New Pirates Shirt Sparks Confusion in Fan Base

Where Hoist the Cone Comes From

The "Hoist the Cone" is a clear play on "Hoist the Colors", which Pirates say to put up their flag on their ship, either readying for battle or showing their support for other Pirates.

Where this motto apparently comes from is "The Pittsburgh Cone", which PNC Park offered Pirates fans during the 2019 season as one of the promotional foods for the season.

The Pittsburgh Cone had a number of different ingredients, including kielbasa, pierogi, swiss cheese, sauerkraut, russian dressing, all in a waffle cone.

The combination of different items played on ingredients harkens to local food items that Pittsburghers love in kielbasa and pierogi.

Fanatics is selling another shirt that has the Pittsburgh Cone on the t-shirt, with a drawing of it on there and "The Pittsburgh Cone" right next to it. That shirt is also black and is 10 dollars cheaper at $34.95.

The Pittsburgh Cone is one of many different types of promotional food that the Pirates have released in recent years, such as the "Renegade Dog", a footlong hot dog that had potato pierogies, carmelized onions, pickels and pot roast.

Another example of a more recent promotional food from the Pirates last season included the Polish Cannonball, which had egg noodles, kielbasa, cabbage, bacon, cheddar cheese, and herb crema dip, packaged together in juicy bite-sized balls.

Pirates Fans Making Fun of the Slogan

With how absurd "Hoist the Cone" sounds to Pirates fans, they've not only embraced the slogan in jest, but fully embraced it.

The Bucco Bantr podcast were down near the Strip District and hoisted a traffic cone in honor of the new motto.

Pirates fan Scott Chamberlain edited a photo of the Pirate Parrot with a black and yellow cone in place of the Pirate flag he waves during games and after wins.

Fellow Pirates fan Nick Cammuso also made an edit of former Pirates manager Derek Shelton with an ice cream cone at Dairy Queen after a loss last April.

Expect more memes from fans on "Hoist The Cone" throughout the season and potentially, a return of the item this season to PNC Park, especially if a shirt is being sold about it.