It is not true, the Pirates insist, that they will expand their space for PirateFest this weekend to accommodate the lines of fans anticipated to meet and greet Adam LaRoche.

"I would if I could," Christine Serkoch, the team's manager of special events, said with a laugh. "But there's a boat show next door."

		If you go ... What: 17th annual PirateFest. Where: David L. Lawrence Convention Center, Downtown. When: 5-10 p.m. today, noon-8 p.m. tomorrow, 11 a.m.-4-p.m. Sunday. Tickets: $10 for adults, $6 for children 12 and under, free for children less than 30 inches in height. Autographs today: Freddy Sanchez, 5-6:30 p.m.; Salomon Torres, 6-7:30 p.m.; Jason Bay, 6:30-8 p.m.; Ian Snell, 7:30-9 p.m. Autographs tomorrow: Zach Duke, noon-1:30 p.m.; Jose Bautista, 1-2:30 p.m.; Jack Wilson, 3:30-5 p.m.; Adam LaRoche, 4:30-6 p.m.; Sanchez, 5:30-7 p.m.; Snell, 6-7:30 p.m. Autographs Sunday: Wilson, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.; Bay, noon-1:30 p.m.; Matt Capps, 12:30-2 p.m.; Tom Gorzelanny, 2-3:30 p.m. Q&A sessions: Kevin McClatchy, Dave Littlefield and Jim Tracy, 8-9 p.m. today and 4-5 p.m. tomorrow; players and coaches, 2-3 p.m. tomorrow. Youth clinics: Tracy and Jim Colborn, 2-3 p.m. tomorrow, 1-2 p.m. Sunday.

A boat show takes up the exhibit hall adjacent to the mammoth room in the David L. Lawrence Convention Center that will be occupied by the 17th annual PirateFest, which opens today and runs through Sunday.

Still, it is difficult to imagine anything on the boat side matching the general buoyancy the Pirates expect to accompany LaRoche, their new first baseman.

"People are excited about him, and we're very aware of it," Serkoch said. "But the great thing is Adam seems just as excited as the fans are, if you can believe that."

The trade for LaRoche was completed Friday, and LaRoche agreed almost immediately to shelve some family plans to show up for PirateFest.

Perhaps it helped that, during his 48 hours in town, he caught a glimpse of how popular that deal was.

"I hear it's a great event," LaRoche said at the time of PirateFest. "And I'm looking forward to meeting everyone there."

He certainly will have chances.

At noon today, he will meet local reporters for the first time -- joined by many management officials, coaches and players -- at the team's annual media luncheon inside PNC Park.

At 4 p.m., he will be one of several players on hand for the opening of PirateFest. The first hour is for season-ticket holders only.

A half-hour later, LaRoche and teammates will model the Pirates' new alternate jerseys -- that reintroduce red to the scheme -- as well as the redesigned spring training jerseys.

At 7 p.m., he and others will participate in a staged version of "The Match Game."

And tomorrow, for 90 minutes beginning at 4:30 p.m., he will sign as many autographs as possible in that time span, then clear out for teammates.

Not even Freddy Sanchez, the National League batting champion, whose autograph time will overlap with LaRoche, is wondering which line will have the greatest buzz.

"Oh, probably the new first baseman," Sanchez said. "He's a great player, and people are excited about him. So are all of us as players. He's a huge pickup for us, someone who really solidifies our lineup. I think it just boosted everyone's energy for the upcoming season and, hopefully, we'll feel even more of that at PirateFest."

Several players have spoken effusively of the public reception during the Pirates' month-long Winter Caravan. This week, it spun through West Virginia, Ohio and some southern Pennsylvania towns, and the crowds -- as has become the norm in recent years -- were thick. More than 800 waited for autographs at a Uniontown mall. A fan in Steubenville, Ohio, showed up 2 1/2 hours early to be first in that line. And luncheons across the region filled banquet halls.

Shortstop Jack Wilson came away impressed with the enthusiasm level, too, particularly since the LaRoche trade.

"I think people are starting to believe we can win," Wilson said. "We'd love to hear more of it."

In addition to LaRoche, Sanchez and Wilson, players attending PirateFest -- and signing -- will be Jason Bay, Salomon Torres, Zach Duke, Ian Snell, Jose Bautista, Matt Capps and Tom Gorzelanny.

Management will be represented, too: Chief executive officer Kevin McClatchy, general manager Dave Littlefield and manager Jim Tracy will participate in Q&A sessions with the public tonight and tomorrow. And Bob Nutting, the new principal owner, will attend Sunday with a plan to mingle informally with fans.

Tracy and pitching coach Jim Colborn will conduct youth clinics tomorrow and Sunday, and there will be the usual assortment of shows, games, karaoke, play-by-play booths and the like. The most prominent new feature will be a full sports bar, complete with widescreen televisions.