PHOTO BY DAVE DICELLO

And then depression set in …

It was funny when John Winger (Bill Murray) lost his job, his apartment, his car and his girlfriend in rapid-fire succession in “Stripes.”

It’s less humorous and much more hurtful when the sentiment hits closer to home.

As recently as 2016, we were living in a relatively Golden Age of Pittsburgh sports.

The Pirates were coming off three straight forays into the playoffs.

The Steelers were getting ready to commence a season that would end within a game of the Super Bowl.

And the Penguins had won the first of what would be two Stanley Cup championships in succession.

The Glory of Rome.

How did it fall so far so fast?

At present, the Steelers have failed to win a playoff game for eight consecutive seasons.

The Penguins have made it apparent through 57 regular-season games they won’t be appearing in the postseason for a third consecutive campaign.

And the Pirates have reported to spring training with little or no expectations and have failed to measure up to even those meager standards, thanks to the first baseman they traded for (Spencer Horwitz) being unable to play (wrist surgery).

As Bluto (John Belushi) once regrettably assessed in the movie “Animal House” when the walls were closing in upon Delta House, “Might as well join the (expletive) Peace Corps.”

It’s an option.

But so, too, in what is threatening to become the Dark Ages of Pittsburgh sports, is recalibrating expectations.

As it relates to the Pirates, that should be relatively easy.

Bob Nutting’s Bucs traditionally set the bar as low as possible via the payroll.

At least there’s Paul Skenes. And PNC Park. And the chance someone will go deep, leg a double into a triple, turn a double-play or otherwise do something inherent to the game of baseball that entertains regardless of the stakes.

“It could be worse,” noted Igor (Marty Feldman) of “Young Frankenstein” fame. “It could be raining.”

The Penguins don’t have to worry about rainouts but are still seeking shelter from the storm.

Sidney Crosby’s continued climb up various all-time statistical ladders and international stature will have to do as an umbrella for the time being. And when Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang are out there with Crosby, it’s “Old-Timers Night” every night at PPG Paints Arena.

If that’s not enough, channel your inner Dave “Killer” Carlson (Jerry Houser) from “Slap Shot,” who countered the closing of a mill and the impending folding of his team with the help of Swami Baha’s positive thinking records.

“One with the universe, one with the universe, nothing matters.”

The Steelers are perhaps the greatest challenge to fans’ ability to maintain sanity by lowering expectations because they keep teasing during the regular season.

This season, in particular, it seemed as if Charlie Brown was finally going to get to kick that football.

“Aaugh!”

Frank Papale (Kevin Conway) could no doubt relate before his son Vince (Mark Wahlberg) became “Invincible.”

“When I told you not to get your hopes up … it didn’t mean that I wasn’t.”

The Steelers endeavor to be champions if not perfect.

Alas, they’re neither.

But head coach Gary Gaines (Billy Bob Thornton) knew how to accept and grasp that reality in “Friday Night Lights.”

And he understood how to lose without being defeated.

“To me, being perfect is not about that scoreboard out there. It’s not about winning. Being perfect is about being able to look your friends in the eye and know that you didn’t let them down because you told them the truth. And that truth is that you did everything you could. There wasn’t one more thing you could have done.

“Can you live in that moment, as best you can, with clear eyes and love in your heart? With joy in your heart? If you can do that gentlemen, then you’re perfect.”

The Steelers fell far short of even that standard in Baltimore.

But it’s something to shoot for in lieu of realistic contention for another Lombardi.

Hope that helps.

If not, I’m not sure what else to tell you.

Have a sandwich, drink a glass of milk, do something.

Watch a movie, perhaps.

Start with the ones referenced above and move on as necessary.

This might take a while.

The Dark Ages in Europe lasted about 500 years.

Hopefully, the ones that have descended upon Western Pennsylvania won’t last that long.

Mike Prisuta is the sports anchor/reporter for Randy Baumann and the DVE Morning Show. He’s also the host of the Steelers Radio Network Pregame Show and the color analyst for Robert Morris University men’s hockey broadcasts.