Robert Bendiner’s article “What I Learned from the Pirates” (September/October) warmed the heart of this long-suffering Pittsburgh fan.

As a veteran of many lengthy afternoons at Forbes Field and, more recently, evenings at Three Rivers Stadium, I share some of his memories of the ups and downs of our distinguished team.

I sense as well his identification with my frequent longing for the days of real grass … 154-game schedules … eight teams per league … and, yes, no city west of St. Louis with a major-league team!

Thanks for a gracious evocation of the good old days.