Three Rivers, One Bad Baseball Team
Greetings from Pittsburgh! Home of the mullet, a river (Monongahela) with an even weirder name than Schuylkill, and the town where .38 Special is playing somewhere at all times. (For instance, we are jamming to "Hang On Loosely" in the park at the moment - turn up Freedom Rock!)
It's also the home of some ironic facts ... for instance, Andy Warhol was born and raised here. How in the Campbell Soup Can did that happen? And how do you have the best ballpark in the majors and the most hapless team playing in it? PNC Park is a treasure; the Pirates, however, are a shipwreck.
Ryan Howard almost took a seat Friday night against Tom Gorzelanny, who has been vicious against left-handed hitters (.190). Howard, meanwhile, has been very inconsistent at the plate since Chase Utley went down (.200, 4 HR, 32 K in 70 AB). He'll put a good swing on a ball once in a while and come up with a big hit, but Howard unquestionably has taken many, many more bad swings this season than he did in 2006. Howard told Charlie Manuel that he didn't want to sit a game out .... we'll see if he responds to the suggestion with better focus in the batter's box.
Shane Victorino is with the team. He believes the "grab" he felt in his injured calf during a rehab game for Reading was some scar tissue tearing. He had an MRI done that showed healing and no further damage, so he could make one or two more rehab appearances after the weekend and return to the Phils by mid-week.
It's also the home of some ironic facts ... for instance, Andy Warhol was born and raised here. How in the Campbell Soup Can did that happen? And how do you have the best ballpark in the majors and the most hapless team playing in it? PNC Park is a treasure; the Pirates, however, are a shipwreck.
Ryan Howard almost took a seat Friday night against Tom Gorzelanny, who has been vicious against left-handed hitters (.190). Howard, meanwhile, has been very inconsistent at the plate since Chase Utley went down (.200, 4 HR, 32 K in 70 AB). He'll put a good swing on a ball once in a while and come up with a big hit, but Howard unquestionably has taken many, many more bad swings this season than he did in 2006. Howard told Charlie Manuel that he didn't want to sit a game out .... we'll see if he responds to the suggestion with better focus in the batter's box.
Shane Victorino is with the team. He believes the "grab" he felt in his injured calf during a rehab game for Reading was some scar tissue tearing. He had an MRI done that showed healing and no further damage, so he could make one or two more rehab appearances after the weekend and return to the Phils by mid-week.
Labels: .38 Special, Howard, mullet, Pirates, Victorino, Warhol
