North Shore Notes
In The Dugout with Chuck Tanner

Chuck Tanner managed the Pirates from 1977-1985, winning 711 games and one World Series along the way. Tanner, who spent the 2007 season as a scout for the Cleveland Indians, will present the first annual Chuck Tanner Major League Baseball Manager of the Year Award to Joe Torre this month. PSR Editor Tony DeFazio caught up with Tanner during the ALCS.

PSR: What do you think has been the biggest factor in the Indians' recent success?

Tanner: The biggest factor in Cleveland is Mark Shapiro, the general manager. He's just done a fantastic job of putting things together, making trades that may not look like much on the surface but have helped the team, and he has turned that ball club into a team that won 96 games this past season. He listens to all the scouts and he make the final decisions, so he has to be given all the credit in the world for all the progress that they've made in Cleveland. And I know they are mighty proud of it.

PSR: Is that an organization the Pirates should be modeling themselves after?

CT: I think it's an organization ANY team can learn from and model themselves after. They're in a small market, and he's justified the fact that you can put a team together with a smaller payroll. And it's because of good scouting, and his knowledge to take what he can from all the scouts and make the final decisions to put him in the position to acquire personnel that can contribute.

PSR: This month, you will be awarding Joe Torre the first annual Chuck Tanner Major League Baseball Manager of the Year Award. Can you talk a little about the award?

CT: Hal Bosley of the USA Today, Joe Morgan, Tal Smith of the Houston Astros and Lanny Fratare of the Pittsburgh Pirates made up the award selection committee. There are a lot of outstanding managers, like Terry Francona, Jim Leyland, Scoscia, LaRussa, Pinella, Eric Wedge…but the criteria was who has done the most over a period of time, and so of course Bobby Cox was in there. Well, they selected Joe Torre because for 12 consecutive years he put that team in the playoffs. He won four World Series - four! - it's hard to win one. And he's won four titles. Earl Weaver, who was a great manager, won one. Bobby Cox, who had had three Cy Young winners - he's won one. It's hard to win the world championship. And I've known Joe for years. His brother Frank and I played together with the old Milwaukee Braves, the Atlanta Crackers, the Denver Bears. And Joe would hang around in Milwaukee with us…I personally thought this past year may have been the best managing job Torre did his entire career.

PSR: When the 2006 All-Star Game came to Pittsburgh, you were an honorary captain. How meaningful was that for you?

CT: Let me tell you, without question, it ranks up there with any thrill I've ever had in baseball. And that includes winning the World Series… It was really a thrill because it was in Pittsburgh. I'm from New Castle, and there are not many managers who can say they won the World Series in their back yard. And I can say that. And the Pirates have great fans. They are loyal, boy. They have a core there, and that's why the Pirates will come back. I feel that with the changes they are making are nothing but positive.

PSR: Why has the team been down for so long?

CT: They've had a lot of quality players that have been traded away and they've never received anything of substance in return. You go around the league now and you see (Josh) Fogg, who always won 10 or 11 games and now he's in the World Series. (Oliver) Perez wins 15 games and throws 95 miles per hour, but he's with the Mets. Aramis Ramirez is one of the best third basemen in all of the game and he's with the Chicago Cubs. When you have players of that caliber and you lose them for nothing… Jeez, you just add those three and nothing else and things change for the Pirates. And then there is (Kenny) Lofton in Cleveland, who they weren't able to re-sign. You build things through a farm system and then you add pieces to it as you go along. Neal Huntington is young, he's been with an organization that has rebuilt and been successful and he's been a part of that. The knowledge and experience he acquired with the Cleveland Indians has been a big plus, and he's going to utilize all these plusses as GM of the Pirates.