Why Are There Still Pirates Fans? | Defector

"PITTSBURGH - Baseball is one of those sports where most fans head into Opening Day at least with a hint of hope. How else do you explain 48,000 showing up for the Rockies' home opener? This year, the Pirates' first game in Pittsburgh started with angry fans flying a plane with a banner over the PNC Park addressed to team owner Bob Nutting that simply read, "Sell the team, Bob," a phrase that became a chant during the game and a rallying cry throughout the season."

"On the field, the offense, which was scraped together at the free-agent version of Burlington Coat Factory, was breathtaking in its ineptitude. At one point, Pittsburgh had a streak of 26 consecutive games without scoring more than four runs, as they ended the season with a whopping 583 runs scored for an average of 3.60 a game-dead last in MLB. Slugging was even worse, with the team hitting an MLB-low 117 home runs, and Oneil Cruz accounting for 20 of those."

"If it's possible, the team was even more inept off the field. The first public relations nightmare began when fans arrived at PNC Park for that home opener and noticed the commemorative pavers known as "Bucco bricks," which had been donated by fans and laid at the main entrance of the ballpark when the stadium opened in 2001, were gone. Although the team originally planned for the bricks to be made available to the families and organizations who donated them, they were instead shrink-wrapped in plastic and driven to a local landfill. When a local snoop ratted out the disposal location to Pittsburgh-based social media page OneBurgh, all hell broke loose, complete with an investigation by the Allegheny County Sports and Exhibition Authority."

Opening Day in Pittsburgh featured angry fans flying a plane bearing the banner "Sell the team, Bob" and chanting the message throughout the season. The Pirates produced an anemic offense, totaling 583 runs (3.60 per game) and finishing last in MLB, while hitting an MLB-low 117 home runs with Oneil Cruz responsible for 20. The pitching staff ranked among the best in baseball but could not offset the lack of run support. The organization mishandled commemorative "Bucco bricks," shrink-wrapping donations and sending them to a landfill, prompting public outrage and an investigation. The Roberto Clemente "21" logo was removed from the namesake right field "Clemente Wall."

Read at Defector