Quite the Ball Park

PITTSBURGH — Another good crowd was expected Monday for the Mets-Pirates game at PNC Park, the fourth game of a four game series, but not quite as big as those that attended over the weekend. If the Pirates ever get a team as good as their ball park, they will be something special to see.
Many attractive baseball stadiums have been built in recent years in what some day be known as the “Camden Yards Era” of sports architecture. But of all the ones I’ve visited — including gems in Seattle and San Francisco — this one by the banks of the Allegheny River might be the best.
Sellout crowds have watched the first three games. Part of the attraction is the Mets,Famous Hats Sale, who draw their own fans on the road. And part of it is the displays of fireworks during post-game concerts after night games. The music and explosions are coordinated in a smooth, professional production.
But part of the attraction is the stadium itself, a model of intelligent design. The seats in the corners of the field, by the foul poles, are tilted toward the infield. In the left field corner, there are four standing tiers where people can watch the game as if on balconies.
Beyond the outfield fences, the background vista is breathtaking, with the Roberto Clemente Bridge behind center field spanning the flowing water and the downtown skyline above and behind it.
During the games, the boats go by and big party boats like “The Majestic” stop so that persons on board can watch an inning or so from the various decks.
Behind the centerfield fence, shrubs are trimmed into the shape of the word “Pirates.” Beyond the skyline are the hills of the city. For night games, the reflection of the setting sun can be seen in the windows of the skyscrapers. When the sky turns dark, the big moon (full last Saturday) rises from behind the buildings.
As is the case with most new stadiums, there are plenty of luxury boxes, but they are discreetly blended in with the grandstands and lack the ostentatious front-and-center quality of many new parks that seem to present them as gated communities for the wealthy corporate crowd.
I listened all weekend to the Pirates radio broadcasts in the press box on my headphones. On Sunday, the announcers were talking about one of the many nice qualities of the presentation here: the volume of the music over the public address system. They play as much of it as any stadium, but the volume is much lower.
The Pirates announcers were comparing this favorably to the speaker system at Shea Stadium, which blasts music at volume so high that a spectator cannot converse with a person nearby.
As I write these words, 45 minutes before the first pitch, the fans are filing in and the speakers are playing, at low volume,Cheap Fox Racing Hats, a song by Bruce Springsteen called “The Girls in Their Summer Clothes.” The sun is shining, the air is warm. Oh, yes.
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Permalink Mets,New York Mets Hats sale, Pirates Related Posts From Bats Mets Blow Lead, and Lose Their CowbellA Mets Series in Need of a PromotionSixteen Losing Seasons and Counting for PiratesSantana Feeling Good After Bullpen SessionMcKenry’s Big Break Comes After Trade to Pirates Previous Post
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Ayala Climbs the Standings 13 Comments 1. August 18, 2008 12:47 pm
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I don’t see why you would needlessly wade into the evolution/intelligent design controversy, or, indeed, what it has to do with Pittsburgh.
— infirm 2. August 18, 2008 1:07 pm
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And I’m sitting here at work, wishing I was there.
— Simon 3. August 18, 2008 2:27 pm
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“After eight years of searching and frustration to find a long-term home,Minnesota Twins Hats sale, the Florida Marlins Thursday ecstatically found the answer to their dreams. Miami-Dade County commissioners, some doing so grudgingly,Cheap Boston Red Sox Hats, voted 9-3 Thursday night to approve a basic plan for a $515 million, retractable-roof stadium that would open in time for the 2011 season.” The Pirates, perpetual bottom dwellers for decades,Chicago Cubs Hats sale, have a stadium drop in their laps and the Marls, who have gone through numerous “market corrections” even though they have won it all twice in their young 15-year life, have to practically pull teeth to get their own stadium. There is no justice in this world other than Dave.
— General Sherman 4. August 18, 2008 7:49 pm
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And who paid for this stadium? No doubt us PA> tax payers. And for the Fla. tax payer, I’m sure the same. totally absurd.
— Steve 5. August 18, 2008 8:56 pm
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Infirm:
The words “intelligent design” can be used in a way that does not relate to evolution/creationism. It was written in this case to mean that while all baseball stadiums are designed, this one was designed intelligently. If you read the rest of the paragraph, the author goes on to describe how to seats are turned and how there are balconies to watch the game.
Anyway, that stadium is great!
— eric 6. August 19, 2008 8:55 am
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It is scary to think of fifteen thousand or less fans in a five hundred million dollar stadium in Miami. The location of the new stadium is harder to reach than Joe Robby for many fans. The new stadium will be an icon of the lack of responsibility of politicos. The stadium will in the long run be empty because South Florida will not support a baseball team.
— c. perry 7. August 19, 2008 10:54 am
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You didn’t meantion the other very interesting thing that I heard while listening to the Pirate’s radio broadcast on Sunday . . . the most boring announcers I’ve ever heard in my life.
— Josh 8. August 19,Cincinnati Reds Hats sale, 2008 10:55 am
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What? Fans are ENCOURAGED to stay after a night game concludes, and are even offered entertainment (concert music,Los Angeles Dodgers Hats sale! fireworks!) to cap off a pleasant evening at the ballpark?
Don’t they know that the proper way to treat ticket-holders after a game is to chase them out of the frickin’ seats with an endless rendition of Sinatra, reinforced by NYC’s finest getting extra-duty pay to shout “C’mon, people, let’s move it!”?
They’ll never fill up the seats in Pittsburgh until they treat their guests properly. :)
— Matt 9. August 20, 2008 7:21 am
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Josh-
I respect your opinion about the most boring announcers ever. However, most locals here will disagree with you simply because we have been listening to the same men for years and they have become iconic when tuning in a PBC broadcast.
— Steve 10. August 20, 2008 3:52 pm
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Josh. What were the announcers supposed to say? Thanks to Santana, there wasn’t exactly much going on. : )
— Ryan 11. August 20,Los Angeles Angels Hats, 2008 9:22 pm
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General Sherman — in no way, shape or form did the Pirates “have a stadium drop in their laps”. It took a lot of work by a lot of people. It took the defeat of a county-referendum that to this day has been misrepresented. It took passage of state legislation that didn’t do what people thought it did. Then the Steelers had to have a new stadium. It then took state legislation in which the state chipped in some money, the county chipped in some money, the state loaned the team some money (which they are currently paying back) and the team chipping in some of the money. The legislation did not pass until the Philadelphia teams were added. I wouldn’t characterize this as dropping into someone’s lap.
— Katie 12. August 28, 2008 8:27 am
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I’ve been emailing people all day long to get here and take a look at your post! Thanks for the share…
— Abbigail Solomon 13. August 30, 2008 10:23 am
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I am a life long Met fan who now lives in Pittsburgh. I have to say that the park is amazing. Nothing like sitting there overlooking the 6th street bridge and the city sky line. It is clean and the layout is just fantastic. Compared to the cesspool that Shea is, it is nirvana. It is also cheap to go ($27 for really good seats) and easy to get to.
That being said,New York Yankees Hats Sale, the Pirates are basically a AAA team. The poor Pirate fans just watched the best hitting outfield in baseball get broken up. Now instead of losing 12-11 or winning 12-11, they are losing 12-2. If the Pirates can put something decent on the field (16 straight losing seasons), the park will be the best place in baseball to watch a game.
— Eugene Add your comments...
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