http://www.sbnation.com/users/jpj74 Posts made by jpj74 on SB Nation http://www.bucsdugout.com/2006/8/13/231440/492 jpj74 Mon, 14 Aug 2006 03:14:39 -0000 <p>I like the young talent the Bucs seem to be accumulating, and I'm guardedly optimistic about the future. &nbsp;But moreso than Littlefield's ineptness or the players' flat out inexperience and lack of top tier talent, what really disappoints me about the last 3-4 years of Pirate baseball is that there just aren't any gamers on this team. &nbsp;No brashness, no attitude. &nbsp;You don't see anyone pitching inside consistently with the intent to intimidate, you don't see baserunners go into 2nd base hard. &nbsp;I can't remember the last time I saw a Pirate charge the mound or get into any type of confrontation with an opponent. &nbsp;Not saying that they have to play without class to win, but there's just no damn fire.</p><p>The parallel may stop completely at this point only, but prior to '86 the Mets were an abysmal team with no direction. &nbsp;Granted adding super-talents like Doc and Straw goes a long way, but the Mets also put together a team of brash young guys with balls that thought they were a lot better than they were. &nbsp;They improved from '83 to '86 in no small part due to that attitude.</p><p>Torres is about the only Pirate I think has a screw loose. The rest are just nice guys. &nbsp;Does this piss anyone else off but me?</p>