Company Yes Men Apologists.
Roberto Clemente.
Chicago has some nice steel bridges but I have to agree with this award of merit.
Awesome ballpark feature #22: You can see right into the stadium from the Roberto Clemente bridge!
Awesome ballpark feature #34: The outfield concourse is open to the public when games aren't being played.
Great views of the stadium and city.
Bill Mazeroski.
If your name is "Pedro Alvarez" this is where the balls you hit end up.
I need to get back here for a game sometime.
This year one of my fantasy baseball drafts was held inside PNC Park, courtesy of fellow fantasy team owner Bryan Stroh who also happens to be the VP and General Counsel for the Pirates. For a baseball and fantasy nut like me, this is like heaven on earth.
The only thing greater would have been if Andrew McCutchen was there to greet us in person.
His smiling mug on a 2014 season schedule was good enough for me.
The lobby walls are adorned with baseballs signed by Pirates ballplayers.
Though all of us are on "the wrong side of 30" I wondered if any of us might ever sign a ball worthy of being displayed here.
Also, this thing is here.
Before getting down to business Stroh shows us around the ballpark.
I learned that Stroh played a key role in re-signing McCutchen to his current six-year contract.
The press room has a great view of the ballpark and everything that lies beyond.
The luxury box seat level had plenty to admire.
Voice of the Pirates.
I.C. Light is like the Oldstyle of Pittsburgh.
Time for a press conference.
I'm not wearing any pants.
“I'm a man, I'm 40!”
Javad adeptly identifies the guy who just farted.
Lloyd lightens the mood with a few jokes.
A quick peek inside Clint's office.
I'm pretty sure Stroh will not be pleased that I included this photo.
On the way out to the field we passed by the "in-game bathroom."
I wondered if the prison-style setup was to discourage players from getting too comfortable.
The grounds crew was busy getting every inch of this field ready for opening day.
Will any perfect games be thrown from that mound this year?
Home team dugout.
I would not be surprised to see another flag added to that collection one of these next few years.
Javad unveils the league trophy to the appropriate backdrop of Alex North's 2001: Space Odyssey theme.
An abbreviated narrative of the Company Yes Men's rich history is enshrined upon the face of the league trophy.
League champions.
Brian Teven enters the year as the defending champion and has won three years straight.
It's time for somebody to put an end to Teven's reign.
It's like Gatorade for fantasy drafting.
After the draft Bryan Stroh gave us a quick tour of the floor where he works.
Bryan Stroh: Fantasy owner of the Iowa Red Bulls and real life VP & General Counsel for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
His office is just down the hall from...
The Pirate's General Manager.
Judging from the offices around here it was pretty clear these folks love their organization.
Nice lineup.
On our way out I grab some shots of our league's former champions next to the real thing.
Javad performs a miracle before my eyes.
Truly, Javad is a magical man.
Stroh broke into this league with two consecutive championships.
The Pirates are lucky to have him and so are we.
I did not know Westoff was a lefty. But that explains a few of his picks.
Lloyd Kwak wishes he didn't draft Ike Davis with his first overall pick last year.
But unlike many of us, his name is on the trophy
and that won't stop him from raising the trophy today, or in future years.
The Tevenchise: current defending champion and winner of three straight.
Night in Lawrenceville.
Waiting for my flight to Pittsburgh from Chicago, I gave myself an appropriate send-off.
View of the stadium from my hotel room. Convenience is king.
Our hotel had a bottomless supply of Chupa Chups.
I may be responsible for having emptied at least one of these bowls.
The Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh has 7 floors to explore that includes a bunch of early work I'd never seen.
Also, the Mattress Factory has some really cool exhibits.
I'll post photos I took from that visit to another page sometime soon.
More shots from around the ballpark.
Batting cages. I'm not sure I could even find the interstate from where I'm standing.
It's a nice model, but the real thing is much nicer.
... even when I'm shooting straight into the sunlight.
