Clint Hurdle hired as Pirates manager

A new man is coming to town to try to restore a winning baseball tradition

Monday, November 15, 2010
By Bill Brink, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

Clint Hurdle in PNC Park in 2007 as manager of the Colorado Rockies.

Clint Hurdle wasted no time adapting to the Pittsburgh sports scene.

He was scheduled to attend the Steelers-Patriots game Sunday night, said his father, Clint Sr., and the Penguins-Rangers game tonight.

Both the Steelers and Penguins recently won championships. Soon Mr. Hurdle, who helped two organizations reach the World Series, will bring that postseason experience to a team that hasn't been there since 1992.

The Pirates hired Mr. Hurdle, the former Texas Rangers' hitting coach, as their 39th manager, 10 days after interviewing him, an industry source said Sunday. Team president Frank Coonelly said Sunday that the team will hold a news conference at 11 this morning to announce its new manager, though he would not say who that was.

The Pirates chose Mr. Hurdle over Jeff Banister, most recently their bench coach and a longtime member of the organization. They interviewed eight candidates, but narrowed their choice to Mr. Hurdle or Mr. Banister on Nov. 3. Mr. Hurdle interviewed with the Pirates the following day and also interviewed with the Mets on Nov. 10.

"I could tell in his voice, he was very excited about it," Clint Sr. said.

Mr. Hurdle, 53, replaced John Russell, who managed the Pirates from 2008 to 2010 and compiled a total record of 186-299. The Pirates finished last in the National League Central each year, and lost 105 games this season. The Pirates fired Mr. Russell the day after the season ended.

Now Mr. Hurdle inherits a team whose starting pitchers lost 84 games last season and had the worst earned run average in Major League Baseball, whose defense tied for the most errors committed and whose offense finished with the league's second-lowest batting average.

"He loves challenges," Clint Sr. said. "He wants to be where the action is."

Mike Maddux, the Rangers' pitching coach, described Mr. Hurdle as an intelligent man with a keen baseball mind.

"That was something we all kind of tapped into," Mr. Maddux said.

The Rangers as a team hit a major-league-best .276 with Mr. Hurdle as hitting coach. Four batters hit over .300, including Josh Hamilton, whose .359 average led the league.

In hiring Mr. Hurdle, the Pirates chose someone who had success with an under-performing team. He managed the Colorado Rockies for parts of eight seasons, from 2002-09, and took them to the World Series in 2007. The Rockies hadn't finished better than third in the National League West since 1997 prior to the Series run, but won 14 of their last 15 regular-season games to make the playoffs in '07. They swept the Philadelphia Phillies and Arizona Diamondbacks to reach the World Series before losing to the Boston Red Sox in four games.

His postseason experience, in particular, was beneficial to the Rangers this season, Mr. Maddux said.

"You've got to curtail your rosters for special need," Mr. Maddux said. "It might be a guy with a trick pitch or a guy who can steal a base. Until you've been in that situation you wouldn't really think about it."

That 2007 season, however, was his only one in Colorado with a winning record, and he was fired in early 2009 after an 18-28 start. He worked as a studio analyst for the MLB Network in 2009 and became the Rangers' hitting coach for the 2010 season.

Mr. Hurdle managed for six years in the Mets' minor-league organization. He became the Rockies' hitting coach in 1997 and replaced Buddy Bell as manager in 2002.

The Royals drafted Mr. Hurdle ninth overall in the 1975 draft, and by September 1977 he reached the major leagues. He batted .329 in the strike-shortened 1981 season, but hurt his back and never returned to form. He played 10 seasons in the majors and had 32 career home runs with a career average of .259. Mr. Hurdle and his wife, Karla, have two children, Madison and Christian. Madison has Prader-Willi syndrome, a genetic disorder that affects muscle development and appetite, and Mr. Hurdle is a spokesman for the Prader-Willi Syndrome Association. Mr. Hurdle also has an older daughter, Ashley.


Bill Brink: bbrink@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1158.

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