It was only a matter of time, but the Pittsburgh Pirates pulled the plug on manager Derek Shelton on Thursday afternoon. The Pirates were expected to at least take a step forward this season, but a dreadful 12-26 start sealed Shelton's fate. Only the toothless Colorado Rockies are worse than the Bucs in the National League.
And because these are the Pirates we're talking about, of course much-maligned owner Bob Nutting had to find a way to make this all about himself.
Nutting is notorious for not being all that willing to put forth the big bucks when it comes to building a championship contender. The Pirates are in the same city that produces Super Bowl champions on the gridiron and Stanley Cup champions on the ice. Pittsburgh has not won a World Series since Sister Sledge was all the rage back in 1979 with "We Are Family". That was a lifetime ago, folks.
This first sentence from Nutting's press release regarding Shelton's firing speaks volumes.
"Derek is a good man who did a lot for the Pirates and Pittsburgh, but it was time for a change."
That's easy for Nutting to say after he dedicated the last few years to changing as little as possible. Here is the entire press release the Pirates sent out on Thursday afternoon after relieving Shelton.
It should be noted that Pirates bench coach Don Kelly will be serving as the interim manager for now.
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Bob Nutting reminds Pirates who the real villain is after firing Derek Shelton
For as much promise as ace Paul Skenes provides, he only toes the rubber once every five days in Pittsburgh. The former LSU and Air Force star did not ask to be here, as he was drafted by the team No. 1 overall. His talent is obvious, and everyone was going to take him first overall for a reason, but Pittsburgh often tries to sign the player they think they can get for the smallest amount.
Skenes is an exception, but even a cheapskate like Nutting is not willing to make exceptions for exceptional people. Shelton got the short end of the stick, when I do not think he was at fault for the team's struggling ways. Yes, they had lost nine of 10 and reside in the cellar of the very winnable NL Central, but someone has to be the main culprit in the blame game. Firing the manager is all too easy.
And I hate to say it, but nothing is really going to change for as long as Nutting has the final say in things of this nature — no matter how many appeals he makes to "urgency" and needing to do better. A franchise can only be good as its ownership allows for it to be; look no further than how much better the Washington Commanders are since Daniel Snyder was ousted in favor of Josh Harris. Great owners do not grow on trees, but bad owners like Nutting are what hurts baseball.
Maybe if baseball implements a salary floor, it could be a way to force penny-pinching Nutting out?