Huntington brings hope as Pirates new GM hire

There is a light at the end of the tunnel. Keep running toward it.

With the hiring of young… There is a light at the end of the tunnel. Keep running toward it.

With the hiring of young gun Neal Huntington as general manager, the Pirates seem to finally be in the right hands. Team president Frank Coonelly made a sound decision in bringing in the seasoned yet fresh-faced 37-year-old.

Huntington worked alongside one of the stars of Major League Baseball’s young brigade of general managers, Mark Shapiro. He has a bevy of qualifications, and it was only a matter of time before Huntington got a job as the general manager of a Major League ball club.

Several teams, especially the Boston Red Sox, sought Shapiro’s talented assistants for general manager positions in the past, which means the Indians’ front office is filled with smart, confident executives in training.

Huntington was one of them, so the Buccos’ decision to hire him was perfect.

Shapiro said Huntington’s skills focus on evaluation and scouting, but the Pirates were really just looking for a general manager who can read. All jokes aside, Huntington’s arrival brings another positive change to the Pirates franchise. And in a September that will finish with the Pirates suffering a 15th consecutive losing season, positives for Pittsburgh baseball are surprisingly abundant.

The biggest concern for Pirates fans everywhere is the Pirates’ tiny payroll. Can anyone produce a winner with a payroll that could barely feed a family of four?

“I wouldn’t have taken the job if I knew there would be a hindrance of resources,” Huntington told the Associated Press.

After all, Huntington worked in Cleveland where, in 2005, the Indians won 93 games with one of the five smallest payrolls in baseball. And this year, they are in contention for the top seed in the American League playoffs.

Huntington and Coonelly will (hopefully) want to imprint their own style of competitive baseball on the Pirates franchise. With that in mind, they will want their own players, coaches and managers.

“For us to be successful in Pittsburgh, it must be similar to the way it was in Cleveland,” Huntington told the AP. “There needs to be a continual infusion of talent. How do we get that talent? We sign it, we develop it and we bring it through the model here in Pittsburgh.”

Sounds like a plan to me.

It won’t be hard for Coonelly, Huntington and company to bring some sunshine back to Pittsburgh baseball.

The Pirates have been in the dark long enough.

Let’s get to the rapid fire:

I tried to be positive. I really did. But boy, it’s going to be another long Pitt football season.

Memo to Dave Wannstedt on the subject of starting Pat Bostick: What took you so long?

Amendment to the memo to Wannstedt: Why did LeSean McCoy only get 11 carries on Saturday?

TRIVIA: I’ll give you a hearty pat on the back, Roc, if you can tell me the first time Pitt and Virginia played, and that game’s final score.

Sorry, Rex Grossman, but you are really bad.

I can’t remember the last time I was as excited for Sunday as I am this week: Reggie Bush finally gets the full-time feature back job in New Orleans.

When I see McCoy with the ball, all I can think about is having him on my fantasy roster in three years.

The Colts, Patriots and Steelers look good. Everybody else stinks.

The Magna Carta is up for auction. Remember the Magna Carta? It was the first thing you learned in history class in ninth grade. I’ll bid $5 in Panther Funds, auctioneer.

There’s no truth to the rumor that George Clooney’s publicist listed the “banged up” celebrity as “questionable” prior to his film’s premiere.

The Rockies are the feel-good story of the 2007 Major League Baseball season. Sorry, Milwaukee.

TRIVIA ANSWER: Pitt and Virginia first played in 1953, with Pitt winning, 26-0.

I read a headline this week that said, “Bronx schoolchildren bring Jennifer Lopez to tears.” For some reason, I have a hard time believing that. I’m pretty sure Lopez doesn’t have tear ducts.

In his own personal poll, Kanye West ranked himself the No. 1 human being. But what I really want to know is who else was receiving votes?

As of Wednesday night, I made 20 roster moves in my fantasy football league. As of Thursday morning, I am officially balding. Thanks a lot, Brandon Jacobs.