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Nicolas Lewis of South Oakland faced what he considered to be a difficult decision late Friday afternoon: Join the masses at Heinz Field for the Steelers' pep rally? Or pop in for the opening evening of PirateFest?

He chose the latter and, even though he was in the underwhelming minority of Pittsburgh sports fans, expressed no regrets.

"After coming here, I would do it every single time," Lewis said. "Getting to meet all these players, seeing the kind of people they are ... it just blew my mind. They had conversations with me, treated me like a person. It's the kind of team you could really learn to like."

The Pirates' main promotional event of the offseason always is designed to carry a feel-good air, and this 16th edition that continues through today is no exception. Even so, it is easy to see organizers have not had to work terribly hard to foster such an atmosphere.

When Littlefield, owner Kevin McClatchy and new manager Jim Tracy were introduced to a gathering of about 300 for a Q&A session, all got warm applause -- some stood when Tracy took the stage.

When first baseman Sean Casey was doing an on-air interview in a perched KDKA radio booth, he bellowed his enthusiasm for the coming season so loudly he could be heard almost across the giant floor of the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. And this without a microphone.

When pitcher Ryan Vogelsong explained during his cooking demonstration that he knew how to make only toast -- "with butter," he added -- he drew a roar of laughter.

When shortstop Jack Wilson started signing autographs, he kept going for more than 2¹/₂ hours, until the last of the several hundred seekers in the serpentine had been served.

"I think it's often overlooked in Pittsburgh how popular the Pirates really are," noted sports author Jim O'Brien said from his booth, where he was selling "Fantasy Camp," his new book about a Pirates alumni gathering. "It's not as visible as the Steelers' fandom, but it's always there. Look at this event. Look at the ratings. If they have any kind of success ...."

He shook his head.

"I've seen it happen in this city before."

So has John Wehner, a Carrick native turned Pirates player turned team broadcaster. He was working a children's simulated TV booth sponsored by FSN Pittsburgh.

"What people are telling me here is that they're hungry for this team to win again," Wehner said. "They're excited about the moves Dave Littlefield made, and they're expecting big things this year. The fans will support this team if it's successful. There's proof of that."

For all the carnival-style fare, the highlight for the diehards is the Q&A sessions, the fans' chance to directly question management about the team. In the past, the offerings frequently have been pointed, sometimes acrimonious. This edition was anything but.

Most questioners opened by welcoming Tracy to Pittsburgh and thanking all three for the team's offseason moves. One went so far as to congratulate McClatchy and Littlefield on the winning season he expects will come.

Among the highlights:

McClatchy, asked his expectations for Major League Baseball's next collective bargaining agreement: "I sit on the labor committee that's going to negotiate this thing and, from my standpoint, we just need to make sure there's more competitive balance. To me, the NFL has done a good job with their revenue sharing, making sure large-market and small-market teams get the same TV money. But we have to do what's best for baseball, so we're going to work hard to do that. We went from a system that had no revenue sharing to one that's improved. Now, we have to take another step forward."

Littlefield, asked why he would sign infielder Jose Hernandez, a flop in his first stint with the Pirates three years ago, when youngsters such as Yurendell DeCaster are waiting in the wings: "Prospects don't always translate into players, as we've seen through the years. As we take a look at our roster, we want to give ourselves options. It's a no-risk proposition to bring in a veteran on a minor-league contract, whether that is Jose Hernandez or Rick White."

Tracy, asked his view on outfielder Craig Wilson and his frequent strikeouts: "I really don't think Craig Wilson is the only guy you put into that boat. One of the things Dave and I talked about in October was the way I viewed the Pirates -- and this isn't just about Craig Wilson -- from my time in Los Angeles. One thing I noticed was the number of swings and misses. If you swing and miss that much, it really limits the pressure you put on the other team. If you play against another team that's not very good defensively and you're not putting the ball in play, you're not exploiting an area of weakness."

The Friday opening of PirateFest drew a smaller crowd than usual, no doubt because of the conflict with the Steelers' rally, but yesterday brought a single-day attendance record of 6,900 and broke the mark of 6,300 set last year. Lines to enter the room -- the size of two football fields -- were several hundred deep when the doors opened at noon. The three-day event last year drew 14,000.