ronin_buc: The next seven games will definitely shape the direction of the Buccos 2007 season. Win both series and they might have a chance at .500. If they are beaten badly, the season could slowly go down the drain. How big are these games for the players?

Dejan Kovacevic: Hello to one and all, before we get started. ... If you are among the more optimistic who believes the season still has relevance, then, yes, the next week probably provides your last gasp. I think this is the season, plain and simple. If the Brewers do not win the division, the Cubs will. This is it.

AlMartinsthirdwife: Dejan, is there going to be a platoon in centerfield between Rajai and Nate, or are we finally going to see Davis get a long look and a chance to swipe bags a la Jose Reyes?

Dejan Kovacevic: There probably will be a platoon while Duffy is out, but I would read little into it in either direction. I get no indication that the organization views either as a long-term answer in center field, at least not until McLouth's hitting and/or Davis' jumps on fly balls improves dramatically.

Gene_Garber_And_The_Bluegrass_Bo: Dejan-I took part in the rally and walkout and was totally surprised at the apathy of fans who stayed in their seats. What surprised me most was that local sports media talk show hosts denigrated the organizer and the walkout. This was a chance to vent 15 years of frustrations - what happened?

Dejan Kovacevic: From what I heard and read -- I was off this past weekend -- apathy is not the right term to describe the fans who stayed in their seats, if the description of booing and insults at the protesters is accurate. What happened? Quite clearly, the protest did not go as organizers had hoped. Just as clearly, a great deal of weight was lent, in the days leading up to the event, to the voices of a very vocal few. Much more on this in the Q&A tomorrow.

Jell-o_Man: Hi there. Steve Pearce is making it difficult for us not to notice him at AA. Could you compare/contrast Steve Pearce and Brad Eldred?

Dejan Kovacevic: Pearce's numbers all-around are stronger than Eldred's, including his walks, strikeouts and on-base percentage. That is a very powerful indicator that there is more to him than just that violent swing we have been discussing all year. ... It surely is time to start mentioning him in the same breath as Neil Walker and Andrew McCutchen, one would think.

ronin_buc: Is Youman getting the call over Burnett because Sean is still on a pitch count, or does Burnett no longer fit into the Pirates future plans, as Sean seems to feel?

Dejan Kovacevic: Neither Burnett nor Bryan Bullington is fully back to top form -- health or performance -- since his recent shut-down time.

ronin_buc: What's up with LaRussa taking Sanchez for the All-Star team over Gorzo or Snell? Of course Freddy is now getting hammered on ESPN.com for not deserving the spot. LaRussa is just an arrogant jerk when it comes to screwing the Pirates. Is all the hatred left from the McClendon years?

Dejan Kovacevic: I have written many times in the Q&A my own viewpoint on this: The All-Stars should be weighed based on the second half of the previous season, as well as the first half of the current season. To do otherwise is to discard half-a-year of baseball without reason. ... In that criteria, Sanchez and Tom Gorzelanny are the best candidates. From there, a position player was chosen. Look at the list of pitchers left off.

ronin_buc: If after the seven game stretch, the Pirates are hammered and the season spirals out of control, if Littlefield and Tracy walk the plank together, depending on the GM hire, would Bob Walk or Andy Van Slyke get any consideration for manager or is Ken Macha a more viable option?

Dejan Kovacevic: Getting way ahead of ourselves. No indication that anyone is in trouble yet.

ronin_buc: The last six games have given me a glimmer of hope that the season is not lost. LaRoche is coming around offensively and Nady has been solid all year. Will Bay start to come around or is the 6th hole a better slot for him now?

Dejan Kovacevic: Bay has been the missing link for the last little while, to put it kindly. If he had performed better, not only might the Pirates have had sweeps of the Marlins and Nationals, but they might also have taken one or two of those extra-inning tilts in Anaheim. That is unfairly isolating on one player, I know, but he simply has to be a difference-maker -- in the positive sense -- for the Pirates to be successful. ... Oh, and you are right about LaRoche. He looks exceptional at the plate right now, in every way.

Sammy_Khalifa: I am curious about the things you list about what makes Pittsburgh great, a few days ago it was a barge that was remodeled into a park, my question is when you travel to say SF, San Diego, Miami do you actually leave the hotel room at all to see what you're missing?

Dejan Kovacevic: I get out in San Francisco and San Diego. Couple other places, too. Truth is, there is very little free time on the road, especially when a trip is thick with day games.

ronin_buc: Any chance if Bob Nutting cleans house in the org. after another losing season, would they also hire a more credible baseball man as CEO? Any chance Mickey White could be lured back in some position under a new front office?

Dejan Kovacevic: Of course, there is a chance. There just has been no indication of that yet. Mickey White? Nothing there, either. But I know he is not anyone else's scouting director at the moment, so he is available. And, obviously, eminently qualified.

Sammy_Khalifa: At what point will Paul Maholm come down with an "arm injury" like Zach Duke so he won't risk losing 20 games this year, barring the Pirates Management any more embarrassment for their lousy drafting of young pitching in the 1st round? I'm guessing when he hits 16?

Dejan Kovacevic: What part of Maholm's pitching have you not liked lately?

Duffy_Dyer: Dejan, not sure I understand the "biggest week ever" logic. Let's say the Bucs go 5-2 this week...they will still be 8 under .500 and about 9 back going into the break. In that case, explain how they think they are still in the race?

Dejan Kovacevic: It is not so much the upside that makes it big. It is the downside. A lousy run here, and this is over. If you do not believe it is over already.

beaken: Do you think Bay's slump has more to do with with fatigue and not so much his knee injury?

Dejan Kovacevic: Fatigue is possible for someone who has played as much baseball as he has the past three years. Obviously, Jim Tracy felt that way when he gave Bay a breather over the weekend. But the knee? If anything, that is better now than before. Not an issue at all.

ronin_buc: Is Baustisa's ankle getting to the point where he might be able to handle CF? Castillo needs to be in the lineup more, even if it is a 3B. What do you forsee?

Dejan Kovacevic: Watching Bautista run the bases, the answer would appear to be no.

rv: When does Pearce get promoted to AAA?

Dejan Kovacevic: Yesterday? ... Actually, it should be noted that players do become September callups right out of Class AA. And there is something to be said for keeping a guy at one level and seeing how he responds to pitchers adjusting to him and vice versa the second or third time he sees them. If he goes up to Class AAA, yes, the pitching is better, but they also will not know how to pitch to him.

Zach_Puke: Why don't they just release Duffy?He quit on them last year, and they welcomed back with open arms like nothing happened. Or is he just the stop-gap until McCutchen is here?

Dejan Kovacevic: I view everything in center field as a stopgap for McCutchen.

ronin_buc: What are the chances Chacon and/or Marte are moved at the trading deadline to contenders desperate for bullpen help? What could they bring back in way of a minor league hitting prospect?

Dejan Kovacevic: Yes, they could be moved and -- given Chacon's status as a free agent at the end of the year -- he certainly stands out in that regard. But a hitting prospect? No, you will see a reliever prospect, based on overwhelming precedent.

Lave_Dittlefield: Is there a realistic chance that the Bucs will bring Bullington up and give him an extended look in the rotation?

Dejan Kovacevic: When he is healthy, sure. See above.

KilgorTrout: In your opinion where would the Pirates be had they signed Jim Leyland? I, for one believe we'd be flirting at or slightly above the .500 mark. I find Leyland to be a far better game-time decision maker and evaluator of talent as opposed to our current management. Am I off base? Would Leyland have made less of a difference than I personally believe?

Dejan Kovacevic: The question is: Where would Leyland have been? Smoking himself into oblivion. My answer, anyway: Yes, things would have been different, if only because his style and Tracy's are so very different.

Disintegration_of_25_imaginary_b: Will Jim Tracy ever realize that Freddy Sanchez is not a #3 hitter?

Dejan Kovacevic: Probably when he gets a legitimate No. 3 hitter.

bethelparkn8: Obviously there will be a big market for Damaso Marte in the next few weeks. Do you see a scenario where a trading partner could be asked to take Jack Wilson and his 08 contract as well?

Dejan Kovacevic: Package deal?

8wasgreat: Is Laroche finally coming out of his slump? Could he be one of those guys that is a 2nd half player?

Dejan Kovacevic: It would be tempting to say that after the series he just had. But, as LaRoche has pointed out many times, he has had spurts like this already this year, then lapsed back into that same malaise. ... My thinking on this is twofold: He needs to get his overall average up to a somewhat respectable level, so it stops being an issue -- for him and everyone else. Then, he needs to think a lot more aggressively. My first-hand observations -- not backed by numbers here -- is that he seems to have all of his good spurts when he is being more active with the bat.

Disintegration_of_25_imaginary_b: Who the heck is this outfielder that was called up? Is the organization really this bad?

Dejan Kovacevic: From the standpoint of positional players as prospects, the Pirates are virtually bankrupt at the Class AAA level, the lone exception being Brian Bixler. The outfielder who came up is named Matt Kata.

Oliver_Onion: What is the biggest difference in Paul Malholm over the last month and a half? This is clearly not the same pitcher we saw in April and early May.

Dejan Kovacevic: Strikes in the zone, early in counts. And, from there, his stuff has been good enough that hitters are doing little with those strikes. Early on, he was doing an awful lot of nibbling when he would give up hits. Now, he just stays with it.

KilgorTrout: Why do the Pirates and the June 30th walkout have in common? They're both under 500.

Dejan Kovacevic: Like I said, more on this tomorrow.

bethelparkn8: Are the Pirates ready to throw Chris Duffy on the scrap pile along with Jacob Brumfeld, Adrian Brown, and Tike Redman?

Dejan Kovacevic: The pile is a lot bigger than that, no? Who has been an effective everyday center fielder for this franchise since Andy Van Slyke?

beaken: How much of a chance do you give the Bucs against the Brewers this week?

Dejan Kovacevic: Very little, based on their previous meetings this season. Milwaukee's lineup is very good, top to bottom, and they have some very good pitching, too. I thought the defense would hurt the Brewers, and there are times it has. But I overestimated that factor, for sure.

Bill_Almond: Since the upcoming seven game stretch has been mention - "what if" we win 5 of 7. Things could becoming interesting!

Dejan Kovacevic: I would not go that far. All that would do is create sustenance of the season. A lot would have to happen to make things interesting again.

Bucco_NED: Do you see any possibility that Bautista could play at second , giving Sanchez a chance to return to his excellent 3rd base play?

Dejan Kovacevic: No one sees him as a second baseman, and the ankle thing would not permit it now, anyway.

Lave_Dittlefield: Who is Matt Kata?

Dejan Kovacevic: Still working on that.

Money_For_Nutting: Speaking of bankrupt of prospects, are any of the players we have in AAA grandfathers that you know of?

Dejan Kovacevic: Not sure about Jose Hernandez. Will have to get back to you on that. But it is worth noting that Hernandez has been the team's best offensive performer in the past month.

Zach_Puke: We would have a legitimate no.3 hitter if Littlefield didn't give away Ramirez. I still get queasy when I watch him hit hrs for the Cubs.

Dejan Kovacevic: That was a multifaceted giveaway, by all accounts. Not just the GM.

beaken: Kenny Lofton was pretty effective as a centerfielder since Van Slyke.

Dejan Kovacevic: For half a year?

BringBackSpin: How long until Bay pads his stats with a spurt through the dog days of summer once the Pirates are out of contention (thus hitting his annual, meaningless 30HRs and 110RBIs)?

Dejan Kovacevic: Well, Bay's spurt last month came at a time still relevant for the team. But, if your point is that he has yet to show he is a team-carrying type of player, that is fair.

Mike: who has final say on who's called up from the minors? J Tracy or the upper management? I wouldn't be surprised if the upper management stalled the bringing up of minor leaguers to delay their MLB contracts to start

Dejan Kovacevic: That is all Littlefield.

Lave_Dittlefield: The Pirates are 8 games ahead of where they were last year and some of the Buccos seem to think that is a positive thing. They are still 12 games out which is hardly anything to get excited about. And what were Jack Wilson's comment about the team playing 'awesome' the 2nd half of last season? That was kind of bold. It seems like the guys on this team are used to and content with mediocrity, particularly the veterans.

Dejan Kovacevic: Being ahead of a franchise-worst pace would not seem to be much of a feather, no matter how it is spun by anyone. Being two games above .500 for half a season is no feather, either. But, rather than lay that on the players, remember that this thinking originated with -- and was embraced by -- upper management. I have been covering the team three years, and the next time I hear anyone describe a tangible goal for these athletes will be the first.

BringBackSpin: The level of "electricity" in the air for Friday's game was absolutely stunning (given the teams involved)...it's a shame, provides some insight into the fan base's hunger for a winner and what the atmosphere could be at PNC.

Dejan Kovacevic: Right. More on that in the Q&A tomorrow, too. See you then.