PSR In-Depth
Making The Grade
McClendon Garnering Experience And Respect
By John E. Sacco

Lloyd McClendon is on record saying being the Pirates' manager will not be his last job in baseball.

Others concur.

"He'd have no trouble finding a job in baseball within 20 minutes," ESPN baseball writer Jayson Stark said.

The confidence McClendon has in himself and the respect he has garnered nationally, first as a hitting coach and then as a manager for the Pirates, goes along way in explaining how McClendon landed a major league managerial job with little managing experience in the first place.

Unlike some who seem to be on every team's interview list but are unable to land jobs, McClendon's personality and ability to interview well opened a door for him.

Getting In The Door

For a few years in the 1980s, Bill Robinson, then a New York Mets' coach, seemed to be one of the leading candidates to be the manager of just about any team with an opening. Robinson had minor-league managerial experience on top of his major league coaching background. Somehow, he never landed a managerial job in the big leagues.

In recent years, New York Yankees' third base coach Willie Randolph has been mentioned time and again as a top contender for any number of openings. Yet, Randolph remains on the Yankees' coaching staff and without a managerial post.

McClendon understands that he was fortunate the Pirates hired him in the fall of 2000 to replace Gene Lamont. He knows some guys can't catch a break.

But he is not about to apologize.

"I've been blessed," McClendon said. "Along with those blessings comes talent and ability. I don't apologize for the position I am in. I've worked as hard as anyone has. I feel I'm deserving. I'm not the first one to take the avenue I took. I served as a hitting instructor. I feel I have great people, communications and organizational skills. I'm qualified."

McClendon isn't alone in gaining a big league managerial job without much managerial experience. Milwaukee hired Ned Yost out of nowhere after the 2002 season. Cleveland grabbed Eric Widge out of its minor league system.

Right Guy For a Hard Job

Stark said McClendon seems to be the right guy for the Pirates' job but it is quite difficult to be sure because McClendon's at a disadvantage.

"My first instinct when they hired him was that it was surprising," Stark said. "How could this guy with zero managing get a job like that? The team was moving into a new ballpark. Yet, the more I looked around, it didn't seem so surprising anymore.

"I know another team that had Lloyd right at the top of their list. He is a very impressive person. I certainly can see how a guy like him, as personable and as good an interview as he is could get a job. Why wouldn't he? Some guys just don't interview that well or don't have the pizzazz or managerial aura."

McClendon's record is nothing to boast about. His Pirates lost 100 games in 2001. They got a little better in 2002 and gained a little more ground last year. And while General Manager Dave Littlefield was busy ridding the Pirates' roster of most of its veteran or high-salaried players, including outfielder Brian Giles, third baseman Aramis Ramirez and a handful of proven major-league pitchers, McClendon imposed his will on the new collection of players, implored them to work hard and actually had the Pirates playing better during the second half of the season than during the first.

All that said, the prospects of a 12th consecutive losing season for Pittsburgh are strong. In fact, the Pirates could be staring another 100-loss season in the face with their fan-base angry, frustrated and starved for at least a glimmer of hope.

"I'll continue to work hard and try to get the job done," McClendon said."I consider myself very dynamic, a person capable of doing special things. When all is said and done, we'll get it turned around here."

Stark isn't so sure.

As of late January, he'd probably pick the Pirates to finish last in the National League Central even with the presence of woebegone Milwaukee and the pitching-poor Cincinnati Reds.

"Lloyd has been in a rough spot," Stark said. "I don't watch him manage every single day. There have been teams he's managed I thought would do worse. The cast has changed so much. Because of the circumstances I'd give him an incomplete grade. It's difficult to grade a guy when the direction of the franchise keeps changing."

Through it all, Stark marvels at McClendon's ability to remain upbeat and focused on the chore of reviving the Pirates. Not every manager could handle it.

"I find Lloyd to be a real positive guy, which is hard to do in that situation," Stark said. "He deserves a lot of credit for that. If you pay attention to other managers who have lost as many games as Lloyd has, they begin to lose their sanity. I don't see that with him. Sometimes, he has allowed his emotions to get the better of him. It's not always been the right thing at that certain time. That's human, though. How could you not let it get to you when you consider the circumstances? The state of the Pirates is not Lloyd's fault."

Lame Duck Status

In addition to a lack of talent, McClendon worked the better part of 2003 in lame-duck status. He eventually was given an extension for 2004, which included a club option for 2005. Essentially, he became a lame duck again when last season ended.

Not once, however, has anyone heard McClendon publicly discuss the topic.

"I think it is important and is my responsibility to make sure I do everything in my power to not have things that could have a negative impact on my club," McClendon said. "If I'm standing around moaning and groaning about my contract, it has to have an affect on my club. I refuse to do that. Nobody has more energy or positive feelings about this club than I do. I try to interject that. I think that comes from being secure with who you are. I was a kid from the ghetto in Gary, Indiana. Worrying about a contract is the last thing on my mind."

McClendon said losing the majority of his starting staff at the beginning of the 2001 season was probably the toughest thing he's ever had to deal with. But he survived, and in time he thinks he and the Pirates will flourish. Perhaps that's why he was the man picked to do this job.

"There were a lot of assumptions about the franchise made when he was hired that turned out to be wrong," Stark said. "Because of that, there's been no real opportunity for success. There's been no stability. The talent level has fluctuated wildly. Lloyd was handed a real difficult deck of cars.

"If he were to get fired, I predict he would manage again. He's not for everybody. But I know teams that would gladly take a chance on him on his strength as a human, his sheer likeability and intelligence. Lloyd's been through the worst of whatever he can go through as a manager."

John E. Sacco has covered the Pirates and major league baseball for PSR since October 1998. Prior to that, he covered the Pirates and the game from 1986 to 1992. He is a former member of the Baseball Writers of America Association, Pittsburgh chapter.