So, you won't believe what the Pirates are doing now.
### Your Pirates are Hoisting the Cone, N'at
So listen—you know how the Pittsburgh Pirates, bless their hearts, are always trying to find their *thing*, right? Like, a few years back it was the "power surge" chain, then the sword, n'at. Well, this year, it's something truly wild and genuinely Burgh. They're hoisting a *traffic cone* in the dugout whenever someone gets a big hit or makes a great play. I'm talking about a bright orange, regular ol' traffic cone.
Yeah, I know. It sounds like something you'd see after a long night on Carson Street in the South Side, not at PNC Park. But apparently, Oneil Cruz wore it like a hat after a good play, and someone said he looked like he was at Hogwarts, n'at. Now, it's just a thing. Is it a misprint on a shirt? A nod to a menu item from like, 2019 that no one remembers? Nobody really knows *why*, but it's happening. And you know what? That's just so Pittsburgh, isn't it? A little bit nebby, a little bit weird, and everyone just kinda goes with it. It reminds me of the time my Uncle Tony put a cone on top of the Roberto Clemente statue for a laugh. He got in trouble, but everyone still talked about it.
#### What This Means for Pittsburgh
* **Embracing the Quirky:** It’s a classic Pittsburgh move to take something totally random and make it a community thing. Think Randyland in the North Side – just pure, unadulterated joy. * **Team Spirit:** Look, after some lean years, any tradition that gets the guys fired up in the dugout is a win in my book, especially for a team that's actually lookin' pretty good this season. * **Local Pride:** It's silly, it's fun, and it gives us something to talk about down at Primanti's in the Strip District besides the bridges, n'at.
It's about finding joy in the small, weird things. That's the Burgh, yinz — steel town heart, no matter what.
My buddy Mikey breaks down all the local sports every morning, you should totally catch it live at mornings.live.