Now that I am acclimated to Eastern Daylight Time, I can now update my blog with coherent sentences!
Yesterday morning, I got into Pittsburgh after a rough time flying. I didn't get any sleep because of all the turbulence caused by bad weather in the Midwest. I was very tired and exhausted, but still went to the Tigers-Pirates game at PNC Park.
It is in my honest opinion that PNC Park is the best ballpark in the Majors. It is better by tenfold than either AT&T in San Francisco or Safeco in Seattle.
The park is very small, it only holds around 35,000 people. It is so small that it almost reminded me of a minor league park. It is located right across the Allegheny River from Downtown Pittsburgh, which makes for an awesome view of both the river and the impressive skyline of the city. With the close proximity to Heinz Field, it has a lot of neat bars and restaurants that are in the vicinity. This is, by far, the most comfortable place to see a baseball game and the setting is very relaxing and nearly breath taking.
The main mode of transportation to the park is walking. The majority of people walk over the yellow-colored Roberto Clemente Bridge that dominates the left-field view. I am told that the bridge is closed for all vehicular traffic which makes walking very easy. This is always a plus in my book, because I am not a big fan of sprawling parking lots or clogged interstates (take notice PK Park and Salem-Keizer).
As many of you know, this town is bustling over the recent Stanley Cup win for the Pittsburgh Penguins. I had the unique opportunity of going to the game where the Pirates were honoring the Penguins. Just before the game, Lord Stanley's Cup made an appearance at PNC Park during the pre-game festivities. They introduced all of the players and coaches which attracted a lot of media attention. Luckily, I used the opportunity to sneak down to the front row and snap some up-close pictures of the Pirates, Penguins, and the Cup itself. I got some great pictures of the cup and of popular team Captain Sidney Crosby.
I have been speculating all week on how the Pirates, who have had the misfortune of suffering 15 straight losing seasons, continue to draw people to their games. I can now see that the Pirates fans are very loyal and come out for baseball and the park. They are into the game and are very loyal. The Pirates management also has to be given some credit. They have created a wide variety of unique promotions such as random giveaways, themed events, and concerts. They also attract people by the affordability of their tickets. Their entire model of running a baseball organization should be modeled by all teams. They have a lovely stadium, passionate fan base, affordable entertainment, etc. Now if they can just only field a winning baseball team...
The Detroit starting picture Dontrelle Willis gave up 8 walks in a 6-3 Pirates win.
After the game, my friends took me to the old Forbes Field site on the University of Pittsburgh campus. All that remains of the Pirates old home is a section of the outfield wall. The plate is preserved in it's original location inside one of the academic halls at Pitt. What is interesting, however, was they drew with a brick the original location of the outfield wall. There is a plaque that denotes where Bill Mazeroski's home run in Game 7 of the 1960 World Series to beat the Yankees flew over on this brick outline. After seeing the Ebbets Field site and the horribly squalid conditions that exist there, this preservation of baseball legend is a welcome site.
To cap off the day, we went on top of Mt. Washington to get a panoramic view of the city. The confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers forms the Ohio River. I was amazed at how green the Monongahela was and how blue the Allegheny was. I was told that the steel mills that existed along the Monongahela produced a lot of impure sediments that in turn went into the river, thus turning it colors. It is an ecological hazard that, even though most of the steel mills have been abandoned and torn down, is still affecting the ecosystem to this day.
I am staying with family right now who live about 25 miles outside of Pittsburgh. The green rolling hills of this area remind me a lot of Oregon. Everything is so old here though. From the roads to the houses, it predates everything in Oregon by at least 100 years. I was amazed at how picturesque the towns here are and how they remind me of postcard pictures. I always pictured Pennsylvania to be very green with narrow streets and quaint towns. I was right to think that, because it is all true.
Tonight, I depart Pittsburgh on the Capitol Limited for Chicago. I have a very long day planned right now, and I will update the blog before I leave here.
Always take on a 3-0 pitch ;)
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