Either I’m easily impressed, or you can still see a glimmer of what made Ronny Cedeno a former prospect. I’m not expecting him to become a star, but I do think Ronny can be a usable piece of the Pirates for more than a season or two. Jack Wilson, on the other hand, seems to be trending the other way.

These six scenarios will be fun to watch. They’re the ones where Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Neal Huntington said to his colleagues: I’m better than you.

From the tweeting machine Joel Hanrahan to recently acquired closer Octavio Dotel, to grizzled veteran Brendan Donnelly and up-and-comer Evan Meek, the number of bullpen options the Pirates have in 2010 is greatly improved over 2009.

If you haven’t learned by now to not listen to any national reporters when talking about the Pittsburgh Pirates, please take note. Most national writers, as they have proven recently, love to take any shot at Pittsburgh and its consecutive string of losing seasons. This typically comes with snide remarks and a complete lack of competence in reporting what the front office is actually accomplishing.