Pittsburgh Pirates fire manager John Russell

• Non

  

  Pirates turned in a 57-105 record this season.
  
  Their 18th consecutive losing season.
  
  Clearly, they have bigger issues than the manager.
  
  However, they do have some good young players at the major league level and they've had some strong drafts the past couple years -- and they have the No. 1 pick in 2011 -- so there is a small glimmer of hope.
  
  Eric Wedge is being mentioned as a possibility.
• DeyDurkie5

  

  let's just act like the Pirates don't exist, it will make everything better
• Commander of Awesome

  

  You dont want the Grinder, trust me. Wedge sucks, and I'm not a big believer in Managers making a difference but Wedge is terrible.
• jordo212000

  

  I'm not sure how their GM continues to stay employed
• Art Modell

  

  Mets fire their manager and GM plus the Brewers fire theirs.
• Non

  

  Yeah I hope that's not the way they go.
  
  Dale Sveum will probably get the Brewers job.
  
  Depending on what happens with the Braves, Terry Pendleton might be available. That job will probably go to either Pendleton or Fredi Gonzalez.
  
  Some people are throwing around the name Andy Van Slyke. He spent a little time with the Tigers as a first base coach and then was let go.
  
  Tony Pena is another option. Former Pirate had one surprisingly good year in Kansas City and has been on the Yankees staff the past couple years. Might be worth a second shot.
  
  John Farrell has declined interviews in the past but now that the Red Sox are out of the playoffs and don't have a lot of momentum, this might be the time for him to become a manager. His son, Jeremy, is in the Pirates organization.
• Heretic

  

  jordo212000;506845 wrote:I'm not sure how their GM continues to stay employed

  
  Huntington? He's only been there three years and has done a good job of rebuilding the minor league system. If those players don't make an impact in the bigs in the next year or two, he'll be gone, but I don't think non-fans of the team (or even many fans of it) realize how badly former GM David Littlefield left the organization in shambles. When you come on as the GM of a low-market team and the previous guy left you a farm system with very few legit prospects, you're fucked short-term, so he blew everything up to start over.
  
  And yeah...I'd rather not have Wedge. He'd just be another Russell. Quiet, stoic guy who makes bizarre decisions.
• End of Line

  

  The one person who needs to leave is Nutting, but he doesn't care about fielding a good time, He only cares about turning a profit.
• Heretic

  

  The_Crosby_Show;506939 wrote:The one person who needs to leave is Nutting, but he doesn't care about fielding a good time, He only cares about turning a profit.

  
  This. Our best shot as things are is to improve the next year and contend from 2012/13 until 2015...at which point most of our young stars will be up, so they'll be gone and the team will dwindle unless the next group of young talent is ready to immediately step into their shoes. You know, Cleveland Indianitis. Be good for a couple of years, fall off the face of the earth while wondering what happened to all those good players and why you're looking at a bunch of rookies and retreads...
• GoPens

  

  Personally I'd love to see Pena get the job.
• killer_ewok

  

  GoPens;507043 wrote:Personally I'd love to see Pena get the job.

  
  Co-sign.
• norwalk

  I agree Pena would be a nice choice. The Pirates do have some nice young talent and I do like the direction they are going. It's going to take every bit of 2013 or so to get there but it seems they are starting with their minors and working their way up.
• jordo212000

  

  Heretic;506905 wrote:Huntington? He's only been there three years and has done a good job of rebuilding the minor league system. If those players don't make an impact in the bigs in the next year or two, he'll be gone, but I don't think non-fans of the team (or even many fans of it) realize how badly former GM David Littlefield left the organization in shambles. When you come on as the GM of a low-market team and the previous guy left you a farm system with very few legit prospects, you're fucked short-term, so he blew everything up to start over.
  
  And yeah...I'd rather not have Wedge. He'd just be another Russell. Quiet, stoic guy who makes bizarre decisions.

  
  My point is, why are you firing the manager? Obviously the players he has had aren't good enough. Tony LaRussa couldn't have done anything with that team. How many games did they expect Russell to win? If they fire Russell, then they need to get rid of the guy that constructed the team as well, it just doesn't make sense to me.
  
  But like others have said, in an ideal world you would fire the owner.
• Footwedge

  Pittsburgh lost another 105 games this year. What's that make now? 18 straight years whereby the tribe had a better record?
• killer_ewok

  

  Footwedge;507368 wrote:Pittsburgh lost another 105 games this year. What's that make now? 18 straight years whereby the tribe had a better record?

  Wow, shit is THAT bad in Cleveland that you're making comparisons to the PIRATES to make yourself feel better/make your team look better? EVERY team looks good in comparison to the PIRATES. I wouldn't be getting too excited over that.
  
  LMAO.
• Non

  

  They have a little bit of a foundation.
  
  If they end up drafting Anthony Rendon with the top pick, that would give them a talented nucleus.
  
  2013
  
  OFs - McCutchen, Tabata and Starling Marte (toolsy minor league player)
  INFs - Alvarez, Rendon and Neil Walker
  C - Tony Sanchez
  
  No legit SS at this point.
  
  Pitching needs a lot of work but that lineup will be formidable.
• outdoorsman

  Another manager bites the dust because of poor ownership. This is geting old.
• Art Modell

  

  I've been hearing Andy Van Slykes name being thrown around.
• Heretic

  

  jordo212000;507360 wrote:My point is, why are you firing the manager? Obviously the players he has had aren't good enough. Tony LaRussa couldn't have done anything with that team. How many games did they expect Russell to win? If they fire Russell, then they need to get rid of the guy that constructed the team as well, it just doesn't make sense to me.
  
  But like others have said, in an ideal world you would fire the owner.

  
  I get what you're saying...but:
  
  1. Russell's best attribute is that he's a player's manager. With a young team, you really need more of a disciplinarian. He's a lesser Torre. Put him on the Bankees and he'd likely have a good reputation, but he's too soft and passive for a team composed of prospects and retreads. The best manager ever couldn't make this current group an overnight winner, but he's the worst style choice you could have.
  
  2. The team just kept making the same stupid fundamental mistakes all year. You'd think things would be corrected over time, but they weren't. And Russell added to it with stupid ideas. In the (bottom of the, if memory serves) sixth inning of one game they were trailing, they had runners in scoring position and two outs with the pitcher up. He let the pitcher bat. Inning over. Pitcher might have faced 1-2 batter the next inning, giving up hits/walks, but then was removed. *Clap, clap, clap* for that strategy.
  
  I agree that he was screwed being the caretaker for a team full of prospects and retreads and was the fall guy, so if there is future glory, the next guy will get it. But from being a fan of the team, he never would have led them to glory. He was hired because he's a nice guy to players. The repeated poor execution on their part that never was corrected and his poor managerial decisions made the change necessary.
• Heretic

  

  From other posts, I'd be cool with Pena or Van Slyke. Tony was on the team when I first started following them and I really like think he'd be good and Andy was a fireplug during the last actual good teams they had. I can't see him tolerating the "well, we're trying and you know, getting kinda better and all" attitude continuing to exist.
• dokken

  Footwedge;507368 wrote:Pittsburgh lost another 105 games this year. What's that make now? 18 straight years whereby the tribe had a better record?

  
  Yes you are correct. Also, acknowledge the fact that during that same time period, the dreaded Pirates lead the series over the Indians.
• Art Modell

  

  dokken;507729 wrote:Yes you are correct. Also, acknowledge the fact that during that same time period, the dreaded Pirates lead the series over the Indians.

  
  LOL at footwedge
• GoPens

  

  Didn't waste any time interviewing Wedge already.
  
  http://post-gazette.com/pg/10278/1092809-126.stm
• Non

  

  Yeah I don't know about that.
  
  Huntington said it would be a "thorough and exhaustive" search so that might just be the first guy available.
  
  I like Pena, but I think they'll have to wait until the Yankees are done.
• Heretic

  

  I'd not be a fan of a Wedge signing, but it wouldn't shock me as Huntington has Cleveland ties from his earlier organizational employment. With him being on the hot seat as far as the team needing to improve for him to stay on, he might be looking for a guy he's comfortable with.