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The winds have stopped, the weather is warming up, and the hoody finally is being left in the trunk. (After the early-morning drive to McKechnie, anyway.)

I did wonder early on about the wisdom of having all these pitchers subjected to such harsh cold for the first serious throwing of the spring but, as someone sharply pointed out, the second series of the season is in Cincinnati and the third series is back home. Guess it is good to be ready for those games, too.

Different players handled the cold differently. Some seriously bundled up, even while performing some of the running drills. And others such as Brad Eldred, Tom Gorzelanny and a couple of the equipment managers went all He-Man on us and were dressed as if visiting the equator.

Me? Suffice it to say that my layers of clothing outnumbered the Japanese media. There are no outdoor drills to keep reporters warm, although I did get heckled by John Van Benschoten for a pretty pitiful toss to one of the players after a stray ball came my way ...

Q: Dejan, do you think it is possible for someone other than Xavier Nady to win the right field job?

I would think that, if both of the Joses both happen to outplay Nady this spring, then Jose Bautista should have a chance to win the right field job, and that Ryan Doumit should have an outside shot. Do you think my thoughts are echoed by management or do you think the job is Nady's no matter what? It seems like Nady's reputation is based on him hitting the cover off the ball in the minor leagues even though he hasn't had much success in the big leagues.

T.J. Sabec of Smithfield, Pa.

KOVACEVIC: Possible? Yes. Likely? No.

I never have gotten the impression that Nady is 100 percent firm in that position. That does not mean he is not the default right fielder. Quite clearly, he is. But put it this way: If the Pirates were dead set on having Nady be that guy for now and the foreseeable future, they would not have been looking for left-handed bats to share time at that spot as recently as two weeks ago. And there is a chance that they still are looking, if not terribly aggressively.

Yes, that could be a spot for Bautista, I suppose, but his being right-handed cancels out the platoon possibility. More likely, I think, is the scenario where Doumit goes on some kind of offensive tear, either in the spring or early in the season, and forces his way into spending some time in right field. If Doumit hits to his capability, right field really will be the only place to put him to keep his bat in the lineup.

Q: Hey, Dejan, how is it that players are unable to secure visas to report to camp on time? It's not as if they are unaware of the day they have to start work.

Perhaps you should send them copies of your offseason Hot Stove reports so they know how many days they have left to take care of these legal issues.

Enjoy Bradenton.

John Sisteck of Crafton

KOVACEVIC: The other day, Dave Littlefield described this is a common occurrence at spring training, but there was no elaboration as to the why.

My understanding is that players would not have these problems, except in a few extraordinary cases, if they simply booked their trips out of their countries a little earlier. And this should go double for those coming from countries where such problems are common. Most notorious is the Dominican Republic, but there are others, including now Venezuela, which apparently is being affected by the mounting political differences with the U.S.

The simplest solution was the one Damaso Marte recently chose: Become a citizen, get a passport.

Thing No. 4 that I miss about Pittsburgh: The mechanical room under the Duquesne Incline.

I take the family up the Incline about four or five times a year, and the experience has gotten much better since the venerable folks up there have opened up the mechanical room at the top station to the public. For two quarters, you can walk down a set of steps to see the giant gears and pulleys that work this thing. Depending on your viewpoint, it will either amaze you or terrify you when you see that one rope upon which you are dangling your well-being.

What is guaranteed, though, is that the little boy in your life will love it. Great boy stuff.

Until tomorrow ...