It has been known for quite some time that the Pirates are marching toward a miserable slice of Major League Baseball history: Their string of losing seasons will be 15 if this one stays on course, and that will be one short of the sport's all-time record of 16 set by the 1933-48 Philadelphia Phillies.

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But here is an even more painful perspective: The Pirates, if they achieve that distinction, will have the longest losing streak in any of North America's four major professional sports.

Right.

Worst ... team ... ever.

Research conducted at Shea Stadium this week by Bob Waterman of the Elias Sports Bureau shows ...

The NFL's longest losing was 14 years, by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1983-96. That group, for those who forgot, spawned perhaps the greatest quote in sports history when head coach John McKay, asked about his team's execution after another defeat, replied, "I think it's a good idea."

The NHL's longest losing streak was 15 years, by the Vancouver Canucks in 1976-91. But that organization, unlike these Pirates, had at least one shining moment in that span: Goaltender "King" Richard Brodeur backstopped their stunning drive to the Stanley Cup final in 1981, where they lost to the New York Islanders.

The NBA's longest losing streak was 15 years, by the Kansas City/Sacramento Kings in 1983-98. They sneaked into the playoffs once, too, in 1996, but their only other claim to fame was employing the sweetly nicknamed "Never Nervous" Pervis Ellison.

The Pirates would be the third team in MLB history, the fifth in any sport, to have 15 consecutive losing seasons.

As for active streaks, no other team comes close: The NFL's Arizona Cardinals are at eight consecutive losing seasons, the NHL's Columbus Blue Jackets at six, the NBA's Atlanta Hawks at eight.

Lesson to be learned

John "T-bone" Shelby, the Pirates' first base coach, has spent 29 years in professional baseball, most of the past decade in his current role at the major-league level.

And yet, no matter how many times he trots to his box, as he will attest, he cannot let down his guard.

"I never take my eye off the hitter," Shelby said. "In this business, we've all been hit by baseballs. We don't like it."

The issue came to a tragic light when Mike Coolbaugh, first base coach for Class AA Tulsa, was killed last Sunday by a line drive to the head. That already has prompted one major-league first base coach, Glenallen Hill of the parent Colorado Rockies, to don a batting helmet when taking the field.

Shelby is not prepared to go that far, apparently, but he did advise caution.

"I try to get at an angle where I can see the hitter, the pitcher, the runner and the first baseman," he said. "But some guys I see ... they turn their backs and just focus on the runner. I can't do that. I can't understand that."

In addition to keeping an eye on the batter, Shelby takes the extra step of backing well out of his box when Adam LaRoche, Ryan Doumit or other left-handers are up.

"The way those guys can smoke the ball from that side, you don't always have the reaction time to get out of the way."

Does he ever feel in danger?

"What happened last week was terrible, an unfortunate situation. But, to be honest with you, I see more fans get hit my way than coaches. I think it's a lot more dangerous for the fans because they're not always paying attention."

Smoking 'em like a cheap cigar

The Pirates' $1.92 million investment in Cuban defector Yoslan Herrera gradually is beginning to pay.

In his first 10 starts for Class AA Altoona, he was 0-4 with a 6.47 ERA, largely because he was too passive with his fastball, too erratic with his off-speed stuff.

"What he needed to do," director of player development Brian Graham said, "was to learn how to just rear back and let it go."

Herrera began doing that, though not in any single spurt, and the result has been a 6-1 record and 2.21 ERA in his past eight starts. He still is not pitching beyond the sixth inning, still giving up too many hits and still managing only a strikeout or two per outing, all signs that he hardly is ready for some dramatic jump. But the improvement, the Pirates say, is encouraging.

General manager Dave Littlefield pointed to Herrera, 26, having been away from pitching for two years because of his defector status.

"It's what you'd expect, having a slow start, based on his being away for a couple years," Littlefield said. "The velocity's going to drop. A lot's going to go down. But he's coming along nicely."

Statistics, lies and ...

The Pirates are 33-20 when scoring four or more runs, 9-40 when scoring fewer.

Seems cut and dried, right?

When they hit, they win. When they do not, they lose.

Or maybe not.

A deeper look inside the numbers shows this oddity: When the Pirates score exactly four or exactly five runs, their record is 8-14. And that means that the more relevant number as to how much offense it takes for them to win is six. When they score six or more runs, they are 25-5.

Of course, the trouble with that is that few teams score six on a regular basis.

What, then, is the issue?

Try this: The Pirates' pitchers have given up six or more runs a whopping 39 times.

And this, too: The Pirates have beaten their opponents by five or more runs only nine times all year, which puts pressure on the pitchers and ...

Oh, never mind.