Friday Insider: Hurdle once saved Huntington ☕ taken at PNC Park (Courtesy of Point Park University)

CLINT HURDLE, CHRIS BOSWELL, SAM POULIN AND BRANDON HAWKINS - MATT SUNDAY / DKPS

I've often written over the years that, in times of tumult for any team, more voices than ever will start squawking about what's really wrong.

Well, the past week brought a ton of communications my way regarding the status of those running the Pirates. Some of it came from people I've known and trusted for years. In one case, it was from someone with whom I'd never communicated, but some of his information -- not all -- was corroborated by one of those I've known and trusted, so that's all that'll be used below.

Disclaimer: As always at our site, when anyone on our staff uses anonymous sources, we're required to name those sources to editor in chief Dale Lolley. He'll approve or reject based on his judgment alone. And that goes for me, too.

Buckle up ...

Clint Hurdle once saved Neal Huntington's job.

I know, right?

In the fall of 2012, Bob Nutting was so displeased with Huntington and even moreso his lieutenant, Kyle Stark, over the 'Hoka Hey' fiasco that he strongly considered firing both. I knew this already, and I've reported it. I've also reported that Nutting did not want to lose Frank Coonelly and that, above all, he's always valued Clint Hurdle.

But this, for me, was new: According to two of the sources cited above, Nutting asked Hurdle how he felt about having Huntington stay on as GM. And Hurdle, never one to make waves, replied that he'd rather not have to deal with a new GM that would be trying to make his mark. As one of the sources wrote to me, Hurdle "was tired of training general managers and felt he could work with Neal."

What would've happened if Hurdle said no?

That obviously requires conjecture, but both sources wrote to me that they expect there's no chance Nutting allows Hurdle to be fired without including Huntington and Stark.

• The primary reason for the precipitous drop in performance and talent the past three-plus seasons, according to both sources, is that the front office has lost innumerable "true baseball guys," and they went on to cite a slew of names that I won't include out of concern anyone would think they're among the sources. (They aren't.)

Those "baseball guys" didn't exit for similar reasons, so there's hardly been some purge. But what's been left behind is far too many 'yes' men, not nearly enough willing or qualified enough to stand up to a lot of the silliness this front office espouses, particularly when it comes to player development.

This supports other information I've heard over the years, but never with this specificity.

• Stark has spent more of the organization's money on development than ever, much of it on mental conditioning coaches and other non-baseball processes aimed at improving the person. While no one complained about that in and of itself, the sources cited that as often being a distraction to the baseball aspects of development because it gets prioritized far too heavily. Another source -- the parent of a former prospect in the system (who's now really well known, I might add) -- backed this passionately. With multiple exclamation points.

Take from all this what one will. I might talk to two or three other people and hear things that are very different. But I'm doing the best I can to responsibly piece information together, particularly when it's corroborated.

MORE PIRATES 

• No, seriously, if I could show you all the appreciative texts I received this week -- from inside the organization -- for the column from St. Louis about Huntington's hibernation from the road, you'd have a much clearer picture of the whole scene. It's unlike anything I've covered since Dave Littlefield's final days in 2007, when pitchforks were poking out from everywhere. -- DK

• For clarity's sake: Huntington isn't firing anyone. Because he can't. Even Coonelly can't do so without clearance from Nutting. -- DK

Ray Searage, a good man and a good pitching coach when he isn't handed a dozen of Dovydas Neverauskas, Clay Holmes and Geoff Hartlieb, probably won't survive this, from what I hear. That's not to suggest he'll be isolated or scapegoated. Just sharing that within its own context. -- DK

• Why is the bullpen coach getting into scraps? Well, the one that got Euclides Rojas suspended for two games by the team last week, I'm told, originated because more than one reliever was fed up with what they felt -- fairly or otherwise -- was preferential treatment given to pitchers of Latin American descent, and to one pitcher in particular. Rojas is Cuban. This, too, happens in times of tumult for any team. -- DK

STEELERS

• In what would be his final full practice with the Steelers last week before the team's preseason opener against the Buccaneers, Darryl Drake was working with the team's receivers on sealing off defensive backs on outside runs and screens. I went over to watch the drill and take in what Drake was trying to teach. He wasn't necessarily a screamer as some coaches are. When the player didn't perform the blocking drill up to standard, Drake patiently pulled him aside and showed him the proper technique. When the player got it right, he got a congratulations and a smack on the behind. The players appreciated his coaching style. And on that drill, in particular, you could see how detailed in his work Drake was, looking at hand placement and how well the receivers could turn the defender without giving the appearance of holding. I asked receiver Tevin Jones about the drill following the preseason opener. "Being a big-bodied receiver, I try to put some extra emphasis on my blocking. It’s hard blocking those little guys when they try to get around you. Coach has been doing a good job to pay attention to those little things that help make us better." -- Dale Lolley in Latrobe, Pa.

• If you're looking for a player who had perhaps the best training camp of the Steelers' veteran players, look no further than cornerback Cameron Sutton. Sutton had another interception on Wednesday to end the practice, stopping the second-team offense, led by Josh Dobbs, in a two-minute situation. Sutton has gotten his hands on a lot of passes in this camp and the third-year cornerback is on track to unseat Mike Hilton as the team's slot cornerback. I'm told that move could be coming soon. -- Lolley

Chris Boswell had a solid camp -- until Thursday. With the Steelers rushing through practice to beat the storms that were brewing in the area, Boswell had a day where he missed a couple of kicks, both from 40-plus yards. "C'mon Boz," Mike Tomlin yelled after the second miss. Boswell responded by making his final few kicks after that. Boswell looks like he might be right again. And he made all three of his kicks in the team's first preseason game. But the Steelers won't really know if he's back to his pre-2018 self until they see him start kicking in the regular season. And, barring a complete meltdown in the final three preseason games, he's going to get that chance. -- Lolley

PENGUINS

• Training camp drills begin four weeks from today, so the roster of players who will participate probably won't be finalized for a while. At least for now, however, it doesn't look as if the Penguins will be inviting any NHL veterans who have been unable to secure a contract since the end of last season to attend on a professional tryout. The primary reason: The Penguins already have enough NHL-caliber players on the payroll that competition for spots in the lineup should be fierce, which means that the chances of a free agent actually claiming one of them -- the odds on which generally are slim, at best -- with his work during a few weeks of preseason play are even smaller than usual. "When I (invite players on PTOs), I want to make sure they have a legitimate chance to make our team," Jim Rutherford said. "And I don't see an opening for anybody at this point." -- Dave Molinari

• There was an unexpected coaching change at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton earlier this summer, as Clark Donatelli resigned and was replaced by former Charlotte Checkers coach Mike Vellucci. The word from inside the parent club's front office, though, is that aside from whatever on-ice adjustments Vellucci makes, the nameplate on the head coach's office door is the only thing that should be different for the Penguins' primary farm team during the coming season. The best evidence of that is that assistant coaches Jarrod Skalde and J.D. Forrest retained their jobs when the switch from Donatelli to Vellucci was made. -- Molinari

• Minnesota has not announced a target date to name Paul Fenton's successor as GM, which means the Penguins have no way of knowing if or when they might have to find a replacement for assistant GM Bill Guerin, who had a second interview yesterday and appears to be a leading candidate for that job with the Wild. Rutherford hasn't spent much time pondering who would replace Guerin if he moves on, but said he maintains a list of qualified candidates for any position within his purview that might come open. "I always have, from the first year I got this job," he said. "I have a good handle on what's going on in the hockey world and who those people are. But I also believe we have good people within the organization who can also move up." One of Guerin's primary responsibilities is to serve as GM for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Rutherford said "I haven't gotten to that point," where he has thought much about who would take over those duties if Guerin departs, but said "we have people in place who can take on that role." Those he cited include assistant GM Jason Karmanos, director of pro scouting Derek Clancey and pro scout Ryan Bowness. -- Molinari

Loading...
Loading...