BIG THINGS PREDICTED FOR MAHOLM

On the brink of the Pirates' 2009 season, there's a ray of hope: pitcher Paul Maholm was recently named as the league's #1 breakout player by SI's Jon Heyman. Says Heyman:1. Paul Maholm, Pirates starter: He was about the best starter down in Florida (2-0, 1.52). Apparently not at all affected by his big winter contract (three years, $14.5 million).In the course of the past 12 months, Pirates fans have suffered through Losing Season 16.0, the trades of Xavier Nady and Jason Bay, the Pedro Alvarez saga, and recently, the Jose Tabata's wife kidnapping a baby. And that's piled on top of what's happened between 1993-2007. In short, any good news like this is gladly welcomed by the Bucco faithful. And I agree with the assertion that Maholm could have a big year, especially under the tutelage of Joe Kerrigan.Maholm's had a bit of a roller-coaster ride following his selection as the eighth player overall in the 2003 draft. He was hit in the face with a line d...