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It has been a frustrating 2016 season for the Pittsburgh Pirates and their fan base. With recently nonexistent expectations raised by a couple brief postseason appearances, the Pirates unexpectedly find themselves below .500 after being swept by the Cubs and Brewers. How did the Pirates get here, and what might their short-term future hold?The Pirates have been one of the games feel-good stories in recent seasons. It wasnt long ago that they finally broke their seemingly interminable streak of sub-.500 seasons and turned things around to the point that their current losing streak is more than a bit off-putting, though they remain in the race for the second wild-card spot that seemingly no team wants to win.One of the factors that held the Bucs back during their generation of futility was a relatively low team payroll, and their standing in that regard has changed only modestly. Their Opening Day payroll checked in at just below $100 million ($99.945 million, to be exact), 19th in the majors. Their year-end ranking likely will fall a couple notches, thanks to the money-saving trades of Francisco Liriano and Mark Melancon.In 2012-15, the Pirates ranked 29th, 25th, 27th and 24th in team payroll, respectively. Over that span, the Rays and Astros were the only other teams to rank 24th or lower each season, and only two other clubs, the Indians and As, ranked below 20th in each of those four seasons.The Pirates have a superb and still relatively new ballpark, and their attendance has trended up in recent seasons, but the fact is they will never be near the top of the games salary rankings. They have flexibility to make a big strategic add if the competitive situation dictates it, but there will never be much margin for error.Its pretty simple. If the Pittsburgh Pirates wish to be perennial contenders, they have two primary tasks.1) They must grow their own superstars. This is because they simply are not able to compete for players at the top, or even upper-middle region, of the free-agent market.2) They must outsmart other clubs in an environment in which everyone is getting smarter. They must be creative, anticipate trends and zig when others are zagging.Before we look at how the Pirates currently grade out in those two areas, lets take a step back and assess how the Pirates have arrived at the intersection of Contention Street and Mediocrity Avenue.Cheap Authentic Jerseys 2020 . Those lessons were more than enough to overwhelm the Utah Jazz. Lou Williams scored 25 points and the Hawks continued their offensive upswing as they rolled to an easy 118-85 victory over the Jazz on Friday night, winning their third straight and for the fourth time in five games. Wholesale China Jerseys Free Shipping . Bryzgalov stopped 25 shots on Saturday in the Oklahoma City Barons 4-1 victory over the Abbotsford Heat. The Oilers signed Bryzgalov to a one-year $2 million contract last Friday after shedding payroll by dealing defenceman Ladislav Smid to the Flames. https://www.wholesalejerseysreview.com/ . -- Yogi Ferrell orchestrates pretty much everything in Indianas offence. Wholesale Jerseys Review . John Lucas, signed as a mentor for rookie Trey Burke, showed he can score if required, scoring 12 points of his 16 points in the second quarter as Utah built an 18-point lead. China Jerseys 2020 . But what about the officials? Every sport has officials and they also have stories about hard work and sacrifice but their accomplishments are seldom recognized by anyone outside their inner circle.MANKATO, Minn. -- Vikings running back Adrian Peterson suffered a slight hamstring pull while working out the week before the start of training camp, coach Mike Zimmer said Saturday.The NFLs leading rusher in 2015 has missed the teams first two practices, but Zimmer doesnt expect Petersons injury to be long-lasting.Peterson took the Vikings conditioning test Friday, a day after the rest of the roster did, and worked on the side with the teams athletic training staff for a second straight day Saturday.On Saturday morning, Peterson said he would be fine, and Zimmer said the light workload was more out of caution than anything else.He can do things; he just cant turn it all the way loose, Zimmer said. Were just being careful.As the Vikings ease Peterson into action, theyve had a chance to takee a longer look at Jerick McKinnon, who posted 673 yards from scrimmage as a rookie and helped jump-start the teams offense late last season as a runner and a receiver.ddddddddddddMcKinnon, who posted 444 yards on 73 touches in 2015, lined up at wide receiver Saturday. He caught a deep ball in stride from backup quarterback Shaun Hill and high-fived fans as he strolled into the end zone.Its good we get to see some of these young backs. But [Peterson will] be out here fairly soon, I think, Zimmer said.The coach also said wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson, who injured his left shoulder while making a diving catch Friday, would be back on the field in a few days. ' ' '