Sep 11, 2005 By John Mehno For The 3 min read

PITTSBURGH – The Pirates fired manager Lloyd McClendon last week, which allowed CEO Kevin McClatchy and general manager Dave Littlefield to deflect the blame they deserve. The franchise’s problems start well above the manager’s office. Former GM Syd Thrift, who rescued the Pirates almost 20 years ago, said, “It ain’t easy resurrecting the dead” and here’s the proof. Make no mistake, Major League Baseball’s economic system works against Pittsburgh.

But the system doesn’t consign a franchise to 13 straight losing seasons, either.

Teams in the Pirates’ circumstances have to be creative, pro-active and constantly ahead of the curve. Under McClatchy and Littlefield, the Pirates are none of the above.

A smart team moves Mark Redman when his earned run average is 2.44 in late May.

The Pirates should have known it was a mirage.

They also knew they were well stocked with young, inexpensive pitching. They dawdled and are stuck with Redman’s $4.5 million 2006 contract option.

After the 2002 season, the Pirates needed a first baseman and traded for Randall Simon. A week later, the Cleveland Indians got Travis Hafner from Texas.

The Pirates wasted more than $2 million over two seasons on Simon, who is best remembered as a sausage-bopping clown. Hafner, who DHs for the Indians, is hitting .302 with 25 home runs and 86 RBIs at a salary of $377,400.

Littlefield has been reckless with minor league players.

Bronson Arroyo, Chris Young and Chris Shelton left with no significant return.

Littlefield had to trade to get Jose Bautista back.

He gave away a player to get Benito Santiago, who was released a month into this season.

He’s traded for three players who reported with disabling injuries: Freddy Sanchez, Bobby Hill and Brandon Lyon. You like Mike Gonzalez? The Pirates traded him and only got him back when Lyon was returned to Boston.

If a manager chooses the wrong pinch hitter or relief pitcher, it can affect a game.

If a GM gets nothing for Jason Schmidt, it impacts several seasons.

Meanwhile, the McClatchy-mandated payroll has shrunk by nearly $20 million since 2001 and there’s still been no explanation of why Aramis Ramirez was given away in 2003, a baffling move that beget Chris Stynes and Ty Wigginton.

Littlefield said the Pirates have enough talent to have a better record.

The Houston Astros came to town for a four-game series in July and used neither Roger Clemens nor Roy Oswalt, saving their best pitchers for a tougher opponent.

Houston swept the series anyway.

Wouldn’t a smart organization check the expiration date on Jose Mesa and use this last month to audition other pitchers in save situations?

Littlefield, who inexplicably is calling the shots with the pitching staff, wants the status quo.

The Pirates’ new manager will have plenty of issues to confront.

One of the biggest is the competence of those above him.

John Mehno can be reached at johnmehno@lycos.com