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Castillo needs a mentor

3 min read

PITTSBURGH – Second baseman Jose Castillo is a pretty good player for the Pirates, which means he’s a disappointment. Castillo has the ability to be much more than pretty good.

There are still too many times when his head is somewhere other than where it should be.

Castillo has maddening lapses in the field and at the plate, which don’t seem to be diminishing in his third year in the major leagues.

It’s time for someone on the staff to make Castillo a personal project and make sure he gets the most out of his considerable talent.

That’s exactly what Lloyd McClendon did with Aramis Ramirez. McClendon spent hours with Ramirez, encouraging, scolding, pleading. Ramirez became a valid major league player, which made the Pirates’ decision to give him away that much more painful.

McClendon got Ramirez to lose weight and get in shape, convinced him of the value of regular extra work, and got him to control his emotions.

It took almost daily attention, but it worked.

Castillo will be eligible for arbitration after this season, which means his salary starts taking giant leaps upward.

He needs to focus and start taking his career seriously. It’s easy to let things slide in a losing environment, where the attitude is “We will …. get ’em tomorrow (maybe).”

After more than 1,000 major league at bats, Castillo should know how to hit with the game on the line. He shouldn’t be taking those mighty fall-down swings when simply putting the ball in play will get the job done.

He shouldn’t sink into a two-week funk at the plate because his swing fell apart after taking aim at Houston’s short left field fence.

The Pirates don’t have the money or the sway to go out and sign impact players. They have to grow their own.

Castillo should be an All-Star, a player who combines batting average, power and defense. The potential is there.

It’s up to the staff to develop it.

– n –

Of all the reasons to be jittery about the sale of the Penguins, a possible relocation to Hamilton, Ontario isn’t one of them.

The NHL isn’t going there.

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Anyone who thinks leadership isn’t a big issue with the Steelers is making a large mistake.

There’s a void after Jerome Bettis’ retirement and the free agent departure of Kimo von Oelhoffen.

The Steelers have had an amazing lack of selfishness. If you think that isn’t important, ask Cincinnati Bengals coach Marvin Lewis what a headache it is to put out Chad Johnson’s brush fires.

Strong leadership doesn’t guarantee success, but it’s an immeasurable help for a coaching staff.

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All baseball players should profit from Barry Bonds’ experience and learn a valuable lesson:

Be nice to your mistress.

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