Being Ian

You think Jack Wilson has it hard seeing all his buddies being traded away? Well, he isn't the only Pirates player who's been on an emotional roller coaster this season. Just ask Ian Snell...

Every Pirate fan knows his story. Million dollar arm, ten cent head. He has the tools needed to be a productive Major League pitcher and has shown flashes of it in the past. What he lacks is the mental capacity to handle the ups-and-downs Major Leaguers encounter on a daily basis. He volunteered to demote himself to AAA Indianapolis a week ago, hoping a change of scenery would let him clear his head and start over. He did just that in his first start, fanning 17 Toledo Mud Hens in a 2-1 victory.

When interviewed by the local media, Snell opened up and painted a picture of his recent struggles. Nobody expected this bombshell...

"Sometimes people do stupid stuff and I had to fight it, not to do something stupid and take my life for myself and from my family and my parents..."

That doesn't sound good. That sounds like someone struggling with a severe bout of depression. Many people, including the author of the story, took this as being a thinly-veiled admission of suicidal thoughts. The P-G's Dejan Kovacevic does his best to put out the fire...

"As someone who knows Snell a lot better than any Indianapolis TV person, I can tell you he talks in dramatic terms quite a bit, including saying things like that. Not that anyone should ever lightly dismiss such a topic, but this looks out of context to me. I have spoken with Snell a couple times this week. He sounds fine."

Ian Snell is a very emotional guy. He's definitely upset with himself and as he's shown in the past, he lets his emotions get to him. For his sake, I hope he learns how to cope with these emotions, as that seems to be the #1 hindrance to a productive Major League career. As for the "suicide admission" it's nothing more than a candid guy making a comment for effect, or at least for his sake I hope that's what it is.