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Bucco State of Mind

As part of the Jason Bay Day festivities, I've asked die-hard Pittsburgh fan TheStarterWife to tell us a little more about our newest addition. You can find her as part of the Playing The Field team, and at her own black-and-gold blog, appropriately called Black and Gold Tchotchkes.

Last week, my first thought after the Nady-Marte trade to the Yankees was, "We could have done better." Four prospects - the brightest being 19 year-old Tabata - for a solid hitter and proven pitcher.

My second thought was, "We still have Bay."

My third thought was, "We have to trade Bay. I cannot believe I am thinking this, but we should just go for it. See what we can get for Bay. Balls out."

To any other team, this wouldn't be that big of a deal. Sure good players - even All-Stars- get traded all the time. But do you realize how terrifying a notion this is when your team wants to trade a two-time All-Star from a clubhouse that has produced only four All-Stars in the past four years? No matter how bad the team was, Bay was out there shining so fans had at least something to say in defense of still following the Pirates.

"The Pirates suck." Yeah, but Jason Bay, Rookie of the Year. We're rebuilding for the future!

"When was the last time the Pirates had a winning season?" Bush Sr. was in office, but hey! Bay hit ten homers in ten games! The man's a powerhouse!

"It's time for training camp. You know, the players who win for Pittsburgh." Bay actually likes Pittsburgh! He said he would like to keep playing here! What type of deranged fan turns away a player who likes playing in Pittsburgh? Who is active in the community! And he's Canadian! He has to be affable to everyone around him! Which makes him a great leader! Lord knows we don't need that around town.

But it was time for Bay to go. Watching the Sox and the Rays go after him, you knew his value was never going to be any higher - at least while he was still in a Pirates uniform. Besides, we were lucky to have him in the first place. And in a move that proved the old adage "even a blind squirrel finds a nut every once in a while", Dave Littlefield trading Brian Giles for Bay (and Oliver Perez) would be the highlight of his tenure with the Pirates. (Aside of the time he walked off with one of the bases.)

Tonight after I had a few hours to think about the trade, it hit me; I was really happy for Bay to be going to the Sox. Bay came into the majors in a club where the team leader greeted new players with, "Welcome to hell" and still thrived. And as a fan of baseball and as fan of Jason Bay, you knew he deserved better.

He deserves to win for a change.

Comments (8)

[ Texas Gal ] says:
on August 1, 2008 10:05 AM

Any harsh feelings I had for you Buccos when you sent over Nady to the Yanks were quickly assuaged when you sent us Bay. Our Pirate is better than your Pirate, NY!

And please be kind to Brandon Moss - he's a lovely chap.

[ Liza ] says:
on August 1, 2008 10:50 AM

Jason Bay's Red Sox debut is going to be absolutely crazy. I bet half of Fenway's going to boo him for not being Manny and half of Fenway's going to cheer him for not being Manny.

[ jules ] says:
on August 1, 2008 11:05 AM

I sure hope he's not booed at Fenway. I'll be cheering for him from my comfy couch in Sacramento.

What a nice write up from TheStarterWife.

[ Vicky ] says:
on August 1, 2008 11:09 AM

I can't wait to see how he preforms, he sounds promising. Tonight will be crazy.

[ TheStarterWife ] says:
on August 1, 2008 11:37 AM

What I meant to add in was that at the time of the Giles trade, it seemed so risky. Giles for who? He had been our superstar at the time.

[ Texas Gal ] says:
on August 1, 2008 1:15 PM

I hope Pirates fans aren't feeling that way now - but it sure doesn't seem like it. I think everyone seems to see they may have given up a lot in Nady, Marte and Bay -- but they're getting back a lot as well. It's certainly a better move for the organization than in the past.

[ TheStarterHusbandToBe ] says:
on August 1, 2008 4:02 PM

Knowing how much of a Pirates fan she is (and I'll lay claim to knowing better than most), I'm a little flabbergasted that TSW was so upbeat about this trade. I figured there would be a lot more vitriol when she wrote this, but I will absolutely commend her on keeping a level head and writing a good piece.

Naturally, over on SI they labeled this trade for the Pirates as "one of the worst." But I kind of get the feeling that if the headline were, "Buccos Get Papalbon, Ramirez & Beckett for Slushee Machine," SI would still find the negative for the Pirates. ("Well, I can't believe Pittsburgh would give up such a fantastic piece of cherry-slushee producing equipment. What a loss and what another egregious error by this franchise.")

[ Texas Gal ] says:
on August 1, 2008 5:36 PM

Well, yes - if it's a cherry slushee machine, definitely. A grape slushee? That seems like a fairer trade.

It's always an interesting, weird feeling when a player moves on from your team with little ill-will or sad feelings left behind. I get the sense all sides on this trade feel that way -- a mix of disappointment and teensy bits of sadness, but mostly just hope and excitement about the new pieces added to the puzzle. I'll still root for Manny in L.A., and I sense most Pirates fans are still rooting for Jason in Boston.

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