It's no secret that Pirates fans are frustrated with Bob Nutting. And many of them aren't afraid to make some noise about it.
Now among those fans is Steelers legend, Ben Roethlisberger.
On the latest episode of his podcast, Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger, the former quarterback had Neil Walker on as a special guest, and the two discussed many topics including Roethlisberger throwing out the first pitch at a game this past season, many stories from Walker's playing career and, as Roethlisberger and his host Spencer Te'o always do with their guests, sample different types of beer.
But, the current state of the Pirates came up, and Roethlisberger unsurprisingly didn't hold back.
"As a fan, I think it's frustrating -- I'm not going to ask you to comment on this -- as a fan, I think I'm frustrated and I'm sure others are because I've heard about it and read about it. Spend some money," Roethlisberger said. "I get owners love making money. But, in order to win, you've gotta spend some money. So I think that's the frustrating part as fans. You feel like every time they have a good player, they get traded away. And it's like, 'Oh, we've got this farm club, we've got a guy down here, we've got a guy here.' But, as the casual fan, I see why they're frustrated. You've got a beautiful park, you've got fans that want it. Just spend some money, or keep guys."
Walker, who is employed by the Pirates as a broadcaster, understandably didn't make any comment about the lack of spending or any frustrations over it. Though, he did say he understands where the frustration is coming from.
But, Roethlisberger didn't stop at saying the Pirates need to spend more money. He took his experience from talking with other athletes that have played for the Pirates, specifically naming Andrew McCutchen as one of them, and speculated why some players might not necessarily want to stick around and wait for the club to finish building a winner.
"I think people, in one sense, would love to come and play here because of the fans and the facility," Roethlisberger said. "I think in the other sense, people don't want to play here because they're not getting any money."
Of course, Roethlisberger isn't being malicious in attacking Pirates ownership. He obviously helped bring two Super Bowl championships to Pittsburgh and also witnessed the Penguins win three Stanley Cups while he was quarterback of the Steelers. Meanwhile, with the exception of three seasons, the Pirates have been pretty awful.
But in those three straight postseason appearances, Roethlisberger witnessed first hand just how much a winning baseball team means to Pittsburgh.
"They're the best. They love their sports teams," Roethlisberger said of the sports fans in Pittsburgh. "You've got a great stadium. You've got fans that want there to be a great team. Obviously, for whatever reason, it hasn't translated into great teams. But, those three years of postseason play, the fans will never (forget that). I think that's just why fans just want more of it.
"I went to those games where they were chanting, 'Cueto.' Obviously it never got to the World Series. But, just the fact that three years in a row of postseason play -- nothing way before that, nothing since."
It's no doubt that three-year run of postseason appearances made Pirates fans yearn for a winner. Of course, Walker played a key role as the starting second baseman for each of those teams. And as a Pittsburgh native himself -- one who idolized the playoff teams in the early 1990s, he obviously identified with just how much the 2013-15 seasons meant to the fans.
"It was something about the anticipation of 20 years leading up to that," Walker said. "People we were like, 'We got back. We did it.'"
Roethlisberger has seldom been shy to say something and ruffle some feathers. And now that he's retired with his own podcast, he has the platform to do it again.
Only this time, fans might appreciate it a whole lot more.
