Pittsburgh Pirates 2008: A Different Kind of Preview

The only positive thing I take out of this new regime is that it's at least been more up-front than the previous one. We were told early on that the Pirates would not be seeking to sign any prominent free agents. Not that the pool was very deep this offseason, anyway.

The Nutting Syndicate is still out to make as much bank as it can with as little cost to itself. It's a business, 100 percent.

They continue to sell "the family experience" of PNC Park, when the fans were promised that, if the Pirates got the new ballpark, they would build the city a competitive team.

This is the eighth year the Pirates will be playing at PNC Park, and it seems like it would take eight more years to build that winner (that's assuming the Syndicate would actually start trying).

They continue to throw out buzzwords like "accountability," "consistency," "atmosphere," and "(re)building process," without using words like, "contender," "playoffs," or "champions."

This year's team is not worth 2400 words.

I harbor no ill feelings toward the players, for they are all merely pawns in this, trying to play within an impossible system.

I have not yet judged the new staff from new President Frank Coonely, through new General Manager Neal Huntington, and on to new Manager John Russell and his staff.

Russell has the hand he's been dealt. The difference he'll make versus what a manager like Joe Girardi (or even Joe Torre) would make is, in the big picture, negligible.

Huntington and his scouting staff will begin to shape their "legacy" by who they select with the second overall pick in the draft, and the 32nd, for that matter.

Also, he can't be afraid to shop his players around when their stock is high, especially Xavier Nady, Jason Bay, or even Adam LaRoche, as Steve Pearce is chomping at the bit to get regular playing time. And many fans are chomping at the bit to see it.

Let's be frank: this year, previewing the 2008 Pittsburgh Pirates does not involve where they will finish in the standings.

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