Celebrating increased revenue from sports betting, Pirates owner Bob Nutting allegedly “went wild” last night at Rivers Casino, wagering a “hefty” $4 that the franchise would make the playoffs this season.
“I’ve never seen Bob so reckless,” said close friend Pat Womack, who added that Nutting complained of a headache this morning from “one too many” actual pops. “His offer to splurge on some wings — medium-flavored, no less — was one thing, but when he said he was going to ‘go all out’ and put $4 on the Pirates to make the playoffs, I thought someone had to have spiked his virgin daiquiri.”
Patty Duncan, a member of the same church as Nutting who joined on the night out, recalls the frantic moments surrounding his wager.
“I had the Pastor’s emergency line on speed dial, so he could talk me through a potential exorcism,” she said. “Or at least some enchantments to hold off any other encroaching evil. Goodness, when Bob slammed that $10 bill down on the table for a bet, I nearly fainted. Thank God he asked for change or I probably would’ve had a heart attack.”
Nutting’s unusual behavior reportedly escalated throughout the evening, with sources claiming he told GM Neal Huntington that he may want to sign several players for as much as “80% market value.” Today, he spoke highly of the experience.
“Gosh, what a rush,” he said between bites of a sandwich filled primarily with mayonnaise. “But that’s how confident I am in our team. Know this: if there’s a middling infield player, a pitcher in need of considerable physical or technical rehabilitation, or any .240 hitter we can pass off as a threat at the plate, he just needs to name his price and we’ll probably sign him.”
“Then I can sit back and watch my investment pay its dividends.”
Nutting later announced he will let fans join in the excitement by adding $4 to the cost of every ticket for the 2019 season.
