It has been 28 plus year since Sister Sledge’s “We are Family” rang throughout Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh as the Pirates came back from a 3-1 series deficit to beat the Baltimore Orioles 4-1 in Game 7 of the World Series.

The 1979 World Championship was the fifth and last title for this historic franchise that has been floundering in mediocrity the last 15 years.

Pittsburgh currently holds the record for most consecutive losing seasons in the four major sports as the Pirates haven’t been above the .500 since 1992 when they went 96-66 and lost in the NL Championship Series to the Atlanta Braves in seven games.

Pittsburgh finished last season with a 68-94 record which placed them in the cellar in the relatively weak NL Central Division. The Bucs finished 17 games behind the first place, Chicago Cubs.

The defining moment for the Pirates in 2007 came in the month of August. For 30 days, the Pirates were teased by how good things can be when everything clicks. Offensive production up and down the lineup, a stingy bullpen and consistently above-average results from the starting corps led to the Pirates winning more games in the month (17) than in any month since 2004.

Pittsburgh also showed signs of improvement within their pitching staff. On June 1, the Pirates saw a change of the guard in their closing duties. Matt Capps replaced Salomon Torres, and his immediate success as the ninth-inning stopper gives the Pirates a closer that former manager Jim Tracy often refers to as “very special.” And don’t forget that the second-year big leaguer is just 24 years old. The emergence of Tom Gorzelanny as one of the top pitchers in the league has given Pittsburgh reasons to believe that 2008 will be a much better season.

The Pirates have every position player under their control through next season, which takes away much of the guess work in who will dent the 2008 Opening Day lineup. Catcher Ronny Paulino will remain the starter ahead of Ryan Doumit. LaRoche and second baseman Freddy Sanchez will again hold down the right side of the infield, as well as the heart of the order. With the way shortstop Jack Wilson closed out the season, it appears less likely he’ll be dealt away, though the same can’t be said for shortstop Cesar Izturis. Third base will belong to Jose Bautista, but with prospect Neil Walker waiting in the wings, the question remains — for how long? Left fielder Jason Bay and Nady are obvious fixtures, while some combination of Nyjer Morgan, Nate McLouth, Steve Pearce, Doumit and possibly Andrew McCutchen will battle for the final outfield spot.

The starting rotation is pretty much set for the 2008 season. Left-hander Gorzelanny emerged as the team ace last season and will head up a rotation that shows great youthful promise. Both lefty Paul Maholm and righty Ian Snell went through growing pains in 2007, but also showed signs of maturing into potentially dominant starters. Though he missed two months with elbow irritation, southpaw Zach Duke believes his struggles last season were an anomaly and the expectations for a rebound year are high. Rounding out the starting five is veteran right-hander Matt Morris.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports the Pirates continue to talk with former reliever Shawn Chacon about returning to the Steel City. The Pirates are in need of a setup man for Capps and believe Chacon, who posted a 3.94 ERA in 64 appearances (four starts), can handle the responsibilties. “Shawn is open to going back there,” his agent, Danny Horwits, said. “And the Pirates are still one of the teams we’re talking to. I expect we’ll keep talking. We certainly haven’t closed any doors.”

While there aren’t any glaring weaknesses going into next season, the Pirates do need to sure up their bullpen. With Chacon likely gone, the Pirates could use another veteran right-handed arm in the setup man role. A new veteran presence in any capacity would be a plus.

This past week, Major League Baseball released final payroll numbers for 2007, with the Pirates finishing with the 27th highest payroll among the 30 big-league teams. Their final payroll was $51.4 million, nearly $20 million more than the lowest-spending team (Tampa Bay), but $167 million less than the free-spending Yankees.

The Pirates’ final 2007 payroll did show an increase of $8 million from what they spent on payroll in 2006.

For Pittsburgh, the mantra has been the same — other clubs in similar markets with slightly larger payrolls have succeeded in recent years by maximizing returns in the First-Year Player Draft and through building a young core of players that come at a lower cost. The prime examples are — the Rockies, the Indians and the Diamondbacks.  

Pittsburgh is a year or two away from contending in the NL Central Division. Pittsburgh’s major need is to continue to stockpile their farm system and hope eventually these young players can carry the Pirates back to respectablility.

GM Neal Huntington also added that a commitment from ownership to spend on sound baseball acquisitions is the difference between being a bottom-feeder or a contender.

“If we are winning, then we have the financial flexibility to go out and get the missing pieces,” Huntington said.

2008  Prediction: Pittsburgh will slightly improve on their 2007 record of 68-94. The Pirates will finish in last place in the NL Central but they could be a huge factor in deciding who wins their division. The Pirates have a history of playing Chicago and Milwaukee tough at PNC Park.

2008 Record: 71-91.