Bob Donaldson, Post-Gazette Cam Bonifay probably has seen enough of PNC Park. Click photo for larger image. More Pirates news Scouting Report: Tampa Bay Devil Rays Pittsburgh councilman upset over teams' ticket resale zone MLB: Bonds says book insulting to family Cook: Daryle Ward is still sticking Pirates photo journal

He thought about it and figured, "Well, maybe."

He thought about it another time and figured, "No, guess not."

He thought about it a third time and decided, "Probably not."

Thus, it's quite likely that when the Pirates meet Tampa Bay tonight, Cam Bonifay, currently the Devil Rays' director of player development and scouting, won't be in the house.

In fact, if Bonifay is in Pennsylvania tonight, he'll be in Altoona watching his son, Josh, play for the Class AA Altoona Curve.

That is not likely to happen, either.

If it did, though, it would be an interesting parallel -- because the day Cam Bonifay learned he had been fired as the Pirates' general manager he also was watching Josh play.

That was a Sunday -- June 10, 2001.

Josh and his Class A Lynchburg teammates played in Frederick, Md., that day. Cam Bonifay had just watched Altoona play three games, and he had scheduled himself to drive back to Pittsburgh after that Lynchburg game, then fly to Nashville the next day to look at the Pirates' Class AAA affiliate.

He never made it to Nashville. But he sure did make it back to Pittsburgh -- earlier than planned.

Bonifay had just done his weekly Sunday pregame radio show.

"Then I got the phone call," he said.

On the other end of the line was Pirates owner Kevin McClatchy.

"I need you to come back," McClatchy said. "I need to see you."

Bonifay didn't ask why. He simply got into his car and drove west.

And thought.

He knew the Pirates, decimated by injuries to their starting rotation in the spring, weren't doing well in their first season at PNC Park. He knew full well that early that afternoon they were 18-41 and had come off their worst May (8-20) since a 7-19 debacle in 1957.

As he drove west, he listened to the Pirates play the Minnesota Twins in Minneapolis. And he called a couple people.

The realization dawned that he was driving west to be sent south.

"Maybe he wants to tell you face to face," a friend told him when the subject of being fired arose.

As Bonifay pulled into PNC Park, he knew his team had rallied to defeat the Twins, 11-8.

It was their last victory under his watch.

Moments later, McClatchy told Bonifay he was fired and that it would be announced the next afternoon -- an off day for the team in Detroit.

"What I had to do was difficult, but I felt at the time necessary," McClatchy said. "It was the most difficult thing I've had to do in baseball."

By November that year, Bonifay had secured employment with the Devil Rays, for whom his close friend, Chuck LaMar, is the general manager.

Bonifay was gone -- but hardly forgotten.

He'll forever be linked to signings that went sour. Kevin Young, Pat Meares and Derek Bell come quickly to mind. Maybe, too, in a lot of ways, the signing of Jason Kendall to a six-year, $60-million deal wasn't a great idea.

Bonifay for almost all his tenure as general manager, which began June 19, 1993, worked under severe financial constraints that magnified his mistakes and made miracles difficult to manufacture.

Except for the Pirates' magical flirtation with a division championship in 1997 -- despite the fact they finished under .500 -- and the trade that brought Brian Giles to Pittsburgh, there isn't much of a lasting positive nature to his legacy with the Pirates.

Well, one can include PNC Park, which was constructed during his time here.

"The people of Pittsburgh and the baseball fans in Pittsburgh and the City of Pittsburgh should be extremely proud of that facility they have [for the Pirates] to play in," Bonifay said. "Talking to scouts and other baseball people, they just can't say enough about it. It's unanimous that it's in the top three or four in baseball among people who have seen all the ballparks."

Thing is, though, primarily because of those financial constraints, Bonifay and his staff weren't able to draft and develop enough players to fill that new ballpark with All-Stars.

The amateur drafts in the mid to late 1990s were almost nonproductive in terms of turning out major-league players.

After the 1998 season, McClatchy authorized more money for the draft.

"From the beginning, we wanted to make more of a commitment to the minor-league system and player development, so that's something that was consistent with what we were trying to do," McClatchy said.

"We spent more money than we'd ever spent -- with management's approval," Bonifay said. "Kevin should get credit for that. We got a little more creative. I think overall we did a good job."

Mickey White was brought in as scouting director. Over the next three amateur drafts, the Pirates acquired, among others, Ryan Doumit (1999), Sean Burnett (2000), Jose Bautista (2000), Nate McLouth (2000), Ian Snell (2000), John Van Benschoten (2001), Chris Duffy (2001), Zach Duke (2001) and Rajai Davis (2001) -- all of whom already have played or will play for the Pirates.

Perhaps, if enough of those players become significant contributors in the future, Bonifay's legacy will change for the better.

"When I look back, I enjoyed my years there," Bonifay said. "I enjoyed the job. I enjoyed the challenges. I enjoyed raising a family there. I loved the city. It was the Bonifays' first time north of the Mason-Dixon line, and we fell in love with Pittsburgh."

Bonifay faces similar challenges with the Devil Rays now.

Tampa Bay's 70-win season last year was the highlight of a seven-year existence that included 680 losses and six consecutive last-place finishes before the leap to fourth in the American League East last season.

The Devil Rays are back in last place this season and again face the daunting challenge of trying to become good enough to overtake the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox -- not to mention upstart Baltimore.

"There are times when the job is frustrating," Bonifay said. "As good as we are at scouting and development, we'll never be recognized for it if we're not winning at the major-league level."

Baltimore has made a breakthrough this season, but only because the Orioles over the past two years were able to take on salary and add players like Miguel Tejada, Javy Lopez and Sammy Sosa.

"You've only got a small window of opportunity when it's the correct time to add payroll," Bonifay said. "And you have to be in unison with ownership at that point when you think you can make a run in this division by adding maybe a starting pitcher or two and a cleanup hitter at the appropriate time."

The Devil Rays have acquired some good prospects the past few years because they've drafted no lower than eighth in the first round over the past seven seasons.

"We've got multiple levels of talent within the organization -- especially in position players," Bonifay said. "We have two or three legitimate major-league prospects with each of our four full-season clubs."

Bonifay, 53, pays much attention to those clubs. And every once in a while, he gets to see Josh play when the schedule permits.

When that happens, the two Bonifays don't belabor the past.

"The thing with my father, it's baseball," Josh Bonifay said. "Like everybody says, 'You're hired to be fired.' In sports, it's a revolving door.

"You know, there are a lot of times when GMs don't get to stay nine years in one spot. My father was very fortunate. He stayed a long time. There were a lot of teams trying to get him away from Pittsburgh at one point.

"He felt that Pittsburgh was the spot for him to build on. Unfortunately, it just didn't work out. But there's no ill will. When I see Kevin, I talk to him. We have a five-minute conversation every time I see him."

Cam Bonifay would like to "get at least one more chance" to be a general manager. And he has a supporter in that regard.

"I hope he gets back one day to being a general manager in baseball," McClatchy said. "Cam is one of the good people I've worked with -- one of the good guys in baseball. He's got a real passion for the game. I've always wished Cam nothing but the best."