It's Just One Start

I got a text last night from a long-time friend and fellow Pirates fan who happened to be watching Baseball Tonight on ESPN.  He was detailing how the panel was comparing Buccos pitcher Charlie Morton (and, more specifically, his sinker), to a very well-known pitcher.

A VERY well-known pitcher.

Roy Halladay.  Two-time Cy Young winner Roy Halladay.  Seven-time All-Star Roy Halladay.

I don't normally laugh out loud when reading a text.  But, my God, I nearly drowned in my tears of laughter.

Let's paint this picture, shall we?  Charlie Morton, who had all of two wins last season, had an ERA of 12.57 in the month of April, and, until last night, hadn't won a road game since September 30th, 2009, being compared to Roy Halladay, perhaps the best pitcher in game for the past decade?  Spare me.

I'd expect this sort of stupidity from a fickle, short-sighted Yinzer looking to turn a 3-1 start into a reason to begin uncorking the champagne.  Not from so-called "experts" on the most-watched baseball highlight show on television.

I mean, sure, we Pirates fans have heard from the organization (or really just GM Neal Huntington) that Morton possesses all the qualities of a front-of-the-rotation starter: ideal size, an electric arm, and movement on all his pitches.  Heck, we even saw flashes of it after being acquired in the June 2009 Nate McLouth trade with some nice outings near the end of the season.  And as one of the most ardent Pirates supporters out there (yeah, I know, all five of us), I really want to believe the hype.

But I can't.  I'm a cynic, after all.  It is my blessing and my curse.

Is there something to take away from last night's season debut?  Absolutely.  Not many guys can make Albert Pujols look downright mediocre at the plate.  His sinker was near unhittable, and he got a ton of ground-ball outs.  But should we automatically annoint him the ace on a staff that clearly has none?  By no means.  He still walks far too many guys (5 last night), he still puts himself in too many tight spots, and he still throws too many pitches for not enough innings (97 pitches in 6 innings last night).

But the most important thing to take away from last night's start: for once, the positives far outweighed the negatives, leading to the victory.

For one night, anyway.

What I'm Listening To:  Dave Barnes -- What We Want, What We Get.  Extremely talented musician, and hilarious entertainer all in one.  Do yourself a favor and type in "Dave Barnes Christmas Extravagan Za" on YouTube and check out the videos.  Just awesome.

Police Never Die.