THE SIDELINES : Scouting Rhubarb: Yankees, Pirates

The baseball commissioner’s office is investigating the New York Yankees’ possession of Pirates’ computer scouting data. The baseball officials are investigating whether Pirates’ computer software contains information used by the Yankees on high school and college players and players in the major and minor leagues.

Syd Thrift, the Pirates’ former general manager, resigned recently as the Yankees’ senior vice president for baseball operations and Jim Bowden, one of his top aides, was fired by the Yankees.

While working for Thrift in Pittsburgh, Bowden designed the Pirates’ scouting computer system. Bowden abruptly left the Pirates one day after Thrift’s firing last October, reportedly without explaining the computer setup to others in the Pirates’ front office.

Pirates President Carl Barger said he did not know anything about the inquiry until last Friday, but said he would cooperate fully.