Pirates Q&A with Dejan Kovacevic
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I am reminded, albeit only on rare occasions, how much this franchise means to people. The past 24 hours or so is one of those occasions, maybe the peak of them since I have been doing this.
This was not about Ryan Vogelsong having a nice game on the way to an 18-inning win, as happened last year in an otherwise meaningless outcome in May. It was about people allowing themselves, just for a moment, to have some fun cheering for the Pirates and identifying with them and maybe even ... even ...
Nah.
Anyway, onward to some more standard entries, as opposed to the giddiness that sneaked in here late Monday night ...
Q: Say it ain't so. Yet another Pirates pitcher goes down with elbow damage.Can the training methods that the Pirates employ cause undo strain on the arms of the prospects? Or do we just chalk this up to bad luck?
Sam Strohm of Carnegie
KOVACEVIC: As the news piece today shows, Sam, Lincoln barely threw for the Pirates, so, even in the worst-case scenario regarding their methods, nothing could have messed him up.
Also, I go back to a long talk I had with Lincoln in the spring, in which he told me -- convincingly, I must say -- he had no elbow trouble at any point in his career until this stuff flared up in the offseason.
The guys before Lincoln? Who can say?
I do know that the Pirates have a clearly defined and rigidly followed plan for pitchers that covers pitch counts for games and individual innings. Managers are instructed never to abandon those, no matter the game situation. And the Pirates say that their standards are some of the strictest in baseball.
Where I think there is culpability for the Pirates, as I was writing a few weeks back, is in this repeated drafting of pitchers in the first round. Just seems to me that it is too large a variable. Sure things are much better to have than high-ceiling pitchers who could turn out to be damaged.
On that note, it is worth offering here well wishes to Lincoln, a good kid who has an awfully long road ahead.
Q: What are the chances of the Pirates moving Freddy back to third when he comes back? Jose Castillo played a great game Monday with several strong turns and that diving catch. Freddy does not have the range that Castillo does, nor that arm. When Jose is on, he is one of the best defensive second baseman in the game.
Until he starts to show that mental lapses again, play him and keep Freddy where there is less punishment on his body.
Robert S. Myers, West Milford, W.Va.
KOVACEVIC: Castillo does have better range, Robert, but his arm is only slightly stronger than Sanchez's, if at all. Both are very good that way.
I do not agree with your idea as a whole. One, moving guys around based on when they do or not have mental lapses does not exactly lay the groundwork for defensive stability. Two, the hallmark of good defense in baseball is not the ability to make flashy plays but to make all plays as consistently as possible. And who could argue that Castillo does that better than Sanchez?
At any rate, it is not worth pondering for the time being. The Pirates have made pretty clear they want Sanchez to be their second baseman, and there has been no indication of that changing.
Q: I would love an explanation as to why the common stated belief is that a high number of doubles portends a future of power hitting? I see this comment regarding a number of Pirates prospects.
Nathan Esau, Las Vegas
KOVACEVIC: You do hear it quite a bit, Nathan, and examples such as Brian Giles often are cited. Adam LaRoche fits the bill, too. The thinking is that players first learn to drive the ball, then, as they get naturally stronger, the ball carries a bit farther and clears fences.
And you are correct that the Pirates apply this thinking quite a bit, though not universally.
Upon getting your question, though, I sought a second opinion. I turned around here in the Minute Maid press box and asked an American League scout whose view on all baseball matters I long have trusted, and he offered his own twist that I will share ???
"I don't buy it. I never look at doubles and think about home runs. If there's some correlation, doesn't that mean Freddy would have more than six home runs this season? When I'm looking at kids and thinking about home runs, I'm looking at their natural strength, but I'm looking first at their ability to swing the bat on an everyday basis. But doubles? No."
Q: Dejan, as a child, I suffered from ADHD but, because of the students in my grade, I never would admit it. I didn't want to be "different."
So, much like Adam LaRoche, I tried to live my life without help. People think ADHD is a joke, but it really isn't. The ADD/ADHD term is thrown around too often in a joking manner.
Reading about LaRoche in the Sunday article, I could identify with him. I was basically a D student in high school and didn't admit that I needed help until a couple years into college, where I finally admitted my problem. Since then I've graduated from WVU with a 3.0 and now am a graduate student at Cal U of PA, where I carry a 3.75.
I played almost every sport growing up at one time or another, though hockey has always been my true love. However it wasn't until after I graduated that I actually was able to be focused, confident and carry a team. When a coach used to bring out an eraser board and run plays, I would drift off. For the longest time, I was afraid to "accept" things.
Now, I feel it's my place to tell kids who may be suffering from "mental" issues, that it's OK. To admit it takes a lot more courage than to hide it.
Chris Zivkovic, Scott Township
KOVACEVIC: Much appreciated, Chris, probably by more than just me.
Thing No. 25 that makes Pittsburgh great: Rialto Street.
At some point in the next decade or three, PennDOT will get around to a multi-zillion dollar expansion of Route 28 from the North Side to Millvale. There will be wider roadways, emergency ramps, and the eternal red lights will be gone thanks to fancy new intersections.
And no one will touch Rialto Street, the absurd primary path that connects the 31st Street Bridge to Mount Troy.
For those who never have driven it ... it is hard to describe the feeling of impending doom that comes with doing so. It is narrow enough to fit one car, but it is two ways. It is steep enough that only rockets should be permitted to go up, and nothing should be permitted to go down.
Someone, I guess could widen it by simply removing adjacent steps that are never used. Or they could level off the 90-degree angle. But no one touches the thing.
Maybe they are as afraid as the drivers.
Seriously, do not try this. I want no fatalities on my hands.
Until tomorrow ...
First Published April 4, 2007 12:00 am
