Peter Diana, Post-Gazette photos Bob Nutting, the Pirates' principal owner, attends the workouts yesterday at Pirate City in Bradenton, Fla.

By Dejan Kovacevic
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette BRADENTON, Fla. -- Bob Nutting has been in business his entire adult life, but he might never have had a sales job more challenging than the one he undertook yesterday.

His goal: Convince the Pirates' players, many of whom he knew to be skeptical, that the ownership group he now runs is fully committed to winning.

	Pirates general manager Dave Littlefield, center, introduces team principal owner Bob Nutting to pitcher Masumi Kuwata after workouts yesterday in Bradenton, Fla. Click photo for larger image. More Coverage: Pirates Notebook: Nady upbeat after exam Pirates Q&A with Dejan Kovacevic Pirates Photo Journal Stats Geek: Giles-Bay run has been a hit for Pirates

"I wanted them to hear it," he would say later. "And I wanted them to hear it directly from me."

To that end, Nutting opened his first visit to Pirate City as the primary owner by gathering the 66 players in camp, plus coaches and other personnel, into a cafeteria for a half-hour session in which he spoke for about 20 minutes.

By several accounts, he talked about the Nutting family's various business ventures and history of success, about how he never has found failure acceptable in any walk of life and, undoubtedly most compelling for this audience, about how all of the Pirates' available money is being spent on player payroll.

The Pirates are projected to have an opening day payroll roughly the same as the $43.4 million they spent last season, a figure that ranked 28th among Major League Baseball's 30 teams. Ownership has budgeted for roughly $50 million, but general manager Dave Littlefield has yet to spend to that limit.

"I know there has been a lot written and said about that topic, and I understand that I was in the background for a while, so the players were getting their information from other places," Nutting said. "But I'm here now, and I've been trying since the ownership transfer to reach out to the players, to let them know in plain talk how important winning is to me and to our fans."

Nutting did not divulge what he or chief executive officer Kevin McClatchy, who also spoke at the session, might have said about payroll. But, whatever it was, it seemed to resonate with some of the team's key players.

"The man seemed to be sincere, and you could see that he had his game face on," closer Salomon Torres said. "He told us how his family has been successful, and now he tells us he wants this family to be successful, too. For us, I think, it's nicest to hear about the commitment to investing the right amount of money to make this a winning franchise. He told us he wants to make the Pittsburgh Pirates winners again."

Torres' eyes widened.

"To hear the man come out and say that ... it's nice, believe me."

"It was good to get the personal interaction with ownership and, with what was said, it gives you the sense that they're going to be actually committed to a better product on the field," starter Zach Duke said. "It's nice to have that feeling, just knowing the history here. They seemed pretty sincere."

"From the sound of it, the commitment's not only going to be on the field but upstairs, too," outfielder Jason Bay said. "And when they show that commitment to us, it's going to show to everyone in Pittsburgh that they mean business, rather than just sitting behind a desk and saying, 'This is the way it's going to be, and we're not going to do anything about it.' This way, it feels like we're all in it together."

Nutting was asked what is the most important thing he, as owner, can provide to the players.

"The most important thing is to be physically present, to make sure they know I'm around, that I'm here for them," he said.

Asked if that might also include a commitment to trying to keep the Pirates' promising young core intact for years to come, he replied: "I don't want to talk about specific players or a specific time frame. What's really important is that we can build sustainable success. And what that's going to take is new players coming up through the system, as you see with Oakland and Minnesota."

Nutting avoided any kind of numerical forecast for the coming season, but he did allow this tangible slice of optimism:

"I think we can win in 2007. I'm not going to predict a record or a championship, but we saw a fantastic ending to the season last year. Clearly, the team is stronger and better. And, if we can get a strong start, I think we have great, high hopes for this year."

He was asked if, because the Pirates retain almost all of their regular players' rights for three years, the future might be even brighter.

"Really, I think the point where we need to start showing things is right now. I think we have a great opportunity this year."

McClatchy said he detected more of an upbeat feeling, top to bottom, in the organization.

"There's no question, I think, from talking to coaches, players, everyone here, there's a lot more confidence," he said. "I told the players today, 'The past is the past. We can't worry about it. We just have to focus on what's ahead of us.' And I think most people in that room believe that what's ahead of us is pretty positive."

After Nutting, McClatchy, Littlefield and other team officials took turns with the group, Nutting went to roam Pirate City's four-field complex to take in the two-hour workout.

He hung out behind a batting cage. He watched starter Masumi Kuwata get swarmed by the Japanese media. He shook hands with everyone from fans to the workers and volunteers to Bay and shortstop Jack Wilson, the latter of whom he engaged in a brief discussion about the future of the franchise. And he looked as if he could spend the whole afternoon talking about hunting and fishing with first baseman Adam LaRoche, a fellow outdoors enthusiast.

For many players, it was the first time they had seen Nutting, even though he had been chairman of the Pirates' board of directors since early 2003. For others such as Torres, who met him during a Winter Caravan stop in West Virginia last month, Nutting is becoming a more frequent sight.

"I'd say it's nice for all of us to put a face to the name," Torres said.