Jason Bay gets it:

"I think the guys that are over there, and no slight to the guys there before, but I think they understand what it takes in that type of market, building from the ground up, using other models. I think they understand it. And I think people have to understand: It's probably not an overnight plan. So where some of the guys that are there now that are the impact guys [like] the Nates and Doumits and stuff, whether it happens when they're there or not, they could be a big part of the push toward [success in a small market]," Bay said of Nate McLouth and Ryan Doumit. "Having been there last year with the new regime ... they have a plan, and I think it's a good one.

"It definitely started right out of the chute with ... them drafting Pedro Alvarez. For a lot of people, that was probably a big tell-tale sign whether [the new management types] were just talking or whether they meant business." Add that to Pirates bosses abiding by a few of the players' suggestions last season, such as clubhouse improvements, and Bay said of such attention to details big and little: "In turn, you hope that translates to wins."

Obviously, Bay wasn't going to say anything negative about the team, but it's cool that he nailed a lot of the specifics of management's plan rather than just resorting to platitudes about the Pirates "having a lot of talent" or something. It is about building from the ground up. It is about Pedro Alvarez. And Bay's also (unfortunately) has a point that Ryan Doumit and Nate McLouth may end up watering the plant without staying long enough to see it flower. We'll see, come 2011 or so, whether that's the case.