Nate_4_Prez: I'm sure you've been inundated with Matt Morris questions but reading the article this morning on the "part-time" role that was offered to him do you have any insight if there were any specifics in regards to it? Or was it more of a consultant role? Thanks!

Dejan Kovacevic: Hello from the gloomy industrial fringe of New York, first of all. As the article mentioned, it would involve mostly instruction and evaluation at the minor-league level or, really, pretty much any capacity that works for the athlete, whether that is Morris or someone else. The idea is to keep people as bright as Morris involved in the organization in some capacity.

Nate_4_Prez: Is Tom Gorzellany really ok? His control has been terrible this year. Last season he issued 68 walks in 201 innings, this year he already has 22 in 22 innings! I don't see how you can lose your control that drastically and not be 100%.

Dejan Kovacevic: He is not OK in terms of his pitching, obviously, and that always sends up a red flag when it bucks previous trends. But all concerned are adamant his health is not the issue. Rather, it is an inconsistent release point and approach.

Nate_4_Prez: Bixler has been here for almost a month now, what are your overall impressions from him so far? Any chance to be an average major league shortstop?

Dejan Kovacevic: Very clearly, Bixler needs more time in the minors. And he will get it once Jack Wilson returns. Based on what has been seen so far, that is really the only impression I can have. It takes no special insight to see he is overmatched right now.

PirateApologist: Hello Dejan, nice article today about the trade candidates. At what point should Neal Huntington expect to receive phone calls on these players?

Dejan Kovacevic: That article got an unusual amount of mail, actually, which I will try to tackle in the Q&A for Thursday. (The one tomorrow is all-Morris.) Most people sounded upset that the Pirates might trade these guys, even though that should be anything but a surprise at this point. ... Phone calls are more likely closer to the deadline.

epper: Hi Dejan. What is the teams rationale for starting Dumatrait over Van Benschotten? VB was dominating at Indy, and isn't it time to find out if he can pitch at this level. If you are not going to start him, why bring him up? Burnett would have made more sense to fill the spot in the pen. Oh, wait, they brought him up to pinch hit....yes I know, no soup for me.

Dejan Kovacevic: He has been in the majors to this point and, the way they see it, could make a better transition. That is one part of it. The other is that they genuinely sound optimistic about Dumatrait's upside and want to see it. ... Burnett should be coming soon to help the bullpen.

Tony: Hi Dejan, What are the chances that the Bucs would trade both Bay and Nady at the trade deadline - and go with Nate, McCutcheon, and Pierce? I wonder if they wouldn't wait to trade one of them during the winter.

Dejan Kovacevic: Exactly the scenario I mentioned in the piece today.

John_Smiley: Have you heard any concern about Pearce's difficulty with hitting the off speed pitch?

Dejan Kovacevic: It would seem Pearce has more than that adjustment to make to try to get those home runs coming again. But yes, that is part of it. Every young hitter is better at hitting fastballs than offspeed stuff, and this probably should have been anticipated with Pearce in 2008 given the way he skipped over so many levels in the minors. Be sure that there is a great difference between pitching in Class A and AAA.

Stillhanging_on: With Morgan rotting on the bench, any possibility that he will be send down to AAA, any scenario that might bring Thompson and or C. Wilson up. Will love to see Wilson as the back up 1b against lefty.

Dejan Kovacevic: Yes, that could happen before long, as the Pirates indicated over the weekend, because they really do not want to have Morgan just "sitting here," as John Russell said again yesterday. Out of the two you mention, Kevin Thompson is more likely because he could back up Nate McLouth in center. But Craig Wilson could not be ruled out if he keeps hitting the way he did last night.

James_Taipei: Is it really a good idea to trade both Bay and Nady? Why not keep Bay and see who wins the job between Pearce and McCutchen?

Dejan Kovacevic: If the Pirates were playing for 2008, it would be a terrible trade to send either away. But they are looking past that.

Charleston_Charlies: Is Bryan Bullington on the 40 man roster and if so how much longer we he remain there?

Dejan Kovacevic: There are two open spots right now, so there is no urgency to move anyone off. But the reports on Bullington have not been encouraging so far, and they go beyond that 0-4 record. He simply is not getting the ball by anyone.

sqhill: Couldn't the Pirates have assigned Matt Morris to Altoona or Lynchburg, or made him the batboy, or in some other way have made his life so miserable that he would have just quit, thereby sparing us his salary?

Dejan Kovacevic: Without having the labor agreement by my side here, I believe players of a certain experience level have detailed rights that protect them from that sort of thing.

Rennie_Stennet: With the dwindling of attendance so far this year, do you notice even more apathy from fans and players with regard to this feeble franchise?

Dejan Kovacevic: The apathy grows with each year this goes on. No question about that. There is a solid core, I think, and there also is a latent quality to the fan base that I think could be resurrected very quickly and very dramatically if the team were to do well. That is to be expected given that the Pirates have been part of the fabric of Pittsburgh for 122 years. ... But, at some point or other, there has to be real hope created by the team itself.

indianabucco: Good afternoon Dejan: Now that Matt Morris is out of the picture, who do u think will be the next fan whipping boy

Dejan Kovacevic: That is up to you. Ronny Paulino kind of had that designation beforehand, but he does not play much anymore. All of Jack Wilson's replacements at shortstops have been hearing it from the home fans, too.

Op_Shutdown: Is Shea the worst stadium in MLB?

Dejan Kovacevic: That would be a slam-dunk yes, now that RFK is out of operation. It is amazing to me that a city the size of New York, with all its resources, had used this for a major-league park for so long. On its worst day, Three Rivers Stadium never was like this.

SandlotWizard: Tampa Bay postponed promotion if its top prospects to delay service time for arbitration. What is N. Huntington's philosophy on this? When do you think he will start the youth movement and bring up McCutchen, Pearce, Walker etc. and play them regularly?

Dejan Kovacevic: That is very much a consideration with this management team. They were thrown a bit of a curve by previous management calling up Pearce for that month last year -- a clear attempt to illustrate that there was some quality in the minors -- but his time still is just one month. ... As for when they will come up, I get the strong impression that they will not be up just because other guys get dealt. They have to show they are ready.

SandlotWizard: Your PBC plugged Dumatrait into the #5 slot in the rotation, and he's really a fringy SP at best. Not a vote of confidence for JVB, who has pitched well in AAA so far. The new management team not impressed with JVB?

Dejan Kovacevic: They want to see more from him, as indicated in a piece I wrote Sunday, in terms of his work ethic and application.

piratefan2003: When do you expect Jack Wilson to be back?

Dejan Kovacevic: If all goes well, he will play at some point in the next home series, next week against San Francisco.

WaipioHerb: How is the weather in New York, will the game be played today?

Dejan Kovacevic: The weather is miserable, looking out the window here, but it is supposed to clear up. Not even a delay tonight. And tomorrow looks great.

z: Doesn't Nady have the ability to play 3rd base too? He could help the pirates out dramactically there and allow for another player to come up and play

Dejan Kovacevic: Our second no-soup entry of the day already.

bedlem77: DId Coonelly paint himself into a corner ahead of the draft with his comment regarding Morris' release stating,and I quote "we will not avoid making the changes necessary to return the Pirates to a championship caliber club because of monetary considerations"

Dejan Kovacevic: Not seeing the connection there. Try me again.

llash: Dejan, Why all of the anger towards Matt Morris? It?s not Matt?s fault that he has come to the end of his respectable career. Matt always seemed like a class guy who always gave 100% to his team.

Dejan Kovacevic: Actually, the overwhelming bulk of mail I have gotten since the release has been very much in line with yours. More on that in the Q&A tomorrow.

SandlotWizard: Huntington seems far more decisive than DL was. Cutting Morris after 5 or 6 starts is ambitious. Will he start making changes sooner rather than later?

Dejan Kovacevic: Being decisive and being smart with one's decisions are separate matters. The Pirates saw -- and so did Morris -- that he had nothing left. So, rather than let him linger as Jeromy Burnitz did all through 2006, they simply parted ways. But making other changes likely will involve trading more pieces, and that is not something a successful GM does because of impatience. They already held onto all those guys over the winter. Holding on another month or two might help even more.

virginiagold: Type hereHiDejan--Brian Barton, the Cards' Rule 5 reserve OF, is hitting .324 and had a good hitting night vs the Pirates last Thurs. He was one of the higher-rated prospects prior to the draft but slid to St. Louis. Pirates mgmt knew him from the Cleveland org. Any idea why Evan Meek was regarded as a better pick?

Dejan Kovacevic: Barton was a consideration, even though he was coming off a knee surgery. But the Pirates have made a clear stated priority of adding power arms to the system.

Op_Shutdown: Why couldn't there be a double header tonight? Then the beat writer wouldn't have to return to NYC for a one game series.

Dejan Kovacevic: Good to know the readership is concerned with the truly important aspects of this sort of thing!

Jim_Colburn: As long as fireworks and bobbleheads continue to be available, the yinzers will flock to the ballpark.

Dejan Kovacevic: Fireworks and bobbleheads are at every stadium in the majors, including Yankee Stadium and Dodger Stadium. Somehow, we seem to think of this as a Pittsburgh thing.

Pickman: With the Pirates trade talks this past winter, was there certain positions they felt needed addressed? (starting pitching, infield, etc) major league ready players, or depth from top to bottom minor league prospects?

Dejan Kovacevic: They just need flat-out depth, all through the system, and they need high-end type guys who can blossom into something significant. Pitching stands above the rest.

SandlotWizard: Jose Bautista. Why didnt he play more after his game-winning RBI last week? Just as he started getting some hits, they sat him down more. Are they really bumming on him?

Dejan Kovacevic: It is hard to tell at this point if the Pirates truly see him as their everyday third baseman. It will be interesting, I think, to watch this develop. I know this: They have been pleasantly surprised by Doug Mientkiewicz's work there.

jefft: Dejan--I understand sending Morgan to AAA to get playing time. How much would he really get? Some guy named Andrew seems to be hitting awfully well down there lately--would they move Morgan to a corner spot?

Dejan Kovacevic: Sure, he could plan left field. The important thing would be to keep getting him at-bats. That is where he needs experience, particularly in handling breaking pitches and being more patient. (He sees a lot of pitches now, but that has more to do with being great at fouling them off than being selective.)

MAdesso: Hey Dejan, so when does the PBC bring up Chavez or Salas from AAA? Do we have to wait till Grabow's gone for them to get called up to our bullpen?

Dejan Kovacevic: I believe Burnet is next. The two pitchers you cite are off to very encouraging starts down there, obviously, but each is seen as a work in progress for various reasons.

virginiagold: Who actually makes the final decision on these reschedulings? The teams? League office? Can't believe the Pirates were eager to add another leg to an already convoluted trip to Chicago, Arizona, and Philly.

Dejan Kovacevic: All parties run it by MLB offices, but the home team has the louder say. The Mets wanted the extra gate, they saw the weather out here and thought about the implications of trying to sell a day-night doubleheader -- for Wednesday, from what I heard -- and went this way.

WaipioHerb: How come the Yankees and Red Sox have nearly the entire month of June at home? Our poor Pirates have only a fifty - fifty schedule every month!

Dejan Kovacevic: Perhaps the Pirates need to fight a little harder to get a more competitive schedule than they did under previous management. I wrote about this in detail two Sundays ago, and you can still find it on our Pirates page.

lovablelosers: What is the organization's take on James Boone as a top prospect?

Dejan Kovacevic: They never finish a sentence about Boone without adding, "but he's got to stay healthy." He has very good talent and tools and even size for a fast guy, but he has to stay on the field a lot more than he did the past couple years. For sure, though, he is doing promising things at Altoona. I have heard that his approach is one of the best people there have seen. ... One more.

CURTRAYDONFAN: of the hundreds of things you like about Pittsburgh, where should a person in town for a game or two go for pizza?

Dejan Kovacevic: Easy one: Cafe Milano, right across the bridge on Sixth Street. ... OK, one more that has to do with baseball ...

A_Fan: Type hereDejan, If Matt Morris would have said that he was going to retire before he was released, would the Pirates have been spared from paying him the rest of the money on his contract>

Dejan Kovacevic: Yes. More on that in the Q&A tomorrow. ... Heading to Shea.