My Home Opener Experience

[Menudo]

As I mentioned in another thread, I decided to start a tradition of taking my son, who is now four years old, to every home opener that I can, starting this season. We had a three and a half hour ride to Pittsburgh, and he was great the whole time. His eyes really lite up when he saw the city in all of its glory with the beautiful buildings, bridges & rivers. He told me that he "loves Pittsburgh". I remember that feeling of first seeing the city, and it was great to see his excitement.

 

So, we park at our hotel, which was the Spring Hill Suites right beside the stadium, and since it was already Noon, we head right into the stadium. He looks our on the field, and he was in awe, which you could see on his face. He was so excited. We stop and eat at "Pop's Corner" (or whatever that is called). We then head to our seats. He enjoyed all of the opening festivities....the player introductions, national anthem, fly over, blimps, etc. Then, when the Rockies came up, he said that all of the clapping was hurting his ears. Then, when Tabata got the opening hit, he told me that he was really bothered by the clapping. Walker gets a single, and the place goes crazy, and I look down and he is crying. The noise was really bothering him. He has always shown some sensitivity to loud noise, and I'm not sure what the deal is with that. So, for his first opener, he lasted exactly one inning. We walked over to the hotel and I watched the game from there, while he played in the hotel room.

 

I ended up taking a quick nap, and he said he wanted to go walk by the stadium. So, we walked all the way around, and I got pictures of him with all the statues, telling him the stories that went along with each player. We then walked down by the water. He said he wanted to go eat somewhere, so, I took him to the Hard Rock at Station Square. Despite his sensitivity to noise, he is a music nut, especially the Beatles. He got excited, as they had John Lennon's coat, and Kiss' drums (he loves the drums and likes Kiss). We walked around Station Square, and he really enjoyed it.

 

So, we go back to the hotel, and Jeff Karstens and his parents jump into our elevator. I introduce myself to him, and tell my son that he plays for the Pirates. Jeff got down and shook my son's hand and talked really nicely to him. We got to our floor, and I wished him luck and shook his hand. He seemed like a really great guy.

 

We got up this morning and drove back home. Even though, the game didn't go like I wanted, with him only making it through one inning, I had an extremely memorable day with my son, and I'll never forget it. He told me that he wants to go next year, and he will try not to let the noise bother him. He definitely enjoyed his first trip to the Burgh.

 

On another note, I'm hoping the Bucs put yesterday's disappointing performance behind them, and get back on track tonight.

 

LETS GO BUCS !!!!!

Edited April 8, 2011 by Menudo

[Ursa Majoris]

FWIW, my son had exactly the same issue of sensitive hearing at roughly the same age. He used to clamp his hands over his ears when things got noisy. You might want to consider earplugs for him when going somewhere noise is anticipated. He will most likely grow out of it - mine did.

 

Glad you both enjoyed your time together!

[Hugh 0ne]

Cool Menudo, but you should have taken him to a Penguins game.

 

If he has sensitive ears, talk to the Doc about getting him some type of ear plug or something, I think it could be a win-win for both of you. He enjoys the game, and you get to stay for more then one inning.

[Gopher]

I've had the pleasure of attending a few Pirates' games over the years, while travelling to Pittsburgh for training (corporate office is located there). Great stadium, with a beautiful view of the city, bridges, etc. Glad you had a good time... how many innings he lasted isn't half as important as the time you were able to spend with him. That's awesome.

 

Side note... A couple of years ago, I was in Pittsburgh for work, and decided to go catch a game with two guys in my class. One was a Mets fan from NY, and the other was a Giants fan. The Pirates were playing St. Louis, so none of us really had much of a vested interest in the game, but it was fun nonetheless. The score was something like 9-4 (STL leading) in the top of the 8th inning... Both of the guys I was with were itching to leave. So, somewhat reluctantly, I agreed. I've never been a fan of leaving a game early, but since it wasn't one of my homer teams, I was fine with it. Plus, the score wasn't really an indication of how badly the Pirates were getting beat. It was ugly... The Cards were teeing off on Pittsburgh's pitching in seemingly every at-bat.

 

We left the park, and walked to our car, a few blocks away... As we were walking, we saw/heard fireworks above the stadium. One of the guys commented on how quickly that last inning and a half had taken, since the game must have just ended. We got to our car, and even though we thought we had beat the rush, leaving the stadium, we ended up hitting some traffic. So, basically, we sat in the car for the next 30 minutes or so, just a few blocks from the stadium. We ended up seeing more fireworks, at least 3-4 times, while sitting in the car.

 

Back at the hotel, I flip on the TV to hear that the Pirates won the most exciting game of the season... 12-11 in ten innings. There ended up being seven home runs in the game, four of which happened AFTER we left in the middle of the 8th. Jason Bay hit three himself, and Jason Michaels hit a pinch-hit two-run HR in the 10th, to win by one run. Needless to say, we missed a pretty exciting ending to the game. Not only that, but we had to confess to our classmates the next day (that we had left early and missed the best two innings of the game).

[Menudo]

I've had the pleasure of attending a few Pirates' games over the years, while travelling to Pittsburgh for training (corporate office is located there). Great stadium, with a beautiful view of the city, bridges, etc. Glad you had a good time... how many innings he lasted isn't half as important as the time you were able to spend with him. That's awesome.

 

Side note... A couple of years ago, I was in Pittsburgh for work, and decided to go catch a game with two guys in my class. One was a Mets fan from NY, and the other was a Giants fan. The Pirates were playing St. Louis, so none of us really had much of a vested interest in the game, but it was fun nonetheless. The score was something like 9-4 (STL leading) in the top of the 8th inning... Both of the guys I was with were itching to leave. So, somewhat reluctantly, I agreed. I've never been a fan of leaving a game early, but since it wasn't one of my homer teams, I was fine with it. Plus, the score wasn't really an indication of how badly the Pirates were getting beat. It was ugly... The Cards were teeing off on Pittsburgh's pitching in seemingly every at-bat.

 

We left the park, and walked to our car, a few blocks away... As we were walking, we saw/heard fireworks above the stadium. One of the guys commented on how quickly that last inning and a half had taken, since the game must have just ended. We got to our car, and even though we thought we had beat the rush, leaving the stadium, we ended up hitting some traffic. So, basically, we sat in the car for the next 30 minutes or so, just a few blocks from the stadium. We ended up seeing more fireworks, at least 3-4 times, while sitting in the car.

 

Back at the hotel, I flip on the TV to hear that the Pirates won the most exciting game of the season... 12-11 in ten innings. There ended up being seven home runs in the game, four of which happened AFTER we left in the middle of the 8th. Jason Bay hit three himself, and Jason Michaels hit a pinch-hit two-run HR in the 10th, to win by one run. Needless to say, we missed a pretty exciting ending to the game. Not only that, but we had to confess to our classmates the next day (that we had left early and missed the best two innings of the game).

 

I actually remember that game. That is why you never leave early.

 

I was at a game with my Dad, which was the first of a day-night double-header. The Pirates were losing in the bottom of the 9th against the Astros 8-2, with two outs an NO ONE on base. All of a sudden, they start stringing some things together. My Dad, who was always the pessimist, was furious at me for not wanting to leave before the 9th. Anyway, it ends up bases loaded, 7-4, with Brian Giles, who was easily the Pirates best hitter facing Billy Wagner. I believe it was the first pitch, and Giles hammered it into the right field seats. Those remaining in the crowd went nuts, and it is easily won of the best memories I have at a sporting event. It is one I think about often now that my Dad has passed.

 

In a funny note, I tried to look up the game I was talking to, and found the one you were referring to in the same article:

 

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08195/896826-63.stm

 

It could be described as one of the great comebacks in the franchise's recent history, certainly the best since Brian Giles' grand slam off Billy Wagner capped a six-run ninth in July 2001. But that might not do this one justice, if only because it involved so many comebacks.

 

 

Here was the game I was at. I believe I read somewhere that it was the 2nd biggest comeback with two outs and no one on base in baseball history.

 

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/scores101/1...9/101209317.htm

 

Game Story

 

PITTSBURGH (Ticker) -- With as many looks as Brian Giles had at balls leaving PNC Park, it's no surprise he hit the game-winning grand slam.

 

Giles capped an amazing two-man show and two-out rally with a grand slam in the bottom of the ninth inning as the Pittsburgh Pirates stunned the Houston Astros with a 9-8 victory.

 

In the first game of a day-night doubleheader, Giles watched Houston's Vinny Castilla homer three times, but he also robbed Castilla of a homer with a leaping catch in the fourth inning.

 

The Pirates entered the ninth with an 8-2 deficit and had no one on base before matching a franchise record with a seven-run, two-out rally.

 

Pittsburgh started its comeback against Mike Jackson and won it off closer Billy Wagner (2-4), who had recorded 19 straight saves.

 

Wagner replaced Jackson and hit Jason Kendall with a pitch to load the bases before serving up Giles' fourth career grand slam. The blast gave Pittsburgh just its fifth win in 14 games.

 

Houston wasted a great day from Castilla and strong start from rookie Roy Oswalt and remained four games behind the Chicago Cubs in the National League Central.

 

It looked good early for the Astros, who built a 4-1 lead after 4 1/2 innings on Castilla's first two homers.

 

Leading off the second, Castilla hit Bronson Arroyo's first pitch over the 410-foot sign in left-center field. He also turned on an inside fastball from Arroyo in the fifth, snapping a 1-1 tie with a three-run shot over the left-field wall.

 

Omar Olivares started the eighth and served up Castilla's third homer of the game and 13th since he signed with Houston on May 15. It also cleared the wall in left and gave the Astros a 5-2 lead.

 

Castilla ended up with his second three-homer game and 26th multi-homer contest. He has three since he was released from the Tampa Bay Devil Rays on May 11.

 

"The pitches were inside, just where I can hit them," said Castilla, who had the second three-homer game in the brief history of PNC Park.

 

In between Castilla's first two homers, Giles made the defensive play of the game. He raced back, planted his left foot on the wall and reached into the front row to pull back the ball.

 

"In this park, you can't give up on the ball," said Giles, the Pirates' lone All-Star. "You just don't know how it's going to go.

 

"That one was hit hard. I looked back on the first one and it was way out of here. The second one was high. That's one that you have a chance."

 

No one has had four homers in a game since St. Louis' Mark Whiten against Cincinnati on September 7, 1993. It has happened 12 times in major league history but just three times since 1961.

 

Behind Castilla, the Astros seemed to have plenty of support for Oswalt, who allowed two runs over 6 1/3 innings, rebounding from two of his worst starts of the season.

 

But Jackson and Wagner combined to allow seven runs in 1 2/3 innings. Wagner suffered his third blown save in 27 chances this season.

 

"You can't expect guys to come out of the pen and be terrific every day," Oswalt said. "I've never seen that before, especially to score seven runs after two outs."

 

Arroyo yielded four runs and seven hits in seven innings, but was demoted to Class AAA Nashville after the game.

 

Julio Lugo and Lance Berkman had RBI in the top of the ninth as the Astros built a seemingly comfortable 8-2 lead.

 

Jackson fired a perfect eighth and recorded the first two outs in the ninth before the Pirates began their amazing rally.

 

Kevin Young started it with a double and Pat Meares followed with a homer to make it 8-4. Pinch hitter Adam Hyzdu singled, Tike Redman walked and Jack Wilson added an RBI hit to bring the tying run to the plate.

 

"After Jackson got the first two guys, everybody hit the ball hard," Dierker said. "He must have been throwing it down the middle. Sometimes you hit the ball hard and it goes to someone."

 

Wagner, a hard-throwing southpaw, entered and immediately hit Kendall with a pitch. Giles, a lefty, then ripped an inside 1-0 fastball over the wall in right field to end it.

 

"I feel good, especially against a strong lefthander, one of the best closers in the game," Giles said. "I knew it was gone."

[loaf]