there's always next year

The Pittsburgh Pirates were busy at the trade deadline again this year, shipping off the most of the talented players on the team as usual. Operating a small-market organization in a bad economy while attempting to turn profits has led to a record 17th straight losing season. We hear the same rhetoric from the new front office: trade away the biggest paychecks for future baseball prospects who could contribute in two years and hopefully they can put together a playoff run before these new players start demanding big-market salaries.

A summary of the trades: Pirates lose Adam LaRoche, Jack Wilson, Ian Snell and Freddy Sanchez and gain many talented but very young players, including No. 1 prospects Jeff Clement and Tim Alderson.

Instead of offering my opinion on the deals or on the "small-market syndrome" as a whole, I've compiled a few really informative links for your perusal:

A summary of all MLB deals that went down in the few days leading up to the 2009 trade deadline :: here

For those who are saying, "here we go again," a chart of trades (mostly sour) the Pirates have made since opening PNC Park in 2001 :: here

A very cool chart of what the future of the Pittsburgh Pirates team will look like over the next year or two :: here

pirates games should be free

It pains me that I live 10 minutes from downtown Cleveland yet nearly all my favorite sports teams (sans the Cavs) are geographically located in Pittsburgh. It's honestly a struggle. I want Trevor to grow up around baseball; he'll see his first Major League game this weekend. But the two-and-one-half-hour drive to PNC Park to watch the Pirates is arduous. Unfortunately, he may actually grow up an Indians fan by default.

A small part of that dilemma was solved this week when I found a website that streams live TV--including sports games--for free. Granted, it's probably illegal and will most likely be shut down any day now, but I've watched the Pirates lose three straight this week at ATDHE.net. I don't feel bad stealing TV because, on pace for 17 consecutive losing seasons, someone should actually pay me to watch Pirates games.

But that's a whole other blog post. In this case, If you've relocated and didn't want to jump ship to the local sports teams, ATDHE.net could be a lifesaver.

The Little Guy

hey folks,

In you case you haven't seen it, let me direct you over to my favorite website, The Little Guy. if you become a member, you can follow along as Trevor grows. You'll receive an e-mail anytime Melissa or I post new pictures of Trevor. i have to admit, that Basic Photography class at Kent really paid off, and i take some decent photos. we don't update it all that often, so you won't be inundated, i promise.

Thanks for reading,
Jason

Joe and Erin's wedding - August 15, 2009

work in progress on Erin and Joe's wedding invitations ...
(click to enlarge)