Opinion
Perrotto: Pirates Could (Mess) up a One-Car Funeral
PITTSBURGH — My late father, God rest his soul, had an expression to describe inept people.
“That guy could (mess) up a one-car funeral,” he would say.
Dad has been gone for 33 years, but that line remains true about his beloved Pittsburgh Pirates.
Is there a more inept franchise in professional sports? Maybe, but not too many.
The Pirates have had four winning seasons in the last 32 years. They haven’t won a postseason series since rallying to beat the Baltimore Orioles in the 1979 World Series.
I was 15 years old when they won Game 7. I’m 61 now, close to retirement age, and know one thing I’ll never do is cover a World Series in my hometown.
Yet as bad as they’ve been on the field during their 3-7 start, the Pirates are even worse off the field. It’s one public relations blunder after another.
It never ends. It is just a steady stream of stupid stuff.
The latest blunders came this past weekend when the Pirates opened their home schedule by losing two of three games to the New York Yankees at PNC Park.
Owner Bob Nutting kicked things off before the opener by being interviewed on the Pirates’ television broadcast’s pregame show. Nutting said the Pirates are laser-focused on winning and that he has committed the resources to field a winning team.
He said that with a straight face.
Then things got worse Saturday when it came to light on social media that the Pirates had quietly replaced a sign honoring franchise icon Roberto Clemente and his No. 21 on the right-field wall at PNC Park. In its place was an advertisement for Surfside, an alcoholic beverage.
Fans shared their outrage, and Roberto Clemente Jr. also expressed his family’s anger about the sign being removed.
I’ll be the first to admit that I have Clemente fatigue. While he was a Hall of Fame player and died a hero in a plane crash attempting to deliver supplies to earthquake-ravaged Nicaragua, the Pirates have honored Clemente to the point of overkill.
Clemente isn’t the best player in franchise history. That honor belongs to Honus Wagner.
Clemente also wasn’t the Pirates’ biggest drawing card. More people flocked to Forbes Field to see Ralph Kiner hit home runs, and pitching sensation Paul Skenes is following in his footsteps.
However, Clemente is the most revered player in Pirates’ history. Evidence of that can be found in how many fans wear replica Clemente jerseys 53 years after he played his last game.
How could the Pirates not think they would anger fans by taking the sign down?
The Pirates did some backpedaling Sunday and announced the sign would be restored before tonight’s opener of a three-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Pirates president Travis Williams called the whole fiasco “an honest mistake” on his part in a statement released by the team.
Using the word honest was disingenuous – and I’m being kind. There is no way the Pirates accidentally sold an advertisement on the right-field wall, which happens to stand 21 feet in honor of Clemente.
The Pirates sold the advertising to Surfside to generate revenue, plain and simple
The Pirates are laser-focused on generating revenue. Winning baseball games apparently isn’t high on the priority list, not with an opening-day payroll that ranked 26th out of the 30 MLB teams.
It’s sad what’s happening to what was once one of baseball’s premier franchises.
The Pirates’ all-time record has fallen to 10,841-10,827. They could fall below .500 sometime this season.
A losing record would be fitting since the Pirates are run by seemingly clueless people.
Perhaps fans could sadly mark the occasion by crying into their Surfside.
The Pirates are 26th out of 30 teams in payroll but if the other 4 teams added one middling player for a few million dollars the Pirates would be the 30th team.
Good stuff John
I had to laugh when I saw the title of the article, because that phrase is in my vernacular, too, and I have used it often.
And it’s so true. Here again, the front office fails to be proactive, and instead, they are always reactively chasing the game, doing damage control. All it would have taken is a courtesy phone call to the family to explain the action beforehand. They might not have been happy that way either, but I guarantee it would have landed much softer. Do they hire the most mediocre, unimpressive people they can find at all levels?
yes
Keep preaching the truth John. This franchise is a fraud. The owner is a lying, hillbilly grifter. Good job👍
John, I was fortunate enough to know your father and you hit the nail on the head with your quote however when we were at Tonti’s Hotel enjoying a “ beverage” he didn’t use the word “mess!” John, you have ALWAYS been accurate on your assessment of the Pirates. Tampa Bay and Oakland are major league teams playing in minor league ballparks while we have our minor league Pirates playing in a major league ballpark! Thanks for your honesty! Your father is proud of you!!
another great article. i agree with everything. i don’t think the Pirates owe the Clemente’s anything. and yes, Wagner is the best Pirate ever. but the way this management team looks for money first and to heck with everything and everybody else. it is a shame. keep up the great job and i will be looking forward to future articles.
Great article John. But nothing really surprises me with this ownership team it’s never been about winning it’s always been about lining there pockets.