Pittsburgh

On a Long Weekend

Transportation

Friday, May 25, 2012

Morgantown, WV


Outside of the Game:
Early on before the season, I had arranged my yearly visit to my friend in graduate school at WVU, in what had become our yearly pilgrimage to PNC Park. This year, I decided to make the most of the time and fly down on Friday evening into Pittsburgh, rent a car to drive to his house, and fly out on the Monday. It sure beat driving the seven hours, I had Silver Elite status for the year thanks to my trips to Japan, and I had serious doubts that my aged car would be able to survive the trip again.

It turned out that I got the Friday before Memorial Day as a half-day at work, so I moved up my flight to leave even earlier in the day. For once, the flight boarded and got off without a hitch from Newark Freedom Amen Airport. Upon landing in Pittsburgh, I went on down to the car rental desk to pick up my car, where a veteran was selling those cloth flowers. It being Memorial Day Weekend and all, I bought one, to which he thanked me very, very loudly to those around me who didn't buy flowers. For some reason, this made me feel even more self-conscious about the process.

Stylish?

My car turned out to be a red Chevy Sonic, which seemed like every other economy car that I'd ever driven before, except for one thing. I don't know if it was a design flaw, or a flaw flaw, or whatever, but the blind spots on this car were absolutely horrific. Any time I had to move at all laterally in the car, I spent all my time whipping my head around to make sure there wasn't a school bus full of nuns hidden somewhere I couldn't see from one vantage point or another. Early on, I just assumed that it was just my getting used to the car that was the problem, but it eventually turned out to just be awful blind spots. I even had my friend give it a go, and he agreed with me. So, well done, Chevrolet.

The drive from Pittsburgh to Morgantown was only a little over an hour and a half. Upon unloading at my friend's house, we went out for some dinner and spent the rest of the evening in various nerdy pursuits.


The Accommodations:
I was again staying at my friend's house, and after another year of work on it, he had a fully functional guest room, which is more than I needed.

On Not Expecting That

PNC Park, 2012

Saturday, May 26, 2012

Chicago Cubs vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
PNC Park
National League Central
Pittsburgh, PA
7:15 PM


Outside of the Game:
For most of the morning and afternoon, my friend and I continued our various nerdy pursuits, as is nearly always the case when we get together. After a break for lunch, and with last year's traffic still fresh in our mind, we gave ourselves some extra time for the drive up to Pittsburgh this afternoon. We headed out in my rental car, so having a second person to check voluminous blind spots was also welcome.

Unlike last time, there were no multiple events happening in Pittsburgh to snarl traffic, so we managed to try out a new parking lot across the river from PNC. This place has turned into our go-to parking lot for ever and ever. It is right at the end of the street on the river, and after the game, we pulled out directly onto the ramp that would send us south and back to Morgantown. It was a frictionless get-away and most of the trip back to the house was filled with how awesome our exit was.


The Stadium & Fans:

Home plate to center field, PNC Park

What more can I say about PNC Park except to extend its plaudits to say it is one of the top three baseball stadiums in the world instead of just the major leagues. As often seems to be the case, we went on a day with fireworks after the game, and as jaded as I am by fireworks displays, the explosions framing that park on that river come as close as I can get to enjoying the experience.

Un Parrote

On the street outside the park before the game there was some manner of mass aerobics workout going on called "Lighten Up" that just thoroughly confused me and provided flashbacks to the late eighties. Despite that, it was a big crowd on hand in the park, even before their mystifying mid-season surge filled up the neglected seats at PNC. Though there was a large Chicago contingent in the stands, the Pirates were clearly the most numerous, and everyone seemed to be having a good time at this early-season match up.


At the Game with Oogie:

Post-game fireworks

We sprung for club-level seats again this year. Arriving with time to spare, we availed ourselves of the specialty concessions and had ourselves a leisurely dinner before the game. Even though I bought the tickets super early in the year, I was only able to snag some seats that were slightly off of home plate instead of the ones right behind home plate that we usually get. This was a tragedy of world-shattering proportions. Except it wasn't, and the seats were just as good. There were mostly families around us, and for good or bad, there wasn't much to say about our seat mates for the game.


The Game:

First pitch, Cubs vs. Pirates

I doubt this is one that either team is going to have on their highlight reel at the end of the season.

The Cubs went down in order in the first, and beside a two-out single that got the runner all the way to third on a wild pitch, the Pirates didn't do much better. The Cubs had a lead-off single erased on a double-play in the second, whereas the Pirates got their lead-off hitter to third on a stolen base and a fly-out. A walk made it first and third with one out, before the next two went in order to end it.

With two outs in the top of the third, the Cubs got a single in the gap. The next batter hit one back to the pitcher, who promptly threw it into right, sending the runners to second and third. And then there was a grounder to third, and for no good reason, the runner a third was going on contact and got gunned down at the plate to end the inning. The Pirates started their half with a hit batman who got sacrificed over to second. The dangerous McCuttchen got a free pass to first, but the next batter lined one to center to bring the run home and leave it first and third with one out. A sacrifice fly brought in the runner from third, and the next batter had a short single, followed by a walk to load them up. However, the next batter grounded weakly to short, to end the inning with the Pirates up 2-0.

The Cubbies got on the board in the fourth with a two-out homer to dead center, to make it 2-1, while the Pirates went in order. Continuing their two-out magic in the fifth, the Cubs strung together a double and a triple before a ground-out ended it, tying the game up at two apiece. The Pirates scattered two walks with nothing to show for it. Both sides went in order in the sixth, but the Cubs would find spectacular ways to fail in the seventh. A one-out walk was followed by a deep double to right. The runner at first tried to make it home, but was gunned down by the relay throw from second, letting the batter get to third on the throw. Another walk followed, but a new pitcher got a strikeout to end the half inning with the score still tied. The Pirates managed a hit and an intentional walk in their half, but got no one across.

Both sides went in order in the eighth, and the Cubs kept it going by falling down in order in the top of the ninth. Then the weirdness happened. The Pirates started the bottom of the ninth with a single and a walk before the Cubs pitcher got the next two. On the second out, a fly out to deep center, the runner at second made it to third. The runner on first walked over to second on the first pitch to the next batter due to defensive indifference (as the runner at third was the only one that mattered). The Cubs eventually walked that batter, and loaded up the bases with two outs. The pitcher was clearly feeling the pressure, and promptly plunked the next batter, for your run-of-the-mill walk-off hit-by-pitch, giving the Pirates the 3-2 win.


The Scorecard:

Cubs vs. Pirates, 05/26/12. Pirates win, 3-2.

I was rocking the Baseball Writers Association of America scorebook again (having been to PNC many times before), as I was really starting to come to love the small form-factor and convenience that it brought to scorekeeping for me.

There were some odd ones in this game. The 9-4-2 put-out on the double in the seventh was surely a first, as was the walk-off HBP. Go big or go home, I guess.


The Accommodations:
Once again, I was crashing at my friend's house, in the room with the insane amount of LEGO in the closet, also known as the guest room.

Click here to see all the photos from this trip.

 

 2012 Western PA