A Rookie of Sorts
April 11, 2010
PITTSBURGH, PA. (AP) - Maybe one of the most challenging objectives to accomplish in professional sports, is leading a team to a championship. It gets even dicier if you're trying to lead a team to a chamionship when you're a first year General Manager. That's exactly what Pittsburgh Pirates new G.M. is trying to accomplish, and he knows that he has his work cut out for him.
At the age of 26, Andrew Lizon is in just his first year as a G.M and has had no previous experience running a professional ballclub before in his career. His relationship with Major League Baseball began soon after graduating with a Bachelors of Science in Business Administration / Sports Management from the Ohio State University.
He was immediately hired by the Atlanta Braves as their Director of Scouting and Player Development where he was highly succesful. He helped scout, sign and develop many top prospects in the Atlanta organization and has been praised for his ability to get the job done right the first time, everytime!
It wasn't long before he finished his tenure with the Atlanta Braves to join the Boston Red Sox as their new Executive Vice President of Business Operations. He has been credited for the teams 18% increase in attendance with his quirky but refreshing marketing campaigns.
His winning mentality has caught the eyes of many ballclubs, and his hard work and professional attitude has landed him one of the toughest jobs in baseball. The Pittsburgh Pirates were in transition mode, and were seeking someone to come into their organization to spin things around in a positive way.
"I think we've got our man," Robert Nutty, Chairman of Directors for the Pittsburgh Pirates said of Lizon. "He's a bright and intelligent young man and has built himself quite a reputation already. The entire Pittsburgh organization couldn't be happier with our decision."
Andrew Lizon knows that the pressure is on. If he comes in here and completely turns this crumbled team around, then he could possibly be praised the best G.M. since John Schuerholz. But if he fails, then he knows his career as a General Manager could be short lived.
"I know what's at stake here, and I am prepared to give everything I've got to make this team a winning ballclub," Andrew Lizon said. "There's a lot of work to be done, so the front office and I are prepared and willing to reconstruct this ballclub from the ground up."
The fans in Pittsburgh are eager to find out what tricks the youngster has up his sleeves.
"At this point we're really just trying to get a feel of what needs to change and what needs to be fixed. So, we're sort of going to let things ride out for the first month or so, then decide what actions need to be taken in order to improve our playoff chances."
Already, Andrew has brought a sense of success into the front office, and has revigorated the attitudes within the club house as well.
"We know that his intentions are to help make us as good as possible," said starting pitcher Brad Penny. "So if he needs to make trades, sign free agents or whatever, then we will support him all of the way. He wants to win as much as we do, so he'll do what's best for the team in order to get the best 25 guys out on the field."
The Pittsburgh Pirates, a team that has struggled for so long and that has lost just about all hope, has suddenly breathed some new life. The city feels it, and baseball feels it. But will it be enough? Only time will tell.
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