Alan Robinson on McClendon

Hitting the wire tonight is an AP story by Alan Robinson on McClendon's view of his contract situation.

Good things come to those who wait. I can think of no reason why Littlefield, even if he wants Lloyd back next year, would need to inform him of that before October.

I don't think a manager change would do much to change things, but I admit that I don't know half the story. Continuity of care, as they say in the daycare business, makes a huge difference on young people. Are rookies major-league toddlers? Maybe some of them.

And there must be off-the-field factors that go into a decision like this. Is McClendon very unpopular with the fans? Do the Pirates hire polling firms to find out? Since the team is in the business of selling tickets, I could understand letting a perfectly good manager go just because the fans would be more excited by a change of leadership. An owner or GM who gets into the habit of switching managers often - as PR, scapegoat-sacrificing stunts - pretty much sucks. But there's no point in never making a change, either.

What I learned from Robinson's article is that McClendon appears to genuinely want to come back. I did wonder if he might not be ready for something new. All the losing has to wear on you. Even if he was itching to finish the year and go fishing, I wouldn't expect him to ever say such a thing. But something about these quotes has me thinking that he does want to be back here. That should count for something.

I'm prepared for just about anything, short of Chuck Tanner returning.