Watch Out for the Pirates!

Seton Hall's, Jordan Theodore vs Georgetown's, Otto Porter/AP Images

Seton Hall gets no respect. Every year they are in the bottom or middle of the pack in the Big East, and top tier teams like Syracuse, Georgetown and UConn usually bully them. This year however has been a bit different.  


By Lauren Dellipoali


The Pirates still lost to Syracuse, they split with UConn and trounced Georgetown. Sitting at 19-9 and ninth in the Big East with an 8-8 record, the Pirates are looking to advance to their first NCAA Tournament since 2006. They came close to making the tournament two years ago, but they were unable to make an impressive enough run in the Big East Tournament, and were relegated to the NIT.

This year’s team might be different. They have proven that they can beat the better teams in the Big East, or at least hang with most of them, and with two more games against Rutgers and DePaul, the Pirates have a good chance of winning 20 games.

With talented players like Herb Pope and Jordan Theodore, who lit-up Georgetown, the Pirates have what it takes to make a run at making the Big Dance in March. If they are able to win one of their final two remaining games, they will clinch an above .500 record in the Big East, and with their RPI being in the upper 30s, they should be a lock to make the tournament, especially if they make a nice run in the Big East tournament.

Seton Hall has not posed a problem for many Big East opponents in a few years, but this year is different. Watch out for those Pirates, they might steal a win if you aren’t careful.

The New Pittsburgh Pirate

A.J. Burnett/AP Images

After three years in the Bronx, A.J. Burnett moves to the Pirates, where he will likely thrive on national league hitters and a struggling team’s playoff hopes.


By Andrew Muckell


New York Yankee fans, now is the time to loosen your shoulders and take a deep breath. P A.J. Burnett, the notoriously under-performing right-hander, was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday February 19th for two young prospects. Yankee fans in the Big Apple are celebrating the move indignantly, but Pittsburgh cannot complain.

Last year, the Pittsburgh rotation consisted of Jeff Karstens, Paul Maholm, Charlie Morton, James McDonald, and Kevin Correia. Combined, these starters won 46 games and lost 53, with a combined ERA of 3.94. ERA-wise, the starting pitchers on the Pirates performed pretty well, and the horrible win-loss ratio is more the fault of the team’s poor hitting. For example, Karstens, who led the rotation with a 3.38 ERA, had a record of 9-9, while Correia, sporting a 4.79 ERA, was 12-11. The statistics show that although Karstens played better consistently, Correia received plenty of offensive help from the Pirate position players.

So what does this all mean for Burnett?

Burnett is one of the better talents in the game. His mid-nineties fastball coupled with a wicked curveball and arguably the best changeup in the game, make him one of the most envied strikeout starters today. His performance in game two of the 2009 World Series dazzled the Philadelphia Phillies and showed the rest of the league his capabilities on the Big Stage.

These are the very reasons why he ticks off Yankee fans. None of these promising descriptions seem to fit mid-season A.J. He is a performer in April and occasionally in October, but from May to late September he becomes an enigma. His 34-35 record and 4.79 ERA in his three years in Pinstripes disappoint, despite playing in the competitive American League East.

The Pirates hope to fix A.J. Maybe taking the tattooed 35-year old out of the New York spotlight will do him well. With the Pirates, A.J. will essentially be facing less menacing eight-player National League lineups, and any contribution he makes will be praised, not expected. Due to the trade of Maholm to the Chicago Cubs, Burnett slides perfectly into an already solid rotation, probably as the Opening Day starter.

The secret to A.J.’s success depends on his comfort level in Pittsburgh. If Burnett feels comfortable and relaxed, the Bucs can expect a mid-three ERA from him. If Burnett holds up his end, all the team has to do then is score.

The Fall of the Central Powers

Former St. Louis Cardinals Manager announces retirement/usatoday.com

After an offseason filled with losses and bad news, the Milwaukee Brewers and St. Louis Cardinals need to regroup and find respectable replacements for the 2012 season.

By Andrew Muckell

Two teams atop the National League Central met in the National League Championship Series. The favored Milwaukee Brewers, behind the leadership of 1B Prince Fielder and LF Ryan Braun, fought their way through an enduring season to capture their first division title since 1982; the St. Louis Cardinals and 1B Albert Pujols, in contrast, surged in late August and September to come back and overtake the Atlanta Braves for the Wildcard spot. The Cardinals continued to shock the world when they came back from series deficits against the Philadelphia Phillies, Brewers and the Texas Rangers en route to a World Series title.

In the offseason, the only ones shocked are the Brewers and Cardinals.

Days after the miraculous series with the Rangers, Tony LaRussa, the Cardinals manager, announced his retirement from the sport. LaRussa was not the only Red Bird to leave while still on top, however: Pujols signed a ten-year, $246 million dollar contract with the Los Angeles Angels, turning down a $210 million contract from his former squad.

News broke in late November that the NL Most Valuable Player Ryan Braun tested positive for performance enhancing drugs late in the season. Braun, despite denying these allegations, is projected to serve a 50-game suspension in the 2012 season.

Oh yeah, and let us not forget Prince Fielder.

The 27 year old will be playing ball at Comerica Park next year with the Detroit Tigers. The Cats offered him a nine-year $214 million contract, surprising more persistent (and possibly needy) teams like the Washington Nationals and Rangers.

With these losses to the National League Central, the division sure seems more volatile. Both the Cards and Brewers have top-five power lineups, but each must feel a decrease in morale. The loss of high-impact players and even a veteran manager would affect any team, and in the case of these two teams it is more extreme. Both teams have potentially good pitching, yet one should not count on these brittle pitching staffs.

The Brewers and the Cardinals struck a chord in the league last year playing the role of underdogs; with weakened offenses for 2012, these ball clubs need to persist and show that they can outdo themselves again.