PITTSBURGH— All-Star break?There is no such animal for Dan Hart.

The 1992 Seneca Valley graduate, a member of the Pirates' media relations department for nine years, was hired by Major League Baseball to compile media notes packages at the All-Star Game July 15 at Yankee Stadium.

It will be the final All-Star Game played in the fabled ballpark. The Yankees move into a new park next season.

"It's history and I'm excited to be a part of it,"Hart said.

While most of baseball will take a three-day break that week, Hart will be working a hectic schedule.

After the Pirates host St. Louis July 13, he will fly to New York that night to prepare media notes for the Home Run Derby and the workout day Monday. Hart will put together eight pages of pre-game notes Tuesday morning, and do in-game and postgame notes during the All-Star Game itself.

"I'll get on the phone to the Elias Sports Bureau if any oddities pop up during the game,"Hart said. "If somebody homers in his first two at-bats, when is the last time that happened. ... If Elias doesn't know the answer, they find it."

Come July 16, he'll fly back to Pittsburgh, then he'll join the team for a flight to Denver at 5:45 p.m. that day. The Pirates play the Colorado Rockies on the road July 17.

"Definitely a crazy time," Hart said, smiling. "They don't name the All-Star teams and reserve players until a week before the game, so I'll be cramming a whole lot of work into that week.

"I have to do player profiles on everybody, check their All-Star Game history, how many rookies made the team, etc. ... There's a lot of digging and not much time to get it done.

"It's OK. I'll have plenty of time to rest during the off-season," he added.

That's how Hart goes about his job. He's been the manager of media services for the Pirates since 2002 and has done game notes for the National League Championship Series from 2002 through 2005, along with last year.

John Blake, vice president of media relations for the Boston Red Sox, usually handles the notes packages for the All-Star Game. But Blake will be tied up with Boston manager Terry Francona, the American League All-Star skipper, during this year's game.

"When you do a good job, they ask you back,"said Pirates media relations director Jim Trdinich. "I wasn't surprised when (Pat Courtney, vice president of public relations for MLB)called about Danny's availability.

"He'll go above and beyond for them. He always does."

Travis Sharbaugh, a Slippery Rock University graduate and media relations assistant, has been serving an internship working for Hart this summer.

"He's a first-class individual and a hard worker,"Sharbaugh said. "The biggest thing I've learned from him is to stay on track and keep things moving."

Once he got word he'd be working the All-Star Game, Hart went to work compiling information on the game's history.

"The National League leads the series 40-36-2, the American League has won 11 straight — certain numbers are etched in my brain," he said.

While getting his All-Star Game prep work done, Hart still has to handle his responsibilities with the Pirates, which include working with the news media and going on road trips with the club.

The Pirates make 12 road trips a year and Hart is going on seven of them.

"I give him more and more to do each year,"Trdinich said. "I gave him a couple of road trips two years ago, five last year, now he's going more than I am.

"We're the best one-two punch in baseball for what we do. I tell everybody that."

Trdinich hails from Allison Park and is a Slippery Rock University graduate.

And, like Hart, he has no interest in leaving the Pirates. Trdinich turned down an offer to run the Chicago Cubs media relations office this past off-season.

"That's a lucrative position and 10 years ago, I'm probably all over it,"Trdinich said. "But I'm entrenched here now. I've got long roots and I don't want to go anywhere else."

That means Hart will remain the No. 2 man in the department as long as he stays in town.

"If I wind up being the best No. 2 media relations guy in baseball for my career, I'm fine with that,"Hart said. "We want the Pirates to have the best reputation for a public relations staff. That's our No. 1 goal."