Pirates try to heal two decades of hurt
A pennant, not just a winning season, is what Pittsburgh's long-suffering fans are praying for
They've got the best modern ballpark in the United States, a gem on Pittsburgh's North Shore with spectacular views of the city and a bridge you can walk over to watch a game. It may be the only place in baseball where french fries come inside a sandwich rather than next to it.
Pittsburgh will have one this season, though it's hardly time to start spraying champagne. Not with a precarious lead in the National League Central, and eight games still to be played against the two teams chasing the Pirates down the stretch.
The collapse of last season is still fresh in the minds of Pirates fans everywhere, as if they didn't have enough history to worry about. An entire generation of new fans who know Sid Bream only as a historical footnote has never experienced a winning team in Pittsburgh.
They've been mired in mediocrity for so many years that just clinching at least a .500 season this week was hailed as an accomplishment. Still, as Brewers manager Ron Roenicke pointed out after the Pirates got win No 81 on Tuesday night in Milwaukee, this is really a good ballclub.
They certainly are, with an MVP candidate in centrefielder Andrew McCutchen, a slugger in the middle of the line-up in Pedro Alvarez and a remarkable reclamation project in Francisco Liriano. Adding Justin Morneau and Marlon Byrd to the mix in trades within the last week pretty much guaranteed the Bucs would not only have their first winning season in 21 years, but be in the play-offs, too.