Mario Lemieux offers to buy the Pirates.

• GoPens

  

  Of course Nutting said no, but hey, we can dream....
  
  http://post-gazette.com/pg/10030/1032299-100.stm
• Al Capone

  That would be sweet but Nutting is making to much money putting a triple A team on the field.
• rock_knutne

  Nutting is an asshole! I've said before, the only way the fans will be able to get rid of this ownership is to completely boycott the Pirates........no game attendance or purchasing of merchandise. It's amazing that they can get their needed quota of ticket sales by promoting several fireworks nights and post game concerts by groups like Zac Brown Band, OAR and Foreigner.........only in Pittsburgh.:-/
• GoPens

  

  Sad thing is, he makes a profit before a ticket is even sold, so a boycott would hurt but he still wouldn't lose any money.
• Al Capone

  GoPens wrote: Sad thing is, he makes a profit before a ticket is even sold, so a boycott would hurt but he still wouldn't lose any money.

  Thats what i'm saying. This guy is making money hand over fist putting a crappy team on the field
• Fabio

  I don't follow the Pirates, but it is perplexing that with the success of the Steelers and the Penguins that the Pirates administration wouldn't feel added heat and pressure to put out a quality product like their sport counterparts. You usually see when a couple teams in a given area have success, it usually fuels the other pro teams to do the same.
• Fly4Fun

  

  I'm pretty sure the league would interfere if there was a complete boycott of the Pirates by their fans. If the stands were completely empty and all merchandise movement stopped.. something would have to change.
• rock_knutne

  GoPens wrote: Sad thing is, he makes a profit before a ticket is even sold, so a boycott would hurt but he still wouldn't lose any money.

  
  I don't think that's entirely true. I read a blog outlining what a full and totall boycott would do to the Pirates and it wasn't good. Plus, their already small advertising dollars would dry up, crappy ratings to almost none would cripple them. The end result would be either selling or moving the team ala the Montreal Expos. It's been a couple years but I'll try to find that article and post it, the author gave some compelling facts.
• Al Capone

  I used to be a season ticket holder but have not been to a game in 3 yrs. I'm doing my part to send the message.
• rock_knutne

  ^^^^^Haven't been to PNC Park in over 8 years and I can get freebies out the ying yang.
• GoPens

  

  Now if people extended a boycott to Nutting's other interests like his newspapers and Seven Springs ski resort...then something might happen.
• rock_knutne

  ^^^^^The newspaper industry is dying and I'd like to think that the profit he turns with the Pirates is supplementing him. Forget about Seven Springs, that place is an institution, lol.......yinzers will always flock to that place.
• Non

  

  http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10031/1032369-87.stm
  
  Ron Cook from the Post-Gazette weighs in
• paulspadafora

  It isn't guaranteed that mario will spend money; yes he saved the pens but thats because he was owed a ton of deferred money. It took a franchise saving player for him to start spending money. One of the reasons hes looking to buy the pirates is so that he can create a "pittsburgh sports network" that can broadcast pens and bucs games without all the fees from FSN. For all you slow people out there thats a few extra million in his pocket every year.
• Al Capone

  paulspadafora wrote: It isn't guaranteed that mario will spend money; yes he saved the pens but thats because he was owed a ton of deferred money. It took a franchise saving player for him to start spending money. One of the reasons hes looking to buy the pirates is so that he can create a "pittsburgh sports network" that can broadcast pens and bucs games without all the fees from FSN. For all you slow people out there thats a few extra million in his pocket every year.

  Still better than being the laughing stock of the mlb every year.
• paulspadafora

  I agree. mario would at least offer hope but its not the same as mark cuban coming in an almost immediately doubling payroll. Lemieux would likely take a different approach.
• Al Capone

  Isn't Mario's partner a multi-billionaire? I just can't see Mario excepting nothing but winning.
• End of Line

  

  Nutting doesn't care if he's losing, all he cares about is money.
• Al Capone

  Agreed
• rock_knutne

  Al Capone wrote: Isn't Mario's partner a multi-billionaire? I just can't see Mario excepting nothing but winning.

  Yes, Ron Burkle is a multi-billionare and would provide more than enough financial backing to buy the Pirates. Read the article Non posted, good stuff.