CLEVELAND -- One fascinating dynamic that emerged in the Pirates' clubhouse late in the 2019 season: Players were pushing Bryan Reynolds and Kevin Newman, their two terrific rookies, to feel more comfortable in leadership roles.
And that push apparently won't abate, no matter how much change occurs over the players' heads.
"I think we've got to change the culture a little bit, and that's always on the players, first and foremost," Joe Musgrove, the team's unquestioned leader, was telling me. "Sometimes, having as many young guys as we do, it's hard to go out there and play with the confidence of a team with a ton of experience. With all the setbacks, all the injuries, all the issues we had, it allowed an opportunity for our young guys to go out and get major-league reps. The next step is taking control of the situation all around them."
Reynolds and Newman, he meant. And in the most respectful way, I might add.
"Yeah, we've expressed to them that they are leaders on this team. I think the idea that the leader needs to be the old guy, the one who's been around the longest, has kind of passed. It's about the guys who have the respect of their teammates, the guys who are going out and producing every single game. Those are the guys who are going out and leading."
But what, I further asked, does that mean for these two specifically, given that neither Reynolds nor Newman is exactly the rah-rah type?
"It doesn't matter if it's vocal or if it's by example," Musgrove continued. "I think those guys have all the qualities you need for leadership. They might be a little uncomfortable taking that on, being as new to the stage as they are. But we want them to know they are leaders here. They are leading us. They are looked up to in here. And they are free to stand up and speak when something's got to be said."
The latter best summarized the general sentiment I picked up from several players. It's primarily that they want those two to move beyond feeling like rookies.
I broached this with Kyle Crick, as well, and he was equally outstanding.
"We've got veterans who lead, but these rookies who performed extremely well, they're going to step up and lead. They are," Crick said. "Reynolds, Newman ... they're not just setting an example for how to be a big-leaguer, they're setting the example for everyone with the Pirates, all the way down through the system. So, whether or not they want to be leaders, they are. I'm sorry. When you do that well, you've obviously got a recipe for success. People are going to congregate toward that recipe. And I'm sure Bryan and Kevin can both bear that weight, for sure."
MORE PIRATES
• New GM could be announced any day, I'm told. And no, there are no leaks to be had on this, at least not from within 115 Federal. The only two people in the process on the Pirates' end -- and thus, in the know -- are Bob Nutting and Travis Williams themselves. -- DK
• First priority of the GM -- not top, but first chronologically -- will be the hiring of a new manager. Nutting and Williams are aware they're leaving candidates hanging, as well as positional coaches already in their employ. Already, the late process has cost them Jacob Cruz, the team's beloved second hitting coach behind Rick Eckstein. A manager's needed to stabilize a lot else. -- DK
PENGUINS
• While it might be tempting to criticize the Oilers' front office for trading the rights to John Marino during the offseason, the reality is that Marino had made it clear to Edmonton he wasn't interested in signing there. That means the Oilers would have risked losing him for nothing next summer, when his eligibility at Harvard would have been up and he would have been free to sign with the club of his choice. What's astonishing is that no other team was willing to offer Edmonton more than a sixth-round draft choice for him, since Marino looks very much like a guy who could be a reliable, responsible presence on an NHL blue line for at least a decade, and possibly longer. The Boston area, where Marino spent his college career, is swarming with scouts. It's hard to believe that Kevin Stevens and Scott Young of the Penguins were the only personnel types who recognized the potential Marino had. -- Dave Molinari
• Jim Rutherford is in Toronto for a weekend celebration that will culminate in his induction to the Hockey Hall of Fame as a Builder during a ceremony Monday evening. A highlight of the festivities is the Legends Game that will be played Sunday afternoon at Scotiabank Arena. Rutherford, who tended goal in the NHL for parts of 13 seasons, joked that he was asked to play his old position during that game, but that he agreed to do so "only if I could play the whole game." Hall officials denied the request, Rutherford said, so he refused the offer. He will, however, co-coach one of the squads in that game, sharing those duties with Anders Hedberg. Rutherford has proven to be a steely-nerved negotiator, but acknowledged that he'll be nervous before and during his induction speech Monday. "Definitely," he said. "I'm already nervous. When you get to this point and receive this kind of recognition, you think about your whole career, your whole life. I'm hopeful I can express myself properly and make sure I cover as many, or all, of the people who contributed to my career. ... That's a thing I think about every day. Boy, I hope I don't miss somebody and I hope I use the right words." -- Molinari
• There are pro scouts at virtually every NHL game -- the Penguins' meeting with the Blackhawks last Saturday was a notable exception -- and upcoming opponents often seem to be represented among then. Although that suggests they might be doing a little scouting of a team their club will be preparing to face, Mike Sullivan said he and his staff rarely seek that kind of input from those scouts before the playoffs. "I wouldn't say we use them a lot in the regular season, unless there are players we're not familiar with," he said. "A lot of the pro scouts, they're more concerned about (evaluating) individual players than they are team games. Those guys don't break down strategies and concepts and things like that. They're looking at individual players and assessing their performance. If we're unfamiliar with players -- for example, when we play the Western Conference -- we may look into the scouting reports that these guys are putting into the system every time they watch a game, just to get their input or their insights into certain players. But from a coaching staff standpoint, we do most of the work (developing a game plan) internally." -- Molinari
• Every hockey player makes mistakes, but only one -- the goaltender -- is pretty much assured of having his lead to flashing lights and cheers or jeers from 18,000 or so onlookers. And so it was during the Penguins' 6-4 loss in Boston last week, when Matt Murray and his backup, Tristan Jarry, both struggled through an off-night. For the most part, though, the Penguins' goaltending this season has been pretty good, and has contributed more to their 10-6-2 record than some observers might recognize. That's particularly true of Murray, who played perhaps his best game of the season during a 3-2 overtime loss to the Rangers at Madison Square Garden Tuesday. "I don't know what's being said (outside the organization), because I don't need people to influence my decisions -- that's why I stay away from it -- but he deserves credit for where we are," Rutherford said recently. "Our team is doing a better job than a year ago, in not giving up as many key (scoring) opportunities to the opposing team. But still, with that being said, he still has to make some big, big saves every game, in tight games." -- Molinari
STEELERS
• With it looking more and more unlikely that Antonio Brown will play in the NFL this season, and his rants on social media making it more unlikely someone will take a chance on him in the offseason, the clock on his candidacy for the Pro Football Hall of Fame will begin ticking if he doesn't play again. He would be eligible five years from now. From the voters I've spoken to on the Hall of Fame selection committee, Brown will likely be selected, even if it doesn't happen on the first vote. His numbers over the better part of his career warrant that. But who will present him to the other electors? I was told that even though Brown spent time with both the Raiders and Patriots this season, it would be whomever the elector is for Pittsburgh that would have make a case for Brown. It probably doesn't really matter. The electors will have their minds made up one way or the other on the troubled receiver. -- Dale Lolley in Cleveland
• I'm told Sean Davis is still several weeks away from returning from the torn labrum he suffered in a Week 2 loss to the Seahawks. A torn labrum is an issue in the cartilage that forms the resting place for the shoulder socket and can be quite painful. It requires about four weeks in a sling and then another four weeks or so of rehab to get the shoulder back up to strength. That's for a normal person, not somebody playing in the NFL. I have the same injury myself and will be getting the same surgery to repair it -- though my torn labrum came from overuse, not from getting run over by 230-pound receiver D.K. Metcalf. -- Lolley
• The move to place fullback Roosevelt Nix, along with receiver Ryan Switzer, on injured reserve on Thursday is one the Steelers were trying to avoid. They would have liked to have had Nix, one of their best special teams players and an obvious component of their power running game, available for the rest of the season. But his injured knee, which required surgery about six weeks ago, just hasn't responded as they'd liked. The Steelers could take a look at the waiver wire -- there were only 19 true fullbacks on NFL rosters at the start of this week -- to eventually fill that position. Or, they could choose to simply continue playing a tight end as a lead blocker the rest of the way and save the roster spot. -- Lolley
