Dejan Kovacevic: CHICAGO -- Afternoon to one and all from the Windy (actually not all that windy today) City, home of one of just three stadiums in the majors where the Pirates are anything above a catastrophe.

Let's get started a little early ...

Chris: Wow, what a pathetic show of fundamentals, pitching, and just overall decision making in yesterday's game. Just how much longer will they let John Russel manage this team? The rest of the season?

Dejan Kovacevic: Sounds to me, Chris, like you might have missed this morning's blog entry on the topic. Here it is: http://plus.sites.post-gazette.com/index.php/sports-town/pbc-blog/104587-morning-links-8-30

I have no reason to believe Russell will be fired during the season.

Bucco: DK, I'm hoping you can clarify this for me: Is Lastings trying to play the outfield or audition for a ballet?

Dejan Kovacevic: He had a really rough couple of plays in Milwaukee, especially the one Friday night. And those, unfortunately for him, have not been all that rare.

It's a hard thing to gauge, why an outfielder has trouble tracking the ball off the bat. It's not exactly a tool. And it probably is not teachable, at least not at its core.

I would think it is one whopper of a flaw going forward, though.

Bucs in 2012: Any idea who will need to be added to the 40 man this fall? Should make for some interesting roster decisions.

Dejan Kovacevic: Much better question for the Q&A than a live chat, where I can go through the lists and such. Send it in, please.

jefft: Hi Dejan -- other than win as many games as possible, do the Pirates have any tangible goals for September, as in watching performance of particular players?

Dejan Kovacevic: Funny that you ask. That's the topic of my story coming up for Friday.

OK, next question, I promise to give a real answer ...

Chris: What are your top 5 dumbest decisions/plays thus far this year?

Dejan Kovacevic: Mentioned this in the blog the other day, but the top of my list -- with all due respect to Sean Gallagher's at-bat last week -- remains the Pirates' failure to respond to the Dodgers throwing at Andrew McCutchen's head back in April. It would not be right to blame only Zach Duke for that, though he certainly deserved his share.

SidSlidOnMyHeart: Is there any future on this team for LaRoche and Doumit?

Dejan Kovacevic: I would think not, but for very different reasons. If LaRoche stays, he will have to be a bench player. And he now is 11 for his past 82, not exactly illustrating that he can be productive off the bench. If Doumit stays, that is $11 million in catching next year. Makes very little sense.

BenderHeel: Dejan: Have you asked the front office why Bryan Morris, a starting pitcher groomed as a starting pitcher and one of the top starting pitching prospects, has been made into a reliever at this juncture in an effort to limit his pitches? Couldn't they just put a cap once he starts the game? Big difference between knowing your starting and warming up in the pen.

Dejan Kovacevic: I have asked, and Kyle Stark's answer was that Morris was closing in on exceeding his inning count for the year. Their preference was to keep him involved in relief, even while working through some minor delivery issues. That would address both issues, in the Pirates' view, in that he could repeat the delivery more often out of the bullpen.

Also, they very much wanted Morris and some of the others there to be part of a pla ... play ... sorry, keyboard still won't let me type that word. Suffice it to say Altoona will be participating in games beyond the regular season.

Guest: Hi Dejan, how will this team not lose 100 games next year? Obviously, there will be no major FA signings for pitchers, and the pitchers we do have are marginal at best. The pitchers are what they are, and I don't see any of them becoming 12-15 game winners, please give me some insight as to how I am wrong.

Dejan Kovacevic: Losing 100 is really hard to do, as history shows. It takes a truly, exceptionally bad team to pull it off, as we have seen this year.

Dramatic improvements are rare, too. I'm not in the line of work of offering hope, and I don't see much in terms of immediate improvement, certainly not related to pitching. I do think the offense has a chance to be better next year, with a full season of the rookies, maturation, maybe an upgrade in right field, shortstop, that sort of thing.

But it's a long way from Altoona to Pittsburgh for those pitchers. None will be making the team out of spring training next year, Neal Huntington already has said.

JP Webb: Has Andy had surgery on his back? Or is he trying to deal with it via physical therapy? It's hard not too think that his back is to blame for his present predicament.

Dejan Kovacevic: LaRoche's back is fine. I ask about that all the time, having had a similar experience.

And surgery is not always the answer for the back. I never had it, and I'm 100 percent. Actually getting back to playing hockey this fall. If anyone needs a 6-foot-2 center who never was fast even in his prime, give a shout ...

Mr_Xiaoqi: It seems to be tougher to get accurate figures as to how many people are actually in PNC Park for games these days. Is it as barren as it looks? And where can these real figures be found?

Dejan Kovacevic: No team gives out turnstile count, so that won't be coming. I actually thought the crowds for the Florida series, small as they were, pretty much matched the paid figures.For the year, the Pirates are going to end up ahead in attendance over last year. Which, by the way, should quash once and for all the absurd notion put forth by some outside the city that the Pirates' failures have anything whatsoever to do with "the market."The market is what you make of it.

colormeskeptical: How can Moss not be given a shot? Milledge as detailed above is flawed, Doumit is strictly trade bait and after Sept 1st basically can't be moved so why not see if Moss can duplicate what he is doing down at AAA?

Dejan Kovacevic: Moss is not on the 40-man, and that usually makes it tough to be a September callup. But the Pirates are considering it, Moss' expressed pessimism notwithstanding. He is out of options, and now might be as good a time as any to see if he can bring to Pittsburgh what he has done in Indianapolis.That said, John Bowker is coming, for sure. And that's yet another corner outfield guy.Not suggesting the Pirates are oozing talent there. Just that there are a lot of similar options.

Wieters4President: Has apathy started to set in among the fanbase or is it still mostly anger and shame?

Dejan Kovacevic: That's up to you, my friend.

Blog hits actually have gone up every week all summer, and my mail is at about the same level. That makes for lousy indicators, but it's all I have.I think more people will be tuning out the games, but tuning out the team or not caring about it ... I don't see that. The Pirates aren't some expansion franchise. Been around for 124 years, passed down from generation to generation. Very much a part of the fabric of the community.

tom: Dejan, do you think the league has figured out Jones? he has fallen off of a cliff. The team talks about the core guys. In your opinion, is he part of the core, and if so, should he be?

Dejan Kovacevic: I think Jones needs to figure out Jones. He looks passive up there, defensive. When he's going well, he's swinging short but aggressively.The at-bats I saw yesterday in Milwaukee, even though he had a single and walk, just weren't him. He told me he needs to start thinking less, swinging more. Sounds about right.

tom: Dejan, I had to laugh about the Cedeno bunting incidents. Wonder what Littlefield's response to that would have been based upon his comment from his time as the GM.

Dejan Kovacevic: We love the bunts.

Honestly, I think I have seen more ill-advised, inexplicable bunts this year than in my first five years on this beat combined.Swing the bat.

Tim: Dejan-I rec'd my season ticket renewal. I am emailing the pirates and letting them know that my renewal is contingent on John Russell being let go. Cooneley speaks of accountability. Actions speak louder than words.

Dejan Kovacevic: You'll be sending that to sales people who might not have any idea what you're talking about. Be careful with sending cash.

If you have a concern with the Pirates' baseball people, they're available at all kinds of season-ticket holder functions. Just had one a couple weeks ago, with the owner, president, GM, Pedro Alvarez, bunch of people.

Going to the sales people will not achieve your goal, I'm guessing.

DanW: Are the Pirates the Bengals of MLB? The whole Antonio Bryant fiasco of signing an injured player and committing to paying him millions for not playing sure feels familiar. To me nothing highlights the difference in how the leagues are run than this. Cincinnati, a franchise notoriously tight with their money, can do this and still sign a (flawed) star like Terrell Owens. Meanwhile, we get Chan Ho Park.

Dejan Kovacevic: The Bengals have been much more successful in recent years than the Pirates. There no longer are comparisons.

Skip: Me thinks Neal is too sensitive about the media (e.g. quote about pleasing "a few members of the media"). Thoughts?

Dejan Kovacevic: Everyone is free to feel how they wish about any media coverage. One doesn't get into this business thinking there isn't going to be a reaction.

The Pirates happen to feel their treatment in the media is mostly harsh, often unfair, especially as it relates to opinion expressed in print or on broadcast.

That's their prerogative.

Tim: No-sorry. I am emailing Frank Cooneley directly.

Dejan Kovacevic: That is guaranteed to get an answer.

NateRosboro: How are Ross Ohlendorf's spirit's? And no, I'm not talking alcoholic beverages ...

Dejan Kovacevic: He seems fine. He's with the team on this trip, which I neglected to mention from Milwaukee, working out, looking no different than usual.

If anything, he's certainly bright enough to understand he was pitching very, very well when getting hurt, regardless of his record or other results. And he doesn't strike me as the type to mope about his luck.

JMF1177: Any chance of moving Jones back to RF? Milledge is bench player at best. Who would start at 1B?

Dejan Kovacevic: Shortly before Gary Varsho was fired, he told me that he "missed" having Jones in right field. And he meant it. He said that Jones had made good progress out there, understood his routes, his limitations and making space for McCutchen coming over from center.

First basemen tend to be the easiest commodity to find in free agency, as well as the easiest way to infuse a meaningful bat.

Skip: Well, when you lose 100 games, coverage tends to be harsh.

Dejan Kovacevic: What about 109?

Frankie C: What is your take on what troubling Charlie. Does he seem to not take things too seriously? Thinking to much? In his interview posted the other day he looks like a good spirited kid - someone who is having fun all the time. Do you think his personality/attitude need to be altered for him to be a successful major leaguer?

Dejan Kovacevic: I got a lot of feedback regarding that video I put on the blog, and most of it was like yours, asking questions, what makes this guy tick.

Morton is a terrific kid. He really is. And he's bright, funny and ambitious.

But, to be totally candid, I wonder at times if pitching is his top priority in life. That's not a slam. Not all of us are obsessed with our jobs or our activities. And plenty of players have other interests in life. (Ohlendorf is a great example.) But performing at the very top level tends to come with a specific mindset and ... I don't know. You saw on the video that Morton can be a tough read.

sky davis: Should we expect to see Ronnie Cedeno starting at shortstop again next season? I bet Pedro Ciriaco wouldn't bunt with runners on 1st and 3rd with no outs.

Dejan Kovacevic: I would say that decision depends on who is running the team. And I say that in either direction, whether they stay or go.

There are baseball people who would be driven nuts in short order by seeing that much talent -- and there isn't a single shortstop tool Cedeno doesn't have -- and those results.

Getting to the person again, this is someone who tries so hard, too hard, and ends up torturing himself when something does not go well.

That can be good in the perfectionist sense, but baseball is a sport where Hall of Famers succeed three of 10 times. One more today, then off to Wrigley ...

Charles: Does JR appear to be anxious or nervous, in spite of his normal demeanor, about most of the fans calling for his firing?

Dejan Kovacevic: I'm not sure where you would imagine he would know of fans calling for his firing, Charles, unless they're doing it right over the roof of the dugout at PNC Park. The next manager or coach I talk to from any sport who listens to talk shows or reads Internet things like this will be the first.

But his normal demeanor ... no, not now. Contrary to what it might look like, he takes losing really hard. And there has been so, so much losing.

I've also seen the flip side, how excited he gets after something particularly compelling like that Pedro Alvarez home run against the Rockies, where it's clear he sees a light at the end of the tunnel. He starts talking in bold tones about the future, about turning the corner, and you might remember that line about the baseball gods finally smiling down on the Pirates ... right before they lost 11 of the next 12.

But that much losing ... I can't even imagine what that feels like. No, he's not the same. And I can't imagine anyone could be.Q&A tomorrow. And the Pirates, incredibly, try to improve to 10-3 against the Cubs tonight.

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