Focusing on the Pittsburgh Pirates
As you read this, I am wrapping up a family vacation focused around attractions for our two kids.
For all of you parents out there, you know the definition of “vacation” certainly changes when you add a few small human beings into the equation. Because, when you add kids in, they can easily multiply the stress and subtract from the enjoyment.
Now that I have more than likely upset any members of my family that happened to read this, it’s time to move on to this week’s topic. While I strive for a dream vacation of good times, fond memories and long stretches for stress-free enjoyment, I thought I would take a look at a few other fantasies, with these ones focusing on the Pittsburgh Pirates.
For anyone that has listened to any number of broadcasts this season, the topic of the National League adopting the designated hitter seems to have been prominently featured than usual. Even though broadcasters Greg Brown and Bob Walk have been outspoken about their fanatical in their opposition to the idea, I could actually see the rule benefiting the club.
While the team has some glaring needs, particularly on the mound, they do have some talented young hitters that simply can’t get enough at-bats at the expense of incumbent starters with big contracts. It would certainly help with the team’s conundrum in the outfield when it comes to getting at-bats for a suddenly hot-hitting Gregory Polanco along with rookie sensation Austin Meadows.
Guys like Jose Osuna and Elias Diaz, who will be sent back to the bench once Francisco Cervelli returns to active duty, have also shown tremendous abilities with the bat in their hands. While giving the Buccos an extra bat in the order may not make that big a deal in terms of wins and losses, it could, at the very least, serve as a way to evaluate their younger talent without forcing them into a the full workload of a starting fielder.
Perhaps the only topic that can rival the universalization of the designated hitter rule for blind devotion to one’s opinion is the implementation of a salary cap. Once again, leveling the financial playing field in professional baseball would be a boon to the Black and Gold, but not just for the obvious reasons.
For years, a franchise’s success has had about as much to do with the size of its television contract, as with the savvy of the ownership and management. It’s absolutely no surprise then that the biggest media markets (New York, Boston, Los Angeles, Chicago, etc.) have become the unquestioned kings of the sport.
Obviously, a cap would significantly hamper the abilities of these billion-dollar entities to add whatever free agents they desired and construct video game-like rosters. Those rosters then draw in huge crowds who pay the league’s highest ticket prices, further widening the spending gap between the haves and have-nots in the league.
The secondary benefits of a salary cap could also cause some secondary benefits for team and fan alike. Considering the current and past success of the Penguins and Steelers, record-setting runs of losing seasons and rampant underspending could no longer be blamed on competitive imbalance. I find it hard to believe that Bob Nutting would not have take a severe beating to the ego if his Pirates continued to play a very noticeable third fiddle to the Steelers and Penguins.
A team can’t be the little brother getting picked on, when the situation changes to being a part of something more akin to triplets, as opposed to the obvious runt of a littler.
There are plenty of other what-ifs that could and always will be discussed about the Pirates and Major League Baseball, in general. For a game that is desperate to become more main stream and modern, the heads of the league may want to take those ideas under some serious consideration.