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New York Times
14-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Pittsburgh is angry. Its native son is upbeat. Can Don Kelly help revive the punchless Pirates?
NEW YORK – Don Kelly was born into a world where champions wore black and gold. This was February 1980, four months after the Pittsburgh Pirates won the World Series and four weeks after the Steelers won the Super Bowl. Maybe that explains his unshakable optimism. 'He's always been the same guy, just unbelievably positive,' said Pirates closer David Bednar, a fellow Pittsburgh native. 'The perfect mix of grit and wanting to compete and win every day.' Advertisement Pittsburgh still wins: The Steelers have captured two championships in Kelly's lifetime, and the Penguins have hoisted five Stanley Cups. Yet in all of those years, the Pirates have advanced in the postseason only once, in the 2013 National League wild card game. It was a modest achievement, nationally. But if you were there, in person or in spirit, it was among the most thrilling moments of the 2010s, a cathartic night in a flagship MLB city that was finally proud of its team. 'You get chills, honestly,' Kelly, who replaced Derek Shelton as manager last week, said on Monday at Citi Field. 'I was with Detroit at the time, and we were in the playoffs so I wasn't there. But you could feel the energy through the television. It was palpable. It was unbelievable. And then when (Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Johnny) Cueto dropped the ball, the whole place erupts, and then (Pirates catcher Russell Martin) goes deep? Like, you gotta be kidding me! The fans that were there, the people that I've run into, it was electric.' Indeed, the end to the Pirates' 21-year playoff drought came in a burst of civic synergy: The fans rattled Cueto by chanting his name, and then Martin went deep. Now the fans heckle the Pirates owner, Bob Nutting, and despair over the state of a franchise that again has the longest postseason absence in the National League. Only one NL team, the Miami Marlins, has more losses than the Pirates in the 10 seasons since 2015, when Pittsburgh last reached the postseason. And only one NL team — also the Marlins — is spending less on player payroll this season than the Pirates' $91 million. Pittsburgh has not signed a free agent to a multiyear contract since Iván Nova in December 2016. The lack of spending fuels a kind of hopelessness among fans, just by looking at the rosters. The Pirates are averaging just 17,270 tickets sold per game, down slightly from the same point last year. Advertisement 'They just want to see them spend money, and they want to see us have a group that is capable of winning a game when you see it on paper,' said outfielder Andrew McCutchen, the NL's most valuable player in that charmed 2013 season. 'It's plain and simple. You want to have a competitive team and feel confident that that team is competitive based off of — it might be payroll, or based off of performance, past performance and free-agent signings. They're obviously frustrated about what they've seen in the last few years, and I feel that frustration from them. They want to see a winner and rightfully so. They deserve it.' McCutchen, the majors' active leader in games, said Kelly's career — he spent nine seasons in the majors and played every position — gives him a feel for game situations and the players' perspective. McCutchen said he was encouraged by the types of games the team had played under Kelly: two wins, three losses, all decided by one run. 'We've been in all the games,' he said, 'and that's all you can ask for.' In the broader sense, of course, you can ask for a lot more urgency from the Pirates, especially with the game's most dynamic young pitcher, Paul Skenes, under club control through 2029. Skenes, whose 2.16 ERA is the best in the majors in the last two seasons (min. 30 starts), demurred when asked if things seemed different under Kelly. 'Maybe a little bit,' he said after working six strong innings on Monday. 'I think with stuff like this you kind of have to wait and see if anything really changes. He's been good, don't get me wrong — he cares about us as players, he makes good decisions, good game-planning and all that. But we'll see.' The Pirates are 14-29 after Tuesday's 2-1 loss and rank last in the majors in runs scored, at 3.05 per game. Veteran newcomers Adam Frazier and Tommy Pham have struggled. First baseman Spencer Horwitz, the Pirates' major offseason trade acquisition, had wrist surgery in February and has not yet returned. Advertisement Bryan Reynolds, a two-time All-Star outfielder signed through 2030, is hitting .198/.259/.314. Kelly said he was trying too hard to carry the team — a danger for any undermanned, underfunded lineup. 'We've just got to play better baseball,' Reynolds said. 'We've got to hit, we've got to pitch, we've got to do the little things. And we weren't for a long time this season. The last few games, it seems like we're trending in the right direction. We've just got to build every day and not try to make up all the games in one game.' Monday's game ended with Reynolds launching a desperation heave to the plate on a sacrifice fly by Pete Alonso, which scored Francisco Lindor, who'd scampered to third on a hit by Juan Soto. That Mets trio earns about $20 million more this year than the entire Pirates' roster, the kind of imbalance that's a given in the modern game. It's why Kelly, 45, shares his personal story as a metaphor for the Pirates' long-shot hopes. As a junior at Mount Lebanon High in the outskirts of Pittsburgh, Kelly was a 5-foot-9 second baseman who was often replaced by a designated hitter. He started his senior year batting ninth, but by then he'd grown — he is now 6-foot-4 — and was soon starring at Point Park University, on his way to a 16-year pro playing career that ended in 2016. 'It can happen that fast for a team, too,' Kelly said, 'if you focus on the right things and do the things you're supposed to do to get better and go compete.' Kelly joined the Pirates as bench coach after the 2019 World Series, when he coached first base under A.J. Hinch for the Houston Astros. Ben Cherington, the Pirates' general manager, said every offseason at least one team has asked permission to interview Kelly for its manager's job. 'I really think he is going to be an impactful manager,' Hinch said. 'He is a continuous learner in every way and has never lost being relatable to a player. Even as an inexperienced coach, he showed great feel and great communication skills. He's a guy I always looked forward to talking to about the game. Easy guy to root for.' The city is clearly behind him. Kelly was a fan long before he married into the Pirates' family — his brother-in-law is former second baseman Neil Walker – and lifting the team is personal to him. Cherington, a New Hampshire native, experienced that feeling himself, winning the World Series as general manager of the Boston Red Sox in 2013. The landscape was different then, with Pittsburgh and Cincinnati thriving in the NL and the Kansas City Royals and Cleveland Indians poised to claim three consecutive AL pennants. Advertisement It helped that some traditional powers, like the New York Yankees, were in a competitive lull in 2013, and others — the New York Mets, Chicago Cubs, Astros and Philadelphia Phillies — were in hibernation. The Pirates spent more than most teams then on non-payroll areas (research and development, scouting, the farm system and so on), and found edges on the margins, notably in defensive shifts based on analytics. Those same opportunities have been blunted lately. Front offices are larger now, and while it's hard to quantify smarts, there seem to be fewer teams that consistently make poor decisions. Rich teams recognize the value of spending lavishly in all areas of baseball operations. Data has gone mainstream, making it harder to exploit inefficiencies. And while an expanded playoff field gives more teams a chance, even the low-payroll models — Cleveland, Milwaukee, Tampa Bay — rarely go far in October. With the collective bargaining agreement expiring after next season, revenue and payroll disparity are looming issues that resonate in Pittsburgh. 'I believe it's better for the game at large to be able to thrive in a place like Pittsburgh and Cincinnati and these places,' Cherington said. 'It's nothing against major markets. I love New York, I love Boston, I appreciate everything that comes along with those places. I think the game is more complete if it can also thrive in places like Pittsburgh. We have to deliver that. 'And yes, of course, the system creates challenges with that, which are someone else's business. Maybe in the future there'll be some remedies for that. I'm not spending energy on it. I'm focused on, 'How do we get this to work?' Because it does matter. It certainly matters to people in Pittsburgh, absolutely, and they're angry about it because we're not delivering that right now. 'But I hope it matters to baseball too, I do. I hope that it matters that the Pirates should be able to thrive. We've got to deliver on that.' Nutting, for his part, told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that he's still the right owner for the team — because, essentially, he can fight for the little guy in the next CBA talks. That doesn't do much for the team in the present, though, or make the magic of that night in 2013 any closer to returning. Advertisement 'It's a different dynamic (today), for sure,' McCutchen said. 'But there's definitely a formula to make it happen.' The polish has long faded from the trophy the Pirates held when their manager was born. But while the fans are largely staying away, their anger and frustration show they still care deeply. Don Kelly, proud native son, never doubts that. 'It's a passionate fan base, a passionate city, and we're not going to get it back in one day,' he said. 'We have to continue to work, continue to build and continue to get better every single day and earn them back.' (Top photo of Kelly: Justin Berl / Getty Images)
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Award-winning hotel in Cumbrian coastal town sold for undisclosed sum
A HOTEL located at the heart of Silloth has been sold for an undisclosed sum to a Midlands-based hotelier. The 23 letting bedroom Golf Hotel, which had a guide price of £795,000, has been purchased by hotelier Thuraivan Sivalingam. It had been marketed by the firm Colliers acting on behalf of the previous owners the Cueto family, who are retiring from the trade. In addition to its rooms, the Golf Hotel also has an open-plan restaurant with seating for around 75, with a bar and a lounge area, as well as a function room with a capacity of 110. The new owner Thuraivan Sivalingam said: 'I'm delighted to have bought the Golf Hotel and look forward to continuing to run the existing mix of business, and our long-term plans are to undertake a programme of refurbishment to further enhance the already impressive trading accommodation'. In addition to the hotel, there is also several retail spaces including a laundrette which currently generates a letting income. The business had an annual net turnover to year end March 2024 of £575,907. Julian Troup, head of hotels agency at Colliers said: 'The sale of the Golf Hotel again demonstrates the ongoing high levels of demand for well-established hotel and hospitality businesses. "The Lake District and wider Cumbria area continue to be in high demand and the Golf Hotel is our 65th Cumbrian hotel sale since the beginning of 2021 and follows in the footsteps of our confidential sale of Borrowdale Gates Hotel in recent weeks. "Cumbrian hotel owners should take note of the fact continued demand for all sizes of hotels in the region." Sue Scott of Brockbanks Solicitors acted for the seller. Colliers are also marketing the Golden Lion Hotel, Maryport for the Cueto family. That 16-bedroom hotel and bar is located in the heart of Maryport and is for sale with an asking price of £775,000.
