Aug. 20, 2022

Dennis The Menace?

Dennis The Menace?

“You talk about a no name lineup!”... heard on NESN as Bligh Madris (#66), a 2017 9th round pick sporting a .180 average for the Pirates, takes a called strike at PNC Park this past Tuesday. Dennis Eckersley is having a conversation with Dave O’ Brien in the booth trying to figure out who is who... on the Pirates. At one point, Eckersley even calls the Pirates a “hodgepodge of nothingness” and their payroll “pathetic”, doubting that the Pirates farm system is as great as touted... Bligh flies out to center field ending the inning. The Boston Red Sox are beating the Pirates 5-0. They would sweep the series. Boston is in last place in the AL East.

Who is Dennis Eckersley and why should we care, or not, about his comments? Dennis Eckersley, the Eck, pitched in the majors for 23 years (1975-1998) for 5 major league teams. He was the first pitcher  to have a 20 win and a 50 game save season. He was considered the dominant closer in the league from 1988-1992 winning not only the Cy Young but also the American League MVP in 1992. A first-ballot Hall-of-Famer in 2004... It’s fair to say that the guy knows baseball.

Here's why Pirates fans should not think of Dennis as a menace.

  1. The guy lives and loves baseball. He wasn’t just blasting the Pirates because it was easy to do, he truly cares about the game.  He spent his entire life dedicated to making Major League Baseball a source of great entertainment and the Pirates are the opposite of that.
  2. Eck announced just this past month that this will be his last run in the booth for the Red Sox, so he’s just saying what everyone else is thinking. With age comes empowerment and wisdom, Dennis has both. He’s retiring so he’s speaking his mind and the truth.
  3. He is right the Pirates as a franchise year after year have high draft picks. What do they do with them? They pick and play guys like Bligh Madris -  no name guys who wouldn’t even be in the farm system for the Boston Red Sox. Bligh Madris is batting .118 in the month of August, yet is still playing. 

Wake up Pirates fans our home team is pathetic and a hodgepodge of nothing.

 

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Steve DeFlitch

Host

I was born and raised in Western PA and have deep roots in Pittsburgh sports. I bleed black and gold.
I am the only Porch Host to have played football in high school. I remember attending college football
games while still in high school at old Pitt Stadium and a basketball games in the Fitzgerald Fieldhouse. I
went to my first Penguin game in the early 1980’s to see a young Mario Lemieux play and stuck with
them through the lean late 1990’s and early 2000’s. I can tell you exactly where I was when the Penguins
won the lottery to draft Sidney Crosby. I have attended the original Winter Classic in Buffalo, the Stanley
Cup Final in 2009, but I have never seen the cup raised live. Growing up in the 70’s I barely remember
many details of the Steelers games except Super Bowl XIV. I do remember all the players and knew of
their greatness. I attended Superbowl XL to see the Steelers win their 5 th Superbowl. I loved the Pirates
of the 1980’s with their pinstripe design and Willie Stargell stars on their hats. However, since my
trauma of the Sid Bream incident, I have never seen the Pirates do anything of true value. As Chris and
Marc can attest, I left a part of my soul on that stool at Cavanaugh’s that night. I long for the day of real
ownership that wants to Make the Pirates Great Again.

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