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There truly is no day like the first full-squad workout, for anyone who participates in or simply follows baseball.

All that stuff I usually reserve for the Q&A, the disjointed little stories and the like, I shared with the general readership today with the main story. I hope it conveys the sense of what this day is like, always the highlight of my spring training ...

Q: Dejan, do you think that, with the additions to the team, the Pirates will be able to reverse their league-worst record in one run games?

Looking forward to your coverage of the Pirates, as it will be my only link to the team from here in Afghanistan. Thanks.

William Luther, MSgt, U.S. Air Force, of Ebensburg and currently serving in Bagram, Afghanistan

KOVACEVIC: No, thank you, sir.

The Pirates' tendency toward close games still is getting discussed quite a bit in this camp, and there is cause for that: In addition to all those one-run games, exactly half of all of their games were decided by two or fewer runs. They were 38-43 in those games, including 24-31 in the one-run games and 14-12 in two-run games.

What does it mean? Probably not nearly as much as the Pirates stress.

There was a study a couple years ago, when the Nationals had this amazing record through the first half in one-run games, that flatly stated such things tend to revert, whether the team is good or bad. Sure enough, the Nationals were awful in one-run games after that.

Last season, the Pirates were 9-27 in one-run games before the break, one of the worst such marks in baseball history. Sure enough, they were 15-4 -- best in the majors -- after the break.

Did they come up with a few more clutch hits? Sure, they did. Was their pitching better? Yes, as the numbers will support.

But the most significant number here, I think, is the overall one about the close games. Fact is, bottom line is, the Pirates did not score nearly enough runs. Not before the break, and not even after, when they had the fewest in the majors. When you seldom score, your chances of a tight game are greater. Which score is more common, 7-6 or 3-2?

I suppose, sir, I could answer your question by saying that the Pirates already have turned the corner in one-run games last season. And, to be honest, that was my initial reaction upon seeing your question. But, upon further review, I am much more inclined to say the statistic is fairly irrelevant as compared to improving the offense.

Q: Dejan, if Brad Eldred absolutely tears it up and hits a ton of home runs this spring, is there any chance or history of Adam LaRoche playing in right field?

Although Xavier Nady is an upgrade from what we have had in the recent past, he doesn't have the power that LaRoche and Eldred would have together.

Les Harman of Anaheim Hills, Calif.

KOVACEVIC: There has been no shortage of mail offering suggestions to resuscitate Eldred's career in Pittsburgh, most of it involving position switches.

LaRoche has done some pitching over the course of his career, Les, but there is no question his major-league future is firmly affixed to first base. In addition to that being his area of concentration, he is considered very, very good there. He is no Keith Hernandez or J.T. Snow in terms of range, but he fields the balls hit his way, and he is a scooping machine when it comes to fellow infielders' throws. Moving him seems like ... well, not a great idea.

Eldred continues to face challenges in becoming the best defensive first baseman he can be. To move him to another position, any other position, would guarantee that challenge would get much more difficult.

As I wrote in the Eldred piece the other day, there really seems to be no place for him in Pittsburgh, barring a LaRoche injury.

And, really, there is nothing wrong with that. If he goes on the kind of tear you describe in Indianapolis -- his history shows that he will do so sooner rather than later -- his value will be raised, and he can be traded the same way Ryan Shealy was. (Only one would hope the Pirates could get a better return than what the Rockies got from the Royals.) When this sort of thing starts happening on a regular basis, it will be a sign that the Pirates finally, finally, finally have established the sort of depth at the major-league level that most other teams have. And, if the trade is executed well, it can bolster that depth at a more needed position.

Q: Not trying to be the annoying guy, but the Pittsburgh Thing You Miss yesterday should have been No. 5. You duplicated No. 3 on Monday and Tuesday.

And just FYI: I love them. It gives a good insight of Pittsburgh. Probably more for those who live or have been there, but even those like me who never been in the city can have some idea. I'd consider the things I miss about Sao Paulo, but I haven't left the city for more than a week in years.

Alexandre Giesbrecht of Sao Paulo, Brazil

KOVACEVIC: Well, if you ever make it up here, the first coffee's on me.

On that note ...

Thing No. 6 -- yes, 6 -- that I miss about Pittsburgh: I can bike out of my garage and ride to the Carnegie Science Center or Point Park or the new park along Fort Duquense Boulevard without crossing a single street, thanks to our network of riverfront trails. (Actually, I have to cross the street in front of my house, if that counts.) This makes for some extraordinary riding, especially when I have the wagon and children hitched to the back.

This network only is going to become more expansive in the next three years, as it is nearing the point where all of the South Side, Oakland and even the West End Bridge will be in play. And did you know that, if somebody finds a way to build a trail through or around Sandcastle in Hazelwood, you will be able to bike all the way to Maryland on the trail?

Until tomorrow ...