Monday, February 25, 2013
Pivotal year for Bucs front office?
By Doug Mittler
Pirates owner Bob Nutting may have been sending a message to the front office last week when he gave a contract extension to manager Clint Hurdle that runs through at least the end of the 2014 season.
Pittsburgh is 151-173 in two seasons under Hurdle, including a 79-83 mark in 2012, tied for the franchise's best record in two decades. But the club has stumbled badly down the stretch each season and carries around a ball and chain of 20 straight losing seasons.
Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune says Hurdle has impressed Nutting with his “relentless positive attitude” and president Frank Coonelly and GM Neal Huntington could be the fall guys if the streak of losing seasons continues.
Huntington is entering his sixth full season as Pirates’general manager. He was given a three-year extension last March and has shaped the current team around star outfielder Andrew McCutchen, who signed a six-year extension last spring.
