Kevin McClatchy Out as Pirates' CEO

Did the Pirate protest actually work? Lots of people were skeptical after the protest itself, but Pirates' CEO Kevin McClatchy announced today that he is stepping down from his office at the end of the 2007 baseball. From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

"A decision of this personal and professional magnitude is not the type you make overnight," McClatchy said. "It was something Bob and I had discussed even before the change of control took place in January and something I decided upon a few months ago. It was a difficult decision but, in the end, I felt the time was right to step down as the day-to-day leader, so the organization can move forward with a fresh perspective."

If you follow the Pirates closely, you already knew that McClatchy was out as official owner in the eyes of MLB over the winter in favor of Bob Nutting. The question that lots of people have been asking since then is how much control McClatchy has really had over the team in recent years. The Nutting family have been the majority owners since shortly after the turn of the century, McClatchy has mostly just been a public front for them. Will McClatchy stepping down change the way the team is run? I'd be surprised, but honestly I suppose time and whoever the replacement is will tell.

That picture is from 1997, back when McClatchy was the savior of Pirate baseball for keeping the team in Pittsburgh. My how times have changed.