New Bucs looks at the battle going on between Bill Madden/Scott Boras and Major League Baseball over how much money the Pirates are receiving from the league and how it’s being spent.

But what is new is that Philly lawyer Frank Coonelly has been blatantly called out as a liar by Rosenthal and Madden’s insinuations. That is the last thing in the world the Nutting clan want to see happen right now because it also calls their credibility to the mat at a time they appear headed for a ‘one year grab as much profit as possible in 2010? run.

This is far from over as even my phone is ringing from investigative research types now so sit back and wait for the next round to be fired. In the meantime, don’t expect any changes in the way the Pirates go about their business. But I am very pleased to see national media types and some inside the game start to openly question the financial motives of Ogden and Robert Nutting. It’s long overdue since local media has become too soft on the subject.

The Pirates are making a profit instead of putting the money into salaries to improve the team. Part of that is the dynamics of the game. It’s not worth spending $14 million to go from a 99 loss team to a 93 loss team. However, it looks really bad to the fans, and to the teams that are paying for the Pirates to be profitable.

What would have been nice was for the Pirates to bank that profit. While it might not be worth spending an extra $14 million on a bad team, it probably is worth spending $60 million if that money could bring them into contention. If the profit from the last five years was all available to be spent now, the Pirates could be the 1997 Marlins.