Tube City Almanac

July 31, 2009

Nutting Ventured, Nothing Gained

Category: Cartoons, Wild World of Sports || By Jason Togyer

(Bob Nutting, PNC Park, Pittsburgh Pirates, explosion)


Possible reasons why Pirates owner Bob Nutting keeps sabotaging his own club:
  • Worried that successful season will push him into higher tax bracket

  • Doesn't want Washington Nationals to feel lonely at bottom of standings

  • Has instilled same "quality control" in baseball team as in his newspapers

  • Thinks it's like golf and has been trying for low scores

  • Strategy to keep Pirates unique? Leave "winning" to Steelers and Penguins

  • His giant piles of money make it hard to see good talent

  • At heart, he's more of a Phillies fan

  • Needs smaller crowds for planned move to Helen Richey Field

  • Hoping for federal government bailout

  • Just three more lousy seasons makes it an even 20!

Do you have an excuse for Bob Nutting? Post it in the comments.







Feedback on “Nutting Ventured, Nothing Gained”

No excuse. No excuse at all.
Adam - July 31, 2009



I went to the Pirates game Friday night. (Pirates vs. Nats, or as my companion put it, “little league vs. t-ball”.) It was cheap enough, as in a good will gesture the Pirates have waived ticket fees on tickets purchased online, but the product was…well, it was a nice summer evening at the ballpark.

The crowd (23K for dollar dog night) was pleasant enough, but there was just no enthusiasm, even when the Pirates were doing good things on the field. I feel for Pirates fans, I really do. It’s like PennDOT owns the team – the rebuilding project never finishes. And great young prospects are good to have, but what if the 20 year old pitching phenom blows out his arm?

As for Nutting, I’ve suspected that somehow the Pirates are a tax shelter of some sort, or else he’s trying to bring the plot of the movie “Major League” to life.

Any owner who gave a tinker’s damn about baseball or the good will of the fans would not be doing what he has done.

You’ve got to have at least one marquee player on your team to draw fan interest and build a core around – the Nats have Ryan Zimmerman in that role, pathetic as their management has been.

I wish I had a solution, I wish I had any hope.
Aynthem - August 01, 2009



When Nutting forced out McClatchy he made it sound like we were finally going to build a winning team. However, he’s done the same thing McClatchy did. If you want to build a winner, you must have a good solid nucleus to build around. When we get close to that, we trade them away. We’re not a big enough market, and don’t have an owner committed to paying the salarie which would keep the quality ball players in Pittsburgh. If McCutcheon keeps hitting the ball, or when his contract is up, he’ll also be gone, just like Aramis Ramirez and Nate McClouth, who were cornerstones to build around.
Bart Caudill - August 03, 2009



I’m conflicted becuase I’m from DC and my wife from Our Fair City, and both teams s*ck big time. I don’t know whether Nutting is taking lessons from the Lerners, or vice versa. Both teams are objects of futility at this point. I guess you’ve got to be dedicated to the game and to your team, not only to the bottom line. Maybe next year???
ebtnut - August 03, 2009



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