Pirates Photofest & PNC Park Tour

Good Evening,

I meant to post this last week, but with all the preparations for Memorial Day weekend it never got posted. This is a recap of my experience at Pittsburgh Pirates photofest and a tour of PNC Park.

On May 18th , I attended the Pirates/Astros game with some friends. We went to the game for several reasons, one of which was getting an A.J. Burnett bobblehead (Mission Accomplished). Just a day or two before the game, I found out that the team was holding the annual Photofest before the game, so we figured we would head to Pittsburgh early to see what it was about.

We arrived at the parking garage near the park about 4:15, 15 minutes after the gates opened so fans could begin making their way down onto the field to get a good spot. When we got out of the car we could see that the line was still making its way in and the fans in their Pirates gear stretched all the way down the outside of the stadium on the third base line. We took our time getting over there and by the time we made it to the gate it was 4:30 and there was no line. We got through the turnstiles, got our bobbleheads and made our way up the series of escalators to the main concourse. As we took a few steps off the escalators, we saw the large number of people already on the outfield warning track.

Instead of attempting to wade through the mass of people already out there and get little to no good pics of the players, we decided on a different strategy. We would make our way down to the seating area next to the Pirates dugout so we could see the players and coaches coming onto the field. This was a great option because we got to see all the stars and even say hi to manager Clint Hurdle. Hurdle was a class act and talked to fans and signed autographs as he made his way towards the outfield. Eventually, we made our way out onto the warning track which was cool before taking our seats for the game. Unfortunately, the Pirates lost in extra innings and my detour to stay away from the closed Squirrel Hill tunnel resulted in sitting through construction on Route 28. I was impressed by the Photofest setup and the ability to be up close and personal with all the players and coaches.


Now, onto the tour. I returned to Pittsburgh the following Monday to run some errands, so I decided to take a tour of PNC Park. I have wanted to do this for the past 2-3 years, and I finally decided to head over to the ballpark and take a tour. When I arrived I went to the ticket windows, purchased my ticket, and went inside to meet up with the tour guide. Originally, I was worried that I would have to take the tour with one of the many school groups there that day, but luckily they had a tour guide for walk ups that day. Our tour guide Elaine was very friendly, and her knowledge of the park and the city made it a fun and informational tour.

The PNC Park tour took me all over the park to areas I have visited like the Pittsburgh Baseball Club. The best part of the tour is all the places you visit that you would never get to visit on a typical game day, unless you  were working. You get access to the Press Box, where I took this great picture of the city and the skyline. I was also able to visit the Pirates press conference room, batting cage, the Lexus Club, before heading into the Pirates dugout. While in the batting cage we were able to hold the bats and gloves of some of the Pirates players. Does this bat look familiar?

The final stop on the tour was the dugout and access to the area behind home plate. As we left the batting cage and headed down the stairs to the field, we were able to see and touch the sign with the famous Roberto Clemente quote pictured to the right. A short hallway took us inside the Pirates dugout and then onto the field. As a Pirates fan, I sat back for a minute in the dugout and thought of all the players I have watched  and admired over the years who may have sat in this same spot. McCutchen, Bay, Giles, etc.


We then exited the field and made our way out to the gate where our tour began. It was a great experience and again, I have to thank our tour guide Elaine who made the whole group feel welcome and allowed us to take pictures and even took pictures for us. One thing I will have to go back and take the tour on a non-game day when tours have access to the clubhouse. I recommend taking the tour if you are a Pirates fan or a fan of baseball. You will learn things you have never heard about the team and the park and its a great way to spend an afternoon.

Click here to visit the information page about PNC Park Tours and pricing.

- The Flood City Sports Fan

McDonald rough in rehab start for Curve

Good evening,

Today I attended the Altoona Curve game and as I was preparing to leave for the game, I found out that James McDonald was the starting pitcher for today for the Curve against the Richmond Flying Squirrels. McDonald was pitching for the Curve on a rehab start and has been on the DL since May 1st with shoulder stiffness. Here is the story on the injury from ESPN.

McDonald started the noon game in front of a crowd of 3,114 at Peoples Natural Gas Field and quickly got off on a rough start walking the leadoff hitter Jarrett Parker on four pitches. This might have been a good thing, since Parker has been on fire in the past five games hitting 5 home runs and driving in 11 runs. He then got behind 2-0 to the #2 hitter Joe Panik before throwing his first strike of the game. He walked Panik, before Adam Duvall drove a pitch into the front row of seats in left field to give Richmond an early 3-0 lead. After getting two outs in the inning, McDonald walked Javier Herrera and Andrew Susac before being pulled  in the first inning.McDonald threw 33 pitches before being pulled for Nate Baker, with 14 of those pitches being strikes.

The early exit was just a beginning for the Curve who fell to the Flying Squirrels 13-2. In the four game series against Richmond, Altoona went 1-3 and losing the last three games of the series. They were outscored in the series 49-30. With the loss the Curve drop to 20-23 while Richmond improved to 26-23.

The outing raises some questions about McDonald. There was no reference to what the pitch count was in this start, so he might have simply met it and the team and Pirates officials did not want to push the envelope. Hopefully the injury was not acting up and McDonald just had a rough outing. It will be interesting to see if McDonald stays in Altoona for another start which would be scheduled for Saturday night in Portland, ME as the Curve take on the Sea Dogs.

Click Here to see the box score from today's game.

- The Flood City Sports Fan

Top 10 Sports Moments from "The Office"

Good Afternoon,

Tomorrow night is the final episode of "The Office" and it is a bummer for me because I am a huge fan of the show. Last summer, while I was working @ Pocono Raceway during a race weekend, I made a visit to Scranton to check out some places mentioned on the show. Below is a pic of me with the famous Welcome to Scranton Sign.

For today's post, I thought I would have some fun and look at ten of the best sports moments from the show. This list is strictly my opinion and I encourage you to mention your favorites in the comments section below.

10. Jim playing Ping Pong (Season 4, Episode 12, The Deposition)
 In this episode Jim plays ping pong with Darryl, who is much better at the game. This leads Kelly, Darryl's girlfriend, to taunt Pam about Jim's poor play. Pam then forces Jim to train against various office workers on a makeshift conference room table. He takes on Kevin, Creed, and Dwight before playing and losing a closer match to Darryl. This was a funny episode with Jim playing several office workers and telling Dwight to play him because he has to play a client for a big account.

9. Andy & Michael at the Baseball Game (Season 6, Episode 25, The Chump)
This is an interesting episode because Michael has found out he is with a married woman (Donna), but he still wants to be with her. To show him what he is doing is wrong, Andy takes him to see Donna's husband coaching a local high school baseball team. This episode is funny because Andy is very akward at the game, acting like an announcer at one point and talking with the coach during the game.

8. Soccer in the Parking Lot (Season 5, Episode 22, Dream Team)
In this episode, Michael has been fired from his job as manager and Charles Miner takes over. Jim, who didn't make a good first impression on the new boss, finds out that Charles is a soccer fan, and suddenly Jim is also a fan. Dwight catches on to his scheme and suggests everyone play soccer after work, an idea that Charles loves. Jim makes things worse during the game by ducking to avoid the ball instead of heading it, allowing it to strike Phyllis in the face and putting him into a bad light with Charles.

7. Michael The Hockey Player (Season 2, Episode 19, Michael's Birthday)
In the episode Michael's birthday, Michael is ready for the employees at Dunder Mifflin to celebrate his birthday. The problem is, Kevin finds out he might have skin cancer, leaving the employees worried about Kevin and caring less about Michael's birthday. This leads to everyone heading to the skating rink where Michael's party was originally to take place. One of the best scenes in this episode is Michael skating around in full hockey gear and a stick before checking Toby into the boards. He then explains that he could have been an NHL player but he really wants a wife and kids. The episode ends with Kevin and Michael opening gifts, the best (not for Michael) being a jersey for Michael with From Dwight on the back instead of a name.

6. Office Olympics (Season 2, Episode 3, Office Olympics)
While Michael and Dwight are out closing the deal on Michael's condo, Jim and Pam organize the Office Olympics featuring games like a coffee cup race, who can eat the most M&M's (Kevin was the only competitor), and Flonkerton or Icelandic Paperbox Snowshoeing. After Michael and Dwight return, the office holds Closing Ceremonies featuring a medal stand made of paper boxes and paper doves.

5. Threat Level Midnight Hockey (Season 7, Episode 17)
Threat Level Midnight was one of the more interesting episodes which featured Agent Michael Scarn (Michael Scott) attempting to save the NHL All Star Game. Some of the best scenes are on the ice with Scarn working hard to make the NHL All Star team to save the day. His training montage in this episode is hilarious, especially with Creed's character as his teacher. This episode gets bonus points for the dance move known as "The Scarn"

4. Karate Kid, the Hillary Swank Version (Season 2, Episode 6, The Fight)
A "The Office" Sports Moments list would not be complete without adding the epic Karate match between Michael and Dwight. In this episode, Michael questions Dwight's abilities, leading Dwight to punch Michael to show how tough he is. This leads to a battle in the studio where Dwight takes Karate. The best scene in this episode is when Michael attacks Dwight, gets him on the ground and tries to "spit in his mouth" as a sign of defeat. This is the episode when Dwight officially becomes Assistant to the Regional Manager.

3. Volleyball (Season 5, Episode 28, Company Picnic)
Company Picnic is a fun episode that brings back familiar faces and gives us a major storyline for the rest of the show. The Dunder Mifflin Scranton branch attends the annual company picnic where they take part in a volleyball tournament. The team is bad at first, before Pam steps in with her serving skills, later explaining her experience with the sport. As the finals begin, Pam gets hurt, heading to the hospital where she and Jim find out she is pregnant with their first child, CeCe (Or PePe as Dwight calls her). This episode features the first return of Holly, along with the return of Charles Miner, who criticizes Jim during their game. We also meet Dwight's friend Rolf who coaches the team while criticizing Angela for her treatment of Dwight.

2. Michael Scott Charity Run for Rabies (Season 4, Episode 12)
After hitting Meredith with his car and finding out she had Rabies, Michael organizes a charity fun run to find a "cure" for the rabid. Michael attempts to prepare for the run by eating Fettuccine Alfredo (carbo loading) just moments before the run begins, leading to him getting sick at the end and going to the hospital for dehydration (Michael would not drink water because the rabid have a fear of water.We see familiar faces in this episode including Bob Vance, Billy the building manager, and "Elizabeth the Stripper", who comes to receive the giant check in the name of science. This episode is also the first where Jim and Pam officially announce that they are a couple.

1. Michael Scott: Basketball Star (Season 1, Episode 5, Basketball & Season 7, Episode 22, Goodbye Michael )
For my #1 pick I had to choose Michael's basketball moments. The first came in the first season when Michael takes a group of employees to the Warehouse to take on the Warehouse guys (Darryl, Roy, Ronnie, etc.). Michael, who thinks he is a great basketball player picks players he thinks are athletic or are secret weapons (Stanley must be good to him, because he is black) instead of people like Kevin and Phyllis who can play better than Stanley & Dwight. Michaels team wins the game after he is "fouled" and calls the game off. In his final day, he plays basketball in the warehouse once again, trying to make a shot over his shoulder while saying "Catch you on the flippity-flip." He makes the shot after several attempts in his last visit to the Warehouse.

Honorable Mentions: Michael playing pool (Season 6, Episode 21, Happy Hour), Jim & Robert playing raquetball (Season 8, Episode 6, Doomsday)

Leave your comments below if your list is different or if I missed a moment you think should be added. Tune into The Office finale this Thursday night.

- The Flood City Sports Fan

Penguins Playoff History on Long Island

Photo Source

Good Evening,

Tomorrow, the Penguins will travel to Uniondale, NY to take on the New York Islanders at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. I figured I would take a look at the Penguins playoff history on the road against the Islanders. Consider this a mix of a regular post and a shorter "Looking at the Numbers" post.

1974-75 Season: After two seasons where they failed to make the playoffs, the Penguins finished 3rd in the Norris division and qualified for the postseason. After defeating the St. Louis Blues 2-0 in the preliminary round, the Penguins took on the New York Islanders in the Quarter Finals. The Penguins won their first game on Long Island 6-4 to take a 3-0 series lead. In game four, the Islanders got their first win of the series 3-1. The final game played on Long Island was won by the Islanders 4-1 to tie the series 3-3. They would return to Pittsburgh, where the Islanders would take the series, before falling to the Flyers in the semi-finals.

4/17/75: Won 6-4 in Game 3 (Lead series 3-0)
4/20/75: Lost 3-1 in Game 4 (Lead series 3-1)
4/24/75: Lost 4-1 in Game 6 ( Series Tied 3-3)

1981-82 Season: The Penguins and Islanders met in 1982 during the postseason and the Penguins lost games one and two on Long Island 8-1 and 7-2 respectively. After winning the next two games in Pittsburgh, the Penguins and Islanders returned to the Coliseum where the Penguins lost a heartbreaker 4-3 in OT to end their season.

4/7/82: Lost 8-1 (Trailed 0-1 in Series)
4/8/82: Lost 7-2 (Trailed 0-2 in Series)
4/13/82: Lost 4-3 in OT (Lost Series 3-2)

1992-1993 Season: The final meeting between the two teams came in the 1992-93 playoffs. The Penguins were coming off two straight Stanley Cup titles and they were looking for a third. They had won the Patrick division and finished with a record of 56-21-7 (119 Pts.) which earned them the Presidents Trophy. In the first round the Penguins defeated the Devils four games to one to advance to the division finals against the Islanders. The Penguins and Islanders split the first two games in Pittsburgh, and the Penguins took the first game in New York 3-1 to take a 2-1 series lead. The Islanders tied the series back up in game four with a 6-5 win. The Penguins won the next game, before returining to Long Island and dropping a 7-5 decision to tie the series 3-3. The teams returned to Pittsburgh where the Islanders stunned the Penguins and took the series 4-3, preventing a possible Penguins three-peat.

5/6/93: Won 3-1 (Led series 2-1)
5/8/93: Lost 6-5 (Series Tied 2-2)
5/12/93: Lost 7-5 (Series Tied 3-3)

It will be interesting to see what happens with the Penguins this season. Will they break the cycle of misfortunes the franchise has had on Long Island in the playoffs, or will they come out of Long Island with the series lead. Only time will tell.

- The Flood City Sports Fan