The Pirates have only had four winning seasons in Huntington's 12 full seasons in chargeGETTY IMAGES
Pirates Exec VP & GM Neal Huntington indicated on his radio show that his job "could be in jeopardy if the team continues to lose," according to Jerry DiPaola of the PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW. The Pirates have lost 24 of their past 28 games, and Huntington yesterday said, "Everybody has a shelf life, whether it’s the general manager, the manager or coach." He added, "[Chair] Bob Nutting and [President] Frank Coonelly may get to the point in time where that is the case. These positions, whether it’s the general manager or manager, they are hired to be fired" (TRIBLIVE.com, 8/11). In Pittsburgh, Tim Benz writes the Pirates are "en route to one of their worst seasons ever," and "boy, have they had a lot of those." If changes are to "occur with these Pirates, they should start at the top" with Nutting. However, Nutting is "unlikely to fire himself," so, "whatever changes come as a result should include Huntington" (TRIBLIVE.com, 8/12). Also in Pittsburgh, John Steigerwald wrote a "real major league team, no matter what the expectations were before the season, would not lose" 24 games after the All-Star break and "not be angry or embarrassed enough to fire the manager and/or the general manager or both." It also "wouldn’t have the arrogance and/or stupidity to believe it could get away with it with its fans" (TRIBLIVE.com, 8/11).
