Here is the question.

You are permitted to own and wear only one jersey each from a current or former Pittsburgh Pirate, Steeler and Penguin player.

Which three players do you choose?

Do you go present-day or do you dip into history? Maybe the player holds special significance to you, the franchise or the city.

Or maybe you simply choose who you believe were the greatest players ever in the history of those three teams.

Tough call.

Here are the players I would choose and the reasons why:

Matty AlouMy Pirate choice is simply a sentimental one.Alou was my first favorite Pirate player. I was 9 years old when my father took me to my first game at Forbes Field.Alou was playing center field and was the Bucs’ leadoff batter. I’ll never forget watching No. 18 step into the left-hand hitting batter’s box, holding a small bat directly in front of his body.It looked like this poor little guy wasn’t capable of hitting the ball past the pitcher.He had big ears and looked different from everyone else on the field. Once I saw him hit and play center field — my position as a youngster — Alou quickly became my favorite.He also won the National League batting title that year, hitting .342.

Andy RussellOf all the great Steelers I’ve seen, Russell is the most significant for me.He was the hold-over guy from the bad Steeler teams of the late 1960s to the Steeler dynasty of the 1970s.Russell was a star player in both eras.A standout linebacker for the Black and Gold before Jack Lambert and Jack Ham came on the scene, Russell played in seven Pro Bowls — the first in 1969, when the Steelers finished 1-13, the last in 1976, when the team had already won two Super Bowls.

Pierre LaroucheAll due respect to Mario Lemieux and Sidney Crosby, “Lucky Pierre” was the first NHL superstar drafted and developed by the Penguins.Jean Pronovost was the first Penguin to score 50 goals and 100 points in a season, but he was not drafted by the franchise. Pronovost was acquired in a trade with the Boston Bruins.Larouche became a star in Pittsburgh at age 18. His best year here was a 50-goal season that resulted in 111 points and his No. 10 jersey was among the most popular worn at the Civic Arena.Lemieux and Crosby became even more prolific scorers for the Pens, but both were No. 1 overall draft picks and obvious choices.Larouche was the eighth overall selection who scored 31 goals his rookie year. His 53-goal, 111-point year was in his second season.Alou, Russell and Larouche were not even the best at their positions in their respective team’s history — not even close.I’ll take them regardless.