HOUR 3 - Jim Leyland, Cutch speaks, Debrief

Pirates legend Jim Leyland joined the show. Jim said it is always a sad day when a manager gets let go and feels for Derek Shelton being the man out of a job. That being said, he’s thrilled for Don Kelly, one of his pupils, getting a big opportunity. Jim’s advice to Kelly was to be himself and let the players do their jobs too. Jim hopes that Don can ease some tension in the clubhouse and said you always have to earn it at this level. Jim said you have to do everything you can for the players and if they don’t perform, it’s time to take them to task. Jim wants to see the Pirates get a little bit creative offensively to cause a spark. The guys asked Jim about consistency in the lineup and how it can impact the usual players. Jim talked about Don’s playing experience and how playing every single position will help him with the team. Jim said you can plan for a lot of things in a game, but you can’t script it. Jim doesn’t believe in the analytics department much and said a lot of his success came more from instinct, watching the game, and working with is assistant coaches. Jim expressed the importance of not overloading the players with too much information and just letting them play the game. Other advice from Jim to Don was to hire an experienced bench coach. The Jim Leyland chat got us talking about cigs. We also heard the words of Andrew McCutchen following the firing of Derek Shelton. Donny Football Debrief – Poni has Steelers fans up in arms yet again about a young QB.