The major league baseball season is just three weeks old and already I've lost any excitement that comes in the spring.

I was hoping the Pirates could keep things respectable at least until the All-Star break, when things usually begin to deteriorate, or at best the start of the Steelers' training camp in July.

But not this year's Pirates.

With the NFL draft set for Saturday and Sunday, the Pirates will begin to get bumped to the inside of the sports pages, not that anyone would be looking for them.

Everyone will be more interested in if the Steelers take their next great offensive lineman in the first round rather than if the Buccos win — or lose.

Perhaps, like me, you were fooled early, teased that there would actually be some reason for optimism. I tend to follow the "Expect the worst, hope for the best" mentality, and that holds true for the Pirates.

With each losing season, there's always the chance that next one will be different. Maybe a player or two will break through and carry the team to mediocrity. It's been known to happen, just not in Pittsburgh.

The team has loaded up on pitching in the first round of draft over the past decade, but injuries have curtailed their development and, in turn, their contributions to the team.

After a three-game sweep by the Cubs dropped the Pirates to 3-6, the team turned around and swept the Cincinnati Reds.

With a 6-6 record and the team ready to embark on a six-game road trip, things appeared to be brightening for Pittsburgh.

When the team used a two-out three-run homer by Nate McLouth in the top of the ninth inning in the first game to win 6-4 at Los Angeles, the Pirates were above 500 and riding a four-game winning streak.

Then they crashed to earth. Hard, with a collective thud.

They lost to the Dodgers 11-2 and 8-1, then went to Chicago and lost a tough 4-3 decision before being bashed by the Cubbies 13-1 and 13-6.

On Monday, a 10-4 loss at home to the Florida Marlins sank the team to 7-12.

That sounds like a formula for a team with bad pitching and, worse yet, a team that is giving up.

I hope not for the players' sake, but they have to feel deflated by last week's results.

The Pirates can ill afford to fall behind and are staring at tying the major-league record for 16 consecutive losing seasons.

Players, coaches and general managers come and go for this team, but the fans have little choice but to ride it out.

Myself, I'm a little tired of it. It really wears you down. I'm sure the current roster will feel the same way, although their interest is not as vested as the team's fan base.

It's more here today, released or traded for lesser talent tomorrow.

I don't know how much of my time and interest I can devote to this team anymore. I didn't even follow them over the weekend, other than seeing a score on the crawler at the bottom of the TV screen.

If things turn around, I'm sure my interest with be piqued, but I'm guessing it won't happen this year.

Of course, there's always next year.

Again. Sigh.