OnlyBucs

You play for what's on the front of the jersey, not on what's on the back.



That's been the rally cry for team sports forever, probably not put into words until a couple of decades ago.



If you were a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates, what's going through your mind right now?



Well, I don't think you hold it against the people of Western Pennsylvania for starting to show disinterest.  I don't think you mind one bit at representing Pirates legacy.  Roberto Clemente is an iconic figure, and even though fading in memory, Willie Stargell is still held in high regard.



Unfortunately, if you're a player, I believe you envision the name of ownership on the front of your jersey.  There is no doubt Steelers translates to Rooneys.  Penguins translates to Lemieux.  And Pirates now translates to Nutting.



So what's it like playing for the Pittsburgh Nuttings?



It's got to be demoralizing.  You start off the year shorthanded, you claw your way back into contention, and then you watch the other clubs you are chasing pick up pieces that show a commitment of their ownership group to their respective clubs...the ones you are supposedly chasing.



You have to come to the conclusion that you are being asked to buy in to a club that never totally buys in.  And when assets are sold off, or given away like yard sale leftovers?  My guess is that, if you've been here for awhile, you shrug.  Nothing surprises you at this point.



Judge Smails one told his nephew, Spaulding, "You'll get nothing, and like it!"



These days, Pirates fans, "You'll get Nutting, and like it!"



And if you don't, you'll be subtly held accountable for not showing up to support the players on the field.  The old whispers of not having enough people in the service area will come up, you can bet on that.



I'm not sure how ownership digs out of this one with the fan base.  McClatchy was given a chance because he was the savior.  Nutting was given a chance because he replaced the tarnished McClatchy.



It was a good idea to dump Liriano last year, but to include decent prospects so they wouldn't have to pay any of the salary?  The suspicions of cheapness were either confirmed or reinforced with the Nicascio move.



What's the Pirates pitch to your season ticket base?  Last I checked, they still pay the same amount, even if ownership throws in the towel.



What's the Bucco pitch to any free agent?  You gotta believe they see what the Pirates have not done over the past couple of years.  Don't you think that insures that the Bucs are limited to the bottom of the barrel?



How about the cable rights?  They can't be happy with declining interest and declining numbers.  I would suspect they will want a give back in the next negotiation.



The Pirates are playing in a market where the Pens have won multiple Stanley Cups, and the Steelers, with multiple Super Bowls, just went out and tried to improve their chances of winning this year.



The Pirates expectations this off season year are to trade their best player because they don't want to have to pay him.



Anybody wanna adopt a Parrot?

Really good post.



It's almost impossible to comprehend how bad this FO has been, how badly it has alienated the fan base.

Good article in the Trib today about the sad state of affairs.



http://triblive.com/sports/kevingorman/ ... er-at-fans

2A2D3B333D2A6D61183F35393134763B3735580 wrote: Really good post. 



It's almost impossible to comprehend how bad this FO has been, how badly it has alienated the fan base. 










In addition to failure on the field this is another reason to want a new management team to put together team for 2018 and beyond.



Why trust NH to get his mojo back?

1A3C3D2A3C2C5F0 wrote: Really good post. 



It's almost impossible to comprehend how bad this FO has been, how badly it has alienated the fan base. 










In addition to failure on the field this is another reason to want a new management team to put together team for 2018 and beyond.



Why trust NH to get his mojo back?
I think it's more than lost mojo. Even Nutting wasn't adverse to modest payroll raises when he first took over because the payroll was ridiculously low and there was room to increase it. But only to a point. Between 2011 and 2014 the team payroll was no more than 66% of the MLB average.



But when they won 98 games in 2015, the payroll was 77% of the MLB average. They had added Cervelli, Kang, Rodriguez, Caminero, re-signed Liriano and Burnett, later added Blanton, A-Ram and Happ and generally were run like a legit contender. But apparently, this was the tipping point for Nutting. In 2016, payroll was reduced to 73% of the MLB average. The roster was weakened and 98 wins turned into 78 wins. This year, even 78 wins is too much to ask as the payroll went down again to 72% of the MLB average.



So while being consistently below the average (not the high; just the average) MLB payroll, the closer they edged to the average the more success they had. And now as they get further away from that average, they win substantially fewer games each year. It takes a commitment from the owner to provide the financial resources to operate efficiently, as NH was able to do in 2015. That commitment was taken away these past 2 years. NH has made some good moves and some bad moves. But without the financial support from reportedly the 10th richest owner in MLB, we won't be seeing the kind of solid moves he was able to make n 2015.



http://www.spotrac.com/mlb/payroll/

http://communityvoices.post-gazette.com ... hest-owner

585F49414F581F136A4D474B4346044945472A0 wrote: Really good post. 



It's almost impossible to comprehend how bad this FO has been, how badly it has alienated the fan base. 










And the sad thing was all they had to do was show a bit of faithfulness after 2015. The 2015 Pirates were legitimately one of the very best teams in baseball. And they downgraded. After promising to "spend when the time was right."



I actually don't care if they lose. I really don't. I just want to see that they are trying. And right now, I don't see that. I don't see ANY effort from the FO to put a competitive team on the field.

6E434E5F58495E1E1D2C0 wrote: Really good post. 



It's almost impossible to comprehend how bad this FO has been, how badly it has alienated the fan base. 










In addition to failure on the field this is another reason to want a new management team to put together team for 2018 and beyond.



Why trust NH to get his mojo back?
I think it's more than lost mojo. Even Nutting wasn't adverse to modest payroll raises when he first took over because the payroll was ridiculously low and there was room to increase it. But only to a point. Between 2011 and 2014 the team payroll was no more than 66% of the MLB average.



But when they won 98 games in 2015, the payroll was 77% of the MLB average. They had added Cervelli, Kang, Rodriguez, Caminero, re-signed Liriano and Burnett, later added Blanton, A-Ram and Happ and generally were run like a legit contender. But apparently, this was the tipping point for Nutting. In 2016, payroll was reduced to 73% of the MLB average. The roster was weakened and 98 wins turned into 78 wins. This year, even 78 wins is too much to ask as the payroll went down again to 72% of the MLB average.



So while being consistently below the average (not the high; just the average) MLB payroll, the closer they edged to the average the more success they had. And now as they get further away from that average, they win substantially fewer games each year. It takes a commitment from the owner to provide the financial resources to operate efficiently, as NH was able to do in 2015. That commitment was taken away these past 2 years. NH has made some good moves and some bad moves. But without the financial support from reportedly the 10th richest owner in MLB, we won't be seeing the kind of solid moves he was able to make n 2015.



http://www.spotrac.com/mlb/payroll/

http://communityvoices.post-gazette.com ... hest-owner




I agree with this but think that NH has to try and get more resources from ownership (maybe he is trying), he should not sign an extension if offered under current conditions. If he does that means he doesn't have confidence in his ability to get similar position elsewhere or even in the media.



Staying with a sinking ship that has little chance to improve (without additional resources) isn't the way to get another job offer and is probably has clock ticking in current job. If Neal is considered a top 15 gm in the industry he would have no problem getting another job and potentially having a higher payroll to work with.



If NH wants to win a championship in Pittsburgh he can't be an enabler for ownership and say, "It will be difficult but I know we can win a championship and be a steady contender with a small payroll.