Commentary
Be award, misery that plagues Pirates is self-inflicted PITTSBURGH – Make no mistake – much of the misery that plagues the Pittsburgh Pirates is self-inflicted.
They’re the ones whose brainstorming sessions produced bad ideas like Jon Lieber-for-Brant Brown and the pursuit of free agents Pete Schourek, Wil Cordero and Derek Bell.
But sometimes mysterious forces conspire against the Pirates, too, a curse that manifested itself last week.
Last year’s 100-loss season and a system that has the National and American Leagues alternating for the top pick netted the Pirates the first overall choice in last Tuesday’s amateur draft.
Ordinarily the first pick in a draft is a huge plus. It was for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1970, when a tie-breaking coin flip win over the Chicago Bears gave them the right to choose Terry Bradshaw. It was even better for the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1984 when sitting in the driver’s seat let them grab Mario Lemieux.
As much of a crapshoot as the baseball draft is, there’s still an advantage in having the first pick.
Except for this year.
Most scouts saw this as a fairly shallow pool. Worse, there wasn’t a consensus No. 1 pick. As late as 18 hours before the draft, the Pirates were still deliberating about their three finalists.
They got right-handed pitcher Bryan Bullington of Ball State University and project him as a future No. 3 starter in the majors. Of course you need a No. 3 starter to wedge between Nos. 2 and 4 but that’s not the kind of player you envision getting when you’re in control of the entire draft.
Bullington was a legitimate first-rounder but in another year, he may have gone on the 21st spot rather than the first.
By virtue of his drafting position, though, the Pirates will pay him the kind of bonus money the first overall pick usually gets. They’re haggling over a compromise between the Pirates’ offer of $4 million and Bullington’s target of $6 million.
No matter who wins, it’s a lot of money for an untested player who may never reach the major leagues.
The Pirates referred to their spot as 1-1 – first in the first round.
Bullington is going to get 1-1 money even though he’s not the kind of impact player who usually occupies that spot.
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The Steelers open mini-camp tomorrow, much to the surprise of those who think they’ve already had it.
No, those previous group gatherings were officially coaching sessions and rookie orientation. That doesn’t count the unofficial “voluntary” offseason workouts that have players gathering at the South Side compound most days.
The stated reason for all the offseason instruction is the need to impart new information and monitor the players’ conditioning.
The real reason is coaches want to do everything possible to limit free time that players have. History is a cruel teacher. Left to their own devices, players sometimes wind up sitting for those 3 a.m. front-and-side view mug shots that rarely flatter the subject.
Coaches love total control of their flock, which is why so many coaches absolutely love training camp.
Camp borders on house arrest with players confined to quarters and subject to dormitory bed checks and mandatory group meals.
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Fox Sports announced last week that Hall of Fame coach Marv Levy will no longer be part of the network’s NFL studio show.
Of course. Levy didn’t wear a cowboy hat, speak with an affected southern accent, whoop uncontrollably or call people names.
Silly man thought it was enough to do his homework and rely on his experience to deliver some insights from the perspective of someone who coached in the NFL. That’s not the legendary “Fox attitude.”
The new panel includes retired players Tony Siragusa and Michael Irvin.
Let the belching contests and felony jokes begin.
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Don’t be fooled by the change of name and colors: Those are the Hartford Whalers in the Stanley Cup Finals.
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Because of increased security, media types have to sign in to gain access to the Pirates clubhouse.
Major League Baseball’s security force reviewed the daily sheets and told the Pirates they had to crack down on their enforcement. It seems some pranksters were signing obviously fake names. Somebody should have told them that, unlikely as it seems, Alby Oxenreiter and Thor Tolo are real names.
John Mehno can be reached at: johnmehno@lycos.com.