Pirates clinch record-breaking season

I grew up in and around Pittsburgh, as you may know.  I was a child during the heyday of "We Are Family" and the "City of Champions."  I only got to see a few Pirates games at Three Rivers Stadium, but I remember the feeling of being there.  It's a feeling I've kept with me throughout my life, and why I still love going to live baseball games.

It breaks my heart to see that the Pirates have sealed a record-breaking season of the most horrible kind.  You see, the team has clinched their 19th consecutive LOSING season.  Yeap, 19 seasons in a row with a losing record. 

The Pirates are now the all-time leading record holders for the most consecutive losing seasons in North America.  While I know many anti-Pittsburgh folks are going to eat this up, I can't stand it.  I don't know what the cure is, but obviously some changes need to be made.  I am pretty sure than just about anyone walking into PNC park could put together a losing record.  The Pirates need to bring out the broom and get the mess cleaned up. 

I am an Indians fan through and through, but heck, give me a year to manage the team.  Why not? I sure couldn't do any worse.  I'm a Pittsburgh native and believe the Pirates are worth having in the MLB and I believe they could be a winning-season team, given a shake-up in the way things are done.

My fear is that Pittsburgh is about to lose its franchise.  I cannot imagine life in Pittsburgh without the Pirates, but I also don't see how the MLB can allow any city's team to keep losing and losing and losing (repeat for 19 seasons).  While making changes in leadership and on-field personnel would certainly help, those are short-term fixes.  In the long-term, the folks in the 'Burgh have got to make the Pirates the team they once were.

I compare it to the Indians of the 90's.  Before 1991, really, the Tribe was essentially the joke of the MLB (can you say THREE "Major League" movies!?).  Then, things got turned around. At least for a while.  The Pirates need to do the same thing.  They already have a newer stadium.  Time for other changes.

Then again, I suppose a remake of "Major League" featuring Pirate instead may be in order.

In the meantime, if anyone at the Pirate organization comes across this post, I'll be more than happy to talk about a one-season contract to turn things around, with an extension after the winning season, of course.  But, I would not be looking for anything long-term.  The idea is to kick start the team, keep things freash, make things move.  We've had enough stagnation to last two decades.