Littlefield steady

Littlefield says the Bucs will stay the course. That's the right thing to tell the Pittsburgh media. As Clay wrote in the comments, the Rooneys have set an example of measured and methodical governance which has become the (black and) gold standard in the Steel City.

There's not a whole lot in the interview that does much to draw back the curtain and let us see what the team is really thinking. There's not a lot of specific detail. There is this, though:

Ryan Vogelsong threw the ball well; Jose Castillo did a nice job; Bobby Hill, Jose Mesa, J.R. House. I think there were a lot of people that performed well that we weren't anticipating.

J.R. House is a name that not too many people were talking about this spring. He didn't really hit that well or often (he went 1-for-7 in five non-split squad games) so you have to wonder what they saw in him that they liked so much.

Balance is a good thing to talk about in any interview. Try to slip it in every chance. Seeking balance always sounds wise, even if you are saying, "When I work the grill, I seek a balance between cooking the burgers to just the way the customer wants them and delivering the finished orders just when the wait staff are available to deliver them." Here's Littlefield:

However, there is a balance. It's nice to go young as long as the young players are talented and ready. We still haven't seen how some of those players will do. The jury is still out. I don't want to sound pessimistic, but I've got to be realistic in this job. We did bring north with us veteran guys like Jose Mesa, Raul Mondesi and Chris Stynes, who have played fairly well in the big leagues and can help balance the youth that may be out there, too.

He's not talking about manufacturing food-service jobs, obviously. He's right that the jury is still out on half the position players: Jack Wilson (will he hit?), Tike Redman (what can he do in a full season?), Jason Bay (what can he do when he's healthy?), and all those options at second base.