Since my husband and I have decided (actually, I have decided - I'm not sure how he feels about it) to try and catch a baseball game in each Major League city, it was time to venture outside of the Nationals Park/Camden Yards radius and visit another ball park (we have been to two games so far this season - one at Nationals Park during opening week and one at Oriole Park in early June). We decided to go to Pittsburgh for a couple of reasons. First, it's only 3 hours away and we wouldn't have to kennel the dog for very long. Also, it is the home of the Pittsburgh Pirates, who not only are in first place in the NL Central, but it is the team where Roberto Clemente played during his illustrious career. So why not go to Pittsburgh? We bought some game tickets, booked a hotel, and were on our way.
Pittsburgh is a very interesting city. It is divided by the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers (which turn into the Ohio River), so you can either go to the North Shore or the South Shore. We picked a hotel in the North Shore within walking distance to PNC Park, which was VERY convenient. The park was built in 2001, and for being only 12 years old, it had pretty crappy bathrooms (no pun intended). I didn't really mean to make that my first observation, but really, a modern-day park should have more than four stalls in each bathroom. So anyway, the park isn't the most beautiful park I've ever seen, but its façade blends in nicely with the surrounding 70s-style buildings in the area (Heinz Field is about a block away, so Steelers fans take note). PNC Park has statues of Honus Wagner, Bill Mazeroski and Roberto Clemente on the outside, and is super-easy to get to since it's right next to the Roberto Clemente bridge, one of the many bridges that can get drivers, pedestrians, and bike riders from one shore to the other.
OK, so my husband and I donned our Pirates garb (they were playing the Phillies, so there was no way I was wearing their colors) and walked around a bit before finding our seats. The park reminded me a bit of Camden Yards - a ball park that was shoehorned into an already-existing spot, so everything is very... let's call it "intimate" or "cozy" so as not to call it cramped or crowded. I'm so used to Nationals Park, where everything is spread out and there isn't much going on around the park itself, that when I go to well-established ballparks, I can't help but feel a little claustrophobic. But on a positive note, these parks (and PNC is one of them) have bars and restaurants and plenty of ambiance right outside the park, which is something you won't find in DC (unless you're fascinated by the Department of Transportation building or the Navy Yard).
So we get to our seats, and there is a VERY large man taking up two seats - his and half of mine. Now, I don't mean to offend any of you readers who may be of large girth, but if you weigh over 300 pounds, you either need to buy the seats on either side of you, or you need to buy a seat at the end of a row so only one person is sitting with your excess spare tire on his or her lap. Not only did I have "Tubby" spilling onto my seat and taking up my arm rest, but he was helping himself to an entire bucket of chicken wings, which he polished off in no time and then proceeded to lick his fingers loudly and disgustingly. He was not my favorite person at that point (I won't even tell you how nasty sweaty he was when he got up to refill his 32-ounce soda in the sixth inning - that would be insensitive of me).
Also annoying were the people sitting behind us. Why is it that every time we go to a game, there are three couples sitting behind us who spend way too much time talking and catching up on gossip instead of paying attention to the game? The one dude's daughter got to march in a parade, the other dude talked about how he likes to scare away the boys that his daughter dates, and the third dude kept talking about his deer hunting adventures. The last deer he shot at didn't even bleed when the arrow penetrated his side! Shut up and watch the game, people! You already said that you were all going to have dinner at the Hofbrauhaus after the game, so do your chit-chatting then - some of us actually want to watch a ball game!
Anyway, the game itself was a good one. The Pirates allowed too many hits and lost 6-4, but it was nice to see All-Star Andrew McCutchen driving in 2 runs (did you know he hasn't cut his hair in the past 6 years? I found that fact fascinating!). The Phillies sent veteran (and Bryce Harper hater) Cole Hamels to the mound, and despite getting the win, he still has a lousy 4-11 record. The fans were loud and were engaged throughout the whole game, and it was nice to see a team with such a rich history and such loyal fans. Nationals fans are relatively new, since the team came over from Montreal in 2005, and they are generally polite, well-dressed and reserved government employees (except for the occasional loud Puerto Rican female). It was neat to see fans - both Phillies and Pirates fans - with swagger and attitude and sheer dedication to their team.
Something else I liked about the fans at PNC Park was the amount of Clemente jerseys and shirts worn by Pittsburgh fans. While I did see a lot of people sporting McCutchen shirts, the Clemente ones by far outnumbered those of current players. Not only are Pirates fans passionate about their current team, but they seem to know their team's rich history and seem to embrace those past players who made such a positive impact on baseball. Clemente's number, 21, was everywhere - on jerseys, around the outfield, and throughout the park.
The view of the Pittsburgh skyline that I got from my seat was also very nice. It definitely beat the view of the tall parking garage at Nationals Park (you have to sit in the nosebleed seats to get a view of the Capitol) and it's way better than the old factory in the outfield of Oriole Park, which makes me claustrophobic. It was nice to see some sky, some tall buildings, the Allegheny River, and of course the bright yellow Roberto Clemente bridge.
Two things that were pretty lame were the racing pierogies and the song choice of Clint Barmes. Regarding the racing pierogies, they were four people dressed as oversized pierogies who raced around the outfield before the top of the 6th inning. They just ran around, and it was honestly a little bit boring. You see, I'm used to the Racing Presidents, who push, shove, trip and do whatever it takes to win. Abraham Lincoln has been known to push Mr. Taft out of the way, Teddy Roosevelt has tied all the shoelaces of his presidential mates together to make them trip, and George Washington has sent the other presidents running in the other direction so he could cross the finish line first. At Nats Park it's a contact sport; at PNC Park it's just boring.
Now regarding Clint Barmes... he's the Pirates' shortstop, and the song that they play after he's introduced at every at-bat is "Don't Stop Believing" by Journey. Now, I enjoy Journey as much as the next child of the 80s, and yes, "don't stop believing" might be an inspirational message, but it's just a lame song to use before an at-bat. "The smell of wine and cheap perfume?" Really? How about some AC/DC or some Ozzie Osbourne or a little bit of Daddy Yankee? Barmes' song choice is almost as bad as relief pitcher Ryan Matthieus, whose song of choice is "Firework" by Katie Perry. Not too manly of a song, I must say.
All in all, it was a good experience at PNC Park. Our next game will be at Nationals Park in a couple of weeks, but in August we get to experience Progressive Field in Cleveland, where I am excited to see the Tribe hosting the Detroit Tigers and hope to check out yet another Major League park for the first time. But before that, stay tuned for the All-Star Game selections, which will be announced in the next couple of days. The season may be halfway over, but there's still a lot of baseball to be played, and I'm enjoying every bit of it!
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