It was the first day of the rest of their season last night at PNC Park for these new Pirates, a younger and cheaper team that is poised for the future after trading-deadline deals that sent four veterans elsewhere.

In place of Sean Casey, Kip Wells, Roberto Hernandez and Craig Wilson, who had about a combined $5 million remaining on their contracts, were:

Chris Duffy, the once-reluctant leadoff hitter, who was back from a minor-league sojourn with a clear head and in center field -- a position that is his to lose.

	Matt Freed, Post-Gazette New first baseman Xavier Nady grounds out in the ninth inning at PNC Park. Click photo for larger image.

Xavier Nady, proclaiming he was happy despite being transferred in one day from the best team in National League to the worst, at first base, a position that is his to keep.

Shawn Chacon, a struggling reliever with the New York Yankees Monday, who was happy to be back in a somebody's rotation and gearing up for a start tomorrow afternoon.

Josh Sharpless, the local kid from Freedom, who has exciting potential as a reliever and who was oh, so happy to be in the clubhouse of the team he grew up rooting for.

Were it not for manager Jim Tracy's desire to use a left-handed power bat to face Atlanta Braves starter John Smoltz, the lineup could have been, including starter Ian Snell, the same one that will take the field on opening day of 2007. But Tracy opted for Jeromy Burnitz instead of Jose Bautista. Burnitz delivered a run-scoring double, but it made no difference, as Atlanta won, 4-2.

The Pirates were 10-6 since the All-Star Game but not many in Pittsburgh were buying into this midseason rejuvenation. The feeling is, and correctly so, that Pirates showed their stuff in April, May, June and early July and it was severely lacking. Nothing that happens the rest of the way will make this season acceptable.

The Pirates, of course, can't look at it that way. They're in the business of trying to win as many games as they can and getting better. That's why there was just a tinge of excitement to a game that began in temperatures in the mid-80s and was just about devoid of meaning.

It's never wise to evaluate players on what they do in August and September on last-place teams. The Pirates have seen too much of that over the years. But there are story lines here, not the least of which is the quest of Freddy Sanchez to win the batting title.

Also:

Can Ronny Paulino continue to be the answer at catcher, defensively and offensively?

Is Bautista the middle-of-the-lineup hitter the Pirates so desperately need?

Can Jack Wilson continue his offensive resurgence and begin to at least resemble the hitter he was in 2004?

Can Snell continue to improve and can the other young arms in the rotation find themselves?

But mostly it's about Duffy and Nady, who could be two key parts to the Pirates' future.

Duffy is intriguing. He's an outstanding center fielder but one who must hit to keep his job. Is he the guy who batted .350 in July and August of last year or the one who batted .194 this season before being sent out?

"He's going to play," said Tracy of his plans for Duffy. "He's not here to play every other day. He's not here to play three days a week. He's here to play so we can find something out."

If Duffy, who was hitless in four at-bats, can play, Bautista becomes a right fielder and two more pieces of the Pirates puzzle are in place.

Duffy, who went home for a month to rethink his future after the Pirates sent him to the minors May 14, said, "I had a lot of things to work out by myself. Everything I was going through, I brought upon myself. That's the reason I secluded myself."

Duffy thanked Tracy and general manager Dave Littlefield for giving him this chance. When Tracy was asked if there were any hard feelings, he said, "None whatsoever."

Duffy has two months to make his case. If he can, he goes to spring training next February as the starting center fielder -- just as he did this year.

Although Nady has been primarily an outfielder, it looks like first base will be his position for the Pirates and he handled himself quite well there last night. He has long been a player with a large upside, but he hasn't been able to deliver on that potential. He has a career slugging percentage of .433, which puts him 53 points below Craig Wilson, a player the Pirates never had much use for.

"I'm excited," said Nady, who singled in four at-bats. "It's a new start and I look forward to it."

Changes of scenery have been known to affect players in the past. This is a good chance for Nady, a chance to be a middle-of-the-lineup hitter who can earn big money.

He bears watching, as do Duffy and many of the Pirates who will form the nucleus of this team for the next several years. But considering it's August and this team has let its fan base down so badly once again, we'll view these Pirates only out of the corner of our eye.