The talented but (arguably) underachieving Pittsburgh Pirates teams of the early 1990s advanced to the National League Championship Series for three consecutive seasons but never made it to the World Series. The authors document the Pirates' ups and downs from the 1979 World Series championship, through the 1980s when the city nearly lost the team, to the promise but ultimate frustration of the 1990-1992 teams that lost in heartbreaking fashion despite a talented manager in Jim Leyland and an exceptional (but controversial) player in Barry Bonds. They then present the decline of the franchise following the departure of these two figures and others. This decline resulted in 20 consecutive losing seasons until a breakout 2013 campaign.