For about a week in July, it felt like baseball was back in Pittsburgh.
The Pirates were above .500. Their fans were packing the stadium, not just to see rookie phenom Paul Skenes, but to see a winning team.
With a chance to capitalize on their position in the standings, and yet another grace of goodwill given by the fans, the Pirates opted to conduct business as usual.
Here we are in mid-August, with a story that defines this franchise: The Pirates have entered a massive losing streak, after taking a cheap route at the deadline, while starting to sell their fans that next year will be better, as those fans start to tune out for football season.