Pirates 2012: A Periodic Assessment (Part 3 of 8)

In the last assessment at the quarter season mark, I noted that things seemed pretty steady state with the Bucs. They were still two games under .500, holding their own through solid pitching and McCutchen, but besides a few signs of life from the offense, not much else to report.

Well, times have changed.

The Pirates are now in first place. They are five games over .500. They are executing a more balanced offensive attack, though still heavily reliant on McCutchen - dangerously so. It remains a mystery to me why opposing teams aren't simply pitching around him but for whatever reason, they aren't.

Master Lee, Black Belt Martial Arts Center!

BBMAC Owner and Chief Instructor
Master Lee

As readers know, I like to connect with interesting people and explore their story. Usually the people I talk to have a Pittsburgh connection. However, this interview is with an individual closer to where I live now, in Kensington Maryland. I had a chance to spend some time with Master Robert Lee, the Chief instructor and owner of Kensington’s Black Belt Martial Arts Center (BBMAC). I could just TELL you that this is an inspiring individual, with great life lessons about setting goals and doing what it takes to achieve them; knowing what’s important in life; and the value of a positive outlook.  But Master Lee's story speaks for itself. Here’s our conversation.

Monte: Thank you for spending time with me today! The first thing I’d like to ask about is how you got started in Martial Arts. What made you decide that it was something you wanted to do?

What WOULD Syd do?

"Losers make excuses; Winners find a way.”  Syd Thrift, former GM, Pittsburgh Pirates

How can you not love this guy?

This post isn’t a backdoor “let’s bash Neal Huntington” entry.  The Pirates are three games out, the hitting is showing some life, and we’re in “wait and see” mode to see what Huntington does to keep the Pirates in contention, and maybe even put them over the top. 

This post is about Syd Thrift, the Pirates’ general manager from 1985-1988, who in three years turned a pathetic franchise into a contender that would go on to win three division titles in a row.  Thrift was a great baseball character, a long-time baseball man, and a man who knew – and spoke – his mind. There aren’t many like him.

It’s inevitable, though, that in looking at Syd’s accomplishments in three years, one can’t help but wonder if there are lessons for the current GM, particularly at this promising time. 

Legendary Filmmaker Tony Buba, Part Two!

This is part two of my interview with Braddock, PA Filmmaker Tony Buba.  Part one is here:
http://montesnewblog.blogspot.com/2012/05/legendary-filmmaker-tony-buba-part-one.html

Tony, And The Pizza Oven

This installment explores Tony’s views on Pittsburgh and some of the things that make it such a special place, as well as on the evolution of Braddock.  Tony himself will be appearing in June in New York, at the Anthology Film Archives, which is showing a retrospective of Tony's films. Information about the retrospective is at:

http://anthologyfilmarchives.org/film_screenings/series/39192

That retrospective will be a great opportunity to meet Tony and to enjoy his many features and selected shorts.  But in the immortal words of Marty DiBirgi, “that’s enough of my yakkin!” Let’s get right to part two of my conversation with Tony Buba.

Pirates 2012: A Periodic Assessment (Part 2 of 8)

Well, not much to cover here because I summed up my views at the quarter mark in my last piece, focusing on the need for a new GM. I gave Neal Huntington credit for pitching, but noted that the inexplicable lack of effort seriously to address the offensive side of the equation, combined with his abysmal record in that regard over almost five years now, means it's time for a more proven leader.

I guess I can see the argument, though, for letting things play out a little longer. The team is exactly where it was when I wrote the first of these eight assessments - two games under .500. But no one should be satisfied with that. With the pitching we have, it IS fair to ask, why aren't we taking the bull by the horns and asserting ourselves in the Central dvision? The goal of the game isn't mediocrity; it's winning, right? And with the pitching we have, why aren't we?

Sorry Neal, But It's over

I am sure he is a good guy who means well

By nature I am not a negative guy. I wish no ill on anyone. While often extremely frustrated, and always upset that the Pirates perennially fail to invest meaningfully in their major league product, I nevertheless tried my hardest to stay with the program as articulated, designed, and implemented by Pirates GM Neal Huntington.  Didn’t accept that it was the only way to resuscitate the franchise; but I tried to believe.

But Huntington has been the GM for four and a half years now. The Pirates have not progressed.  The Neal Huntington era has gone on too long, and it’s time to move on. He probably wasn’t the right guy in the first place. But let’s deal with the here and now. It’s time to let Neal Huntington seek greener pastures.

Legendary Filmmaker Tony Buba, Part One!

Tony Buba, In His Studio

Winter 1989. I am in Baltimore, where my fiancé – now wife of 22 years, thank you! – was living at the time.  Braddock, PA filmmaker Tony Buba was appearing at the Baltimore Museum of Art, at a screening of his 1988 classic documentary, Lightning Over Braddock.  There was a full house, and in the Q and A after the screening, Tony fielded a number of questions from the attendees. My question didn’t quite reflect the depth of knowledge regarding film, or urban decay, as some of my fellow attendees. I simply asked which pizza Tony liked more, Mineo’s or Vincent’s. With a hearty laugh, Tony got it right – Mineo’s.

November, 2011. I am at the Braddock Library for a memorial service for David Demarest, the father of Jamie Demarest, one of my closest friends since High School. I knew David Demarest loved Pittsburgh and its urban landscapes, and loved to spend time in neighborhoods like Braddock.  He was extremely active not only in helping to rejuvenate towns such as Braddock, but in fighting for any number of important social causes.  He is the man who revived “Out of This Furnace,” a book by Thomas Bell that captured immigrant life in a Western Pennsylvania steel town, and he was instrumental in preventing the shut-down of the Braddock library.  The man filming the memorial service was Tony Buba.

After the service I asked Tony if he’d mind setting up a time to have a conversation.  He is a man I have long respected – a local filmmaker who stayed loyal to his home town through its worst years.  We had a fantastic conversation. Tony is an accomplished filmmaker, an icon of the Pittsburgh/Braddock community, and as you would expect, a natural story-teller. And he’s also quite active – he is working on a number of new projects, and from June 8-12 his work will be featured at the Anthology Film Archives, in New York. Here’s the link:

http://anthologyfilmarchives.org/film_screenings/series/39192

Pirates 2012: A Periodic Assessment (1 of 8)

(note: I think it’d be interesting to do periodic assessments of the Bucco season at key benchmarks – say eight times during the year at quarterly, and semi-quarterly intervals. This is the first of the eight planned assessments. )

Let’s talk record.

Fact is, Pirates are two games under .500. At the end of the day, that’s the stat that counts in the record books, and it seems to me that if the Bucs find themselves two games under .500 in July or August, most fans will be pretty ecstatic with a wild card perhaps a possibility.

Exotic Creatures Of The Deep - The Ultimate Sparks Album?

Exotic Creatures Of The Deep (ECOTD) is an album by Sparks from 2008.  This is not a typical pop album. First, it is a Sparks album, which pretty much ensures a challenging and rewarding musical experience. Still, in its depth, narrative, creativity, coherence, and execution, this album surpasses even the high standards usually associated with Sparks. One expects quality and thoughtfulness; I doubt anyone could have expected this.

In a nutshell, this album is a brilliant, conceptual masterpiece, a vision realized. And very witty! That's what this post is about.

From the first time I heard the album, I listened with unusually rapt attention.  The songs all seemed to fit together but I couldn’t figure out how. I listened over a dozen times straight through, trying to understand this album.  Only a couple of th songs, on their own, are true standouts.  Yet the album is so much more than the sum of its parts...Why? What were Sparks, aka keyboard player Ronald Mael and his brother, singer Russell Mael, getting at?

Then, like a thunderbolt, it hit me. I had the epiphany; it all came together.

ECOTD is not simply a collection of songs that kind of go together; it is a fully realized epic drama of operatic proportions.  It is a tale of one man’s odyssey to attain acceptance from others – a lesson which cannot come until he learns, perhaps grudgingly, to accept himself for who he is.

Where Should Pedro Start the Season?

This post addresses a simple question:  Should Pedro Alvarez start the season on the major league club, or in AAA? More to the point, is there even ONE argument in favor of him going north with the club and starting in Pittsburgh?

I don’t think so. I can’t think of a single argument to support the idea that he should start in Pittsburgh out of spring training.  Let’s look at the possible arguments, and respond to each of them:

Spring Training: Surprises On The Horizon?

Well, here we are a week into spring training games, and I think it's time to ask two age-old questions: Can some would-be rookies earn a spot on the team? And even more interesting: is it possible for an incumbent STARTER to be unseated?

In an age of options, waivers, major league service requirements, and the like, it’s not clear that a hot youngster will make the major league roster. There is also the question of whether such a player would be better served by getting more playing time in the minors. 

Case in point: Matt Hague. He has, as most of us know, torn it up every year in the minors. He is having a great camp and has seen action at AAA. There may still be things for him to learn at the AAA level, but if he continues to tear up the camp the rest of the spring, the Bucs brass will have a decision on its hands. 

All About Pedro? Maybe Not

Over and over your hear it, or read it: it’s all about Pedro. If Pedro turns it around, the Buccos have a chance. Without him, well, just forget about the season right now.

I would love to see Pedro succeed.   He has only one full year under his belt, he has shown signs, his potential is obvious, and he wants to be a well-paid young man for a very long time. So the incentive is there, the talent is there, and he may end up justifying his enormous signing bonus.  We’d all love to see it and it would make a huge difference for the Pirates this year, and well into the future.

However, I do not agree with the oft-expressed view that “for the Pirates to succeed, Pedro must succeed.”  I don’t think it’s true, and I don’t think the Pirates’ management thinks so either.  In fact, I think they are planning around the possibility that he is NOT a significant part of their present - or their future.

Pirates' Offseason - Good But Incomplete

As one who is perpetually frustrated by the Pirates’ front office  – exacerbated after its failure to really support the team at last year’s trading deadline – it’s a pleasure to feel a bit optimistic for this coming season. I remain skeptical; we’re still talking a pretty minuscule payroll in baseball terms, and there were a lot of things they could have happened this offseason which didn’t get done.  We all watched, for example, as one potential 1B after another was taken off the board. And I am not talking about the Pujols and the Fielder types; they were never realistic. But the Penas, the Kotchmans, even the Cuddyers or Willinghams, were all grabbed up by teams not called the Pirates.

But let’s focus on what did get done. I would put it this way. Generically speaking, the Pirates had three big needs – bring strength and consistency up the middle; bolster the SP staff; and improve the offense. I would give them credit on two of these.

Dirty Work: The Rolling Stones' Masterpiece By Accident!

Introductory Note: I plan to use this blog to sometimes highlight music that I believe is overlooked.  This is the first of those reviews. However, the album in question is one that I have wanted to write about for a long time, and I ended up working on this piece for months, never quite satisfied that I “got it.”  A lot came out because in my mind a lot had to be said!  So please don’t be scared off by its length, and enjoy reading about an often overlooked but essential album by the Rolling Stones!

Dirty Work is an often dismissed, usually maligned Rolling Stones album from 1986.  Yet many of the reasons the album is written off are the very one that make it great.  The overall disarray of the band, the feuding between Mick and Keith at the time, and the fact that Keith had to pretty much put the album together on his own all contribute to making this a truly essential, if imperfect, album. 

The criticisms of Dirty Work are well known.  Fixated on advancing his solo career, Mick brought little of value to the studio.  Keith’s anger at Mick permeates, and sometimes overwhelms, the whole thing.  The songs are an overproduced mess, with only THREE attributed solely to the famous Jagger-Richards songwriting tandem.  At least three additional percussionists are on the record, covering for a smacked out Charlie.  Wyman barely showed up – Ronnie covered on bass, and on one track (Had It With You), there’s no bass at all!  They didn’t even care enough to add it! what a mess!

Interview: Melissa Hiller, Curator, Pittsburgh's American Jewish Museum!

Hello loyal readers! I recently had the opportunity to talk with Melissa Hiller, who is the Curator of the American Jewish Museum, located in Squirrel Hill’s Jewish Community Center! Melissa has served in this position since 2008.

Melissa Hiller with publisher Adam Parfrey (l), historian Mel Gordon

The JCC is a special place to me because I used to perform in plays there. Really good plays too! But that’s not what this interview is about. THIS interview is an opportunity to learn more about Ms. Hiller, who is making such an important contribution to Pittsburgh’s cultural scene, and to learn more about the AJM’s current exhibit, based on the Funnyman comic strip produced in 1948 by the creators of Superman, Joe Siegel and Jerry Shuster! Here's a link to info on the museum, and the exhibit: 

http://www.jccpgh.org/page/ajm