Blogs

SARAS0TA, Fla. — With three days left in spring training, most of the Pirates’ 25-man roster is set. The staring lineup is good to go, with the exception of Freddy Sanchez. Freddy got eight at-bats in a minor league game today, but was under orders to jog to first base and was not allowed to [...]

BRADENTON, Fla. — Freddy Sanchez has not played in a game since March 6, when he sprained his right knee while turning a double play at second base. At the time, the official diagnosis was a slight MCL sprain and Sanchez was listed as day-to-day. With less than a week to go before the Pirates [...]

DUNEDIN, Fla. — I spent the better part of an inning this afternoon chatting with Bob the Usher (sorry, Bob, I forgot your last name) at Knology Park, as the Toronto Blue Jays were in the process of rallying past the Pirates, 5-3. Bob’s working for the enemy, but he’s a western Pa. guy — [...]

My friend and fellow scribe John Perrotto, who has covered nearly two dozen spring training camps, says without hesitation that Andrew McCutchen is the Pirates’ most electrifying prospect since Barry Bonds took the money and ran. From what I’ve seen from McCutchen this spring — the sweet swing, the dynamite glovework, keen batting eye, speed, [...]

SARASOTA, Fla. — I’m taking a one-week sabbatical from the blog … and from spring training. Tomorrow I’ll fly back to Pittsburgh (with a nice, long layover in New Jersey as punishment for my suntan) so I can re-introduce myself to the wife and kids. It will be interesting to see who’s still in the [...]

BRADENTON, Fla. — The Pirates have held their spring camp here since 1969, so there’s not a lot of new ground I can break. But I do have one small claim to fame: I was the first person at McKechnie Field to chow down on a giant turkey leg. The food in the press lunch [...]

FORT MYERS, Fla. — There were plenty of Pirates fans today at Hammond Stadium, watching the game against the Twins. They got to see the Pirates notch their first win this spring, 5-2. Members of the St. Vincent College, Seton Hill and Thiel baseball teams were in the stands. The college teams are playing games [...]

“Freddy’s down.” The folks sitting on either side of me on press row at McKechnie Field were looking down at their laptops, so I was the first one to notice when Freddy Sanchez didn’t bounce up right away after turning a double play yesterday against the Much-Hated Phillies. But as soon as I said those [...]

Friday, the Pirates played at the Atlanta Braves’ spring site, Disney’s Wide World of Sports complex in Orlando. What a change from Bradenton! Everything looked like a Disney production — freshly painted, clean and bright. During batting practice, the public address system played a totally PC playlist from the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s — the [...]

I am now a media star in Japan. There is a flock of about 25 Japanese reporters in camp following every move made by Masumi Kuwata, a 38-year-old pitcher trying to break into the majors with the Pirates. Kuwata is something of a baseball god in Japan because he put up amazing stats in the [...]