Murray Chass on the Pirates

by Charlie Wilmoth on Nov 11, 2007 12:35 AM EST in News

Nice article on the Bucs in the New York Times:

The Pittsburgh Pirates have endured 15 consecutive losing seasons, one season short of the record for futility, and this is how they decided to reverse their fortunes:

The club chairman hired a president who had never run a club or even worked for one.

The president hired a general manager who had never been a general manager, and wasn't even an assistant general manager when he got the job.

The general manager hired a manager who had never been a major league manager, had been fired from his last job as a major league coach, and had managed a minor league team last season to the worst record in the International League.

You know, if you'd explained things to me like this - without naming names - right after Dave Littlefield was fired, I think I would've been pretty happy with the situation, just because I'd have known the Pirates would be trying something completely different. The Pirates' situation is so desperate that outside-the-box people almost seem like the franchise's best shot. I mean, Frank Coonelly and Neal Huntington are like Jimmy McGinty and Shane Falco from The Replacements. Normally I think it's stupid to believe that these sorts of people can change anything, but when you look at what someone like Wayne Krivsky - who was well-regarded when hired - is doing to the Reds, you have to wonder whether the weird management team the Pirates have assembled just might work out well for them.

In any case, Huntington's right:

Huntington understands why fans may be skeptical.

"Nothing I say will cause the fans to turn their opinion of me," he said, "but what we do will cause the fans to turn their opinion of us."

Well, at least he's right about the first part. We'll see about the second.

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6 billion people on Earth

and 90 spots open for club presidents, GMs, and managers. I'll accept the artificial limitations placed on the size of candidate pool for managers, but as for club presidents and GMs, I think there are enough people in the world that experience is a plus, not a requirement. Ed Wade has experience. Gabe Paul had decades of experience. Coonington may or may not have any success whatsoever, and their decisions may or may not be determinative factors in that non-success -- or success, if that's how it turns out. There is nothing in their inexperience to compel the conclusion that it will lead to failure, but if you're on deadline and stuck for something to write about the Pirates, or you have 30 seconds between commercials, it fills the time.

by KPatrick on Nov 11, 2007 10:42 AM EST reply actions

Experience -- BFD

The media dinosaurs used to make fun of Theo Epstein's youth and inexperience constantly, but they don't any more. Yeah, he has a big budget, but plenty of veteran GMs have produced squat with big budgets with teams like LA, the Mets, and the Red Sox themselves. I don't Shapiro had much more experience than Huntington, either, when he became GM.

This doesn't mean Coonelly and NH are the right guys, but I don't see it as a big deal.

And they DID just hire a very experienced and successful special assistant from Minnesota.

by WTM on Nov 11, 2007 3:35 PM EST up reply actions

The Bucs` lineup

under Nutting looks like a bunch that he`ll be able to control for a few years while he continues raking in the millions from a losing team.
Revenue sharing, beautiful ballpark, lousy team, keep making money....Nuttings happy.
I could say it`s Yogi`s deja vu all over again, but I`ll give them at least 2008 to change my mind and prove that this new cast of characters has a clue and is provided the resources to get the job done.
I guess all Pirates` fans are gluttons for punishment.
Cooney-McClatchy
Huntington-Littlefield
Russell-McClendon
How much differently will we think of the new guys than their predecessors in the not-too-distant future?
Let`s see what moves Huntington makes in the next few months.

by patthatt on Nov 11, 2007 6:13 PM EST reply actions