GreenWeenie wrote on Aug 27^th, 2022 at 7:40am:

If they do, I think it's a pretty small group. I think in general, fans are very frustrated and want the team to become good but are skeptical. Most of us are lifelong fans of the team and have to deal with the reality of how things are. Nutting is not going to open the checkbook and bring in a bunch of productive veterans. Anyone who is sold on the idea of that ever happening is dreaming. The organization was going downhill under NH after 2015 and he was replaced. BC started with little in the minors during a season in which the minors didn't even play so the reality is that even a successful plan will take a few years. So all we can do is hope BC's plan works. That's very different from "being sold" on the idea that it is definitely going to work. 

At this point I'm becoming more and more skeptical. Obviously I want the rebuild to succeed because that's the course they are embarked on. But none of the players who moved up to the MLB roster this season have impressed. Most are lost at the plate. Castro seems to be a headcase. There is no consistency by the starting pitchers. The totality of the manager's decisions provides compelling evidence that he is grossly incompetent to run an MLB team. His 3B coach appears unfit for his job. It's hard to believe they even have a hitting coach. Few pitchers have progressed as hoped. And players in the field appear unsure of what they should be doing. And there is very little at AAA this year. And now we've been assured that Shelton will return next year. As if things weren't already bad enough.

But I think Pirate fans these days pay a lot of attention to the minor league players. We don't accept at face value that the team will be rebuilt into a strong team in a few years. If that's the spin the team is selling, then we want to see the evidence. We look at prospect rankings, their minor league performance and their injuries. We have every right to be critical and skeptical until things change at the MLB level, if they ever do. So I don't think they have fans sold on what they are doing. Rather, they have fans who understand what they are doing and are watching very carefully for signs of success or failure. So far, it's not looking good.

Doc wrote on Sep 5^th, 2022 at 7:39pm:

The first thing you should do is not show up to games.  Businesses would start to recognize loss of business.  The chamber of commerce might  recognize how much the community could prosper if the Pirates were competitive.   The answer is always the same, follow the money.  The Community needs to let Old Bob know he's not welcome in Pittsburg.  The Sports media could also put pressure on old Bob.  Just do something except puff pieces about what a great job Shelton and Cherington are doing and we'll get them next year.  Quit accepting the clown show we now have to watch.

Cherington started with nothing isn't exactly the case.  I'm not sure that any team does, unless it's an expansion club.

What he started with was an incomplete roster, which has been the club's issue on and off for a long time.  That's not the same as nothing.

GreenWeenie wrote on Sep 6^th, 2022 at 7:51am:

When BC was hired after the 93-loss 2019 season, he wasn't expected to immediately turn over the MLB roster into a post season contender for an owner who refused to pay for the acquisition of productive veterans who might reasonably be expected to turn over the MLB roster into a post season contender.

Whether he succeeds or not, BC's mission was very clear: build up the team internally via drafting and trading for prospects. And he literally started with nothing! Covid eliminated all minor league play when BC started in 2020. There was no minor league play, no minor league development. Even the draft was reduced to 5 rounds. Even the MLB season was a mere 60 games with the distractions of health concerns, never knowing from one day to the next if the games would be played, in empty ballparks with crowd noise piped in. Essentially the entire 2020 season was a wash and a complete 1-year hiatus for the minors. And when they finally resumed a normal season in 2021, the talent BC was inheriting at Indy and Altoona was very thin.

So whether we like BC or not or think he's doing a good job or not, the fact is that he took over a 93-loss team trying to rebuild via the minor leagues in a year when there were no minor leagues. So "starting with nothing" sounds pretty accurate.