First Impressions Mean Little in Pirates GM Choice

Will the combo of Frank Coonelly and Neal Huntington be able to get the Pirates out of their decade-and-a-half long funk? First impressions of both were good, but when aren't they for polished management types? People were impressed with Kevin McClatchy's enthusiasm and pluckiness...at first. Dave Littlefield brought a solid track record as an assistant GM and scout and was thought to be an up-and-comer...hmmm...sounds a lot like the new guy.

As an aside, I had a couple of first-hand encounters with Neal Huntington in 2000. He was the Indians' minor league director at the time. He took former Curve GM Sal Baglieri, former assistant GM Steve Lozinak and me through an empty Jacobs Field hours before a Curve game in nearby Akron. I later interviewed him for a Curve pre-game show at Akron's Canal Park about the Indians' minor league system. At the time, that system included a newly-signed Cuban defector named Danys Baez. He was impressive enough, but I think many executives can sound like they know what they're talking about. The proof is in the product.

I'll give Huntington whatever part of the credit he deserves for helping the Tribe rebuild into a division winner after John Hart/Mark Shapiro dismantled the juggernaut of the mid-to-late 1990s under ownership's orders. They made shrewd decisions in scouting, development, and trades to get the Indians back to the post-season in a fairly short period of time.

That stated, I'm cautious about thinking Huntington is the guy who will get it right. After all, Littlfield helped Dave Dombrowski rebuild the Marlins following the team's post-World Series gutting in 1997. They were back winning the Series six years later. That experience didn't really carry over to Pittsburgh now, did it?

Huntington will start to earn his stripes (or not) in a hurry. He's got to relieve Jim Tracy of his duties, right? He's also got to set a 40-man roster within the next month and a half and decide who stays and who goes in the baseball operations staff. It seems clear that a new scouting director and several new scouts are in order. Then, it's time to review trade possibilities and potential free agent signees. The list goes on and on. We should know a good deal about Huntington's vision for this team by the time December's winter meetings end. I'll reserve my judgment until then. Not buying those first impressions...

This One's on the Coach...

Easy as it might be to blame Anthony Morelli, Austin Scott, or even the "Referines", the fault for Penn State's 14-9 loss at Michigan on Saturday lies squarely at the doorstep of Coach Paterno. Nowhere else.

Really good teams (and I'm still convinced Penn State is) exploit other team's weaknesses. The Nittany Lions didn't even bother to try because of their fear of losing. The coach is either too set in his ways or has a severe lack of confidence in his signal caller.

What happened to the imagination and the aggressiveness we saw from the offense in '05 with essentially another first year starter at QB? (By the way, I recall pundits and fans wondering aloud after the cupcake appetizers that year whether Michael Robinson was a guy who could lead Penn State out of the doldrums.) How do you know if you have a leader at QB if you don't give him a real shot? Sure, Morelli didn't play well and really hasn't stepped up in a big regular season game...yet. He did in the Outback Bowl, though, when some of that imagination was put into the game plan. My take is that it's extremely difficult to be successful when the only time you're allowed to throw is in obvious passing situations (second/third & long or trying to come-from-behind late). Let the guy throw in some running situations to establish some confidence while, at the same time, giving an opposing defense something to think about.

Austin Scott has seemingly fumbled away his opportunity to be the Lions' #1 tailback the rest of the season. No question his miscue inside the Wolverines' 10 hurt. His fumbles against Buffalo did allow the Bulls to stay close and score their only points of the first half last week. All of that said, what did those turnovers really cost Penn State? About a minute on the clock vs. Michigan (as the Wolverines' fumble gave it right back) and three points to Buffalo. I'm not being a Scott apologist here, just pointing out that he wasn't the reason Penn State lost in the Big House or the sole culprit in a closer-than-desired 28 minutes of football against the Bulls.

What about the "Referines"? The Scott fumble was a really close call that even replay didn't clear up. I would have been fine with the ruling either way. The touchdown call on Hart's second-effort lunge was questionable, but Tom Bradley even pointed out that it was going to be third-and-inches if he was ruled down. The interference penalty? I thought the clutching and contact by Sargeant was pretty apparent--even moreso than the call State got the benefit of in Minnesota last season.

No, the culprit in the loss in Ann Arbor and close first half vs. Buffalo was the gameplan/play calling. Coach scared and your team will play that way. Frustration was written all over the faces of the highly-touted (and rightfully so) corps of receivers. Like Morelli, they didn't get a true chance to show what they could do.

One Penn State alum was so disheartened he told me he probably wouldn't pay much attention to recruiting anymore, because even the most talented QBs/WRs may not be given a chance to do their thing in big games. Wow. I didn't have the heart to pile on and say, "How many top recruits at the skill positions are going to want to come to Penn State after watching yet another close-to-the-vest loss?"

Rome's Third Hour

Nothing against Mike Tirico, but I'm glad ESPN Radio 1430 in Altoona will be carrying Jim Rome's third hour instead. Tirico, while not as entertaining or humorous as some other possible choices, will do fine hosting the time slot successor to The Dan Patrick Show. His rolodex of potential guests will rival Patrick's and be more football and golf heavy as opposed to the NBA. Not that it matters. We won't hear it locally...and that's fine by me.

Love him (Rudel, Eckenrode, Dambach) or hate him (Franco), Jim Rome is original, funny, entertaining, and extremely knowledgeable about sports. His rant on O.J.'s latest run-in with the authorities was side-splitting stuff. He had me laughing out loud for five minutes straight while I was driving to a certain convenience store for my 52-ounce mid-day fountain drink (I'm a Diet Dr. Pepper addict). I know some don't like his in-your-face style and his kick-'em-while-they're-down tendencies. That's his schtick and I never get the sense he's being really mean-spirited about it. He's kind of like the Chad Johnson of sports talk radio.

Rome is also very good at bringing home stories of social issues in sports (gambling and drug addictions, the Sheldon Kennedy story, autistic hoopster Jason McElwain, etc.). Then, there are the Clones...his legion of listeners who fuel the show with smack-filled e-mails and phone calls. Quite simply, Rome is the gold standard of sports talk. His third hour is back on our airwaves and I'm glad of it. After Rome, it will be Stephen A. Smith from 3-4 p.m., then Front & Center.

I Get the Feeling...

...Penn State, despite its 21-point win over Notre Dame, hasn't come close to playing up to its potential yet. Look out, Big Eleven.

...Big Ben-to-Santonio will become this era's Bradshaw-to-Swann.

...if any team is trailing Michigan at halftime, they will come out in the spread formation in the third quarter and win going away.

...LaSean has turned LaRod into a LaBackup in the Pitt backfield.

...if Pitt finds a way to win in E. Lansing on Saturday, it could be Oct. 27 before the Panthers lose (@ Louisville).

...the Eagles' ugly loss in Green Bay could cost them dearly in December as they make a push for the playoffs.

...the Steelers will have to share the front page quite a bit this fall because the Pirates' ineptitude has begun the baseball franchise's latest housecleaning.

...Britney Spears' career is officially over after that lethargic effort on the MTV Video Music Awards.