Column: What’s not to like about Ike?

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DEJAN KOVACEVIC, DK ON PITTSBURGH SPORTS

The simplest way to dissect these Pirates’ needs leading up to Major League Baseball’s trading deadline is to point to the pitching: If one or both of Francisco Liriano and Gerrit Cole is at peak form, then there’s no need — emphasis on need — to acquire a starter.

To look at Liriano in Wednesday’s 6-1 slapdown of the Los Angeles Dodgers at PNC Park, it’s eminently clear he’s at least close. One run, four hits over seven innings tell part of the tale. Vastly improved fastball command, the result of Ray Searage stressing keeping his shoulder from flying open, tells a lot more of it.

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Column: That’s baseball, man

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DEJAN KOVACEVIC, DK ON PITTSBURGH SPORTS

Here’s a story I’ve never told publicly, but hey, if not here, if not now, then when?

It’s about the Pirates and Dodgers, but about a very different group of Pirates in a very different place: It was the first of May, 2010, at Dodger Stadium, and Ramon Ortiz of the Dodgers threw high at Andrew McCutchen. Cutch was a promising player at the time, not yet a star but by far the best of a train-wreck roster well on its way to 105 losses.

See, Cutch had homered in the opening inning, and the Dodgers thought they saw him make some celebratory gesture rounding second base. I was there. No such thing occurred. But perception can be reality, and reality in baseball can be retaliatory. Some Rule 5 scrub named Carlos Monasterios started for L.A. that night, and he went high and tight at Lastings Milledge and Ronny Cedeno in the next inning.

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Welcome to the new page

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DEJAN KOVACEVIC, DK ON PITTSBURGH SPORTS

He did whaaaaaaaat?

Yeah, he really did.

The guy with the job of his dreams as a Pittsburgh sports columnist, one who was handsomely paid, who was winning national awards, who got some of the highest-profile assignments, who worked with a dedicated and talented staff of reporters and editors … just walked away from all that to start his own web site.

To start from zero, paycheck and all.

Why oh why would anyone, shy of momentary madness, even contemplate such a thing?

The answer, to me, is simple: This is what’s at the other end of the tunnel.

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(No, not that tunnel, as magnificently captured by local photog Dave DiCello.)

I’ve done sports writing of all kinds, at all levels, in all locations, made and lost a few friends, won and lost a few awards. A complete bio, for you newcomers, can be found here. The past three years at the Trib have been especially satisfying, as they were my first in writing columns, or opinion pieces. I covered all of Pittsburgh’s sports, to varying degrees, and had a blast digging into them deeply enough to offer what I hope was passionate, informed opinion.

DKonPittsburghSports.com will have all that and more once it formally launches Wednesday.

I’ll continue to have full access to the Steelers, Penguins, Pirates, Pitt and more, thanks to the enthusiastic cooperation of all those entities in this endeavor. I’ll write the standard three or four regular-length, newspaper-style columns per week. I’ll break news. I’ll offer views on other news, and quickly, no matter where it breaks. I’ll film videos of interviews with athletes and coaches, as well as reviving my old Things That Make Pittsburgh Great feature in visual form. I’ll report from practices and games. I’ll travel, too. I’ll be at every Steelers game, all playoff games for all teams, out in Latrobe and Bradenton and beyond.

If all that sounds ambitious, you’re beginning to see the point: I want it to be ambitious.

I want to be able to bring you the Pittsburgh sports scene at the pace that the online community expects rather than the one that follows print schedules. I’ve always, always placed top priority on my online endeavors, whether it was the old Penguins Q&A that was among the first Internet features of its kind, or the 3.3 million page views over the past year-plus on my blog, or all the obsessive social media in which I engage. Sports tend to happen at night. Readers don’t want to hear that a night game can’t be covered because of a print deadline. Or that writing only occurs on designated days of the week. They want their reading material as timely and relevant as possible.

It’s going to take time — and your feedback — to figure out exactly what that looks like here, but I can’t wait to see that myself.

I can’t express how much it would mean to me if you were part of this.

Our long-standing blog community, some of which feels like family as it’s carried over from both of my newspaper employers, is back. Of course it’s back. I’d never have that any other way. But we’re always looking for more, to be part of our daily discussion or to chip in occasionally or to just read. I want to hear from you, criticism and all.

But I’m also looking forward to your being part of the general coverage here. Let me know what you want to see, hear or read more often or less often. I’ll be responsive to the point of being annoying.

I’m ecstatic — and that might be understatement — to have a major corporate sponsor supporting this startup, the details of which are coming very soon. But the financial foundation of the site ultimately will be the subscriptions, which means it’s up to you. The site offers three options: $4 for a month, $24 for a year, $54 for three years. That last one breaks down to $1.50 a month. I’d never presume to tell anyone what’s affordable or not, but I can promise you I’ll work around the clock to give you at least six quarters a month worth of value!

A lot of people will think this is nuts. And I’ll agree, at least regarding the perception. But that doesn’t mean it won’t work.

Here’s how to subscribe.

And thank you, as always, for reading.

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