Closing the 2022 Pirates season

This baseball season really tested my Pirates fandom. For six years I’ve followed the team (a relative baseball baby, I admit), never letting a losing record dampen my enthusiasm. Commiserating about ownership and the team’s performance felt like a Pittsburgh rite of passage, and a stalwart standby to have in the conversational toolkit. This season seemed especially rough, however, as if collective patience had been tested past the point of credulity.

In August an 18 year old fan got a photo op with owner Bob Nutting, revealing a shirt with the directive to “sell the team.” Later that month the Red Sox broadcast referred to the Pirates’ lineup as a “hodgepodge of nothingness,” and “pathetic.” Shortly after the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette published an editorial with the pointed title, “Are you proud, Bob Nutting?”

I started this season with an appreciation of new features at PNC Park, and I still appreciate these additions. But my trips to the ballpark this year also revealed things that had been lost from the stadium (i.e. the out-of-town scoreboard, sensible bag policies, and gluten free food options at the concessions). Last year I was so excited for October games, and I attended all of the games that month. This year I had run out of interest in heading back to the ballpark by the end of August. It was only a gift from my former roommate and friend-of-the-blog that got me back for a final outing.

He had got me a ticket for the October 4th game, the Pirates’ penultimate game of the season. Since this series was against the Cardinals I thought that at the very least I might see Albert Pujols make history by surpassing Babe Ruth in all-time RBIs, but he ended up passing that milestone the night before. So I admittedly didn’t have much enthusiasm for the game, a sentiment that was evidently shared by the “We hate Bob Nutting” stickers that I passed on my way to the stadium.

I was feeling more charitable by the time I got to PNC. There’s just something about Fall foliage around the ballpark that gets to me.

Once I was at my seat the transformation was total. I was directly behind the Pirates dugout, with a view of the stadium that I’ve never had at PNC Park.

Sitting behind the dugout my cynicism melted away immediately. I was directly across one set of the dugout steps, so players were traveling to and from the field right in front of me. Being so close, I was just feeling starstruck in the presence of my favorite players rather than griping about team standings. Gone was any sense of this game as a perfunctory penultimate outing with zero season stakes; I was just caught up in the drama of the game that was being played, and that was all that mattered.

It actually took me a while to figure out how to get to my section, and I’m glad that I got some crabfries before finding my seat because once I was stationed I didn’t move out of spot for the entirety of the 10-inning nearly four hour game (it was also my first time having crabfries, a PNC Park concession staple that I have long been curious about).

Even though Pujols wasn’t going to be setting any new records it was still cool to get to see him at the end of his historic season (and I guess this game was also his final regular season at-bat).

The couple sitting to my right were clearly season ticket holders who knew the usher and other folks in the section. Two seats to my left was a former coach for the Pirates’ AA affiliate Altoona Curve, so he knew many of the players and was interacting with them from the dugout throughout the game. Sitting directly next to me was a woman from Osaka. She was taking a vacation after leaving her previous job of 25 years and before starting her new job. Her whole vacation was traveling to Pittsburgh and attending these three games against the Cardinals. I asked if she was a lifelong baseball fan and she told me that she didn’t get into baseball until she was 30, which is something that we have in common. She wasn’t a Pirates fan, and in fact doesn’t follow any MLB team in particular, but she said that Pittsburgh seemed like a particularly fascinating city to visit.

I may have missed Pujols’ RBI milestone by one game, but it was still a historic night: it was the Pirates’ 100th loss of the season, which makes this their first consecutive 100 loss season since the 1950s. Yet this didn’t matter to me at the time. For the duration of the game I was only concerned with what was happening on the field. After all the frustration of this season I’m glad I had one more night out at the ballpark, and especially one that helped me get lost in the love of the game.

Josh Gibson Heritage Park opening

It’s been a busy summer for the Josh Gibson Foundation. Sean Gibson has arranged a full slate of events to commemorate the 50th anniversary of his great-grandfather’s induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame. On August 3rd Gibson’s Hall of Fame plaque was on display at PNC Park during that evening’s Pirates game. And the following morning the Josh Gibson Heritage park was officially unveiled over by Station Square in the South Side.

It’s been several years since the Heritage Park had its groundbreaking ceremony, so I was glad to be here for the official opening.

Sean Gibson welcomed the crowd.

Rob Ruck also offered some introductory remarks. Ruck is a historian at the University of Pittsburgh. His book Sandlot Seasons: Sport in Black Pittsburgh was a major reference for me when I was researching Pittsburgh’s Black baseball history. Ruck offered historical background on the significance of the figures commemorated at the Park, but also contextualized ongoing efforts of recognizing and memorializing Black sport history in relation to broader reckonings with racial disparities.

Finally the artworks were unveiled, beginning with the Cool Papa Bell monument. The pieces are painted bronze casts.

Finally the artworks were unveiled, beginning with the Cool Papa Bell monument. The pieces are painted bronze casts.

The marker for Cumberland Posey.

Satchel Paige.

Concluding with the Josh Gibson tribute.

Check out the Josh Gibson Foundation for additional information and upcoming events. Sean was also interviewed on City Cast Pittsburgh last month discussing the various commemorations.

Pirates Drone Show June 2022

Following their evening game on Friday June 3rd the Pirates held their first-ever drone show. This inaugural promotion had been touted by the local press as “something different” for Pittsburgh crowds who are accustomed to traditional fireworks shows which the Pirates typically put on several times each season. (Years before moving to Pittsburgh I had heard that the inclusion of “sky flowers” to mesmerize zombies in George Romero’s Land of the Dead was a sly yinzer allusion to Pittsburghers’ predilection for fireworks displays, though I remain unconvinced.)

I went to check out the drone show, my first time back to the stadium since opening day. The Friday game was well-attended but did not seem as crowded as the home opener. For instance, I was finally able to grab a spot at the Bullpen Bar this time around. I still think it’s a great place to watch the game, with the added bonus of being able to look directly down into the bullpens (as well as listen to young fans queued up at the fencing constantly call out to the relief pitchers for souvenir baseballs). The view got even better after the sun set behind the grandstand.

I also got to check out some of the new ballpark features that I had missed on opening day. These oversized bobblehead statues hadn’t yet been installed back in April.

The heads really do bobble, by the way.

I also really liked this Warhol-esque Pops art behind centerfield.

After the game concluded fans concentrated in the grandstand for better views of the drone show. (You can also spot the sliver of the moon in the top of the frame.)

The drone display began with the unmanned aerial vehicles slowly rising in uniform rows from the riverwalk. The backdrop of the downtown skyline was particularly colorful this evening due to many of the skyscrapers featuring rainbow colors to commemorate Pride Month.

The show proper started with the sounds of a classic Greg Brown walkoff call from some previous game broadcast, with his trademark victory announcement of “Raise the Jolly Roger!” The drones assumed the form of a waving Jolly Roger flag, and from my location almost seemed lined up with the stadium flagpoles.

From there the soundtrack transitioned to a sort of ragtime version of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame,” and the drones formed a revolving baseball emblazoned with the Pirates logo.

One of the novel features of the drone display was the ability to depict shapes that had movement or seemed to interact with each other, like a ball sent flying by a swinging bat.

The next section of the show featured imagery from Pirates franchise history, such as the iconic image of Steve Blass’ leap and Manny Sanguillen’s raised arms from the Pirates 1971 World Series victory.

A representation of Roberto Clemente tipped his cap to the crowd.

From more recent Pirates history, the fan-favorite Cueto moment from the 2013 Wildcard game was a particularly funny inclusion (and yes, the ball did fall from the hand).

The final section of the show spotlighted local Pittsburgh iconography, starting with one of the famous incline cars.

The iconic Kennywood arrows above a rollercoaster.

And finally some straight-out Pittsburgh love.

Pirates 2022 Home Opener

The Pittsburgh Pirates held their home opener at PNC Park on April 12th. First pitch was scheduled for 4:12 PM, a deliberately specific start time that sought to establish hometown Yinzer synergy with the 4/12 game date and Pittsburgh’s 412 area code. I had been eagerly anticipating opening day since I hadn’t attended a Pirates home opener since 2019. When I saw the crowds thronging to the stadium I realized that I was not alone: the pandemic-wrought disruptions of the past two seasons meant that no one had been able to enjoy a proper opening day game in Pittsburgh for three years. It was also a gorgeous afternoon with ideal weather for taking in a baseball game, considerably warmer than the chill and windy conditions during the 2019 home opener.

In addition to the return of a full capacity home opener this opening day game was also the debut of numerous new additions and renovations that were made to PNC Park during the offseason. Dubbed “fan experience enhancements,” these changes not only included the usual change up of concession offerings but also some significant alterations to the physical spaces of the ballpark itself. The physical modifications were made in coordination with Janet Marie Smith, a ballpark designer who’s overseen similar projects at Baltimore’s Camden Yards as well as Fenway Park and Dodger Stadium. During press previews of the renovations Smith described PNC as “one of the most iconic ballparks in the U.S.” and described some of the changing fan behaviors and expectations that the additions aim to accommodate.

The new stadium features are encountered before even entering the ballpark. New commemorative monuments have been installed along the riverwalk that separates PNC Park from the Allegheny in the form of oversized baseball sculptures featuring the names of notable players and hall-of-famers. The monuments not only recognize storied players from throughout the Pirates long history but also include players from Pittsburgh’s most prominent Negro Leagues teams, namely the Homestead Grays and Pittsburgh Crawfords.

I’ve previously written about Negro Leagues commemoration at PNC Park, and my chapter in the Urban Communication Reader Vol. IV focuses on various failures or frustrations of memorializing the history of Black baseball in Pittsburgh (one of the significant examples from PNC Park being the former Legacy Square installation). With this history in mind I appreciated the new (and ostensibly permanent) commemorative markers that honor this legacy. Yet amongst these welcome efforts the Pirates organization once again found frustration in its attempts at Negro Leagues memorialization when a large bobblehead-style statue of a Black baseball player was rejected prior to its installation in PNC Park. After images of the statue appeared online some social media users remarked that the likeness evoked legacies of racist caricatures.

Aside from the baseball monuments the Pirates also installed large sculptures of retired player numbers along the rampway that connects the riverwalk to the northern terminus of the Clemente bridge and PNC Park’s Center Field Gate.

Speaking of the Center Field Gate, visitors entering PNC Park through this portal will almost immediately encounter the most significant physical alterations to the space of the ballpark. The areas around the outfield have been substantially renovated to feature new seating areas, hightop tables with patio umbrellas, and two new concession stations. In addition to providing great new spaces for watching the field these areas also open up new vistas of the ballpark.

In the area that previously housed a small, standalone security outpost building there is a brand new bar concession (sponsored by Fatheads Brewery, which also hosts one of my go-to South Side spots).

As the name suggests, the Fathead’s Bullpen Bar also features an extended drink rail directly overlooking the bullpen. I think this is an especially neat addition, as previously the area above the bullpen was rather heavily policed by the resident security staff who often shooed away peering fans. It’s a nice addition that affords a wholly unique perspective for watching the game yet I have to imagine that this privileged position will regularly feature “spirited” patrons heckling hometeam and visiting relief pitchers alike.

The outward-facing side of the Bullpen bar is festooned with Pirates banners and features the same stellar city views that this part of the ballpark has always provided.

Also in this outfield area is Manny’s BBQ, which is not a new concession but rather a longtime favorite for food offerings at PNC. Nevertheless, it did receive some updates including oversized reproductions of baseball cards from throughout the career of the restaurant’s namesake Manny Sanguillén. I had often heard that Manny himself could sometimes be found manning the stand, but this opening day visit was the first time I actually witnessed such an occurrence. In the photo below you can see Manny in the lower left corner greeting fans beneath some of the new baseball card features.

There are new commemorative and decorative installations throughout the ballpark, such as these vintage-style Pirates pennants and “Let’s Go Bucs” signage.

Some additional commemorative features are still in the works, as evident by the “coming soon” banner along this new Pittsburgh Pirates Hall of Fame wall.

The game ended shortly before sunset, and the long shadows and suffused light on this opening day made me think of the final game of the previous season last October.

As we were informed last year, the Roberto Clemente Bridge is currently closed for renovations and will remain inaccessible for the remainder of this season. While the bridge itself may not officially be part of the ballpark, it is an indelible feature of the overall PNC Park panorama and common accessway to the stadium. As such, traversing the bridge is closely connected to the entire game day experience for many visitors. On my way to the game I took the T to the North Side station (something I hadn’t done in years). When leaving I joined the crowds crossing the 7th Street Andy Warhol Bridge. While adjusting to this detour I wondered about the fate of another iconic feature of a Pirates home game experience: the “Sax Man,” AKA Reggie Howze, the Hill District native who has been playing saxophone on the Clemente Bridge before and after Pirates games since 1998. To my delight, Mr. Howze was indeed posted up on the sister bridge providing exit music for the departing fans.

City Scenes: The Summer Ends (again)

The official first day of fall came two weeks ago, and the weather in Pittsburgh has changed accordingly. But I feel that the summer doesn’t really end until the regular baseball season comes to a close, and due to MLB scheduling this year the Pirates’ final homestand fell on the first three days of October, giving us a tiny taste of Buctober baseball.

The Friday evening game was cool, even chilly in the latter innings. It was not nearly as cold as previous early-season games I’ve attended but it was cool enough that I was able to wear my Pirates starter jacket. Saturday was warmer, and on my way to the stadium I noticed several telltale signs of summer’s end: the pool at the Ormsby rec center has been drained, and the Allegheny Overlook pop-up park has disappeared from Fort Duquesne Boulevard.

The Clemente bridge was closed-off to vehicle traffic giving the ballpark-bound crowds full reign of the street. I was glad to be able to partake in this ritual one last time this year, especially since the bridge will be closed for refurbishment next season.

At the end of the bridge lines for entry to the ballpark snaked around the block. It was by far the longest lines I’ve seen at PNC Park this year.

I know it’s not really Buctober, and I remain hopeful that I will get to see actual post-season baseball at PNC Park, but I still relished the opportunity to take in fall evenings at the ballpark.

2021 Pittsburgh Negro Leagues Commemoration at PNC Park

This past week marked the 50th anniversary of the Pittsburgh Pirates fielding the first all Black and Latino starting lineup in Major League Baseball history. The historic game -- played September 1st 1971 at Three Rivers Stadium -- made the Pirates the first franchise to start an all-minority lineup in the major leagues. While all indications suggest that the decision was made without any deliberate intention to make history, the major league milestone quickly sent shockwaves throughout Pittsburgh and beyond. The Pirates organization commemorated the anniversary with special events including a panel discussion at the Heinz History Center featuring members of the landmark lineup.

The anniversary events came one week after the Pirates dedicated a game to commemorating Pittsburgh’s Negro Leagues baseball history. On Friday August 27th the Pirates presented a Negro Leagues remembrance night while hosting the St. Louis Cardinals at PNC Park. The game featured a Josh Gibson-themed Grays t-shirt giveaway for fans and the Pirates took the field wearing replica Homestead Grays uniforms.

As with similar commemoration games during previous seasons the event also included an historical exhibit beneath the outfield bleachers. In addition to uniform and memorabilia displays relating to Josh Gibson and Pittsburgh’s Negro Leagues teams, the exhibit also featured photographs from the Carnegie Museum of Art’s Charles “Teenie” Harris archive.

During the pre-game festivities the Pirates presented a $15,000 check to Sean Gibson, Josh Gibson’s great grandson and head of the Josh Gibson Foundation. I was pleased to see Sean and his foundation singled out for recognition at the game: he was extremely generous with his time when I interviewed him about his commemoration initiatives for my chapter in the Urban Communication Reader vol. IV, and I know that the breakout of the pandemic last year interrupted various plans for celebrations. I was also glad to see that the banners in the Legacy Square stadium entrance featured Negro Leagues players. I recall that in 2019 the banners only highlighted Pirates players. The return of Negro Leagues history to the corridor was a welcome sight, even if it doesn’t quite make up for the removal of the statues and history exhibits that previously occupied the space, as I discussed in my aforementioned book chapter.

The Legacy Square banners were not the only indication of increased Negro Leagues commemoration by the Pirates. The August 27th game was officially promoted as a Negro Leagues remembrance night for the first time in several seasons. During the past five years I’ve noticed that the annual commemorative game had gone from being billed as a “Negro Leagues celebration” to “African American Heritage night” and most recently simply a “Heritage Night.” I found a poster of this season’s promotional schedule that retained a reference to the indefinite “Heritage Night,” but I was glad that the promotion listing when I purchased my tickets was more pronounced. Even a seemingly minor gesture like this can take on greater resonance in light of ongoing efforts to commemorate and reckon with legacies of injustice, particularly in light of MLB’s decision late last year to officially recognize Negro Leagues records within major league baseball history.

City Scenes: Back at the Ballpark

Within a week of returning to Pittsburgh I attended a Pirates game at PNC Park. It was my first time back to the park since September 29, 2019, which was the last day of the Pirates’ 2019 season and therefore also the last time fans were in the stadium until the pandemic attendance restrictions were relaxed this past spring.

Following the Pirates has become a significant part of my experience as a Pittsburgher, and both PNC Park itself and the various views of the city it affords represent some of my favorite places around. So christening my return to the city with a bus ride downtown, a walk across the Clemente bridge, and panoramic views from the upper bowl provided a sense of familiarity and stability in the midst of an otherwise tumultuous time.

While my trip to PNC did cap off my first week back in Pittsburgh, it was not my first trip back to a ballpark. That was actually two weeks earlier when I attended a Nashville Sounds game (pictured above). In both cases it was still strange to be around large crowds, particularly in light of the relaxed social distancing and mask guidelines to which we’ve become accustomed. It also still feels like a temporary reprieve rather than a full-blown reassertion of the status quo, but while attendance is back to full capacity I remain excited to finally watch October Pirates baseball in person at the end of the season.