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On my first day back in Bradenton after the annual trip back home each spring, I make a point of speaking with just about everyone I can find. Not interviewing. Not recording. Just talking. I find it is a good way to get good information, even though the questions hardly are hard-hitting, without the additional pressure of knowing the words can show up in articles.

On Sunday morning, that started with a good talk in John Russell's office, it continued with Jeff Andrews and, by the time it was noon, I had spent at least a few minutes with every single player on the likely 25-man roster except Paul Maholm, who would be pitching that afternoon, and Zach Duke, who has looked all spring as if he could be pitching at any given second.

Giving away no dark secrets here, it helped me to have Jason Bay illustrate for me the difference in his batting stance. Or to have Ryan Doumit confidently state his swing is coming around just a few hours before backing it up. Or to chat with Doug Mientkiewicz about just about anything that gets him animated -- which is just about anything. Or to hear, yet again, how emotionally invested players such as Nate McLouth, Nyjer Morgan and, perhaps above all, Sean Burnett, are in this particular spring training.

But I spent the most time, nearly a half-hour, with Ronny Paulino.

It occurred to me, driving back to the hotel, that you the readers might not have a very accurate picture of this individual. And that, in turn, might be partially my fault. I have described all of his no-slides, dropped popups and other mishaps. And I have freely -- and accurately, I believe -- described several other instances of apparent lack of effort. That includes his various mishaps and misplays yesterday, as can be found in today's Synopsis.

And, other than this one feature last spring, I have not given you much of a glimpse behind the mask.

Well, I will not do so here, either. At least not much. Remember, there was no interview taking place, so the specifics of what we discussed will stay right there by those two stools.

But I will share this, and I am confident he would not mind: No matter the subject that he or I raised, somehow he kept bringing it back to the team. He would ask my thoughts about the Central Division, about the Pirates' chances, about certain areas in which he felt the team was strong or still could address, and every breath of it was focused on the team. I would ask him about the season he expects of himself and, after he answered candidly and confidently, he would begin -- as always -- talking about the pitchers he loves to catch. I found that particularly striking, particularly for someone whose status as No. 1 on the depth chart was openly challenged this spring -- and still might be as the season goes along.

Look, I have no better explanation than any of you might as to why Paulino can appear to give a maddeningly inconsistent effort. Some blame it on a big catcher's body that can make anyone look a little slower. Some call it outright laziness. It can drive some a little nuts, too, to hear him speak rather casually and with a big smile, even under circumstances that would seem to call for a different expression.

But I can say -- and should have let you know my thoughts on this much earlier -- that there is absolutely zero trace of a negative influence in the catcher's character. I have covered professional athletes most of my adult life, from superstars to journeyman, champions to completely satisfied losers, and I know that this is not someone who has anything but the best interests of the team at the forefront of his thoughts, almost obsessively.

Anyway, take it for what it is worth ...

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Q: Is Xavier Nady making a conscious effort to be more patient at the plate or is he just facing an abundance of not-ready-for-prime-time preseason pitching? He has walked 10 times in 38 official at-bats this spring, a rate that far exceeds his 1-per-16 career average.

Richard Jarzynka of Shaler

KOVACEVIC: I liked this Q enough when you sent it to me late last week, Richard, that I filed it away for my talk with Nady.

First, his on-the-record response when I made your point to him initially was to laugh. He then said, "I've just been trying to wait for my pitch to hit. I mean, I'd love to be one of those .400-on-base-percentage guys. But it's not something I'm consciously doing, going up there to get walks."

Case in point came later in the afternoon, when Nady had a terrific, nine-pitch at-bat before lashing a double to the right-center gap. Best thing about the double was that whoever was playing right field for the Yankees -- I will catch up on their roster when they face your PBC this summer -- appeared to have a great beat on the ball, and it still carried over his head and onto the track.

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Q: Dejan, after attending the Pirates' games over the weekend, seeing Nyjer Morgan in person makes one appreciate his special talents roaming the outfield (two stunning catches in center field against the Reds) and running the basepaths (after his only hit against the Yankees, the pitcher repeatedly threw to first to keep him close and threw two pitchouts to the plate trying to outwit him as every person at McKechnie knew he would swipe second base, which he did easily).

What special instruction is he receiving from Don Long to accelerate his development at the plate?

Peter Oakes of Summit, N.J.

KOVACEVIC: Well, Peter, since you ask, I assume you also notice that Morgan looked very out of sorts at the plate against the Yankees, even as his teammates seemed to be teeing off. It has not been a great spring offensively, and that goes beyond his .212 average and .300 on-base percentage.

Long's emphasis with Morgan, as could be expected, is keeping the ball on the ground and, above all, being selective. You saw Morgan strike out swinging with an ugly, one-handed lunge at an outside changeup from Jeff Karstens, who was not fooling anyone else. He simply has to be more controlled. He has to do more to get his pitch. And yes, he really does have to walk more.

Sometimes, as Neal Huntington likes to point out, walks are an outcome and not a goal. Not so with leadoff hitters, the conventional wisdom might say. They need to have good walk totals, or they are not going to have good on-base percentages, in which case it makes no sense to have them atop the order.

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Q: Dejan, on a recent visit to Pittsburgh. my kids took me to Oakland to visit the site of old Forbes Field. It was great to relive those childhood memories.

We went inside the University of Pittsburgh building, Posvar Hall, to see home plate after I learned from your articles the story of the real location inside the men's room. I was dismayed at the condition of the protective covering over home plate. It is scratched and clouded from the heavy foot traffic. You can't even see the plate.

I have written to Pitt to say that they have an obligation to protect the shrine, but they have failed to reply. They are probably thinking these are the ravings of a crazy old man with a computer.

Is there anything you can do with the power of your pen?

Bob Griffin of State College

KOVACEVIC: Perhaps nothing more potent than simply running your submission, Bob. I will let you know if I hear anything.

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Q: Dejan, I had a stroke of genius. Seems the Pirates could package John Van Benschoten as a DH and Jose Bautista to acquire Graham Koonce as their backup first baseman. That would open up third for Xavier Nady and right field for Steve Pearce.

Kevin A. Gray of Indianapolis

KOVACEVIC: Wow.

If only you had included some kind of derisive reference to 'accountability,' there would have been no soup for you, my friend.

Ever.

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Thing No. 79 that makes Pittsburgh great, by Patrick Weber of Allison Park:

The Pittsburgh Cultural District is a 14-square block section of our Downtown that is home to at least six major theaters, and some of the world's -- that is the WORLD'S -- premier performing arts organizations. We have a world-class ballet, symphony, opera, civic light opera, Broadway series, and more.

For museums, we have renowned institutions such as the Carnegie Museums of Art and Natural History, Andy Warhol Museum, Heinz Regional History, and Carnegie Science Center. Add to that list countless other galleries and museums of remarkable quality scattered around our region, and you have a truly broad cultural experience.

Last year at PNC Park, I sat behind a gentleman from Chicago. We began chatting, and he was totally overwhelmed with what our city had to offer. As he put it, Pittsburgh had become his favorite place in the country to visit. He had traveled to see the Cubs play in most MLB cities, and Pittsburgh was his undisputed favorite. In fact, his family now makes a point of traveling to Pittsburgh at least once every summer to see their Cubs and our city.

KOVACEVIC: I have written about the District in slices, usually weird stuff like the eyeball park or the collection of terra cotta ruins -- now gone -- but I always think of the District in the way that the New York Times' Brendan Lemon penned six years ago: "To describe Pittsburgh's unconventional, un-Disneyfied remodeling of its Cultural District ... is to explore how theater can help transform urban identity.?"

Newcomers tend to find it amazing that all of those theaters are so close together, independent even of what they think of the theaters themselves.

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Until tomorrow, only because someone asked, here is a vital link to prepare for the coming week ...