John Russell, manager

Perrotto reports "strong indications" that Russell will be the new manager.

All hail Chuck Tanner

The Bucs appear set for three hires next week. They have hired Chuck Tanner as special assistant to the GM, and the 2007 team was disgusting to Coonelly, Rob Biertempfel reports.

Tigers acquire Renteria

Sounds like they couldn't persuade Jack Wilson to come and work for them.

Season over

Pirates to hire Alex Rodriguez as player/manager later in the week.

Ah, just kidding. My money's on Joe Randa for player/manager.

NFL Week 8: Steelers at Bengals

Another loss would drop the Steelers to 4-3, where they'd be in a tie for first with the idle Ravens. I smell a smackdown simmering on the stove. Game on at 1pm. Elsewhere, the Browns are at St. Louis as road favorites.

World Series

Any thoughts about the World Series? I expect the Rockies to get blown out, maybe swept; they sat a long time waiting for this series to start.

But ... no doubt I am rooting for them. All hail the underdog.

ZiPS for 2008

Last week, Dan Szymborski posted ZiPS projections for the 2008 Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Pirates have five players poised to hit better than a league-average catcher (~720 OPS) centerfielder (~785 OPS): Bay, Doumit, and the three first basemen. Ian Snell eats more innings than Matt Morris, and Romulo! lives large with a 5.92 ERA.

NFL week 7: Steelers at Broncos

The Steelers' game does not start until tonight, so we can all go back to bed and sleep late.

Elsewhere in the AFC North, the Ravens play in Buffalo, and the Bungles host the Jets. The Browns are on bye. All of Cleveland can focus on the team's third and last chance to win a game and go to the World Series.

No anxieties

Neal Huntington tells the Post-Gazette the Pirates are ready for "action."

The Flying Dutchman himself

Long, bizarre piece by Myron Cope on the Nuttings, meeting Honus Wagner, and the 2007 season. (Link via BBTF).

Memo to Neal

NH- Huzzah for all the pink slips. Keep 'em coming. A few friendly unsolicited suggestions on talking to reporters and keeping it honest:

1. Avoid using the word "struggle" in the first person for four consecutive sentences, like you did to Paul Meyer:

"I think ethically I struggle with that," Huntington said. "An individual's involved in a playoff run, it's probably one of the most exciting times of their lives, and I struggle with trying to distract them. I struggle with pulling them out of that environment. I struggle with that step in the process."

This just makes it sound like you're, uh, struggling. A lot. There will be more worthy struggles than the ethics of when to pester other teams.

2. Avoid describing 28 year olds as "young kids", as Jenifer Langosch quotes:

"I think Kevin is a young kid with a lot of pop in his bat who will bring great depth to our Minor League system"

Kevin Thompson is a man. Maybe a young man. Definitely not a young kid. Also, avoid suggesting that one man could possibly bring "great depth" to the wasteland of Creechlings. Or, if the quote is inaccurate, sternly reprimand whoever's responsible and/or work more pink slip magic.

Snatch it back and hold it

So when we are not sleeping here at HW HQ, we are drinking beer and wine and listening to the blues.

Is there a better blues album than Junior Wells' Hoodoo Man Blues? This is a serious question. The answer I think is no. Some may be as good, but none are better.

So what else is there to do, besides watch the Indians beat up on the hapless Red Sox?

Huntington hardly sleeps

Information executive Neal Huntington incrementally rebuilds the Pirates, reports Tom King for the Nashua Telegraph. One pink slip at a time, we'll get through this. All hail the new GM!

Meanwhile, John Perrotto suggests that Boston pitching coach John Farrell, ex-Florida pitching coach Rick Kranitz, and Colorado scout Dave Holliday are candidates for the manager, pitching coach, and scouting director jobs, respectively.

Huntington sleeps in

Paul Meyer reports that the new GM is getting lots of sleep.

Midweek bunch o' nothing

So what's new and exciting? I'm about all done trolling YouTube for Hee Haw clips.

Swoopage

This past week saw some curious results in our pigskin.com ATS pick 'em pool.

Lovullo

Cleveland AAA manager Torey Lovullo is a top candidate for new manager, reports John Perrotto.

If he gets the Pirates' job, Lovullo should have some pull to bring some top classic country-western acts to PNC Park. His father, Sam, was the executive producer of the television variety show Hee Haw for 25 years.

The Hee Haw acts could run between innings to break up the Benny Hill music.

Thtand up thtwait

Neal Huntington addresses an angry mob in Scene Two of Bucdaddy's play (read Scene One here).

NFL week 5: Seahawks at Steelers

The Penguins have the day off, so we will have to amuse ourselves with that lowly football team.

Tracy, the day after

(Scene: the unemployment line. A content Jim Tracy and his staff stand in place.)

T-bone (holding Post-Gazette): Trace, Dejan wrote a long piece about you today.

Tracy: Is the manager of the 2004 NL West Champions intrigued? Yes.

T-bone (skimming aloud):

Before Tracy had donned a Pirates uniform, in the winter of 2006, he met with center fielder Chris Duffy and told Duffy he should play like Dave Roberts, the Dodgers' leadoff man ... Tracy told shortstop Jack Wilson, a three-time runner-up for the Gold Glove, that he did not like his approach to ground balls, that it should be more like Cesar Izturis of the 2004 Dodgers ... Jose Castillo was told to be like Adrian Beltre. Bench players were told to be versatile like Jose Hernandez, who also was acquired.

Manto: That's pretty messed up. Your obsession with the '04 Dodgers seems hurtful and kind of pathological. Is this why you always tell me to look and act like Tim Wallach?

Tracy: Look, Tim, is it wrong for a man to project the greatness of a division champion onto a group of lesser men in hopes that the latter would in essence realize that projection? No.

Cox (laughing): And then Ronny says to me "Coach, I don't practice catching throws from the outfield?" And I say "Ronny, I need to know these things."

T-bone (reading aloud): Paulino never was seen addressing that play in an on-field workout all summer.

Colborn: Damn, Ronny dropped a lot of balls.

Tracy: Lo Duca had only three errors all year.

Cuellar: Look, DL is way the hell up there in line! Man, he looks tired, like he's been standing for awhile.

Tracy (smiling): Our general manager was terrific. (Cranes his neck and spots DL far off in the distance) They should get him a chair. If our GM stands too long, you take the legs away from him, and in essence you've lost the GM.