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Bonus Game #2 - Wednesday, June 22, 2011 at 12:35 P.M. I am happy for this day. This was my first visit to Pittsburgh. A special thanks for Pete D. for driving. Shaun T. is here with us as well. I love this city. I don't care about sports rivalries. It's not my job or place to belittle or show animosity for teams. Even if it's all in good fun, I don't see the point. It's just a game. Now onto the good stuff: Like Washington, DC - the Pirates do a lot of their fans too. I know it's been 17 years since they had a winning record and that is maybe part of the reason they reciprocate. But they have a lot of promotions and their most expensive ticket is only $52. Every home game on Friday welcomes a new free t-shirt giveaway. Some folks remarked that the in-between innings stuff was dopey and minor league, but I think it makes each team unique. I have only been to four stadiums (Camden Yards, Nationals Park, Citizens Bank Park, and PNC Park). I could include RFK Stadium for the early years of the Nationals. I suspect each facility does it different. It's good to be unique or it will get stale and largely ignored. The big stand out here was the food prices. You can get a order of six Miss T.'s Pierogies for only $4. They view it as a side item! They sell Pierogie BBQ Stackers, Gyros, Hummus, the usual ballpark fare, and some vegetarian options. The view of the skyline and the water from our seats was the best. I want to come back and visit the rest of the city. Pete informed me that on our mini-tour, we saw a majority of the city already. Nevertheless, I can't wait to come back and make a night or weekend out of it. Photos include the Pierogi Race along with the stadium, and other things. The campy moment for me, is when the Orioles starting line-up was introduced to The Blind Boys of Alabama version of "Way Down In The Hole" from Season 1 of The Wire. Is this done for every visiting team or were they paying respect (poking fun) at Charm City? :) The Pirate Parrot was hard to reach on this day for photo opportunities. :( One of the friendly ushers told me that he does have a day job and was probably busy in-between stints of dancing and shooting t-shirts to the crowd. I was oblivious to the fact that the game started at 12:35 and this was office hours. Next time! :)