North Shore Notes
Crow's Nest
By Jim Lachimia

o    If you think Pirates' owner Bob Nutting is going to start spending money wildly on players' salaries, it's not going to happen. So get that out of your pretty little head right now. But that doesn't mean he isn't more willing to open the check book than everyone thinks. Nutting didn't have to approve former GM Dave Littlefield's acquisition of Matt Morris last summer, but he did - even though the veteran pitcher is scheduled to make in the neighborhood of $10 million this year. Critics who say that hefty salary is too much to pay Morris at this stage of his career might be right. But it's not Nutting's job to evaluate talent, and the fact that he didn't veto the Morris deal because of money is a good sign.

o    Catcher Ronny Paulino drew the ire of Pirates' fans last year because way too many times it appeared he wasn't giving maximum effort. It was like that line in the old Doobie Brothers tune, Taking It To The Streets: "I ain't blind, and I don't like what I think I see." But 2007 wasn't the first time Paulino had work ethic-related issues. In December of 2002, he was selected by Kansas City in the Rule 5 draft, but sent back to the Pirates rather early during spring training in 2003. What was the reason? Tony Pena, who was the Royals' manager at the time, told Manny Sanguillen that he thought Paulino was too lazy.

o    A trip to spring training camp is something that every fan should experience at least once in their lifetime. Just don't put too much stock in what you see early on. Back when Jim Leyland was managing the Pirates, he once threatened his coaching staff with: "Anyone who tells me that some player looks good during the first couple weeks here is fired. Let's at least wait until the guys in other uniforms show up before we start making evaluations."

o    Oh to be a baseball player - a really good one anyway. Philadelphia Phillies' slugger Ryan Howard made $355,000 in 2006 - which was his MVP season and also his first full year in the majors. Last year, his salary ballooned to $900,000. This year, the big first baseman was awarded $10 million after an arbitration hearing - the highest figure ever for a victorious player. The Phillies had offered $7 million. The $3 million swing is why so few cases actually get to a hearing nowadays. It's too risky for clubs, who seek cost certainty. That, way more than concern about players being offended, is why teams so often "settle."

o    Baseball's running game has been dying for years, and the trend continues. Here's a list of prominent National Leaguers who didn't steal one single base in 2007: Pat Burrell, Jim Edmonds, Cliff Floyd, Adrian Gonzalez, Alex Gonzalez, Brad Hawpe, Todd Helton, Aramis Ramirez, Freddy Sanchez, Mark Teixeira and Dmitri Young. The list purposely doesn't include catchers, who were given a pass because of the wear and tear of their position.