Why I refuse to care about the Pirates until Bob Nutting goes away
April 21, 2021
Ex-Pittsburgh Pirates Pitcher Joe Musgrove throwing a no-hitter for the San Diego Padres after the Pirates traded him is the fuel for this article.
As a Pittsburgher born in this millennium, my life has been plagued by the disappointment that is the Pittsburgh Pirates. Only witnessing one playoff birth in 2013 where they were promptly disposed of is my claim to fame as a hometown sports guy. Throughout my early years, I saw that the Pirates were a lost cause and began my search for another team to follow. I found refuge in the Boston Red Sox for many years of my life and still do to this day. I have always been a hometown guy, and I have never rooted against the Pirates. In the most recent years, I have really given the Pirates all I have got as a fan, and not to my surprise; they have not reciprocated the effort. When I am talking about the Pirates in this context, I am talking about incompetent Pirates owner Robert Nutting.
Robert, or Bob, Nutting has been the owner of the Pittsburgh Pirates since 2007. This man alone has been credited with the downfall of the Pirates in the last 14 years and for good reason. Nutting is known around Major League Baseball as a ‘money first’ owner with little to no care about how his team operates on the field. The great and dedicated fans like myself have all expressed their displeasure with his way of operation, even going as far as to make Change.org petitions to get him to sell the team to a more worthy candidate after he stripped the Pirates of the only core they ever had. The dislike of Nutting in the steel city peaked when he started by trading away Andrew McCutchen to the San Francisco Giants, as well as trading now one of the highest-paid pitchers of all time, Gerrit Cole, to the Houston Astros.
Now, what is a failing owner who is consistently in the bottom third of the payroll in the entire MLB supposed to do when the city he resides in hates his guts and is calling for his removal? Step down and sell the Pirates to someone who actually cares about the success of the team, or cheap out on your lineup and put together one of the most laughable organizations in baseball history while pocketing the difference? I think everyone knows where good old Robbie stands in that debate.
In most recent history, many wealthy and popular people who the citizens of Pittsburgh do not hate with every cell in their body have stepped forward to try to purchase the Pirates. Mt. Lebanon native and owner of the Dallas Mavericks organization Mark Cuban along with former Pittsburgh Penguins legend Mario Lemieux, and now part-owner of the team, are just some of the notable names that have been in the pot. To all of the bidders, Nutting remains firm in his stance that the team is not for sale.
Bob Nutting’s inability to function as the head of a multi-million dollar organization has left me with no choice. I refuse to stand by and watch this man tear down this team any longer. Getting rid of any player who shows any promise to make a quick buck and to try to substitute him for a less talented player is the definition of cowardice in baseball. The Pittsburgh Pirates were on a downtrend when Nutting joined the team, but even after that, it plummeted to a new low. You see, all these players like Joe Musgrove and Gerrit Cole have great success across the league after they are done with the circus that is Pittsburgh professional sports, and I am sick of being a part of the stop on the way to the top.
Personally, my sports career was cut short. Not because of an injury or anything; I was just bad at baseball. I had a brief stint on my high school team, and even then, I saw a lot of the bench. In addition to that, I have zero business skills and hate money. Despite that being fact, just with my sheer knowledge of the sport alone, I believe I could get the Pirates a winning season. My little to no real baseball experience still sets me far in front of Robert Nutting and whatever he is attempting to do with the team. Nutting has made it abundantly clear that instead of a businessman, we need a ballplayer to take the reins of this organization before Pittsburgh loses their team to inevitable relocation. Then again, with Nutting at the helm, relocation doesn’t sound that bad.
Dennis Powell • Nov 29, 2021 at 6:24 pm
I start watching the Pirates in 1952 when I was 7. Like now we had the worst team in baseball, Vic Janowitz, Sid Gordon, the O’Brian twins etc. But I loved them. My older brother would take me to games and we would sit I the bleachers for 50 cents. Everybody would leave after Kiners last at bat. I follow them no matter how bad they are. Bob Nutting is the worst thing to happen to Pittsburgh since the flood in the 20s. We are nothing but an audition for major league teams. Nutting doesn’t even bid for any good players. If a player wants out of Pittsburgh, just have a good year. I would like someone to form a class action suit. Pirate fans vs Bob Nutting for non support. Can someone put together?
Dennis Powell, Bedford NY.
Mike • Oct 6, 2021 at 11:08 pm
Nutting looks like he never even played baseball. He can’t have a competitive bone in his body. You would think that seeing all of his colleagues that own other teams accepting the World Series each year would stoke his competitive juices. Or being part of a community that has celebrated 5 Stanley Cups and 6 Super Bowl Championships (2 while he has been part of the Pirates) would generate some sort of desire to be a champion as well. But all he cares about is being a champion for his wallet and doing just enough in the community with his charitable contributions to prevent himself from being totally despised. He doesn’t seem to understand that being an owner means being a steward of a loved community asset that should be tended to and nurtured so it can be enjoyed by it’s many fans. The Pittsburgh Pirates are not in Pittsburgh or were formed so he can use it as a vehicle to build his and his family’s wealth. A college graduate that majored in history sure is doing everything he can to ruin a historically great baseball team.
Bill Stevenso • Sep 6, 2021 at 3:04 pm
I was born in Butler in 1958. Though I’ve spent most of my life living in California, me and my dad have always been die hard Pirate fans. There was a time when I was proud to say that I was and still somewhat so. Living all these years in California where there is no shortage of good teams to rout for, it would have been easy to have jump ship. Neil and now Ben have done as good as could be expected with giving what Bob Nutting has gave them to work with. Bob has turned the Pirates into a quadruple “A” feeder team for the rest of the league. MLB and Rob Manfred needs to investigate and set higher standards for franchise ownership. I understand that MLB is a business, but most corporations that have underperforming franchise owners remove them for the betterment of the brand. I want to stay a Pirate fan and deserve better as do all yinz do
Sherry chaney • Aug 28, 2021 at 9:23 pm
The Pirates owners are assholes. Plain and simple. Hate them all.
Could they be any more evil?
Charles Strickler • Aug 26, 2021 at 12:44 pm
I am a lifelong Pirate fan since the 1950s. I am 74 now, and would like to see the Pirates become competetive before I die. I cringe every time they trade away a good player like Sterling Marte, Gerrit Cole, Joe Musgrove, Josh Harrison, and on and on. Enough is enough!
Lue • Aug 19, 2021 at 8:20 am
I read all the comments and can not put a full respectful sentence together that express my feelings on how the Pittsburgh Pirates ownership has brought this History Franchise to an all time low! I am a native of the STEEL CITY and have lived in the DMV going on, 35 years all of which I’ve been a diehard Pittsburgh Sports Fan! The painful dislike the burns inside of how, the Bucs have bottomed out is unreal to say the least. MLB needs to step in and, do ANYTHING to make this team competitive!
Curt • Aug 12, 2021 at 2:56 pm
Agree with everything said here. I’ve been a struggling fan since the 70’s and the past couple decades have been excruciatingly painful. Everyone says Nut-bag will not sell the team for anything….won’t matter if there are no butts in the seats every game cuz he gets his ‘nut’ covered by MLB revenue sharing and TV deals. So, boycotting would have little to no effect. I know everyone working in the Pirates organization, including the broadcasters, need their paycheck every week. But, sure would be nice if they all belonged to a union and could strike. It would shut down PNC Park – shut down the TV coverage – shut down all interest in Nut-bag’s property. Squeeze him til it hurts his pocketbook so bad that he is forced to sell or step aside. And, instead of always talking like it’s chocolate and cherries out there, I wish the TV personalities would grow some balls and, just every now and again, go on a rant about how bad the Pirates organization has become. But, I know, don’t bite the hand that feeds you…..oh well.
Dale fanzo • Jul 31, 2021 at 12:26 am
Agree….I am 69 years old ad a die hard Buc fan…this by far has been the worst ownership inMLB history! He forgets this is a blue collar town that loves their sports teams but its very hard to watch now. I hope Mark buys them and makes us compoetive
Dave hogg • Jul 27, 2021 at 6:20 pm
I agree with everything that is being said about (nutcase) Nutting, I have been a loyal fan since the mid sixties, what he is doing is disgusting and needs to be addressed by MLB. Thanks for the space to vent
Stan Kaplan • Jun 27, 2021 at 7:07 pm
I just wish people would stop buying tickets and merchandise. I feel bad for the fans, I stopped being a fan, believe it or not, when Bob Prince was fired.
Tom Demharter • Apr 23, 2021 at 2:24 pm
Enough is enough – major league baseball needs to get involved in this and force Nutting out. I now live in Northern Virginia and it burns me to see the Nats putting out the starting infield lineup of the Pirates a few years ago (Harrison, Josh Bell and Jordy Mercer… Tyler Glasnow finally remembered how to pitch, Mark Melancon still has it while the closer we got for him sits in jail….Look you need to give these guys a reason to want to stay – Josh Harrison was right to complain. If they are not going to field a competitive team why be there – I still believe a lot of these guys love to play the game and are not there to just collect a paycheck. Nutting keeps making money while we shake our heads. It truly is a credit to the coaching staff that the team is even 9-10. If Brubaker keeps pitching like he is he will be gone by the end of July too. Then what…. no one can even pitch out of the 5th inning. Pittsburgh is the city of champions – we need an owner that understands that does not happen by selling away all of your talent. Earn respect and the players will stay – Kutch gave us the benefit of the doubt and took the hometown discount. Look at what the Steelers will do for the Rooney’s – I know Big Ben has made a ton of money but still his base salary this year is barely a million – he’s a guaranteed hall of famer…and Juju followed suit. If the players are bums cut them but come on enough is enough