Fire everyone.
Yeah, Bob Nutting's off to a fine start. He's fired the team president, he's fired the field manager, and he's fired the pitching coach. On top of that, he's made an exceptional choice to become the Pirates' next president in Travis Williams.
Good for him ... so far.
But if Nutting winds up sticking Williams with Neal Huntington as his general manager, all of the above will have been for naught and, in fact, it might backfire badly in that:
1. Hiring Williams would be a waste.
2. Huntington could actually wind up with more authority alongside an executive whose background isn't at all in baseball. As in, worst ... case ... scenario.
3. Not a damned thing will change.
We'll see soon enough.
Williams will be formally introduced to the media on this Monday at PNC Park. It won't be a standard press conference, I'm told. It'll be several smaller ones. A couple media outlets at a time will conduct joint interviews with both men in an office. That's how it was when Frank Coonelly was introduced in 2007, and I liked it. Felt more intimate, more forthright, less circus-like. I'd imagine this will be similar.
I'll be there, as will Alex Stumpf and Matt Sunday from our site. And speaking for myself, I promise to pass through that door with the most open mind possible, at least as it relates to both men in the room. Again, Nutting hasn't made a wrong move since the season ended, and Williams, obviously, is brand new and deserves every benefit of the doubt.
Our coverage will include a complete transcript of our session, produced as quickly as possible. That'll include questions asked by whichever other outlet might join us in the room. I'll also write a column, ideally publishing it before the Steelers-Dolphins 8:15 p.m. kickoff across the way at Heinz Field.
That column will be a little longer than the same two standard words.
