Pirates pledge new permanent display for commemorative bricks following public outcry

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Pirates are ready to give their fans another brick in the wall.

Almost literally.

Pirates president Travis Williams announced Wednesday that the team is working on a new permanent display for the commemorative bricks originally purchased by fans when PNC Park opened in 2001.

The bricks have been replaced multiple times through the years due to wear. The team pulled up the bricks during the offseason as part of maintenance work around the stadium but they were not replaced ahead of the season opener earlier this month.

Footage provided to KDKA television in Pittsburgh showed the old bricks in one big pile at a local dump.

Williams wrote an open letter to fans offering anyone who donated to the program when it began a free commemorative copy of their brick. Williams also said the team is working on a new display for the new batch of bricks that will include their original messages.

"We are, and have always been, absolutely committed to ensuring these special messages and tributes live on permanently at PNC Park,” Williams wrote.

Williams added the team is expediting the new display, which will likely be moved to a new location.

The lack of communication about the team's plan and the uproar it caused marked the latest in a series of off-the-field missteps by the team.

The club unintentionally disrespected Hall of Famer and franchise icon Roberto Clemente when it replaced a sign featuring Clemente's No. 21 along the right-field wall with an advertisement for an alcoholic drink, drawing an outcry from Clemente's family.

The team quickly reversed course after fans — including Clemente's son, Roberto Clemente Jr. — noticed. Williams called the initial decision to remove the sign an “oversight” on his part.

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb