Roberto Clemente Jr. shames Pirates into apologizing, re-adding tribute to outfield wall

In an incredibly on-brand move for an incredibly tone deaf organization, the Pittsburgh Pirates disrespected one of their franchise icons in a highly visible way over the weekend.

Fans were horrified to discover during the Pirates' home opener against the New York Yankees that the sign on the right field wall of PNC Park featuring Roberto Clemente's name and No. 21 had been replaced with an advertisement for Surfside, a brand of canned cocktails.

The wall stands 21 feet high in Clemente's honor.

Clemente's son, Roberto Clemente Jr., issued a statement on Sunday – the anniversary of the day his father's jersey was retired by the Pirates in 1973 – expressing disappointment in the Pirates' decision to remove the tribute without first consulting the Clemente family.

"This change was made without any communication or consultation with our family," Clemente's statement said. "While we appreciate that the Pirates acknowledged their failure to inform us, it reveals a broader issue: a lack of meaningful collaboration between the organization and on matters that are deeply personal and historically significant to us and the fans."

Roberto Clemente Jr. shames Pirates into apologizing, re-adding tribute to outfield wall

To their credit, the Pirates quickly acknowledged the oversight and announced that the Clemente tribute would be immediately returning to its rightful place on the right field wall.

"We did not intend to disrespect the legacy of Roberto Clemente by adding the advertisement to the pad in right field," Pirates president Travis Williams said in a statement. "When we added the advertisement to the pad, it was an oversight not to keep the No. 21 logo. This is ultimately on me, not anyone else in the organization. It was an honest mistake. We will be adding the No. 21 logo back to the pad."

So, while the Pirates have righted one wrong, Clemente was spot on in his identification of the larger problem at play here. "Honest mistake" or not, the fact that it was made in the first place speaks volumes about how out of touch the Pirates' front office is with the city and the fanbase.

As fans loudly express their frustrations and beg for new ownership, the current group in charge was too busy counting their money and being content with mediocrity to notice that they had committed a cardinal sin in a city with such a rich and vibrant sports history.

A scripted apology isn't enough. Nor is adding the logo back to the wall. At this point, nothing short of selling the team can undo the damage done by owner Bob Nutting to a once-revered organization that has now become the laughingstock of the baseball world.

More Pirates content from Rum Bunter