Pittsburgh Pirates Owner Bob Nutting Can Instantly Change His Image

Bob Nutting is the majority owner of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Over the years Pittsburgh Pirates majority owner Bob Nutting has done many things to alienate the Pirates fan base.  At the same time, the man whose family owns 80 percent of the team has put the franchise on better footing financially and at the same time has watched the team have consecutive successful seasons.  Nutting has been called the boogeyman, a cartoon villian, cheap, other words that aren’t exactly positive, but we prefer to simply call Nutting brilliant.  Yeah, we have worn down over the years here at RumBunter.

Hell, we did our part.  We tried to get the man out of Pittsburgh.  We wanted him doing much more important things.  It’s true–look—> Bob Nutting deserves to be elected President of the United States–I did my part.  You didn’t back me up. All we needed was your vote and I think it could have worked.  We thought if anyone could get the country out of debt it would be the successful owner of a small market baseball franchise that has defied the odds and made it to Major League Baseballs postseason in two consecutive seasons.

Sep 22, 2013; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates owner Bob Nutting (left) talks to Pirates manager Clint Hurdle (13) in the dugout before the game against the Cincinnati Reds at PNC Park. The Reds won 11-3. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Bob Nutting is damn proud of this accomplishment too.  Have you seen the man in public?  He is so proud of these Pirates, his buttons don’t even stay buttoned on his St. John’s Bay oxfords.  But with our failed attempt at electing him as the President, it appears that Bob Nutting is settling in, as is often the case with the Ogden family, to own the Pirates for the long haul.  So this could mean that his image, his public persona if you will, needs a splash.  It seems time for Pirates fans to start having faith that the Bucs owner isn’t the boogeyman, isn’t hording millions and simply wants the best for the city’s ballclub.

In that vein, something interesting happened as the Pirates offense was getting boned in the NL Wild Card Game by Madison Bumgarner.   Tens of thousands of fans were headed for the exits of their beloved ball park, an announcement came out.  No.  Let’s rephrase that.  The announcement that Pirates fans care most came out.

Don’t quit on the idea that Russell Martin could be the Pittsburgh Pirates catcher in 2015.  The first time I read the story my eyes immediately rolled to the back of my head.  The Pirates are savvy as hell.  DK was first with it on his DK on Pittsburgh Sports.  The story Dejan told detailed something about Nutting spreading his arms wide and stretching to sign Martin.

It sounds like typical hype, with a keep the season ticket renewals coming in type of spin.  Simply put, Russell Martin is going to get a whole pile of money.  Russell Martin is one of the top free agents in the entire free agency pool come November.  Russell Martin will have a Brinks truck at his house after the work he has done during his two years in Pittsburgh.  Chicago, L.A., and insert any other big TV revenue market is going to toss those keys to that truck to Russell Martin.  Look, right or wrong,  Bob Nutting simply doesn’t play the game that way.

But one thing makes me at least consider the situation changing from impossible to a “so you’re telling me there is a chance” situation.  There was discussion by GM Neal Huntington about a study conducted by the Pirates on the allocations of revenues on roster construction by playoff and WS teams.  I would imagine that report has been on Nutting’s desk for some time now.  That report could have had an impact on the decision to make a public announcement that the team is going to stretch their arms wide, get uncomfortable, or whatever weird way Nutting tried to describe the concept of paying a lot of money to one of the key members of the team.

A Pirates team with Russell Martin as their catcher on Opening Day sets them up as a NL Central Division contender.  A Pirates team without Russell Martin doesn’t.  So the thought of not being a contender after two postseason appearances has to have Nutting extremely nervous.

But.

And that’s a big but.  No wait.  There is no way Bob Nutting would do it.  For a second I was going to say, that if Nutting wants to shake the boogeyman label…ah, never mind.  When it happens, it happens.  And God it would be nice next season and perhaps the year after that to have Russell Martin behind the dish for the Bucs, but I just don’t see it.