Pirates' 'Bucco Bricks' debacle the latest sign they're MLB's most incompetent team

The Pittsburgh Pirates committed their second major fan faux pas in less than a week, releasing a statement on the removal of commemorative bricks from around PNC Park.

According to ESPN, fans had been expressing concern about the removal of the Bucco Bricks, a collection of fan-funded commemorative bricks that had been located outside of the home plate entrance of PNC park.

Making matters worse, the removed bricks were found at recycling plants around the Pittsburgh area, sparking some angry questions from fans who had used the bricks to commemorate loved ones, memories, and messages.

On Tuesday, the team responded to those concerns, saying that the bricks were being returned for a "more permanent display," and that the Pirates had missed their goal of having that installation ready for their April 4 home opener.

"Through the years, a host of environmental factors including weather and foot traffic have led to significant damage leading to multiple, full-scale replacements," Pirates senior vice president of communications and broadcasting Brian Warecki said in a statement. "This cycle of deterioration prompted our organization to look for a better way to preserve these cherished messages over the long term."

They noted the bricks had already been replaced twice.

"We respect, appreciate and understand just how meaningful these messages are. We share in that feeling," Warecki said. "We have been actively planning to develop and unveil a more permanent display for these special messages to honor the enduring support that our fans shared then and continue to share in our future. We look forward to sharing those details soon in celebration of our 25th season [in PNC Park]."

This latest debacle comes after the Pirates managed to anger both fans and the family of late legend Roberto Clemente, when they removed the outfielder's number 21 logo from the outfield wall and replaced it with an ad. They've since stated that the number will be replaced.

Of course, none of this should come as a surprise from the Pirates, who remain the most inept, incompetent organization in all of baseball. And that's saying a lot; the Rockies, Marlins and A's exist, and one of those teams has spent the last few seasons actively tanking in an effort to force a move to Las Vegas that still feels like it might not happen.

The reason? It's increasingly obvious that Bob Nutting and the Pirates's front office just don't care. At all. They don't care about winning, they don't care about the fans, they don't care about the franchise, its history, or their legacy in Pittsburgh.

A team that cares wouldn't yank down their most iconic and beloved player's number from the outfield wall, and wait until that deceased player's family complained to fix the mistake. A team that cares would try to build around the intriguing and talented young players on the roster and actually try to contend for a playoff spot, instead of being content to pick at the top of the draft year after year after year.

A team that cares wouldn't nickel and dime their way into one of baseball's lowest payrolls year in and year out, wasting their gorgeous palace of a ballpark on a team that already feels like they're just playing out the string less than three weeks into the season. And a team that cares wouldn't rip up the bricks fans bought and paid for without any communication about plans for those bricks and the memories attached to them until someone found said bricks in a recycling plant ready to be destroyed.

The Pirates don't and haven't cared for a while now. They don't care about the fans until they get in trouble. They don't care about winning or being competitive. They care about money, about taking as much revenue from the league and their TV deal as possible while spending as little money as possible on the team on the field.

The bricks may not seem like much, but it's emblematic of the bigger issue at play here. This isn't an organization that thinks through their choices, beyond what will make them the most money.

They're a joke of an organization, one not to be taken seriously as a professional sports entity until they find new ownership.

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