It’s the middle of August. The Pittsburgh Steelers (remember them?) already have played one preseason game and there are position battles being waged all over the field.

Who will get the bulk of the carries at running back? Who’s going to fill in for Heath Miller at tight end? Who is going to emerge as the next great outside linebacker to replace James Harrison?

Usually, this news would be plastered on the front pages of sports sections all over Western Pennsylvania.

This year, though, not so much.

That’s because that other team that wears black and gold in the summer and the fall, the Pittsburgh Pirates, are relevant again.

At least for now.

Football has been king in the ‘Burgh for the better part of three decades. The Pirates and the Penguins have had their fun, sure, but the Steelers have dominated on and off the field.

That may be changing.

If you believe the pundits, the Steelers could be in for a rocky season.

They very well could be the third-best pro franchise in Pittsburgh when it is all said and done.

The attention span of Pittsburgh fans is showing that.

The topic of conversation Wednesday was not of Le’Veon Bell ascending to the top of the Steelers’ depth chart at running back or defensive tackle Al Woods, a longtime backup, perhaps getting a chance to start.

The conversation was dominated by the Starling Marte dropped fly ball in the ninth inning against the Cardinals.

The drop led to a 4-3 win by St. Louis over the Pirates in extra innings.

In the past, a drop like that would have been little more than a blip in the sports radar in Pittsburgh. Of more concern would have been the state of Ben Roethlisberger’s fixed up knee.

That’s the price of being in first place with 71 wins in mid-August.

It’s good for Pittsburgh to have the Pirates dominate the news at this time of year. There will be plenty of time for hand-wringing and panic about the Steelers later.

The hand-wringing and panic already has begun for the Pirates.

Last year through 119 games, the Buccos were 66-53 and six games out of first place.

They are five games better and in first place this year.

That’s the good news.

The bad news is if the Pirates have another collapse like the last two years, they will finish with just 84 wins.

Under normal circumstances, that would be seen as a victory. It would mean a winning record and the end of 20 years of losing.

But fans expect much more from the Pirates now than just a winning season, especially after the success they enjoyed through the first 114 games this year.

Whether they win 94 or 84, the Pirates are at least now on par with the Steelers. And that’s good.

Mike Kilroy is a staff writer for the Butler Eagle.