Commentary
Bucs need to upgrade at least three spots in starting rotation PITTSBURGH – It’s great that so many people are excited about the Pirates’ fast start.
For the good of the franchise, General Manager Dave Littlefield can’t be one of those getting carried away.
Now more than ever, Littlefield needs to focus on the long-range view of what it will take to make the Pirates capable of competing for a championship for a few years.
Mike Fetters has done an excellent job as a set-up man so far. That’s all the more reason to trade him when Kris Benson and Josias Manzanillo are ready to rejoin the major league roster next month.
A contender would probably love to have a utility infielder as defensively dependable as Mike Benjamin. Littlefield shouldn’t hesitate to deal him. If the Pirates are going to compete at a championship level – and that is the goal rather than a .500 record – they’re going to need to upgrade at least three spots in the starting rotation, plus center field, right field and first base.
Littlefield is already hamstrung by the burden past mistakes have put on the payroll. So when he can unload an older player and replace him with someone cheaper and younger, he should jump at the chance.
The Pirates’ success has been an unexpected surprise but this team isn’t deep or talented enough to seriously compete.
Littlefield still has a big job ahead of him, no matter what the Pirates record is in April.
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It’s a little difficult to understand why Jason Kendall inspires so much rage among some Pirates followers.
Kendall is off to a lousy start but you get the feeling people were waiting for him to fail to have a reason to complain about him.
Kendall has a whopper of a contract and is undoubtedly making more than his market value. Trade rumors about Kendall are pointless because nobody else is willing to assume that obligation.
But is that Kendall’s fault? They offered, he accepted. Who wouldn’t? Kendall is as good a gamer as the Pirates have had in the last 30 years. He takes a back seat to no one in that category.
He worked like a dog in rehab to come back from an awful ankle injury. He gritted his teeth last season and played with a thumb injury that gave him constant pain.
He played two innings Friday night after a foul tip dealt him a concussion and he showed up the next morning ready to get back in the lineup. Kendall’s lack of production is obvious. He isn’t earning his salary right now. Nor is he stealing it with a poor effort or approach.
He’s more upset about his start than anyone in the stands is.
Considering his attitude and his past history, it seems like he ought to get more slack than he’s getting right now.
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The all-time greatest Pittsburgh Steelers draft obviously came in 1974 when they selected four future Hall of Famers – Lynn Swann, Jack Lambert, John Stallworth and Mike Webster.
They also had a noteworthy draft in 1963, but for different reasons. The Steelers traded their first seven choices that year. Coach Buddy Parker was notorious for impulsively giving away draft picks for temporary veteran help.
Despite not starting until the eighth round, the Steelers managed to make some quality picks. They took linebacker Andy Russell on the 16th round, grabbed quarterback Bill Nelsen on the 10th and selected defensive back Jim Bradshaw 18th. They drafted running back Hewritt Dixon 11th but he opted for the American Football League, where he had a nine-year career with Denver and Oakland.
Russell played in seven Pro Bowls. Nelsen split his 10 seasons between Pittsburgh and Cleveland and piled up more than 14,000 passing yards. His 50.55 completion percentage puts him ahead of Joe Namath, Bobby Layne and Jack Kemp.
Bradshaw was a reliable player for five seasons.
By the way, the Steelers drafted a quarterback from Pitt on the 20th and final round of the 1963 draft.
His name was Jim Traficant. You still see his name in the paper – although not in the sports section.
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Recent research has revealed that Babe Ruth never had a personal theme song that played as he stepped into the batters box.
Yet he hit 714 home runs.
Go figure.
John Mehno can be reached at: jmehno@timesnet.net