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PrintAn intro unrelated to Pirates fare, so feel free to skip ahead ...
I owe a debt of gratitude to the many of you who mercilessly made fun of me for bringing down all 16 of my XTC compact discs last year to keep me company.
Dude, ever heard of an iPod?
Well, yeah, and I finally got around to getting one this past offseason, the one that holds a bazillion songs, videos and whatever else. It took a whole week to load it, but it was plenty worth it. Have no idea how I lived without it, actually.
Accompanying me on the hourlong drive to Clearwater on this day, for the tiny handful that might care, were the Pistols compendium I picked up in Cleveland last year, an excellent new Depeche Mode song I downloaded -- ooooh, how '90s of me -- as well as the usual spin through Pittsburgh's own Seven Color Sky. But the one to single out here is Richard Butler's brilliant debut solo album. This was his first effort independent of the Psychedelic Furs, and it is possible that no finer music was produced anywhere in the solar system in the past couple years.
Anyway, I appreciate every one of you who mocked me and was thinking about it today.
To more relevant matters ...
Q: Now that Tom Gorzelanny will be out for 12-18 months with shoulder surgery, who is likely to take his spot? I assume this guarantees Zach Duke a spot in the rotation, but who's No. 5 now?
I hope this doesn't influence management to rush Danny Moskos or anyone else.
Also, is there anyone left to fire over the decision to increase Gorzo's workload by more then 40 innings? If not, can someone be rehired to fire again?
P.S. No, I did not misread your news item. If you'd like, you can file this question away for a month or so.
Joe Meyer of Ono, Pa.
KOVACEVIC: We will see, Joe. All the information I have on this, I put into the report you already read.
As for the increased workload, that certainly is a topic that was raised even before Gorzelanny clearly wore down in September.
I will save more detailed debates about his use for if and when your question becomes as pertinent as you predict it will.
Q: Dejan, is there a possibility of Xavier Nady being moved if he has a good spring? I am sure for that to happen Steve Pearce would really have to show something, as well.
I thought Pierce looked impressive last year and am just wondering what you think the future holds for him in what looks like a crowded outfield, especially if Ryan Doumit is out there, too.
Aileen Goga of Bethel Park
KOVACEVIC: There is a possibility of Nady being traded regardless of his spring, Aileen, as he remains No. 1 on the most-likely-to-be-dealt list for all kinds of reasons. Among them: He is playing a position Pearce soon could fill, as you point out. He can be a free agent after the 2009 season and, with Scott Boras as his agent, one can bet everything one owns that he will declare exactly that when eligible.
It would help the Pirates if Nady performed well and, above all, if Nady could show his hamstring is healthy. And I do not get the idea the team is eager to move Nady just to move him. But he is atop the list.
As for Pearce, more in him will cost you six quarters on Sunday.
Q: As a Pittsburgh expat living in Seoul, South Korea, I wanted to address Missy Wells' question about marketing here: It's already all over the place.
While all 30 Major League Baseball hats can easily be bought here, three of them adorn the majority of heads in the city: Tigers, Giants, and your Pittsburgh Pirates. I'm not sure why, but they exponentially outnumber any other hats, including those of the Red Sox and Yankees.
There are times on the subway where I will look down the car and see upwards of 10 people wearing a Pirates hat. I think more people wear them here than in Pittsburgh. It's pretty wonderful.
Kevin Leary of Seoul, South Korea
KOVACEVIC: I still give all the credit for that to Chuck D of the great Public Enemy. And, for those who do not know, Chuck D's explanation for wearing the PBC cap all those years was a respect for Roberto Clemente.
No one can explain Snoop Dogg wearing that Penguins sweater.
Thing No. 74 that makes Pittsburgh great, by Joe Anistranski of Boulder, Colo.:
Fred Rogers.
Of all the great men who have come out of Pittsburgh, it is rarely recognized outside the city that Fred Rogers may have been the one who changed the most lives. For all Andrew Carnegie's contributions to Western Pennsylvania, none could match a man in a zip-up sweater dedicating his life to the betterment of the lives of others, especially children. Mr. Rogers helped shape the lives of millions, bridging generational gaps and never once showing any signs that he was any different as a man when there wasn't a television camera filming his actions.
A link to an interesting article, for those who want a few fun Mr. Rogers facts called "Fifteen Reasons why Mr. Rogers was the Best Neighbor Ever."
KOVACEVIC: Our editorial board took up this cause over the weekend.
I might add a couple items here, in addition to the somewhat embarrassing fact I did not realize Mr. Rogers was from Pittsburgh and filmed in Pittsburgh until I was 10. This despite all those seriously revealing accents from Joe Negri, the supporting cast and many guests.
One is the outstanding Neighborhood exhibit at the Children's Museum on the North Side. Turning the clicker to make the real Trolley go back and forth is worth the admission even if you leave the kids at home.
Two is that, for all the many events commemorating the show's 40th anniversary, nothing will top this. That pier has been sitting there empty and pointless for half a century -- outside of the giant flag placed there after 9-11 -- and it is about time for a use of this kind.
Until Tuesday, a golden example of the unlimited, unbridled hope that exists for our world: Even the Hated Manatees have a good side ...
