This week on the podcast, Jon and I are pleased to welcome Pat Lackey of Where Have You Gone, Andy Van Slyke?, which is my favorite Pirates blog, if only because I like to abbreviate it to WHYGAS? and then answer the question in parentheses. For example:This week on the podcast, we’re pleased to welcome Pat of WHYGAS? (‘cuz it’s more fun than the brake).

Pat seems to prefer to abbreviate it WHYGAVS?, though. To each his own, I guess.

Anyway, Pat gives us an overview of the Pirates’ moves this off-season and his expectations for the coming year.

Thanks to Pat for agreeing to be on the show.

Episode 46: Pirates Preview with Pat Lackey (13.1 MB, 19:07)

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C. Trent said that there were a lot of people at the Josh Hamilton press conference:

Still, it was an interesting 41 minutes for Hamilton's press conference. Had writers from not only Cincinnati and the Tampa area, but also Toronto, Philadelphia, New York and elsewhere, I didn't recognize everyone. It's too good of a story not follow up.

But I didn't really understand the magnitude of the number of stories being written about Mr. Hamilton until I checked out my favorite sports aggregater Pro Sports Daily. There, I found links to all of these stories:

• Hamilton Set to Bury the Past in USA Today
• Hamilton's Past Haunting, Future Hopeful in the Orlando Sentinel
• Beating the Devil in the St Petersburg Times
• Hamilton: 'God Has Guided Me Through the Storm in the Tampa Tribune
• Hamilton is Trying to Come Back from the Abyss in the LA Times

And those are just the stories outside of Cincinnati. The Enquirer and Post had their pieces too. The DDN had two stories.

I guess it's nice to see the Reds getting so much media coverage, but this story isn't as sweet as they're making it out to be. I mean, yeah, he's overcoming adversity, but it's adversity he made for himself. It just strikes me as the schmaltzy crap they play constantly during the Olympics when all you really want is to watch some curling. Can't you just hear Stone Phillips doing the intro voice-over?

A second chance. For some, it is a wish. For a few, it's a gift. But for one young outfield hopeful, a second chance means not only a shot at redemption on the diamond, but an opportunity to reclaim his life.

Oh man, Dateline was there, weren't they? We're never going to hear the end of this story.