Some old friends have found new jobs.
First, Dean Treanor.
Dean Treanor will take over as the Curve's pitching coach after serving six of the previous seven seasons as the manager of the Florida Marlins Triple-A affiliates in Calgary (2002) and Albuquerque (2003, 2005-08). His run as the manager of the Marlins top farm club was interrupted in 2004, when he was Florida's Minor League Pitching Coordinator. Prior to joining the Florida organization, the 61-year old native of San Luis Obispo, CA served as pitching coach for Triple-A affiliates of the Los Angeles Dodgers, including two years (1999-2000) with the Albuquerque Dukes and one year with the Las Vegas 51s (2001). Treanor also spent three years as pitching coach in the Montreal Expos organization (1996-1998), including the 1997 season with the Eastern League champion Harrisburg Senators, four years in the San Diego Padres chain (1992-1995), and three years with the Cleveland Indians organization (1988-1990), including stints as a manager in 1988 and 1990.
Having Treanor as the Double-A pitching coach should pay dividends for the Pirates.
Then this is Al Leiter's new job.
On the first of the year, the MLB network will launch programming to a national audience. That audience
will have access to one of the best pitching analysts around, and most have seen him before. Al Leiter
pitched parts of 19 seasons for the Yankees, Mets, Marlins and Blue Jays. While he was more than re-
spectable (162 wins), his skills as an analyst may already make his second career more successful than
the first. Al has always been a well-chronicled student of the game, and now you, the baseball fan, will reap
all the benefits.
I really don't know what to think about the MLBN and probably never will since I doubt the lame cable company I have will ever add it to its programming.
But hopefully, and most likely, Al will do a great job.