I’ve got nothing big today. My family is in town this weekend for my mom’s birthday, and I’ve got some BBQ going on the grill soon for college football.
I’d love to comment on the new TV deal, but there’s nothing to say without the financial details. I will say what we already know:
**The old TV deal was reported around $20-25 M per year. A new deal needs to be much higher than this. Comparable markets have made at least $40 M with their TV deals since the Pirates last signed their deal.
**If the Pirates do have an increase, they need to show an increase in payroll. The problem is that their payroll was so low in 2019, so it will be hard to tell whether any increases are due to the new TV deal, or due to getting spending back to a more normal level.
I’ll be resuming my breakdown of the team on Monday, starting to look at each individual position. We’ll also be wrapping up our minor league recaps this week.
TODAY’S PICKS
I got destroyed last week, so hoping for a bounce back. Unfortunately, the top pick in my system today is Florida, so don’t tell my wife, who is a massive Auburn fan.
3:30 – Florida ML +120
3:45 – Louisiana Monroe +14.5
8:00 – New Mexico State ML +169
3:30 – Navy ML +130
3:30 – Georgia State +6.5
4:30 – Arizona ML +148
TODAY’S ARTICLES
We’ll have an article going up this afternoon. We’ll also have the AFL recap and any news that comes out.
SONG OF THE DAY
Experience Hendrix was the first album I ever purchased, so it was inevitable that I’d love any song with a good guitar solo.
DAILY QUIZ
Today’s college football themed quiz.
THIS DATE IN PIRATES HISTORY
By John Dreker
Three former Pittsburgh Pirates have been born on this date. We start with one who was a big part of three straight National League titles:
Second baseman Claude Ritchey played for the Pirates from 1900 until 1906. He was part of the biggest trade in team history when the Pirates acquired most of the star players from Louisville, including Hall of Famers Honus Wagner, Fred Clarke and Rube Waddell. Ritchey was the top fielding second baseman during four of his seven seasons with the Pirates. He hit .277 over 977 games, with 420 RBIs and 427 runs scored, while recording more than twice as many walks (362) as strikeouts (177). He played a total of 13 seasons in the majors.
Shortstop Onix Concepcion finished his career with the 1987 Pirates. After spending six seasons with the Royals, Concepcion played one game for the Pirates on April 7, 1987 and collected a single in a pinch-hitting appearance. He is a cousin of former Pirates second baseman Jose Lind.
Jim Bagby Sr, pitcher for the 1923 Pirates. He won 122 games for the Cleveland Indians between 1916 and 1922, including 31 wins during the 1920 season. By the time he reached the Pirates three years after his big season, he was in his last year in the majors. He made six starts and 15 relief appearances, posting a 5.24 ERA in 68.2 innings. Bagby is the father of Jim Bagby Jr, who also finished his career with the Pirates (1947) after excelling as a pitcher with the Indians.
On this date in 1937, the Pirates drafted minor league pitcher Bob Klinger from the St Louis Cardinals in the Rule 5 draft. He would go on win 62 games over the next six seasons with the Pirates, including a 12-5, 2.99 record as a rookie in 1938. Klinger didn’t debut until he was two months shy of his 30th birthday.
