HAVE THE FANS TURNED ON THE BUCS?

Here's an excerpt from my TribLive.com column about the chaos that marred the Paul Skenes bobblehead giveaway this past Saturday at PNC Park:

“SELL THE TEAM! SELL THE TEAM! SELL THE TEAM!”

Except he won’t.

So the joke’s on you.

Saturday was the epitome of Bob Nutting’s Pittsburgh Pirates.

It was sold out because the first 20,000 entering got Paul Skenes bobbleheads.

But Nutting saw the lines that extended far away from PNC Park and said, “What the heck! Bobbleheads for everybody!” Those following the first 20,000 through the turnstiles get ’em later.

Which made those who showed up early to wait in line for hours look like fools. (Accurately so.)

What a magnanimous gesture by the hillbilly prince.

But then the Pirates played, they stunk and got shut out. Things exploded like a pinata.

To read more, click HERE.

Saturday wasn't the first hostile crowd at PNC Park this season. Have the Pirates finally generated acrimony in their fans that won't go away? Will attendance decline? Will those that are present express their displeasure?

The Pirates have cultivated a fan base both forgiving and foolish. The marks overlook a lot.

But after the removal and return of the Clemente logo under the right-field foul pole, the Bucco brick shenanigans and an 8-15 record that doesn't lie, have the fans finally turned? Are they willing to forgo their nice time at the ballpark because the franchise won't try to compete? Are they at long last embarrassed?

If revenue goes down, Nutting won't see the error of his ways and increase payroll. He'll cut spending even more.

It's a stink sandwich. Pittsburgh, get ready to take more bites.