The only reasons I know I'm not reading this piece for the eighth time are that it's longer than most of these puff pieces and it begins with an unintentionally funny anecdote about a minor-league relief pitcher... working on a bunting drill? Seriously, how many plate appearances is Matt Capps going to get for the Pirates?
Memo to Pirates beat writers: we get it. Jim Tracy is a freaking great guy. The Pirates' managerial change has been a big improvement - I mean, just ask the players what they think of their new boss!
I'll try to avoid sounding too self-righteous about this because I'm not sure it hasn't happened, but - has anyone in the mainstream media done any actual research on Jim Tracy's managing skills? Has any Pirate beat writer contacted Los Angeles beat writers or broadcasters and asked about his in-game tactics? Has anyone in the mainstream media pored over Bill James' new book and the statistics to see what kind of manager he is? Has anyone looked at any tapes of Dodgers games to see what he does?
A story about those things would be a lot more valuable and interesting to read than these profiles about bunting drills for relievers and quotes from players, who predictably do the brown nose. The only good writing I've seen about what Tracy actually does - as opposed to what he and his coaches say he does - has been by Dodgers bloggers.