Peter Diana, Post-Gazette Jose Castillo: Tiebreaker goes to him?

On the bubble

Starting infielder: No battle will be more closely watched -- or more important -- than the one between Jose Castillo and Jose Bautista for the only starting position available. Management is maintaining it has an open mind, but a skeptic might counter that Castillo would get the tiebreaker, if only because his potential is held in such high regard. And checking in leaner will not hurt.

Advantage: Castillo

Starting rotation: Four pitchers formally are in the mix for the lone vacancy, but expect this to come down to Tony Armas vs. Shawn Chacon. And expect, too, that Armas' large edge in starts made last season -- 30 to Chacon's 20 -- will be dominant in the decision. Shane Youman and Marty McLeary will need to be exceptional from the outset to squeeze in.

Advantage: Armas

Bullpen: Three spots are available, but one should go to the loser of the Armas-Chacon duel. Newcomer Dan Kolb is seen as having a very good chance to make the roster despite his minor-league contract, and Josh Sharpless is seen as the class of a promising group of young relievers. But no one is dismissing Jonah Bayliss, Brian Rogers, Juan Perez or Jesse Chavez.

Advantage: Chacon, Sharpless, Kolb

Bench: Nate McLouth and Ryan Doumit are locks, and Humberto Cota probably will be the backup catcher again to keep Doumit's bat in the lineup more often. The loser of the Castillo-Bautista duel will end up on the bench, too, leaving one opening. That means Luis Matos, Jose Hernandez and Chris Aguila, among others, will need to stand out early and often. Jody Gerut? He needs to get healthy.

Advantage: Matos

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On the spot

Non-baseball questions for outfielder Nate McLouth:

Q. If you were not a baseball player?

A. I'd be on "Madden Nation," that show on ESPN2 where the guys ride around on the bus playing the Madden video game and go to other cities and compete. Yeah, that would be me. Only it would be "College Football Nation" if they had such a thing. I'm much more into the college game.

Q. So, as a big Michigan guy, how much did you celebrate seeing Ohio State lose to Florida?

A. Not at all, really. I was pulling for them as a Big Ten guy. ... It was hard. I don't want to say I was pulling for Ohio State. I really wanted a 0-0 tie.

Q. That way, Boise State could be national champs?

A. Exactly.

Q. What's in your iPod?

A. Nickelback, the old-school stuff. There's some Staind. I've got some Rascal Flatts for some country. I'm all over the place. Even some Ludacris. I'll go there, too.

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	Dave Davidson

On the way up

Dave Davidson, a 22-year-old left-handed reliever, used one word to describe his reaction to learning the Pirates had added him to their 40-man roster late last season.

"Shocked."

He probably should not have been after his 2006 performance was as strong as any reliever in the system: He leaped two levels to wind up at Class AA Altoona and, in 42 appearances, had a 2.01 ERA, 96 strikeouts and 33 walks. Most impressive, he held opponents to a .193 batting average.

"I was finally healthy and finally pitching like I can," Davidson said. "It was such a struggle for three years and, just like that, everything clicked."

A native of Welland, Ontario, Davidson was a standout in Canada before the Pirates drafted him in the 10th round in 2002. But he was limited to 64 innings the next three seasons by various injuries, the most serious of which required shoulder surgery in late 2003.

He relies on a consistent curveball and, now that he is healthy, decent command of all pitches.

"He has good stuff and a bright future," director of player development Brian Graham said.

Davidson will open the season with Altoona.

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On deck

Wednesday: Spring goes into full swing with the first full-squad workout at Pirate City. Manager Jim Tracy and other team officials will address the players beforehand.

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On the record

"It's an honor and a blessing to see those smiles."

Salomon Torres, Pirates closer, on personally handing out 350 bags of baseball equipment to children in San Pedro, Dominican Republic, two weeks ago. The equipment was donated by Torres, his teammates and Dick's Sporting Goods.

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Peter Diana, Post-Gazette DID YOU GET THAT? A look at some of the Japanese media throng that will be following pitcher Masumi Kuwata, 39, during his days in Bradenton this spring -- his first major-league camp.