First trip to Pittsburgh....from a Sox fan. (school, university)

[sskink]

Originally Posted by magicshark

I can't comment on Wrigley as I have never been. Maybe someday but I grew up with Fenway so it will always be first to me.

Although we were greatly amused by everything going on in PNC, I do prefer a simpler approach. One of the reasons my son never went to minor league games is because I didn't want him to think that was what baseball was about. We have a minor league team in Lowell, think Quincy but north of the city with no ocean and not on the red line. He goes to Fenway and sits and watches the game. I figure he is old enough now to visit PNC but still appreciate Fenway for what it is.

By the way the hot dog toss blew our minds! We laughed for hours over it. They way the crowd cheered for that and the pierogi (I can't spell that!) race well the only thing I see Fenway fans get that excited for beside the game is when someone gets escorted out of the park! Our crowd finds that so amusing!

Don't get me wrong. Every baseball fan should make it to Fenway at least once. Like Wrigley, it's historic and different than the other 28 MLB parks. It's fun going there and experiencing the uniqueness (and smallness) of the park.

That said, Fenway is still more or less in a commercial district. The Cask n' Flagon is pretty much a dump and trying to get a beer there pre-game can be an ordeal. The other nearby bars are cleaner, but regularly overwhelmed by the milling pre-game crowds, although Boston Beer Works was an improvement. Kenmore Sq. is just far enough away to not be a true game day baseball atmosphere.

Although Fenway does offer something no other park does - the opportunity to be crammed shoulder-to-shoulder with 1,000 other beer-sodden loud fans trying to cram into a T car Wrigley crowds tend to disperse more slowly so there's no big crowds on the El. And in Pittsburgh, a lot of folks park or come across the bridge, so the T, while crowded, isn't overwhelming.

Wrigley, OTOH, is the center of a functional mixed-use neighborhood. Enough bars & restaurants around the entire perimeter to serve everyone, plus "connected" bars (for ticket holders only) outside. The clubs in RF (the buildings with seats on the roofs) are unique in all baseball. Wrigley even has a spot in RF where you could watch the game through a chain link fence for free (you can see the entire IF and about half the OF). And unlike Fenway, people live there. And the major plus (at least until the Cubs start winning regularly again) is that the tickets are much, much cheaper.

Pittsburgh had the right idea with all the N. Shore development. Should the Bucs be perennial contenders, that will prove to be a bustling area and a lot of fun to experience on game days. It will never be Wrigleyville, and maybe not even Fenway in terms of numbers of people hanging out pre-game, but it could be one of the better parks in MLB for pre-and-post game activities.

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by Copanut

I made it to Fenway for a game years ago, what an atmosphere. No Bucco Brigade, no Hot Dog Toss, no Pierogi races n'at, no Pirate Parrot, no JumboTron, just baseball, imagine that.

Wow, things have changed since I saw the Pirates play in Forbes Field! There, too, it was just baseball. I did make it to a couple of games at 3 Rivers, don't remember all the above.

[magicshark]

The Cask and Flagon is a dump. I haven't set foot in there since my late 20s, in my forties now. Bill's Bar was always much better. The bars on Landsdowne St are too touristy for me now. They used to be more for locals. Until they closed it, it would have been The Rat in Kenmore but they have Disneylanded Kenmore....sigh. I miss it's old funkiness. Saw so many great punk bands there. Who's On First is a favourite. Beer Works is ok but still too touristy for me. After a game it's easier to leave and cramming on the T with all the drunks is actually fun. With the T being so convenient locals tend to just hit a bar in their own neighbourhood.

[MathmanMathman]

I've heard that the Red Sox play 'Sweet Caroline" at their games. Pitt has that tradition too.

How 'Sweet Caroline' became the Pitt fans' singalong - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

[magicshark]

Originally Posted by MathmanMathman

I've heard that the Red Sox play 'Sweet Caroline" at their games. Pitt has that tradition too.

How 'Sweet Caroline' became the Pitt fans' singalong - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Thanks..that was very interesting. Sweet Caroline is sung in the eighth every game but it's a fairly new practice. I am guessing late 90s. I used to hate it but usually I am feeling pretty good by the eighth so I sing along too!

[JimboPGH]

Originally Posted by MathmanMathman

I've heard that the Red Sox play 'Sweet Caroline" at their games. Pitt has that tradition too.

How 'Sweet Caroline' became the Pitt fans' singalong - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Yeah, I wouldn't exactly call the pitty kitties playing Sweet Caroline at the end of the third quarter a "tradition." Although I do still thoroughly enjoy yelling "Eat **** Pitt!" during the chorus pretty much anytime I hear that song.

[Copanut]

I remember the time I was there when the fans just started yelling Yankees Suck, and they were playing the White Sox.

[Pitt Chick]

Originally Posted by JimboPGH

Yeah, I wouldn't exactly call the pitty kitties playing Sweet Caroline at the end of the third quarter a "tradition."

... and how many years does it take to become a tradition?

[Debbie1125]

Originally Posted by h_curtis

Um, I don't know if I would suggest going to Philly with a Sox jersey on. Very different city than Pittsburgh to say the least.

I agree. Not a good idea.

[that412]

Originally Posted by sskink

Pittsburgh had the right idea with all the N. Shore development. Should the Bucs be perennial contenders, that will prove to be a bustling area and a lot of fun to experience on game days. It will never be Wrigleyville, and maybe not even Fenway in terms of numbers of people hanging out pre-game, but it could be one of the better parks in MLB for pre-and-post game activities.

Just imagine if somehow they could bury 279 and tear down Allegheny Center and there was continuous mixed-use all the way from the ballpark to Allegheny Commons. Hey, a guy can dream.