Some Pirates fans were outraged when video surfaced of personalized “Bucco Bricks” seen in piles at a recycling center.
But its not the first time the bricks, formally in front of PNC Park, have been removed.
The Pirates tell KDKA Radio the bricks have already been replaced and recycled twice before.
“This is the third time the bricks had to be removed due to wear and tear,” the Pirates said in a statement.
The Pirates say they have the information of every brick purchased and will be replacing them at a “more permanent display” in the future and in a “vertical manner.”
With the wear, tear and cracks over the years, the Pirates say that some fans have complained they were no longer able to read some of them or find their brick.
The Pirates tell KDKA Radio that because of the way the bricks were purchased there is no way to “accurately distribute the bricks” currently at the recycling center.
“If there was a way of accurately distributing the bricks, we would have done it,” said Senior Vice President of Communication and Broadcasting Brian Warecki.
At the beginning of the program, message and payment were made directly through the company doing the engravings, not the Pirates.
The Pirates organization only has the a list of the messages and location where it was placed, making it impossible to distribute the bricks back to fans.
The bricks went on sale in 1999 and each fan that bought one was also given the opportunity to buy a replica for their personal collection. Proceeds from the purchases benefited the Roberto Clemente Foundation.
Around 10,000 bricks were purchased at the time.
“While we planned to have the display unveiled for opening day, we wanted to take the necessary time to ensure we did it right,” the Pirates said.
The full statement from the Pirates reads:
“When we laid these bricks outside of PNC Park nearly 25 years ago, we invited our fans to join us in building our future on the North Shore together.
“Through the years, a host of environmental factors including weather and foot traffic have led to significant damage leading to multiple, full-scale replacements.
This cycle of deterioration prompted our organization to look for a better way to preserve these cherished messages over the long term.
“We respect, appreciate and understand just how meaningful these messages are. We share in that feeling. 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.”