From The Editor's Desk

It Just Doesn't Matter
By Tony DeFazio

Even if we play so far above our heads that our noses bleed for a week to ten days; even if God in Heaven above comes down and points his hand at our side of the field; even if every man woman and child held hands together and prayed for us to win, it just wouldn't matter… It just doesn't matter if we win or we lose. IT JUST DOESN'T MATTER!

Bill Murray said it in 1979's "Meatballs"—the most underrated movie of the decade, by the way—and it's still true in 2010. It's true for the Pirates, anyway.

It doesn't matter what the Pirates do. It doesn't matter if they beat the best pitcher in baseball and the best lineup in the National League 2-1, and it doesn't matter if they lose to a ho-hum crew of underachievers 20-0. It doesn't matter if they do things the right way, and it doesn't matter if they draft well, and it doesn't matter if they win a lot of one-run games.

It doesn't matter because the damage has been done. The Pirates' brand has been ruined by the wreckage that has been the last 17 years.

So it doesn't matter if they are on the right path – which they probably are. They are spending their money on scouting and the draft, they are investing in Latin America, and they have re-stocked what was one of the most pathetic minor league systems in baseball. None of that is sexy to the fan base, but all of it is vital to rebuilding an organization. It just doesn't matter.

It doesn't matter if they made the right decisions with most of their trades – which they probably did. Most of the fan favorites whose departures caused near-mutinies when they were traded are struggling mightily – if they are even playing at all. Trading Nate McLouth was considered to be the ultimate embarrassment to the organization. Nate McLouth was hitting .179 through May. Jack Wilson? He's missed an average of 64 games each of the past two seasons and already has missed nearly 30 and counting this year. Freddy Sanchez is finally back on the field in San Francisco after missing the first 40 games of the 2010 season and the final 30 of '09. Xavier Nady is having a fine season as the Cubs' fourth outfielder after missing nearly all of 2009. Jason Bay's numbers with the Mets are not bad, but they're not even as good as Garrett Jones'. Nyjer Morgan had an outstanding six weeks for Washington immediately after being dealt for Lastings Milledge last season; but this year his numbers are nearly identical to those of Milledge. Ian Snell has been in and out of the Seattle rotation and is 0-3 with a 4.58 ERA. Sean Burnett has pitched well in a relief role with the Nats, but John Grabow's ERA in Chicago has hovered above 9.00 all season. The Cubs' Tom Gorzelanny has actually been the best of the bunch – despite a 2-5 won-loss record, he's pitched well with a 3.66 ERA and an average of 5 2/3 innings pitched per start.

For that motley crew and a few assorted others, the Pirates received about a quarter of the current major league roster and a throng of minor leaguers. But that doesn't matter.

They have drafted well and brought along their young talent the right way. Andrew McCutchen is the prime example, but Pedro Alvarez has traveled a similar—albeit quicker—path, and is about to make his major league debut. Brad Lincoln is on track to do the same. Their single-A Bradenton team is loaded with young talent that the team is thrilled with. It just doesn't matter.

None of this matters because for the last 17 years, we've seen the same plan fail not once, not twice, but three times. We've witnessed countless promises broken, plans scrapped, lies told and excuses made.

And fan anger has slowly but surely tuned into fan apathy. The Pirates have become merely an entertainment option for a generation of fans: Something to do once or twice this summer, with the main goals being to enjoy the scenery and beat the traffic.

None of this is the current administration's fault, but it is their reality. So it doesn't matter what they do, because their predecessors created this reality and they are forced to work in and work through it.

For any of this to matter, those in charge must plow forward, undeterred by media, fans and player complaints. They must not get defensive when they are questioned and even ridiculed; they must stick to what they started and not back off like those before them did. They must exist in a vacuum and let the barbs fall on them and around them. And, crucially, all of this must be true for the owner as well.

But most of all, of course, they must win. But it won't stop there.

Winning still won't matter – not one season of winning, anyway. This fan base has been made so gun shy and so cynical, it will be nervously waiting for the other shoe to drop, for the fleeting wins to bleed into traded stars, faded memories and more empty seats.

So they must keep winning. They most not only turn the corner, but they must hit the straightaway at full speed and show they belong in the race. They must not only throw a scare into the leaders and cause them to glance over their shoulders, but they must be able to keep pace – for the entire race.

Then—and only then—will any of this matter.