Clint Hurdle on his new book, why he's pulling for the Pirates 'like a sled dog' and more

BRADENTON, Fla. — Clint Hurdle hasn't exactly been sipping lemonade by the pool lately. But the former Pirates manager also hasn't exactly slowed down since putting his uniform in the closet for the final time.

Hurdle, 67, works as a special assistant to the general manager with the Colorado Rockies. He has actually become a fantastic follow on X (@ClintHurdle13) and he even wrote a book called "Hurdle-isms: Wit and Wisdom from a Lifetime in Baseball" that was released last month.

I caught up with Hurdle recently for my "Saturday Conversations" podcast, where we talked about his decision to write a book and the process that involved, along with his journey onto social media and what he thinks about watching his old club try to turn a familiar corner.

Here are some highlights from that interview:

Rooting for the Pirates

Despite the Pirates firing Hurdle on the final day of the 2019 season, he doesn't hold a grudge against his former employer. In fact, it's the exact opposite.

Hurdle wants to see winning baseball played in Pittsburgh in the worst way.

"I want nothing but good things for the Pirates," Hurdle said. "I don't know how somebody could invest nine years of their life and not want to see the people of Pittsburgh, the fan base and everybody who's connected to the club have fun and for the Pirates to win. I'm pulling for them. I'm pulling for them like a sled dog, man.

"I'd love to see them turn it around, for them to be able to feel what we felt for three years in PNC Park, that vibe, the NL wild-card game, when the city showed up, the players showed up, national TV, all of it. You couldn't have had a better game.

"That's real in Pittsburgh. It's there. It's a sleeping giant waiting to happen. I'm just pulling for those guys to get it going in the right direction. Hopefully that momentum will carry them through the season and they'll turn it around."

Build the house

One of the Hurdle-isms in the book is just three words long, but it's as relevant today as it was in 2011, '12 and '13: Build the house. The basic idea is to lay a foundation one brick at a time and not focus on what's happening outside of your home.

When Hurdle was managing the Pirates, that meant getting the most out of what the team had versus worrying about (financial) limitations. It also meant supplementing a talented young core with Francisco Liriano, J.A. Happ, Russell Martin and A.J. Burnett, veteran tone setters who "took it to another level."

Those acquisitions, Hurdle said, were also the product of the on-field staff and those in the front office being aligned on the type of things they valued — the foundation that had been laid during those first two seasons.

"The men in the clubhouse owned it," Hurdle said. "They took it to another level. They decided they were gonna be uncommon, that sooner or later some group was going to come together and stop this madness and turn this around and head in a different direction. They were the ones that got it done."

Following Cutch

One of the reasons Hurdle loves watching the Pirates, of course, is Andrew McCutchen, now 38 years young. McCutchen, by the way, joked the other day about competing against several father-son duos:

— Matt and Jackson Holliday

— Vladimir Guerrero Sr. and Jr.

— Mike and Daz Cameron

Hurdle isn't surprised McCutchen is still going. But he is continually impressed at the Pirates designated hitter's preparation and dedication.

"I love watching him," Hurdle said. "His preparation is as good as anybody I've ever had. I put it right there with Todd Helton. I thought nobody would match up to that. I love the man."

Hurdle also pointed out two more links to his managerial time in Pittsburgh: Mitch Keller and Bryan Reynolds.

The Skenes factor

Chatting with Hurdle for 30 minutes, I had to ask his thoughts on Paul Skenes. Hurdle compared Skenes, as many have, to Dwight Gooden.

He also drew a parallel to Burnett for the seriousness with which both prepare and compete.

"He's cut from a different cloth," Hurdle said of Skenes. "I've seen him show up at ballparks dressed in a suit and tie. The four days of work between starts is just as important to him as that fifth day, similar to Burnett. He's also got those gunslinger eyes.

"There's no fear. There's no backing down. They're steely. He's self-confident. I love watching him pitch. I'm just hoping this entire thing can come together where he can be part of something special. He's doing everything he can. They show up when he pitches, that's for sure."

The next step

I also asked Hurdle what it would take for this group of Pirates to break through and not only finish above .500 but reach the postseason for the first time since 2015.

Hurdle's first two teams went 151-173. The Pirates of the past two years are a combined 152-172. The Hurdle groups had hotter starts and more drastic downturns in the second half.

"They've come out of the blocks hot the last two years," Hurdle said. "That's not been a challenge. It's the sustainability over an entire season. That takes depth. That takes consistency. That takes winning games offensively. It takes winning games defensively. It takes the starters winning games and a strong bullpen, that total team component when dependability becomes the key word in the clubhouse."

White-belt mentality

Another of the Hurdle-isms described in the book involves a white-belt mentality — always wanting to learn.

Hurdle said he was approached about writing a book a few times before but didn't want to do it while in uniform. Only now did he feel comfortable taking on the challenge.

The book includes 25 Hurdle-isms, culled from 45, and they're spread over 144 pages, organized through ties to various parts of a baseball season. Hurdle said all 20,000 or so words are his, compiled over nine months of talking into his Voice Memos app or typing onto a laptop or iPad.

"I took all the journals that I've had since I've managed," Hurdle said. "I've got 20 journals from 17 years of managing. I just started re-reading my journals.

"The typing was real. ... This was therapeutic. It was engaging. Plus, I learned so very, very much through the process."

As for social media, Hurdle's son, Christian, challenged him to start using X in 2023, when his word of the year — another Hurdle ritual — was "growth."

"I'm just trying to share experience, strength and hope," Clint said. "I don't get into fistfights. I don't argue. It's not political. It's not religion. It's what I believe in. If you're on board and you like it, great.

"I've made some tremendous connections. I've reached out to some people I never would have met. Writing a book never would have happened to me if I would have not gotten out of my old Clint comfort zone. Truthfully, the only thing that was holding me back was fear."