the flip side

Even though they are paid — and paid pretty well, actually — to play a kids game, it can’t always be easy showing up for work this time of year if you’re a Pittsburgh Pirate. The Pirates are so hopelessly bad, they have become almost tragic. The franchise that gave us Pie Traynor, the Waner brothers, Bill Mazeroski, Roberto Clemente and Willie Stargell hasn’t had a winning season since 1992, when Barry Bonds was their 185-pound left fielder. Consider the plight of former Mississippi State left-hander Paul Maholm, who might be the ace of the current Bucs staff by default. While guys he played with and against in Mississippi are enjoying the thrill of the playoff chase, Greenwood native Maholm is stuck on a club that is 30 games out of first place in the National League Central. The Pirates have been out of the race, division or wild card, for weeks if not months and have lost 19 of their last 22. Maholm lost Sunday to San Diego, falling to 8-9. Considering that his club is 56-91, that’s fairly remarkable. His ERA is 4.46, high but not a disaster — unless you pitch for a club that is as offensively challenged as Pittsburgh, which traded away most of its best hitters weeks ago. The Pirates lost 4-0 on Sunday, the 15th time they’ve been shut out. If there’s a silver lining for Maholm, he might only have to start a couple more times.