If you haven't yet, take a second and read Chuck Finder's recap of yesterday's game against the Rays. This is the second paragraph:

Pedro Alvarez crushed a ninth-inning, two-out, three-run, pinch-hit, home run that traveled somewhere between 440 feet and, were it not for the high center-field screen, the Atlantic Ocean. Andrew McCutchen made a diving catch in center field and had an extra-base hit where even he heard most of the 6,968 patrons in Charlotte Sports Park gasp audibly as he sped around second to stretch it into a triple. Jose Tabata had a sacrifice fly to score McCutchen, a double and a throw to home plate that nailed one of the major league's fastest baserunners, Carl Crawford, by an easy 6 feet.

Ahhhhh. Drink that in for a second. Maybe it won't be today, and maybe it won't be tomorrow, but someday, the Pirates will be good again.

When I started doing this blogging thing, there were people that wanted to interview me, either to talk about the Pirates or talk about blogging or any sort of thing. Last night, I actually interviewed someone and let me tell you what, that was much more terrifying. I talked to Dutch WBC closer Leon Boyd for this FanHouse piece last night, so check it out if you have the chance sometime today.

While you're at it, check out Boyd's blog, which is what lead to this whole thing. He thinks Pedro Alvarez is the real deal, too.

Oh, and, LET'S GO DUKES. Holy crap. Duquesne is in the A-10 Finals. I can barely process that.

I've got a pretty busy day today and something cool coming at FanHouse tonight or tomorrow, so I don't have time for a long post today. Here's what's going down on Friday afternoon:

It's easy to see who's got an inside track for the rotation right now. Jeff Karstens innings are being limited and it seems pretty clear he's going to be the guy headed to the bullpen.

Surprising no one, Phil Dumatrait is going to start the year on the DL.

I did another Q&A with someone about the Pirates for 2009, this time with Greg Kentz of the Philly Sports Post.

Our old pal Kip Wells has found a new home.

Poll, as always, is in the left sidebar.

And finally, two more reader pics from spring training, this time from Andy Coulter (click for full-size). First up is the Pirates and Tigers at McKechnie:

And second is the Pirates stretching before their game against the Astros last Saturday in Osceola:

You know, Craig Monroe must have really taken Charlie and me arguing that the Pirates would be better off with five left-handed outfielders than they would with four lefties and him pretty personally. Today, he teed off on the Twins for three home runs, giving him six on the spring. Does anyone see this guy getting cut after a day like this?

Of course, it's fair to note that Nate McLouth and Ryan Doumit also went yard today, meaning that the wind was probably blowing out pretty stiffly at McKechnie today. Of course, that analysis is coming from a guy who's hit three home runs in his life (two when I was 12, one when I was 14). I'd just rather that he did this when there was something on the line.

We gaze continually at the world and it grows dull in our perceptions. Yet seen from the another's vantage point, as if new, it may still take our breath away.
-Watchmen, Chapter IX

It is March 31st, 2008. In twelve seconds, a fly ball will drop harmlessly between Nate McLouth and Jason Bay, allowing the Atlanta Braves to complete a five-run rally to tie the Pittsburgh Pirates at 9 in the bottom of the ninth inning. I will type incomprehensively into two live-blogs, seven instant message windows, an e-mail, and do it all why howling in pain on the phone with my father. That's in twelve seconds. Until then, I am happily watching Matt Capps take the stretch position on the mound with the assumption that Capps will be able to close out the Pirates' 9-7 lead. Ten seconds now. Nine.

It is September 8th, 1990. I am five years old at a tailgate in the Three Rivers Stadium Parking lot. It is my first Pirate game. My dad tells me that Doug Drabek is pitching. My dad's friend asks me if I like pigeons because our seats are so high up in the ballpark. I chatter excitedly about the game to anyone that will listen. In the park I ask my dad about everything. He tells me about the Expos, the scoreboard, and every player I ask about. The Pirates win 6-1. My favorite player, Andy Van Slyke, hits a home run. Sid Bream also hits a home run.

It is two years, one month, and seven days later. I sit up in excitedly in bed and run down the hall to find my dad. I breathlessly ask him if the Pirates held on to the narrow lead they had in Game 7 of the NLCS against the Braves, the same Atlanta Braves I am watching in 2008, and clinched a spot in the World Series. The winning run was scored by the same Sid Bream I saw hit a home run. My dad sadly shakes his head. Tears well up in my eyes.

Matt Capps sets. Seven seconds.

It is August 13, 1991. The Pirates beat the Phillies 4-3. I attend the game with my dad as bunk beds are being installed in my bedroom. Doug Drabek again gets the win for the Pirates.  In the car on the way home, we listen to the Cardinals/Mets broadcast coming out of St. Louis on a cloudless night. As we drive past a billboard for a Howard Johnson, Howard Johnson hits a home run off of Omar Olivares.

It is 2001. During breakfast, I read a headline in the Sharon Herald about Omar Olivares having the worst ERA in the National League for the Pirates.

Matt Capps kicks his leg up. Six seconds.

It is October 10, 1992. I am at Three Rivers again, watching the only playoff game of my life in person. The same Atlanta Braves lead the Pirates 2-1 in the NLCS. Braves' fans taunt us in the parking lot before the game. John Smoltz leads the Braves to a 6-4 victory and leaving the ballpark, I feel certain that the Pirates will never leave me more brokenhearted than they do on this night.

It is July 28, 2004. I am 19 years old and at PNC Park with my brother. Oliver Perez pitches brilliantly, but the Pirates fail to score despite 11 hits in the first eight innings. John Smoltz records the save for the Braves in the ninth. I again leave the ballpark in disgust.

The ball leaves Matt Capps' hand. Four seconds. It makes contact with Brian McCann's bat. Still four seconds.

It is September 19, 1991. I am in the back seat of the family car as we drive through Chicago late at night. On the radio, the Pirates are playing the Cardinals. They enter the ninth inning down 1-0. After two consecutive singles, they chase the Cardinals starting pitcher, Omar Olivares. The Pirates tie the game and with two outs, little used utility man Curtis Wilkerson steps to the plate. As our car passes under an overpass, radio reception flickers out. As we emerge, we realize that Wilkerson has hit a walkoff grand slam to right field. Our family goes wild in the car.

It is May 28, 2004. I am sitting in right field at PNC Park with my dad. The Pirates are tied with the Chicago Cubs at 5 in the ninth inning when Chicago native and Pirate utility man Rob Mackowiak steps to the plate. He hits a walkoff grand slam to right field. I, my dad, and several thousand friends that we don't know go wild in the park.

McCann skies a pop-up over the infield. The camera pans to the outfield. Three seconds. Two seconds. Jason Bay closes in on the ball. One second.

It is 1994. I am at the home opener as the Pirates misplay an Expos bunt into a home run.

It is 1995. My uncle and I are getting beer dumped on us during the home opener.

It is 2003. The home opener is snowed out.

It is 2007. A man heckles Jim Edmonds for wearing a coat under his jersey. It is 40 degrees out.

The ball impossibly drops between McLouth and Bay. I am 24 years old, sitting in an apartment in North Carolina. I am 5 years old, running around the Three Rivers parking lots. I am 19 years old at PNC Park. I stare in disbelief at the TV screen. I type furiously. I say I have never seen anything like this before. I am six as Omar Olivares imperceptibly intersects with my life twice. I am 16 and it happens much more noticably. In 2008, I feel sick to my stomach. In 1991 and 2004, utility men hit walkoff grand slams.

In fifty-two minutes, the Pittsburgh Pirates will win the game and I will smile and breathe a sigh of relief.

Author's note: Inspired, of course, by Chapter IV of Watchmen.

What do we make of spring stats? I feel like I ask myself this question every single March, and I still don't know the answer. That's because there really is no answer, I don't think. For some players and trends, they're indicative. For others, they're not. The key is figuring out who falls into which category. This spring, we've got two interesting studies: Tom Gorzelanny and Andy LaRoche. Both are coming off of terrible 2008 campaigns and both have the talent and ability to get turned around in 2009, though no one I know is certain of a bounceback year for either. LaRoche is off to an awesome start this spring while Gorzelanny is off to a terrible one. Is either one a prediction of what we're going to see in 2009? Let's take a closer look.

I'll start with Gorzelanny, because I think I have a better handle on him. He's pitched in three games this spring, but only made it through six innings with five walks, three strikeouts, and five earned runs. What really worries me about him right now is that the ugly line he's put up this spring pretty closely resembles what he was doing poorly last year: a high walk total, a pretty diminished strikeout total, and lots of hits and runs. It would seem to me that if he's struggling now with the same things that he was then, there's a good chance that his struggles are going to continue in to 2009.

But wait! There is a caveat with Gorzelanny. Remember 2007? Gorzo was one of the Pirates' better prospects that spring, but he struggled badly in camp and had lots of people clamoring for a longer look at Sean Burnett for a rotation spot that year. His numbers that spring look a lot like they do this spring; 15 strikeouts, 14 walks, 20 hits, and 21 earned runs in 20 innings spaced out over six appearances. He bounced back from that with his breakout 2007 campaign. So yes, Gorzo is having and ugly spring and yes, his spring is ugly in the same way that his 2008 was ugly, but there is some history of him having bad spring trainings and it not affecting his regular season performance. I'm not getting my hopes up for 2009 though, because everything seems to be trending the wrong way for Gorzo right now.

So what about Andy LaRoche? Right now he's sitting on a 10-for-18 hot streak that's lasted him the entire spring and when you look at that along with his four walks, it seems like he's got an idea of what he's doing at the plate again. That's good news for sure, because at the end of the 2008 season it seemed like LaRoche would've been overmatched if I were on the mound and I haven't done any significant pitching in almost six years. Still, there are some red flags. Nine of his 10 hits are singles and of course, spring training pitchers can skew towards fastballs, trying to iron their control out and stretch their arms. That leaves less guesswork for the hitters and one of LaRoche's biggest problems last year seemed to be that he had no idea what was coming out of the pitcher's hand at any given point in time. Even knowing that, I think this sort of performance has to be a good sign for him. Getting off on the right foot in the spring is an important step for a guy that struggled the way he did last year and while it might not ensure anything once the season starts, it's at least a mental boost for a guy that probably needs it.

Of course, that's the thing with spring training stats; in the end there's so many variables that all we can do is try to use them to make an educated guess. Which is why I'm worried about Gorzelanny right now, but not completely hopeless and I'm happy that LaRoche is hitting, but I'm not penciling him in for an All-Star team yet.

Thanks this time to Tom Specht, who was kind enough to share some pictures from McKechnie with me. Remember, if you've got some pictures from Spring Training you'd like to share with those of us that can't be there (and yes, we're jealous), send them along and I'll try to post them.

Here's a nice shot of McKechnie:

And another of the outfield:

And a picture of the scoreboard. I'm glad Tom recognizes the significance of capturing any small moment in time that the Pirates are winning. I do this, too.

Nate McLouth running the bases in what Bob Nutting must hope isn't a sign of crowds to come at PNC:

A Pirate that I'm fairly certain is Andy LaRoche at the plate:

And the same guy (I think) on second base. Note the baggy pants. I had hope from a Dan Moskos journal entry that the team was going to make everyone where high socks this year, but that's clearly not the case:

Thanks again to Tom for sharing these with me and everyone else!

I've got another post up at Spring Training 09 about the 2009 season for the Pirates.

I'm also writing about the Pirates at Baseball Digest's new website, so you can look for a daily post there. And no, it won't diminish my posting here, so please don't worry about that.

New Pirate sites that are heading to the sidebar: the Buccos Forum, the Jolly Roger.

Scott McCauley, the play-by-play announcer for the Indianapolis Indians, has started a blog about the Pirates' AAA affiliate.

Spring training injury front: Brandon Moss's thumb problem won't keep him from Opening Day, but prospect Jarek Cunningham is out for the year with a torn ACL.

The Pirates made their first roster cuts today and while the first cuts are usually pretty unremarkable, one of the four guys trimmed this morning is our own ¡Romulo! Sanchez, who's headed for minor league camp. Going with him and Pedro Lopez, Miguel Perez, and Daniel Haigwood. I've got to think this really hurts his chances of getting a bobblehead.