Sunday Papers

• Anyone paid attention to ol Ollie Perez's fortunes with the Mets? How about a 9.31 ERA? And how about a trip to the minors. I didn't like giving him up, but he's done nothing consistently in NY to show he's become a valuable pitcher.

• Empty Netters had this photo of Sid's almost goal yesterday. That looks prety close to over the line. A video review wasn't done if I recall. Why not?

• The Pens looked slow after a great start. Maybe because there weren't as many Pens fans in the phone booth as normal? Both sides have to be better for Game 2.
• Did you know not to pick up a rattlesnake by the lips? Did the Pens just ask a pregnant looking woman when she is due? And another where's Geno question.
  
• Ross Ohlendorf is 3-2 with a 3.48 ERA. Need more evidence that the Bucs flirtation with .500 will end soon?
• For a team that once had a Super Bowl winning roster made up entirely of players who played only for them, it's kind of amazing to look back at how few Steelers complete their careers in black and gold, especially since 1982 or so.
• Willie Parker and Larry Foote are more alike than you think.
• Steeler minicamp is in full swing. Which means you'll be hearing aboout a lot of guys who will be riding the bench in the fall.
  
• The bad economy hits the Kentucky Derby. Kentucky still happy:

Churchill Downs returned $127,825,423 to bettors on the Kentucky Derby Day race card, which amounts to 82% of total wagering, the track reported. The Commonwealth of Kentucky benefited from $789,241 in revenues generated through the state’s excise tax on pari-mutuel wagering.

Please Don't Do It

The rumors are true, unfortunately. It's likely just a matter of time now for this awful idea to happen.



Report: London eyes Super Bowl

LONDON -- London has launched an audacious bid to stage the Super Bowl within the next eight years, a move that would see the United States' biggest sporting event played overseas for the first time, the Sunday Telegraph has reported.

According to the newspaper, representatives from the Mayor of London's office and Visit London, the city's official visitor organization, have received assurances from the National Football League of a commitment to hold the event in London.

The NFL has already staged two sellout regular-season games at Wembley Stadium, with a third scheduled for this October.

"We are looking at 2014, 2015 or 2017," David Hornby, the commercial director for Visit London was quoted as saying.

Talks have been ongoing with the NFL, which has identified London as the outstanding candidate city to host the event outside of the United States, according to the report.

Commissioner Roger Goodell said last week that the league is not considering playing its championship game in London. He shot down a BBC Sport report that "'substantive talks" were under way between the NFL and London officials.

"We have never looked at London or Mexico City as a site," he said.

According to the Sunday Telegraph, the Super Bowl could be worth $521.1 million to the London economy, although the newspaper also quotes an unnamed NFL spokesman as saying: "The suggestions about London are only theoretical. There is no bid document."

However, Wembley Stadium commercial director Jonathan Gregory said: "We will do everything we can to work with the NFL and help bring this amazing event to London."

Can it Last?

Excellent article over at "Where Have you Gone, Andy Van Slyke?" about your second place 11-7 Buccos. Maybe there are some reasons why it can last, such as pitchers finally realizing their potential, the bigger signs point to this run not lasting much longer at all...

http://www.whygavs.com/20090427245/pittsburgh-pirates/april-2009/more-on-the-pitching-staff.html

If you haven't seen it yet, one of our new FanHousers, Jeff Fletcher, did a Sunday piece about the Pirates' pitching staff and talked to Joe Kerrigan and Zach Duke about the improvement in the rotation this year (you might have noticed that we're hiring real writers at FanHouse now). The whole thing is interesting, but what really grabbed my attention was Kerrigan talking about what he saw when he first watched film of the Pirates' staff:

"I saw a bunch of good deliveries," Kerrigan said. "The numbers I saw just didn't add to up to what was on the video. I saw too many guys who were sound with their mechanics. It just didn't make sense."

Duke, a mainstay in the Pittsburgh rotation for the past four years, said he didn't get it either.

"The talent has been here the last few years," he said. "It's just been a matter of taking that talent and putting it into actually winning games. We're finally learning how to do that."

I thought that was interesting, because it is kind of true. I mean, every pitcher currently in our rotation except for Jeff Karstens was a pretty serious prospect at some point in time and both Colborn and Andrews focused on mechanical adjustments with the staff. Could it be that Kerrigan is just a better "professor of the game" if you will, and he's taught the pitchers what to do with their talent?

I guess that's possible, but the answer is really something else. Look at this screengrab from MLB.com this morning.

Look at the right side of that chart. You know what I'm going to say. The Pirates aren't even in the ballpark with the other teams with good ERAs when it comes to strikeouts. In fact, they're last in the league in strikeouts right now. I can't imagine a team has ever lead the league in ERA while finishing last in strikeouts. Through 18 games, the Pirates' defense has had to make somewhere between two and five more outs per game than the defenses behind other good pitching staffs. That doesn't sound like a lot, but it adds up very quickly.

For now, the Pirates are getting plus defense (according to FanGraphs' UZR) from everyone who's played a significant amount of time in the field except Nate McLouth and Ramon Vazquez. Can it last? Adam LaRoche is on pace for his best defensive season by a good measure. Vazquez is likely to get a lot of playing time at short with Jack Wilson out and he'll see more time at second if Freddy Sanchez gets hurt. Freddy is suddenly playing second like a much younger player. How long can that last? Can Morgan's speed keep making up for his awful route-running?

I know the pitching is the hot topic for conversation, but I think that the defense deserves a lot more credit and they might have a lot more control over how long this hot start lasts.

New Bucs catcher dishes on Buc pitchers

Your second place Bucs are getting a little attention these days. They haven't been included in all the real vs fake columns popping up, but Pedro Alvarez's fellow Vandy alum Buster Olney had some nice things to write in his blog.

Included were these notes Jaramillo had about the Bucs rotation:

Paul Maholm, who is 3-0 with a 2.03 ERA after winning the decision against the Marlins on Wednesday: "He is one of those guys who is really fun to catch, because he can throw all of his pitches for strikes. Tempo with him is really good, really important. He's pitching with a lot of confidence."

Ian Snell (1-2, 4.24): "Another one whose tempo is really important. I actually caught him quite a few times in spring training. A guy who's real fiery. There was a time when I went out to chat with him, when we were playing the Phillies, and it was a really intense conversation. He was ready to go."

Zach Duke (2-1, 2.95): "He's kind of like Paul [Maholm]. You get the same kind of feeling when you're catching him."

Ross Ohlendorf (1-2, 3.00): "He's a character -- a brilliant guy. His changeup is coming around, and he throws a really heavy sinker. Very articulate, and he thinks out on the mound -- he's thinking constantly, batter by batter and pitch by pitch. When you go out to talk with him, he knows exactly what you're going to say before you say it."

Jeff Karstens (1-0, 3.60): "He got skipped [in the rotation] in that first time around, and he's a touch guy, so he needs to pitch -- and he had a pretty good outing the last time around.

DOUMIT WILL MISS 8-10 WEEKS; Bucs at 9-6

I would be happy if the Bucs were 8-10 right now. but after a surprising sweep against the hottest team in baseball, they are 9-6 and dare I say on pace for 97 wins.

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Today the Pirates have placed catcher Ryan Doumit on the 15-day disabled list (retro to April 20 ) due to a fracture of the scaphoid bone (right wrist). Doumit injured the wrist while batting in the game against the Atlanta Braves on Sunday, April 19.

Doumit, who is scheduled to have surgery on the wrist Thursday, is expected to miss between eight to 10 weeks of action. Dr. Mark Baratz will perform the surgery in Pittsburgh. Doumit will have his right wrist re-examined in four to five weeks to determine the extent of healing. The results of that test will dictate his course of rehab.

The Pirates have recalled catcher Robinzon Diaz from Triple-A Indianapolis to take Doumit's spot on the active roster. The 25-year-old Diaz hit .350 (7-for-20) with a double and three RBI in six games with Indianapolis, which included a .429 (6-for-14) average against right-handed pitching.

Diaz was acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays last year on August 25 as the player to be named in the deal which the Pirates sent Jose Bautista to the Blue Jays. In two games with the Pirates last September, Diaz went 3-for-6 with an RBI.

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