Why did I never hear about this?!
Mehno: Pirates erred in releasing Arroyo
By John Mehno, Times Sports Correspondent
Published: Sunday, May 3, 2009 12:15 AM EDT
Bronson Arroyo pitched a good game against the Pirates Friday night, working the first eight innings of the Cincinnati Reds’ 4-0 victory.Arroyo was drafted by the Pirates on the third round in 1995. He debuted with them in 2000 and posted a 9-14 record in parts of three seasons.Then one day he was gone, and his departure had its roots in his dyed hair.Arroyo and teammate Jimmy Anderson got their hair colored one day in 2003. If they were aiming for blonde, it missed and came out closer to green. They didn’t seem to mind.But while their peers laughed, manager Lloyd McClendon fumed.He decided that green hair was just more evidence that Arroyo was a goof who lacked dedication. Arroyo was quickly back in the minor leagues.When the Pirates had a roster issue the next spring, the decision was made to drop Arroyo, even though he had not yet reached arbitration eligibility. The Boston Red Sox claimed him on waivers.He was 24-19 in three seasons for Boston. Then he was traded to Cincinnati and has gone 42-38 for the Reds.He’s won 75 games. Of the Pirates’ five starters in 2003, only Jeff Suppan has won more games than Arroyo.Kip Wells, Jeff D’Amico, Josh Fogg and Kris Benson are all short of Arroyo’s win total.But none of them ever showed up with green hair.Sometimes bad personnel decisions are based on the strangest of reasons.Make enough of them, and you have a 16-year losing streak.
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