Pirates' hilarious attempt at damage control just makes Paul Skenes fiasco worse

Pittsburgh Pirates fans are not in a good place right now. There should be plenty to be excited about: Paul Skenes remains arguably the most talented pitcher on planet Earth, while center fielder Oneil Cruz is finally making good on his prodigious gifts with a ridiculous early-season hot streak. And yet, despite two of the most exciting talents in the sport ... there Pittsburgh is again, stuck in the cellar of the NL Central at 8-13 entering play on Saturday.

Of course, the reason for this is obvious to anyone familiar with this franchise: owner Bob Nutting, who steadfastly refuses to operate like a serious organization (or, you know, spend even a little bit of money). It's gotten to the point where even fun things are ruined by the specter of Nutting's presence; sure, Skenes may twirl a gem, but that's just a reminder that this team is going to cheap out when it comes time to sign him to a long-term extension in the coming years.

But it's not enough for Nutting to mess up with the big stuff. No, even the little things don't escape his incompetence — and as Saturday proved, not even Skenes himself is safe.

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The Pirates couldn't even get Paul Skenes Bobblehead Day right

Saturday's game against the Cleveland Guardians was Skenes Bobblehead Day at PNC Park, a chance for Pirates fans to take home a little piece of their little bit of light at the end of the tunnel. But in practice, that opportunity was only extended to those lucky enough to get to the park early, and brave enough to wait out some truly ridiculous lines.

It turns out that, in true Nutting fashion, the Pirates only planned on making the Skenes bobblehead available to the first 20,000 fans, over 18,000 shy of PNC Park's listed capacity. That meant that a significant chunk of Saturday's crowd would have to go home without any Skenes memorabilia at all, their only consolation getting to watch the sorry product that Pittsburgh is putting out on the field these days.

To their credit, Nutting and the Pirates at least realized their mistake for once, announcing during the game that every ticketed fan would receive a voucher they could redeem for a Skenes bobblehead. Of course, that just begs the question: If you always had the ability to give one to everyone, why did you ever plan not to?

Pirates fans already know the answer to that question, because it's the answer to every other question involving this franchise right now. Nutting's M.O. is to spend as little money as humanly possible, at all times and in all circumstances. He'll do it when it comes time to pay Skenes, and he'll certainly do it with some souvenirs he doesn't understand the meaning of in the first place.