Thanks to Bucdaddy, who emailed me a new AP article by Alan Robinson. I don't have the link yet, but you should be able to find it soon.
"We're going to do what it takes to turn this franchise into a winner,'' Coonelly told The Associated Press. "In my judgment, based on the roster we have today and what we need to build the consistent winner that they've been able to build in Cleveland , I don't see any reason for the payroll to be above $50 million.
"In terms of going forward, when the pieces are in place, and when adding payroll dollars at the major league level are going to put us over the top, that commitment is going to be there'' from principal owner Bob Nutting, he said.
This is pretty much exactly what I'd hope the Pirates' president would say. The 2007 Pirates are one of the worst teams in baseball - there's no point in putting lipstick on a pig. But once the Pirates are able to build something better, an extra $20 million or so in major league payroll could mean a lot.
Also, here's a long new article on Coonelly at Sports Illlustrated.