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ifspuds · 12-06-2004, 07:02 PM

Welcome back to another season of the TWB Pittsburgh Pirates. The 1949 season, as I said in an earlier post, is a transitional one: a new manager, a number of youngsters in the lineup, and a lot of uncertainty.

It showed a bit in the first two weeks of the season, and the Pirates ended up 4-6, already 5.5 games behind the incredibly hot Phillies. Like last season, I'll cover the highlights, the lowlights and the rest after each (hopefully) sim. We'll start with the highlights.

The Bright Spots
2B Herm Vardaman, who the Pirates are putting a lot of their hopes for the future on, came through with an incredible start just as he did in 1948. Vardaman hit .367/.400/.667 with 3 HRs in 30 ABs, very surprising power numbers for a player whose strongest skills are hitting for average and drawing walks. He's already halfway to his season total of 6 HRs last year.

3B Ike Walker is playing well so far, hitting .333/.405/.472 with 1 HR, not the sort of power expected from him, but it's only been two weeks so far.

SP Damon "Lefty" Bowden, the veteran of the staff, is pitching like he's 27 not 37. In 2 starts, he's tossed 17.2 innings and allowed only 3 earned runs, allowing just 16 baserunners.

The Lowlights
The offense is playing fairly well, 7th in average and 3rd in home runs, but outside of Damon Bowden and a workmanlike effort from Bill Tschetter (1-2, 3.75), the pitching staff is a mess.

The Pirates' best pitcher, Ron Fleischmann, is off to a grim start: 0-2, 8.36 ERA, allowing 28 baserunners in 14 innings pitched. James Bajofer isn't much better, 1-2 with a 6.38 ERA and 31 baserunners allowed in 18.1 innings. The bullpen hasn't been any better. Orval Keefover Jr. has been smacked around unmercifully, and he hasn't gotten any help.

Other News
Manager "Slap" Hertzog counseled patience after the 4-6 start, in which the Pirates dropped 2 of 3 against both the Cardinals and the Reds. "This team has a lot of growing to do. Ben Giordano's got a ton of talent waiting to be tapped, and Fleischmann and Bajofer aren't going to struggle like this all season," said Hertzog in a meeting with local reporters after a 6-1 loss to the Phillies. "All the same, we're not a very good team yet. I know we can be, but it'll take some time."

12-06-2004, 07:02 PM	#33
ifspuds Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 2,117	Welcome back to another season of the TWB Pittsburgh Pirates. The 1949 season, as I said in an earlier post, is a transitional one: a new manager, a number of youngsters in the lineup, and a lot of uncertainty. It showed a bit in the first two weeks of the season, and the Pirates ended up 4-6, already 5.5 games behind the incredibly hot Phillies. Like last season, I'll cover the highlights, the lowlights and the rest after each (hopefully) sim. We'll start with the highlights. The Bright Spots 2B Herm Vardaman, who the Pirates are putting a lot of their hopes for the future on, came through with an incredible start just as he did in 1948. Vardaman hit .367/.400/.667 with 3 HRs in 30 ABs, very surprising power numbers for a player whose strongest skills are hitting for average and drawing walks. He's already halfway to his season total of 6 HRs last year. 3B Ike Walker is playing well so far, hitting .333/.405/.472 with 1 HR, not the sort of power expected from him, but it's only been two weeks so far. SP Damon "Lefty" Bowden, the veteran of the staff, is pitching like he's 27 not 37. In 2 starts, he's tossed 17.2 innings and allowed only 3 earned runs, allowing just 16 baserunners. The Lowlights The offense is playing fairly well, 7th in average and 3rd in home runs, but outside of Damon Bowden and a workmanlike effort from Bill Tschetter (1-2, 3.75), the pitching staff is a mess. The Pirates' best pitcher, Ron Fleischmann, is off to a grim start: 0-2, 8.36 ERA, allowing 28 baserunners in 14 innings pitched. James Bajofer isn't much better, 1-2 with a 6.38 ERA and 31 baserunners allowed in 18.1 innings. The bullpen hasn't been any better. Orval Keefover Jr. has been smacked around unmercifully, and he hasn't gotten any help. Other News Manager "Slap" Hertzog counseled patience after the 4-6 start, in which the Pirates dropped 2 of 3 against both the Cardinals and the Reds. "This team has a lot of growing to do. Ben Giordano's got a ton of talent waiting to be tapped, and Fleischmann and Bajofer aren't going to struggle like this all season," said Hertzog in a meeting with local reporters after a 6-1 loss to the Phillies. "All the same, we're not a very good team yet. I know we can be, but it'll take some time." __________________ Jeff Watson Former dynasty writer and online league player, now mostly retired