Though the Pirates are getting set to play only their second season PNC Park, a jewel of a facility located on the Allegheny River with a spectacular view of downtown, ticket sales are down. The Pirates figure to sell less than 11,000 full-season ticket plans this year after setting a club record with 17,000 last season.

The Pirates had a total attendance of 2.4 million last season, best in franchise history. However, it looks as if they won't even draw 2 million this year.

The Pirates have suffered nine straight losing seasons, matching the longest streak of futility in club history (1949-57). The crushing blow came last season when the Pirates moved into their new park and went 62-100, tying Tampa Bay for the worst record in the major leagues and hitting triple digits in losses for just the second time since 1954.

"I get the sense the fans are frustrated," said Pirates general manager Dave Littlefield, who replaced the fired Cam Bonifay last July 13. "I understand why they are frustrated. It's our job to put a better team on the field and it's my job to put together a program that will make the fans want to come out."

While fan enthusiasm is waning, the feeling in the clubhouse is good for a club universally picked to finish sixth in the six-team National League Central by national publications.

"I like what I see of this team," second-year Pirates manager Lloyd McClendon said. "I certainly like the attitude and I like the behavior of our ballclub on the field. I like the look in the players' eyes. I like the walk they have around the clubhouse and on field. Guys are taking the field expecting to win instead of hoping to win.

"I'm seeing three or four guys in the locker room beginning to emerge as leaders. I see a team starting to take steps toward growing up. There's a good feeling around this club." Second baseman Pokey Reese sees it, too. He signed with the Pirates as a free agent in late January and is surprised by the atmosphere around his new club.

"There's such an upbeat feeling," Reese said. "When a team loses 100 games, you would think the atmosphere might be dead. But what struck me about playing against the Pirates last year is they always played with enthusiasm even during a tough season. Now, I can feel that enthusiasm."

Whether that enthusiasm will be enough to carry the Pirates back to respectability remains to be seen. It seems certain the Pirates will post a 10th straight losing season, breaking the franchise record for most consecutive years under .500.

The Pirates' talent level is still suspect. They finished 29th among the 30 major leagues in run scored last season, ahead of only the New York Mets, but their only significant offseason position player addition was the defense-minded Reese.

The Pirates were also 28th in the majors in ERA. While five pitchers on the Opening Day staff will be new faces, the Pirates still will begin the season with a starting rotation that has totaled only 68 wins at the major league level and a bullpen that lacks a dominant closer.

Despite last year's anemic hitting attack, six of the eight players in the Opening Day lineup will be holdovers from last year's opener -- catcher Jason Kendall (.266-10-53 last season), first baseman Kevin Young (.232-14-65), third baseman Aramis Ramirez (.300-34-112), shortstop Jack Wilson (.223-3-25), left fielder Brian Giles (.309-37-95) and center fielder Adrian Brown (.194-1-2).

Giles is a legitimate star who puts up statistics that rank with just about anybody in the league. Ramirez is an emerging star and a standout clutch hitter. Kendall should bounce back from his worst season after undergoing reconstructive left thumb surgery last October.

However, the rest of the lineup is questionable.

Young has been in a two-year tailspin though he has looked better this spring, and Brown, who was limited to eight games last season by shoulder surgery, and Wilson have yet to prove they can be consistent major league hitters. Reese's batting average fell to .224 last season, the second straight year it dropped at least 30 points.

Right fielders Craig Wilson (.310-13-32) and Armando Rios (.260-14-49) show outstanding power potential but haven't had the chance to play regularly in the majors. Neither has done enough in spring training to warrant being named the regular, and they will likely platoon.

"I like the way we've swung the bats this spring, especially late in the exhibition season," McClendon said. "Almost everyone in our lineup has room for improvement this season. I see a lot of upside there, and that leads me to believe we can score more runs."

The starting rotation also has its share of question marks.

Left-hander Ron Villone (6-10, 5.89) will be the Opening Day starter on April 1in New York against the Mets even though he has a 29-31 record in eight seasons and is with his eighth club. Villone was on the free agent market until Feb. 12, just two days before spring training began, and will have a $900,000 base salary after making $2.8 million with Colorado and Houston last season.

Right-hander Kip Wells (10-11, 4.79) has 20 wins, left-hander Jimmy Anderson (9-17, 5.10) has 16, lefty Dave Williams (3-7, 3.71) has three and righty Josh Fogg (0-0, 2.03) has none. In all, the fivesome has started only 186 games in the big leagues.

Wells and Fogg were acquired from the Chicago White Sox along with reliever Sean Lowe in a Dec. 13 trade for pitcher Todd Ritchie. Wells and Fogg have been impressive this spring, and the Pirates believe they can be part of the rotation for many years to come. They also believe Wells can slot in well as a No. 2 behind right-hander Kris Benson once the ace-in-waiting returns in May or June after having reconstructive elbow surgery last year.

With such an inexperienced rotation, the Pirates will rely heavy on a new-look bullpen that includes such veterans as closer Mike Williams (6-4, 3.80, 22 saves), right-handers Mike Fetters (3-2, 5.51, 9 saves), Lowe (9-4, 3.61, 3 saves) and Brian Boehringer (0-4, 3.65, 2 saves) and left-hander Scott Sauerbeck (2-2, 5.60).

Williams admits he is not a top-flight closer. However, he did converted 69 of 81 save opportunities for the Pirates over the past three seasons before being traded to Houston last July 31, then returning to Pittsburgh as a free agent in January.

Fetters made good on eight of nine save chances last year after Williams left and will provide depth at closer. Lowe and Boehringer, signed as a minor-league free agent in January, will provide versatility -- they can pitch set-up, middle and long relief.

"I like our starting rotation," McClendon said. "We have a lot of kids and they'll have some growing pains, but they also have a lot of talent. I think our bullpen is going to be really solid and we'll have a lot of quality pitchers to go to, especially if we need to protect our young starters."

Littlefield has tried to do his best to turn around a franchise hamstrung by unproductive veterans with long-term contracts -- Young (two years, $12 million left on his deal), infielder Pat Meares (two years, $7.5 million) and outfielder Derek Bell (one year and mutual option in 2003, $4.75 million) -- and the lack of any megaprospects in the minor leagues.

Littlefield is also working with a smaller budget. The Opening Day payroll figures to come in around $48 million, down from $52 million at the start of last year. The Pirates claim they lost $1.2 million in 2002 despite drawing a club-record 2.4 million in PNC Park's first season.

"It's not something that's going to happen overnight," Littlefield said of a Pirates' turnaround. "There are steps we have to take, and we're starting to take those steps now so we can improve in the future.

"We're not going to turn around a 100-loss season in a year, but we will be a better team this year. I feel confident in that."

Of course, it would be hard for the Pirates to be much worse than last season. Yet, the sobering reality is a 10-win improvement would still leave the Pirates with a 72-90 record, a long way from the .500 level.

McClendon, with a contract through 2004 but whose job status could become shaky with a poor start, won't make any predictions. However, he will make a promise.

"We'll show up every day and play hard," McClendon said. "We'll take our chances from there, but the one thing I do know is we'll play hard and play the right way. Our talent level is better than it was at this time last year. We're going into this season with a better club." TOP CANDIDATE TO SURPRISE: 2B Pokey Reese. After crashing and burning with a .224 batting average in 2001 during a contentious season in Cincinnati, Reese is extremely happy to be with the Pirates. Reese, with a clearer frame of mind, should add 30-40 points to his .224 batting average while teaming with shortstop Jack Wilson to form one of the slickest-fielding middle infield combinations in the major leagues. TOP CANDIDATE TO DISAPPOINT: CF Adrian Brown. He has never started for more two months in a row in the major leagues and was limited to only eight games last year before having shoulder surgery. Despite that less than stellar resume, the Pirates are counting on Brown to be their regular leadoff hitter and center fielder and have no backup solid plan if he falters. Many scouts believe Brown is more suited to be a fourth outfielder.

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