Casey's return proves Pirates are trying again
Mike Prisuta
PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Thursday, December 8, 2005
It remains to be seen how many home runs Sean Casey will account for playing for his hometown team, but the Pirates have hit it out of the park merely by acquiring Casey's services from the Cincinnati Reds.
The trade that cost the Buccos under-appreciated lefty Dave Williams makes a statement whether Casey goes deep often or infrequently.
Based on his first 29 career games at PNC Park, the ballpark that's been waiting since its opening in 2001 for a lefty besides Brian Giles to really exploit that right field porch, Casey should be expected to provide close to 14 home runs and 67 RBI at home assuming he plays all 81 games on the North Shore. That translates into some potentially intriguing power numbers throughout the course of a complete season, home and road, particularly from a guy who can be expected to hit for average, an over-.300 average, as well as swing for the fences.
But Casey's value goes far beyond numbers.
He'll be a fixture not just at first base, but in the clubhouse and the community as well, and those are three areas where the Pirates have long been in need of some fixing.
And Casey will personify what is continuing to look suspiciously like a we're-finally-getting-serious-again commitment on the part of Pirates management.
Casey might even become the face of a franchise that apparently doesn't want to be perceived as a laughingstock any more by the time it hosts the 2006 All-Star Game.
Think of what the Pirates have done since their 13th consecutive losing season mercifully came to a close:
They've hired an honest-to-goodness major league manager in Jim Tracy, a guy who has a resume and a track record and one who, at first glance, at least, may be able to pull off the impossible by selling hope.
They've allowed Tracy to bring coaches with him from Los Angeles, suggesting the Pirates have upped the budget for their staff as well as for what they're willing to pay a manager.
And they've rewarded monstrously productive outfielder Jason Bay with a lucrative contract extension, not because it delays Bay's ability to become a free agent -- it doesn't -- but because it was the right thing to do (you can't have your best player playing for relative peanuts and be taken seriously).
Now, comes Casey, an on-the-field ambassador who will exude energy and leadership and reach out to the fans and the players around him like a pinstriped Hines Ward.
Casey should also be able to take advantage of all that real estate in left-center field while helping the Pirates take small but significant steps back toward legitimacy.
That'll translate into $8.5 million minus whatever the Reds are contributing toward his 2006 salary into money well spent.
Any homers Casey manages to contribute will be a bonus.
Mike Prisuta is a columnist for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
Showing posts with label Pirates 2005. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pirates 2005. Show all posts
Saturday, December 10, 2005
Thursday, December 08, 2005
Sean Casey: As good off the field as he is on it
Thursday, December 08, 2005
By Paul Meyer, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The sadness in Kathy List's voice was palpable.
So was the excitement in Jim Casey's voice.
The emotional reactions to Sean Casey joining the Pirates -- and leaving Cincinnati -- definitely ran the gamut yesterday.
"It's a big loss -- a huge, huge loss," said List, executive director of Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Greater Cincinnati. "Sean and his wife [Mandi] ... It's a loss for the Reds and a loss for the community."
List paused.
"Our loss is your gain -- plain and simple," List managed.
"I'm totally ecstatic!" said Jim Casey, who with his wife Joan might have the most to gain. "I'm absolutely enthralled! Euphoric! My grandkids are coming to town!"
As is their dad, Sean, 31, father of three, including 2-week-old Carli Renee.
Sean Casey, the Upper St. Clair High School graduate acquired from the Cincinnati Reds for left-hander Dave Williams in trade that is expected to be formally announced today, will play first base for the Pirates next season.
But that's just for starters.
A whole lot more comes with Sean and Mandi.
"They're a Big Couple of a young boy here," List said, referring to the Big Brothers/Big Sisters program that pairs couples with disadvantaged youths. "Sean was matched as a 'Big' before anybody even knew who Sean Casey was, and he's stuck [with it] for six years. The boy is in high school now.
"The relationship has survived offseasons, travel, road trips. Sean's integrity and sincerity are unquestioned. Sean is the real McCoy. What you see is what you get."
People see Sean Casey all over the place, not just first base.
For example, in Cincinnati in 2003 Casey started "Casey's Crew" -- a ticket program for disadvantaged youngsters. He provided 24 complimentary field-level tickets to each Saturday home game.
He was heavily involved with Make-A-Wish visits at Friday home games.
He often visited Cincinnati Children's Hospital and Shriner's Hospital for Children, sometimes on official Reds-sponsored trips, sometimes unannounced on his own.
Casey does other charitable work, but the point has been made.
Casey told the Dayton Daily News last season that his charity work springs from his faith.
"We're all on this Earth to make a difference while we're here," Casey told Hal McCoy, the Hall of Fame Reds beat guy from the Dayton paper. "When we're gone, we're gone. There is scripture that says, 'The Kingdom of God is now.' In Matthew 25:31-48, Jesus is talking, and He says ... when I was hungry, you fed Me. When I was thirsty, you gave Me drink. When I was homeless, you put a roof over My head.' "
"In all honesty, he's the finest person I've ever known," said Hall of Fame broadcaster Marty Brennaman, the Reds' play-by-play voice for 30 years. "I've never met a baseball player -- never met an athlete -- who is as nice, as good and as giving as he is.
"There are certain people, when you're around them and you get that feeling, 'Nobody can be that nice,' but not with him. Sean's legitimate. There's not an ounce of phoniness in his body. I've never seen him be anything less than kind to anyone."
"He's very caring," said Frank Porco, who tutored Casey on hitting at the Bethel Park Grand Slam batting cages years ago and still helps Casey with his swing. "He calls me all the time wondering how I'm doing. He's very family-oriented, very down-to-earth. He's not a phony."
The trading of Casey to the Pirates could be like the Reds trading Tony Perez, another first baseman, to the Montreal Expos after the 1976 season. The Reds, who won the World Series in 1975-76, finished second in their division in 1977-78, and former Reds general manager Bob Howsam later called the Perez trade "the worst I ever made."
"Casey meant so much to the team," Cincinnati outfielder Austin Kearns told the Cincinnati Enquirer. "He was a leader in the clubhouse and out on the field. It's always a risk when you trade a guy like that."
Casey's leadership ability became evident early in high school in Upper St. Clair. He belonged to "Natural Helpers" -- which according to Upper St. Clair baseball coach Jerry Malarkey was "a trusted group of students other students could talk to about anything." Casey's work there -- not to mention his baseball ability -- endeared him to Upper St. Clair residents.
This past season, during a Reds visit to PNC Park, Malarkey and the school retired Casey's high school jersey, No. 22. Malarkey didn't know how many people would attend the ceremony, mentioning to Casey the night before there might be 30 people there, perhaps 100.
More than 400 people showed up, including a few of Casey's Cincinnati teammates and a couple of Cincinnati front-office staffers.
The ceremony lasted 90 minutes.
"And, for most of that time, people talked about what kind of person he is and his leadership," Malarkey said.
"I think it's great [that Casey is joining the Pirates]. It will be a real spark for baseball in Pittsburgh. He will be a tremendous, tremendous influence in the community and in the clubhouse."
Casey's enthusiasm for life, people and helping has earned him the nickname "The Mayor." It has been reported that he got that monicker in Cincinnati. Actually, he acquired it in 1994 while playing for Brewster, Mass., in the Cape Cod League.
Casey shook hands with and talked to so many fans and relatives that summer that, according to Jim Casey, Brewster manager Mike Kirby told his first baseman: "Casey -- play baseball. You're not the mayor."
Sean Casey will be in Pittsburgh next summer to play baseball. What will it be like for him to play in his hometown?
Listen to John Wehner, the kid from Carrick who broke into the major leagues with the Pirates at Three Rivers Stadium July 17, 1991, and who is now one of the team's broadcasters.
"For me, it was heaven," Wehner said. "But, at first, it was kind of tough. There were a ton of distractions. Just being in the big leagues for the first time was excitement enough.
"It will be a little different for him. He's established in the big leagues. His family and friends have seen him play here. I think it will go pretty smoothly for him. I'm sure it's going to be neat for him to put on a Pittsburgh Pirates uniform. This is the team he rooted for growing up."
There's an interesting tie between Wehner and Casey. Wehner hit the final home run in Three Rivers Stadium; Casey hit the first home run at PNC Park.
"Yep," Wehner said with a laugh. "We went back-to-back."
(Paul Meyer can be reached at 412-263-1144.)
By Paul Meyer, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The sadness in Kathy List's voice was palpable.
So was the excitement in Jim Casey's voice.
The emotional reactions to Sean Casey joining the Pirates -- and leaving Cincinnati -- definitely ran the gamut yesterday.
"It's a big loss -- a huge, huge loss," said List, executive director of Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Greater Cincinnati. "Sean and his wife [Mandi] ... It's a loss for the Reds and a loss for the community."
List paused.
"Our loss is your gain -- plain and simple," List managed.
"I'm totally ecstatic!" said Jim Casey, who with his wife Joan might have the most to gain. "I'm absolutely enthralled! Euphoric! My grandkids are coming to town!"
As is their dad, Sean, 31, father of three, including 2-week-old Carli Renee.
Sean Casey, the Upper St. Clair High School graduate acquired from the Cincinnati Reds for left-hander Dave Williams in trade that is expected to be formally announced today, will play first base for the Pirates next season.
But that's just for starters.
A whole lot more comes with Sean and Mandi.
"They're a Big Couple of a young boy here," List said, referring to the Big Brothers/Big Sisters program that pairs couples with disadvantaged youths. "Sean was matched as a 'Big' before anybody even knew who Sean Casey was, and he's stuck [with it] for six years. The boy is in high school now.
"The relationship has survived offseasons, travel, road trips. Sean's integrity and sincerity are unquestioned. Sean is the real McCoy. What you see is what you get."
People see Sean Casey all over the place, not just first base.
For example, in Cincinnati in 2003 Casey started "Casey's Crew" -- a ticket program for disadvantaged youngsters. He provided 24 complimentary field-level tickets to each Saturday home game.
He was heavily involved with Make-A-Wish visits at Friday home games.
He often visited Cincinnati Children's Hospital and Shriner's Hospital for Children, sometimes on official Reds-sponsored trips, sometimes unannounced on his own.
Casey does other charitable work, but the point has been made.
Casey told the Dayton Daily News last season that his charity work springs from his faith.
"We're all on this Earth to make a difference while we're here," Casey told Hal McCoy, the Hall of Fame Reds beat guy from the Dayton paper. "When we're gone, we're gone. There is scripture that says, 'The Kingdom of God is now.' In Matthew 25:31-48, Jesus is talking, and He says ... when I was hungry, you fed Me. When I was thirsty, you gave Me drink. When I was homeless, you put a roof over My head.' "
"In all honesty, he's the finest person I've ever known," said Hall of Fame broadcaster Marty Brennaman, the Reds' play-by-play voice for 30 years. "I've never met a baseball player -- never met an athlete -- who is as nice, as good and as giving as he is.
"There are certain people, when you're around them and you get that feeling, 'Nobody can be that nice,' but not with him. Sean's legitimate. There's not an ounce of phoniness in his body. I've never seen him be anything less than kind to anyone."
"He's very caring," said Frank Porco, who tutored Casey on hitting at the Bethel Park Grand Slam batting cages years ago and still helps Casey with his swing. "He calls me all the time wondering how I'm doing. He's very family-oriented, very down-to-earth. He's not a phony."
The trading of Casey to the Pirates could be like the Reds trading Tony Perez, another first baseman, to the Montreal Expos after the 1976 season. The Reds, who won the World Series in 1975-76, finished second in their division in 1977-78, and former Reds general manager Bob Howsam later called the Perez trade "the worst I ever made."
"Casey meant so much to the team," Cincinnati outfielder Austin Kearns told the Cincinnati Enquirer. "He was a leader in the clubhouse and out on the field. It's always a risk when you trade a guy like that."
Casey's leadership ability became evident early in high school in Upper St. Clair. He belonged to "Natural Helpers" -- which according to Upper St. Clair baseball coach Jerry Malarkey was "a trusted group of students other students could talk to about anything." Casey's work there -- not to mention his baseball ability -- endeared him to Upper St. Clair residents.
This past season, during a Reds visit to PNC Park, Malarkey and the school retired Casey's high school jersey, No. 22. Malarkey didn't know how many people would attend the ceremony, mentioning to Casey the night before there might be 30 people there, perhaps 100.
More than 400 people showed up, including a few of Casey's Cincinnati teammates and a couple of Cincinnati front-office staffers.
The ceremony lasted 90 minutes.
"And, for most of that time, people talked about what kind of person he is and his leadership," Malarkey said.
"I think it's great [that Casey is joining the Pirates]. It will be a real spark for baseball in Pittsburgh. He will be a tremendous, tremendous influence in the community and in the clubhouse."
Casey's enthusiasm for life, people and helping has earned him the nickname "The Mayor." It has been reported that he got that monicker in Cincinnati. Actually, he acquired it in 1994 while playing for Brewster, Mass., in the Cape Cod League.
Casey shook hands with and talked to so many fans and relatives that summer that, according to Jim Casey, Brewster manager Mike Kirby told his first baseman: "Casey -- play baseball. You're not the mayor."
Sean Casey will be in Pittsburgh next summer to play baseball. What will it be like for him to play in his hometown?
Listen to John Wehner, the kid from Carrick who broke into the major leagues with the Pirates at Three Rivers Stadium July 17, 1991, and who is now one of the team's broadcasters.
"For me, it was heaven," Wehner said. "But, at first, it was kind of tough. There were a ton of distractions. Just being in the big leagues for the first time was excitement enough.
"It will be a little different for him. He's established in the big leagues. His family and friends have seen him play here. I think it will go pretty smoothly for him. I'm sure it's going to be neat for him to put on a Pittsburgh Pirates uniform. This is the team he rooted for growing up."
There's an interesting tie between Wehner and Casey. Wehner hit the final home run in Three Rivers Stadium; Casey hit the first home run at PNC Park.
"Yep," Wehner said with a laugh. "We went back-to-back."
(Paul Meyer can be reached at 412-263-1144.)
Friday, November 18, 2005
Bob Smizik: Signing Bay is One Move Pirates Won't Regret
Signing Bay is one move the Pirates won't regret
Friday, November 18, 2005
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Eerily, perhaps ominously, the news conference heralding the signing of the Pirates' best player to a multiyear, multimillion dollar contract came five years to the day -- almost to the minute -- of a news conference heralding the signing of the Pirates' best player to a multiyear, multimillion dollar contract.
On the afternoon of Nov. 17, 2005, the Pirates signed the player they absolutely had to sign.
Just as on the afternoon of Nov. 17, 2000, they signed the player they absolutely had to sign.
On Nov. 17, 2005, Jason was praised not just as an outstanding player but as a fine human being and a credit to the community. Just as on Nov. 17, 2000, Jason was described in similar fashion.
The Pirates can only hope the comparison between Jason Bay and Jason Kendall ends there.
The Kendall signing turned disastrous, bordering on catastrophic, almost from the start. His batting average declined 54 points the year after the signing. The power that was expected to bloom as he matured atrophied instead. As the team lost, he became an unhappy camper. As it lost more, he became the focal point of the blame with some, preposterously, calling him a cancer in the clubhouse.
They'll never say that about Bay, a man of immense baseball talent and a level of humility to match. Bay, who agreed to a four-year, $18.25 million contract, is a throwback to the day when players allowed their accomplishments, not their lifestyle or words, to speak for themselves.
The contract takes away all of Bay's arbitration years but still allows him seek free agency after the 2009 season, the first year he would be eligible. Bay and his agent wanted a fifth year -- which would have significantly increased the value of the contract -- guaranteed. The Pirates wanted the year at their option.
What's important is the franchise has a legitimate player to build around as general manager Dave Littlefield and first-year manager Jim Tracy attempt to turn around 13 years of losing.
Although not surprising since the deal had been simmering since late in this past season, the move was out of character for Littlefield, who has proceeded with extreme caution in doling out money to players. It was Littlefield who was criticized by some for giving Bay little more than a token raise ($50,000) after Bay won the Rookie of the Year award in 2004. It was just Littlefield exercising the fiscal prudence needed in a small-market situation.
That he responded so differently after this past season -- when he didn't have to -- speaks not to the fact Littlefield has changed his style but that he has that much confidence in Bay. He has good reason to feel that way even if his opinion is not shared by many others. Bay not only is underappreciated throughout baseball, the result of playing in Pittsburgh, but he's also underappreciated in Pittsburgh, the result of too many not understanding precisely what his accomplishments have been.
If the discussion at the local bar got around to the best offensive outfielders in baseball, the names most likely heard would be Manny Ramirez, Vladimir Guerrero and Gary Sheffield.
Put Bay in that group and put him in the top half. In talking about National League outfielders put him at the top.
By conventional baseball statistics Bay is a good player, not approaching a great one. He hit 32 home runs, drove in 101 runs and had a batting average of .306 last season. But those are old-fashioned statistics. Batting average has fallen distinctly behind on-base percentage as a barometer of player value. Likewise, RBIs and home runs are nothing compared to slugging percentage and -- the ultimate offensive statistic -- OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging percentage). Runs batted in, for example, are often cited as the most important offensive statistic. But driving in runs requires teammates to be on base. OPS defines what the player has done, not what his teammates have helped him to do.
Among National League outfielders, Bay is fourth in on-base percentage and fourth in slugging percentage. When those two numbers are combined to get OPS, Bay is the best in the National League and second only to Ramirez throughout baseball.
In the National League, his OPS of .961 (.402 on base, .559 slugging) trailed only four first basemen -- Derrek Lee, Albert Pujols, Carlos Delgado and Todd Helton -- and led such more highly regarded outfielders as Miguel Cabrera, Lance Berkman, Andruw Jones and Jim Edmonds.
If Bay were some kind of buffoon in the outfield, these numbers might not mean as much. But he's an excellent defensive outfielder, whose only shortcoming is a below-average arm. He's ideal for the vast left field at PNC Park.
He's ideal, too, for the Pirates, a Canadian by birth but a Pittsburgher by personality. The Pirates made the right move, the only move. This one won't turn sour.
(Bob Smizik can be reached at bsmizik@post-gazette.com.)
Wednesday, October 12, 2005
Tracy Wants Bucs To Play Like Cards
[hmmm...as opposed to playing like the Pirates for the last 13 years...let's see...Pirates or Cardinals?....Pirates or Cardinals?....well, OK...Cardinals it is...way to go out on a limb, Mr. Tracy...actually, I really hope the Bucs play like the 1998 Yankees...record-setting win total and World Series Champs...that sounds a heck of a lot better than playing like the Cards. - jtf]
New manager wants team to play like the Cardinals
Wednesday, October 12, 2005
By Paul Meyer, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
More Pirates News:
The players: Tracy's communication skills welcome
Smizik: Tracy will need some help
Pirates Q&A with Dejan Kovacevic
If the Pirates begin to play even a little bit like the St. Louis Cardinals in the next couple of seasons, don't be surprised.
That's exactly who Jim Tracy wants them to play like.
"The Cardinals are a tremendous model," Tracy said. "They're interesting for this reason -- they can kill you with the long ball. But what takes place with that club in between that long one being hit is what's most damaging about them."
Tracy yesterday repeatedly cited the Cardinals as a model for the Pirates to follow during his introduction as the Pirates' new manager and in other sessions with the media.
"It's the intangibles they have," Tracy said. "They do the little things. Sure, they can thunder you in a heartbeat. But where they really beat you down is when Albert Pujols hits the ball through the hole on a hit-and-run and it's first and third and nobody out.
"Then they chip away and get two or three runs doing the little things. Then late in the game somebody pops one and now they have six runs and you need seven to win. That can be very difficult to do on any kind of a regular basis.
"It's so intriguing to watch how [the Cardinals] go about their business. It's baseball the way it's supposed to be played. It's such a methodical beatdown if you allow it to happen.
"But, hey, open your eyes and look at them. Once you ingrain that into a group of people, you're going to get somewhere."
Maybe even somewhere other than 13 consecutive losing seasons, a Pirates streak Tracy inherited yesterday.
General manager Dave Littlefield handpicked Tracy, 49, to lead the Pirates out of that morass, citing the former Los Angeles Dodgers manager's knowledge of the National League and his ability to work with young players, educate them, communicate with them and prepare them for games.
"I'm comfortable he'll get us back to winning ways," Littlefield said.
The bond between Littlefield and Tracy formed during their years of working together with the Montreal Expos.
Tracy managed in Montreal's minor-league system for two seasons, beginning in 1993, then was manager Felipe Alou's bench coach for four years before serving as the Dodgers' bench coach for two years (1999-2000).
Littlefield, who joined the Expos as a scout in 1991, became Montreal's director of player development, a position he held from 1995-97.
"People have a tendency to hire people they know and have worked with and are comfortable with," said former Pirates manager Jim Leyland, who last week was named the Detroit Tigers' new manager. "It's common sense. That's one reason I'm [with Detroit], and I think the same thing about Jim Tracy. There's some history there [between Tracy and Littlefield].
"Jim is a great guy, and I think it's a tremendous, tremendous choice."
"A lot of people outside our organization speak very highly of [Tracy]," Pirates owner Kevin McClatchy said, "and feel he is the right fit for what we need here as far as teaching our younger players and having the ability to work with younger players to get them to take the next step forward.
"We do have some talent here, but we can't let this talent take a step backward. I think he's the right guy to help us there."
McClatchy accompanied Littlefield to Houston Monday to meet with Tracy and Tracy's agent, Alan Hendricks, and get a contract finalized. Tracy, who was to receive a guaranteed $700,000 next season to manage the Dodgers, has a three-year deal with the Pirates that's believed worth about $3.2 million.
Tracy wasn't specific yesterday about the makeup of his coaching staff. However, last night Jim Colborn, who was his pitching coach in Los Angeles, agreed to be the Pirates' pitching coach.
"[Jim] and I feel we have unfinished business," Colborn told the Los Angeles Daily News. "Jim and I work together very well, and pitchers look good sometimes because a manager agrees with his pitching coach on how to use them.
"He allows me to have my own program and supports me and makes me feel like I am appreciated and respected."
In addition to Colborn, Jim Lett, who was Tracy's bench coach in Los Angeles, will be the Pirates' bench coach.
It's thought that first base coach John Shelby also will be a member of Tracy's staff.
Tracy did say that some members of the 2005 Pirates coaching staff will get consideration for jobs with him.
Tracy, from Hamilton, Ohio, was a three-sport standout at Hamilton Badin High School, also the alma mater of former Pirates closer Kent Tekulve. And like Tekulve, Tracy attended Marietta College in Ohio.
Tracy was a fourth-round pick of the Chicago Cubs in 1977 and played two seasons (1980-81) in the major leagues with the Cubs.
Tracy began his managerial career in the Cubs' minor-league system in 1987.
"There's one [point] I've made since I started to manage and I say it every spring," Tracy said. "Effort is not an option. Everything else we can talk about."
Tracy yesterday made that point while lauding the job Lloyd McClendon, fired as the Pirates' manager Sept. 6, and his coaching staff did.
"What I've been very impressed with -- and I think you need to give a tip of the cap to Lloyd McClendon and [his] staff here -- is that they played the game every time for 27 outs," Tracy said. "They played with energy. They played hard. There's no question about that. That's a hell of a starting point."
Still, Tracy could have a long road to traverse before these Pirates get on the other side of .500, let alone win a division championship. Or even a wild card.
"It can start to happen as quickly as [the players] want it to because they're going to hear it every day," Tracy said. "How quickly [do] they want to get on the wagon and ride in the direction we're headed in? That's a choice you make.
"Our interest will be that this group of players get to the point where they understand themselves and they understand what their capabilities are in the framework of a team concept.
"When the whole bunch of them know how to play, then it starts to get very dangerous. And it becomes a very fun thing to be a part of. Does it take a little time? Sure it does."
Tracy, though, believes the Pirates have what he called "a very interesting nucleus" in Oliver Perez, Zach Duke, Paul Maholm, Mike Gonzalez, Jason Bay, Jose Castillo, Rob Mackowiak, Chris Duffy, Nate McLouth and Jack and Craig Wilson.
He also cited Kip Wells, a right-handed starter who's maddeningly inconsistent.
"Kip Wells is a very interesting project, in my opinion," Tracy said. "His stuff is way too good. He's experienced success, but he's capable of much more by just making some adjustments."
And yet there's this, too. The Pirates in 2005 finished 67-95.
"I wouldn't have been interested in this job if I didn't feel very strongly that we can make a difference and can move forward," Tracy said. "The youth and potential of this ballclub is something that is really intriguing to me.
"I like challenges. I like it when people say, 'You don't have a chance to succeed there.' "
More Major League Baseball news
New manager wants team to play like the Cardinals
Wednesday, October 12, 2005
By Paul Meyer, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
More Pirates News:
The players: Tracy's communication skills welcome
Smizik: Tracy will need some help
Pirates Q&A with Dejan Kovacevic
If the Pirates begin to play even a little bit like the St. Louis Cardinals in the next couple of seasons, don't be surprised.
That's exactly who Jim Tracy wants them to play like.
"The Cardinals are a tremendous model," Tracy said. "They're interesting for this reason -- they can kill you with the long ball. But what takes place with that club in between that long one being hit is what's most damaging about them."
Tracy yesterday repeatedly cited the Cardinals as a model for the Pirates to follow during his introduction as the Pirates' new manager and in other sessions with the media.
"It's the intangibles they have," Tracy said. "They do the little things. Sure, they can thunder you in a heartbeat. But where they really beat you down is when Albert Pujols hits the ball through the hole on a hit-and-run and it's first and third and nobody out.
"Then they chip away and get two or three runs doing the little things. Then late in the game somebody pops one and now they have six runs and you need seven to win. That can be very difficult to do on any kind of a regular basis.
"It's so intriguing to watch how [the Cardinals] go about their business. It's baseball the way it's supposed to be played. It's such a methodical beatdown if you allow it to happen.
"But, hey, open your eyes and look at them. Once you ingrain that into a group of people, you're going to get somewhere."
Maybe even somewhere other than 13 consecutive losing seasons, a Pirates streak Tracy inherited yesterday.
General manager Dave Littlefield handpicked Tracy, 49, to lead the Pirates out of that morass, citing the former Los Angeles Dodgers manager's knowledge of the National League and his ability to work with young players, educate them, communicate with them and prepare them for games.
"I'm comfortable he'll get us back to winning ways," Littlefield said.
The bond between Littlefield and Tracy formed during their years of working together with the Montreal Expos.
Tracy managed in Montreal's minor-league system for two seasons, beginning in 1993, then was manager Felipe Alou's bench coach for four years before serving as the Dodgers' bench coach for two years (1999-2000).
Littlefield, who joined the Expos as a scout in 1991, became Montreal's director of player development, a position he held from 1995-97.
"People have a tendency to hire people they know and have worked with and are comfortable with," said former Pirates manager Jim Leyland, who last week was named the Detroit Tigers' new manager. "It's common sense. That's one reason I'm [with Detroit], and I think the same thing about Jim Tracy. There's some history there [between Tracy and Littlefield].
"Jim is a great guy, and I think it's a tremendous, tremendous choice."
"A lot of people outside our organization speak very highly of [Tracy]," Pirates owner Kevin McClatchy said, "and feel he is the right fit for what we need here as far as teaching our younger players and having the ability to work with younger players to get them to take the next step forward.
"We do have some talent here, but we can't let this talent take a step backward. I think he's the right guy to help us there."
McClatchy accompanied Littlefield to Houston Monday to meet with Tracy and Tracy's agent, Alan Hendricks, and get a contract finalized. Tracy, who was to receive a guaranteed $700,000 next season to manage the Dodgers, has a three-year deal with the Pirates that's believed worth about $3.2 million.
Tracy wasn't specific yesterday about the makeup of his coaching staff. However, last night Jim Colborn, who was his pitching coach in Los Angeles, agreed to be the Pirates' pitching coach.
"[Jim] and I feel we have unfinished business," Colborn told the Los Angeles Daily News. "Jim and I work together very well, and pitchers look good sometimes because a manager agrees with his pitching coach on how to use them.
"He allows me to have my own program and supports me and makes me feel like I am appreciated and respected."
In addition to Colborn, Jim Lett, who was Tracy's bench coach in Los Angeles, will be the Pirates' bench coach.
It's thought that first base coach John Shelby also will be a member of Tracy's staff.
Tracy did say that some members of the 2005 Pirates coaching staff will get consideration for jobs with him.
Tracy, from Hamilton, Ohio, was a three-sport standout at Hamilton Badin High School, also the alma mater of former Pirates closer Kent Tekulve. And like Tekulve, Tracy attended Marietta College in Ohio.
Tracy was a fourth-round pick of the Chicago Cubs in 1977 and played two seasons (1980-81) in the major leagues with the Cubs.
Tracy began his managerial career in the Cubs' minor-league system in 1987.
"There's one [point] I've made since I started to manage and I say it every spring," Tracy said. "Effort is not an option. Everything else we can talk about."
Tracy yesterday made that point while lauding the job Lloyd McClendon, fired as the Pirates' manager Sept. 6, and his coaching staff did.
"What I've been very impressed with -- and I think you need to give a tip of the cap to Lloyd McClendon and [his] staff here -- is that they played the game every time for 27 outs," Tracy said. "They played with energy. They played hard. There's no question about that. That's a hell of a starting point."
Still, Tracy could have a long road to traverse before these Pirates get on the other side of .500, let alone win a division championship. Or even a wild card.
"It can start to happen as quickly as [the players] want it to because they're going to hear it every day," Tracy said. "How quickly [do] they want to get on the wagon and ride in the direction we're headed in? That's a choice you make.
"Our interest will be that this group of players get to the point where they understand themselves and they understand what their capabilities are in the framework of a team concept.
"When the whole bunch of them know how to play, then it starts to get very dangerous. And it becomes a very fun thing to be a part of. Does it take a little time? Sure it does."
Tracy, though, believes the Pirates have what he called "a very interesting nucleus" in Oliver Perez, Zach Duke, Paul Maholm, Mike Gonzalez, Jason Bay, Jose Castillo, Rob Mackowiak, Chris Duffy, Nate McLouth and Jack and Craig Wilson.
He also cited Kip Wells, a right-handed starter who's maddeningly inconsistent.
"Kip Wells is a very interesting project, in my opinion," Tracy said. "His stuff is way too good. He's experienced success, but he's capable of much more by just making some adjustments."
And yet there's this, too. The Pirates in 2005 finished 67-95.
"I wouldn't have been interested in this job if I didn't feel very strongly that we can make a difference and can move forward," Tracy said. "The youth and potential of this ballclub is something that is really intriguing to me.
"I like challenges. I like it when people say, 'You don't have a chance to succeed there.' "
More Major League Baseball news
Tuesday, October 11, 2005
AP: New Pirates Manager Sees Talent on Team
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: October 11, 2005
Filed at 6:44 p.m. ET
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Jim Tracy is moving from one of baseball's biggest markets to one of its smallest, from a team that spends big and thinks big to one with more modest expectations following 13 consecutive losing seasons.
To Tracy, who signed a three-year contract Tuesday to become the Pittsburgh Pirates' manager after five mostly successful seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers, it's not the size of the city or the payroll that matters most but the talent. And he sees the same kind of young talent in Pittsburgh that he saw in Los Angeles in 2001.
''Challenges are something that I like very, very much,'' Tracy said. ''I like hearing people say or maybe think that this is a situation you don't have a chance to succeed in, I'm very challenged by that.''
Some might view the Pirates' situation as hopeless following a 67-95 season, but Tracy sees players such as Jason Bay, pitchers Zach Duke, Paul Maholm and Oliver Perez, center fielder Chris Duffy and second baseman Jose Castillo as being ready to win.
Real soon, too, once they learn the difference between what he calls ''the teams that go out and play baseball and those that go out and play winning baseball.''
''I'm looking forward to spearheading this ballclub to back to some of the days when the Pittsburgh Pirates were somebody you really had to deal with,'' said Tracy, who watched the Reds-Pirates rivalry while growing up near Cincinnati and playing college baseball at Marietta College, about 120 miles from Pittsburgh.
''I'm very anxious in making the players understand there is history here, history for them to be proud of and history for them to follow up on,'' he said.
It hasn't been recent history, with no winning seasons or championships since three consecutive NL East titles in 1990-92. Since then, the Pirates have floundered amid several failed rebuilding efforts, poor personnel decisions and an inability to compete against richer clubs for free agents.
But after years of promising a youth movement but not delivering one, the Pirates went young during the second half of this season by promoting players such as Duke (8-2, 1.81 ERA), Maholm (3-1, 2.18 ERA) and Duffy (.341 in 126 at-bats). They also have Bay, who followed up last year's NL rookie of the year season by hitting .306 with 32 homers, 101 RBIs and 44 doubles, and Castillo, one of the majors' top young infielders.
''I think the personnel's here to get it done,'' Tracy said. ''I wouldn't have been interested in this position if I didn't feel very strongly that myself, and the coaching staff, that we can make a difference.''
General manager Dave Littlefield said Tracy's ability to develop Dodgers players such as Adrian Beltre, Eric Gagne, Paul LoDuca and Cesar Izturis figured prominently in the decision to hire him. Littlefield and Tracy worked together in the Expos' organization in the mid 1990s, and Tracy was considered the front runner from the start to succeed former Pirates manager Lloyd McClendon, who was fired Sept. 6 during his fifth consecutive losing season.
''He's managed winning teams and winning teams in the playoffs,'' Littlefield said of Tracy. ''There are a lot of ingredients I think will make him successful here.''
Tracy was 427-383 and won the 2004 NL West title with the Dodgers despite a failed roster overhaul orchestrated by general manager Paul DePodesta that led to a 71-91 record this season. The two did not agree on numerous personnel decisions, including that to not bring back Beltre after he hit 48 homers and had 121 RBIs in 2004.
Tracy beat out the only other known candidates for the Pirates job, former Oakland Athletics manager Ken Macha and Atlanta Braves coach Fredi Gonzalez. Littlefield also wanted to interview former Pirates manager Jim Leyland, but he was hired by the Tigers last week before he could talk with the Pirates again.
Tracy, 49, was to have made $700,000 next year with the Dodgers but is expected to make more than that in Pittsburgh.
Tracy is expected to have free rein to hire his own coaches, as the Pirates coaches were told following the season finale on Oct. 2 they would not be brought back. Among those making the move might be pitching coach Jim Colborn and bench coach Jim Lett.
Published: October 11, 2005
Filed at 6:44 p.m. ET
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Jim Tracy is moving from one of baseball's biggest markets to one of its smallest, from a team that spends big and thinks big to one with more modest expectations following 13 consecutive losing seasons.
To Tracy, who signed a three-year contract Tuesday to become the Pittsburgh Pirates' manager after five mostly successful seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers, it's not the size of the city or the payroll that matters most but the talent. And he sees the same kind of young talent in Pittsburgh that he saw in Los Angeles in 2001.
''Challenges are something that I like very, very much,'' Tracy said. ''I like hearing people say or maybe think that this is a situation you don't have a chance to succeed in, I'm very challenged by that.''
Some might view the Pirates' situation as hopeless following a 67-95 season, but Tracy sees players such as Jason Bay, pitchers Zach Duke, Paul Maholm and Oliver Perez, center fielder Chris Duffy and second baseman Jose Castillo as being ready to win.
Real soon, too, once they learn the difference between what he calls ''the teams that go out and play baseball and those that go out and play winning baseball.''
''I'm looking forward to spearheading this ballclub to back to some of the days when the Pittsburgh Pirates were somebody you really had to deal with,'' said Tracy, who watched the Reds-Pirates rivalry while growing up near Cincinnati and playing college baseball at Marietta College, about 120 miles from Pittsburgh.
''I'm very anxious in making the players understand there is history here, history for them to be proud of and history for them to follow up on,'' he said.
It hasn't been recent history, with no winning seasons or championships since three consecutive NL East titles in 1990-92. Since then, the Pirates have floundered amid several failed rebuilding efforts, poor personnel decisions and an inability to compete against richer clubs for free agents.
But after years of promising a youth movement but not delivering one, the Pirates went young during the second half of this season by promoting players such as Duke (8-2, 1.81 ERA), Maholm (3-1, 2.18 ERA) and Duffy (.341 in 126 at-bats). They also have Bay, who followed up last year's NL rookie of the year season by hitting .306 with 32 homers, 101 RBIs and 44 doubles, and Castillo, one of the majors' top young infielders.
''I think the personnel's here to get it done,'' Tracy said. ''I wouldn't have been interested in this position if I didn't feel very strongly that myself, and the coaching staff, that we can make a difference.''
General manager Dave Littlefield said Tracy's ability to develop Dodgers players such as Adrian Beltre, Eric Gagne, Paul LoDuca and Cesar Izturis figured prominently in the decision to hire him. Littlefield and Tracy worked together in the Expos' organization in the mid 1990s, and Tracy was considered the front runner from the start to succeed former Pirates manager Lloyd McClendon, who was fired Sept. 6 during his fifth consecutive losing season.
''He's managed winning teams and winning teams in the playoffs,'' Littlefield said of Tracy. ''There are a lot of ingredients I think will make him successful here.''
Tracy was 427-383 and won the 2004 NL West title with the Dodgers despite a failed roster overhaul orchestrated by general manager Paul DePodesta that led to a 71-91 record this season. The two did not agree on numerous personnel decisions, including that to not bring back Beltre after he hit 48 homers and had 121 RBIs in 2004.
Tracy beat out the only other known candidates for the Pirates job, former Oakland Athletics manager Ken Macha and Atlanta Braves coach Fredi Gonzalez. Littlefield also wanted to interview former Pirates manager Jim Leyland, but he was hired by the Tigers last week before he could talk with the Pirates again.
Tracy, 49, was to have made $700,000 next year with the Dodgers but is expected to make more than that in Pittsburgh.
Tracy is expected to have free rein to hire his own coaches, as the Pirates coaches were told following the season finale on Oct. 2 they would not be brought back. Among those making the move might be pitching coach Jim Colborn and bench coach Jim Lett.
Tuesday, October 04, 2005
Stats Geek: Bay More Than Kept Up With Braves' Jones
Tuesday, October 04, 2005
By Brian O'Neill, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The top of my National League Most Valuable Player ballot would look like this if I could vote:
1. Derrek Lee
2. Albert Pujols
3. Jason Bay
4. Andruw Jones.
Were I to lay a bet, however, I'd pick Jones to win. A center fielder who hits 51 home runs and leads a team loaded with rookies to the playoffs? What's not to love?
Jones had a great year, but the other three had better ones. Let me concentrate on Bay because he'll be the one who gets the least love from real voters. Bay has the misfortune of doing almost everything well rather than one or two things exceptionally, and doing it all for a terrible team.
Let's begin with the Triple Crown stats and the respective rankings:
HR RBI AVG
Jones -- 51(1) -- 128 (1) -- .263 (53)
Bay -- 32 (11) -- 101 (12) -- .306 (9)
Leading the league in two of the three marquee categories makes Jones' mediocre batting average less important. In contrast, Bay's year merely looks solid.
Once past the big three, however, Bay's breadth of accomplishments is more impressive. Jones was fifth in slugging and Bay eighth (.575 to .559), and Jones was fourth to Bay's fifth in total bases (337 to 335). From there it's all Bay. He finished second in extra-base hits (82) to Jones' fourth (78). Bay also finished fourth in runs (110), fourth in doubles (44), seventh in hits (183), seventh in walks (95), eighth in on-base average (.402) and fifth in on-base plus slugging (.961), while Jones did not crack the top 10 in any of those categories. Bay was in another league as a base stealer, stealing 21 bases in 22 attempts, a rate of 94.45 that was seventh best in major-league history. Jones stole five bases in eight attempts.
Despite all that, some might be surprised that Bay put more runs on the scoreboard than Jones. Remember that the run from a home run counts twice on a player's baseball card (in runs and RBI) but only once on the big board. Bay scored 110 runs and drove in 101. Minus his 32 home runs and Bay's run production is 179.
Jones had 95 runs plus 128 RBIs. Minus his 51 home runs and his run production is 172. Bay had a seven-run edge. Not convinced? Let's see what each player did with his RBI opportunities. Baseball Prospectus tallied the number of runners each batter found on base in 2005.
Jones came to the plate with 503 runners looking back at him this season, second in the league. Bay saw 41 fewer.
Jones knocked in 15.3 percent of his runners and Bay knocked in 14.9 percent. But you have to remember a walk or a hit that doesn't score the runner doesn't help a batter here, though it might help his team. So it's important to see where runners were when the player batted.
Baseball Prospectus breaks down Bay's and Jones' runners by the bases they were on:
1B 2B 3B -- Total
Jones -- 236 -- 167 -- 100 -- 503
Bay -- 237 -- 153 -- 72 -- 462
Jones saw 14 more runners on second and 28 more on third than Bay did, and drove in just eight more of them. Bay actually hit better with runners in scoring position, batting .346 and slugging .614 while Jones hit .208 and slugged .388.
Bay did that while playing half his games in PNC Park, death to right-handed batters with its deep left-center field. Bay hit .337 with 23 homers and 60 RBIs on the road.
Ah, but what about defense? Jones has seven consecutive gold gloves.
Jones is a better outfielder, but the difference between Bay and the average left fielder may be greater than the difference between Jones and the average center fielder. Baseball Prospectus says Bay saved six runs above the average outfielder this season, while Jones saved four. Had they switched positions for the entire season, Jones almost certainly would have the advantage, but nobody can say Bay's defense was a weakness.
What about value to his team? Well, Bay accounted for 179 of the Pirates' 680 runs or 26.3 percent. Jones accounted for 172 of the Braves' 769 runs or 22.4 percent.
Bay is reportedly the only player in baseball this year and the only Pirate in history to have at least a .300 average, 30 home runs, 40 doubles, 20 stolen bases, 100 runs and 100 RBIs. Without checking, I'm confident Bay is also the only player in 2005 to outdo his nearest teammates by 20 home runs, 18 doubles, 13 stolen bases, 50 runs and 38 RBIs.
Because of Bay, Pirates left fielders finished first in the league in on-base plus slugging (OPS) while Braves left fielders finished 13th. Because of Jones, Braves center fielders finished first in the league in OPS while the Pirates center fielders finished 13th.
Hard to see much difference. Switch them and their teams' fortunes likely wouldn't have changed much. Bay will nonetheless finish well behind Jones in the MVP balloting. Nobody has been thinking about a guy who managed only to keep his team ahead of Kansas City.
(Brian O'Neill can be reached at boneill@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1947.)
By Brian O'Neill, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The top of my National League Most Valuable Player ballot would look like this if I could vote:
1. Derrek Lee
2. Albert Pujols
3. Jason Bay
4. Andruw Jones.
Were I to lay a bet, however, I'd pick Jones to win. A center fielder who hits 51 home runs and leads a team loaded with rookies to the playoffs? What's not to love?
Jones had a great year, but the other three had better ones. Let me concentrate on Bay because he'll be the one who gets the least love from real voters. Bay has the misfortune of doing almost everything well rather than one or two things exceptionally, and doing it all for a terrible team.
Let's begin with the Triple Crown stats and the respective rankings:
HR RBI AVG
Jones -- 51(1) -- 128 (1) -- .263 (53)
Bay -- 32 (11) -- 101 (12) -- .306 (9)
Leading the league in two of the three marquee categories makes Jones' mediocre batting average less important. In contrast, Bay's year merely looks solid.
Once past the big three, however, Bay's breadth of accomplishments is more impressive. Jones was fifth in slugging and Bay eighth (.575 to .559), and Jones was fourth to Bay's fifth in total bases (337 to 335). From there it's all Bay. He finished second in extra-base hits (82) to Jones' fourth (78). Bay also finished fourth in runs (110), fourth in doubles (44), seventh in hits (183), seventh in walks (95), eighth in on-base average (.402) and fifth in on-base plus slugging (.961), while Jones did not crack the top 10 in any of those categories. Bay was in another league as a base stealer, stealing 21 bases in 22 attempts, a rate of 94.45 that was seventh best in major-league history. Jones stole five bases in eight attempts.
Despite all that, some might be surprised that Bay put more runs on the scoreboard than Jones. Remember that the run from a home run counts twice on a player's baseball card (in runs and RBI) but only once on the big board. Bay scored 110 runs and drove in 101. Minus his 32 home runs and Bay's run production is 179.
Jones had 95 runs plus 128 RBIs. Minus his 51 home runs and his run production is 172. Bay had a seven-run edge. Not convinced? Let's see what each player did with his RBI opportunities. Baseball Prospectus tallied the number of runners each batter found on base in 2005.
Jones came to the plate with 503 runners looking back at him this season, second in the league. Bay saw 41 fewer.
Jones knocked in 15.3 percent of his runners and Bay knocked in 14.9 percent. But you have to remember a walk or a hit that doesn't score the runner doesn't help a batter here, though it might help his team. So it's important to see where runners were when the player batted.
Baseball Prospectus breaks down Bay's and Jones' runners by the bases they were on:
1B 2B 3B -- Total
Jones -- 236 -- 167 -- 100 -- 503
Bay -- 237 -- 153 -- 72 -- 462
Jones saw 14 more runners on second and 28 more on third than Bay did, and drove in just eight more of them. Bay actually hit better with runners in scoring position, batting .346 and slugging .614 while Jones hit .208 and slugged .388.
Bay did that while playing half his games in PNC Park, death to right-handed batters with its deep left-center field. Bay hit .337 with 23 homers and 60 RBIs on the road.
Ah, but what about defense? Jones has seven consecutive gold gloves.
Jones is a better outfielder, but the difference between Bay and the average left fielder may be greater than the difference between Jones and the average center fielder. Baseball Prospectus says Bay saved six runs above the average outfielder this season, while Jones saved four. Had they switched positions for the entire season, Jones almost certainly would have the advantage, but nobody can say Bay's defense was a weakness.
What about value to his team? Well, Bay accounted for 179 of the Pirates' 680 runs or 26.3 percent. Jones accounted for 172 of the Braves' 769 runs or 22.4 percent.
Bay is reportedly the only player in baseball this year and the only Pirate in history to have at least a .300 average, 30 home runs, 40 doubles, 20 stolen bases, 100 runs and 100 RBIs. Without checking, I'm confident Bay is also the only player in 2005 to outdo his nearest teammates by 20 home runs, 18 doubles, 13 stolen bases, 50 runs and 38 RBIs.
Because of Bay, Pirates left fielders finished first in the league in on-base plus slugging (OPS) while Braves left fielders finished 13th. Because of Jones, Braves center fielders finished first in the league in OPS while the Pirates center fielders finished 13th.
Hard to see much difference. Switch them and their teams' fortunes likely wouldn't have changed much. Bay will nonetheless finish well behind Jones in the MVP balloting. Nobody has been thinking about a guy who managed only to keep his team ahead of Kansas City.
(Brian O'Neill can be reached at boneill@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1947.)
Sunday, September 25, 2005
Paul Maholm: Steeliness in the Eye of Storms
Sunday, September 25, 2005
By Dejan Kovacevic, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
LOS ANGELES -- Paul Maholm always has been about the poise.
When he was 10 and pitching in his native Holly Springs, Miss., he was known to display the same flat-line reaction whether striking out the side or giving up a grand slam.
When he was 14, he was steady enough to beat out an adult field to win the annual golf tournament at the Holly Springs Country Club.
"It's funny but, when Paul was playing baseball, they would say he had mound presence. When he golfed, they would say he had course management," his father, Gary Maholm, said with a chuckle. "Whatever anyone calls it, Paul's always had it. Never too high or too low."
That trait would become Paul Maholm's bedrock in the years to come. And it never served him better than in the past 18 months, when he coped with three crises, three strikes that could have knocked him out in more ways than one.
All while completing a stunning, sizzling leap through the Pirates' system and into their rotation.
Stunning to most observers, anyway.
"Not to me. I've watched him a long time now," fellow rookie pitcher Zach Duke said. "As a pitcher, he's got the stuff to be successful at any level. And he's been through so much off the field ... I don't think anything's ever going to affect him on the field."
Strike one
Maholm, 23, is 2-1 with a 2.08 earned run average in his first five starts since being promoted to Pittsburgh Aug. 28. Given that he has less than two full seasons of professional experience -- he was the Pirates' first-round draft pick in 2004 -- those numbers are exceptional.
They go beyond that when considering where he was a year ago.
It was May 15, 2004, and Maholm was pitching at the Class A level in Lynchburg, Va., facing Winston-Salem's Casey Rogowski, a bear of a first baseman with a power stroke.
Maholm hung a curveball, and Rogowski crushed it.
Right back into the left side of Maholm's face.
He lay motionless for 15 minutes, bleeding on the mound, and was taken away by ambulance. Once the swelling subsided, he learned that the orbital bone around his left eye had been broken, as were his sinus and nose. These were not tidy breaks, either. The bones were pulverized.
Doctors told Maholm he had been lucky on two fronts. One was that the ball did not strike a part of his head that could have killed him. Another was that the eye was unscathed.
"Believe me, I was counting my blessings," Maholm recalled.
He had extensive surgery in Pittsburgh to reconstruct his face, including the insertion of titanium plates to connect the many loose bones.
Just three months later, he was pitching competitively again in the low minors, but he averaged an earned run and a walk per inning, well out of character.
He admits now he did it out of stubbornness.
"I had double vision in the eye, and I knew it," Maholm said. "I just wanted to prove to the Pirates I could get back on the mound."
Another surgery was needed in November to address the double vision by resetting the bones. That cost him participation in any fall or winter league, and it sent him into this past spring training a branded man of sorts.
It is common, baseball insiders say, for pitchers never to recover from such a trauma. They will flinch at line drives, change styles, even quit. That is why, when Maholm pitched during this past spring training, Pirates officials monitored his reactions intensely, even when he was throwing batting practice from behind an L-shaped fence.
They liked what they saw, enough to start him out at Class AA Altoona.
Strike two
"Once my vision got back to 100 percent, it was like the injury never happened," Maholm said. "I don't know how else to explain it. As soon as I got to Altoona, I stopped thinking about throwing a pitch and getting hit again. Sure, I had some close calls, but I just looked at those as part of the game."
Maholm pitched well enough for the Curve that he earned an invitation to Major League Baseball's Futures Game in mid-July, but fate would hit him hard again.
A week before the event, his mother, Linda Maholm, died following a 3 1/2-year battle with colon cancer.
This time, the emotions were not checked. Crestfallen, Maholm received a leave of absence and informed the Pirates he was not certain if he could pitch in the Futures Game.
"I was a huge mama's boy," he said. "When I was young, I would go to her when I wanted something. When I was playing, I would talk to her all the time. She always gave me everything. ... You know, it's good that she made it as long as she did. And it's better now because she's not having to suffer through the chemo and everything. I know she's watching every game I throw."
Maholm ended up in Detroit for the Futures Game and, no doubt still reeling, was erratic.
It would get better. He would go 6-2 with Altoona and earn a promotion to Class AAA Indianapolis in late July. He fared nearly as well there and was summoned to PNC Park a month later.
Strike three
On Aug. 29, the afternoon of what was to be his major-league debut, Maholm had spent the previous night and most of that morning flicking through the television for updates on Hurricane Katrina. He and his wife, Jessica, had bought a new house on property in Biloxi, Miss, shortly after their December wedding. It was squarely in Katrina's path.
Much of what should have been the greatest day of Maholm's life was spent on the cell phone communicating with in-laws in Biloxi about their safety and that of their property.
Adding to the distractions, roughly a dozen family and friends made the 21-hour drive to Pittsburgh to watch his debut, but most were forced to drive right back home when the game was rained out.
If any of it fazed him, it did not show when he hurled eight shutout innings the next night in Milwaukee against the Brewers.
The house absorbed little damage, just a small hole in the roof. Maholm said he and Jessica plan to move back at season's end.
"We got lucky," he said.
Maholm hardly is the boasting type, sounding folksy with his rich southern accent but invariably soft-spoken.
Still, he does express a measure of pride in his perseverance of the past year.
"With all that happened ... I'm sure there were a lot of people who felt I would go through the year and struggle, just trying to get back into form from getting hit and everything else. I've just kind of taken it all in stride, just done what I've always done."
He laughed.
"You know, this is a huge shock for me, the success I've had so early. I expected some rough innings. Luckily, I've made the pitches when I needed to. And it's been fun. I don't think I could ask for more. I'm in the big leagues. I'm living a dream."
(Dejan Kovacevic can be reached at dkovacevic@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1938.)
By Dejan Kovacevic, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
LOS ANGELES -- Paul Maholm always has been about the poise.
When he was 10 and pitching in his native Holly Springs, Miss., he was known to display the same flat-line reaction whether striking out the side or giving up a grand slam.
When he was 14, he was steady enough to beat out an adult field to win the annual golf tournament at the Holly Springs Country Club.
"It's funny but, when Paul was playing baseball, they would say he had mound presence. When he golfed, they would say he had course management," his father, Gary Maholm, said with a chuckle. "Whatever anyone calls it, Paul's always had it. Never too high or too low."
That trait would become Paul Maholm's bedrock in the years to come. And it never served him better than in the past 18 months, when he coped with three crises, three strikes that could have knocked him out in more ways than one.
All while completing a stunning, sizzling leap through the Pirates' system and into their rotation.
Stunning to most observers, anyway.
"Not to me. I've watched him a long time now," fellow rookie pitcher Zach Duke said. "As a pitcher, he's got the stuff to be successful at any level. And he's been through so much off the field ... I don't think anything's ever going to affect him on the field."
Strike one
Maholm, 23, is 2-1 with a 2.08 earned run average in his first five starts since being promoted to Pittsburgh Aug. 28. Given that he has less than two full seasons of professional experience -- he was the Pirates' first-round draft pick in 2004 -- those numbers are exceptional.
They go beyond that when considering where he was a year ago.
It was May 15, 2004, and Maholm was pitching at the Class A level in Lynchburg, Va., facing Winston-Salem's Casey Rogowski, a bear of a first baseman with a power stroke.
Maholm hung a curveball, and Rogowski crushed it.
Right back into the left side of Maholm's face.
He lay motionless for 15 minutes, bleeding on the mound, and was taken away by ambulance. Once the swelling subsided, he learned that the orbital bone around his left eye had been broken, as were his sinus and nose. These were not tidy breaks, either. The bones were pulverized.
Doctors told Maholm he had been lucky on two fronts. One was that the ball did not strike a part of his head that could have killed him. Another was that the eye was unscathed.
"Believe me, I was counting my blessings," Maholm recalled.
He had extensive surgery in Pittsburgh to reconstruct his face, including the insertion of titanium plates to connect the many loose bones.
Just three months later, he was pitching competitively again in the low minors, but he averaged an earned run and a walk per inning, well out of character.
He admits now he did it out of stubbornness.
"I had double vision in the eye, and I knew it," Maholm said. "I just wanted to prove to the Pirates I could get back on the mound."
Another surgery was needed in November to address the double vision by resetting the bones. That cost him participation in any fall or winter league, and it sent him into this past spring training a branded man of sorts.
It is common, baseball insiders say, for pitchers never to recover from such a trauma. They will flinch at line drives, change styles, even quit. That is why, when Maholm pitched during this past spring training, Pirates officials monitored his reactions intensely, even when he was throwing batting practice from behind an L-shaped fence.
They liked what they saw, enough to start him out at Class AA Altoona.
Strike two
"Once my vision got back to 100 percent, it was like the injury never happened," Maholm said. "I don't know how else to explain it. As soon as I got to Altoona, I stopped thinking about throwing a pitch and getting hit again. Sure, I had some close calls, but I just looked at those as part of the game."
Maholm pitched well enough for the Curve that he earned an invitation to Major League Baseball's Futures Game in mid-July, but fate would hit him hard again.
A week before the event, his mother, Linda Maholm, died following a 3 1/2-year battle with colon cancer.
This time, the emotions were not checked. Crestfallen, Maholm received a leave of absence and informed the Pirates he was not certain if he could pitch in the Futures Game.
"I was a huge mama's boy," he said. "When I was young, I would go to her when I wanted something. When I was playing, I would talk to her all the time. She always gave me everything. ... You know, it's good that she made it as long as she did. And it's better now because she's not having to suffer through the chemo and everything. I know she's watching every game I throw."
Maholm ended up in Detroit for the Futures Game and, no doubt still reeling, was erratic.
It would get better. He would go 6-2 with Altoona and earn a promotion to Class AAA Indianapolis in late July. He fared nearly as well there and was summoned to PNC Park a month later.
Strike three
On Aug. 29, the afternoon of what was to be his major-league debut, Maholm had spent the previous night and most of that morning flicking through the television for updates on Hurricane Katrina. He and his wife, Jessica, had bought a new house on property in Biloxi, Miss, shortly after their December wedding. It was squarely in Katrina's path.
Much of what should have been the greatest day of Maholm's life was spent on the cell phone communicating with in-laws in Biloxi about their safety and that of their property.
Adding to the distractions, roughly a dozen family and friends made the 21-hour drive to Pittsburgh to watch his debut, but most were forced to drive right back home when the game was rained out.
If any of it fazed him, it did not show when he hurled eight shutout innings the next night in Milwaukee against the Brewers.
The house absorbed little damage, just a small hole in the roof. Maholm said he and Jessica plan to move back at season's end.
"We got lucky," he said.
Maholm hardly is the boasting type, sounding folksy with his rich southern accent but invariably soft-spoken.
Still, he does express a measure of pride in his perseverance of the past year.
"With all that happened ... I'm sure there were a lot of people who felt I would go through the year and struggle, just trying to get back into form from getting hit and everything else. I've just kind of taken it all in stride, just done what I've always done."
He laughed.
"You know, this is a huge shock for me, the success I've had so early. I expected some rough innings. Luckily, I've made the pitches when I needed to. And it's been fun. I don't think I could ask for more. I'm in the big leagues. I'm living a dream."
(Dejan Kovacevic can be reached at dkovacevic@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1938.)
Tuesday, September 13, 2005
Leyland: Pirates' Job is Attractive
Tuesday, September 13, 2005
By Paul Meyer, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The Pirates, in the very early stages of compiling a list of managerial candidates to interview, would seem to be an attractive lure for a successor to Lloyd McClendon, fired as their manager a week ago.
"Whoever ends up getting the Pirate job will be walking into a pretty good situation," said Jim Leyland, who managed the Pirates from 1986-96 and is a candidate for the job.
"They have a combination of the best young pitchers and players they've had in years. And the farm system probably has a few more. They have something to work with."
That's the consensus of more than a few other baseball people, too.
"They're not that far away," a National League executive said. "They have some makings."
In the past several days, Leyland has emerged as a top pick for the job -- at least according to people in the industry.
"I feel that the best-case scenario would be for Leyland to manage the club," said another high-ranking official with a major-league club. "He lives there. He's very popular there."
Leyland, however, is trying to keep a low profile.
"I've made it clear that I'd like to manage again -- in the right situation," he said yesterday. "Other than that, I have nothing to say. There's nothing else to say at this juncture."
The Pirates indicated last week they want their new manager to have had prior major-league managerial experience, which limits the candidate crowd.
Among those thought to be on general manager Dave Littlefield's current short list in addition to Leyland are Art Howe, who said yesterday he hasn't been contacted by the Pirates, Ken Macha and current Pirates interim manager Pete Mackanin, who's getting his first chance to manage in the major leagues in McClendon's stead.
"I'd like to think that I'm going to be in the organization next year -- in whatever capacity," Mackanin said. "I know a lot of these guys, and I think Dave values my opinion. I think it's important to have guys who will give you their honest opinion.
"I'm loyal to Dave because he gave me this opportunity -- to coach in the big leagues and to manage the rest of the way. I have a lot of respect for Dave, and if he feels I can help him in whatever capacity, I'm going to do it."
Howe, from Shaler, has managed the Houston Astros, Oakland Athletics and New York Mets. Macha, who lives in Murrysville, currently manages the Athletics.
It's likely the Pirates will need to give the new manager at least a three-year contract worth as much as $3 million, depending on who they hire.
By comparison, first-year big league managers with no previous major-league managerial experience generally command about $400,000 per year, according to an industry source.
Even though he has no major-league managerial experience, Class AAA Indianapolis manager Trent Jewett could get some attention -- if not from the Pirates, then from another organization.
Jewett has managed 12 years in the Pirates' minor-league system, including eight at the Class AAA level. This season he has guided the Indians to a berth in the International League's championship series.
Jewett also was the Pirates' third base coach for 21/2 seasons, beginning in June, 2000.
"I'd love an opportunity to manage in the big leagues," Jewett said yesterday. "I would be interested in managing any big-league ball club. I would be especially interested in managing [the Pirates]. I have a great deal of fondness for a lot of the guys and great relationships with a lot of the guys."
That's because many of Jewett's players at Indianapolis this season currently are with the Pirates -- pitchers Zach Duke, Ian Snell and Paul Maholm, outfielders Chris Duffy and Nate McLouth, catcher Ryan Doumit, first baseman Brad Eldred and third baseman Ty Wigginton.
By Paul Meyer, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The Pirates, in the very early stages of compiling a list of managerial candidates to interview, would seem to be an attractive lure for a successor to Lloyd McClendon, fired as their manager a week ago.
"Whoever ends up getting the Pirate job will be walking into a pretty good situation," said Jim Leyland, who managed the Pirates from 1986-96 and is a candidate for the job.
"They have a combination of the best young pitchers and players they've had in years. And the farm system probably has a few more. They have something to work with."
That's the consensus of more than a few other baseball people, too.
"They're not that far away," a National League executive said. "They have some makings."
In the past several days, Leyland has emerged as a top pick for the job -- at least according to people in the industry.
"I feel that the best-case scenario would be for Leyland to manage the club," said another high-ranking official with a major-league club. "He lives there. He's very popular there."
Leyland, however, is trying to keep a low profile.
"I've made it clear that I'd like to manage again -- in the right situation," he said yesterday. "Other than that, I have nothing to say. There's nothing else to say at this juncture."
The Pirates indicated last week they want their new manager to have had prior major-league managerial experience, which limits the candidate crowd.
Among those thought to be on general manager Dave Littlefield's current short list in addition to Leyland are Art Howe, who said yesterday he hasn't been contacted by the Pirates, Ken Macha and current Pirates interim manager Pete Mackanin, who's getting his first chance to manage in the major leagues in McClendon's stead.
"I'd like to think that I'm going to be in the organization next year -- in whatever capacity," Mackanin said. "I know a lot of these guys, and I think Dave values my opinion. I think it's important to have guys who will give you their honest opinion.
"I'm loyal to Dave because he gave me this opportunity -- to coach in the big leagues and to manage the rest of the way. I have a lot of respect for Dave, and if he feels I can help him in whatever capacity, I'm going to do it."
Howe, from Shaler, has managed the Houston Astros, Oakland Athletics and New York Mets. Macha, who lives in Murrysville, currently manages the Athletics.
It's likely the Pirates will need to give the new manager at least a three-year contract worth as much as $3 million, depending on who they hire.
By comparison, first-year big league managers with no previous major-league managerial experience generally command about $400,000 per year, according to an industry source.
Even though he has no major-league managerial experience, Class AAA Indianapolis manager Trent Jewett could get some attention -- if not from the Pirates, then from another organization.
Jewett has managed 12 years in the Pirates' minor-league system, including eight at the Class AAA level. This season he has guided the Indians to a berth in the International League's championship series.
Jewett also was the Pirates' third base coach for 21/2 seasons, beginning in June, 2000.
"I'd love an opportunity to manage in the big leagues," Jewett said yesterday. "I would be interested in managing any big-league ball club. I would be especially interested in managing [the Pirates]. I have a great deal of fondness for a lot of the guys and great relationships with a lot of the guys."
That's because many of Jewett's players at Indianapolis this season currently are with the Pirates -- pitchers Zach Duke, Ian Snell and Paul Maholm, outfielders Chris Duffy and Nate McLouth, catcher Ryan Doumit, first baseman Brad Eldred and third baseman Ty Wigginton.
Thursday, September 08, 2005
Macha Hopes Bucs Target Him
Shaler native hoping Pirates target him as manager
Thursday, September 08, 2005
By Paul Meyer, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Two of the people thought to be at or near the top of the Pirates' wish list to succeed Lloyd McClendon, fired Tuesday as their manager, had much different initial reactions to their names being mentioned for the position.
Ken Macha, manager of the Oakland Athletics, headed off any discussion when approached by Bay Area reporters. "I'm not answering any questions about Pittsburgh," the Monroeville resident said. "I have job here in Oakland right now."
"Right now" are the key words. Macha doesn't have a contract with Oakland for next season.
Art Howe, a Shaler native, was a bit more expansive when contacted yesterday. "I've heard they're close to becoming a winning ball club," he said from his home near Houston. "With the right ingredients, good things should happen there. Hopefully, I'm part of the ingredients."
The Pirates have indicated they want McClendon's successor to have had major-league managerial experience, and Howe certainly fills that bill. He's spent 14 seasons managing Houston, Oakland and the New York Mets, compiling a 1,129-1,137 record.
His stint with the Mets was the only one that didn't go well.
"Interesting," Howe said of his two seasons at Shea. "I learned they don't rebuild in New York."
The Mets, who spent a lot of money on players who underperformed, were 66-95 and 71-91 in Howe's two seasons. He was let go after last season with two years -- and $4.7 million -- left on his contract.
That could work in his favor. If Howe is hired for 2006, that team probably wouldn't have to pay his entire salary for the first year. The Mets could pay part of it just to be free of their entire obligation.
"It could be a good situation for everybody," Howe said.
Howe, who played for the Pirates in 1974-75, began his big-league managerial career in 1989 with the Astros and developed a young team into a contender.
Except he was gone by the time Houston began winning.
When Drayton McLane bought the team, he brought in Terry Collins as manager in 1994. When the players' strike ended the season in early August, the Astros were 66-49.
"I knew they were ready to take the next step," Howe said. "I told Drayton that."
In '97, the Astros began a run of four division championships in five seasons. By then, Howe was with Oakland.
"We really started from scratch in Oakland," he said. But by '99, the Athletics were in position where they would finish first or second in the American League West the next four seasons.
Thus, it wouldn't bother Howe to inherit a team counting on young players for success.
"I've been there with young teams," he said. "I know the Pirates are on the rise. With a little time and hard work, good things can happen. I know they have some real fine arms, which is the most important ingredient."
Howe stressed that he hasn't heard from the Pirates about their managerial job. "I would hope they have interest in me -- as I do in them. It's nice to hear [his name being mentioned] and that people haven't forgotten me."
The Pirates have indicated they won't really begin their managerial search until after the season ends Oct. 2.
However, they're already getting free advice.
"That club needs somebody with the experience level to take the organization to another level," a high-ranking official with a big-league team said. "They're not that far away. And there aren't too many guys out there who fit [the job description]."
Howe is one. Jim Leyland, who managed the Pirates from 1986-96, is another. Leyland, though, will be like Howe. He'll sit by his telephone waiting for a call.
Former managers with the status of Howe and Leyland don't look for jobs. The jobs look for them.
(Paul Meyer can be reached at 412-263-1144.)
Thursday, September 08, 2005
By Paul Meyer, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Two of the people thought to be at or near the top of the Pirates' wish list to succeed Lloyd McClendon, fired Tuesday as their manager, had much different initial reactions to their names being mentioned for the position.
Ken Macha, manager of the Oakland Athletics, headed off any discussion when approached by Bay Area reporters. "I'm not answering any questions about Pittsburgh," the Monroeville resident said. "I have job here in Oakland right now."
"Right now" are the key words. Macha doesn't have a contract with Oakland for next season.
Art Howe, a Shaler native, was a bit more expansive when contacted yesterday. "I've heard they're close to becoming a winning ball club," he said from his home near Houston. "With the right ingredients, good things should happen there. Hopefully, I'm part of the ingredients."
The Pirates have indicated they want McClendon's successor to have had major-league managerial experience, and Howe certainly fills that bill. He's spent 14 seasons managing Houston, Oakland and the New York Mets, compiling a 1,129-1,137 record.
His stint with the Mets was the only one that didn't go well.
"Interesting," Howe said of his two seasons at Shea. "I learned they don't rebuild in New York."
The Mets, who spent a lot of money on players who underperformed, were 66-95 and 71-91 in Howe's two seasons. He was let go after last season with two years -- and $4.7 million -- left on his contract.
That could work in his favor. If Howe is hired for 2006, that team probably wouldn't have to pay his entire salary for the first year. The Mets could pay part of it just to be free of their entire obligation.
"It could be a good situation for everybody," Howe said.
Howe, who played for the Pirates in 1974-75, began his big-league managerial career in 1989 with the Astros and developed a young team into a contender.
Except he was gone by the time Houston began winning.
When Drayton McLane bought the team, he brought in Terry Collins as manager in 1994. When the players' strike ended the season in early August, the Astros were 66-49.
"I knew they were ready to take the next step," Howe said. "I told Drayton that."
In '97, the Astros began a run of four division championships in five seasons. By then, Howe was with Oakland.
"We really started from scratch in Oakland," he said. But by '99, the Athletics were in position where they would finish first or second in the American League West the next four seasons.
Thus, it wouldn't bother Howe to inherit a team counting on young players for success.
"I've been there with young teams," he said. "I know the Pirates are on the rise. With a little time and hard work, good things can happen. I know they have some real fine arms, which is the most important ingredient."
Howe stressed that he hasn't heard from the Pirates about their managerial job. "I would hope they have interest in me -- as I do in them. It's nice to hear [his name being mentioned] and that people haven't forgotten me."
The Pirates have indicated they won't really begin their managerial search until after the season ends Oct. 2.
However, they're already getting free advice.
"That club needs somebody with the experience level to take the organization to another level," a high-ranking official with a big-league team said. "They're not that far away. And there aren't too many guys out there who fit [the job description]."
Howe is one. Jim Leyland, who managed the Pirates from 1986-96, is another. Leyland, though, will be like Howe. He'll sit by his telephone waiting for a call.
Former managers with the status of Howe and Leyland don't look for jobs. The jobs look for them.
(Paul Meyer can be reached at 412-263-1144.)
Wednesday, September 07, 2005
Joe Starkey: McClendon's Firing Fails to Address Buc's Core Issues
By Joe Starkey
PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Wednesday, September 7, 2005
They gave Mac the knife Tuesday. They want you to believe he was the problem.
We're talking about the Pirates' executive branch, of course, and if firing manager Lloyd McClendon was a sign that real change lay ahead, great.
Let's see the payroll pumped to $50 million-plus.
Let's see Jason Bay signed to a long-term contract.
Let's see an expensive power hitter or two signed in free agency.
Let's see a drastically improved team next season and a financial commitment to keep it together beyond 2006 -- after the All-Star Game leaves town and takes all those ticket-buying incentives with it.
McClendon didn't do himself any favors lately, what with his ridiculous insinuation that St. Louis Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan is a racist. It was getting harder and harder to defend the man.
Pirates CEO and managing general partner Kevin McClatchy insisted the incident had nothing to with McClendon's dismissal. McClatchy and GM Dave Littlefield also claimed that Littlefield initiated the firing, not McClatchy or the heavily influential Nutting family.
McClatchy, meanwhile, reiterated his promise that the payroll will rise appreciably next season (from a paltry $33 million or so) and that the franchise will make a significant financial commitment for an experienced manager.
OK. But who can we really believe around here anymore? The news conference yesterday, as one might imagine, was like something out of Alice in Wonderland. Hard to tell what was real and what wasn't.
You had to roll your eyes, for example, when McClatchy said, "I really, actually, for the first time feel pretty good about some of our young talent."
That's funny. I thought he'd been praising the team's "young talent" for the past nine years. Just to make sure, I checked Sports Illustrated's 1998 MLB preview. In it, McClatchy said, "By developing young talent, we have given our fans one thing back -- hope."
Following the Great Payroll Purge of 2003, McClatchy said, "We actually played better with the younger players. Not many people in this marketplace know that."
To be fair, though, the Pirates do have more promising, 20-something players than at any time since the late 1980's.
Now, let's see if they screw it up.
By making a dramatic shift toward youth in the middle of the season, incidentally, the Pirates had to know their record might suffer. That's why Littlefield made little sense when he referenced the team's recent poor record and said, "We have higher expectations with the players that we have."
Back on May 22, Littlefield issued a strong backing of McClendon, saying, "When I look at the issues we need to address and where we're deficient, I don't see the manager as being a problem."
He got that right. The fundamental problems are MLB's economic system, the Pirates' low payroll and ownership's failure to make a tangible commitment to winning.
The first issue won't be rectified anytime soon, and that in itself could kill the Pirates' future.
Consider that before yesterday's games, there wasn't a single team in playoff position -- save for the San Diego Padres of the pathetic NL West -- with a payroll under $75 million.
Only two of the eight teams with a payroll under $50 million had a winning record.
All of which brings us back to this: Even if the Pirates bring in the next Sparky Anderson, they're not going anywhere without plenty of spending money.
Joe Starkey is a sports writer for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. He can be reached at jstarkey@tribweb.com
PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Wednesday, September 7, 2005
They gave Mac the knife Tuesday. They want you to believe he was the problem.
We're talking about the Pirates' executive branch, of course, and if firing manager Lloyd McClendon was a sign that real change lay ahead, great.
Let's see the payroll pumped to $50 million-plus.
Let's see Jason Bay signed to a long-term contract.
Let's see an expensive power hitter or two signed in free agency.
Let's see a drastically improved team next season and a financial commitment to keep it together beyond 2006 -- after the All-Star Game leaves town and takes all those ticket-buying incentives with it.
McClendon didn't do himself any favors lately, what with his ridiculous insinuation that St. Louis Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan is a racist. It was getting harder and harder to defend the man.
Pirates CEO and managing general partner Kevin McClatchy insisted the incident had nothing to with McClendon's dismissal. McClatchy and GM Dave Littlefield also claimed that Littlefield initiated the firing, not McClatchy or the heavily influential Nutting family.
McClatchy, meanwhile, reiterated his promise that the payroll will rise appreciably next season (from a paltry $33 million or so) and that the franchise will make a significant financial commitment for an experienced manager.
OK. But who can we really believe around here anymore? The news conference yesterday, as one might imagine, was like something out of Alice in Wonderland. Hard to tell what was real and what wasn't.
You had to roll your eyes, for example, when McClatchy said, "I really, actually, for the first time feel pretty good about some of our young talent."
That's funny. I thought he'd been praising the team's "young talent" for the past nine years. Just to make sure, I checked Sports Illustrated's 1998 MLB preview. In it, McClatchy said, "By developing young talent, we have given our fans one thing back -- hope."
Following the Great Payroll Purge of 2003, McClatchy said, "We actually played better with the younger players. Not many people in this marketplace know that."
To be fair, though, the Pirates do have more promising, 20-something players than at any time since the late 1980's.
Now, let's see if they screw it up.
By making a dramatic shift toward youth in the middle of the season, incidentally, the Pirates had to know their record might suffer. That's why Littlefield made little sense when he referenced the team's recent poor record and said, "We have higher expectations with the players that we have."
Back on May 22, Littlefield issued a strong backing of McClendon, saying, "When I look at the issues we need to address and where we're deficient, I don't see the manager as being a problem."
He got that right. The fundamental problems are MLB's economic system, the Pirates' low payroll and ownership's failure to make a tangible commitment to winning.
The first issue won't be rectified anytime soon, and that in itself could kill the Pirates' future.
Consider that before yesterday's games, there wasn't a single team in playoff position -- save for the San Diego Padres of the pathetic NL West -- with a payroll under $75 million.
Only two of the eight teams with a payroll under $50 million had a winning record.
All of which brings us back to this: Even if the Pirates bring in the next Sparky Anderson, they're not going anywhere without plenty of spending money.
Joe Starkey is a sports writer for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. He can be reached at jstarkey@tribweb.com
Ron Cook: Ownership Team is Obstacle to Success
[I was saddened by Mr. McClendon's firing...John McGraw couldn't win with the teams the Pirates have fielded over the last few years. McClendon was a competitve manager who never made excuses for his players and consistently demanded their best effort. It's not his fault that the players were less than capable of matching those qualities. I'm grateful for Mr. McClendon's service and I wish him all the best.]
Wednesday, September 07, 2005
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
One day, the Steelers sign Hines Ward for the long haul.
The next day, the Pirates fire Lloyd McClendon.
Talk about a marvelous week for Pittsburgh sports fans!
There's only one way it could possibly get any better.
Mario announces he's going to play until he's 50.
I'm kidding, but you probably aren't.
It's sad but true that a lot of people around here are reveling in McClendon's misfortune as much as they are in Ward's newfound wealth. A significant number of misguided fools are convinced McClendon is to blame for that minor-league joke of a team the Pirates have been running out not just this season, but for 13 seasons. They refuse to acknowledge the team was losing long before he got here. Gene Lamont, another good baseball man, couldn't win under this management group. And, before Lamont, Jim Leyland got out after he realized he had no chance. He's merely the best manager of my lifetime.
That isn't to say McClendon didn't have to go. The Pirates had lost nine of 10 games and 14 of the past 18. There's a decent chance they'll lose 100.
McClendon insisted he didn't lose the clubhouse.
"Who did I have to lose? I had all kids, basically," he said yesterday after his firing was announced. "If Jason Bay wasn't still climbing the walls to make catches or if Jack Wilson wasn't still diving into the stands to catch a ball, I might say that. But this team busted its fanny for me.
We were just short."
It doesn't matter.
All that matters in pro sports is the win-loss record.
McClendon's carelessness last week when asked about being called "an idiot" by St. Louis Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan didn't help. He left the impression he was playing the race card, a perception he quickly tried to fend off by saying his remarks were misinterpreted.
But that, too, doesn't matter.
McClendon was going anyway.
The team's 55-81 record assured that.
"I think it's time for a change, time to try something new," general manager Dave Littlefield said.
That point is indisputable, but so is this one: A change isn't going to make the Pirates winners all of sudden. Not with this ownership team.
"My response to that is that's not true," Littlefield said. "We're gonna win here."
Asked what he would say to those who are convinced the Pirates will never win as long as he's in charge, Kevin McClatchy looked at the ground and said: "If we didn't have any young talent, I would agree with that. But I believe we're going in the right direction. I think we'll just keep plugging along and see what happens."
Give McClatchy credit for showing up to face the tough questions. His partner, G. Ogden Nutting, the man many believe is calling the shots for the Pirates, was a no-show. We can only assume he's too embarrassed to associate himself with his team.
But, really, what was the point of McClatchy being there? Isn't his "next-year-will-be-better" mantra getting old? He talks of the Pirates' young talent? This is an owner who once said publicly the team wouldn't trade its good young players -- "Jason Kendall, Jermaine Allensworth, Mark Johnson." Another year, he predicted the Pirates would win 90 games. They finished 78-83.
McClatchy has a track record of nothing but failure.
How do you believe anything he says?
Here's another question: Would you want to work for him and Nutting?
A bunch of young, unproven go-getters will apply. Like McClendon and Lamont, they'll believe they can be the miracle-worker. And like McClendon and Lamont, they'll walk away realizing Pittsburgh is a graveyard for managers and always will be under the current management.
The Pirates might be able to attract a proven manager such as the Oakland Athletics' Ken Macha. Word is he would love to come back to his hometown, and it can't be easy working for A's general manager Billy Beane, a hands-on egomaniac. But can't Macha do better than the Pirates?
Working for Beane would seem like heaven after working a month or two with Littlefield, who, because of his bosses, has to go into all his baseball fights wearing handcuffs and a blindfold.
Not that Littlefield probably is long for his job.
He's now next in line to go. Maybe next season or the season after, but certainly on some beautiful summer day when the Pirates are 20 games under .500 and McClatchy is telling anyone who will listen that they really are close to being winners.
It's always the same story with this doomed franchise.
The managers and general managers go, but the owners stay.
That thought is enough to ruin even the best of news weeks.
(Ron Cook can be reached at rcook@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1525.)
Wednesday, September 07, 2005
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
One day, the Steelers sign Hines Ward for the long haul.
The next day, the Pirates fire Lloyd McClendon.
Talk about a marvelous week for Pittsburgh sports fans!
There's only one way it could possibly get any better.
Mario announces he's going to play until he's 50.
I'm kidding, but you probably aren't.
It's sad but true that a lot of people around here are reveling in McClendon's misfortune as much as they are in Ward's newfound wealth. A significant number of misguided fools are convinced McClendon is to blame for that minor-league joke of a team the Pirates have been running out not just this season, but for 13 seasons. They refuse to acknowledge the team was losing long before he got here. Gene Lamont, another good baseball man, couldn't win under this management group. And, before Lamont, Jim Leyland got out after he realized he had no chance. He's merely the best manager of my lifetime.
That isn't to say McClendon didn't have to go. The Pirates had lost nine of 10 games and 14 of the past 18. There's a decent chance they'll lose 100.
McClendon insisted he didn't lose the clubhouse.
"Who did I have to lose? I had all kids, basically," he said yesterday after his firing was announced. "If Jason Bay wasn't still climbing the walls to make catches or if Jack Wilson wasn't still diving into the stands to catch a ball, I might say that. But this team busted its fanny for me.
We were just short."
It doesn't matter.
All that matters in pro sports is the win-loss record.
McClendon's carelessness last week when asked about being called "an idiot" by St. Louis Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan didn't help. He left the impression he was playing the race card, a perception he quickly tried to fend off by saying his remarks were misinterpreted.
But that, too, doesn't matter.
McClendon was going anyway.
The team's 55-81 record assured that.
"I think it's time for a change, time to try something new," general manager Dave Littlefield said.
That point is indisputable, but so is this one: A change isn't going to make the Pirates winners all of sudden. Not with this ownership team.
"My response to that is that's not true," Littlefield said. "We're gonna win here."
Asked what he would say to those who are convinced the Pirates will never win as long as he's in charge, Kevin McClatchy looked at the ground and said: "If we didn't have any young talent, I would agree with that. But I believe we're going in the right direction. I think we'll just keep plugging along and see what happens."
Give McClatchy credit for showing up to face the tough questions. His partner, G. Ogden Nutting, the man many believe is calling the shots for the Pirates, was a no-show. We can only assume he's too embarrassed to associate himself with his team.
But, really, what was the point of McClatchy being there? Isn't his "next-year-will-be-better" mantra getting old? He talks of the Pirates' young talent? This is an owner who once said publicly the team wouldn't trade its good young players -- "Jason Kendall, Jermaine Allensworth, Mark Johnson." Another year, he predicted the Pirates would win 90 games. They finished 78-83.
McClatchy has a track record of nothing but failure.
How do you believe anything he says?
Here's another question: Would you want to work for him and Nutting?
A bunch of young, unproven go-getters will apply. Like McClendon and Lamont, they'll believe they can be the miracle-worker. And like McClendon and Lamont, they'll walk away realizing Pittsburgh is a graveyard for managers and always will be under the current management.
The Pirates might be able to attract a proven manager such as the Oakland Athletics' Ken Macha. Word is he would love to come back to his hometown, and it can't be easy working for A's general manager Billy Beane, a hands-on egomaniac. But can't Macha do better than the Pirates?
Working for Beane would seem like heaven after working a month or two with Littlefield, who, because of his bosses, has to go into all his baseball fights wearing handcuffs and a blindfold.
Not that Littlefield probably is long for his job.
He's now next in line to go. Maybe next season or the season after, but certainly on some beautiful summer day when the Pirates are 20 games under .500 and McClatchy is telling anyone who will listen that they really are close to being winners.
It's always the same story with this doomed franchise.
The managers and general managers go, but the owners stay.
That thought is enough to ruin even the best of news weeks.
(Ron Cook can be reached at rcook@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1525.)
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
Paul Meyer: Rookie Maholm Winner in Debut
Pitches 8 innings as Pirates roll, 6-0
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
More Pirates Coverage:
Pirates Notebook: Don't overlook Milwaukee
Pirates Q&A with Dejan Kovacevic
Pirates game log, scoring highlights and box scores
MILWAUKEE -- Paul Maholm received good news before the game, then made news a few hours later while leading the Pirates to a 6-0 victory against Milwaukee.
The left-hander, the Pirates' top draft pick in 2003, yielded just four hits and three walks and struck out five in eight innings. He also got his first major-league hit, an infield single in the fourth.
Maholm became the first Pirates starter to win in his debut since Joe Beimel, another left-hander who went five innings in a 9-3 victory at Houston April 8, 2001.
Maholm, who just purchased a new home near Biloxi, Miss., took the mound knowing his house and his in-laws, who live 2 miles from it, were OK.
Which seemed amazing, considering the Biloxi area took a direct hit Monday from Hurricane Katrina.
"The house is really pretty good," Maholm said. "There was some damage to a fence, and we lost some shingles, but everybody's fine."
"I had a good conversation [about it] with him Monday," manager Lloyd McClendon said before the game. "He did not seem overly concerned. He left me with a pretty comfortable feeling as far as his mental state."
Pitching coach Spin Williams saw Maholm a bit during spring training and in one bullpen session Sunday after he joined the Pirates.
"I like his poise," Williams said. "I like his bulldog-type attitude."
That's no surprise. Maholm is a product of Mississippi State, home of the Bulldogs.
"He goes out and throws four pitches for strikes," Williams said. "He seemed to be pretty focused in spring training, the little bit I saw him, and handled himself very well. Being from a major college helped him, I'm sure, but he's got very good mound poise."
"He's a strike-thrower," McClendon said. "He knows what he's doing. He's certainly capable of following the scouting report and a game plan."
Maholm, who comfortably throws his fastball in the 88-90 mph range, made his debut on the same mound another promising Pirates left-hander -- Zach Duke --did July 2.
"Makeup-wise and competitive-spirit wise, he's a lot like Duke," McClendon said. "He's real poised and off the charts with his makeup. He's not going to be overwhelmed by the situation."
Maholm began this season with Class AA Altoona, then moved to Class AAA Indianapolis July 19. He was 1-1 with a 3.53 earned run average in six starts.
"He was aggressive in the zone and he threw strikes," third baseman Ty Wigginton said. "Anytime you have a pitcher who's willing to go out and let his defense work for him, he's going to be successful."
In the hours before his debut, Maholm did a lot of pacing, watching TV and reading magazines in the clubhouse.
Then, he watched his teammates present him with a 5-0 lead before he threw his first major-league pitch.
Milwaukee starter Doug Davis, 0-3 with nine no-decisions in his previous 12 starts, quickly got the first two outs in the first before he lost the strike zone.
He walked Jason Bay and Craig Wilson on 3-2 pitches. Ryan Doumit dropped a run-scoring single into short left-center field. Brad Eldred, who entered the game 1 for 24 with 16 strikeouts, and Wigginton also walked on 3-2 pitches. Wigginton's walk forced in the second run.
Jack Wilson sliced a pop fly into right field near the foul line. The diving Corey Hart had the ball in his glove, but it fell loose when he hit the ground. The double boosted the Pirates' lead to 5-0.
On a 1-1 pitch to Maholm, Wilson apparently misread a sign and stole third, safe only because of a low throw from catcher Damian Miller.
Maholm looked at a third strike on Davis' 41st pitch before beginning his mound career.
He yielded a leadoff double to Brady Clark, but struck out Rickie Weeks, retired Lyle Overbay on a bouncer to second base and set down Carlos Lee on a fly to right.
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
More Pirates Coverage:
Pirates Notebook: Don't overlook Milwaukee
Pirates Q&A with Dejan Kovacevic
Pirates game log, scoring highlights and box scores
MILWAUKEE -- Paul Maholm received good news before the game, then made news a few hours later while leading the Pirates to a 6-0 victory against Milwaukee.
The left-hander, the Pirates' top draft pick in 2003, yielded just four hits and three walks and struck out five in eight innings. He also got his first major-league hit, an infield single in the fourth.
Maholm became the first Pirates starter to win in his debut since Joe Beimel, another left-hander who went five innings in a 9-3 victory at Houston April 8, 2001.
Maholm, who just purchased a new home near Biloxi, Miss., took the mound knowing his house and his in-laws, who live 2 miles from it, were OK.
Which seemed amazing, considering the Biloxi area took a direct hit Monday from Hurricane Katrina.
"The house is really pretty good," Maholm said. "There was some damage to a fence, and we lost some shingles, but everybody's fine."
"I had a good conversation [about it] with him Monday," manager Lloyd McClendon said before the game. "He did not seem overly concerned. He left me with a pretty comfortable feeling as far as his mental state."
Pitching coach Spin Williams saw Maholm a bit during spring training and in one bullpen session Sunday after he joined the Pirates.
"I like his poise," Williams said. "I like his bulldog-type attitude."
That's no surprise. Maholm is a product of Mississippi State, home of the Bulldogs.
"He goes out and throws four pitches for strikes," Williams said. "He seemed to be pretty focused in spring training, the little bit I saw him, and handled himself very well. Being from a major college helped him, I'm sure, but he's got very good mound poise."
"He's a strike-thrower," McClendon said. "He knows what he's doing. He's certainly capable of following the scouting report and a game plan."
Maholm, who comfortably throws his fastball in the 88-90 mph range, made his debut on the same mound another promising Pirates left-hander -- Zach Duke --did July 2.
"Makeup-wise and competitive-spirit wise, he's a lot like Duke," McClendon said. "He's real poised and off the charts with his makeup. He's not going to be overwhelmed by the situation."
Maholm began this season with Class AA Altoona, then moved to Class AAA Indianapolis July 19. He was 1-1 with a 3.53 earned run average in six starts.
"He was aggressive in the zone and he threw strikes," third baseman Ty Wigginton said. "Anytime you have a pitcher who's willing to go out and let his defense work for him, he's going to be successful."
In the hours before his debut, Maholm did a lot of pacing, watching TV and reading magazines in the clubhouse.
Then, he watched his teammates present him with a 5-0 lead before he threw his first major-league pitch.
Milwaukee starter Doug Davis, 0-3 with nine no-decisions in his previous 12 starts, quickly got the first two outs in the first before he lost the strike zone.
He walked Jason Bay and Craig Wilson on 3-2 pitches. Ryan Doumit dropped a run-scoring single into short left-center field. Brad Eldred, who entered the game 1 for 24 with 16 strikeouts, and Wigginton also walked on 3-2 pitches. Wigginton's walk forced in the second run.
Jack Wilson sliced a pop fly into right field near the foul line. The diving Corey Hart had the ball in his glove, but it fell loose when he hit the ground. The double boosted the Pirates' lead to 5-0.
On a 1-1 pitch to Maholm, Wilson apparently misread a sign and stole third, safe only because of a low throw from catcher Damian Miller.
Maholm looked at a third strike on Davis' 41st pitch before beginning his mound career.
He yielded a leadoff double to Brady Clark, but struck out Rickie Weeks, retired Lyle Overbay on a bouncer to second base and set down Carlos Lee on a fly to right.
Tuesday, August 23, 2005
Stats Geek: Bay Carries Too Much of the Load For Pirates
Tuesday, August 23, 2005
By Brian O'Neill, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
An extraordinary event occurred Friday night in Philadelphia. The Pirates plated 11 runs and Jason Bay didn't score any of them.
Bay would score two of the next four runs the Pirates would have in the three-game series, which is closer to our expectation. This slugging/on-base machine has scored more than one of every six runs the Pirates have put on the scoreboard this year.
Bay has 90, third in the National League and sixth in baseball, and is 41 ahead of the closest active Pirate, Jose Castillo, with 49. Matt Lawton had 53 before his trade to the Cubs three weeks ago.
Looking around for a player who has plated a greater share of his team's runs, I found only Derrek Lee, the Cubs' Triple Crown threat. Going into last night's games, Lee had scored 17.4 percent of the Cubs' runs and Bay had scored 17.2 percent of the Pirates'. (Obscure stats like that are why it says "Geek" right on the label.)
I can't calculate the degree of difficulty in Bay being sixth in the majors in runs while his team is 27th, but his remarkable year had me wondering if there had ever been a Pirate this far ahead of his nearest teammate in runs, and whether any other Pirate had a higher share of the team total.
Before I get to the answers, let's get to the stat itself. Runs are the Rodney Dangerfield of the leader board, getting only a little more respect than, say, doubles (Bay has 37, tied for second in the NL) or extra-base hits (Bay is second again, with 66). They aren't nearly as important to ardent fan as runs batted in, and Bay is 18th there, with 72 RBIs.
Why should driving another man home be considered a more manly act than scoring? I'll leave that question to Dr. Freud, but Bay is hitting .340 and slugging .642 with runners in scoring position and hitting .335 and slugging .597 with runners on, so it's curious that he doesn't have more RBIs. The explanation for that is complex, but the reason Bay scores so often is simple. He plays every day, he is on base 40 percent of the time, nearly half Bay's hits are for extra bases and he's an excellent baserunner, stealing 14 bases in 14 attempts.
Give the Pirates hitting behind Bay all the credit for getting him home if you like, but seasons like his don't come around often.
I make no pretense that I conducted a thorough search, but a quick workout of my keyboard on baseball-reference.com netted two Pirates left fielders who also thoroughly dominated the scoring for bad teams: Hall of Famer Ralph Kiner and Brian Giles, a two-time All-Star whom the Pirates traded for Bay and Oliver Perez.
Kiner finished in the top five in scoring every year from 1947-51, which is hardly surprising. Those five seasons fell within Kiner's seven-year run of leading the league in home runs. In only one of those years did the Pirates have a winning season, finishing fourth in '48 at 83-71.
Scoring about 40 more runs than the nearest Pirate was nothing for Kiner in that span, but his loneliest season was probably '51. That year, Kiner tied Stan Musial for the NL lead in runs with 124, which was 44 more than teammate Gus Bell and 18 percent of the team total.
Time has shorn the bitterness from those losing years, but Giles' 715 games as a Pirate represents only about a third of the team's ongoing 13-year Lossapalooza, so no one is looking back fondly. Giles never finished higher than 10th in runs, which he did in 2000 and '01. In the latter year, the Pirates lost 100 games and Giles scored 116 runs, 32 more than Jason Kendall and 17.7 percent of the Pirates' total.
I'm sure other bad teams have had their own prolific scorers, but you get the point. If Bay is lucky, he won't top Kiner or Giles in these deservedly obscure categories, and he'll never have another season where he's so alone in the lineup.
Kiner, Giles and Bay all have this in common with nearly all scoring leaders: a high on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS). Kiner led the league in OPS three times and was never lower than sixth for six consecutive seasons. Giles finished in the top 10 for five consecutive seasons. Bay entered last night sixth in OPS, at .968, up from .907 in his rookie season.
They just got no help. That's a Pirates epitaph that needs to be retired.
(Brian O'Neill can be reached at boneill@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1947.)
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
Joe Rutter: Bay Makes Run as Complete Player
By Joe Rutter
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
As the Pirates' best hitter, Jason Bay is used to getting the green light at the plate. Until recently, he'd never had that privilege on the base paths.
Now that he's gotten it, he's taking full advantage.
About three weeks ago, Bay was given permission to start running on his own. And run he has. Bay has swiped five bases since Aug. 6, and nine bases in the past 22 games to increase his team-leading total to 14 steals.
More impressively, that's 14 steals in 14 attempts.
"I've been picking and choosing my spots and running when I think it's the right situation," Bay said. "I don't consider myself a big stolen base guy, but it's nice to be able to run more often."
By adding another component to his game -- speed -- Bay has taken another step toward becoming one of the most well-rounded players in the National League. This month, Bay is batting .380 with 15 RBI. For the season, his numbers include a .305 batting average, 23 home runs, 69 RBI, 35 doubles and 85 runs scored.
Asked to grade Bay's performance, manager Lloyd McClendon smiled and said, "To this point, A-plus."
It's the way Bay has taken to the running game that has elevated his grade. He had 23 stolen bases in 2003, his last minor-league season, but did little last year to show he was worthy of being considered a threat on the bases. Bay had just four steals in 10 attempts.
"The only way to get the green light is to give them reason to give it to you," Bay said. "It's not necessarily that I'm that fast. I just try to be smart about it."
McClendon thinks Bay is one of the smartest baserunners on the team.
With the Pirates struggling to generate offense after the All-Star break, McClendon took the restrictions off Bay.
"I'm not a Juan Pierre or anything, but I can steal a few bases here and there," Bay said. "If they're holding me on, I know I'm not fast enough to beat a quick move and a quick throw. If I feel like I can run when a pitcher is a little slow or I can get a good jump, I can probably steal 20-30 bases a year."
With 44 games remaining, Bay would need seven homers and 16 steals to reach the exclusive 30-30 club. He's on pace to get the necessary homers, but likely doesn't have enough time to reach 30 steals.
There's always next year.
"That's what I originally predicted," McClendon said. "I thought he could get 20 this year and eventually be a 30-30 guy."
It's pretty heady stuff that Bay even merits 30-30 consideration. A 30-30 season has been accomplished nine times in the major leagues since 2000, and only two players (Carlos Beltran and Bobby Abreu) accomplished the feat last season.
In Pirates annals, Barry Bonds is the franchise's only 30-30 player, and he did it twice.
"If you can snag five steals a month, it's definitely possible," Bay said. "Obviously, the more steals you get, the more people are watching you, and it's going to be tougher."
A more attainable goal for Bay this season is the 20-20 club. It's a less-heralded group, one that has just five members. Dave Parker, Andy Van Slyke and Bonds had 20 homers and 20 steals on three occasions, and Al Martin and Kevin Young joined the club in 1999.
Whether his base stealing takes him to those benchmarks remains to be seen. What can be answered definitively is that Bay is taking the necessary steps toward improving every facet of his game.
"I thought he would improve this year, and I think he'll get even better next year," McClendon said. "His overall game will get better. If we can get more pieces in the lineup around him, put a better supporting cast out there, think how good he can be."
Joe Rutter can be reached at jrutter1234@aol.com.
Dejan Kovacevic: No Sophomore Jinx For Pirate's Bay
'04 Rookie of the Year follows up with stellar season
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The sun is still shining on Boston's Fenway Park, several hours before the Pirates and Red Sox are to take the field, and Jason Bay is getting a long lesson in the long shadow of the Green Monster.
For almost an hour, outfield instructor Rusty Kuntz bats balls off the 37-foot left-field wall, offering with each an instruction for Bay: Stay off the track if it is too high. Watch the difference in the caroms off the metal and plastic parts. Put your back to the fence on a popup.
Flash forward to the second inning that night. Boston's Bill Mueller lines a shot toward the Monster. Bay reads the ball off the bat, turns to the wall, halts before the track, handles the ball on one bounce, whirls and throws to second.
It was no big deal, in hindsight. Mueller still got a double, and the Red Sox went on to win. But it meant plenty to Kuntz.
Bay knew he would need the knowledge he acquired that afternoon for three days and probably never again, given that Boston plays in the American League. But he applied himself as if he would spend as much time in front of the wall as Carl Yazstremski.
"I'll tell you what: Those little things add up to a lot of big things," Kuntz said. "Jason Bay works harder off the field to improve himself than any player I've been around in 20 years in this business."
The episode is emblematic of Bay's sensational sophomore season: Everything he did to become the National League's rookie of the year in 2004, he is doing better. From hitting to fielding to running to behaving like the All-Star he has become.
"He's an amazing player," Pirates outfielder Rob Mackowiak said. "I think there are a lot of us who might not even realize how good he is. One day a little while back, I was looking up on a scoreboard -- I don't remember where -- and they were running some offensive leader charts. And there was his name, again and again. I'm like, man, this guy's having a great year."
At the plate
The sport's numbers crunchers devotedly subscribe to a statistic called VORP, or value over replacement player. Stripped down to essentials, it calculates the number of runs a player contributes to his team.
Using this method, the trade journal Baseball Prospectus gives Bay a rating of 61.3 that ranks fifth among all hitters in Major League Baseball. The only ones ahead of him are the best of the best: Derrek Lee, Albert Pujols, Alex Rodriguez and Miguel Cabrera.
Even in layman's statistics, Bay's offensive numbers stand out, especially at age 26: He has a .305 batting average (10th in the National League), 85 runs (third), 23 home runs (12th), 132 hits (seventh), 35 doubles (second), five triples (ninth), 69 RBIs (18th), 66 walks (seventh) and a .395 on-base percentage (10th).
Every one of those figures is an upgrade from last year or is on pace to be by season's end.
"This is what you would expect from Jason," general manager Dave Littlefield said. "He's an achiever. A serious young man. Above all, he's more talented than most. You put those ingredients together, and this is what you get."
"He's better in every way than he was," manager Lloyd McClendon said. "And that's a credit to this extraordinary young man."
What has been nearly as remarkable as Bay's productivity has been his consistency. Only twice has he has gone more than two games without a hit. He had one slump of three games, another of four. He will take a streak of reaching base in 29 consecutive games into the Pirates' series opener against the New York Mets tonight at Shea Stadium.
Bay credits continuity. In each of his first four professional seasons, he was either traded or promoted or demoted or missed stretches to injury. This year, he is the only member of the Pirates to play -- and start -- all 118 games.
"I've finally had an opportunity to come to the park and be able to play every day, to get into a routine, to be in one spot the entire year," he said. "I've always been pretty curious to see how I'd do with a full year like this. And I'm pretty happy with the way it's gone."
He is showing no signs of decline, either. Yesterday, he was named National League player of the week after going 11 for 25 with two home runs and eight RBIs Aug. 8-14.
Bay's prowess at the plate, the game's insiders say, begins with a natural gift.
At 6 feet 2 and a fairly slender 200 pounds, he does not have the bulk of most home-run hitters. And, as he showed by going 0 for 10 in the All-Star Game's Home Run Derby, his swing does not follow the prototype, either.
What he has are naturally quick hands, and that helps him in two ways:
First, he can be more patient, waiting until the last moment to decide whether to swing.
"You're seeing him put the ball in play with two strikes more than he did last year, staying on the breaking ball longer," hitting coach Gerald Perry said. "He's also studying the pitchers, learning what their out pitch is and anticipating it. But his ability to react with his hands is the key."
Second is his outstanding bat speed.
"He gets through the zone in a hurry, and that's where the power comes from," broadcaster and former player John Wehner said. "The most impressive to me is that his top hand is so strong that he can get loft on a pitch that's outside. There just aren't many guys who can do that, especially pull hitters like Jason. He can hit it a long way up in the air, and that all comes from that hand."
Wehner added that he believes Bay still has one shortcoming he should address.
"He has so much power the other way, and it's a shame he doesn't use it. If he keeps improving, and I expect he will, I think he'll get better at this."
Bay's primary focus at the plate has been to improve his walk-to-strikeout ratio. It was 41 to 129 last year and is 66 to 107 this season.
"By concentrating on walks, I think, I'm not chasing pitches if certain teams don't want to pitch to me," he said. "The strikeouts? That's different. If everything else is there, the strikeouts don't bother me. Hey, you've got to get out somehow. But the walks really have helped."
The main reason Bay has walked so often is that he stands out so prominently in the Pirates' order, which has been among the least productive in baseball. Opposing managers often decide they would rather pitch to anyone else.
But that also is part of what makes his output exceptional. Unlike the four players Baseball Prospectus ranks ahead of him offensively, Bay has had little protection batting third in the lineup. Cleanup man Craig Wilson has been out almost all year. His replacement, Daryle Ward, has not homered in more than two months. The current occupier is rookie Brad Eldred.
"If you look at what we had at the top of the order last year, with Jason Kendall, Jack Wilson and Craig Wilson all having career years right around me, I'm sure I saw more pitches than I have this season," Bay said. "So, yeah, that makes this a little more satisfying. There are a lot of situations where the best I'm getting are those nibble pitches. That's part of learning in this game, being able to recognize those situations."
In the field
Bay's rookie honors did not come about because of his defense. He often took poor routes to fly balls, let line drives play him rather than the reverse and made rainbow throws.
All of that has changed, according to the man who watches his work in left field most closely.
"Vastly improved," Kuntz said. "There's nothing about his game that's like last year."
That starts, Kuntz said, with the arm. Bay missed the first five weeks of last season because of surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder. That procedure has little effect on hitting, but it can take a year to 18 months for a full recovery in throwing strength.
"Before that surgery, Jason was considered to have an above-average arm, and he's getting back to that," Kuntz said. "Especially in the past month, he's making plays he couldn't make last year. If the ball is down the line or off the wall, we're seeing runners stopping at first. The third base coach is stopping guys, too. Last year, that was an automatic wave home."
The fielding, too, has been better, Kuntz added.
"His routes to the ball, his jumps in and back, are solid. He's probably one of the better left fielders in the game as far as going to get the ball. The one thing he understands now is that you don't catch it with your glove. You catch it by moving your feet. Last year, you would see him lunging."
Bay's fielding statistics tell a mixed story. He has only two assists, a sign he still is not displaying a strong arm. But he also has made only three errors while logging 1,028 innings, more playing time than any outfielder in the league.
What makes Bay's job most challenging is navigating PNC Park's spacious and strange-angled left field. It took Brian Giles, his predecessor there, almost two years to become a standout there.
"I think he's better than Giles right now because he's more consistent," Kuntz said. "Jason Bay has that long, slender body you're looking for in that position. He has that long stride, which can make his plays look easier than they really are, where Giles was a shorter guy whose legs would go crazy trying to get to the same spot."
On the paths
Bay has stolen 14 bases in 14 attempts, more than double any teammate. His streak of 15, including one near the end of last season, is the longest active in the game.
That proficiency prompted McClendon two weeks ago to give Bay the team's lone green light.
"I can still put up a sign that tells him when he can't go," McClendon said. "But when a guy's showing you the kind of judgment he is, he earns the right."
The steals are the most obvious sign of Bay's work on the bases, but regular observers praise his work in the most routine situations.
Thursday in Denver, he was on second when Eldred hit a fly to left-center. Generally, tagging for third is discouraged on hits to that side of the outfield. Bay noticed the Colorado defense not setting up for a tag, took off and went into third standing up.
"I was in the dugout, and I just shook my head," Mackowiak said. "He seems to do the right thing all the time."
Bay would score on a Ryan Doumit single.
Off the diamond
In one way, Bay's personality away from the action can be summarized sweetly by outfielder Tike Redman's playful shrug.
"He's just J-Bay, man," Redman said. "He's low-key. Doesn't bother anybody. Fun to be around."
Bay is easy to smile, rarely rattled, seemingly always in control. A native of Trail, British Columbia, he also displays a competitive fire that long has been a stereotype of hockey players from his part of the world.
He has told McClendon he would like to play every game this season, and McClendon appears willing to oblige.
"I'm telling you, he's out there every night and I know I've seen him get tired sometimes," Redman said. "But you don't see it when he's out on the field. He's still going after everything. He doesn't want anyone to see. He plays hard. He respects the game."
"He's a great teammate in that you see him working to make himself better," Mackowiak said. "Look how he didn't sit on what he did last year. He wants to succeed. And what helps him is that he's mature enough to know how to make that happen. He's only 26, but he acts like he's 30. He kind of makes it easy for people in here to look up to him."
The coaches rave on this topic even more.
"Those generic, B.S. answers you sometimes can give to questions, those don't fly with him," Kuntz said of Bay. "You'd better be specific. He wants to be able to take your information, know everything behind it and use it down the road. I've got a blue book I keep back in Pittsburgh, probably about 5 inches thick by now, where I write down everything I come across in this game. He sends me to that book more than anybody else."
Kuntz paused and shook his head.
"He is so far advanced as far as a baseball intelligence level, and he wants to learn more. This is the kind of guy you just dream about having on your team."
"You've got to love everything about him," Perry said. "You've got to love a player who wants to get better."
Bay makes it clear that is his goal.
"Obviously, there's going to come a point where it will level off. Otherwise, you're talking about ridiculous numbers," he said, laughing. "But I'm pleased that it's gone so well so fast. Rookie of the year. All-Star Game. It's been gratifying, knowing you can do it when maybe some people didn't think you could do it. It's been gratifying for me to show that my rookie year wasn't just one great year. I hope there are even better ones to come."
(Dejan Kovacevic can be reached at dkovacevic@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1938.)
Thursday, August 04, 2005
Duke Named NL's Rookie of the Month
Pirates Notebook: Duke is top rookie for July
Thursday, August 04, 2005
By Paul Meyer, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Zach Duke yesterday was named National League rookie of the month for July after balloting by media who cover major-league games.
So what's next for the Pirates' left-hander -- Rookie of the Year?
"That's a long way off," Duke said, smiling.
Cy Young award?
"I don't think I can qualify for that," he said, grinning.
Hall of Fame?
"Don't jump the gun, guys," he said, laughing.
At times, it does seem difficult not to get carried away by what Duke has done in his six major-league starts. He's 4-0 with an 0.92 earned run average.
He compiled most of those gaudy statistics in July. In five starts, he was 3-0 with an 0.87 ERA.
"It was a pretty successful month for me -- definitely one of the best of my entire career," said Duke, 22. "Hopefully, I can keep it going and keep learning and keep improving."
Duke, who was 43-17 in the minor leagues when the Pirates brought him up a little more than a month ago, said he didn't expect to do what he has done to date.
"Not at all," he said. "I expected to have some success, but this has really surpassed every expectation I had. I'm kind of on cloud nine right now and I'm very confident. But I'm not going to get complacent. I still have a lot of work to do."
Some of that "work" will be realizing what he has done.
"It just blows me away, but it's nice to get that recognition," Duke said. "It's very surreal. I definitely didn't expect it at all, but I'm enjoying every second of it, that's for sure."
Believing in Wells
Kip Wells, 28 and in his fifth full major-league season, is 53-63 lifetime.
San Diego's Jake Peavy, 24, in his third full major-league season, is 42-28 lifetime and last season had the lowest ERA in the National League at 2.27.
Why the difference in the development process between Peavy and Wells, who lasted just 32/3 innings Tuesday night?
"I don't know," Pirates manager Lloyd McClendon said. "All I know is, we had Jason Schmidt."
McClendon paused, remembering a chat he'd had minutes before with former Pirates pitching coach Pete Vuckovich, now a special assistant to general manager Dave Littlefield. Schmidt's name had arisen during that conversation.
McClendon and Vuckovich had discussed the frustrations they'd had with Schmidt as they tried to get him to keep things simple and throw strikes. Eventually, Schmidt was traded to San Francisco, where he blossomed into a standout starter.
"That experience and where Jason is now, I would say you never give up," McClendon said. "If you think you have no chance, work a little harder. The point is, we just have to continue to work with [Wells] and continue to believe."
But what about how relatively quickly Peavy has become an above-average starter?
"God made us all different," McClendon said. "We all think differently. We all act differently. We all adjust and apply things differently. It takes some of us longer than others. It's just the way it is.
"I'll continue to believe in [Wells]. I'll continue to do everything we can to make him better."
North Side notches
Left-hander Mike Gonzalez, on the disabled list because of a sprained knee, went through fielding practice off a mound yesterday. He'll throw another bullpen session today, take tomorrow off, then pitch a simulated game Saturday. He should be on his way to Class AAA Indianapolis or Class AA Altoona to begin a rehabilitation assignment by Sunday. "Monday at the latest," Gonzalez said.
Andrew McCutchen, the Pirates' first-round draft pick in June who's batting .311 for Bradenton, Fla., leads the Gulf Coast Rookie League in walks (19) and is third in on-base percentage (.432).
FSN Pittsburgh and the Pirates have reached a new long-term agreement. Terms and length of the deal were not announced.
Wednesday, August 03, 2005
Bucs Unveil 2006 All-Star Logo
08/02/2005 7:05 PM ET
Pittsburgh unveils '06 All-Star logo
By Ed Eagle / MLB.com
• 2006 All-Star Game logos gallery • 2006 All-Star Game: Complete coverage
PITTSBURGH -- Perhaps the most aesthetically pleasing aspect of PNC Park is the way the Pittsburgh skyline, the city's bridges and the Allegheny River serve as a picturesque backdrop to the playing field.
The same features that have made the "Jewel of the Allegheny" arguably the most beautiful Major League park are featured prominently in the 2006 All-Star Game logo, which was unveiled at a press conference held by Major League Baseball and the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday.
The 2006 All-Star logo, designed by renowned local artist Burton Morris, the official artist of the 2006 MLB All-Star Game, in conjunction with Major League Baseball, captures PNC Park's club-level views, and adds a few artistic touches.
Two gold bats, outlined in black, form the first and third base lines before crisscrossing at home plate, which is covered by a black and gold MLB logo. Covering the playing field are gold letters outlined in black which spell out "All-Star Game." A gold star serves as the dash between "All" and "Star." Above that is a red "2006," separated in the middle by "MLB" in white.
The Pittsburgh skyline, the Allegheny River and the Roberto Clemente Bridge fill out the top half of the primary logo, while the U.S. Steel Building, the tallest skyscraper in Pittsburgh, fittingly sneaks just above the logo's outline.
"I think it's definitely got the Pittsburgh flair to it," Pirates CEO and managing general partner Kevin McClatchy said.
"Today is a significant day in the sense that when you unveil the logo, it's really the changing of the guard from one All-Star city to another," McClatchy added. "[The 2006 All-Star Game] is a great opportunity of the Pittsburgh Pirates and the fans of Pittsburgh to show off PNC Park. I think in a bigger way it's an opportunity for the City of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County to show itself off to America. We've got a great city."
During the official unveiling, Major League Baseball president and COO Bob DuPuy discussed the impact that the 2006 All-Star Game will have on the region. The 2005 All-Star festivities drew 250,000 fans to the city of Detroit and had a worldwide television, radio and Internet audience of 100 million fans.
"The All-Star Game has turned into an enormous celebration of baseball and will be a celebration of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County and the state of Pennsylvania," said Dupuy.
Dupuy also noted that more than $3 million was raised for local and national charities during the 2005 All-Star festivities.
"What we try to do is make a lasting imprint back on the community," Dupuy said.
The local politicians on hand for the official unveiling welcomed the opportunity to show off the city and region to a worldwide audience.
"This is going to be a very big day for Major League Baseball, a big day for Pittsburgh and also a big day for the region," said Allegheny County chief executive Dan Onorato. "The national attention will once again be on our little corner of the world.
"There are a lot of people working to make sure this is the best All-Star [Game] that Major League Baseball could possibly want," said Onorato. "We want to make sure the audience that shows up and the audience watching on TV gets to see the real Pittsburgh region."
Tom Murphy, Pittsburgh's mayor since January 1994, noted the progress the city has made since last hosting the Midsummer Classic in 1994.
"When you look out [here] at the two new fields that we have -- Heinz Field and PNC Park -- that didn't exist back then, the new convention center and really a host of other buildings that weren't even in existence back then ... it is pretty remarkable," said Murphy. "We are very excited about showcasing the city once again."
On Tuesday night, the logo will be publicly unveiled at PNC Park during an on-field ceremony prior to the Pirates' game against the San Diego Padres.
McClatchy will be joined by Murphy and Onorato for the ceremony. In addition, past and present Pirates All-Stars -- including Jason Bay, Steve Blass, Bob Friend, Dave Giusti, Al Oliver, Manny Sanguillen, Kent Tekulve, Frank Thomas, Bob Walk and Jack Wilson -- will help unveil a 23-by-20 foot logo display in right field.
All fans attending Tuesday's game will receive a window decal of the primary 2006 All-Star Game logo.
In addition to the primary 2006 All-Star Game logo, an alternate logo, secondary logo and uniform patch were also created.
The alternate logo is almost identical to the primary logo except that the white "MLB" lettering is replaced by the word "Pirates," which is written in the script that adorns most officially licensed Bucs items.
The secondary logo is similar to the primary and alternate logos, but in a rectangular shape and without words covering the playing field. Above the drawing is "Pittsburgh '06" written in black lettering. Below the drawing is "All-Star Game" in black lettering, and a black and gold rendition of the MLB logo.
The uniform patch that will be worn by participants in the 2006 All-Star Game will incorporate the "MLB 2006 All-Star" lettering, gold bats and black and gold MLB logo of the primary logo.
Ed Eagle is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs
Pittsburgh unveils '06 All-Star logo
By Ed Eagle / MLB.com
• 2006 All-Star Game logos gallery • 2006 All-Star Game: Complete coverage
PITTSBURGH -- Perhaps the most aesthetically pleasing aspect of PNC Park is the way the Pittsburgh skyline, the city's bridges and the Allegheny River serve as a picturesque backdrop to the playing field.
The same features that have made the "Jewel of the Allegheny" arguably the most beautiful Major League park are featured prominently in the 2006 All-Star Game logo, which was unveiled at a press conference held by Major League Baseball and the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday.
The 2006 All-Star logo, designed by renowned local artist Burton Morris, the official artist of the 2006 MLB All-Star Game, in conjunction with Major League Baseball, captures PNC Park's club-level views, and adds a few artistic touches.
Two gold bats, outlined in black, form the first and third base lines before crisscrossing at home plate, which is covered by a black and gold MLB logo. Covering the playing field are gold letters outlined in black which spell out "All-Star Game." A gold star serves as the dash between "All" and "Star." Above that is a red "2006," separated in the middle by "MLB" in white.
The Pittsburgh skyline, the Allegheny River and the Roberto Clemente Bridge fill out the top half of the primary logo, while the U.S. Steel Building, the tallest skyscraper in Pittsburgh, fittingly sneaks just above the logo's outline.
"I think it's definitely got the Pittsburgh flair to it," Pirates CEO and managing general partner Kevin McClatchy said.
"Today is a significant day in the sense that when you unveil the logo, it's really the changing of the guard from one All-Star city to another," McClatchy added. "[The 2006 All-Star Game] is a great opportunity of the Pittsburgh Pirates and the fans of Pittsburgh to show off PNC Park. I think in a bigger way it's an opportunity for the City of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County to show itself off to America. We've got a great city."
During the official unveiling, Major League Baseball president and COO Bob DuPuy discussed the impact that the 2006 All-Star Game will have on the region. The 2005 All-Star festivities drew 250,000 fans to the city of Detroit and had a worldwide television, radio and Internet audience of 100 million fans.
"The All-Star Game has turned into an enormous celebration of baseball and will be a celebration of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County and the state of Pennsylvania," said Dupuy.
Dupuy also noted that more than $3 million was raised for local and national charities during the 2005 All-Star festivities.
"What we try to do is make a lasting imprint back on the community," Dupuy said.
The local politicians on hand for the official unveiling welcomed the opportunity to show off the city and region to a worldwide audience.
"This is going to be a very big day for Major League Baseball, a big day for Pittsburgh and also a big day for the region," said Allegheny County chief executive Dan Onorato. "The national attention will once again be on our little corner of the world.
"There are a lot of people working to make sure this is the best All-Star [Game] that Major League Baseball could possibly want," said Onorato. "We want to make sure the audience that shows up and the audience watching on TV gets to see the real Pittsburgh region."
Tom Murphy, Pittsburgh's mayor since January 1994, noted the progress the city has made since last hosting the Midsummer Classic in 1994.
"When you look out [here] at the two new fields that we have -- Heinz Field and PNC Park -- that didn't exist back then, the new convention center and really a host of other buildings that weren't even in existence back then ... it is pretty remarkable," said Murphy. "We are very excited about showcasing the city once again."
On Tuesday night, the logo will be publicly unveiled at PNC Park during an on-field ceremony prior to the Pirates' game against the San Diego Padres.
McClatchy will be joined by Murphy and Onorato for the ceremony. In addition, past and present Pirates All-Stars -- including Jason Bay, Steve Blass, Bob Friend, Dave Giusti, Al Oliver, Manny Sanguillen, Kent Tekulve, Frank Thomas, Bob Walk and Jack Wilson -- will help unveil a 23-by-20 foot logo display in right field.
All fans attending Tuesday's game will receive a window decal of the primary 2006 All-Star Game logo.
In addition to the primary 2006 All-Star Game logo, an alternate logo, secondary logo and uniform patch were also created.
The alternate logo is almost identical to the primary logo except that the white "MLB" lettering is replaced by the word "Pirates," which is written in the script that adorns most officially licensed Bucs items.
The secondary logo is similar to the primary and alternate logos, but in a rectangular shape and without words covering the playing field. Above the drawing is "Pittsburgh '06" written in black lettering. Below the drawing is "All-Star Game" in black lettering, and a black and gold rendition of the MLB logo.
The uniform patch that will be worn by participants in the 2006 All-Star Game will incorporate the "MLB 2006 All-Star" lettering, gold bats and black and gold MLB logo of the primary logo.
Ed Eagle is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs
Thursday, July 28, 2005
Bob Smizik: 'Cancers' Not a Disease of Losing
Brian Giles
Thursday, July 28, 2005
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
In the vast and basically uncharted jargon of baseball, there's not an uglier way to describe a player than as being "a cancer in the clubhouse." If such a malignancy lurks in a baseball locker room, purists would have us believe the team involved is in great peril.
The Pirates once were considered such a team. Their clubhouse was described in this newspaper as "dysfunctional." Talk shows repeatedly referred to various "cancers in the clubhouse," most notably Jason Kendall.
Well, the cancers have been excised. Kendall was shipped away after last season and before him, his buddies, Brian Giles and Mike Williams, also were dealt.
In their place is a feel-good clubhouse populated with men dedicated to victory. There's the upbeat leadership of Matt Lawton, the quintessential good-guy veteran. There's the solid professionalism of Rob Mackowiak, the contagious exuberance of Jack Wilson, the quiet mentoring of Jose Mesa. It's quite a contrast to the sullen presence of Kendall, who dominated the room without saying a word.
And the result of this new and improved clubhouse?
After 100 games this season, after their win Tuesday against the Florida Marlins, the Pirates were 44-56.
In 2004, with Kendall, they were 48-52 after 100 games.
In 2003, with Kendall for the entire season and Giles and Williams for about two-thirds of it, they were 47-53.
In 2002, with all of those players they were 47-53.
If you take these numbers to mean clubhouse cancers are overrated, you would be correct. Winning breeds good chemistry and not the other way around. Losing breeds unhappy clubhouses and unhappy players.
Kendall was not the ideal teammate. Nor were Williams and Giles. But all three were significantly more successful than most of their teammates when it came to producing on the field.
So what if they were grumps in the clubhouse? So what if they were too cliquish? So what if they treated young players, particularly Wilson, like unwelcome visitors?
It doesn't mean a thing once the first pitch is thrown.
Kendall dominated the Pirates' clubhouse not because he was the highest-paid player or the one with the most longevity. He dominated because he was respected. The players looked to him, whether he wanted them to or not, because he played the game the way it was supposed to be played. He was a throwback. He was a guy averaging $10 million a season who never wanted to sit and who responded to every infield bouncer off his bat with an all-out 30-yard dash to first base.
Such a player is not a cancer in the clubhouse; he's a catalyst in the clubhouse.
The Pirates needed more players such as Kendall, Giles and Williams, not fewer.
Look at what these so-called cancers are doing today.
Kendall is catching and batting first for the Oakland Athletics, the hottest team in baseball. The Athletics and Kendall got off to slow starts and his many critics loved it. But Oakland is 28-7 since June 17 and going into last night was in first place in the American League wild-card standings.
After a slow start, Kendall is batting .277. More to the point, his on-base percentage going into games of yesterday was .394. Among leadoff hitters with more than 175 at bats, that's second in the majors to Brian Roberts of Baltimore. Kendall's on-base percentage was 11 points higher than Johnny Damon's, 15 points higher than Derek Jeter's and 43 points higher than Ichiro Suzuki's.
In the criticism of Kendall, it was suggested he couldn't or didn't want to handle a pitching staff. How does that explain Oakland's June earned run average of 2.45, which was first in the American League, or its July ERA of 3.66, also first in the AL?
Giles quietly remains one of the most effective offensive players in the National League and is a major reason the San Diego Padres are in first place in the National League West Division. Among outfielders, his on-base percentage of .433 was tops. He was fourth in OPS (on-base plus slugging), which is the greatest statistical barometer of a player's offensive value.
There's a lot of talk these days about the Pirates' recent infusion of youth and with it the suggestion that because these players were on winning teams in the minors it bodes well for the club's future.
That's nonsense. Minor-league victories don't translate into major-league equivalents. If they did, the emphasis in the minors would be on winning and not development.
If this youth movement generates winning seasons in the future, it won't be because Chris Duffy is being enthusiastic about the game or because Zach Duke has been a winner throughout his career.
It will be because they're good players. Talent trumps everything -- even clubhouse cancers.
(Bob Smizik can be reached at bsmizik@post-gazette.com.)
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