The hapless Pittsburgh Pirates finished in last place in the National League Eastern Division this year, amid scandals of drug use by players.

But that hasn't stopped Pittsburgh's Carnegie-Mellon University from trying to patch up "the family" by joining a consortium of private and public investors which this month announced they will buy the Bucs for $22 million.

"Carnegie-Mellon is very involved in the revitalization and growth of the city of Pittsburgh," said Don Hale, assistant vice-president for university relations. "We believe that having a professional sports team in Pittsburgh is important to the continued vitality of the city's economy."

Therefore the university joined an impressive coalition of corporate and individual investors, including Westinghouse, U.S. Steel, and Ryan Homes, dedicated to allowing the five-time World Series winners to remain in Pittsburgh.

Carnegie-Mellon was given its share of investment money by "an anonymous donor who has worked with the university in the past," said Hale.

CMU President Richard M. Cyert stressed in a campus-wide memo that CMU's "involvement in no way draws funds from university resources."