From their Wikipedia page, under a section entitled, “Dark Years”:

The team has not been in serious contention since their last championship in 1991. [...]

One of the major reasons for the team’s recent demise is the lack of financial support it receives from its sponsors. The team has never signed any free agents, and is often forced to let go of star players because they can no longer pay their salaries (recent examples include Tomoaki Kanemoto, Akira Etoh, Andy Sheets, Nathan Minchey, John Bale, Greg LaRocca, and Takahiro Arai).

Cheap owners, combined with a run-down ballpark, have led to some eerily familiar circumstances:

This team has fallen on hard times the last few years. Rainouts are pretty common at this park, but it is the second oldest park in terms of how long it has been  hosting a pro team (the Swallows didn’t move into Meiji Jingu until the mid-60’s). Tickets are easy to obtain.

[...]
Ace Hiroki Kuroda stayed, for God only knows what reason despite offers from four other NPB clubs as well as considerable MLB interest.

They have a couple of Dr. Strangeglove[*] types at the corners and an aging outfield core. Given that situation, manager Marty Brown will have to be a miracle worker just to get them into the first  division in 2007 because their habit of operating on a shoestring precludes them from obtaining high priced college or free agent talent.

Here’s their charmingly pathetic mascot, Slyly:

Players and fans are drawn to the birthplace of heat and excitement to the stadium citizens to come out of nowhere Carp mascot, “SLYLY”.
SLYLY is pure, child-like innocence.
Is not uncommon for us all, show interest in anything.

“Sly (Sly)” (naughty, humorous) as the meaning of life of the party’s prank, like a SLYLY feel free to talk to her!

The Expos may have moved to Washington, but their real spirit lives on in Hiroshima.

* “Dr. Strangelove types”? Meaning, dudes in wheelchairs? Or former Nazi mad scientists? Help me out here.

UPDATE: The original article says “Dr. Strangeglove” which makes satirical sense.

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