It’s hard not to be down on the Pittsburgh Pirates.

After all, wasn’t it just a month ago when playoff fever was sending everyone in the ‘Burgh into a frenzy?

It was the Pirate Flu, or maybe it was the North Shore Virus — whatever it was, we had it.

Baseball was the talk of the town in August. That hadn’t been the case since people walked around with mullets ... on purpose.

Losing, though, proved to be the vaccine.

The bottom has fallen out on the Bucs. People are jumping off the Bucco Bandwagon as if it were the Titanic.

But, is it really that bad?

Sure, on Aug. 8 the Pirates were 63-47 and a season-high 16 games above .500. And, sure, 32 games later they are a mere two games above water. Have people forgotten that this franchise hasn’t been this close to a winning campaign since 1997 and haven’t actually notched 82 wins since 1992?

Baby steps. Baby steps.

It wasn’t long ago when the Pirates were more likely to lose 100 games than win 80.

It wasn’t long ago when the team was eliminated from the playoff race pretty much from the first pitch of the season.

That is no longer the case.

Ask any diehard Bucs’ fan before the season started if he or she would be happy with a 72-70 record after 142 games and most likely, he or she would have said, “yes.”

The club is still only 2½ games out of the second wild card spot (thanks Bud Selig) and has to merely go 10-10 in the final 20 games to end the longest consecutive losing season streak in professional sports history.

The Bucs only have to go 9-11 to have a non-losing season, which is sort of like eating fat-free ice cream.

Seven of those games are against the Houston Astros, who aren’t much better than the Altoona Curve. The last three games at PNC Park against Atlanta could mean nothing for the Braves, who will likely save their best pitchers for the playoffs.

That’s 10 winnable games right there.

Of course, the Pirates have turned many winnable games into losses lately.

The club has lost six in a row to the Cubs and the Reds, have won just two of their last 10 and have found many interesting ways to come up short.

Suicide squeeze anyone? Removing a pitcher who was cruising after just 88 pitches?

Even if the Pirates should fall short of a winning season, there’s always next year.

Yes, that has been the mantra for more than two decades, but this time it carries weight. This time, it is more than just a campaign promise by the upper management. This time, champagne isn’t flowing for losing just 99 games.

Pittsburgh has improved each season. There’s no reason to believe the club won’t take another step up next year with bright young stars on the roster and more on the way.

It could be worse. It could be 2010 again.

Mike Kilroy is a staff writer for the Butler Eagle.