#Hurdled

Clint Hurdle signed a one year extension today with an option for a second year. As most of you probably know, I'm not a Clint Hurdle fan at all. The question I'm going to discuss, is if he deserves this extension.

The answer is a resounding NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!

There is nothing that makes my blood boil like Clint Hurdle making a critical in game decision and, predictably, blowing the call. I can't deny that he is a great player's manager and great in the clubhouse but that only goes so far. Like I said, he is an awful in game manager. You can point to calls in every single game where you scratch your head and wonder "Why did he do that?". Why is he not bringing in Joel Hanrahan in a tie game in the top of the ninth? Why is he pinch hitting Jeff Clement? The bases are loaded with two outs, why isn't he going to Jason Grilli for a strikeout? These are just a few questions I had when it came to Hurdle last year and I anticipate asking several of the same ones this year.

Hurdle has led the Pirates to great improvement in the first half of the season but is 38-70 in the second half. Hardly deserving of an extension. Overall though, if the Pirates struggle or collapse again, Neal Huntington and possibly Frank Coonley would be fired leading to the firing of Hurdle anyway. I just don't like this extension being a premature move before we get a final, third year of Hurdle.