Pirates missed the boat by not calling Leyland

You can take the man out of the city, but you can't take the city out of the man.
For what's it's worth (and that's quite a bit in the city of Pittsburgh), the Pirates perhaps could be enjoying an impressive 2006 baseball season instead of wallowing in last place in the National League Central with the worst record in baseball.
That's right. All it would have taken was a chintzy phone call and the Pirates could have had their former skipper Jim Leyland running the show once again in Pittsburgh.
To say the Pirates "missed the boat" is an understatement.
Pittsburgh general manager Dave Littlefield, however, didn't have any loose change in his pocket that day to make the phone call and sign Leyland. (Just kidding -- Littlefield could buy and sell all of us.)
Not a favorite
As things turned out, Pittsburgh had to settle for Jim Tracy, who is definitely not one of the Bucs' all-time favorite managers at this point.
I'm beginning to wonder just how much the Pirate players enjoy Tracy as their manager?
Leyland definitely would have accepted the Pirates position hands down. Money was not an issue so what was?
Who knows?
Right now, Leyland is setting on top of the world as manager of the Detroit Tigers who own the best record in Major League Baseball and they could very well be headed for a World Series berth.
Could this have happened in Pittsburgh if Leyland had been named the Bucs' skipper?
The 2006 Pirates have a lot of talent, so they say, but they have failed to show it thus far into the season.
One television station in Youngstown -- WFMJ Channel 21 -- even went so far as to poll listeners as to which team -- the Pirates or the Indians -- would have a better second half. Neither team is anything to write home about this year, so who cares?
Leyland, known for his fire, drive and passion, has shown these traits as manager of the Tigers this season. His loyalty and desires are with his Tiger team this season, where they should be, but his heart remains in Pittsburgh where he still plays golf, has a home, where his children go to school and where he has a countless number of friends.
Reporter's recollection
I remember the days when Leyland was manager in Pittsburgh. In his post-game interviews, he would enter the room, face the writers, take off his spikes, place his feet up on the desk in front of him and say, "Fire away boys."
It was a ritual and one that all Pittsburgh-area sportswriters became accustomed to. He was likable, very knowledgeable and a man who knew the game. He is a baseball manager.
Leyland made many visits to this area, and he and Lanny Frattare, voice of the Pirates, were regulars at the annual Mercer County Hall of Fame athletic association banquet.
Mercer County sports fans adored the man and always welcomed him with open arms. He was the kind of skipper they liked, one who would mingle with the crowd and wasn't afraid to get his hands dirty. He was a blue-collar worker
He attended a sports function in Youngstown a few years back and he was standing alone in one of the corridors.
He was cupping a cigarette and when I approached him he said, "I've been trying to quit smoking for a long time, but just can't seem to kick the habit. I didn't want to bother anyone with my smoking."
That's the kind of guy he is, always thinking of the other guy.
Jim got around in the major leagues. He became Bucs' manager in 1986 and managed there for 11 years before going on to pilot the Florida Marlins and the Colorado Rockies before joining forces with the Tigers.
As manager of the Detroit Tigers, Leyland recently returned to Pittsburgh and PNC Park. He didn't hide his sentiments for Pittsburgh and its sports fans.
"I'm a Pirate," he said, "and always will be."
I often wonder what would have happened if Littlefield had made that telephone call?
Would things have been different in Pittsburgh this season?
You better believe it.
Hall golf outing
The recent Mercer County Hall of Fame Golf Scramble this year drew 27 teams to the Tam O'Shanter Golf Course in West Middlesex. Proceeds benefited the Tom Burns All-Star Awards, one of the prized projects of the Hall of Fame annually.
Three teams tied for top honors, with 13-under-par 59s. A scorecard playoff was utilized to determine the winners. The team of Denny Eckles, Dick Lugg, Dave Keas and Rick Bresnan took top honors followed by the second-place team of Mickey Alexander, Ed Seginak, Bil Sich and Dave Stratter. Third place went to the team of Jim Tamber, Mike Micaletti, Ben Wagner and Bob Blaze.
The Tom Burns Memorial Awards, headed up by board member Nick Marnejon, include scholarship funds which are presented to the top male and female athletes with the highest grade-point average from all high schools in Mercer County.