James_Taiwan: Do you think the Penguins can come up with a veteran winger who will take a discount to play on a Stanley Cup contender? Any Hossa like deals in the works.

Gene Collier: Noting on the level of a Marian Hossa. To get that kind of player you'd have to subtract a key component from Shero's cupboard.

James_Taiwan: I believe that trading for Milledge was a good risk to take. My only question is whether the Pirates management will actually let McCutchen, Milledge, and whoever else in the outfield play together for a few years to see if they can develop into contenders. What are your thoughts?

Gene Collier: My thoughts, 900 words of which appear in your good morning Post-Gazette, are that Milledge is a bad risk. His alleged upside is certainly far greater than Morgan's, but when you can't function in the outfield of a team that might get to the All-Star break with 25 wins or fewer, it doesn't exactly recommend you. The latest Pirates administration has shown no indication that they'll wait for anything once the looming cost of, say, a Jason Bay, looks uncomfortable.

buccobash: Gene, last night you said on the Nightly Sports Call that the Pirates' have lost their heart and soul in the trade of Morgan. How can they then dominate the Cubs after losing their heart and soul?

Gene Collier: Things I say on the Nightly Sports Call cannot be used in evidence against me, as it is well past my bedtime. Further, "dominating the Cubs" (3-0?) is not exactly one of Tarzan's seven challenges these days. They've been dominated in 7 of the last 9 I believe.

Homey: Over the next few years, do you think the Pens will: a) get better because the young stars keep developing, or b) get worse because the salary cap will take away the supporting cast?

Gene Collier: If the cap system works the way it's intended, they'll suddenly get worse, then gradually get better, then suddenly get worse, etc. How much better do they need to get anyway? I guess they could win the Cup in six, then five, then four, then three, but there are just too many variables.

Homey: Why do you think oxygen tanks are used for football players on the sidelines, but they're not used for hockey or basketball players?

Gene Collier: Good one. I'm guessing that's strictly a business decision on the part of the hockey and basketball franchises, who haven't yet bought the pitches of the oxygen suppliers for rosters of 20 and under. But I have no idea.

StephenB: Hey Gene, My intuition tells me the Pirates are making these moves before July 2nd because they plan on signing that 16 year old Dominican, even thought he is only 16 and has no chance of being called up anytime soon. Do you think this is a possibility?

Gene Collier: I don't think there's any chance the Pirates will sign him.

InNealWeTrust: With the constant emphasis on building from within and developing an adequate-enough farm system that can sustain success on a Major League Level - how does the trade of Morgan help to support the philosophy of the management. Although he was 29, he developed through the Pirates' system and was having an impact on the Major League system, as per their strategy, don't you think?

Gene Collier: It supports the philosophy that the Pirates are all about the future. Unfortunately, the future never comes. Morgan both enabled the McLouth trade and surpassed the club's expectations so much that he enabled his own. The only rewards in this organization seem to be getting removed from it. Equally as unfortunate, that seems to make sense.

pghgirl: After the McLouth trade, I was outraged but told myself, "at least they still have Morgan." Now I feel I'm truly done! Do you know why we all keep coming back? At some point isn't enough enough?

Gene Collier: Everyone's got a different threshold I suppose. I heard the things on the radio shows and on the message boards yesterday as I heard after the McLouth trade, the Bay trade, and all the way back to the Aramis Ramirez trade. Either the Pirates have more devoted fans than I thought or people are just lying when they say, "I'm done." "No more," all of that stuff. To this point, I think the majority of people who go to the ballpark are not terribly avid fans, but people just out for a diversion. Might be this, might be Kennywood. The real sufferers are the people still watching and listening every night, who apparently don't want to find something else to do. As I always say, bad baseball is better than no baseball.

Neal_the_Dealmaker: Why so much hate for the Pirates trades this year? People act like they traded Willie Mays and Babe Ruth. There is a good reason why the Pirates record has been so bad the last 17 years -- their players stink!!

Gene Collier: I don't think this year's any worse than last year, or years 1993-2007. You're right, the dealt players weren't Hall of Famers, but they seemed to be part of the plan. You ruin a lot of confidence when you keep changing the plan.

Jacque_Strap: How does Jerry compensate you when you fill in for him in these chats?

Gene Collier: Well, it starts with an all-expenses paid trip to Latrobe in early August, but the actual monetary boost is such that I'd be embarrassed to divulge it.

MAK_DC: Does Jack Wilson realize that he himself was acquired in a veteran for prospect trade? As were Freddy Sanchez and Jason Bay (just to name two)? Did those deals not work out?

Gene Collier: Depends on what you mean by work out. They brought reliable big league players, but no winning seasons. Baseball history hasn't been changed by the acquisition of Wilson and Sanchez. Wilson's gripes are that none of the players acquired (whether or not he remembers to include himself) ever change anything.

Neal_the_Dealmaker: I feel for poor Morgan -- he gets out of here and ends up at the only place worse.

Gene Collier: At least for now.

Amos_P_Swanson: In your opinion....Is there ANYTHING as Pirate fans that we could do to begin circumventing this current regime?

Gene Collier: Absolutely, but not enough people want to do it. Don't show up. Don't pay attention. But I would not recommend either course. Baseball, even, as i said, bad baseball, is entertainment -- a diversion. It's not something that should be negatively impacting your quality of life. The Cubs haven't won a World Series since four years before the Titanic left port, but you can't buy a ticket at Wrigley Field. It's packed. They're enjoying it, no matter what happens. Pittsburghers feel ripped off when the team loses. It's just a game. Enjoy it.

Jacque_Strap: Will we see the term "ball striker" in the next Trite Trophy column? That golfer is a great "ball striker". It means the exact same thing as great golfer, since that's all golfing is = ball striking.

Gene Collier: Not likely because in order to meet one of the three Trite-winning criteria, a cliche has to really really annoy me, and I'll never watch enough golf for any golf cliche to do that, because golf really really annoys me.

gthscuba: Does Ziggy get signed before training camp? And, do you believe he will make an impact this year?

Gene Collier: Yes and no.

O_Fries: But Gene, this baseball isn't NEARLY as bad as we've seen in the past. I enjoy following the team this year much more so than in the past. And I know I'm the only one, but the Pirates made a hell of deal in trading Nate McLouth. Pssstt... I'll tell you a dirty secret: He wasn't that good.

Gene Collier: Your opinion of the McLouth trade is higher than mine, but I agree that it wasn't like trading Ralph Kiner. I disagree that the baseball isn't nearly as bad as in the past. The Pirates are 36-41, I think, and were 36-41 at this point a year ago, when they won, what? one more game than the year before, when they lost one less game than the year before that? They're awful. A lot of times in public discussion of the Pirates, every move they make is analyzed as some part of the grand plan for the future rather than just another example of bad baseball and bad management.

king_moonracer: I heard a national media guy talking about different markets - he characterized the sportswriters in different cities. He said San Diego writers are laid back, Boston writers are cynical, Philly writers are angry - how would you characterize Pittsburgh sports writers?

Gene Collier: I wouldn't disagree with those generalizations, except to remind you that Chuck Noll was right when he said whenever you generalize, you are wrong. Pittsburgh sports writers have long since defied generalization, in my view. They're generally fair, i would say, not as critical as they might be at times, but plenty acerbic when they put their minds to it. The writers in Pittsburgh, generally, are not fans, and that's always a good thing.

Jacque_Strap: Gene - no optimism at all over Milledge? I'm at the point where I'll take some entertainment from the Pirates any way I can get it, even from victory laps or questionable rap albums.

Gene Collier: To be truthful, none of the untraditional things Milledge has done or said have really bothered me, and he might certainly have entertainment value. If this were April 1 instead of July 1 and Huntington had just dealt Nyjer Morgan for Lastings Milledge, it would have been praised universally as a great trade. I'm not saying Milledge isn't going to straighten himself out and play leftfield in Pittsburgh for the next 12 years, hiting 270 with 18 homers and 80 RBI every summer. I'm just saying I doubt it.

James_Taiwan: Is your article on Milledge only in the print edition? If so I cannot read it! I live in Taiwan.

Gene Collier: I hope not, but I haven't been out of the chat room today.

Pickman: While I understand the philosophy of the trades the past couple years, I have found it to be a hard sell to go to the ballpark to witness maybe 5 players on the current roster who could theoretically be here if/when we get to .500. Your thoughts?

Gene Collier: I admit it's a lot easier to go when you get in for free.

Neal_the_Dealmaker: Do you use Twitter?

Gene Collier: No. I'm trying not to use e-mail. If I could only lose my cell phone, I'd be making good regress.

pghgirl: If the players we acquired for Morgan and co. were football players, do you think the Steelers would take them given their alleged attitudes?

Gene Collier: I think they would. Football coaches, and the Steelers have football coaches just like everyone else, would look hard at Charles Manson if he ran a 4.2 40. The notion that the Steelers are above taking marginal characters is way overblown. They've had several incidents of domestic violence involving their players in the last couple years and a dropped marijuana charge against the Super Bowl hero. It's true that, by and large, fewer Steelers have been in trouble than in many other places, but that is mostly luck.

letsgobucs: Why is Milledge viewed as a five tool talent? I just don't see the power numbers. So, it seems to me that we traded speed and contact (Morgan) for speed, contact, and questionable character (Milledge), ignoring the pitching aspect of this deal.

Gene Collier: I think the five-tool judgment on Milledge hinges on the theory that as his average rises he'll hit more homers, which is what everyone said of Barry Bonds in 1986 and 1987, failing to add that as his cap size and shoe size increases, he'll hit more homeruns than anyone who ever lived.

Amos_P_Swanson: I feel this current Pirate regime is the worst of the worst. How long will we have to wait till the likes of Huntington, Russell, etc. be tossed?

Gene Collier: It won't be this year or next year and probably not the year after. I'm not at all sure this regime is the worst. Still too early.

Land_Lubber: In my opinion, watching the development of Andrew McCutchen into a superstar is enough to keep me coming to the ballpark for the next couple of years. Don't you think so?

Gene Collier: I think it is, especially since you're so sure of it. He's been fun so far, but not nearly as fun as this chat, which now must end so we can clear the room for Dejan's chat. You've been great. Don't forget to tip the wait staff.