Big Lead Sports Bar

5/20/2010

PIRATESREPORT.COM REMOVES PENGUIN STORY



It's been mentioned by a few of you in the comments section, but a controversial column entitled, "Like Bucs, Penguins Still Have Work To Be Done" has now been removed from the Nutting-owned Piratesreport.com website. However, it is still available for viewing through the wonders of Google's cache feature.

The author, Paul Ladewski, made comparisons of Bryan Bullington to Marc-Andre Fleury, among many other low blows at the Penguins' expense. The PG's Bob Smizik really brought Ladewski's story to light yesterday, and questions whether it was meant to be funny or was merely a case of a writer pleasing their boss to the point of extreme.

If Ladewski's aim was to get people talking about Pirates Report at any cost, mission accomplished. But the removal of the article, especially considering who owns the site, definitely raises a ton of questions.



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51 comments:

Koz said...

Thanks for getting that awful song stuck in my head. Do they still use it?

I'm not sure what the motive was from this article, but it's laughable, pathetic, suspicious, spineless, and disgusting all at once.

I didn't think the Pittsburgh Pirate organization/Nutting crew could push me further away, but they have with this gem.

Pulling articles down like they never happened is a more vile practice than most things the Old School MSM Curmudgeons pin on bloggers. This guy should be fired.

Steve said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Steve said...

Hmmm, I'm imaging that Nutting saw this and after the 5 seconds of feeling good about himself, got a vision of the Penguins putting out a press release including all the details that "actually" went down in the Lemieux Group's offer to buy the Pirates. You know, the one that Nutting says never happened.

Besides, we all know what the Pirates would do if they were fortunate enough to have the opportunity to draft baseball's version of Crosby and even if they did sign him, he'd be playing in AA right now while baseball's equivalent of Alex Ponikarovski batted .200 or pitched with a 9.00 ERA for the Pirates.

Paul Ladewski is an idiot and I'm just waiting for his next Pulitzer quality piece of fiction favorably comparing the Nuttings to the Rooneys.

BurressWithButterflywings said...

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10136/1058553-28.stm

about 2/3 of the way down, the offer he made for the Pirates is noted, being $25M above perceived market value........ note this was run one day before the PiratesReport article........

hmmmmm

Chip said...

From what I understand this Ladewski guy is from Chicago and never lived in Pittsburgh a day in his life. And people wonder why we get hostile to sports guys/talk radio hosts who aren't from here. Nobody whose lived here would've ever agreed to or even proposed writing something that idiotic.

Not even Bob Smizik or John Steigerwald.

And ven though I don't agree with many of you regarding the state of the Pirates and their future, I will agree this owner is an absolute embarrassment to the city of Pittsburgh.

Unknown said...

i'm still in boycott mode regarding all things pirates, but i broke down and read the article. wow! this guy has a brain the size of a walnut.

Someone Somewhere said...

Wait, so you're telling me that article wasn't in The Onion or Sports Pickle?

Steve said...

Burress - Yeah, I read that story about the $25 million over value, but there's never been a real report from the mouth of either Lemieux or Burkle that backs up any of those rumors. Nothing quotable anyway. The timing is interesting though.

What still kills me is Ogden Nutting got his foot in the door with a $2 million investment in the Pirates that were bought for $90 million in 1996 and now they own a majority of the shares. At what point do the other owners/shareholders protest about Nutting's refusal to sell the team if a decent offer is made?

What if an offer comes along that is $50 to $75 million over the teams value? Like I say. there's no such thing as "not for sale" in business, not when dividends and shareholders are involved. The kickback from losing baseball must be even greater than I thought if there isn't angry rumblings from the minority ownership about a sale that could potentially make them money, especially in this economy.

BurressWithButterflywings said...

That is something I really am interested in: How much are they making?

We have never seen the revenue sharing totals, only what has been speculated. Apparently, they are making more than I imagined.

Unknown said...

this is dated, but wth...

http://www.forbes.com/lists/2007/33/07mlb_Pittsburgh-Pirates_339965.html

okel dokel said...

I cannot do any better than these comments by Seth Rorabaugh

The Mad Bubbler said...

I fucking hate the fucking Pirates and everyone who supports these crooks. If PNC Park was obliterated by terrorists and everyone in there suffered a horrible death that included burning to death, I would laugh. It would make my fucking day. I respect people who defend North Korea more than people who defend Pirates ownership.


Hey Burress, I've been saying that for years. Here's some math for you: MLB gave them a check for $80 million revenue sharing in November, and their payroll last year was $30 million. Not to mention ticket intake, people buying $8 beers, etc. Do the fucking math.

Unknown said...

oh snap! the mad bubbler has gone MAD!

Adam said...

Go to hell Bubbler.

Koz said...

Let's just keep this within baseball for a second.

With this logic, I guess we could compare the Pirates with the Boston Red Sox. I mean, they've ONLY won 2 World Series in the last 86 years!

And how about those Yankees! What about all those playoff exits this decade!? They FINALLY got over the hump last year (probably just luck).

And Remember When Sid Slid? How that cursed the Braves who went "belly up" all those years in the playoffs!

Yeah, the Pirates are just like them.

BurressWithButterflywings said...

Don't cuss at me.

Steve said...

How about comparing the Phillies and the Penguins? They both just went to the Championship game two seasons in a row and while they both won only once (which obviously isn't a big deal) they've also had a history of "going belly up" (whatever that means) in the playoffs the past few seasons.

So, if the Pirates are comparable to the Pens, then retard Ladewski logic tells me they must be as good as the Phillies also and can do it at a fraction of the price to boot.

BurressWithButterflywings said...

The Buccos did just beat Roy Halladay.

Do you all want to know what's almost as ridiculous as that article:

The Pirates are 17-15 in games Chaz Morton doesn't start. Even if he was 3-5, we'd be .500.

BurressWithButterflywings said...

and the team is LOUSY!

If there was ever a year the league was bad enough for the Bucs to compete, this would be it.

Unknown said...

@ koz that about sums up the article...

Steve said...

If one didn't know better, you'd think the Pirates might be intentionally throwing games by leaving "Great Stuff" in there.

Then again, this is the Pirates and nothing would surprise me... other than Nutting selling the team that is.

BurressWithButterflywings said...

They're leaving him in the rotation because Opie is going to get his pound of flesh for McLouth.

Steve said...

I've seen more flesh to be had in the teeth of a Vegan.

Adam said...

@ Burress

The idea that Morton is in there so the McLouth trade doesn't look bad is laughable.

No true Pirate fan misses Nate McLouth, and NH certainly doesn't.

He played really well for two months, then was average to below average for the next four. Then he started slow in 2009 and NH turned him around for the same package offered to San Diego for Jake Peavy.

Chuck might suck, but newsflash, Nate does too.

Steve said...

Adam - Your right. he's obviously just in there to lose games. Makes my previous post more legit.

No? Then why don't they send him down to find his stuff and bring literally anyone up to replace him? He needs to be with the big team and cost them wins to do it? At the least, put Karstens in there and get Morton some bullpen work, if it's all about not sending him down and leaving him with one trip remaining before waivers, which I think it's also about.

The only logical reason he's still in there is to not make Huntington look foolish again for a trade that isn't panning out. If he can somehow before the end of the season pitch a few decent games, Hunting will feel redeemed, even if it costs the Pirates losses they could have avoided. There's that commitment to winning I've heard about.

And who cares if McLouth sucks now? He wasn't bad when he was here and there's no reason to think he would be if he still was. Morton on the other hand sucks, here and now... where it counts.

Unknown said...

go here and check out the comments at the bottom...priceless! it's ladousher's latest column...

http://www.piratesreport.com/page/blogs.detail/display/293/Are-They-There-Yet--Indy-Trip-Is-Still-in-Progress.html

Adam said...

@ Steve

I guess the same concern for the public image of a trade went into the waiving of Brandon Moss right?

If you reverse McLouth's first and second halfs of 2008, he doesn't make the All-Star team, doesn't win the Gold Glove, and no one insists on pretending he was anything more than a third outfielder at best on a good team.

Do I know the reason Chuck hasn't been optioned or moved to the 'pen? No, and neither do you. But if NH was worried about public relations, he and the rest of the upper brass wouldn't have said half the dumb s*** they have in the last year.

BURGH08 said...

This guy by taking the story down (either by his own request or above) is just making it worse.

BurressWithButterflywings said...

Brandon Moss being waived was just doing the inevitable and doing such too late at that.

I was not, by any means, claiming McLouth to be a superstar. I also can't remotely deny his decline. But Morton is still in the starting rotation with a 1-7 record and a 9.68 ERA because he was the guy we acquired for a "cornerstone" of our franchise who we had just been told was going to be here long term but was shipped off 2 months later.

I understand McLouth has underperformed, but the message sent with that trade is where is my gripe lies. Don't sell a fanbase on a player for the long term and then trade him 2 months later.

They are certainly only keeping Morton in the rotation in order to save face over another poor evaluation.

Papa Eo said...

I'll tell you what, love the Pirates or hate the Pirates, you can't knock that Daniel Moskos draft pick. SOLID GOLD!

Unknown said...

Paul Ladewski was on to something; he just chose the wrong comparison to the Pirates in light of their 17+ pitiful streak of futility.

How about drawing a comparison with other things that stink for prolonged periods of time?

Large pile of DUNG? Nope the Pirates have that one beat. The dung would dry and no longer smell (as bad) after several years.

Maybe the elephant exhibit at the Pittsburgh Zoo? Not sure how long the elephant house has been there, but it sure smells bad and will keep stinking as long as the elephants are there.

Pirates - It's Time (to infinitely stink).

Anonymous said...

Looks like now that all commenting features on PirateReport have been disabled, and all comments on previous blog entries have been deleted. What a freakin joke.

Unknown said...

The Pirates Suck and if we didnt build them damn stadium maybe they would be gone by now. Well anyways here are some groups that have had more success in the past 17 years then the pirates.
1.Arizona Cardinals
2. The Mets(hey a september colapse is better then one in may)
3. Republicans (their idiot mistake was only in power for 8 years and nutting has been around since 96)
4. The Heavens Gate Cult
5.Enron stock holders (it went well for a little while, more then the pirates can say)
6.Even the Detroit Lions

Adam said...

@ BURGH

Where do you put McLouth in this outfield? Granted, Milledge hasn't played well but...has he been any worse than Nate? At least he's hitting with RISP.

Look, if you want to go after NH's talent evaluation, go ahead. I'm beginning to wonder myself. But the theory is sound, and for a franchise with so little starting pitching at the time, for me, it was a no brainer.

BurressWithButterflywings said...

If McLouth has 1 home run this year, that's better than 5 Tool Milledge.

Adam said...

@ Burress

Actually, Nate has 3, and consequently he has a higher OPS, so he's having a marginally better season that Milledge. That said, I'd personally rather have Milledge with Chuck, Locke, and Gorkys than just Nate McLouth.

BurressWithButterflywings said...

Yup I'd much rather the worst starting pitcher in the MLB, a power hitter with 0 HR through 41 gms, a guy pitching well in Single A ball and the other guy hitting right in the Mendoza line at Double A.

Quantity over quality!

JeremyT said...

Derek, you forgot to put the LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS on that list, as well as the Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati Bengals and North Korea.

Adam said...

@ Burress

Um, not sure who ever claimed Milledge was a power hitter. Those fans with informed expectations probably figured somewhere between 10-15 home runs would have been nice, and he could very well still get there. I'm far more disappointed that he isn't hitting the gaps and isn't getting on base.

Gorkys was probably a bust, but Locke is looking good and we've seen Chuck pitch better than this, so I'm not concerned about his future yet.

BURGH08 said...

"Um, not sure who ever claimed Milledge was a power hitter. Those fans with informed expectations probably figured somewhere between 10-15 home runs would have been nice, and he could very well still get there"
__________________________________

Those with informed opinions would know that a corner outfielder should bring much more power, which is far from 'nice'.

Adam said...

Tampa Bay's corner outfielders have a combined 5 home runs.

Stop living in 1973

Anonymous said...

Hahaha....PiratesReport.com.

What a garbage site.

Let me save you the time. Here's my own version of PiratesReport.com:

They suck. No end in sight. Have a nice day.


This Paul person, too...the author. You are the Pittsburgh sports equivalent of the Iraqi Information Minister. Congrats.

BURGH08 said...

"Tampa Bay's corner outfielders have a combined 5 home runs."

___________________________________________________

Fine. Let Milledge stay in Left Field, and get a Third Baseman who had 33 Home Runs last year (Longoria), and a First Baseman who had 39 (Pena).

By the way, the Right Fielder who plays in Tampa had 28 bombs last year. Move them to the AL while you are at it and add a DH. Then Milledge fits right in.

Your stupidity knows no bounds.

Adam said...

Carlos Pena is also a career .245 hitter and strikes out 150 times plus per season.

I'm not one to tell the Rays how to play moneyball, but he's a sabermetric nightmare.

Milledge isn't the star he was once hyped to be, but those with reasonable expectations didn't think he would be. He needs to get on base more, no question, but if he starts doing that, I don't care if he hits a homer all season.

Because I'm stupid.

BURGH08 said...

Keep talking about sabermetrics and moneyball. I prefer to focus on talent.

You took one example out of my four and cited his strikeouts and average. Of course, this was a team you brought up that actually is 18 games above .500 to begin with.

Well, if nothing else we agree on your last point.

Adam said...

Haha you don't like sabermetrics.

Probably because you don't understand.

That's cool.

BURGH08 said...

If you truly understood sabremetrics or moneyball, you wouldn't be defending the Pirates.

Or still trying to graduate for that matter.

Adam said...

O hunny, I already did.

BURGH08 said...

Congrats, now get me my Curley Fries.

Adam said...

Seriously dude, I hope your life doesn't suck as much as it seems to. If I was as cynical as you I think I'd gag.

BURGH08 said...

Spoken like a true Sabermetrician.