Cannon Firing Line
A Combination of All Three
By Ellis G. Cannon
PSR Publisher

The August newspaper headline has been staring at me for weeks: "Nutting: No Plans Yet To Shake Up Front Office."

Sort of reminds you to be careful what you say, or how to interpret what you read, or that things can change very quickly.

Or, the always convenient, some combination of all those.

Because, as we know, the Pirates front office has indeed been shaken up. Just a little.

First, the hiring of Frank Coonelly, who comes with the type of credentials you would expect after being entrenched behind the scenes in the commissioner's office as a rising star. He succeeded Kevin McClatchy and seemingly did so with back to his wind as he hit the ground running, first with an impressive media tour and accompanying determination that things are going to change.

Coonelly then hired Neal Huntington as the team's general manager, a hiring Coonelly had acknowledged just days earlier as perhaps his most important decision.

Which tells you the man had a plan, or knows something others don't, or is able to process things quicker than most.

Or, the always convenient, some combination of all those.

Upon the hiring of Coonelly and Huntington, both men enthusiastically expressed confidence the Pirates could be turned around on the field, not to mention the organization's losing culture.

Indeed, that should be their view. But, make no mistake, changing cultures is very difficult. That's why it rarely happens. It takes a lot more than words.

Consider what Ken Whisenhunt faces in Arizona compared to what Mike Tomlin faces here in Pittsburgh. The latter has to tweak a long-term successful commodity in an organization that knows EXACTLY how to win. Before Wiz can win, he first has to change the mindset and culture that pervades the Cardinals as it has the Pirates. In other words, before an organization learns how to win, it has to learn how to forget the expectation of failure.

That's a tough deal in both instances.

The bet Nutting and Coonelly have made with Huntington is simple, if not frightening: Is he smart enough to out-think others in his industry? Is he so skilled at player evaluation and reshuffling the deck to overcome what are perceived to be insurmountable obstacles? Can he almost singularly expand the Pirates' miniscule margin for error because of his knowledge, intelligence, and/or skills? Is he capable of doing what David Littlefield wasn't?

The Pirates are answering that bet - a long shot in any small market let alone one with a culture that has to be first remedied - yes. Absent a host of additional resources the public is unaware of - certainly including capital - that leaves Huntington to solve the problems and win the bet.

That's unless, of course, as Coonelly and Huntington report, they have all the resources they need. Or that both men are the real deals. Or fate simply has to intervene at some point.

Or, the always convenient, some combination of all those.

Ellis Cannon's SportsLine Pittsburgh" airs weeknights, 6-8 p.m., on FM NewsTalk 104.7. Ellis is also a regular contributor on the "#1 Cochran Sports Showdown" aired Sundays at 11:35 on KDKA-TV.