Baseball Week - Cubs on a road trip Oh No! Out at Home

 

I left Schaumburg early on Tuesday morning to get to Pittsburgh for that evening’s game. With traffic and pit stops, I had just enough time to check into Hyatt Place across the street and get into the park for the National Anthem.

Even the 3^rd deck seats have good views, made better by the Pittsburgh skyline and you’ll get senior discounts.  $22 for a last place team is about right, but always a treat to see the Cubs.

 Food is incredible: sweet and savory pierogis; hot dogs and sausages topped with capicola, provolone, slaw and pickles; roasted corn cobs; chicken biscuits; and the local favorite hole -in-the-wall, Primante Brothers, where sliced meat is piled high with cheese, slaw and fries all smashed between 2 slices of bread.

 

Before heading to Lancaster the next day, I walked the perimeter of the park to see the statues and the riverside walkway.  For baseball fans there’s Honus Wagner, one of the first five inductees to the Hall of Fame; big Willie Stargell; Bill Mazeroski, one of two players in all history to hit a walk-off home run to win the World Series; and Roberto Clemente.

Clemente was the best right fielder I had ever seen, able to cut down runners at home with throws from deep in the corner on a laser line to the plate. He knocked his 3000^th hit on the last regular season game of 1972.

His greatness was not only on
the field, but also as a humanitarian bringing supplies to Nicaragua following an earthquake. His plane crashed on the way killing all aboard. Each year, the MLB player showing the most significant effort to help his community receives the Roberto Clemente Award

For our wedding invitations, Theresa was gracious enough to have depictions of neither hearts nor flowers, but rather Roberto Clemente stamps on the outgoing and return envelopes.  Out at Home could be a reference to Clemente’s defense, but I’ll clarify that in the next chapter.