To bring you the Pirate's perspective on the coming series, I contacted Charlie Wilmoth of Bucs Dugout. He was kind enough to swap intelligence with me. So, I now present everything worth knowing about the Pirates in 2008... and if you want to see my answers for his questions, they're posted here.

Q: On a scale of one to ten, how much better is PNC Park than Three Rivers? If I died before going to PNC? Would St. Peter turn me back for a sin against baseball... or is the hype overblown?

The hype's not overblown; PNC's the best of the new stadiums I've been to, and it's not close. But it's not like the Great Pyramids or something. In some ways, it's probably similar to the SkyDome in the early '90s, when that stadium was this futuristic marvel with the retractable roof and the hotel. Fifteen years later, there were lots of stadiums that had those sorts of features. Fast-forward to the present, and several of the newest stadiums - like the ones in Philadelphia and San Diego - pretty brazenly rip off PNC Park. They don't top it, in part because neither stadium has PNC's amazing view. But they're reasonable facsimiles, and I'm worried that as more stadiums like these are built, PNC will lose its appeal. It's not fair!

Q: The Pirates are 3-3 heading into this series. Will they finish the season with a winning record?

No. Next question!

Q: Nate McLouth has started the season strong. I saw him play a couple of games in Indianapolis a few years back. Is he as good as I think he's going to be?

Well, I don't know how good you think he's going to be. But yes!

Seriously, though, I love him, as I love all Pirates who blatantly deserve starting jobs and yet have to battle for them. (Craig Wilson, if you're out there, call me.) McLouth has a great combination of
skills - he's got some power and some plate discipline, and he's probably one of the best basestealers in the majors. I like his chances of adding more homers as he grows older. I don't think he'll be a star, but I think he'll be an effective starter for the next few years.

Q: Give us the scouting report on your starting rotation. Is Matt Morris really on the Pirates now? Did he move there last year... I honestly can't remember that move.

Then you need to turn in your Blogger Membership Card, because that particular transaction was good for at least ten hilarious posts mocking us. The Pirates took on Morris' entire contract - about $14 million - when no contender would, barely a month after passing on Matt Wieters in the draft for signability pick Danny Moskos. It was baffling.

Anyway, Morris starts game three. The starters for the first two games are Tom Gorzelanny and Zach Duke, both young lefties. Gorzelanny is the better of the two, but he was abused badly by Jim Tracy down the stretch last year (again, for no particular reason), so some of us are waiting for the other shoe to drop with him. Duke is trying to get his career back on track after the last two seasons, in which his strikeout rate shrunk like George Costanza in a bucket of ice. They're both groundball guys, Duke moreso than Gorzelanny.

Q: Which Pirate is going to be the biggest surprise this year? Also, if you could pick one Pirate to have on a fantasy team, who would you pick and why?

The biggest surprise - I'll pick Steve Pearce, who isn't even on the roster right now but could go nuts once the Pirates trade someone to make room for him. Other good choices include McLouth and Ryan Doumit.

Different sorts of players are good for different fantasy teams, but Doumit's a good choice there too if he has catching eligibility. The guy can hit; it's just a matter of staying healthy. But Ian Snell, who we won't see in this series, might be the best answer - he has the sort of stuff and demeanor that could win him Cy Young awards in the future. I'm not saying that will happen, but it wouldn't shock me.

Once again, thanks Charlie for your time and knowledge.

p.s. I'll post to my answers when they are posted. Linky-linky

p.p.s. If you haven't read Jason's piece on the Ernie Banks Wine Tasting, please do so.

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