TOWER GROVE –Underneath the brim of his baseball cap, Pittsburgh Pirates’ closer Matt Capps has a half dozen or so phrases and letters penned there in white. Turn it over, and on the lower right side of the brim, near the notch where brim meets cap, is the answer to the first question that, so far, has always been asked with The PD-Q. It was the first one many detailed answers Capps gave.

The PD-Q, a series of personality questions fired at willing participants, was a staple of spring training, an outgrowth of something I’ve always wanted to try down in Jupiter, Fla., and an assignment that will come to fruition around the All-Star Game. The goal was this: Ask quick, different (yes, some goofy, some misfires) questions and see how revealing the answers are. Seems like an exercise that doesn’t have to stop with the start of the regular season.

There are several PD-Qs not yet published from the Grapefruit League, but I thought it best to skip ahead and post one from today’s opponent. Capps, a righthander, got the save in Monday’s victory for the Pirates. He quietly has become one of the more reliable closers in the division, converting 21 of 26 saves for the Pirates last season and he has 39 saves over the past two seasons. The Cardinals, for example, hit .167 off of him as a team. They have seven hits, only one for extras bases (a double) and four of those hits are by Chris Duncan. Capps, who is two seasons removed from a 9-1 turn as an 85-appearance reliever for Pittsburgh, missed two months of the season with an irritation in his shoulder. He enters this season healthy, sure be a recurring name in trade rumors and carrying a remarkable Christmas gift in his pocket everywhere he goes but up on the mound.

Starting with the brim of his hat, Capps shows and tells as he navigates The P-DQ:

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Advice you received from a parent that stays with you …

My dad used to always used to tell me, “Somebody has to do it. Somebody has to play in the big leagues. Somebody has to be the best.” It’s something here, see, I even write it on my hat: “Somebody has to be.” That is always with me.

A memorable Christmas or holiday gift you received …

What just popped into my head, a friend of mine got a Nerf gun. We lived two houses apart and I had a balcony by my bedroom and I could go out. He would signal me and I could go up and see what he got. I went up and his parents always videotaped as they opened gifts. And the video was perfect, it was on his dad’s face, as he opened this gift, and all of sudden this little Nerf comes and hits him in the eye. I personally got a Go-Cart one year. I was 9. That was the greatest thing ever.

The word or phrase you use too often is …

“Whatever.”

Favorite superhero?

Superman.

Your favorite baseball movie?

“For the Love of the Game”

Your greatest achievement?

Probably my high school graduation when I was recognized by getting the Faculty Cup Award and the Principal’s Award. I was voted by my peers as Mr. Alexander High School. That made me feel like there was more to me than just the athletic side.

Your greatest extravagance or indulgence?

I’m a 4-by-4 guy. Hummers. Or pickup trucks. Any of them that are jacked-up and not afraid to get dirty.

Your favorite ballplayer growing up?

Dale Murphy.

Your first car?

A 1989 F150, five-speed on the floor.

Current car?

I have a GMC Sierra and a Hummer.

The place you’ve got to visit before you die …

Lots of places. I want to see Stonehenge. I want to see Rome. I want to see the Coliseum, the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

Who would be in your Fave Five?

My wife. My dad. Tyler Yates. John Grabow. Jimmy Barthmaier.

Most embarrassing song on your iPod?

I’m not embarrassed by it, but guys think I should be: I’ve got everything that Michael Jackson has ever done. I like Cher, “If I Could Turn Back Time.”

Movie you’ll stop to watch whenever it comes on is …

Superman, even as old as it is.

Sing in the shower or in the car?

Both.

You know you’re in the minors when …

Peanut butter and jelly is gourmet.

I tune out when people talk about …

A lot of things.

I wish I knew how to …

Wrestle an alligator.

What is your treasured possession?

Actually I’ll show it to you. My mother-in-law gave it to me for Christmas. It’s a silver dollar, and it’s from the year 1900. It’s something that a man gave her. She was a nurse for a eye doctor in Huntsville, Ala. They did surgery on this elderly black man, and when he woke up he stuck a couple of them in her hand. She had four of them. I always looked at them, saying, “That’s phenomenal.” She said, “I want to have this.” I carry it with me. I don’t have it in my pocket when I pitch, but since Christmas I always carry it with me.

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Previous P-DQ: Adam Wainwright … CC Sabathia … Skip Schumaker … David Wright … Brian Barton … Ryan Ludwick. … Ryan Franklin. … Brad Lidge … Chris Carpenter. … Brandon Phillips. … Todd Wellemeyer. … Dustin Pedroia. … Jason Isringhausen. … Chris Perez.

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