Beaver County Times, September 29, 2013

The Pirates soaked the jolly roger, cutting loose with a splashy party after they clinched a postseason spot Monday in Chicago.
Hard to believe, but some people are either criticizing or ridiculing them for that.
This is a franchise that hadn't had a winning season since 1992, and had a 57-105 record in 2010.
Yes, the reality is their stay in the postseason could last all of three hours. But don't begrudge their embracing of a special moment.
The Cincinnati Reds also clinched a postseason berth on Monday, but there was no celebration. Manager Dusty Baker told the clubhouse workers not to order champagne, and not to worry about putting protective plastic sheeting over the lockers.
"Popping bottles for a one-game playoff is stupid," Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips said. (He made the comment in advance of the Reds' clinching, not in response to what the Pirates did).
That attitude is fine for the Reds. They were in the playoffs last season, and were expected to win this year. A wild card spot isn't a big deal for them, and that's OK.
For the Pirates, this wasn't just a celebration. It was an exorcism.
The Pirates finally slayed the demons that had stubbornly stuck around too long.
The ghosts of Derek Bell, Matt Morris, Jimmy Anderson and John Russell were all drowned in champagne.
The celebration was not only appropriate, it was pretty much mandatory.
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--Stuck in the middle
Three games in, we have ample evidence that the Steelers aren't a good team.
But it's also unlikely that they're completely awful, and that's too bad.
As painful as a 4-12 season might be, it would a long-term benefit to the organization because it would translate into a much better drafting position.
The Steelers went 8-8 last year, missed the playoffs, but didn't get their draft call until the 17th turn. Franchise-caliber players are gone by then.
Unless the whole AFC improbably sinks into a morass of 8-8-ness, the Steelers aren't a playoff team.
If you can't make the playoffs, make the top five list at the draft.
The Steelers are in a unique position where they can easily absorb a bad season. They don't have tickets to sell. People will continue to buy "LAMBERT 58" jerseys. The only downside is the endless babble of talk radio, and what does that mean? People were complaining when they were 12-4.
For all the gloom that has come with the 0-3 start, it looks like the Steelers have a bunch of games they can and should win, starting with today's overseas date with Minnesota.
After next week's bye, they play the Jets, Raiders, Bills, Lions and Browns over the course of seven weeks that includes games against the Patriots and Ravens.
The Steelers are going to win some games -- not enough to get them in the postseason, but too many for their long-term good.
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--Money management
Funny, there haven't been any complaints lately about how the Brewers have a bigger payroll than the Pirates.
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--British invasion
England sends us the Beatles, and we send them the 0-3 Steelers vs. the 0-3 Vikings?
That doesn't seem fair.
Then again, maybe this is the way we pay them back for George Michael and Wham!