What are Pittsburgh sports fans supposed to watch now?

The Pitt football season’s high… What are Pittsburgh sports fans supposed to watch now?

The Pitt football season’s high hopes for the 2010 season were quickly shot down with a 27-24 loss to the Utah Utes in the season opener.

Four more losses, a co-Big East Championship, three early exits by underclassmen, a wacky bowl game, three head coaches and a revamped recruiting class later, and the Panthers began preparing for the “high octane” 2011 season.

The Steelers lost a heartbreaking Super Bowl to Green Bay, leaving a bitter taste in Pittsburgh sports fans’ mouths for the off-season, and with the NFL lockout, who knows how long that off-season will be?

The No. 1-seeded Pitt basketball team was upset during March Madness in a foul-filled final minute by the eventual national runner-up, Butler.

The Pittsburgh Penguins and their no-headed monster — caused by Evgeni Malkin sitting out with an ACL and MCL injury and Sidney Crosby sitting out with the most-discussed concussion in hockey history — flamed out in the first round of the playoffs to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

After the Penguins failed to finish the Lightning off even after their 3-1 series lead, Pittsburgh’s sports fans began their disappointed summer vacation.

Summer usually belongs to baseball, but in Pittsburgh, that usually doesn’t mean much. The Pirates are just that lifeless team in the North Shore that keeps fans mildly interested until the next season rolls around.

However, people in Pittsburgh have been talking about the Pirates–and the chatter isn’t about which promotion is coming up next. While the Pirates aren’t likely to match the success of the Steelers, Panthers or Penguins, Pitt students might have a sport to watch and care about this summer, instead of a sport to watch only for the promise of fireworks following the final out.

The Pirates — so often the butt of jokes — have found a spark under new manager Clint Hurdle.

Hurdle has taught this team that anything is possible. Lyle Overbay can bunt, Pedro Alvarez can steal, Charlie Morton can pitch and the Pirates can finish the season at .500. For most teams, finishing .500 would likely make the season a failure. But for the Pirates, it’s a start and a start is all fans can really ask for,

The Pirates are in the midst of 18 straight losing seasons so the miracle number for most Pirates fans is .500. All it consists of is 81 wins, a total that in most years will not result in a playoff berth. But for Pirates fans, it would finally be something to hold on to–especially for a team that many joke is annually eliminated from the playoffs by the third week of the season.

As a sophomore in college, I represent the youngest class at Pitt that includes students who were alive during the Pirates’ NLCS game-seven loss to the Atlanta Braves in 1992. That year also marked the Bucs’ last winning season.

Barry Bonds, skinny and clean, won MVP that year as a Bucco.

Doug Drabek, the Pirates’ ace, won the Cy Young Award two years prior in 1990.

After the 1992 season, the Pirates organization decided to rebuild by trading for young talent. It seems like the Bucs have been rebuilding ever since. The Pirates finished second in the National League Central in 1997 with a 79-83 record, but that was the closest Pittsburgh fans have come to a winning baseball team since 1992.

On Sunday, the Pirates — led by a three-run homer from Ryan Doumit — defeated the Houston Astros 5-4 and improved to 17-17 on the season.

The Pirates were .500 on May 8, the latest in the season they have broken even since 2005. That season didn’t leave up to the early season promise as the Bucs finished 67-92. On May 9 of this season, the Bucs defeated the Dodgers 4-1 to reach an 18-17 record and many fans are hoping that this year, the success isn’t fleeting.

Right now, the Pirates are third in the National League Central, two games behind the St. Louis Cardinals (20-15) and one game behind the Cincinnati Reds (19-16). It may not seem like much, but it’s not last place, and that’s something.

Led by a budding superstar in Andrew McCutchen, the Pirates are exciting, young and, most importantly, talented.

The pitching staff is one of the main reasons for the Pirates’ recent impressive play. This is a strong contrast from the past few seasons, when the Bucs’ hurlers were considered the main reason for the Pirates’ dismal record.

In 2010, three Pirates’ starting pitchers reached three wins on Aug. 31 when Jeff Karstens picked up his third victory of this season. Kevin Correia and Morton have already surpassed three wins this season with five and four victories, respectively.

Correia, an off-season acquisition by the Pirates, has turned into the ace of the staff. Starters James McDonald and Morton currently sit at two wins, and each should soon pick up his third.

Morton, through intervention by pitching coach Ray Searage, has redeveloped his pitches. The return of “good stuff” Morton and his unhittable sinker has fueled his turnaround. Last season, Morton finished 2-12 with a 7.57 ERA. He already has four wins this year and an ERA of 3.13.

As for the Pirates’ turnaround, the dream of a .500 season is only existent in the minds of fans. Hurdle and his players want more.

They believe that this team can make the playoffs. And maybe that’s just what the boys in PNC Park needed — a manager to believe in them. Hurdle is patient, preaching the basics, and isn’t afraid to approach umpires and argue calls. Seeing a player like Alvarez steal, when he isn’t known for his speed, illustrates Hurdle’s unorthodox coaching philosophy.

It’s a style of play that might seem questionable to some, but so far, you can’t argue with the results.

When asked why he made a decision that wasn’t by “the book,” Hurdle often jokes that he doesn’t own, has never read and is not even sure that such an instructional manual was ever written.

So Pittsburgh, we now have three professional sports teams.

The Pirates’ early play has earned the respect of opposing players, “Baseball Tonight” analysts and the ever-negative pundits in the Pittsburgh media. What happens the rest of the season remains to be seen, as a complete collapse of the early season success is certaintly not outside the realm of possibility, but for right now, the Pirates are the talk of the town.

The 2011 Buccos are the Battling Buccos once again, and they deserve their almost-daily three-hour spot on Root Sports.

If you haven’t tuned in yet, do. These are finally your parents’ Pittsburgh Pirates — for now.