THE BOYS OF SUMMER

(PITTSBURGH, PA) For the past three days I have been in Pittsburgh enjoying some baseball at PNC Park. I really enjoy coming to the Steel City for baseball. If there is a better ballpark in the Major League I haven't found it. PNC Park sits on the "North Shore" of the Three Rivers.  It is here that the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers merge to form the Ohio River. 

I have attended several games at PNC Park over the past few years, but this three game trip was a mixed bag to say the least.

This was sort of a spur of the moment trip as I didn't decide to actually to buy tickets until this past Sunday.  This would be the Dodgers only trip into Pittsburgh this season and I really wanted to see the Boys in Blue this year. So I quickly bought tickets and made my hotel reservations.

Tuesday Morning I hit the road for the 6-hour trip to the Steel City. When I first bought my ticket the weather in Pittsburgh called for less than 20% chance of rain during the entire three game series.  But, just as I was arriving in the Pittsburgh area my phone and radio started sounding severe thunderstorm warning for the entire area. 

Angry Sky over PNC Park

It was clear when I left my Hotel from the 10-mile, 30-minute drive to the ballpark. But as I got closer to downtown the dark clouds to the north seemed to get even more angry.  At 6:30, just 35 minutes before the scheduled first pitch, the sky opened up. Thunder, lightening and wide moved through and it was obvious that the start would be delayed.

Just as quickly at the rain started it blew through and the sky cleared. But the temperature dropped from about 75 to 62 when the first pitch was made shortly before 8 p.m. By the time the 8th inning was in the books it was 54 degrees and I was really cold.  Being June I never though that I would need long pants and a jacket.  The Dodgers came out on top with a 5-0 shutout win. 

By the time I made the walk back across the Roberto Clemente Bridge the temperature on my phone showed 49.  I was glad to be in the car and warm again.

Yasiel Puig signs autographs before Wednesday's game

A check of the weather for Wednesday Nights game showed another chilly night so I made my way to the nearest Wal-Mart and bought a light jacket and a pair of cheap sweat pants. It was cloudy but no rain and I managed to stay warm and saw the Pirates Raise the Jolly Roger with an 11-9 win.

Now I am a creature of habit and I don't like change. Today's game was set for  12:35 p.m. first pitch.  I had never been to an afternoon weekday game and just as I feared parking in my usual parking garage on Fort Duquesne Blvd., was full. In face all of the parking lots and garages on the south shore were full.

Matt Kemp

So I headed to North Shore and eventually found a $15 lot between Heinz Field and PNC Park.  It was a bright sunny day and a great day for baseball.  The Dodgers basically pitched their bull pen for the entire game using a total of  9-pitchers, but still managed to come out on top with an 8-7 win.

Parking on the North Shore meant that I had to get back across the bridge in order to return to my hotel near the airport.  This was a major ordeal in afternoon rush hour traffic.  The game was over just a little after 3:30 and it took me almost two hours to make it back to the "West End" where I could pickup Steubenville Pike.  After making the turn onto Steubenville Pike, it took me less than 30 minutes to make it back to my Hotel.

Learning my lesson, I will probably pass on any future weekday afternoon games.  Trying to find parking and navigating afternoon rush hour traffic is just to much of a hassle. I am looking forward to returning to Pittsburgh later in the season for a weekend series with either the Cardinals or the Cubs.