I attended a game at Forbes Field here in 1967 but don’t remember anything other than that.  Then I brought my father to a game here in 1999 at Three Rivers Stadium but didn’t see the city because of his phobia about staying above the third floor in a hotel, so we just passed through for the game.  So what a nice surprise Pittsburgh has been as I complete the cycle of having been to all three of their baseball venues.  They have many fine buildings, both old and new, incredibly active river fronts, a vibrant downtown, abundant dining, the bridges, a beautiful baseball park and that’s just what I took in during our brief visit.  I was particularly intrigued by PPG Place with the many buildings’ unique design, the tallest of which makes an appearance from almost anywhere in the city.  I plan to bring Konnie here for a long weekend trip.

Oh yes, we saw a fine game on a perfect day for baseball.  Ryan got one baseball, came close on some others and we had the most entertaining five year old girl in front of me.  Fortunately she also got a ball courtesy of another entertained fan.  The Dodgers prevailed 5 to 3 in 11 innings with plenty of drama, including the Pirate pitcher Brandon Cumpton striking out the first four batters he faced in his major league debut and a game tying homer by the Pirates in the bottom of the ninth.  On to Cleveland for a Sunday afternoon against the Nationals where there is a 60% chance of thunderstorms.