The Strive for .500

The 2011 Pittsburgh Pirates seemed like a team of destiny for the first four months of the season, bosting a 54-49 record on July 28. But after a month of solid suckage, including a 10-game losing streak, the Bucs stand at 62-72 on August 30. For you math majors out there, that would be an 8-23 record, as Pittsburgh has gone from 1.5 games out of first place to 18.5 during that span.

(Almost) Manager of the Year.

The thing on everyone's mind when the Bucs were doing well was breaking the unfathomable streak of 18 seasons under .500, which has been going strong since 1993. Of course during my lifetime, I had never experienced a winning season so my feelings were very mixed while the Pirates were hovering around first place around the All-Star break. Even though the Bucs were overachieving, and everyone knew it, I had the feeling that, "This is the year! They are really gonna do it!"

(Almost) Most Valuable Player.

But now that they fell from the top and are pretty much where they should have been anyways, I am really not surprised, and neither is anyone else. The talent on their roster is honestly more reflected in a 62-72 record than it is in a 54-49 record. With most of their talent, especially pitching, in the lower minor leagues, the Pirates are still at least two years away from being competitive in the National League.

(Almost) fielded this ground ball cleanly.

Lately I have been thinking of a few scenarios for the Pirates for the remainder of the season and wondering which one would be ideal for long-term success:

1. If the Pirates finish .500 this year, they will get the monkey off their back, but will have raised expectations for next year, which they probably will not meet.

2. But if they finish below .500, they will make it 19 consecutive losing seasons, but they can keep progressing at their own pace with limited expectations for next year.

Of course it will basically take a miracle for the team to finish 19-9 the rest of the season, but I am still asking: Which of these situations would be better for the team, fan base and organization as a whole?