Andy Van Slyke Will Never Change

I don't know how things work in other cities, but whenever a managerial or coaching or front office job opens up with any of the major or collegiate sports teams in Pittsburgh, immediately the names of Pittsburghers and ex-players for the teams get mentioned in the local media. Sometimes they get the job and succeed (Bill Cowher, Chuck Tanner), sometimes they don't get the job (Russ Grimm), and sometimes they get the job and fail spectacularly (Dave Wannastedt). So it's not surprise to see names like ex-Bucco and current Tigers' first base coach Andy Van Slyke getting tossed around in conjunction with the Pirates' open managerial job. Would Van Slyke be interested? He says yes, but with a qualifier:

Van Slyke, who made three All-Star teams during his eight seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates, said he would be interested in talking with the Pirates about their managerial vacancy.

"I would love to manage for the Pirates, but only if they were committed to winning, like they were when I played for them," he said.

With a dig like that, I'm sure he'll never get even a first look from the Pirates who, despite all of the front office turnover, still have basically the same ownership holding the reins to the team. I admit, as much as I like the guy, he's got quite a reputation as a goofball and a loose cannon (which he doesn't help by taking shots at teams like he did in that interview, even if he's right) and I'd be kind of surprised to see him managing in the near future.