I arrived in Pittsburgh on Sunday night and spent some time with my Uncle Jim and Aunt Joan. After dinner we headed over to the spot where Forbes Field once stood. It is now the Katz School of Business at the University of Pittsburgh. Nonetheless, it was very exciting.
I spent most of Monday relaxing and catching up on some phone calls. My Aunt Joan dropped me off at Three Rivers Stadium a little after 4pm so I could watch batting practice while the others grabbed some dinner before the game. I walked around the outside, looking for the three rivers that give the stadium its name, and took some pictures with the statue of Roberto Clemente before finding the Pirates front offices and getting my press credential.
From the outside, Three Rivers Stadium is a round bowl with few distinguishing features. The inside isn't that much more exciting. It is obvious that the stadium was designed for football play, evidenced by the positions of the skyboxes and the construction of the dugouts. At Three Rivers, the dugout is simply a covered area, directly on the field (and it happens to have football lines running through it) while the skyboxes are located out in right field (corresponding to the fifty yard line for football). The astroturf was replaced in the offseason and is nice (at least until the next football season begins and they lay down football lines) and banners hang throughout the stadium recognizing the other teams in Major League Baseball and sprucing up the otherwise colorless stadium.
The Pirates Organization has done a nice job making this enormous complex seem smaller and more personal. First of all, a large portion of the top level of seats (600 level) is tarped over to hide the extra seats and banners lay across the tarps representing championships dating back to 1901. In the concourses, more championship banners (for the Pirates and the Steelers) hang down covering most of the cement overhangs that make these "cookie cutter" stadiums so unpleasant to spend time in. All around the concourses, food stands, activity centers, souvenir stands, and ticket booths keep fans focused away from the unattractive coloring of the stadium. There are ushers ever ten or fifteen feet to offer assistance and vendors in pirates shirts offering free baseballs to fans who sign up for a new credit card. Fans can't go far without being tempted to sign up or shell out for any number of goodies, deals, or meals.
I admit, I did get lost once inside the stadium. On the 100 level concourse, there are actually two hallways, an inner hallway that includes specialty foods and restaurant entrances, and an outer hallway with most of the regular food items and souvenir stands. I was looking for the gourmet pretzel stand and took a lap all the way around the stadium before finding the inside hallway. But, since that was the worst thing that happened to me at Three Rivers, I give it a good rating for its design and ease of use.
The first thing I did when I made it into the stadium was proceed to the field for batting practice. I was dissapointed to learn that most of batting practice had been taken early (to avoid the forecasted rain). So, I spent most of my time just sitting in the dugout watching players stretch and talking to people about the Holyfield/Tyson fight the other night. As you can imagine, everyone had an opinion about the biting incident.
A little over half an hour after I sat down in the dugout I noticed a local radio celebrity I had l had been listening to while I was driving around. I walked up to the KDKA AM Sports celebrity, introduced myself and we started talking about the trip. Brook Lawer, the woman who has been doing publicity for me (with SportsFan Radio and SportsFan online) had spoken with the KDKA producer and they knew all about the trip. The host (Thor) invited me onto his pre-game show and we ended up talking for a while.
When six-o'clock came and it was time for his show to start, Thor and I proceeded to the KDKA booth by the A Gate and talked (live) on the air for about twenty minutes. I don't think I did that well (and I didn't mention SportsFan enough like I am supposed to), but the KDKA folks said I was a natural. I think they were just being nice. The intern was nice enough to take some pictures and they said they will get me a tape. All in all, it was pretty exciting.
Overall, the management was pleasant to deal with while I was trying to gain access to the field. Once again however, they refused to arrange a meeting for me (as previously promised) when they learned that I was being granted press credentials.
When I was on the field, I did get a feel for what the rest of the Pirates management team must be like, and I'm sorry to report it wasn't too nice. Most of the people on the field wearing "staff" badges looked at me like I didn't belong on the field. In addition, few were willing to engage me in conversation as I tried to talk with them standing by the batting cage and sitting in the dugout. I understand that I am the only teenager of the field, but there was not need to treat me the way they did.
I had been walking around the dugout, talking with reporters, when the clubhouse attendant brought out the gum, chewing tobacco, and sunflower seeds for the players. I got up from my seat and walked over to examine the enormous pile of treats (as I have done in every park). I was surprised and delighted to find sugarless Bazooka Gum and I grabbed a pack to show the KDKA producer I had been speaking with about my trip. Almost instantly, a field representative came up to me and explained that a member of management (gesturing to a gentleman in a tie and pants -- which didn't match his shoes very well) had asked me to put the gum back. I had no intention of taking, or chewing the gum, as I was only using it as a tool in comparing stadiums, but I was given a stern warning anyways. At that point, I decided to leave the field and all the glares and return to the press box.
The press box was nothing special compared to the other parks. It is an open-air, cement floored row of desks and phone lines with a lacklustre "Home Run Cafe" attached for members of the media to purchase their dinner prior to the game. At the door was a very nice attendant (whose name I later learned was Jennifer) who monitored the activities in the box and answered the few questions I had before I left for my seats. She was nice enough to give me several of the cards being handed out by the Pirates commemorating the first ever interleague game being played at Three Rivers. All in all, I didn't spend that much time in the press box (as the Pirates media staff continued to glare at me) so I don't have much to report.
THE FOODI wasn't really in the mood to taste much of the food around Three Rivers Stadium, although I am pleased to announce that there were PLENTY of choices. Right from the start you are confronted with Italian Sausages, Cheese Steaks, Mexican Food,pizza, a hot pretzel stand, and, of course, the regular ballpark food. Fans seemed particularly interested in the nachos and also seemed to enjoy the foot long hot dogs (which are actually longer than a foot, but who is counting?). A few of the folks around me (and there were only a few) were eating hot dogs and commented that they were pretty good. As for the nachos, I didn't actually ask anyone because I figured that the shear number of people eating them was enough evidence that they were good.
On the hot pretzel front, there are two types. First, there is the regular ballpark pretzel -- above average but nothing to run home and tell mom about (I did actually call her and tell her, but that is unimportant). They are a little small compared to pretzels in other parks, but they are tasty, warm, and don't give you the feeling that they have been under a heat lamp. The other option, gourmet pretzels, are located behind home plate on the inner concourse of the 100 level are also very tasty, although slightly more expensive. The gourmet pretzel stand offers salted, buttered, and cinnamon pretzels. However, even the lightly salted pretzel covered in butter (substitute) and leaves you greasy for the rest of the evening. It's your call, but they are both worth it.
I was told when I arrived that I shouldn't expect more than 30,000 fans for the game -- even for interleague play. Throughout the day, forecasters had been predicting rain storms, and the Pirates have had some trouble winning as of late. But, when they announced the attendance, a respectable 28,070, everyone seemed excited and impressed
I was joined at the game by my Uncle Jim, Aunt Joan and my Grandmother (referred to as Grandma Reich). I had purchased seats behind home plate in the 600 section (way up high) and we were surrounded by maybe two dozen fans in our section. Aunt Joan wasn't too keen on the height so she moved down closer to a solid railing and spent most of the game reading her book and working on a crossword puzzle. Meanwhile, Uncle Jim, Grandma Reich, and I talked about sports, history, and talked with the fans sitting around us.
Sitting directly behind was a little girl and her family. The little girl, only three years old, was attending her first baseball game ever. Unfortunately, she seemed more excited about the cotton candy and popcorn than the game on the field. She kept kicking us from behind, but we all decided that we would let her get away with it because it was her first game (pretty generous I would say). The rest of the fans around us were mostly in their mid-twenties and seemed to be enjoying the libations offered in the stadium. A few of the fans were acting a little crazy -- to the amusement of my grandmother -- but compared to most stadiums they were very well behaved.
I was impressed by the tenacity of the fans and their support of the game on the field. Loud cheers erupted when the Pirates made nice plays and boos were delivered for the visiting White Sox, most noticeably Albert Belle (who makes more per year in salary than the entire Pirates Roster). While the crowd got very excited after each of the Buccos two solo homeruns, the loudest cheers definitely came after each Albert Belle strike out (four times in the game).
As for the game, Pirates starting pitcher John Leiber pitched the game of his life -- a masterful five hit, one run masterpiece. The Pirates batters supplied the offense (including the two previously mentioned solo homeruns and Leiber held the Pirates scoreless after the first inning to win 3-1. Midway through the fifth inning, some light raindrops began to fall and the fans scurried to the very upper decks (under the roof of the stadium) to finish watching as Leiber went on to strike out a career high ten batters on way to the complete game victory.
We walked to our car and found a secret way out of the parking lot that whisked us to the highway while hundreds of cars sat backed up in the parking lots. A perfect ending to a very pleasant evening at Three Rivers Stadium. I would definitely come back for another game -- especially if the Pirates continue to play as well as they have been.
Uncle Jim and Grandma at Three Rivers Stadium. My Aunt Joan didn't like the height so
she is not in the picture (seated below reading her book).
The view from our seats at Three Rivers
