Pirates Q&A with Dejan Kovacevic

Wednesday, May 31, 2006

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Q: It seems the Pirates are about to lose even me as a fan ... and that takes a lot! But if they bench Freddy Sanchez at this point, I'm thinking they don't deserve my loyalty.

Don't you think he deserves to remain the starter at least until he shows that he can't handle it?

Larry Wichterman of McCandless

KOVACEVIC: Welcome to FreddyFest, Larry and all. This was topic No. 1 with a bullet.

And the latter part of your question, I think, hits on why.

Whether or not Sanchez can be an everyday player remains to be seen, his terrific start notwithstanding. He still has much to prove.

But he will not be able to prove anything one way or the other if he is blocked from doing so. And a team that is in the Pirates' position, lagging so deep in last place with all hope of relevance for 2006 already a distant memory, simply cannot afford to take that approach. It is not consistent with what more successful franchises in sports -- that would be all of them, in case anyone has forgotten -- do to build a winner.

Q: If Freddy Sanchez is benched in favor of Joe Randa, why would any young player ever want to play his hardest here (other than to get a big deal from another team)?

Chris Scott of Bethel Park

KOVACEVIC: The focus has to be a common one, and that comes from putting together a group that can grow together. Young players, even those such as Jose Castillo and others who are getting ample chances to succeed, need to have a motivation greater than achieving their arbitration years or free agency and the like.

I realize I am pounding this Florida horse 12 feet deep anymore, but this is one of the benefits to what the Marlins are doing: Their approach is that their players have confidence that they are going to be there next year and the year after that and so on. They also know they are going to play every day, so long as the performance is there, without being blocked or bumped by a one-year veteran, or without being singled out for criticism. As a result, the focus among those players is on continuing to develop while learning how to blend together and help the team win.

There are not the interruptions in development, the demotions, the defections and every other oddity we are seeing with the Pirates this year.

Look at the Rockies, Indians and Brewers. It works. It takes time, it takes patience and, yes, probably more losing, but it works.

Q: Dejan, when will management and ownership understand that it is the consumer they need to satisfy? Freddy is a fan favorite, yet Dave Littlefield and company will bench him when Randa comes back. Are you kidding me?

Chris Parfitt of Plainfield, Ind.

KOVACEVIC: I respectfully but heartily disagree, Chris. It is not about satisfying the public. Not first, anyway. It is about doing what it takes to win, which, in turn, satisfies the public.

Q: Let the youth movement begin. Shouldn't the Pirates be using the Tigers and Marlins as models? Give all the kids a full year to prove who can play and who can't, then supplement that group with top-of-the-line veterans at the positions where the kids don't pan out. I'm tired of the one-year rentals clogging up the roster.

On another note, given the revenue-sharing money the Pirates are receiving from MLB and their share from the Nationals sale, will management please commit to drafting the absolute best players available during the next two amateur drafts, regardless of signability?

Matt Beam of Califon, N.J.

KOVACEVIC: On your first count, Matt, you are preaching to the choir.

On the second, for all the criticism that is leveled at ownership, I have no reason to believe that recent drafts have been hampered by signability issues. For the series of articles I wrote in April about the organization's baseball structure, in fact, I found that employees past and present were more than satisfied that no such issues have existed for a while.

But your point stands: It certainly would not look good if signability ever became a factor again.

Q: Dejan, it is so disheartening to hear Jim Tracy defend his veterans such as Jeromy Burnitz or Jose Hernanadez, then hang out a young guy like Ryan Doumit after he was unable to snare the laser hit by Luis Gonzalez the other night in Phoenix.

"The ball wasn't really hit all that hard," Tracy said. "It's a makeable play. That's not one of Luis Gonzalez's better swings that he took. It's a makeable play. That's all I have to say about."

I never thought I would pine for Lloyd McClendon.

Steve Foglia of Monongahela

KOVACEVIC: McClendon was no less protective of veterans, I found, but he also did not criticize younger players nearly as often as Tracy has.

Also, McClendon, by my experience with him, regularly criticized himself rather than point to a younger player.

It was Tracy's decision to teach Doumit first base in mid-season, Tracy's decision to start him there for the second time in his life even though he acknowledged Doumit's hamstring was not fully healed. Still, Tracy placed full blame on Doumit for the ball that got past him and cost the Pirates a critical big inning.

These are not opinions on my part, it should be made clear. This is what happened last week in Phoenix.

More on this subject, another hot-button issue in the inbox ...

Q: Dejan, in the Saturday Pirates Notebook, "Tracy blames bad start on players," Tracy placed blame for the team's record squarely at the players' feet and stated, "It is going to get better. Because I didn't take this job to fail."

Presumably, Tracy believes his managing and coaching produces only winners unless his winning ways happen to be undermined by others.

To cut right to my point: This article depicts what must be considered a bit of astonishingly poor leadership by Tracy. As such, it was an example of the kind of failure Tracy suggested he wanted to avoid in Pittsburgh. It was poor leadership because Tracy expressed a greater concern with his own image than with improving the play of his team or with the perception the local fans have of his players.

Tracy expressed this in public, thus distancing himself from the team he allegedly leads.

My question: How have the players, especially the younger players who have a vested interest in the Pirates and the performance of their manager, received Tracy's unfortunate outburst?

Stephen Zielinski of Allison Park

KOVACEVIC: I have heard very little reaction to that comment, positive or negative.

As for your other points, Stephen, I have no cause, no evidence to dispute any of them.

Q: Dejan, I strongly believe the Pirates have taken a marked step backward regarding the overall development of their major-league talent under Tracy. The day-to-day performance on the field leaves me with an impression this squad is not capable to play, consistently, at this level.

What are your thoughts in this regard?

Corri F. DiBagno of Sewell, N.J.

KOVACEVIC: My thought process on this, based on experience observing and covering sports most of my life, is simple:

1. The Pirates' record is one of the worst in the game.

2. The young players who were on the roster last year, with the exception of Ian Snell, have not progressed, even though all concerned agree that talent is there. This might be a temporary setback, but it is what it is at the moment.

3. As per precedent established in all sports played at all levels on all continents, blame for such a scenario cannot be limited to the players.

Q: Dejan, is Jim Tracy capable of being accountable for the team's performance?

Duncan Mitchell of Pensacola, Fla.

KOVACEVIC: If you mean in the negative sense, Duncan, I have not heard it yet.

And let me again stress something here: This is not opinion on my part. I am basing my responses on this subject solely on concrete material.

There have been numerous instances where Tracy has spoken of a decision that he made or an instruction that was issued by him or the coaching staff when explaining why something positive happened for the team or for an individual player. There has been no comment offering culpability, no regret expressed for any aspect of the Pirates' start. Not in the interview sessions I have covered, anyway.

To repeat yet again: This is fact, not a viewpoint.

If the inverse was true, that is what I would tell you.

And I am not suggesting, by the way, this trait is the primary or even the secondary cause for the Pirates' record to date. The team certainly has much greater issues than the manager saying, "I can't catch it, I can't throw it, and I can't hit it," and that, "as a manager, there are only so many things I can do."

But those comments represent an unusual stance for a manager or coach in any sport, which might explain why they made national news that night when the Associated Press considered it newsworthy enough to release a special story on it over the wire, so I can see where it is a topic of discussion.

Q: If John Van Benschoten cannot return to the Pirates as a pitcher, does he have a future as a position player? Others have made that transition. Stan Musial comes to mind.

Earl H. McDaniel of North Versailles

KOVACEVIC: Babe Ruth, too, right? And now Rick Ankiel is trying it.

But no, Earl, I do not see it happening. Remember that Van Benschoten is trying to work through not one but two bum shoulders right now. All that power he displayed in leading the NCAA in home runs as a college senior does not mean much if he is unable to get healthy.

I have heard, too, that he does not have a major-league hitter's build, whatever that means, although that could just be scout-speak. He is kind of the lanky type, but so is Richie Sexson, I suppose.

Besides, Van Benschoten's goal is to pitch, and he sounds very much like someone determined to make that happen.

Q: Will Craig Wilson be moved at or before the trade deadline? Why isn't he in the Pirates' long-term plans?

Also, why isn't a pitch count displayed anywhere at PNC Park?

Brian Graham of Beaver

KOVACEVIC: Wilson, the most tenured of the Pirates, is a very good bet to be gone by July 31, if not sooner, depending on circumstances. As I have written, he approached the team multiple times in the offseason about an extension, and the team did not come close to entering talks. That, coupled with Wilson's pending free agency, sends a crystal clear signal of where this is headed.

Pitch counts are on display in just about every park the Pirates visit, usually on some kind of auxiliary board. I can tell you I really enjoy having them. Gives a better sense, obviously, of how efficient the starter is.

I have not heard that the Pirates are planning anything of this sort, Brian.

Q: Hi, Dejan, there hasn't been much to be positive about this year, but Jason Bay's continuing improvement has been a shining star in a cloudy sky. Since Bay seems seems loath to call attention to himself, I think it is up to the fans to help him get the recognition he deserves. And what better way to do this than with a nickname/catchphrase?

I noticed this weekend that, after Bay made contact on his home runs, his mouth twisted into a perfect circle or "O" as he watched the ball fly out. Fans of the movie "Office Space" will recall the office lothario Drew's reference to his upcoming romantic conquests as "showing my O-face."

Perhaps we could say that Jason showed (insert opposing pitcher) his O-face. What do you think? Too suggestive.

Dan Wyszomierski of Houston

KOVACEVIC: Too awful, actually. Maybe the worst suggestion ever to arrive here, Dan. But, hey, congratulations on that.

And this is coming from someone who can recite virtually every word of "Office Space," perhaps the finest motion picture of our time.

Q: Greetings, Dejan. First off, I'd like to say I'm encouraged by the way the Bucs have played over the past couple weeks. As we all know, the young guys are stepping up a bit, and the rotation is coming around.

That said, I have a question: Does Sean Casey's return mean the end of the Ryan Doumit experiment at first base?

Mike Page of Manassas, Va.

KOVACEVIC: Probably not, although I wonder how often you will see him playing the position during games.

The much more likely scenario, it appears, is that the Pirates will trade Humberto Cota and go with a Doumit-Ronny Paulino tandem. Jim Tracy has suggested as much in recent interviews.

One way or another, the Pirates seem to feel, Doumit needs to find his way into the lineup soon.

Q: Dejan, I know this forum tends to be filled with a lot of negativity, so I want to say what a pleasure it is to watch Jason Bay. The guy is a true superstar and consummate professional. The best way for the Pirates to be successful is for them to sign their emerging stars to reasonable long-term contracts.

We'll see what the future holds, but Bay (and Jack Wilson) certainly represents a good start

Ted Schroeder of Point Breeze, Pittsburgh

KOVACEVIC: Bay has been truly exceptional on and off the field, a credit to the Pirates and to the game.

No less exceptional, I might add, was the reaction of the crowds the past few nights in recognition of his work. For those of us who have spent a good chunk of our lives watching Pirates games in person, it was very impressive.

In closing ...

The Q&A is too negative, I hear a lot, and not just from Ted above. Too many negative questions, too much negativity in the coverage as a whole.

As the last three submissions remind, the Pirates have played better baseball of late, and some of that has carried increased relevance because it has been fueled by young players such as the two Joses. And yet, on Sunday morning, after one of the more memorable games played in Pittsburgh in recent memory, I received exactly one e - mail, from a reader named Patty Martin. Later that night, after the Pirates blew the four-run lead in the ninth, the inbox was into the hundreds.

I understand this is the nature of the beast, that nobody writes to city hall to say the street lights are working just fine. But I also want to underscore that this is a reader-driven feature in every way. If you wish to see more positives stressed about the team, you have to participate in that way.

Until next week, when we might rightly expect the most upbeat Q&A since, uh, the 1890 Pittsburg Alleghenies roamed the earth ...

First published on May 31, 2006 at 12:00 am