Where have you gone, Andy Van Slyke?

No podcast this week because, well, it's just not worth it. I'd just be rehashing things I've already said and I don't really have any urge to do that. Here's the thing; the Pirates are a bad baseball team. Very bad, in fact. Their lineup is bad, their rotation is bad beyond Gorzelanny and Snell, and their bullpen is awful. Their minor league system is bereft of talent besides Walker and McCutchen. Things are so bad down there that we view Brian Bixler as a major talent. The front office lacks any kind of vision whatsoever. They drafted a relief pitcher with the fourth pick in the draft. It's just very hard for me to put any sort of brainpower into the Pirates when things seem so cut and dried right now.

This week's podcast can be listened to or downloaded here , or you can subscribe on iTunes here . Some of the topics are: The Pirates have a winning week The level of competition and if it should matter John Van Benschoten's debut. Shawn Chacon, the reliever Ian Snell's bizarre injury Jason Bay's struggles The Rangers and Angels There's a bit of static for the last couple minutes. Still working the kinks out here, so you'll have to forgive stuff like that.

Monday means podcast day. You can listen to it or download it here , or subscribe on iTunes here . Here's a list of topics: The draft. I included some of my interview on Steeltown Mike 's show here. Just why the draft pick was so damn bad. The past week, the Nationals series, the Yankees series, and why the Yankees sweep isn't surprising at all. Roger Clemens What to expect against the Rangers and White Sox (here's a hint, not much). Again, let me know what you think, if you have suggestions, etc.

That's right. The first ever WHYGAVS Podcast is finally here. It's more of a test run than anything, so I'm looking for feedback. You can listen to it here , or grab it on iTunes here (if you do subscribe on iTunes there will be some ads from my host, Switchpod, that come along with the podcast). I have an option to embed it, but I can't do that without having it automatically play whenever the site opens. If I can turn that off, I may embed it later. A quick list of topics Why I'm podcasting and what I expect. Week in review The bullpen Torres Capps Everone else Can the Pirates win the Central? Who will? The week ahead The Yankees It's only about 13 minutes long, so give it a shot if you've got some time today.