MILWAUKEE — Forget, for one moment, the accounting nightmares that not even the folks at Arthur Andersen could comprehend. Ignore the option years, compound interest and salary deferrals inherent in the contracts. Disregard the loopholes and legal obstacles that could squash this potential trade like an elephant sitting on a gnat. Pay no attention to those details, and ask yourself one question. Why would Colorado Rockies pitcher Denny Neagle want to waive his no-trade clause for a chance to return to the Pirates? The rumored deal involving Neagle and Pirates catcher Jason Kendall switching teams probably is dead. Or at least on the backburner, if it ever seriously was discussed beyond the initial contact stages. Even if it turns out that the deal has teeth the size of a great white shark, what sense would it make for Neagle to come back to the team he was happy to leave late in the 1996 season? Neagle might want desperately to get out of Denver, the thin air and the mile-high playing confines known as Coors Field — a graveyard for fly-ball pitchers, which Neagle happens to be. Neagle might want to leave a messy situation, considering the Rockies have relegated him to bullpen duty, perhaps in an attempt to force him to agree to a trade. Neagle also might not like the direction the Rockies franchise is headed. But what makes it so enticing about Pittsburgh that he would want to make a second tour of duty with the Pirates? PNC Park, with its deep left-center field gap, might be better suited for a soft-throwing, left-handed change-up specialist such as Neagle. That hardly seems like a good enough reason for Neagle to agree to wear a Pirates uniform again. Neagle told Denver reporters this past week that he wouldn’t rule out a return to the Pirates, who employed him for almost five seasons. He was probably being complimentary and diplomatic more than anything else. The question that needs to be addressed is why Neagle would accept a trade to a team he didn’t want to play for six years ago• Not much has changed since Neagle was dealt to the Atlanta Braves in the great 1996 fire sale. The Pirates still haven’t produced a winning season, which by all accounts would eliminate them from Neagle’s wish list of pitching for a contender. Let’s go back to ’96 and the reasons that led to Neagle’s departure from the Pirates. In the first year under Kevin McClatchy’s ownership group, the Pirates had a $21 million payroll. The thinking, until July of that season, was that payroll would be increased the following year. The opposite happened. Ownership decided that under baseball’s flawed economic system and with no new stadium deal in sight, payroll had to be slashed. It eventually was, to the tune of a $9 million payroll for the ’97 season. This decision led to the departure of manager Jim Leyland and virtually every recognizable player under contract. In fact, the Pirates could afford to keep just one big-name veteran, and former general manager Cam Bonifay whittled it down to two players — outfielder Al Martin and Neagle. Bonifay approached both players and asked whether either one wanted to stay. Martin said yes. Neagle told Bonifay to start working the phones. Within a month, Neagle was wearing a Braves uniform. Six years later, baseball’s economics remain a mess. The Pirates have their new ballpark, but still have payroll concerns, reducing it from $53 million last year to $42 million this season. Further salary reductions might be in the works over the next month. Many of the problems that existed with the Pirates in 1996 remain in place today. If Neagle is smart and asked to waive his no-trade clause, he’ll look at the Pirates and say thanks, but no thanks.

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