HOT STOVE

tracked,” said Hurdle. “I know what it is like to have a lot of expectations thrown at you after that Sports Illustrated cover that featured me in 1978. I really felt badly for him, but we might have had a little better team if he had played a little better.”

He said two of his players that year, Joe Dellacari and Tommy Allison, later became scouting directors for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He reunited with them during his time as manager of the Buccos.

Hurdle said he was very proud of what he was able to accomplish when he managed the Colorado Rockies to their first World Series appearance in 2007. His fondness is tempered by the fact that they were swept by the Red Sox in that Series.

“We really got hot at the end of the 2007 season and won something like 13 out of 14 games at the end of the season, and that carried over into the playoffs,” Hurdle said. “We ended up finishing our championship series early and had to wait eight days to play the Red Sox, and I think the wait took a lot of the momentum and edge off of us.”

After his stint with the Rockies, he became manager of the Pirates in 2010, leading them back to respectability with three playoff appearances in 2013, 2014, and 2015.

He said managing the Pirates was a great experience, and giving them their first winning season in 20 years gave him a lot of satisfaction. Additionally, he saw the development and maturity of players like Andrew McCutchen and Gerrit Cole.

Hurdle now enjoys a quiet retirement in Florida with his wife, Karla, a Muncy native, and their children.

Tim Kurkjian is one of this nation’s most noted sports journalists, writing for various publications and as a baseball commentator with ESPN since 1998. He was honored with the Baseball Writers Association Career Excellence Award in 2022, receiving the honor during the induction ceremonies at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. He is no stranger to Williamsport, having covered several Little League World Series for ESPN.

“I love coming to Williamsport and See HOT STOVE on Page 16