At what would be another lose for the home team, the Pirates put forth a pretty mediocre effort against the Spanish Holy Fathers. The stadium, however, put forth a much better showing. Sitting directly across the river from downtown Pitt and next to Heinz field (home of the Steelers), PNC Park is one of the most unique in baseball. It pays a fitting homage to the steel city with its structure primarily built of steel. Near the 3rd base line, the main entrance is a very cool spiral walkway to the upper levels made entirely of steel. At night, this structure was lit up with blue lights for a very cool effect. There are statues to the major Pittsburgh baseball icons, Honus Wagner (didn’t have time to find), Willie Stargell, and Roberto Clemente surrounding the stadium.

Inside the stadium the concourse is amply sized, smartly extending the gathering areas behind the food stands to keep traffic flow smooth. The best view from the stadium is in the left field area, down the third base line, as it points directly at the Pittsburgh skyline. The outfield is void of any walls or obstructions, nicely highlighting the natural beauty of the city. I’m no architect, but it was a great use empty space to demonstrate the beauty of construction

Two food items were recommended by many sources for this stadium. The first was Primanti’s, which makes ginormous deli sandwiches, and lord knows I love huge sandwiches. I wanted to indulge, but having just eaten a decent dinner on the incline, I opted for option B: Quaker Steak and Lube. Recommended by my cousin-in-law and else where, Quaker Steak is known for the delicious wings. Finding an empty line, I was met with a variety of mindblowing sauces. Keeping with my strategy of trying new things, I selected the Louisiana Lickers, which sounds more like the punch line to a dirty joke than sauce. It was a combo of Hot-Garlic-BBQ-Cajun flavors which did not disappoint. Too heavy on the garlic for me, but still quite good. It was about 10 wings for $8, which was a fine deal for me. If you’re insane, you can venture into the full bucket.

Our boy Mike Adams got in the game, and pitched 1.1 solid innings in relief of Josh Banks’s Padres win. Sadly Pittsburgh did not lead to any new friends, but it was still an excellent game on an excellent night. It was even free hat night!