Comments made by New York Mets commentator Keith Hernandez about the Philadelphia Phillies recently got a lot of attention. And if you think those comments were rough, wait until you hear what Boston Red Sox color man Dennis Eckersley said about the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday night.
With the Red Sox opening up a three-game series against the Pirates in Pittsburgh on Tuesday, Eckersley absolutely ripped the Pittsburgh organization.
“You talk about a no-name lineup. There’s no team like this. I’d love to see some of the service time when you add it all up. It’s not much. We just came from Kansas City, seeing all of those young kids. This is different, though. Doesn’t it seem different? … This is a hodgepodge of nothingness.”
After play-by-play man Dave O’Brien referenced Pittsburgh’s consistently low payroll, Eckersley responded by saying, “It’s ridiculous. It really is. Pathetic.”
Dennis Eckersley on the Pirates (roster construction, payroll, etc):
"You talk about a no-name lineup. There's no team like this."
"This is a hodgepodge of nothingness."
"It's ridiculous. It really is. Pathetic." pic.twitter.com/qwPBnmkDTD
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) August 17, 2022
The Pirates entered Tuesday’s game at 45-70, which works out to a pace of about 63-99. Seasons like that have become all-too-common for Pittsburgh ever since the departure of Barry Bonds following the 1992 season, and especially under heavily criticized owner, Bob Nutting.
If we extrapolate 2020’s 19-41 record over a full season, the Pirates have averaged a 74-88 record since Nutting became CEO prior to the 2008 season. Even those totals are enhanced by 2013-2015, when the Pirates made the playoffs every season, averaging a 93-69 record along the way. Without those years bumping up the total, the average season under Nutting is around 68-94.
To that end, Ecksersley’s comments generated a lot of support.
Eck is a national treasure https://t.co/JxslTdv1VV
— Tyler Carey (@TC_CLE) August 17, 2022
https://t.co/ap5JvddCw5 pic.twitter.com/wvmbDRoz7S
— Matt Maisel (@Matt_Maisel) August 17, 2022
Should he be saying it? Probably not. But he’s not wrong. And I hope the players and management will hear it. Change is needed. Player development, hitting approach, roster construction, and overall team management needs to be assessed. https://t.co/64UlNLOy8j
— Bucs Bounty (@BucsBounty) August 17, 2022
Good gracious Dennis Eckersley, tell us how you really feel ??
"This is a hodgepodge of nothingness."
"It's ridiculous. It really is. Pathetic."pic.twitter.com/REmsJ4CDhL
— Daren Stoltzfus WESH (@DarenStoltzfus) August 17, 2022
It's better to laugh than cry. https://t.co/Mrd9eUGcoS
— Keenan Cummings (@rivalskeenan) August 17, 2022
NESN is known for their "homer" broadcasts, but this is spot-on and that is sad. I feel for Pirates fans everywhere. https://t.co/l7jEPf59hJ
— Anthony D'Agostino (@ADagostinoTV) August 17, 2022
He's not wrong. I would like to see more people involved in baseball trashing my team in a public setting. They're not going to listen to the fans but maybe if more of this happens, maybe management will be ashamed about fielding a AA team in the major leagues. https://t.co/3Dr1j6ylq6
— Phillip Bupp (@phillipbupp) August 17, 2022
Sadly, comments like this won’t be coming in the future, as Eckersley has announced that he’s leaving the NESN booth at the end of the season. We can enjoy him until then, though, and he’s clearly not afraid to go out in style.
