That was some letter Pirates owner Kevin McClatchy wrote to the fans in this newspaper Tuesday. It was pretty classy to congratulate Dan Rooney and the Steelers. It can't be easy being the gracious next-door neighbors of a franchise that's infinitely more popular and successful.

It's also nice McClatchy wants the Pirates to have an even greater give-back impact in the community. He has always been good that way. Considered a carpetbagger from Sacramento when he bought the Pirates in 1996, he proved a long time ago he was here to stay. He always has tried to make a difference.

But there was one part of McClatchy's letter that lost me.

The part about how the Pirates are turning the corner on the field.

I read that over and over and couldn't shake one thought:

Thank goodness only 202 days until the Steelers' opener!

That might seem like a horrible thing to say before the Pirates open spring training this morning, but that's the product of 13 consecutive losing seasons.

The skepticism comes from too many broken promises by McClatchy. Aren't you tired of his turning-the-corner message year after year?

That isn't to say we don't want to believe. It would be terrific if the Pirates won again. Their loyal fans already support the team in amazing numbers and get little back for their entertainment dollars. Imagine what it would be like if they had a pennant contender.

But what we want and reality are two different things.

McClatchy and his partner, G. Ogden Nutting, who many of us believe is calling the shots and has turned the franchise into a national joke, have shown no signs of being able to build a winner.

We should keep that in mind before we buy into McClatchy's letter and put our hearts out there to be broken again.

Go back to '96 after McClatchy bought the Pirates and promised to increase the payroll. All of us were excited. Then, McClatchy took a hard look at his books and instead realized he had to cut payroll drastically. That led to manager Jim Leyland leaving and a $9 million payroll in '97.

Go back to that '97 season when McClatchy talked of a five-year plan and to '98 when he said the team was right on course to be championship-caliber by 2001. Silly me, I still believed then.

Go back to 2000 when McClatchy predicted a 90-win season. The team lost 93 and fired manager Gene Lamont.

Go back to '01 when McClatchy promised the new ballpark would solve all the Pirates' problems. They lost 100 games that season, then had the nerve to raise ticket prices for '02. They lost 89 games that season and 87 the next. They lost $30 million in those first three seasons at PNC Park. They gave away their best young player -- third baseman Aramis Ramirez -- in a salary dump. Yeah, the new ballpark cured everything.

Go back to last February when McClatchy said he liked "where we are as a team." Your 2005 Pirates went 67-95 and fired manager Lloyd McClendon.

Are you still willing to put your heart out there?

Yes, the Pirates raised their payroll more than 30 percent to $47 million. But they still have the lowest payroll in the National League Central Division.

Yes, the Pirates brought in Sean Casey, Jeromy Burnitz and Joe Randa to change the losing culture in their clubhouse. But based on what? Casey played on losing teams the past five seasons in Cincinnati. Burnitz grew up in the Milwaukee organization. Randa played on San Diego's division-winning team last year after being traded from Cincinnati at midseason, but played on just one other winning team in his previous 10 seasons.

Yes, the Pirates are counting on Oliver Perez and Kip Wells, big time. But where are the guarantees? They combined to go 15-23 last season.

Yes, the Pirates are convinced Zach Duke and Paul Maholm will pick up where they left off last season. But, again, where are the guarantees?

Ah, enough with the negativity.

I know, it's hard to avoid with a team that never wins.

But let's try, OK?

Maybe Casey will hit .350 and Burnitz will hit 30 balls into the Allegheny River.

Maybe Perez, Duke and Maholm will pitch lights out.

Maybe new pitching coach Jim Colborn really will be a miracle-worker and break through to the enigmatic Wells.

Maybe new closer Mike Gonzalez will get 50 saves, which is exactly 46 more than he has to this point of his career.

Maybe new manager Jim Tracy will do what McClendon, Lamont and Leyland couldn't do before him under McClatchy and field that winning team.

Then -- and only then -- should we believe anything McClatchy says about baseball.