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| Wednesday, July 12 | |||||
| Pirates fans give midseason report | |||||
| We told you what we thought of the Pirates' first-half performance, now you've told us. Here is what you had to say about our reports and what the Pirates have to do in the second half:
It's time to drop some dead weight and load up for next year. Unload Cordova and Schmidt and get a couple of decent prospects. What a disappointment the pitching staff has been this year. A good, quality closer would be nice also. Get rid of them while they are still worth something to someone.
Gary Leap
East Stroudsburg, Pa.
I've been rooting for the Bucs since I was 6 years old (I'm 69 now). Much as I try to forsake them, I can't! If only the fans would support them monetarily. I feel there is management who can put together a winning team. I feel they have a chance. Just don't trade Kendall or Giles or Benson. Guess I am reliving the Clemente era. Anyway, I stick with them. Dick Stillwagon Manasquan, N.J.
Kevin Young's contribution has been squat. He has been another huge disappointment within the long list of disappointments in Pittsburgh in 2000. I guess his work ethic is as solid as the one you put forth in this article! Chris Ostien Morgantown, W. Va.
I agree that Brian Giles is one of the best, if not the best, center fielder in the NL. He is one of my favorite players. I am sure if he was on a bigger market team he would get a lot more All-Star votes. He has power to all fields and is a solid fielder.
Antone
To me, the Pirates deserve zero baseballs. Sending down Chad Hermansen and Aramis Ramirez was a huge mistake. At least they finally righted the situation by calling them back up. As far the record, what can you expect when the pitching has as many problems as the Pirates' staff. Maybe Kris Benson paid too much attention to Peter Gammons' praise early in the season. Ninety wins was unrealistic. Finishing .500 was not. Bob Weiser Havertown, Pa.
I agree with a lot of what the midseason report said. However, they still need to do more, like rearrange the batting order somewhat, moving Kendall back to the leadoff spot and dropping Morris down in the order. They also need to look at trading some of their "big name" players, such as Schmidt, Francisco Cordova, Pat Meares, and maybe Jason Christianson. They could be a spoiler in this division, because I don't believe the Cards will keep playing like this all year. They may not be able to win the division, but if they play like a team, they could make things a little more interesting. Chris Pittsburgh
The Pirates have really disappointed me this year. In all of the scouting reports in preseason, I heard a lot about them having one of the best pitching staffs in the NL. That turned out to be another one of those B-S reports because their staff, other than Kris Benson, has pretty much failed. And one of the worst problems the Pirates had was driving in runners in scoring position. They have blown a countless number of games by not driving in the run.
Ben Basara
I feel that the Pirates have potential to be one of the top teams. They have several veterans that have been performing well this year. Part of the problem is that Pittsburgh is a young team and several veterans won't do it all for a team. It takes the whole team to be performing well for the team to do well. The Pirates have the pitiching and the talent but they have to use it and having the second most amount of errors in the league doesn't help the team much either. Jim Sloan Beaver Falls, Pa. The Pirates need a few trades and a few kicks in the butt. First of all Kevin Young, although having a descent offensive year, is hurting the team on defense and I think he should be replaced by John Vander Wal. The pitching staff needs a reliable started besides Benson, so I think some trades should be in order. As for the Pirates being ready to contend next year in their new ballpark, I think not. JasonVenus, Pa.
You need three things to have a winning ballclub. Good pitching, good Fielding, and timely hitting. In the first half of the year, for too many games, the Pirates lacked this, and in some games all three things were nowhere to be found. The Pirates need to get more consistent pitching and cut down on the mental errors in the second half of the season. Finishing .500 is still an attainable goal, but they must play better. Jason Kendall needs to boost his RBI totals, and the guys hitting around Giles must also improve. Randy Page Gaithersburg, Md. I think a lot of the problem with the Pirates arises not from the players, but from the management. Gene Lamont is not the manager that many seem to think he is. There is a reason the ChiSox fired him after making the playoffs. Also, the hitting and pitching coaches leave much to be desired. I think Schmidt and others would benefit from a return of Ray Miller. Also, many of the hitters would benefit from a Milt May returning to the Black and Gold. I think Pittsburgh has a good nucleus of players to build on. I love Kendall, Giles and Benson. Let's just get some better managing! Shawn Brewer Bowling Green, Ky.
I think you have been too kind to Kevin Young. Although he has decent RBI numbers his OPS is among the worst for first baseman and his defense has been atrocious. The only starters with solid seasons are Giles and Kendall. You should also have mentioned that Kris Benson is developing into a legitimate No. 1 starter. Todd Baltimore, Md. | ALSO SEE Midseason report: Pittsburgh Pirates MLB midseason reports | ||||