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A reminder, especially with all the late games this week, that general questions have an infinitely better chance of being selected than those that are specific to game situations ...

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Q: Sweet sounds of summer, Dejan, do we actually have a real-life, major-league-caliber center fielder/leadoff hitter in Nate McLouth?

Kevin Jacobsen of Canonsburg

KOVACEVIC: He certainly has given no one any reason to think otherwise, Kevin. It is an absurdly small sample size, obviously, to isolate on two weeks of fine baseball, but it is fair to go back and include last August -- as these two weeks and that month represent the only legitimate chances McLouth has been given to play every day.

The most impressive part of what McLouth has achieved, I think, has been the consistency. Not only has he been very effective while out there regularly, but he also has produced equally impressive numbers against all types of pitchers, from lefty to righty, from power guys to soft-tossers. He just goes up there and has flat-out good at-bats. Even most of his outs this year have been the result of good at-bats.

Also, let us dispense once and for all with the notion that somehow defense is sacrificed by having McLouth in center. He has been close to excellent there, up to and including his fielding of routine plays such as holding players to long singles by cutting off balls in gaps and turning quickly to get it back to the cutoff man.

And, you know what else, Kevin? Assuming you were getting at the standard Tike/Adrian/Duffy barometer for flash-in-the-pan PBC center fielders, bear in mind that this is the first half of the season, not the second half. The pressure remains on.

Give McLouth's teammates credit, too, as long as we are on the subject. (LINK: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08091/869276-63.stm) Small wonder that the people participating in the actual games are the ones who have the best pulse for these kinds of things.

(Yeah, they picked Adam LaRoche to be MVP, too. We will see how things unfold before judging too firmly on any count.)

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Q: Will we see Doug Mientkiewicz at third more often this year?

Scott Sinsel of Atlanta

KOVACEVIC: I would think so, Scott, especially if Jose Bautista continues to lag behind the rest in starting out his 2008 season.

Mientkiewicz certainly has been adequate at third, and he made one play I thought was actually very good the other night against the Reds when he brashly cut in front of Brian Bixler for a slow roller, then fired to second for a forceout. Very good third-base presence of mind for someone who has played the position almost not at all professionally. That is exactly what you want the third baseman to do there.

As far as Bautista, a couple points here:

One, last week, everybody wanted to bench Jason Bay.

Two, the Pirates would be ill served if they did not use 2008 to either find out what they have in Bautista or raise his potential value in a trade if they see, as most anticipate, Neil Walker as being their third baseman by 2009. Benching Bautista does nothing to advance either cause.

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Q: Hi, Dejan, baserunning question: So far, you've documented the Bucs that have been caught by being aggressive. Any idea of how many extra bases they have picked up by being aggressive?

I liked Doug Mientkiewicz's explanation, and I think giving the players a shot at putting pressure on other team is worthwhile. Of course, there is a point where it becomes counter-productive.

Ron Leighton of Annandale, Va.

KOVACEVIC: You are correct in pointing out that it would have been fairer on my end to point out when the Pirates' aggressiveness on the basepaths, particularly as long as I was citing the negative so often in the general coverage. I will be mindful of that.

Flipping through my scorebook, I can find three clear-cut examples where the Pirates' aggressiveness resulted in an extra base: Two came in Miami, where Chris Gomez and Luis Rivas successfully stretched apparent singles into doubles in the same game April 6. And the other came April 2 in Atlanta in a rather unorthodox manner, when Freddy Sanchez ran through third base Tony Beasley's stop sign and scored.

Obviously, the Pirates have plenty of extra-base hits, but I am citing only examples where it was glaringly obvious that an extra base was a risk.

Anyone who can come up with more knows, feel free to share with the group.

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Thing No. 86 that makes Pittsburgh great: About time I got back to doing some of these myself, though I do appreciate the many submissions sent by the readers, including those still unpublished ...

Given the number of the day, and since I chose Mario Lemieux with No. 66, seems like I should pounce on this opportunity to choose Hines Ward.

And I do so by offering this question: Has any single player in Steelers history more thoroughly embodied what that franchise espouses to represent?

The reflexive response is to go for one of the defensive guys from the 1970s, probably Jack Lambert, if only because of the aura of toughness. Or maybe Joe Greene for the same reason, along with the fact that Greene represented the pivoting point for the Steelers to turn from laughingstock to the greatest decade-long dynasty in the NFL. Or even Jerome Bettis for his punishing running style and exemplary conduct away from the field.

But stop and think about Ward for a second, solely from the standpoint of his being a wide receiver. Think about his toughness, his spirit for the game, his helmet-wide smile after knocking a defensive back senseless, his genuine and palpable leadership ... and remind yourself one more time that this a wide receiver. Then ask yourself if any franchise other than the Steelers could be so blessed but to have a wide receiver of such character and pedigree.

Finally, throw in there somewhere that this also is an exceptional football player in terms of productivity, not only with his receiving yards and touchdowns but also for how he expands the running game down field.

It is hard to say the Steelers will have another like him, if only because his unusual combination of traits and high profile surely will inspire others, as often happens with any sport's greats. But even that, in and of itself, underscores the unique brilliance of this athlete.

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Until tomorrow ...