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Jason Mackey's Pirates chat: 05.20.20
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Bruce
12:51
Jason I think we have to face facts there won't be a season this year. Agree?
Jason Mackey
12:52
I don't Bruce. While I certainly have questions, I see no sense in just blindly packing it in right now. I love baseball. I miss it. I wanna watch more of it and write about it. I still think they can figure this out. They should be able to figure this out.
Stephen P.
12:52
I watched the Last Dance on ESPN focusing on Michael Jordan.  Who would you choose to be the focus of a  similar Pirates documentary?   Thanks.
Jason Mackey
12:54
What a question. Does it have to be a current Pirate? ... I guess we're assuming that person has to be alive since Jordan was. And let's say ex-player, too. ... Maybe Steve Blass? I don't know if I could see Blass doing it. ... They should do one on Bob Nutting, honestly. That would be fun.
Jackson
12:54
I literally am listening to your hit from yesterday with Cook and Joe. You said you know of no players with pre-existing conditions--has Taillon made it known if he would play if able, considering he would certainly fall under that umbrella, no?
Jason Mackey
12:55
Taillon is out for the year. He's not coming back under this scenario. I think he would want to later in the year when his TJ rehab is done, but they're saying it's not smart for his long-term health. So, he's begrudgingly waiting until 2021. Thank you for listening!
Bracus
12:56
So Jason can I please ask you something? Why do you and other sports media guys keep giving the Pirates a pass regarding payroll? And act like you believe that Nutting THIS TIME will spend when necessary? I mean why on earth didn't he do it to build on a 98 win team after the 2015 season? Now it came out we have the lowest payroll in all of mlb in like 6 years! It's disgraceful sir and I'm tired of you and others acting like because the owner brought in a different mgmt team he is trusted to spend money down the road. It's ridiculous.
Jason Mackey
12:58
Um, excuse me, Bracus. I'd love for you to show me where I wrote or said that it's acceptable for Bob Nutting to be spending what he is. Answer: I haven't. He and they should be spending more. They also screwed up how they built upon the 2015 team -- essentially, they didn't. And I believe they understand that mistake and will do things differently next time. I don't see how it's being a shill for them by pointing that out. Where I come down on Nutting and Co. now is this: I understanding not spending $100 million now because of where you are in the cycle, but I do think they should at least be spending, I don't know, $75 million? $85 million? Something, anything more than they are.
Jimmie
12:58
The realization that restored my perspective on the Pirates is this: if we stop supporting the team completely, the owners will eventually have to leave and Pittsburgh will become a AAA city like Indianapolis, Nashville, Buffalo, etc.  So we have to accept the fact that we are a small market city, but we are at least in the Big Leagues. That means that at least we can support the GM as he builds a team from within.  All those fans in AAA cities don't get to do that!
Jason Mackey
1:01
That's a fair point, Jimmie. And it's OK to embrace that. You can win and do OK as a small-market team, but the Pirates have been a bad small-market team the past couple of years. They haven't brought in enough talent. They've let too much of it get away. They're developed pitchers poorly at the major league level. And they didn't have the back-fill ready when they lost players after 2015. They've made bad trades. All of that is potential improvement without spending a single dollar. ... And I get being mad at Nutting. I get being mad at the Pirates. I don't get just continually complaining about the same things over and over and acting almost incredulous when they don't change. Again, not endorsing it. Not saying you shouldn't be mad. But if I walk into Giant Eagle every day and scream that they charge too much for coffee, it doesn't mean they're going to put it on sale.
Tammy
1:01
Jason, Dave Parker would be a good choice for the Last Dance question.
Jason Mackey
1:02
He would, Tammy. You're right. I left him off, though -- and I should have explained this -- before I feel like he already had a really cool documentary made of his career. Would highly recommend it. "The Cobra at Midnight."
Jackson
1:02
Sorry, I was more meaning has Taillon mentioned if he would feel safe playing considering he's a cancer survivor? I know he's out for the year.
Jason Mackey
1:03
I gotcha. Taillon would have zero issue, trust me. He would play on the moon right now if someone let him.
Danny
1:03
Sign me up for a Dock Ellis “Dockumentary” !!
Jason Mackey
1:03
Very good point. Gotta have the biggest star alive, though.
Too Tall 21
1:03
The Winterland show gets my vote, too!  When Graham says to the crowd that morning, “Stay as long as you like”, that’s just unreal. Would never happen in this day and age!
Jason Mackey
1:04
Never, ever. That's one of the many things I love about the Dead. Pretty much everything that happened with them would never happen today. I'm only 36, but I fantasize often about what it would be like to live back then, in that culture.
Leonard
1:04
Jason does it concern you that because of the pandemic and chances that a season won't happen, that Bob Nutting will use that as an excuse to keep the payroll really low a lot longer than the fans want. To me as a Pirates fan that is the most worrisome part.
Jason Mackey
1:07
Umm ... I have concerns, yeah, but maybe not directly what you're asking about. I worry about the whole business. People are complaining about Nutting being cheap, but nobody has pointed out how long he has held the line on employees. Angels, Rays, Marlins and I believe a few others have furloughed people. Pirates have not. Penguins have furloughed people. Pirates have not. Should Nutting spend more on major league players? I think so. But is he a reprehensible, repugnant human? No. He tends to take a cautious, conservative approach, and that's the part that concerns me. There will be a back-on-track period for the Pirates, and how long will that process take? Hopefully there are games soon, and that minimizes the damage on some really good people in the organization.
Alicia
1:08
Hi Jason! So can you tell me if there is no vaccine developed yet into 2021 do we the fans have to worry about not being able to go to games for years? I can take this year without going but into next season and beyond would be terrible!
Jason Mackey
1:09
Hi Alicia. I think that's a very real concern. And I wish I could tell you something that would make going to baseball games without a vaccine entirely safe, but we all know I can't. And I don't think MLB will try to have fans in the stands until a vaccine is readily available. I think we just need to cross our fingers and hope that we have one by then.
OK, folks. Looks like that will do it for this week. Some great questions this week. Appreciate the participation. Until next Wednesday!
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