Nostalgia — “a longing for something far away or long ago” — that’s the way Webster defines it.
Pittsburgh Pirates fan — “someone who supports the team and is passionate about their team. They may have a long history with the team or have become fans recently. Being a Pirates fan is often seen as strong allegiance and loyalty to the team” — Google.
Impatient… “lacking patience, annoyed because of delay, opposition, restlessly eager to do something” — current feelings of Pittsburgh Pirates fan base over 46 years old!
However, there is one definition the dyed-in-the-wool Bucco fan can not be labeled by: fair-weather fan, which describes a person who is supportive and enthusiastic about a sports team only when that team is performing well.
The Three Rivers City has had a Major League Baseball franchise since 1882. They have not won a World Series title since 1979, have not been to the playoffs since 2015, and had their last winning season in 2018. At this writing, they occupy last place in the National League Central Division, and to describe the fans’ feelings as restless would be a huge understatement.
The Pirates are a historic franchise. There are the remembrances of the Battlin’ Bucs, the Lumber Company, We Are Family, and perhaps the most historic home run in MLB history — Bill Mazeroski’s 1960 ninth-inning World Series winning home run against the New York Yankees.
Their home — PNC Park — has often best described as the best ballpark in Major League Baseball. Their futility on the field provided them the number one pick in the draft in 2023, which they wisely used to select pitcher Paul Skenes, who, in his first year, started the All-Star game and was named the 2024 Rookie of the Year.
Over the last few years, the Pirates organization has kept fans engaged as best it can, but that may change. On opening day, a plane circled PNC Park, encouraging one-billion-dollar team Owner Bob Nutting to “sell the team.” The same chat radiated throughout the stadium as the New York Yankees spoiled the party, inflicting a 9-3 loss.
A recent story by Andrew Marshall has magnified the Pirates’ ship taking on water.
“In recent days, Pirates fans have brought multiple issues to team management. They included a sign memorializing their greatest player and a fan-favorite attraction at PNC Park.
“Before the 2025 season, PNC Park removed the famous Bucco Bricks, which sat inside the main terrace of the ballpark for 25 years. They were bricks sold to the fans at the 1999 opening of PNC and were engraved with the names of fans who purchased them. Some fans used the bricks as a way to memorialize family members.
“Those same bricks were found at a recycling center outside of Pittsburgh, the bricks now sit in a pile, discarded like forgotten garbage.
“Roberto Clemente, the best player in Pirates history and the first Hispanic player to win a World Series, has had a commemorative sign in right field since 2022. This season, the organization decided to remove the sign and replace it with an advertisement for the alcoholic beverage Surfside.”
Facing pressure from fans and the media, the Pirates have announced that both the bricks and the Clemente sign would return to PNC Park.
What the fans would really like to see in a competitive team wearing their beloved Black & Gold. The team’s 2025 player payroll is $87,645,246, the 26th lowest among MLB teams. Only the White Sox, Rays, Athletics, and Marlins are shelling out fewer bucks. Although the Pirates have suffered injuries to starting players, the night before this column was written, their starting lineup consisted of six players with batting averages below .200.
It’s been said that every cloud has a silver lining. Fortunately for the Bucs, that silver lining is fan-favorite Andrew McCutchen.
Following a three-game losing streak, McCutchen may have discovered a good-luck charm for the team.
Before the team snapped the losing streak, McCutchen handed out black-and-gold Phiten necklaces to all his teammates. The necklaces, made from titanium and marketed to boost performance, were once popular across MLB. While there has been no real evidence that the necklaces provide anything other than a placebo effect, the team responded with its best offensive effort of the season, beating the Washington Nationals 10-3.
In a postgame interview, McCutchen was asked about the necklaces.
“I don’t know, because I used to ball out with them back in the day, so might as well give them to the whole team. That’s what we did today. We put 10 runs up on the field. That’s not a coincidence. I told them to just put it on and see what happens, and they saw what happened, so we gonna keep rocking with it.”
The MLB baseball season is a 162-game marathon, so a little levity is a good thing, both for the players and the fans. Thanks, Cutch — but I’ll bet those necklaces weren’t paid for out of Nutting’s wallet!
