...the Pittsburgh Pirates are still above .500 at 3-2. They slapped Arizona ace (or co-ace when Webb's healthy) Dan Haren around today as Zach Duke pitched seven strong innings to improve to 2-0 in a 6-3 win.

I'll say it: IF things fall right, Pittsburgh will be a solid team this year. I'm not calling playoffs...I'm not even saying they'll break their streak of losing seasons...I'm just saying they'll be a mediocre team that exists in the vicinity of .500 while showing the promise to be a legit player in the near future. This game was their first quality start. After hitting three quick home runs, Jones has been silent. Guys like McCutchen and Milledge are starting slowly. In both losses, they had guys in scoring position with frequency, but couldn't make anything happen.

I think they have the talent to be decent — they just need to develop a little cohesive consistency.

OMG.....now Pittsburgh has "CC" type fans!!!!!!!!!!!!!ROFLMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!I AM A LAWYER!!!!!!!!!!!hahahahahhaha

I'm not that optimistic.

Clement could have 250 Ks.

LaRoche is way too inconsistent.

Tough to go a full season with the 1B and 3B being so unreliable.

Bullpen has had to pull off some houdini acts. Dotel can still pitch but as a closer he's going to have too many adventures.

Pedro Alvarez will fill one of those spots in 2011.

He has 3 HRs and 7 RBI in the first three games at Indianapolis.

If they can tread water till June when Alvarez, Tabata, and maybe Lincoln arrive, it could be an interesting summer. I'm not holding my breath but at least I can see some hope for the future here.

My uncle is a diehard Pirate fan and he said that he will be pissed if they are good for a couple of months.......because they will just trade the players that got them to this point.