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Q: How is it that the Marlins, whose management actually sold off the pieces of the team due to a stadium issue and might move to San Antonio, are in the wild-card race? They are younger than the Pirates, their payroll is one-third of the Pirates', and management stripped the club down and just let the young guys play.
This begs the question: How is it that the Pirates can't even get a winning season when the Marlins are making a playoff push? This makes our front office look ridiculous, in my opinion.
Jason Putorti, Downtown
KOVACEVIC: It certainly does not make for a flattering comparison, Jason, but I think you might be missing on what has made Florida successful.
It is not that the Marlins simply have "stripped the club down," as you put it, and moved the old guys out of the way. They traded top-flight players in their prime and, based on excellent scouting and talent evaluation, received excellent young returns.
Admit it: When you first heard of some of the Marlins' moves last year, you must have cringed. Josh Beckett? Wow, how can they do that?
But the formula works for the Marlins just as it has for Oakland, that players are dealt in their prime -- while still retaining maximum value -- for younger, hopefully just as talented younger players who can begin the cycle anew while still remaining affordable. It takes guts, yes, but most of all it takes outstanding judges of talent to be able to identify all the wonderful young players Florida has plucked away.
Now, ask yourself if you want to see the Pirates do that. Do you really want to see them trade Jason Bay or Freddy Sanchez? Those are the comparables here. How would you react? The way most initially reacted to Florida's moves? Moreover, how would you feel about the Pirates' ability to make the same level of evaluations regarding the returns?
It is not as simple as getting rid of the old guys.
Q: Dejan, what is your prediction on number of wins for Pirates this year? Given the recent surge, is 70 out of the question? It looks as if we will avoid the dreaded 100. It's amazing. Buccos win 10 or 11 more games in the first half, and this season has a completely different feel.
Keith Carlson, The Woodlands, Texas
KOVACEVIC: Sure does. In the downtrodden National League, 70 wins at this point has you chasing a wild-card berth.
I predicted earlier this month that the Pirates would lose 100 because their pitching would not hold up without Tom Gorzelanny and Mike Gonzalez. They have proven me wrong on both counts, so they certainly deserve a tip of the cap 'n at.
But 70 wins? That would mean taking 10 of 15 from New York, Los Angeles, San Diego, Houston and Cincinnati. Even assuming the Astros and Reds are cooked by the time they face the Pirates, the other three will not be. Particularly where the Dodgers and Padres are concerned, those games next week out there could decide their season.
How does an adjusted prediction of 66 sound?
Q: Dejan, the Pirates not being on KDKA is like when they fired Bob Prince. Every evening that I am out, I tune into 1020 to hear how my Bucs are doing. Every car I have ever owned has had KDKA on the first tuning button. This is a sad day!
Mark Frizzi,Vincennes, Ind.
KOVACEVIC: Much mail came in about this, and all of it angry. But every single one of those, I must point out, came from well outside the Pittsburgh region. Not one from anywhere nearby.
I can sympathize, to an extent, that the loss of KDKA's signal in neighboring states is going to be felt by some. But I cannot begin to imagine why the Pirates would prioritize that over the chance to improve their reach and level of programming within the market where they sell tickets and draw ratings for television and radio. Without going over Bob Smizik's detailed article on the matter Wednesday, it seems fairly plain to see that everything about this new deal is better for the club with the single, glaring exception of the tradition established between the team and KDKA.
Because of that tradition, I was a little surprised not to hear more from fans nearby. But maybe that kind of confirms some of what I heard at that news conference on Tuesday about the Pirates' marketing people having done due diligence in studying what type of backlash there might be.
Trust me: I get it. I grew up listening to the Pirates on the radio far more than watching them on TV or seeing them at Three Rivers. And I always knew where I was listening to them from the familiar beep at the top of each hour.
But I would have a hard time arguing for that in favor of expanded coverage, more emphasis on talking about the Pirates with established hosts -- does anyone in Pittsburgh talk Pirates on the radio these days? -- and a market penetration that is comparable to KDKA's through a whole slew of stations owned by the Big Brother of the medium, Clear Channel.
Q: During all those years before satellite TV, I could always count on one thing. No matter where other Pittsburgh teams might wander around the radio dial, my Pirates would always be there each night on 50,000-watt KDKA. It saddens me that they're abandoning the only station that can be received by tens of thousands of fans who've had to leave the area because of the economy.
Do the Pirates really think they'll gain a younger audience simply by moving to another station? A baseball game is not an impulse purchase.
Norman Cox, Indianapolis
KOVACEVIC: Again here, I sympathize and understand.
But hear what you are saying, Norman. You are asking the Pirates to base such a decision on a station's ability to "be received by tens of thousands of fans who've had to leave the area because of the economy." Never mind the very dated concept about our city that you raise -- recent indicators are that Pittsburgh's population has mostly leveled and that the city's job market is strengthening -- and just ask yourself why the team should not instead base its decision on what is best for those who live in the area and, thus, better able to get to the ballpark more often and generate the most support.
This is not a national entity. They are the Pittsburgh Pirates, and that is the market they have to penetrate and, yes, maybe expand.
Another complaint I have gotten here for a long time is from readers in much closer but still outlying areas such as Erie, the central part of the state, and even the other way into Ohio. Without knowing all the specifics of Clear Channel's plan, the Pirates' push with this plan should be -- if it is not -- to make sure that sister stations in those areas are offering all the expanded programming that will be offered on the flagship station of ... uh ... oh, I already forgot what its call letters are.
Never mind.
Q: Dejan, doesn't Salomon Torres' recent success as the closer just signal that the closer's spot isn't a place the Pirates can afford to be manning with a top talent? Until we are a playoff team, a solid closer is a luxury, not a necessity.
Bennett Aikin, Upper St. Clair
KOVACEVIC: I hear and read this closer-as-luxury theory on occasion, and I wish someone would spell it out so that I could debate it properly. I really do not get it.
If the Pirates have a young rotation (they do), and those starters are affected by whether or not games that they start result in victories or losses (they are), and those games get blown because you do not have a closer (probably would happen quite a bit), seems to me it would have a crippling effect on more than just the team's record. The hitters and everyone else would get frustrated, too.
How is that a luxury, regardless of a team's status as a contender?
Anyone who wants to chime in on this, I am all ears. I would love to hear more but, as this argument stands, well, I just do not get it.
Q: In the Monday chat, you said: "Yes, the Pirates have a cart-before-the-horse approach to adjusting payroll in relation to attendance, but that is how they do it."
Obviously, we've seen that over the years, but the implication is that the Pirates don't even consider what the benefit is in terms of how a specific player affects wins and losses, and how that leads to increased revenue. In other words, they only consider a player cost. Is that an accurate description?
Steve Mangin, York
KOVACEVIC: I have heard the Pirates referring to player contracts as investments only when it has related to internal-type deals such as the extensions for Jason Bay and Jack Wilson, but even that seems to be reactive rather than proactive. In other words, it seems born more of a concern for backlash if such players were to leave than an attempt to build the fan base.
I am speaking in vague terms here, I know, but that is because there is no definitive statement on this kind of thing. Just more of a feel.
This much is certain, though: The Pirates use the previous year's attendance as the primary gauge for the next year's payroll.
That can be described by some as safe and sound business. It can be described by others as fearful and displaying a lack of faith that the market would turn out to support the players they pay.
Q: Being a Pirates fan for more years than I care to admit, why would the Pirates waste $10 million on Jeromy Burnitz and Joe Randa?
John Tomay, Shippensburg
KOVACEVIC: And then not have either one of them start either game of a doubleheader!
Q: Hi, Dejan. You have mentioned the point recently that you are unsure why the ballclub continues to play Jose Bautista only sporadically and that he should be getting a prolonged look at this point so that he can be evaluated for a spot for next season.
While I agree, I'm not sure where you think he should be playing everyday, as far as position. Are you really going to sit Freddy Sanchez, Ryan Doumit or Xavier Nady to get a better look at Bautista right now?
Brad Yeager, Wexford
KOVACEVIC: That is a very good point, Brad, and it is one I should have raised when making my argument.
I would find a way to get him out there, even if it meant rotating positions. He can play so many -- all of them but catcher, from what I have seen -- that there surely would be one available five of seven days. Obviously, it would help him be more comfortable to have one spot, but I think the Pirates already know what they have in Bautista defensively. The more pressing matter is finding out about his bat. I cannot imagine making any sort of move involving the infield -- especially a trade of Jose Castillo -- until more is known about Bautista's bat.
Q: Hi, Dejan. I feel that the Pirates are two players short of being a serious wild-card contender, third base and center field. Last year, the Pirates spent about $10-15 million on free agents who didn't amount to much. What would you think about investing all of that money in Miguel Cabrera?
He is a free agent at the end of the year and one of the best players in the game. We could put him on third base, move Freddy Sanchez to second, Keep Xavier Nady on first, move Jose Bautista to the outfield, and trade Jose Castillo for a center fielder.
Micah Martin, State College
KOVACEVIC: First, Micah, you should know Cabrera is not a free agent for another three years. Moreover, the chance of Florida parting with him through trade has got to be less than zero.
Second, I respectfully disagree with your initial count that the Pirates are two players away, even if those are two elite players. Too many variables remain in the rotation, not the least of which would be Tom Gorzelanny's first full season in the majors, and the lineup will not be powerful enough with the addition of any one bat.
This bears repeating: Just because positions are filled does not mean they are filled with players befitting a contender.
Q: Do you think the Pirates will pick up the option on Damaso Marte or will they pick up his option and package him with Jose Castillo to find the power-hitting outfielder/first baseman they need? I mean, they have a few other left handed options in the minors.
Also, does Brad Eldred have any other options left after spring training or does he have to make the team?
John Taylor, Fairmont, W.Va.
KOVACEVIC: Oh, wow, it's only September, and here comes the first package deal.
OK, here it is, inspired by the classic "Fight Club" exchange ...
First rule of Q&A: Don't talk about package deals.
Second rule of Q&A: Don't talk about package deals.
They never happen. Nobody wants all the players you don't want, no matter how many of them you pile into the equation.
Anyone with me on this?
To answer your actual questions, John: No, I do not believe the Pirates will pick up Marte's $3 million option for 2007. They might discuss bringing him back at a reduced rate, and he might tell them he would prefer free agency, but the option would give him $1 million more than Salomon Torres in pay, which makes no sense on any level. And no, Eldred is not out of options. Count on him starting the season with Indianapolis.
Q: Dejan, I am curious if there has been any further talk on the Pirates moving (back) to the East Division? With the Reds being the only other team in the Central that is in the same time zone as the Pirates, aren't the travel logistics as well as many other ramifications, at the very least, awkward?
Greg Eimer, Chippewa
KOVACEVIC: There was no talk to begin with, Greg, at least none of which I am aware. Not formally, anyway. There were some published predictions a little while back about new alignments if the Marlins were to move to San Antonio. That would bring about what seems to be a logical move of Pittsburgh to the East and San Antonio to the Central to be in there with Houston.
As for my thoughts, I will take the Fifth. Never ask a deadline writer to offer an objective viewpoint where it comes to travel logistics or being in the Eastern time zone more often. That would provide shorter plane rides, more time to write stories off night games and ... I'll stop there. It's too good to even picture.
In closing, a couple of things ...
First, in the interest of fairness after the criticism heaped on the Pirates in this forum and a whole slew of other places for the SkyBlast Mocks 'Stairway' fiasco, I feel compelled to point out the outstanding pregame ceremony Monday involving the Flight 93 families. It was quiet, dignified all the way through and, for those few of us who witnessed it, unforgettable.
Second, there was more feedback than I anticipated to my somewhat random finish last week about the undying cool factor of Roberto Clemente, and here is a sampling of it:
Rich Strayer of Arlington, Va.: Dejan, I watched the end of a game from the rotunda at PNC Park earlier this summer, and my friend and I were amazed at how people in the bleachers wearing Clemente jerseys, while there was one Jason Bay model and one Rob Mackowiak.
Went back to my parents' house and told my dad, to which he answered, "That's how it should be." Kinda makes sense.
Stephen Morrow of Friendship: Roberto Clemente is the Jim Morrison of baseball. A strange vanguard who captured the hearts and minds of a generation, that the old guys were just too uncool to understand. Then, he tragically dies under mysterious circumstances while still in his prime.
Bob Hampson of Cincinnati: Dejan, ah, memories of Clemente ... I saw him catch a ball with his back to the wall at the 375 mark in right-center at Forbes Field and uncork a throw to the plate on the fly nailing Orlando Cepeda attempting to score from third. Sure, Cepeda wasn't known for his speed, but I still hold it was the greatest throw I ever saw.
He was the coolest. May that feature of his persona never warm up.
Bill Holt of Wheeling, W.Va.: Dejan, regarding your Clemente vibe: He is one of two heroes of mine. The other, my father, and he are infinitely tied together.
I am 38 and have attended games throughout my life, including a few when Clemente still owned right field. I hold dear the memories of attending subsequent games with my father, eating peanuts and being educated on two important items: 1) the proper way to score a game, and 2) how No. 21 would have fielded that ball or made that catch, that throw, taken out that second baseman to prevent the double play, or how he would have helped the elderly woman we saw earlier, fed the hungry man on the street corner heading to the stadium, etc.
When I see that great statue, I still get goose bumps and teary-eyed. Just as I did the first time I truly understood who Roberto was. I believe it was the man inside Roberto Clemente that captures our souls to this day. May he do so forever.
Charles Sergis of Los Angeles: Dejan, your remarks about Clemente touched me because he is my all-time sports favorite. No one else comes close for me. And your further remarks about how cool he still is made me think. I'd say it's because he not only gave all he had on the field--which was totally exciting-- but also off the field, as a stand-up man with character and courage who really worked at helping people, not just talking about it.
Lenny Carter of Batesville, Va.: Dejan, I'll always treasure my memories of Forbes Field and watching him do things that other mere mortals can't: Throwing people out at first, the whirl before the throw, the thrill he sent thru the crowd with his effort and talent.
He was one cool dude.
Until next week, by which time Salomon Torres will go all ElRoy Face on us and ask to pitch all of the bullpen's innings ...
