Jeff Banister's official title with the Pirates is special assistant to the GM and he was, in fact, brought back to the organization by Neal Huntington a year ago after losing his job as the Rangers' manager. But Banny hasn't been around much of late, and that's a departure from the norm that had been set most of the summer, when he'd been around the big-league club -- in uniform, I might add -- quite a bit.
So, where's he been?
I'd been wondering, and so I asked around over the past week, and he's been ... roving. I'm told he's been scouring the minor leagues, studying their personnel and practices, and that makes sense given that he long filled that role in his previous tenure.
But I'm also told, albeit with conflicting specifics, that he's a possibility to replace Clint Hurdle should a change be made at manager in Pittsburgh. And I know for a fact -- right from the man himself -- that Banister would welcome a second crack at managing. That's not to suggest anything sinister at play. Banister's a good man. Just laying out everything I've heard, most of this in the past 48 hours, and the common denominator among all of them was Banister as manager.
I'll remind, though: Any machinations currently being considered by Neal Huntington or Frank Coonelly are pending their own employment statuses. And those will be determined by Bob Nutting and no one else.
Hang on. Only clearing my throat here.
• What does it mean that someone Huntington brought back could supplant Hurdle? I honestly don't know. Haven't been able to piece that together. But it's all certainly within the scope of a mass scapegoating that keeps Huntington in the top baseball spot while blaming everyone else for the worst drafting and developing in Major League Baseball over the past decade. The key will be whether Nutting falls for it, and they all know it. It's not that they think Nutting is stupid. It's more that they think everyone is stupid.
• Nutting was at PNC Park for at least part of this latest lousy series -- the pathetic Marlins took two of three -- and I'm told he, too, was in Altoona recently. I don't know what either appearance was about, but I do know that, way back in 2007, after Nutting fired Dave Littlefield, he did tons of solo work and flying all over the place to seek advice toward building a front office. That's Nutting's M.O. When he's faced with a challenging situation, he'll get the job done himself.
• The two people who decided to fire Michael Ryan as Altoona's manager, I'm told, were Kyle Stark and his longtime clipboard holder Larry Broadway. Stark's never let go of farm director duties, even though Broadway's held the title since the 'Hoka Hey' debacle in 2011, and the latter's been little more than a yes man, as virtually anyone within the organization will attest. So that basically means Stark fired Ryan after two first-place finishes and an Eastern League championship and, oh, yeah, being the only manager in the system to handle Bryan Reynolds on his way up. Good stuff.
• What was the real reason Ryan was fired? Plain and simple, he wasn't fulfilling the countless weird Stark initiatives toward "culture" and "player plans" and other time-consuming tasks that, according to actual baseball people, only distract from actual baseball development. Nothing else to it. Those who don't play along with all of this are gone, no matter their baseball results.
• An employee from a visiting team at PNC Park recently texted me a snap of this mural outside the visiting clubhouse ...
... and let's just say the accompanying words weren't exactly complimentary. For anyone who doesn't know the context, this 'changing lives' meme is used by Stark and Bernie Holliday, the Pirates' mental conditioning director -- you know, preparing them for the next Mental Olympics -- to capture their efforts to turn all prospects into superior men in all walks of life.
People all over the majors know about this stuff, by the way, and laugh about it. If Nutting would ever venture outside the 115 Federal bubble, he might, too. We'll see.
• Gerrit Cole, when he was a prospect, once spoke to Stark of an especially silly order: "I'm not doing that." And he didn't, per the way the story was relayed to me this week. Good for him. Cole used to roll his eyes to me anytime the subject would arise, but I'd never heard that one.
STEELERS
• The Steelers named their captains for the 2019 season earlier this week and the first three weren't real surprises. Ben Roethlisberger, Maurkice Pouncey and Cameron Heyward have long been considered among the leaders of this team. But the fourth captain? That was something new. Fullback Roosevelt Nix was named the team's special teams captain, replacing Chris Boswell in that role. It was a first for Nix. "I'm just really grateful to be recognized like that by my teammates," Nix told me. "It really means a lot to me, especially considering where I came from." Nix is speaking of his route to the NFL. A former college nose-tackle at Kent State, Nix initially signed with the Falcons as a linebacker. At 5-foot-11, 248 pounds, he was too small to continue playing on the defensive line. He then switched to fullback, but the Falcons didn't have the patience to keep him around, cutting him at the end of training camp in 2014. He then played in the Arena Football League for the Cleveland Gladiators later that year before signing with the Steelers following the season. He's been with the team since, earning a spot in the Pro Bowl following the 2017 season. But team captain? That's a bigger deal. -- Lolley
• Some have speculated that Adeniyi might be a long-term replacement for Bud Dupree at outside linebacker. And the Steelers do list the second-year linebacker as Dupree's primary backup. But Anthony Chickillo also can play on either side. And Adeniyi isn't thinking that far ahead. "Just contribute on special teams. That’s my mindset," Adeniyi told me of his goals for the season. But he has heard the thoughts of many fans regarding his future with the team. And that has to feel pretty good for a guy who made the roster in 2018 as an undrafted rookie. "Yeah, for sure," he said. "Having Steelers Nation behind me, that would make anyone feel good." -- Lolley
• There's a good chance Kameron Kelly is going to get the start Sunday in New England against the Patriots in place of injured Sean Davis. But it's not like Kelly isn't prepared -- at least mentally. He took a lot of snaps with the starting defense in OTAs and training camp at free safety when Davis was out with other various ailments. In fact, he probably took nearly 1,000 snaps in the offseason at the position. "Something like that," he told me. And unlike some players, who take those snaps for granted, Kelly, who was trying to make the team after signing with the Steelers after the AAF folded, did not. He was cut by the Cowboys after training camp last season and then saw the AAF fold out from under him in the spring. "For me, it’s been real the whole time," he said. "A lot of people come out here and kind of go through the motions. I’ve had to come here and be on my Ps and Qs all the time." -- Lolley
• Benny Snell isn't exactly Mr. Beloved in the Steelers' locker room, from what I heard there Thursday. And not just because his repeated 'Benny Snell Football' statements haven't been supported by, you know, actual football. Apparently, he hasn't shown anywhere near the appropriate respect toward some genuinely -- and deservedly -- respected team leaders. Stay tuned on this one. -- DK
PENGUINS
• A number of teams around the Metropolitan Division appear to have strengthened themselves considerably during the offseason. One very obvious exception to that is Columbus, which lost prominent forwards Artemi Panarin and Matt Duchene and goalie Sergei Bobrovsky to free agency. Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen was aware of that possibility at the trade deadline last winter, but that didn't stop him from going all in -- including making a deal to add Duchene. Kekalainen's bold moves helped Columbus upset Tampa Bay in the opening round, the first series victory in Blue Jackets history, but their run ended abruptly in Round 2. Jim Rutherford, himself an aggressive trader, said he doesn't believe the limited payoff on Kekalainen's late-season gambles will deter other teams from making similar moves in the future. "Every situation is different," Rutherford said. "He did what he felt was right, to give his team a better chance to win, and they did. They had a better chance to win. Sometimes, it goes your way, and sometimes, it doesn't." -- Dave Molinari at PPG Paints Arena
• Something to keep in mind while monitoring performances during the prospects tournament that begins today in Buffalo (because you can be certain the Penguins' personnel people watching the games will): The players will be competing against their peers, very few of whom are NHL-ready. That means that recording a hat trick or a shutout -- or turning in any other noteworthy feat, for that matter -- will not immediately thrust a prospect into serious contention for a spot on the major-league roster this fall. A few of the players who will represent the Penguins this weekend might well get some games with the parent club in 2019-20, but they won't earn them by virtue of a strong showing against the young players from Boston, New Jersey and Buffalo that they'll face over the next few days. -- Molinari
• Although the Penguins haven't divulged a timetable for naming Bill Guerin's replacement as assistant GM -- they already have Jason Karmanos serving in that role -- Rutherford has a pretty good idea of the qualities he will be seeking in whoever ends up with that job. "Just a good hockey person who can work with our group," he said. "A guy who can evaluate talent. A guy who can help develop players. A guy who understands the league and knows the players, so he can recommend someone we may get who can help our team or recommend somebody we don't need. All the standard things you do in hockey operations, as far as evaluation of players." -- Molinari
• One of the Penguins' most successful community-relations ventures -- the annual preseason game that's free for youth hockey players to attend -- will be Sept 28, when the Sabres visit PPG Paints Arena at 3 p.m. That game is one of the initiatives -- helping to build dek hockey facilities and providing equipment that can be used in gym classes are some of the others -- that help to get people interested in the sport and, in the process, expand the franchise's fan base. "You try to do things that work in your market," one team executive said. "Maybe sometime it isn't (working anymore), and then you'll come up with a new idea." -- Molinari
