Post by Steve on Jul 1, 2014 12:44:48 GMT -5
Heightened Expectations
Pittsburgh (AP) - The Pittsburgh Pirates have been turned into a perennial contender year in and year out. The credit has to go General Manager Stephen Vincent Bishop who has been one of the more savvy GMs here in BBSBL. He constantly has to make shrewd moves to stay ahead of the league, and also be smart financially at the same time.
The Pirates have made the Playoffs four times since being in the league...all Wild Card berths. Last season was a MAJOR disappointment for the club. Mr. Bishop wasn't exactly thrilled when talking about the issue, "Obviously, we're disappointed. Honestly, there was zero reason for us not to bring home the division title home last season. We obviously underperformed, but at the same time, we should have never played the way we did at the end of the year. Live and learn I suppose."
They still made the Playoffs, and then took care of business against those Reds before being ousted by the eventual champion. At the end of the year, Mr. Bishop held his annual end of the year press conference and was asked if changes were going to be made, "We are always looking to improve the ball club while being smart with our financials. We know some changes have to be made. If you're not looking to improve the team, then you shouldn't be in this great league. We're still excited about our future."
Pittsburgh has made a lot of moves since that press conference, and have shuffled a few big names around once the Off Season began. Starting pitchers Joseph Jackson/Gil Meche, Catcher Mike Sweeney, Outfielder Trot Nixon, and Relief pitcher Blaine Neal are all gone. They also traded some of their good prospects in Starting pitchers Bud Norris/Yovani Gallardo, OF Ryan Kalish, and Catcher Wellington Castillo. They acquired Starting pitchers Mike Kusiewicz/William Workman, Catcher Edwin Bellorin, Outfielder Andre Torres. They also acquired SP Josh Collmenter and extremely highly touted prospect 3B Miguel Sano.
Back to that press conference...General Manager Stephen Bishop said, "We need to expand our seats. Our fan base is growing, and we should have done it last year to be honest with you. So during the 2009 Off Season, we'll be expanding our stadium up to 60,000 seats. The more success you get, the bigger the payroll gets. We need to start maximizing our revenue as soon as possible."
Finally, it's now time to expand the seating capacity. Exciting times in Pittsburgh, and maybe a parade is on it's way in the future as well.
Pittsburgh (AP) - The Pittsburgh Pirates have been turned into a perennial contender year in and year out. The credit has to go General Manager Stephen Vincent Bishop who has been one of the more savvy GMs here in BBSBL. He constantly has to make shrewd moves to stay ahead of the league, and also be smart financially at the same time.
The Pirates have made the Playoffs four times since being in the league...all Wild Card berths. Last season was a MAJOR disappointment for the club. Mr. Bishop wasn't exactly thrilled when talking about the issue, "Obviously, we're disappointed. Honestly, there was zero reason for us not to bring home the division title home last season. We obviously underperformed, but at the same time, we should have never played the way we did at the end of the year. Live and learn I suppose."
They still made the Playoffs, and then took care of business against those Reds before being ousted by the eventual champion. At the end of the year, Mr. Bishop held his annual end of the year press conference and was asked if changes were going to be made, "We are always looking to improve the ball club while being smart with our financials. We know some changes have to be made. If you're not looking to improve the team, then you shouldn't be in this great league. We're still excited about our future."
Pittsburgh has made a lot of moves since that press conference, and have shuffled a few big names around once the Off Season began. Starting pitchers Joseph Jackson/Gil Meche, Catcher Mike Sweeney, Outfielder Trot Nixon, and Relief pitcher Blaine Neal are all gone. They also traded some of their good prospects in Starting pitchers Bud Norris/Yovani Gallardo, OF Ryan Kalish, and Catcher Wellington Castillo. They acquired Starting pitchers Mike Kusiewicz/William Workman, Catcher Edwin Bellorin, Outfielder Andre Torres. They also acquired SP Josh Collmenter and extremely highly touted prospect 3B Miguel Sano.
Back to that press conference...General Manager Stephen Bishop said, "We need to expand our seats. Our fan base is growing, and we should have done it last year to be honest with you. So during the 2009 Off Season, we'll be expanding our stadium up to 60,000 seats. The more success you get, the bigger the payroll gets. We need to start maximizing our revenue as soon as possible."
Finally, it's now time to expand the seating capacity. Exciting times in Pittsburgh, and maybe a parade is on it's way in the future as well.
