Commentary
Littlefield has only begun task of turning the Pirates into a contender Pittsburgh Pirates General Manager Dave Littlefield completes his first year on the job this week, secure in two basic truths:
1.) He’s made the team better and 2.) he’s only begun the huge task of turning the Pirates into a contending team.
Littlefield officially took over on Friday the 13th last year, his dream job converging with the nightmare the Pirates have been living for nearly a decade.
Not only did Littlefield inherit limited major league talent and a barren farm system, he had the obstacle of huge contract obligations to useless players.
You have to like what he’s done in his first year – he added Kip Wells, Josh Fogg and Pokey Reese.
He manipulated his limited budget to get Mike Williams back. He made Marc Wilkins and Rich Loiselle disappear.
He placed Jose Silva on someone else’s disabled list. He sent Derek Bell and Pat Meares home.
And yet the Pirates still have major holes in center field and right field, they need at least two more starting pitchers, they lack power at first base and they could use a legitimate leadoff hitter.
That’s a lot to do and the task is difficult. The Pirates don’t have the money or the sway to attract major free agents. They don’t have hot prospects on the immediate horizon. They don’t have much to trade that would bring a significant return, which shifts the focus to Brian Giles.
Giles is the Pirates’ best player since Barry Bonds. He’s also signed for a Pittsburgh-friendly price.
He’s the only Pirates player that other teams covet. Forget the Jason Kendall rumors – his contract scares everyone away.
Littlefield says he always gets calls about Giles and it’s no wonder. Just about every team in the major leagues could find a spot in its everyday lineup for Giles.
If the Pirates were to cash their biggest chip and trade Giles, they would need a minimum of three major league-ready prospects in return. They can’t take chances on Ron Wright types who are a couple of years away and may never arrive.
They need the help now and they need to be sure of what they’re getting. Trading Giles would clearly be a high-risk move but Littlefield has the guts to do it.
It’s the biggest decision facing Littlefield in his first year with the Pirates – and it has the potential to define what happens during the rest of his stay.
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ESPN was on the screen the other day and one glance at this athlete’s freakishly muscular arms showed why everyone is talking about steroid testing.
The player in question? Martina Navratilova.
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As happy as you are for that bunch of working stiffs who won the lottery (“This should be the last paycheck we ever need.”), couldn’t you live without seeing their commercial again?
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Remember who was unjustly denied a spot in baseball’s All-Star game two years ago?
Of course not.
It happens every year and every year there’s hysterical ranting that the system needs to be changed.
Unless you’re one of the players involved, it’s just not that big a deal. Someone who’s worthy always gets left off, no matter who does the choosing.
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Robert Lang is 31 years old so the contract he signed this summer was going to be his one chance to break the bank.
How could Pittsburgh Penguins General Manager Craig Patrick not realize that and trade Lang when he had the chance? The Penguins weren’t going to be in a position to outbid anyone for Lang.
It was interesting to read suggestions that Lang had landed a dream spot with the Washington Capitals because he’d be playing alongside his “buddy,” Jaromir Jagr. Playing with Jagr can be challenging, as several players learned when he was still with the Penguins. It doesn’t matter if the teammates are from the Czech Republic – that only means Jagr can disparage them in a more familiar language.
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Excitable Pirates announcer GREG BROWN! had a scratchy throat last weekend.
That’s what happens when you blow a gasket on those two-hoppers to shortstop. If the Pirates ever get good again, the poor guy may explode before Labor Day.
John Mehno can be reached at: johnmehno@lycos.com.