine has obviously meant so much to this organization, you can't help to think that his $1M dollar bonus for being added to the roster as well as million dollar bonuses at the 30 and 90 day mark had a bit to play in the decision. Three Cheers to you Glavine, and all-time great. It is sad to see Maddux, Glavine, and Smoltzy all officially gone from the braves organization. We will now see if Hanson is the future...

Back to the Pirates, its hard to see a team with such a rich tradition, and such a great sports town, working on their 17th consecutive losing season. How many good players can you trade away for prospects...and what exactly does this team need to do to turn the corner. PNC park is unbelievable, one of the finer ballparks in America overlooking the river. Will there ever be fans in the seats to take it all in?