Mirror photo by Teri Enciso Pirates GM Neal Huntington (left) and president Frank Coonelly take in a game at BCB Wednesday.

The Pirates have been terrible for a long time. Everyone knows this. It’s not easy for fans to continue practicing patience with a team that’s suffered 15 straight losing seasons, but that’s what the organization’s new front office is asking for. Give us some time, the head honchos say, and we will turn this thing around. The Bucs’ record this season shows virtually no improvement has been made over the past year. The club was 39-47 on July 6, 2007, and it’s a whopping one game better this season at 40-46. So far, not so good for the new regime. Right? Not according to team president Frank Coonelly. ‘‘Very clearly I feel like we’ve made progress,’’ Coonelly said Wednesday during a visit to Blair County Ballpark. ‘‘We’re on the right path to success.’’ Not record-wise, perhaps, but the Pirates are confident they have made marked improvements in other key areas.