The Pirates have a lot of work to do if they ever want to win back the trust of their fans
From the offseason to the first two weeks of the 2025 season, the Pirates organization has been a nightmare on and off the field. Right after the Pirates fixed the PR situation with the Clemente sign on the right field wall removed for a Surfside drink ad, they have a much worse situation because it involves an already irritated fanbase: missing Bucco Bricks.
Yes, the bricks that many families bought in 1999 to support the Roberto Clemente Foundation and to be a part of the best ballpark in America for its entire existence, where many loved ones who took pride in Pirates baseball had their names carved, were ripped out of the ground this offseason and not put back.
The Pirates did not mention what happened with the bricks and their plans for preserving them. If they had taken PR 101, they would have known that customer transparency is priority number one. But time and time again, they fail at this aspect. For them to release a statement, the thousands of fans who have walked by that stadium for 25 years had to see and make an outcry about the obvious, and evidence of the bricks piled up in a recycling dump in Reserve Township put the cherry on top.
In the statement, the Pirates explained that the damage to the bricks from years of outdoor use meant that replacement was necessary, and they plan to remake and develop them into a permanent display. The Pirates said they wanted to have this done before the beginning of the season, but they needed more time to establish the permanent display and expected it to be revealed at some point this season.
However, they provided no details about bringing back the bricks in this display, other than the bricks’ names and messaging remaining the same. This makes it look like they had no plan to replace the bricks until they got exposed, which I’m not sure how they didn’t think this situation wouldn’t backfire on them.
It is important to note that the Pirates said this was the third time the bricks were removed from the ballparks and recycled. Still, there wasn’t any outcry the other two times because the organization must have put the bricks back in their respective places. This is the first time the bricks have been gone during the season in PNC Park’s history, at least that I know of.
The newest development in the Bucco Bricks scandal comes from a recent Pittsburgh Sports and Exhibition Authority meeting. They approved an agenda item for more funds for sidewalk renovations at PNC Park, totaling $104,358. During the meeting, SEA officials repeatedly stressed to the audience that the new funds had nothing to do with the recent controversy.
When Pirates fan Gabe Mazefsky interrupted the meeting several times to ask for an investigation into whether Pittsburgh taxpayer money had been used to pay for “the destruction” of the bricks, he was escorted outside by city police officers.