Pittsburgh Post-Gazette from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania • Page 32

Mar 1 2006 PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE WEDNESDAY, MARCH 1, 2006 WWW.POST-GAZETTE.COM D-2 Trivia question Who was the MVP of the initial Big East Conference tournament in 1980? Answer on Page D-7 Today on TV Radio Soccer 2 p.m.: United States vs. Poland; Cable TV: ESPN2 High School Basketball 6:30 p.m.: Beaver Falls vs. Bishop Canevin; Radio: WBVP-AM (1230), WMBA-AM (1460) 8 p.m.: Aliquippa vs. Quaker Valley; Radio: WBVP-AM (1230), WMBA-AM (1460) High School Basketball 6:30 p.m.: Greensburg C.C. vs.

Shady Side Academy; Radio: WLSW-FM (103.9) 7 p.m.: Lakeview vs. Eisenhower; Radio: WLLF-FM (96.7) 8:30 p.m.: Sharon vs. Girard; Radio: WLLF-FM (96.7) College Basketball 7 p.m.: Duke at Florida State; Cable TV: ESPN 7:30 p.m.: Duquesne at Charlotte; Radio: KQV-AM (1410) 8 p.m.: Texas at Texas Cable TV: ESPN2 10 p.m.: Utah at TCU; Cable TV: ESPN2 Pro Hockey 7:30 p.m.: Senators at Penguins; Cable TV: FSN Pittsburgh; Radio: WWSW-FM (94.5), WBGG-AM (970) Pro Basketball 9 p.m.: 76ers at Rockets; Cable TV: ESPN Complete listings, Page B-6 question: Can West Virginia replace Penn State as chief rival? question: Who should replace Kip Wells in the rotation? Your pitch: Sound off Give your opinion at www.post-gazette.com Victor Santos Ryan Vogelsong Ian Snell Sean Burnett Tom Gorzelanny Total votes: 3,330 On the The local Calendar Duquesne men at Charlotte, 7:30 p.m. Tickets: 412-232-3853 goduquesne.com Penguins vs. Senators, 7:30 p.m.

Tickets: 412-323-1919 pittsburghpenguins.com Penn State men at Iowa, 8 p.m. Tickets: 800-863-3336 gopsusports.com Pirates vs. Nationals, 1 p.m. Viera, Fla. Tickets: 914-748-4610 pirates.com Penn State vs.

Wisconsin, 3 p.m. women Big Ten Tournament, Indianapolis Robert Morris at Mount St. 7 p.m. men NEC tournament Pirates vs. Nationals, 1 p.m.

Bradenton, Fla. Duquesne women vs. Massachusetts, 4 p.m. A-10 tournament, Philadelphia Penn State Big Ten tournament, noon women Indianapolis Pitt men vs. Seton Hall, 7:30 p.m.

Tickets: 412-648-7488 pittsburghpanthers.com Duquesne women A-10 tournament, 4 p.m. Philadelphia Pitt women Cinncinnati, 8 p.m. Big East Tournament Tickets: 412-648-7488 pittsburghpanthers.com Robert Morris Mount St. 7:30 p.m. women Tickets: 412-262-8449 rmu.edu West Virginia Big East tournament, TBA women Hartford, Conn.

Tickets: 800-988-4263 wvugame.com Duquesne men vs. Saint noon West Virginia at Cincinnati, noon men Tickets: 800-988-4263 wvugame.com Pirates at Red Sox, 1 p.m. Fort Myers, Fla. Penguins vs. Hurricanes, 7:30 p.m.

Pirates at Tigers, 1 p.m. Lakeland, Fla. Duquesne women A-10 tournament, TBA Philadelphia Penn State Big Ten tournament, TBA women Indianapolis Pitt women Big East tournament, TBA Hartford, Conn. Robert Morris NEC tournament, TBA men West Virginia Big East tournament, TBA women Hartford, Conn. Xplosion at Ohio, 7 p.m.

Tickets: 877-410-9900 Ext. 777 pittsburghxplosion.com Duquesne women A-10 tournament, TBA Philadelphia Pitt women Big East tournament, TBA Hartford, Conn. West Virginia Big East tournament, TBA women Hartford, Conn. Pirates vs. Twins, 1 p.m.

Bradenton, Fla. Robert Morris NEC tournament, TBA women Pirates vs. Braves, 1 p.m. Bradenton, Fla. Penguins vs.

Lightning, 7:30 p.m. For the seven days from March 1-7 WED. THUR. FRI. SAT.

SUN. MON. TUE. A question posed to Pitt basketball beat writer Ray Fittipaldo on his Internet this week: Do you think Pitt will lock up Dixon or do you think they will wait and see what happens? Thomas Woika, DuBois, Pa. As for Pitt extending contract, school officials in the past have waited until after the season do those types of things.

I think see things move quickly as soon as the season ends. Ray Pitt basketball appears on the Internet site every Friday at www.post-gazette.com McCutchen a hit at team scrimmage By Dejan Kovacevic Pittsburgh Post-Gazette BRADENTON, Fla. Andrew McCutchen needed only one at-bat to make a glowing first impression in his first game action in a Pirates uniform. In the first intrasquad scrimmage yesterday at McKechnie Field, McCutchen, the first-round draft pick last summer, exhibited trademark patience by taking the first three pitches he saw from reliever Giovanni Carrara He liked the fourth, and he lined it into center field for an RBI single. It would be the only at-bat for McCutchen, 19, and it came against a pitcher 18 years his elder.

felt very good to be part of McCutchen said. get a hit and an RBI, it just let me know I can handle As if to underscore that he was the only teenager in camp, though, McCutchen was picked off second by Carrara. umpire was kind of in my McCutchen said. should have told him to scoot McCutchen will open the season at Class A Hickory, but he was invited to major-league camp to experience the environment. more baseball at a higher level with more pressure than probably ever general manager Dave Littlefield said.

facing a big-league staff, better stuff, better velocity as a package, Bautista, Gerut shine The standout of the three-inning scrimmage, which ended in a 1-1 draw, was third baseman Jose Bautista who made two sensational plays ranging to his right. Outfielder Jody Gerut playing for the first time since Aug. 10 because of a recovery from knee surgery, homered to right against Nerio Rodriguez in his first at- bat. No update on Wells Starter Kip Wells did not return to the fold, and Littlefield said the team had not received word regardingthe next course of action to address a blood clot near right arm. Buried treasure Many more regulars will be used in the exhibition at 12:05 p.m.

today against Manatee Community College. Oliver Perez will start, and Salomon Torres Damaso Marte Jorge Vasquez Jonah Bayliss and Matt Capps will enter in relief. Ryan Vogelsong will start the Grapefruit League opener tomorrow against Washington in Viera, Fla. Zach Duke will start the next day in the home opener, also against the Nationals. The Pirates yesterday topped 10,000 season tickets in sales, as measured in full-season equivalents.

Kevin McClatchy the managing general partner, addressed the team before its workout yesterday morning. PIRATES NOTEBOOK 2009 with a club option for 2010. He started by phoning his agent, Page Odle, and asking him to gauge the interest. Odle momentarily balked. had to ask him if he was a little crazy because I thought he would want to explore the options of free agency, as most athletes Odle said.

line: He wanted to stay. So, what we worked Odle contacted Larry Silverman, the general counsel who handles contract negotiations. And, within a month of exchanged offers, the deal was done. Wilson already had been signed for the coming season and would have been arbitration-eligible in 2007, after which he could have been free to play anywhere. His $4.6 million salary for 2006 will remain the same, but he will get a $600,000 bonus for signing the new deal.

His base pay will increase to $5.25 million in 2007, $6.5 million in 2008 and $7.25 million in 2009. If the club option for 2010 is exercised, he will make $8.4 million. If not, the team must pay a $600,000 buyout. He also can earn a total of $300,000 in awards bonuses over the life of the deal, $100,000 for any All-Star Game appearance, Gold Glove or Silver Slugger. How those figures equate to his value will depend largely on performance and, to an extent, on how new collective bargaining agreement the current one expires after this season sways the market.

one of the reasons you do these things, because trying to get ahead of Pirates owner Kevin McClatchy said. felt good about this deal. a good player and a good character Odle projected Wilson would have received more through free agency. me, these are discounted dollars compared to what Jack would have gotten on the open he said. Jack got what he wanted by The highest-paid shortstop in baseball this season will be the New York Derek Jeter at $19 million.

Tops in the National League will be the Los Angeles Rafael Furcal at $9 million. Wilson, 28, has batted .263 in five years as the starting shortstop, including his All-Star 2004 in which he had 201 hits. But he is most acclaimed for his defense, having finished the past four years as the runner-up in Gold Glove voting. Defense was the primary concern. find shortstops who play defensively like he does there are very few guys out there who general manager Dave Littlefield said.

is a player we wanted to have for a long It marked the second contract extension of the offseason, along with left fielder Jason four-year, $18.25 million deal signed in November. Wilson never has played for a winner, but he said some of the offseason moves, along with lengthy chats with Bay and first baseman Sean Casey, convinced him he might fulfill that wish by staying put. guys go to free agency and want to play for a Wilson said. what I think He acknowledged how unusual the move was for the Pirates, given that they have been burned in the recent past by long-term deals. It is no coincidence he is one of only three players on the roster with a multiyear contract.

definitely a risk, if you look at issues with some guys who were signed here. But I talked to Bay and Casey about this, and we all want to be part of this. We want to be part of something special, and going to make it so we stay here. not going to make it so they have to trade us or whatever. not going to Dejan Kovacevic can be reached at gazette.com.

Peter IT WAS ALL A BLUR Pirates Hall of Famer Bill Mazeroski keeps an eye on infielder Craig Stansberry as he runs the bases after an intrasquad game at McKechnie Field in Bradenton, Fla. Wilson signs 3-year extension PIRATES, FROM PAGE D-1 Martinez working slowly from the mound By The Associated Press Pedro Martinez threw from the top of a mound for the first time at New York Mets spring training camp yesterday, and acknowledged he still has a lot of work to do before opening day. out of Martinez told a group of reporters before walking off the field. just trying to get back to the mound, see how my toe is. My arm is not full strength.

I still have a lot of work to Martinez threw 34 pitches to catcher Bobby Estallella with pitching coach Rick Peterson and bullpen coach Guy Conti watching. None of his pitches appeared full speed. He does expect to be ready for opening day. Reds Former Pirate Dave Williams lasted only one inning in his spring debut for Cincinnati, giving up five runs in a 12-4 loss to South Kia Tigers. Williams faced eight batters in the first inning, allowing a three-run homer to Lim Sung-min Giants Randy Winn and San Francisco agreed to a $23.25 million, three-year contract extension through 2009.

Winn, acquired before last trading deadline from Seattle, batted .359 with 14 home runs after joining the Giants. BASEBALL NOTEBOOK.