all summer long and really even going back to the spring i've been insisting based on

information from the inside that you weren't going to see ryan rust and ricard recal get moved

that you weren't going to see the big, below it all

to kingdom come, wave of trades that so many seem to have been forecasting or anticipating.

But also all through that, there was one that I did anticipate they'd make.

And they haven't. Good morning to you. Good Thursday morning. I'm Dan Kovachievich of

D.K. Pittsburgh Sports. This is daily shot of penguins. It comes your way bright and early every weekday.

If you're into football and or baseball, I also offer daily shots of Steelers and Pirates

in the same place that you've found this. Eric Carlson's still a good player.

You can look at his flaws.

You can accentuate those flaws if you choose.

You can also go the other way and just single out whenever it is

that he does something spectacular offensively.

He's been that way all along. I would argue,

and I have argued, that his time in Pittsburgh from multiple perspectives probably should be over.

The team was disappointed in him. Kyle Dubus was outwardly disappointed in him.

And Carlson, in turn, was disappointed and has been through a lot of this, to be blunt with you,

in having hoped that everything would go a lot better than it has, both from an individual and a team standpoint.

Add into this, the very large variable, that Carlson is due $11.5 million this year and $11.5 million

next year before he becomes an unrestricted free agent at age 37.

This is not an attractive arrangement for any team, much less one that's supposed to be building something back up at the other end of the spectrum.

Also, and not to be lost in this, but you're bringing in a new head coach. And with that,

...