Pirates Owner Bob Nutting during the team's fan event this weekend stayed in the middle of the crowd for "nearly four hours," taking questions from and "chatting with any fan who approached him," according to Jason Mackey of the PITTBURGH POST-GAZETTE. Nutting's approach Friday was "definitely unique and seemingly appreciated," but it was "also intentional." Nutting, believing that the Pirates have been "terrible at communicating with their fans," went in a different direction from the usual "question-and-answer session with the owner(s)." He said, "We need a closer, more direct connection to the fans. We need to be able to talk to them one-on-one. ... The more they interact with all of us, whether it's the players, our leadership team or with me, I think that's our best chance to project how much we care and how much we're focused on building a championship team in Pittsburgh. I'm not sure sitting up on a stage and answering a few questions has the same impact." Mackey noted Nutting also blamed himself for being "entirely too distant during times of trouble," with the team last making the playoffs in '15. He said that he "needs to do a better job and be more accountable." He added that the Pirates "also need to value their fans more than they have recently" (PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, 1/25).
I LOVE THE '90S: In Pittsburgh, Chris Adamski noted the Pirates on Friday unveiled updated road jerseys which feature the word "Pittsburgh" written across the chest in cursive, similar to the team's '90-'00 look. For the past 19 seasons, the "Pittsburgh" on road jerseys was in a "stylized block font and capitalized" (TRIBLIVE.com, 1/25). Also in Pittsburgh, Adam Bittner noted the gray version of the new uniforms "looks a lot like the '90s kit," but with a "cleaner, more modern look." The black jersey "very much follows the color-heavy trend that started in the NFL" (PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, 1/25).
