Bob Donaldson, Post-Gazette Pirates CEO Kevin McClatchy and broadcaster Bob Walk watch as 12-year-old Justin Payne takes his cuts in one of the new batting cages at the new Pirates Community Baseball Center at the Shadyside/East Liberty Boys & Girls Club yesterday.

By Robert Dvorchak, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

When he announced his role as chairman of the Pirates, Bob Nutting said he wanted to be an additional voice for the franchise and more available to fans.

"It's important for the team to prove something. We need to win some games," he acknowledged.

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Pitchers and catchers report next week for spring training in Florida to begin that task, but the Pirates connected on a community kind of win yesterday by opening the new Pirates Community Baseball Center in the Boys & Girls Club of Shadyside/East Liberty.

On another blustery day meant for bundling up in layers of winter clothing, the sound of baseballs being struck by aluminum bats reverberated through a new play area that represents the first completed project of Pirates Charities, the franchise's philanthropic arm.

What was once a dilapidated indoor swimming pool area with leaky pipes and unpleasant odors is now a state-of-the-art, year-round training facility for baseball and softball.

A space that was unusable for the past five years now features two batting cages with automatic pitching machines, skill stations, training rooms, administrative offices, equipment-storage rooms and more.

To christen the place, Pirates broadcaster Bob Walk, a former pitcher, worked with a new generation of young pitchers and donned a batting helmet to take a couple of swings in the cages.

"It's fantastic to be out on this kind of project," Nutting said. "This is something the community should be proud of, that Pirates Charities should be proud of. I'm glad to be here."

Pirates Charities donated $165,000 to the renovation project, which had a total price tag of $300,000. The Roberto Clemente Foundation donated $75,000, and Roberto Clemente Jr. was on hand for the dedication. Another $60,000 came from the Baseball Tomorrow Fund, a joint initiative between Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association.

	Bob Donaldson, Post-Gazette Pirates broadcaster Bob Walk, left, and Pirates General Manager David Littlefield, far right, background, watch 15-year-old Matt Limbach as he throws from the artificial pitching mound yesterday at the new Pirates Community Baseball Center. Click photo for larger image.

The new baseball center will become home to several organizations, including the Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) youth outreach program. It will also serve as a training complex for the baseball and softball programs of Boys & Girls Club of Western Pennsylvania and CitiParks.

While there will be some participants dreaming of making it to the big leagues some day, the concept behind the new baseball center is to provide a safe, clean environment for kids to have fun year-round playing games under adult supervision.

"It's going to be a fun place to go in the wintertime," said Kevin McClatchy, the Pirates' chief executive officer.

Dave Littlefield, the team's general manager, watched some young players throw off a mound and take some cuts in the new cages.

"It just gives you a warm feeling when kids have this kind of facility to play in," Littlefield said. "I remember going to the boys club and spending hours and hours playing basketball, ping pong and whatever. It's a chance for kids to get out and do some things."

While the Pirates have done community work through the years, Pirates Charities was established to make the projects more effective and have a greater impact.

Its mission is to support organizations and programs aimed at improving the lives of kids and adults in the region. It places a special emphasis on supporting youth programs focused on health, fitness and education.