His attempt to manipulate the Pirates, (and Pedro Alvarez for that matter) just to inflate his ego, is deplorable. To even suggest renegotiating a two-week-old contract makes a mockery of the draft process and of the signing deadline. Alvarez would be smart to hold a press conference announcing his disassociation with this man before this goes to arbitration. The loser in all this will be Alvarez. Pittsburgh fans have a long memory. He will be booed for years to come at PNC Park, no matter what uniform he ends up wearing. On top of that, if he goes back into the draft he has very little to gain, having been the second pick overall. An injury could end up costing him millions. It’s a big gamble for $200,000 worth of ego. Don Ciambotti Altoona Curve deals appreciated While I did not get to Curve games as much as I would have liked this year, it was nice to see that Todd Parnell and his staff took a several positive steps to help fans get through tough economic times.