NEW YORK — Whatever you do, Ryan O’Hearn remembers saying, don’t make it pretty.
Absolutely nothing new, Brandon Lowe insisted.
Earlier this spring, as a few Pirates veteran players began talking about how they might want to celebrate home runs a little differently this season, they kicked around ways to honor Pittsburgh.
A hard hat? That might work. But they wanted more.
“Eventually we thought, ‘OK, what’s more Pittsburgh than a welder’s mask?’ ” O’Hearn recalled.
At that point, the conversation took off. To further their connection with fans and work to produce a product the city can be proud of — much like steel — the Pirates after home runs and wins decided they would dress as steelworkers. But those leading the charge hard a non-negotiable rule: It had to look authentic.
“It’s not pretty,” O’Hearn said. “It’s definitely used. But I think it’s a good representation of who we want to be as a team and the kind of people who live in Pittsburgh: tough and gritty.
“We know our fan base includes a lot of blue-collar workers. We wanted to represent them.”
That will happen a number of ways, Pirates players and manager Don Kelly have explained since the team arrived for Spring Training. They want to play an aggressive brand of baseball. They’re going to hustle. They’re going to do the little things. They’re going to put in the work.
A Pittsburgher himself, Kelly has emphasized the Pirates needing to reflect the city’s values — and the players wanted to build that into a team-wide celebration.
“I think it’ll be a hit,” said Bryan Reynolds, another of the veterans involved in the move. “It’s definitely something that carries some extra meaning.”
To multiple people, really.
Bernie Hall grew up in Center Township, Beaver County. A Pirates fan, of course, Hall describes himself as an “eternal optimist.” His glory days were the early 1990s. With the offseason the Pirates had, Hall is especially bullish on their chances this season.
Along with serving as District 10 (Pennsylvania) president for the United Steelworkers, Hall has been a steelworker himself for 26 years, starting as a journeyman industrial mechanic at Zinc Corporation of America’s Monaca smelter.
A fourth-generation steelworker, Hall has certainly seen and heard of a few things around the industry. But he never expected one day this spring to get a call from the Pirates, asking if they could have some well-used equipment.
Hall was thrilled to help. He thought back to the iconic Sports Illustrated photo involving Willie Stargell and Terry Bradshaw posing with steelworkers at Jones & Laughlin (J&L) Steel in November 1979, which the USW used as inspiration to capture a certain vibe.
“That picture helped us a lot with the thought process,” Hall said. “I remember seeing it years ago. It just always stuck with me.”
As the search for the proper equipment commenced, Hall followed the players’ instructions: nothing new, nothing too pretty. Has to be real.
Hall donated one of his own old helmets. There’s an orange hard hat with a Pirates “P,” plus an accompanying U.S. Steel jacket. Two of the helmets have been painted black — by workers — to support Pittsburgh sports teams.
The blue welding mask was an especially big hit among players and something fans should see a bunch.
“Whoever used it used it for a long time,” O’Hearn said.
He’s right, too. The welding mask belonged to a man named Dave Stephenson, who has worked as an ironworker at the Mon Valley Works–Irvin Plant in West Mifflin for the past 22 years.
Hall, Stephenson and many others are baseball fans. They follow the Pirates, want them to win and couldn’t have been happier to contribute and further a bond with the city.
“Steelworkers are kind of a symbol of blue-collar work,” Hall said. “I think it really brings the connection home.”
When the equipment arrived at LECOM Park, Pirates players were blown away by the authenticity. It fit exactly what they wanted. Nothing pretty, nothing new.
“It’s looks well-worn, which is great,” Lowe said. “It’s been through some trials. It’s been through the test of it.”
The Pirates’ test begins now. Their busy offseason and strong Spring Training have given way to the start of the regular season, where their revamped offense will work to ensure that the steelworkers’ donations get even more use.
“We wanted to sort of recognize and celebrate what the city is known for and do something that will fire up the people in the stands and watching the game at home,” Lowe said. “It’s a great link to the city. Hopefully everyone loves it.”
Jason Mackey: Jason.Mackey@pirates.com and @JMackey_PGH.