Perrotto: One Side Has Edge in Ji-Man Choi Arbitration Case (+)

Many years ago, the Pittsburgh Pirates held what they called “hot stove luncheons” in the press dining room at Three Rivers Stadium during the winter months.

The Pirates would make the manager, various executives and a handful of players available for interviews. The whole point of the exercise was to generate some publicity and keep the Pirates in the news during the offseason.

Those luncheons were discontinued long ago but one vivid memory remains. It came between the 1990 and 1991 seasons.

The Pirates were coming off their first postseason appearance since winning the World Series in 1979. They also had multiple star players who had gained enough major league service time to become eligible for salary arbitration.