SI ON THE PIRATES: "64-98"

Sports Illustrated came out with their 2009 MLB predictions yesterday, and if you're a Pirate fan, you might want to cover your ears. Why? Because they're guessing your Buccos will finish a league-worst 64-98 while setting the record for consecutive losing seasons. Which means we'll have some history to look forward to in 2009 at the very least.The author of their Pirate preview, Albert Chen, zeroes in on a few individuals crucial to the team's success in 2009: new pitching coach Joe Kerrigan, who will try to turn an erratic pitching staff into a strength, and the Brothers LaRoche, who alternate between starting the year slow (Adam) and ending the year slow (Andy).The Pirates' 2009 opening-day lineup features as many players who hit above .300 last year as hit below .200 last year: one of each (Ryan Doumit, .318, and Andy LaRoche, .166). They have just one starter with a sub-4.00 ERA in 2008 (Paul Maholm, 3.71). They will be sorely lacking in the longball depar...