Pittsburghers lament the loss of their Bucco Bricks
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Brian Cuban's Bucco Brick is an important keepsake to the memory of his father. Photo: Courtesy of Brian Cuban
The Pirates are off to a slow start, but fans have a lot more to be mad about than poor on-field performance: The team moved their Bucco Bricks and didn't say where.
Why it matters: Fans purchased the engraved bricks when PNC Park was built 25 years ago, and they're sentimental for many Pittsburghers.
Driving the news: KDKA reporters found the bricks strewn in a large pile at a recycling plant in Reserve Township on Tuesday afternoon, leading to an uproar among fans.
🧱 Context: The bricks were removed from the sidewalk surrounding PNC before the season started. The team said it had plans to move them to a new location.
- Pirates senior vice president of communications and broadcasting Brian Warecki said Tuesday evening that this was the third time the bricks were removed and replaced due to wear and tear.
- The team will unveil a plan soon to display the bricks in a way that they are less susceptible to wear and tear, possibly on a wall.
- "This cycle of deterioration prompted our organization to look for a better way to preserve these cherished messages over the long term," said Warecki.
🗣️ What they're saying: Brian Cuban, author and brother to billionaire Mark Cuban, said he bought a brick for his father because they shared a deep love for the Pirates.
- "It's disappointing that the team would do this with no opportunity for families to retrieve their bricks. It would have only taken some planning on their part. My father is no longer with us and I would like to have had it as a keepsake," he told Axios.
TribLive sports journalist Joe Rutter wrote on X that his late father bought him a brick in 2001 and never told him about it. Once he found it, he said he never missed a chance to tap it with his foot when he went to PNC.
- "I was stunned to find out they were removed and recycled," he wrote.
Another Pittsburgher, Eileen B., wrote on X that her late husband bought a brick with his name on it, and she would have kept it if given the chance.
- "I know there are bigger problems in the world, but that brick has sentimental value to me. I would have put it in my own yard or in our basement," she wrote.
💵 By the numbers: Bucco Bricks cost $75 for a small brick or $150 for a large. There are about 10,000 bricks, according to the Pirates.
What's next: Details about the new brick display will be coming soon, said Warecki.