Altoona Curve manager Tim Leiper sat in his Blair County Ballpark office Tuesday and started deliberating Opening Day possibilities
By the time he walked onto the field, Leiper couldn't find many faults with a roster that includes:-
#1 - The Pittsburgh Pirates' top two prospects in outfielder Andrew McCutchen and third baseman Neil Walker
#2 - More than a dozen player who helped the Curve reach the 2006 Eastern League playoffs
#3 - Only three Double-A newcomers

So with a well-stocked roster, Leiper has already decided to discuss the postseason
Asked if he wants to change anything during his second season as the Curve's manager, Leiper said "No"
He then paused and took advantage of a mulligan
"I want to win the fifth game of the first round of the playoffs" said Leiper, whose team lost a best-of-five series to Akron in the first round of the EL Playoffs
"After that, everything should be the same"

Altoona's minor-league baseball history includes attendance increases, clever promotions and industry-wide acclaim for shrewd management tactics
But the Curve have failed to reach one pinnacle during their nine-year history
The franchise has a 8-13 record in four postseason appearances and it has never claimed an EL title

As the Curve prepare to open their season tonight at Erie, the expectations are far from subtle
"We expect to win" outfielder/first baseman Brett Roneberg said
"They always send a good team here and they always send a good mix of veterans and younger players
Hopefully we can get past Akron when it comes to that final championship series"
Veterans such as Roneberg are one reason the Curve's desire to win is more explicit than some Double-A teams
Roneberg hit .303 with 10 homers and 74 RBI in 109 games with the Curve last season
Still, nobody could find a spot at a higher level for the 28-year-old

Ditto for 29-year-old first baseman/outfielder Randy Ruiz, who hit .286 with 26 homers and 87 RBI during 119 games for the New York Yankees' Double-A affiliate in Trenton

Vic Buttler and Adam Boeve are two other known commodities in the Curve outfield
Both players ended last season in Triple-A Indianapolis, but they are returning to Altoona because of a cruel numbers scenario

The middle infield includes veterans Brandon Chaves, Taber Lee and Javier Guzman, who are playing together for a third season

Catcher Dave Parrish, the son of former major-leaguer Lance Parrish, has participated in more than 100 games at the Double-A and Triple-A levels

The most inexperienced position players are the ones creating the biggest stirs

Walker, the Pittsburgh Pirates' first-round pick in 2004, is moving to third base after spending his first three professional seasons as a catcher
McCutchen, the Pirates' first-round pick in 2005, will play center field

Both prospects are expected to bat in the top of the order
"It's one of those things where we are confident in ourselves and each other" Walker said
"If I'm hitting behind him, I kind of expect him to be at second or third base every time
It's the same thing if he's hitting behind me
Once the season starts, it will be a nice combo"

Four pitchers - Josh Shortslef, Romulo Sanchez, Yoslan Herrera and Dave Davidson - are members of the Pirates' 40-man roster
Shortslef, a 6-foot-4, 250-pound left-hander who missed more than two months last season with a forearm injury, won his first five decisions for the Curve in 2006

Kip Bouknight, Wardell Starling, Luis Munoz and Herrera complete the starting rotation
Bouknight was an EL All-Star selection last year for the Harrisburg Senators while Munoz is making his Double-A debut

Take away Walker and McCutchen, and Herrera would be the most intriguing player on the roster
The 25-year-old right-hander is making his United States debut after defecting from Cuba

Like many minor-league teams in April, the Curve are searching for a closer
One possibility is Justin Vaclavik, a hard-throwing 22-year-old who saved 18 games at Class A Hickory last season
Vaclavik, Munoz and Herrera are the only Double-A newcomers on the roster

"We have a good squad" said Shortslef, who will start tonight's opener
"We have some guys here for the first time and we have guys returning from the last two years
In the clubhouse, we have a good clique and hopefully we have that same clique on the field"