Wednesday, February 06, 2008
By Dejan Kovacevic, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Matt Freed/Post-Gazette
The Pirates' braintrust -- manager John Russell, left, general manager Neal Huntington and team president Frank Coonelly take questions from fans at PirateFest at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.
Well before sunrise each weekday, team president Frank Coonelly's oft-declared goal to "change the culture" of the Pirates begins with a dark drive to PNC Park.
Once there, he heads to the exercise room for a double-espresso of a workout, then cleans up and climbs the steps to the fourth floor to be seated behind his big oak desk. The clock shows 6:30 a.m., so the first official task of the day, as one might expect, is performed alone: He tears a piece of paper from a memo pad, the words "Frank Coonelly: To-Do List" engraved across the top, and begins penning item after item, from player moves to pushing suite sales.
The list pokes visibly out of his front suit pocket all day as he engages employees to cross off items, but one that remains untouched and no doubt unwritten, is that the Pirates must win for any of this to matter.
Chronologically above that, something even more challenging: Get someone to believe it can happen.
"One thing I won't do is criticize what's gone on in the past," Coonelly said in an interview at PNC Park. "But what I do know very well from being here for 100-plus days is that many people in this town truly believe we can't succeed. They believe it's because of the economic system of Major League Baseball and that we don't have the money some other franchises have. We need to change that inside this house, from the field to the front office. But we also need to change that perception in this town."
That perception also is fueled, Coonelly was reminded, by fans who feel the Pirates prefer making a profit over winning.
"I understand that is a perception out there," he said. "And that has been fed by not winning, by not spending the amount on payroll to put yourself in a losing position financially. Some fans will naturally gravitate to it. But, if you're feeding the fan that the system is unfair, that means you're telling them we can't win. We have to change that."
Coonelly began espousing "changing the culture" the day he was hired five months ago, following owner Bob Nutting's verbal lead. And part of his early push has been aimed at the past.
He has invited alumni managers, coaches and players to participate in team affairs. He has de-emphasized the angry-pirate logo in favor of the classic 'P' that adorns the caps. He has replaced the oft-ridiculed "We Will" slogan in favor of the fans' chant, "Let's Go Bucs!"
On a personal level, he has been reading about the franchise's history, most recently Frederick G. Lieb's still-published 1948 journal, "The Pittsburgh Pirates."
"It's very important to me," he said, "to know where this team has been."
But the bulk of his focus has been on the present and future.
On the business end, Coonelly is preaching an upbeat if authoritative brand of optimism in a workplace that, by some accounts, had morale ranging from apathetic to empty under Coonelly's predecessor, Kevin McClatchy. Two winters ago, the marketing firm that produced "We Will" simultaneously conducted a private study of the Pirates' business practices that pointedly recommended that the team find new leadership.
Employees will attest that Coonelly has been much more visible and involved than McClatchy had been in his final year-plus as the company's head. They say Coonelly comes to meetings no less prepared than those who specialize in the topic at hand and that he spontaneously moves from floor to floor in the building, often making surprise stops in offices and cubicles.
They also say that, when Coonelly speaks, beneath the smile is a firm tone of accountability.
"Step one is the psyche of the people who work here," Coonelly said. "This should be fun. It's baseball. But we also need to do our jobs."
On the baseball end, Coonelly has delved no less deep, as Nutting made clear would be the case upon his hiring in saying he sought "checks and balances." Although general manager Neal Huntington is autonomously responsible for engineering player personnel matters, all significant proposals have crossed Coonelly's desk.
It has been Coonelly's call, ultimately, that the Pirates' only notable spending has been on their own players, from the three-year contract signed yesterday by second baseman Freddy Sanchez to similar offers for first baseman Adam LaRoche and closer Matt Capps. Free agents have been approached, but Coonelly has stuck by a systematic plan not to pay more than what his baseball men initially tell him a player is worth.
He also has been apprised of all trade discussions and, according to several sources, has been involved to the point of being pivotal in the Pirates' early December rejection of a five-player deal with Cleveland that would have sent Jason Bay to the Indians. The reasoning: More could be had in the future if Bay rediscovers peak form.
To be sure, Coonelly is no baseball novice.
His background as MLB's chief legal counsel in the previous decade and relationships with executives around the sport enabled him to call several peers and fish for ideas about building an organization. Independent of that, he can rattle off everything from scouting reports of other teams' minor-league relievers to backgrounds on 27th-round draft picks.
Add that to what Coonelly calls "a highly competitive nature," no doubt nurtured during his days as captain of his high school hockey team in Philadelphia, and he has his explanation for leaving his lawyer's life in New York to run a team.
"I understand that there were some in management here criticized in the past for not seeming to care about the success of the team on the field," he said. "I can assure you that will not be an issue."
He laughed.
"My only trepidation in taking this job was that, as a fan, I would get so upset over losses that I was concerned I would be even more of a fan as team president, to the extent it would be dangerous to one's health."
Coonelly's other imprints on the baseball end include maintaining elite facilities and equipment at all levels. That's aimed not only at improving players' development but also to make an impression.
"Are we collectively paid as much as Red Sox or Yankees? No. But we're a first-class team, and all our players should see that on daily basis."
In turn, Coonelly added immediately, "They have to conduct themselves in a first-class manner."
He often mentions in speaking engagements two examples of conduct in the Sept. 30 finale at PNC Park that clearly angered him.
The first came during the seventh-inning stretch when, during the Sunday playing of "God Bless America," only two Pirates coaches followed MLB guidelines to stand in unison across the front of the dugout. Everyone else stayed in the dugout or milled about in the field.
"I was appalled," Coonelly said. "Every one of the [St. Louis] Cardinals was out there, from players to coaches to manager. We had two coaches. Our franchise was showing a lack of respect."
The next came a half-hour later when about half of the Pirates' players snubbed the season-ending fan appreciation ritual and hastily exited through the dugout.
"I've been going to baseball games since I was a kid and always appreciated seeing players toss their shirts after the last game, shake hands, let fans take their pictures. Many of our players did that, but we had quite a few who went right into the clubhouse. I was appalled by that, too."
Coonelly has met with managers and coaches at all levels to ensure that a code of dress, conduct and charitable work will be part of what quietly is being labeled the "Pirate Way."
Anyone not obliging, apparently, will be reprimanded or shipped out. It was that mind-set, without question, that motivated the Pirates to cut ties this offseason with two perceived malcontents, reliever Salomon Torres and infielder Jose Castillo.
Coonelly acknowledged the scope of the challenge in converting a franchise mired in 15 consecutive losing seasons and the lowest of expectations.
"It won't be quick," he said.
But he also readily cites a passage from Lieb's book quoting Barney Dreyfuss, the Pirates' owner a century ago who will be inducted into the Hall of Fame this summer.
"When Mr. Dreyfuss came here from Louisville, his mantra was, 'We are a first-division city, and I am a first-division owner,' " Coonelly said. "I would change that somewhat to 'Pittsburgh is a first-division city, and this team will be a first-division club.' But we first need to believe ourselves that we can do this."
Does he?
"I'm more optimistic than most, but I'm optimistic."
Dejan Kovacevic can be reached at dkovacevic@post-gazette.com.
First published on February 6, 2008 at 12:00 am
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