Hard to embrace Bob Nutting’s spin on Pirates’ payroll

By Kevin Gorman
https://triblive.com/sports/kevin-gorman-hard-to-embrace-bob-nuttings-spin-on-pirates-payroll/
February 21, 2019

BRADENTON, Fla. — Spend an hour asking Bob Nutting questions and the first thing baseball fans want to know is whether even the Pittsburgh Pirates chairman believes his own bull.

The answer is an unapologetic yes.

Nutting puts a politician’s spin on his ownership, with evasive answers that tend to infuriate a frustrated fan base, yet he continues to promise to win a World Series to a city that will celebrate this summer the 40th anniversary of its last baseball championship team.

I believe Nutting is sincere in his hope to win a World Series, but hope isn’t a method. The Pirates aren’t willing to pay for what they are promising, as Nutting made it clear that spending more on payroll isn’t in their plans.

What would have been ideal for Pirates fans was to sign Manny Machado, addressing both the holes at shortstop (or third base) and providing a power bat in the middle of the batting order with a four-time All-Star and two-time Gold Glove winner in the prime of his career.

This is where Nutting is ineffective communicating his desire. When asked directly about Machado signing a 10-year, $300-million deal with the small-market San Diego Padres, Nutting talked about how happy the Pirates were to have Kevin Newman competing with Erik Gonzalez at shortstop and how such a contract would create an imbalanced payroll and challenge the clubhouse and team dynamics.

That’s nonsense, and we all know it. Signing Machado would have trumpeted that the Pirates were practicing what they are preaching, and propelled them from pretenders to instant contenders. Pirates players would scoff at the suggestion Machado’s contract would have been resented, noting how the arrival of pitcher Chris Archer gave the club credibility not just with the players but with their fans.

That’s what this is about. No matter how the Pirates spin it, their paltry payroll affects attendance at PNC Park, and the attendance dips can’t help but hurt the payroll. Attendance has dropped 41 percent since the record season of nearly 2.5 million in 2015, when the Pirates averaged 30,847 a game, to less than 1.5 million last summer.

The Pirates won 82 games but drew 148,083 fewer fans last year than they did in their 105-loss season in 2010.

Signing Machado was never a realistic consideration, much less a conversation within the club. Instead, Nutting insisted the Pirates want to build from within, through the drafting and development of prospects within their system and, more succinctly, the acquisition of free agents within the restraints of one of baseball’s smallest budgets.

With Nutting, there is a focus on the bottom line, be it payroll or production. It’s by design the Pirates are projected to have the second-lowest payroll in MLB. It’s interesting that a year after using the Milwaukee Brewers as a blueprint for building a winner, Nutting avoided any comparisons to the NL Central foe after it made a World Series run last season by going for broke.

Listen to what Nutting said and the construction is clear: The Pirates aren’t willing to outspend their opponents, so they are trying to outsmart them through analytics and player-development resources. They invest in their Dominican academy to find gems like Starling Marte and Gregory Polanco, rely on high draft picks like Jameson Taillon and Josh Bell through arbitration and supplement the roster with affordable, controllable complementary pieces.

That’s smart business in baseball’s current economics but it’s more about maintenance than short-term success, a low-risk proposition seeking a high-reward returns. And it’s not going to attract the frustrated fans back to the ballpark, unless the Pirates defy the odds.

“You’re going to need to embrace hard, because it’s not easy,” Nutting said. “It’s not an easy game if you’re a top-two payroll club. It’s a hard game. What we’re asking people to do every day in Pittsburgh is hard. … The last thing I’m going to do in any of these areas is to create an excuse. We’re not an excuse-driven organization. We’re going to embrace the hard parts of it. … That’s what’s going to make us better. I really believe that.”

Somehow, the Pirates believe it, too. Players and coaches are optimistic about their chances for a championship chase.

That might seem hard to believe, but the Pirates are buying what Nutting is selling (which, to the dismay of the frustrated fans, isn’t his ownership stake in the club) without any apologies.

With the Pirates, you have to embrace hard.

Hard as that is to embrace.

Kevin Gorman is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Kevin by email atkgorman@tribweb.com or via Twitter .

MORE KEVIN GORMAN COLUMNS STORIES

Kevin Gorman: Pirates put faith in Trevor Williams to throw first punch 

Kevin Gorman: Adam Frazier looks forward to starting at second for Pirates

Kevin Gorman: New hitting coach Rick Eckstein pushes Pirates to tap into power 

Kevin Gorman: Mobility a priority for Pirates’ Colin Moran 

Kevin Gorman: Pirates need to make Jameson Taillon an offer 

Jerome Bettis - A Football Life

Bettis and Conner share a special night

By Teresa Varley
https://www.steelers.com/news/bettis-and-conner-share-a-special-night
February 20, 2019



They are part of the Steelers family and on Wednesday night it was only fitting that James Conner and Jerome Bettis shared the stage at the 83rd Annual Dapper Dan Dinner and Sports Auction.

Conner was named the Dapper Dan Man of the Year, while Bettis received the Dapper Dan Lifetime Achievement Award.

“I know Jerome, Ben (Roethlisberger), a lot of great faces in Pittsburgh won it in the past,” said Conner, referring to Bettis winning the Man of the Year in 2006 and Roethlisberger in 2004. “It’s an honor to be included with those people and add my name to that list. It's a blessing. A lot of great people here tonight. Just to see everyone get together is awesome.

Conner thanked the Steelers organization during his acceptance speech, including President Art Rooney II, Coach Mike Tomlin and General Manager Kevin Colbert for making him part of the Steelers organization and said he wants to be "a Steeler for life."

In his first year as a starter Conner has opened a lot of eyes. But he knew what he was capable of all along.

“It’s what I have always asked for,” said Conner, who was presented by former Pitt teammate and Los Angeles Rams defensive lineman Aaron Donald. “Not the situation it was. I didn’t ask for that. But the opportunity to be a starting NFL running back. I didn’t really feel any pressure because it was everything I was asking for. I didn’t look at it as pressure because it’s what I wanted. It was a great opportunity.”

The ‘situation’ Conner referred to was Le’Veon Bell holding out all season, and Conner taking over the reins as the team’s feature back. It put him right in the center of all of the Bell talk all season long, but he never faltered, handling it with maturity that goes well beyond a second-year NFL player.

“When my teammates said they believed in me, I didn’t pay attention to the outside world, what they thought,” said Conner. “I just came to work every day. I started all year and things worked out.”

While his teammates knew he was capable of stepping in and accepting the tall task of taking over the Steelers ground game, those around the NFL didn’t fully know what to expect from the second-year running back.

“Those of us that know him aren’t surprised by it, but at the same time we respect his journey,” said Tomlin. “He is a driven young man. He is singularly focused. He approaches it the right way. When you are around guys day-to-day that have that approach, you are not surprised by the success that goes with it.”

Conner played in 13 games, starting 12, and finished the 2018 season with 215 carries for 973 yards and 13 touchdowns, while adding 55 receptions for 497 yards and a touchdown, for a total of 1,470 yards from scrimmage. Conner was also selected to the Pro Bowl as the AFC’s starting running back.

“I don’t focus on individual stuff,” said Conner. “I always knew my talent level. I knew with an opportunity to be a feature back I could show my skills off and accomplish great things, especially with the line I run behind and everyone believing in me. I knew with hard work and opportunity I could make some noise in the league.”

It’s not just his on-field efforts that Conner is being honored for. It’s what he does in the community, the way he inspires others, from kids to seniors, that makes him the individual he is.

While playing at the University of Pittsburgh, Conner suffered an MCL injury that had him going through rehab. During that rehab he noticed abnormalities. He knew something was wrong, but couldn’t imagine what. In his wildest dreams he never would have thought he would be diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma. He fearlessly battled the disease, never giving up hope that he would return to the football field, and did so for Pitt’s opening day in 2016. The rest as they say is history, as the Steelers selected him in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft.

Conner is an inspiring individual, one who battled the toughest of struggles and shines daily as an example that you can overcome anything in life.

“He is a hard worker,” said Donald. “A guy who has been through a lot, a guy who has accomplished a lot. I see him as a brother. I am proud of him. I am glad to be here to support him and congratulate him. He has been through a lot and overcame it.

“I was like a proud mother watching him. Trying to see every game, see what he did, what he accomplished. The success he was having, I was proud. It’s a great beginning for him. He is going to have a lot more success and do a lot more things. I am excited to see him grow.”

Over the past two years it would be impossible to count how many times people have come up to him and told him he is an inspiration, shared their stories with him on social media, reached out to him in one way or another.

“It’s hitting me. It’s becoming the normal,” said Conner. “At first it was new. Now it’s becoming the normal because that is the plan for me, to have an impact on people.

“It’s the best of both worlds. People are recognizing me for something I did in my personal life and for what I am doing for a great organization. When you put it all together it’s a lot of fun. It means a lot to me. The support never goes unnoticed. It’s an honor to take the field for the Steelers and I hope to do it for a long time to come.”

Bettis laughed about winning the Dapper Dan Lifetime Achievement Award, as he feels he has a lot more to give.

“It’s an incredible honor, but a little bit uncomfortable because I am 46 years old and I am not quite done in terms of a lifetime achievement award,” said Bettis, who was presented by Bill Cowher. “I feel like I have a lot more to do. A lot more lives to impact. But it is an incredible honor. All of the people that have received such an honor and acknowledgement, I would be remiss if I said it wasn’t humbling.”

Bettis impacts lives on a daily basis through his ‘Bus Stops Here Foundation,’ still giving back to kids in Pittsburgh, a place he will always consider a second home.

“It’s critically important for me to keep giving back to the city that gave me so much,” said Bettis. “It’s my job to do what I can, to pay it forward in a way. To give some young men and women opportunities that I received when I was a kid. If I can do that for them, hopefully in turn they can do that for someone else and it makes this area a better area to live and work in. That is my goal. Sometimes you do it one kid at a time. Hopefully I can impact a lot more kids moving forward.”

The way he is involved in the Pittsburgh community now doesn't come as a surprise to Cowher, who saw him do the same thing when he was playing.

“When he came to Pittsburgh not only did he embrace Pittsburgh, but Pittsburgh embraced him,” said Cowher. “He was a perfect fit for our football team, a perfect fit for our community. As you saw him grow as a player, and even as a person, you saw what he was made of.

“He is a kid that defied the odds. He came from Detroit. He finished his career in Detroit, appropriately so. He has continued to also take the next step. He has continued to give back with the Bus Stops Here Foundation. What you see in Jerome Bettis is a genuine individual that cares about people and really inspires a lot of people.”

While Bettis’ impact in the community is heartwarming, it was what he did on the football field that has him in the hearts and minds of Steelers’ fans forever.

His NFL playing career ended with a trip back home to Detroit, for Super Bowl XL where he hoisted the Lombardi Trophy.

“When I started playing the game, the ultimate was always to win a championship,” said Bettis. “To be on the podium, having brought a championship back to Pittsburgh, that was an incredible moment.

“I could have never imagined how everything happened. The fact that I was about to retire the year before, I decided to come back, the Super Bowl was in my hometown. We have this amazing football team, and for us to go and win and retire on the podium. That story doesn’t usually happen. For it to happen to me it was like, pinch me because I was dreaming.”

But the excitement wasn’t over for Bettis. The Steelers all-everything running back became a part of football immortality when he was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2015.

Bettis became the fourth Steelers’ running back in the Hall of Fame joining Bill Dudley, John Henry Johnson and Franco Harris, who has been a fan of Bettis’ since day one.

“He had a brilliant career, made big plays and was a big factor in the run the Steelers had,” said Harris. “It’s tough to last with the running style he had. Running backs don’t last a long time. He ran tough and ran well.”

Bettis began his career with the Los Angeles Rams in 1993 but had his best days once he was traded to the Steelers on draft day in 1996. Bettis rushed for 10,571 yards with the Steelers, and amassed 13,662 career yards.

“He was a bruiser,” said Harris. “Wow, could he pound that football. He pounded and pounded. He was a great competitor, a great team player. He contributed greatly to those teams. He was one of the main reasons that those teams were successful and accomplished what they did.

“He went on to put up numbers that were incredible. It was fun to watch him pound and see what he did. We were completely different runners in our styles, but I loved to watch the way he ran. He was so effective.”

Bettis capped his career in fairy tale fashion when the Steelers won Super Bowl XL in Bettis’ hometown of Detroit, and then he announced his retirement from the podium with the Lombardi Trophy in his hands.

“You look at his size and tenacity,” said former teammate Hines Ward. “To be that size and have quick feet was just amazing. Sometimes you found yourself as a teammate watching like a fan to see him get through a hole, side step somebody, run over somebody and then get up and do his patented ‘The Bus’ dance. That is what made him such a special running back. You don’t see many guys be able to maneuver the holes and run somebody over.

“To do the things he did at that size is amazing. I don’t think there will ever be another big guy like Jerome who did it the way he did and for how long he did it.”

Bettis was the Steelers leading rusher from 1996-2001 and in 2003-04, and he rolled up 50 100-yard games with the team.

“He was unusual because most backs weren’t as big as Jerome,” said Hall of Fame center Dermontti Dawson, who blocked for Bettis. “Usually a back of his size would come in on special situations, short to mid-range run plays. But he was a feature back for 13 years in the league. What made him unusual being a larger than normal back, he was so agile and strong he could take the pounding and be the feature back all of that time. He was a phenomenal runner. As an offensive line you love to have a back like Jerome in the backfield”

* * *

In addition, Dino Tomlin, son of Mike Tomlin, was honored as the Dapper Dan Youth Athlete of the Year, University of Pittsburgh Athletic Director Heather Lyke was presented with the Dapper Dan Sportswoman of the Year and Penguins President David Morehouse won the Dr. Freddie Fu Sports Leadership Award.

NJ Devils run out of time against Penguins in 4-3 loss

By Abbey Mastracco
https://www.northjersey.com/story/sports/nhl/devils/2019/02/19/nj-devils-run-out-time-against-penguins-4-3-loss/2910334002/
February 19, 2019

Patrick Warburton who played the part of David Putty on the TV show Seinfeld drops the puck between Andy Greene #6 of the New Jersey Devils and Sidney Crosby #87 of the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Prudential Center on February 19, 2019 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

NEWARK — It took four meetings this season before the Devils fell behind in a game to the Pittsburgh Penguins but when it finally happened Tuesday night they couldn’t recover. New Jersey failed to complete the season sweep of their Metropolitan Division foes, falling 4-3 to the Penguins at Prudential Center.

Jesper Bratt and Marcus Johansson each had a goal and an assist for the Devils, both coming in the first period when the Devils and Penguins each exchanged two goals. Mirco Mueller assisted on both as well. But the Penguins scored twice in the second period despite a nearly equal amount of attempts and offense generated. 

“I thought in the first period we played well but we got away from our game in the second,” coach John Hynes said. “We had some chances in the second and could have used some stops there, but I thought in the third period, we were the better team.” 

The Devils hit posts and crossbars a handful of times but weren’t able to get anything past goalie Matt Murray until 15 minutes into the third period. With five minutes left, Miles Wood scored to give New Jersey life. 

Blake Coleman took a penalty at 17:09 and the Devils put their goal scorers on the ice, using Johansson and Kyle Palmieri to kill the penalty. But they spent the rest of the game defending and ran out of time. 

"I think we worked for our chances," Johansson said. "I guess we needed a couple more to get the fourth one too, but (Murray) made some big stops. There was one where I thought I was scoring and he made a great save. We had enough chances to win but we didn't put them in." 

The game-changing goal came 10:45 into the second period when Bryan Rust buried a feed from Jake Guentzel off the rush. Kinkaid made the initial stop but the puck trickled past him and crossed the line for a goal to break the 2-2 tie.

Chad Ruhwedel put the Penguins up 4-2 late in the third period, rocketing a point shot off the crossbar. 

Nick Bjugstad beat Kinkaid high on the power play with just under two minutes left in the first period to the tie the game at 2-2.

Johansson scored his 12th of the season at 12:12, going top-shelf with a backhander. This came a few minutes after Sidney Crosby set up Staten Island native Zach Aston-Reese from down low. Aston-Reese cut through the crease to finish off the feed from the captain.

Bratt put the Devils on the board with a shot from the circle at 2:14. The second-year forward has come on strong as of late with 10 points in his last nine games. He nearly tied the game for the Devils in the third but he hit the post. 

Keith Kinkaid, who started all four games against the Penguins this season, made 24 saves.



Notes: Actor Patrick Warburton, who played "Seinfeld" character David Puddy, reprised his role for charity and dropped the ceremonial puck in full facepaint. ... Travis Zajac skated in his 900th career NHL game, becoming just the fourth player to do so for the New Jersey franchise. … Pavel Zacha missed his second-straight game with an upper-body injury. … Prior to the game, the Devils activated forward Blake Coleman from injured reserve and assigned forward Nick Lappin to Binghamton of the American Hockey League. … The Devils concluded the season series with a 3-1-0 record against the Penguins. They out-scored them 18-10. … New Jersey scratched Steven Santini and Kurtis Gabriel. 

NHL: 'Seinfeld' actor Patrick Warburton reprises role as Devils fan David Puddy for good cause

02/19/19 Condensed Game: Penguins @ Devils

Zach Aston-Reese looks like best fit on Evgeni Malkin’s left wing

By Tim Benz

https://triblive.com/sports/tim-benz-zach-aston-reese-looks-like-best-fit-on-evgeni-malkins-left-wing/

February 18, 2019

After the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the New York Rangers on Sunday afternoon, Zach Aston-Reese made a prediction.

“When NHL Network is playing its top 100 goals of the season, I’ll be on it for sure,” Aston-Reese declared.

He’s right. He will be.

I mean, he’s not the one who scored the goal in question. He’ll be in the highlights anyway, though.

It was Evgeni Malkin who actually put the puck in the net. A dazzling backhander that wrapped around 6-foot, 5-inch Kevin Hayes and surprised New York goalie Alexandar Georgiev.

Your browser does not support iframes.

Top 100? For sure. Maybe top 10.

That gave the Pens a 6-3 lead in the third period. They held on to win 6-5.

The reason Aston-Reese will see himself in the highlight is because of what he did to make the goal happen.

He beat Rangers defenseman Adam McQuaid along the left-wing boards and then put a tape-to-tape pass onto Malkin’s stick. That allowed him to calm down the puck and get the proper torque on his backhand to zip the shot past Georgiev.

What the clip doesn’t pick up early enough is how Aston-Reese was able to charge into the zone after passing the puck to himself a moment earlier.

“Playing with (Malkin), he’s really loud when he wants the puck,” Aston-Reese said. “I heard him coming down late. I just put it in a spot for him. And you guys saw the finish. He took care of the rest.”

Aston-Reese was installed as the left wing on a line with Malkin and Phil Kessel during the game. He started the afternoon with Matt Cullen and Dominik Simon. In a perfect world, though, Aston-Reese should be the third wheel with Malkin and Kessel full-time.

It’s a threesome that has had success at times over the last two years. However, the Pens lost Aston-Reese with a broken jaw in the playoffs last spring. And he was injured again for more than a month this year following an on-ice fight in Florida. So the trio never has gained much of a sense of permanence.

Now that Aston-Reese has been back for three games, it’s time coach Mike Sullivan gives that unit a long look.

“I’m not sure how much trust is there,” Aston-Reese said when asked if a long-term promotion is looming. “But to be able to play with those two would be nice. If I’m given that opportunity come Tuesday against the Devils, I’m going to do my best to take advantage of it and stay in that spot.”

There are many reasons such an alignment makes sense. At 6-feet, 204 pounds, Aston-Reese has some offensive skill. But he plays a simple, physical game that also is defensively responsible. That complements the creativity and offensive risk-taking employed by Kessel and Malkin. Also, putting Aston-Reese on the left side allows Kessel to move to his more comfortable right-wing position.

“Phil has that signature shot coming down on his strong side,” Aston-Reese said. “I like to work hard defensively. It’s definitely nice to balance out those two. They are more offensive minded.”

Another benefit to elevating Aston-Reese may be to avoid overexposing Nick Bjugstad. It’s likely best to allow Bjugstad to be a third-line center, seemingly the original intent of his acquisition. Sullivan said he made the adjustment because the Kessel-Malkin-Bjugstad combination wasn’t maintaining enough offensive-zone time.

“We think Zach is playing extremely well,” Sullivan said. “He is getting better and better with every game since coming off his injury. It ended up working out for the line. I thought they had a real good third period.”

As Aston-Reese pointed out, “it wasn’t even one half of one game.” And sometimes Sullivan’s line combinations are only as stable as the most recent shift.

But there’s reason to believe Aston-Reese joining Kessel and Malkin could become more entrenched than that.

Tim Benz is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Tim at tbenz@tribweb.com or viaTwitter. All tweets could be reposted. All emails are subject to publication unless specified otherwise.

MORE PENGUINS/NHL STORIES

Tim Benz: Players say Penguins must ‘Embrace the Race’ to playoffs

Tim Benz, Brian Metzer talk about Penguins’ line changes, playoff chances

Playing 3rd-line center for Penguins can be tricky

Penguins’ Sidney Crosby picking up scoring pace, wins NHL honor

Evgeni Malkin scores twice – again – as Penguins topple Rangers

Time for Pirates to put an offer on table for Jameson Taillon

By Kevin Gorman

https://triblive.com/sports/columnists/kevingorman/14614803-74/kevin-gorman-time-for-pirates-to-put-an-offer-on-table-for

February 14, 2019

(UPI)

Jameson Taillon follows the business side of baseball with keen interest, from free agency to arbitration, and the Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher was captivated by a trio of cases that could affect his future as the face of the franchise.

Mostly, Taillon was thrilled to see Gerrit Cole win his hearing against the Houston Astros for an arbitration-record $13.5 million salary this season, doubling his 2018 earnings.

“I was happy for him,” Taillon said. “Gerrit obviously is extremely interested in the process and how arbitration works and stuff. I knew he was committed to going into his case and, you know Gerrit, he’s going to help his own cause and be involved in the process so I know he put a lot of time into it.”

Cole was 15-5, with a 2.88 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and MLB-leading 12.4 strikeouts per nine innings for the Astros last year, after being acquired in a January 2018 trade with the Pirates for pitchers Joe Musgrove and Michael Feliz, third baseman Colin Moran and minor-league outfielder Jason Martin. That deal looks lopsided, but the Pirates didn’t believe they could sign Cole to a long-term deal and probably were right.

The Philadelphia Phillies, however, avoided arbitration with 25-year-old ace Aaron Nola by signing him to a four-year, $45 million contract extension that bought out two years of free agency.

Maybe Nola would have thought twice about his deal if he had known what Cole would win.

Nola was 17-6, with a 2.37 ERA, 0.975 WHIP and 9.5 strikeouts per nine innings last season, putting up better numbers for half the 2019 salary but more long-term security.

“Gerrit, I was really happy for him on a personal level but Gerrit, by winning his case, pushed forward that starting pitcher market, which has been kind of stuck in arbitration for awhile,” said Taillon, who replaced Cole as the Pirates’ MLB Players Association representative.

“With Nola, I don’t know him but I just sense that the Phillies would try to lock a guy like that up. I’ve heard they’ve had some money to spend, and he’s their guy. … Good for him.”

Perhaps, but Nola’s deal is far below market value.

That could be bad for Taillon’s future with the Pirates, now that Cole has cashed in and Nola sold himself short. Not that the Pirates have made any attempts to lock up Taillon with a long-term contract, allowing him to play for slightly above the MLB minimum at $575,000 despite going 14-10, with a 3.20 ERA and 1.178 WHIP last season.

Taillon has heard nothing about an extension from the Pirates.

“We haven’t talked about anything,” Taillon said Thursday at Pirate City. “You never know, my agent could be in contact with them at some point but I haven’t heard anything right now. I mean, I’m pitching for the minimum and, right now, that’s a pretty good deal so I understand there’s a side of everything and how it works. Right now, I’d be ready to just go year to year because that’s all I can do.

“That’s all I know, all I’m getting ready for.”

That’s a risk the Pirates have to weigh, considering the arbitration outcome of another pitcher. Trevor Bauer won his case against the Cleveland Indians for $13 million, only to insist he will only sign one-year contracts for the remainder of his career.

That could be tempting for Taillon, seeing the bigger payday for pitchers came by taking teams to free agency. Taillon used Max Scherzer’s seven-year, $210 millon contract with the Washington Nationals in 2015 — half is deferred in $15 million annual payments through 2028 — as an example of a player who took a calculated risk.

“I love a guy who bets on himself,” Taillon said of Bauer. “That fires me up, a guy who is confident in himself.”

The Pirates’ strategy could be as simple as drafting and developing players, maximizing their value through their 20s and either trading them when they reach arbitration, like Cole, or before they reach free agency, like Andrew McCutchen.

In Taillon, the Pirates have a potential combination of Cole and Cutch, a player who can be the ace and face of their franchise. They made Taillon the No. 2 overall pick in 2010, and he’s appreciative that the Pirates made that investment in him (over Manny Machado) and shown patience through his injuries on his way to stardom.

“I don’t try to be that; I just try to do my job,” Taillon said of the ace-and-face tag. “But when I got called up, we had Cutch and we had these guys who the city could look to and identify what Pirates baseball is. I think it’s nice from a fan perspective to have somebody you can root for.

“I bought a place in Pittsburgh. This city means a lot to me. This organization took a chance on me. They drafted me out of high school. It’s not something where I’m waking up every day, going, ‘I’ve got to represent baseball in this city.’ I’m just trying to do my job. But, at the same time, yeah, I’ll embrace it. I’ve connected with the city, with the fans — I’ve connected with them a bunch over the years — and if I am someone they look at, it’s awesome.”

Taillon is someone the Pirates should be looking to lock up, not as a goodwill gesture to fans but rather as a cornerstone for a club that talks about winning a World Series but is silent when it comes to spending.

It’s time for the Pirates to put one on the table for Taillon.

Love baseball? Stay up-to-date with the latest Pittsburgh Pirates news.

Kevin Gorman is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Kevin at kgorman@tribweb.com or via Twitter @KGorman_Trib.

MORE KEVIN GORMAN COLUMNS

Kevin Gorman: Pirates feel 'something special' but better have a Plan B

Kevin Gorman's Take 5: Will Pirates make more moves after signing Melky Cabrera?

Kevin Gorman: Jameson Taillon ready to be the ace, face of franchise for Pirates 

Kevin Gorman: Pitt trying to remain positive in the face of adversity

Kevin Gorman: Pirates need more pop out of Josh Bell's bat 

Oilers’ Connor McDavid still has improvements to make defensively

By Mark Spector
https://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/oilers-connor-mcdavid-still-improvements-make-defensively/
February 14, 2019

Sidney Crosby #87 of the Pittsburgh Penguins moves the puck in front of Connor McDavid #97 of the Edmonton Oilers at PPG Paints Arena on February 13, 2019 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images)

PITTSBURGH — The coach — or in the Edmonton Oilers case, coaches — always talks about the difficulty of outscoring their defensive mistakes. On the flip side, who better than Connor McDavid to test that theory?

But on a night when Edmonton lost in Pittsburgh, a tight game with a late empty netter, it was McDavid’s minus-2 that stood out more than the one assist he managed in a 3-1 loss.

McDavid and the first power-play unit were delinquent in allowing Bryan Rust to walk out from behind the goal and score a short-handed goal to tie the game at 1-1, and then McDavid allowed Teddy Blueger to walk right past him in the defensive zone on the 2-1 goal. Blueger was wide open in the slot to rifle home a pass for the goal, and despite a myriad of Oilers chances, that one stands as the winner.

“Kind of an awkward play,” said McDavid, who was at the end of a long shift. “He was coming in on a change and he was the high guy and he drove right to the net. I’m not actually sure whose guy he was. Maybe mine.”

On the short-handed goal, Leon Draisaitl admitted, “We have to be a little bit more aware in that situation. We played it a little too loose. But we had more than enough chances to tie it up later.”

“We can’t give that up,” added McDavid, now winless in six games against Sidney Crosby. “We had a chance to maybe go up two. Not good.”

Look: McDavid (nor Draisaitl) is nowhere near the problem in Edmonton. He is by far their brightest light, obviously, and if he’s not the best player in the world today he’s second behind the guy wearing No. 87 for Pittsburgh Wednesday. You simply can’t say enough about him as a player. He is the furthest thing from the issue when it comes to this mess in Edmonton.

But great players play at both ends of the rink, and at 22-years-old, McDavid’s game is not yet complete. This was the rare night when two lax defensive efforts both ended up in his net, and McDavid — despite a penalty shot and some fine offensive efforts — was not able to erase the deficit against a stellar Matt Murray in the Pittsburgh net.

“Maybe I left them out too long on the 2-1 goal,” offered head coach Ken Hitchcock. “Tired on the shift and that’s on me. We had a bunch of chances to tie it and I have to find a way to bear down on a couple.”

It also wouldn’t hurt if one of the other lines chipped in, the way a couple of depth guys scored for the Penguins. But that’s how it is for Edmonton’s two young stars — they’re on an island here, and whomever the new GM is, his first priority is to find them some help on the wing.

Meanwhile, Crosby had an assist on a plus-1 night. If or when McDavid gets to Crosby’s level of defensive awareness, we can bury the debate about who is the best player in the NHL.

Hitchcock was a Team Canada assistant coach at the Vancouver Olympics, where Crosby scored the golden goal.

“When we were at practice, there were times when we’d say to ourselves, ‘What the hell is he doing? Where is he going?’” Hitchcock recalled. “Well, he was practicing plays that weren’t connected to the drill we were doing. And then you’d see it pop up in a game.

“The bigger the game, the more he was a factor. As the games got bigger he just got to a higher level that no one else could obtain.”

McDavid was a teenager when he watched that game, and it wasn’t the last time he marvelled at something Crosby did. There aren’t a lot of guys in hockey that a player with McDavid’s skill set will watch in search of grabbing a tip or two.

Of course, Crosby is one.

“How strong he is down low,” McDavid said. “As the low centreman, playing against him, he’s so strong on his skates. So stocky. He’s tough to knock off the puck, which is a great quality to have.”

If there’s one place where McDavid’s game will still mature, it’s that strong play down low in both zones. Crosby is tough to knock off the puck when he has it, and doesn’t let you get to his net when he doesn’t.

“I think I’m pretty strong on my skates, but probably not to that level,” McDavid said. “Ultimately I’ll never be as stocky or as wide as him, but it’s definitely stuff you can work on.”

It’s that stern defensive game that the league’s best players eventually find, and if an annual Art Ross candidate can become tough to play against defensively, then you have the complete superstar.

“Sid thinks at a level, when the other team has the puck, that’s above everyone else in the league,” Hitchcock said. “His anticipation when the other team has the puck is so high, he knows where it’s going ahead of time. He can pick off passes, make you make errors… And then he also knows where people are located on the ice, so he can turn that turnover into a scoring chance.

“Connor has that in him. He sniffs out danger offensively. Sid thinks it defensively — he has both going.

“That’s where Connor is going to get to.”