GM Littlefield out after another lost Pirates season

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GM Littlefield out after another lost Pirates season

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Pirates began to reshape their front office under new principal owner Robert Nutting by firing general manager Dave Littlefield on Friday.

Littlefield's dismissal is effective immediately, the team said in a statement. A formal announcement will come at a news conference Friday afternoon. The decision comes after six-plus seasons in which the team showed little progress on the field or in its farm system.

The firing came with only three weeks left in the season and the Pirates in their customary spot in last place in the NL Central, with a 61-79 record -- three losses away from a 15th consecutive losing season, one off the major league record.

No decision on the status of Littlefield or second-year manager Jim Tracy had been expected until after the season. Managing general partner Kevin McClatchy, who has run the day-to-day operations since 1996, is resigning when the season ends and his successor was expected to evaluate Littlefield and Tracy.

"It's tough," Tracy said upon hearing the news. "It's real tough. He's more than a friend to me."

Littlefield, a former executive with the Marlins and Expos, succeeded Cam Bonifay midway through a 100-loss season in 2001 and was expected to make major changes in a team that had shown no headway since winning three division titles in the early 1990s.

But Littlefield's efforts to rebuild the Pirates failed, and the Pirates never had fewer than 87 losses or finished higher than fourth in a full season during his stay.

"After eight months of listening and analyzing the situation, it has become clear that this decision was necessary to move our organization forward," Nutting said in a statement. "While there are many bright spots for us to build from, I am not satisfied with the overall performance and progress that has been made. I'm committed to building a successful organization and this is an important step in that process."

Nutting said he felt it was best to announce the move now rather than at the end of the season.

"I felt the time was right to announce my decision to ensure that the organization is in the best possible position to attract the very best general manager candidates," Nutting said. "In addition to allowing us more time to search for a replacement, it should allow more time for our new general manager to make the necessary evaluations and staffing decisions."

Brian Graham, Pirates senior director of player development, will serve as interim GM.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

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Lol...guess  Drayton will hire this guy now..