Smizik wrong about McClatchy

By Magoo
I read with great interest what Bob Smizik wrote regarding Pirate owner and General Managing Partner Kevin McClatchy in his Wednesday Column of the Post-Gazette. Seems that Smiz wanted to discuss something about McClatchy revising history.

In his column Mr. Smizik refers to a statement that Mr McClatchy made last week. "I don't know what happened, if they [the other baseball owners] drank some funny water, but they all decided they were back on a binge. And, you know, the tough thing about it, it just hurts the industry."

Mr. McClatchy, as most of you by now, was referring to the spending that some of his fellow owners have been involved in this off season. What Smizik leaves out of McClatchy's argument is the following. "When somebody goes out and pays an average pitcher $7 million a year, then anybody who's an average pitcher says they need $7 million a year. That's very difficult, and when you're giving pitchers $18 million in arbitration, that also makes it difficult."

The average pitcher McClatchy was probably referring to was ex Pirate Kris Benson. The New York Mets signed Benson to a three year deal worth $23 million. Benson who has, after 5 seasons, a record of 47wins and 53 losses and and ERA of 4.28. During those five years, most of us know, that Benson was injured for two of them, and was largely ineffective during his Pirate Career. So to most Pittsburgher's McClatchy's comment is indeed a valid one.

Yet the point Mr. Smizik attempts to make is that  McClatchy has a lot of balls for saying something so absurd. In fact, Smizik  says that McClatchy should be teaching a course in Revisionist History. His point? Heck, isn't this the same guy who gave Kevin Young a 4 year $24 million contract. Wasn't he the same guy who also gave Pat Meares a $15 million 4 year deal? And, let's throw in the Derrick (Operation Shutdown) Bell blunder. Not to mention the $60 million 6year deal that Jason Kendall got. Wow, Bob, that's a mouthful there. I don't recall any of those deals, except for the Kendall deal, being out of line with what was being paid to players in the late 90's

The problem that I have with what Mr. Smizik is trying to say about McClatchy is that he is revising history. Bob, I have never heard Mr. McClatchy ever say that any of those deals turned out to be prudent deals.In fact, he has had to pay for them both figuratively and literally. But indeed he has made a major change in his approach especially since hiring David Littlefield.

Additionally, those deals were made a long time ago. McClatchy agreed to them but at least part of the blame for those blunders belongs with Cam Bonifay, the former General Manager of the Pirates. Agreed that  those deals were all poor ones for the Pirates. But since the Bonifay days ended and the David Littlefield era began the Pirates have been exercising fiscal responsibility, and moving the team closer to being able to compete.

 Over the course of the past two seasons McClatchy and Littlefield have been trying to make his organization fiscally sound. Gone are some pretty good ballplayers such as Jason Kendall and Arimis Ramirez but along with them went their salaries. In addition to that, some --not so good-- ballplayers have either been given their exit ala Kevin Young, or traded as Kris Benson.

The 40 man roster is full of young players that have a formed a pretty good nucleus that bodes well for the future of the team. The current payroll is about $33 million and the team is looking to add another Starting pitcher, and a right handed power hitter. McClatchy has said he would like to spend at least $40 million this year so the Pirates are in a decent position to make the proposed moves.

If McClatchy is guilty of revising anything he has revised himself and learned from those early mistakes and as a result of a lot of hard work, has his team generating more fan interest. Look at the 15,000 fans that went to the Pirate Fan Fest which is considerably more than any other year. Also season ticket sales are up a reported 20%.

The real point that McClatchy was making is that when other teams are spending huge dollars on average players it makes it tougher on the teams like the Pirates who have worked hard to position themselves to improve their team and be solvent at the same time. The Pirates and several other small market teams just don't have $7 million to spend on an average player.

At the Pirate Fan Fest this past weekend McClatchy told the crowd while responding to a question about the future of baseball, "I'm going to have to do what's right for Pittsburgh and for our marketplace" To which the crowd applauded.

As a poster in a Pirate forum put it so well, "Smizik (in his article) kind of hit a long foul."