Shelton is lucky; Leyland in his corner
Jim Leyland had Art Rooney Sr., at a time when he needed a friend the most. “He would walk up the hall and stick his head in my office,” Leyland said this week. “I still can hear him saying, ‘Hang in there, kid. It’s going to be OK. I hired a football coach who won his first game and then lost the next 13. He turned out pretty good.’ ” Derek Shelton has Jim Leyland. “I’ve called him a couple of times to tell him I was there in the same situation,” Leyland said. “I told him, ‘Stay consistent. Don’t get out of the realm of what you believe in as a manager. Don’t do anything crazy. No tricks. Stay the course.’”
Leyland’s first year as Pirates manager in 1986 was difficult. He
inherited a team that lost 104 games in 1985 and was a national embarrassment because of the Pittsburgh Drug Trials after cocaine was used and sold in the Pirates clubhouse. The consortium of business people who owned the team had little money to put into it. The 1986 Pirates lost 98 games, including 17 of 18 against the soon-to-be world champion New York Mets, prompting one of Leyland’s all-time greatest lines: “The Mets couldn’t be that [bleeping] good. We beat ’em once!”
That’s why Leyland welcomed the visits and support from Rooney. The two bonded quickly because of their shared love of horse racing. But it was Rooney’s story about hiring Chuck Noll, who went from 1-13 in 1969 to four-time Super Bowl champion coach with the Steelers in the 1970s, that stuck with Leyland.
“That manager’s chair can be a lonely chair,” Leyland said. “Everyone leaves after the game and you’re sitting there alone trying to figure out how to win the next game.
“You have to be able to grasp the situation and realize it’s going to take some time. If you don’t have patience, you’re in the wrong business. It’s not easy because wins are so golden. When you get to the major leagues, the only thing that matters is the number in the left column and the number in the right column of the standings. It’s hard when you’re not winning.”
Shelton’s first season as Pirates manager has been even more difficult than Leyland’s first season. Shelton waited more than two decades to become a bigleague manager, then had his first season interrupted by the coronavirus. The Pirates are 4-14, the worst record in baseball. There has been speculation this could be the worst team in franchise history.
No, it hasn’t been a warm welcome to the big leagues for Shelton.
“I think he’s going to be fine. I think he’s going to be outstanding, actually,” Leyland said. “He has a real good personality. It looks to me like he’s a master of handling people. That’s what managing is.
“There’s still coaching involved, don’t get me wrong. Bill Virdon helped Barry Bonds become a better defensive outfielder. But the guys on this level are so talented. A manager has to make sure they’re in the right frame of mind. A manager has to try to put them in the best position to win.
“[Shelton] isn’t going to panic. I can see that in his demeanor. It’s not easy going through what he’s going through. I know that because I had to do it. Everyone is on your ass. ‘Same Old Pirates.’ You hear all that [bleep]. But you’ve got to weather the storm. We stayed with it. [General manager] Syd [Thrift] made some good deals and we got pretty good. If [Shelton] stays the course, once he gets more talent, he’ll be fine.”
There are only 30 bigleague managing jobs, which explains why Shelton accepted the Pirates’ offer. But if you are ranking them, the Pirates’ job would be near the bottom, maybe No. 30. Bob Nutting hasn’t shown much interest in paying for better talent. The Pirates’ prorated payroll this season is $24.6 million, according to spotrac.com. That’s less than every team but the Baltimore Orioles.
“All you can do is deal with what you’re dealt,” Leyland said. “I think you can still prove yourself as a manager even if you aren’t winning a lot of games. Be a good baseball guy. Go about your business the right way. Make solid decisions. Get your players to play hard. If you do all of that, a manager still can earn his stripes.”
That’s exactly what Leyland did, taking the Pirates from 98 losses in that awful 1986 season to three consecutive division championships from 1990-92. He won a World Series with the Florida Marlins in 1997. He retired after the 2013 season and ranks 17th on the alltime list for wins by a manager with 1,769. He should be in the Hall of Fame.
Shelton should be so fortunate.