Do the Pittsburgh pirates stink

Answer 1

Having been born and bred and still live in suburban Washington, DC I think I know a little something about bad professional sports teams. The answer to your question, unfortunately, is yes.

The Pirates have not had a winning season, .500 or better, since 1992. This 18 year span is the longest in U.S. professional sports. Even doormats like the Detroit Lions in the NFL and the Los Angeles Clippers and Washington Bullets/Wizards in the NBA have had winning seasons since 1992.

The Pirates do not hold on to their best players. Just in the past few years Jason Bay, Freddie Sanchez, Tom Gorzelanny, Jack Wilson, Nate McLouth, Sean Burnett, et al, have been traded away for minor leaguers or players nowhere near as talented. One would guess that the team simply doesn't have the money to pay these players once they reach free agency stage. If this is the case, the Pirates have no chance of being successful in today's MLB.

It is disappointing to see the Pirates, a team with such a long and rich history, sink to depths hitherto unseen. They have been playing professional Baseball since 1882 when they were known as the Alleghenys. They played in the first World Series in 1903 and have won 5 World Series total. The list of Hall of Famers that played for them includes Honus Wagner, Lloyd Waner, Paul Waner, Bill Mazeroski, and Willie Stargell. The 'We Are Family' team of 1979 was behind 3 games to 1 in the 1979 World Series only to come back and win.

And now this. Air freshener sales must skyrocket during baseball season in Pittsburgh because the Pirates do truly stink.