Ballpark Visited: PNC Park Submitted By:
Frankie P.
Grade: A
Pros of the ballpark: PNC Park is simply the most intimate,
and beautiful sporting venue I've ever been to. I think it is just
ahead of Camden Yards. I love the left field rotunda. Not only is
it a unique architectural feature, but it is also fun to climb up
and see the game from different perspectives. There are so many
places that are so close to the field and the players, that the
players are constantly responding to the fans comments. The most
amazing part of the park though has to be the downtown view, it must
be seen to be believed.
Cons of the ballpark: The only thing I don't care for is that
the seats on the lower level are rather narrow and you will probably
be touching arms with the person sitting next to you. This of
course is a result of the designers wanting to put as many seats as
possible into a small area, preserving the intimate feel, so it is
easily forgiven.
Additional Comments: Do yourself a favor when visiting PNC
Park and walk around during a game. There are so many unique and
wonderful vantage points, that you may not even want to go back to
your seat. Don't worry, you won't miss a second of the game,
because the concourses are all wide open and you can see the field
and the amazing skyline view from virtually anywhere in the park. If
MLB ever gets it act together and the Pirates can ever afford to put
a winning team on the field, this may well become the most beloved
park in baseball.
Ballpark Visited: PNC Park Submitted By:
Andrew
Grade: A
Pros of the ballpark: The park really shows Pittsburgh off as
a city on the rise. Great view of the skyline, location in the
neighborhood. It gave us that grew up on Three Rivers a taste of
what Wrigley or Fenway was like (except the team's performance). I
like the wide range of food offered to. You know it's baseball when
the smell of great food permeates the air and the old organ is
playing on a warm summer night. All the staff is friendly and easy
to talk to. The Pirates do a good job to entertain the casual fan
while providing us die-hards with the animated scoreboards to keep
track of the other teams. As a Pittsburgher, despite the political
fallout, I am glad we have this place to show to others. It is a
source of pride for our city. I hope all who come will enjoy.
Cons of the ballpark: The food prices are high. If they want
to make it a family park, bring the food price down a notch. This
is a problem in every major league city, not just ours. A little
too much Jumbotron animations would be my other con, focus more on
the sport. Other than, perfect.
Additional Comments: I'm a die hard Pirates fan from
Pittsburgh, so forgive any bias. The stadium is like a second home
in the summer. It's in a neighborhood, has the old fashioned organ,
and the architecture pays homage to old Forbes Field. The shame of
it is, the Pirates have not filled their end of the bargain to place
a decent team on the field. I trust that management is finally
doing it right by growing our own players. Give the fans a winner,
and that park will be filled!!
Ballpark Visited: PNC Park Submitted By: A. Lopez Jr.
Grade: A
Pros of the ballpark: Well lets see where I begin. First of
all the way the ballpark is set up to see the Pittsburgh
skyline,river,and bridges is top notch. its a small park containing
38,000 seats which means all seats are good. Plenty of parking to
choose from around the city or ballpark. Helpful people in
Pittsburgh.The video board is one of the best..Did I mention the
great skyline of Pittsburgh?!
Cons of the ballpark: The only cons of this park is the
corporate name of the park which is PNC which is named after a bank.
The other con is that home plate is too far from the river,the
only chance a home run ball hitting the river on the fly is in
batting practice..Not alot of selection in their gift shops either.
Additional Comments: Kind of cloned after Pac Bell Park but
is still the best of the new parks in the Midwest. For the full PNC
experience I recommend going on the Duquesne incline, walking the
Roberto Clemente bridge to the game then walking the river walk and
walk around this beauty of a stadium..Also I don't know whats in the
water out there but Pittsburgh had some of the finest young ladies I
saw, just thought I would throw that in also.
Ballpark Visited: PNC Park Submitted By: Scott
Grade: A
Pros of the ballpark: Very nice park. Sandstone on the
front of the park makes it much different from the new retro parks.
Tickets are cheap compared to a lot of other parks (dont know what
the one lady was talking about, and food at most all sporting venues
is gonna be expensive). The view of Downtown Pittsburgh, and the
bridges leading into it is great. Not a bad view in the park at
all.
Cons of the ballpark: Unless you can deal with it, you can
tell the people in the bleachers (where I sat at for one of the
games I went to) are definite beer drinkers. I have also parked
downtown instead of around the park, so if you dont like taking
walks, park beside the stadium. Other than that, there are no real
bad cons on the park.
Additional Comments: Great stadium overall. If the owner
of the Pirates was more concerned on at least stocking the minor
leagues with great talent, and taking a path like the Twins or A's
usually do, and less concerned on what the Yankees are spending
their money on, im sure they can draw more than 10,000 on weekdays,
and 20,000-25,000 on weekends.
Ballpark Visited:
PNC Park Submitted By: T.S.
Grade: A
Pros of the ballpark: I was able to see the final two home
games at PNC this weekend (Sept. 20-21). The view is absolutely beautiful with
the Pittsburgh skyline. It is really just a very aesthetic sporting venue. I
had seats behind homeplate in section 117, and the view from there was very
good. I really liked the megatron screen in left field. Although I love the
Cubs, the Pirates opening movie with the pirate ships was very entertaining.
You know, where the opposing team's ship gets sunk by Pitt's pirate ship. Great
animation.
Cons of the ballpark: I can't think of too many cons for
this sporting venue. It was a really enjoyable experience. I am a diehard Cubs
fan, so I guess the con would be the Cubs and Bucs splitting the
series...especially at this point in the season where the Cubs need to win.
Additional Comments: If you get a chance to visit this
park, do so. The view is really great and the parking prices around the park
were not really too bad. I think it was about $7.00 where I was, and not too
far from the park either.
Ballpark Visited: PNC Park Submitted By: Wesley Kring Grade:
A
Pros of the ballpark: Retro was spectacular. Intimacy of
seating. Walk around the park, and able to follow the game all the
while. BEST- skyline and Roberto Clemente Bridge. Nestled in with
river and surroundings. Nestled into surrounding neighborhood: felt
like going to a ball park. Concession food was terrific. Parking was
close, and efficient. Ticket prices reasonable. Beautiful
scoreboard, and fun animations (without becoming obnoxiously
frequent). Vince L organ music! Coming in from street, up the main
steps, opens into a view of the field from behind home plate. Right
field scoreboard was fun to watch current games' scores. Limited
number of entrances, all of which feel open and present field of
play right before you as you enter. Post-game fireworks over the
river with skyline in background!
Cons of the ballpark: None- the Pirates even won half the
six games I've attended! Oh, there is one- traffic getting into the
park and parking lots is snarled and difficult.
Additional Comments: I was wishing Great American Ballpark
would be as fantastic. I was so disappointed when I went to my first
game there, though. What should have been a similar experience (Ohio
River setting, e.g.) came up short in nearly every detail compared
to PNC Park.
Ballpark Visited: PNC Park Submitted By: Dan Grade: A
Pros of the ballpark: Light-years ahead of old, retired
Three Rivers Stadium. Nice sandstone facade sets it apart from the
other new ballparks with brick facades. The sandstone plus the dark
blue steel makes for a nice color scheme. The food selection is
excellent, with everything from your basic soft drinks, hot dogs and
nachos to local Pittsburgh icons such as Primanti's and Quaker Steak
& Lube, andan Outback Steakhouse overlooking left field. You can
reach the park by car, by foot from downtown Pittsburgh, or by
riverboat (there will also be a light-rail link built nearby within
the next few years). The farthest seat is only 88 feet from the
field. You can watch the game and hang out over on the left field
rotunda. The statues of Honus Wagner, Roberto Clemente and Willie
Stargell commemorate our past, and let fans of other teams know that
the Pirates actually have a history in spite of their performance in
the past ten years.
Cons of the ballpark: Um...the team that plays in it is
atrocious (62-100 in 2001), and the ballpark was largely
taxpayer-subsidized. (Pardon me for stepping on the soap box, but I
view stadium subsidies as a form of corporate welfare, and the
problem is not just in Pittsburgh, but in several other cities that
have professional sports teams. The teams themselves should be able
to pay for these stadiums.) Additional
Comments: Before ANY of you decide what
you think the best ballpark in Major League Baseball is, visit PNC
Park!
Ballpark Visited: PNC Park Submitted By: John Bassett
Grade: B
Pros of the ballpark: Skyline view, Primanti Brothers
Sandwiches and a crystal clear scoreboard ..vast vast vast
improvement over it's predecessor.
Cons of the ballpark: Bad team (good start, i'm sure, will
soon be a faded memory) sucks the life out of the fans and thusly
the atmosphere could be better. The green that they used for the
outfield fences is putrid but this is an otherwise very nice park.
Additional Comments: PNC Park has drawn raves since it's
opening. Many place it on even or higher ground than Camden Yards
and Pac Bell Park so I came here with great expectations. What I
found was that, aside from the putrid green that they painted the
outfield fences with and the horrid team that calls it home, PNC
Park is a very nice park but I don't think it quite makes that
Baltimore/San Francisco echelon. The most stand out aspect of this
stadium is the skyline, river and bridge view that it affords you
beyond the outfield fence ... in my opinion, this is the best
backdrop in all of baseball. Simply stunning, particularly when
viewed from the third base side. But you have to realize that this
skyline does not belong to PNC Park. It belongs to the city of
Pittsburgh. And when you imagine this park without that skyline you
are left with a rather average venue highlighted mostly by a
shockingly crystal clear scoreboard and the delicious Primanti
Brothers sandwiches. While the actual structure of the place may be
similar to the other new retro ballparks in baseball, just on a bit
smaller scale, it's obvious that steps were taken to distinguish PNC
Park from it's peers. While the facade of most retro parks is red
brick, here it's sandy limestone. While the seats elsewhere are
green, here they are blue. This is a good thing. I'm sure all these
new parks will never be looked upon with the disdain of the infamous
cookie cutters of the early 60s and late 70s, one of which PNC
thankfully replaced, but it's nice to see one of the new places take
these kind of steps to distinguish itself, on a color-scheme basis
at least. All in all, you cannot discount the view PNC Park affords
you, so it has to rank up there pretty high, but since it relies so
heavily upon a feature that is not actually rooted on it's real
estate, it falls a bit short of elite status. .
Ballpark Visited: PNC Park Submitted By: Kurt A. Grade:
A
Pros of the ballpark: Where to start?
1st: Intimacy. The two deck design (first since Milwaukee's County
Stadium) is the most intimate setup in baseball. I've sat in the
"upper deck" as well as the boxes behind homeplate and have also
viewed the action from other points around the park. The sight lines
are excellent everywhere. You can even see the action when walking
the concourse, unless you are facing away from the field when at the
concession stands. All seats are angled toward home plate and the
even the second deck seats are close to the field. The highest seat
in only 88 feet from the playing surface, less than the distance
between the bases.
2nd: The view of surroundings. The Pittsburgh skyline is gorgeous,
with diverse building designs and excellent lighting at night. The
Roberto Clemente )6th street bridge sits beyond centerfield and
leads right up to the outfield ticket window and entrance.. In the
upper seating levels, you can also see the river with Pittsburgh's
trademark riverboats steaming by. Gateway clipper ships often blow
their horns when passing the stadium, rousing the fans to a loud
cheer.
3rd: Rich sense of history. From the right field concourse, one can
look out over the former sites of two of the three previous Pirate
homes; Exposition Park (the first home of the Alleghenies/Pirates)
and Three Rivers Stadium. Unfortunately, those sites are parking
lots now. By the way, you can also see Heinz Field, the new Steelers
stadium. There is a Pirate Hall of Fame, statues of Honus Wagner;
Roberto "The Great One" Clemente, and Willie "Pops" Stargell; the
aforementioned Clemente bridge, and the 21 foot right field wall,
also a tribute to Roberto.
4th: Excellent food and beverage selection. You can get the
traditional ballpark food, but also local favorites like Premanti
Brothers sandwiches, prerogies, and Rolling Rock and Iron City beer.
There are also a couple of Beers of the World stands where you can
get all kinds of imported beer for an around the world experience.
5th: Unique from other neo-retro ballparks opened in the last ten
years. The facade is limestone, not brick and the blue seats and
steel provide a Pittsburgh heritage feel.
Cons of the ballpark: The primary con is the financing for
this park and the Steelers' home, Heinz Field. The original plan was
to implement an increase in the Allegheny County sales tax, but this
was defeated by the voters in a referendum. Yet, these stadiums were
funded anyway by state grants. Where does that money come from? The
taxpayers of Pennsylvania, of course. Some of which voted against
higher taxes to finance these venues in the first place. So the
people said no, but the government did it anyway; not exactly
democratic. This next one is a con anywhere these days, and that is
the prices. Tickets aren't cheap, and concession are terribly
expensive. However, when compared to other ballparks, the prices are
decent. For example, I recently attended a game at Jacobs field in
Cleveland, one of the first in this ballpark renaissance. My seat
was in the low part of the upper deck and cost 32 dollars. The same
money will get you a seat about 4 rows off the field up the baseline
at PNC. Also, I bought a foot long hotdog at "The Jake" for four
dollars, and it was very thin and drowned in a large bun. Another
major con is that the Pirates are lousy and have been for some
years. When they finally get back on track, I hope the fans will
come back to this gorgeous facility for the baseball as well as the
venue itself. Finally, the Pirates have done a good job of turning
people off with more than just the team's poor performance. There
was a big snafu in its first season when fans were not allowed to
bring in containers larger than the microscopic size set by the
team's rules. At Three Rivers, fans could bring large containers of
drink and food into the stadium; not anymore. This is just one
example of poor PR.
Additional Comments: Ok, I'll admit I'm a little biased. I am
a lifelong Pirates fan and am from the Pittsburgh area. That is why
I waited to write a review on my home park until I had experienced
another park in this latest generation of new baseball stadiums. As
I mentioned before, I recently went to Jacob's Field in Cleveland,
one of the first in this movement of new parks. The Jake is a very
nice park, but too massive, more expensive, and not quite a pretty.
Also it is on the very edge of downtown Cleveland, whose skyline is
very dull with only a couple of high-rises of notable design.
Perhaps that's why they have that mammoth scoreboard in left. The
Jake is still very clean, but lacks the intimacy of PNC. The seats
are also cramped. Also, I am backed in my opinion of PNC by many
baseball writers and broadcasters, as well as other insiders,
players, and even out of town fans (some of which have already
written their reviews of PNC Park on this site). I freely admit to
my bias, and concede that there are 29 other ballparks in the major
leagues, with more new ones being built. But as far as I can tell
from going to the Jake and seeing other ballparks on TV, PNC Park is
at least on par, if not better than, any other park in Major League
Baseball. I could be wrong, since I haven't been to them all. But
that's my opinion and I feel blessed to have a beautiful park to
cheer on my home team at, even if it was built against taxpayers'
wishes and despite the team's performance. Hopefully, the latter
will change soon and PNC will be sold out night in and night out,
the way it should be.
Ballpark Visited: PNC Park Submitted By: Unknown Grade:
C
Pros of the ballpark: My children not being allowed to bring
in their little canvas lunch boxes. They are smaller than most
purses.
Cons of the ballpark: Costly concessions, monochrome facade,
small dimensions, two deck design causing it to look minor league.
Additional Comments: We are finding this in most "family"
places in Pittsburgh. We live about 45 minutes away from that area.
My husband and I have 3 children. I am a stay-at-home mom, by
choice. It feels like one income families are being punished when
they attend games/entertainment places in Pittsburgh. Fortunately we
were able to go with a group and get a group discount to attend. If
we hadn't, I doubt that we could have gone. I packed snacks for my
kids, because I assumed that the prices would be very high to get
them anything there. I am not only talking about PNC Park, since we
recently had free circus tickets for the Mellon Arena....and their
prices were unbelievable also. Since they couldn't take their little
bags in...we had to hand carry their snacks. Then they saw others
eating nachos, fries and such, so they asked for that. We scrounged
up some extra money to get that for them. I just don't understand
that if these events are for families, why is everything so
expensive that average families can't afford the extras? It is
almost as if you chose to be a stay-at-home parent to be with your
children as they are growing up, you are punished since you can't
afford snacks , let alone any souvenirs there! We would love to be
able to show our children fun places to go, however, the cost is so
incredible. I know there is nothing that anyone can do about this, I
just wanted to voice my opinion.
Ballpark Visited: PNC Park Submitted By: Tom
Grade: B
Pros of the ballpark: The view is awesome. The park was
really nice, but some things I had to give it a B for- see cons.
The good stuff- when we went I purchased $55 seats in the PBC- Club
level. The seats were nice, extra wide and padded. The concourse
was nice- air conditioned, great food, and lots of places to just
chill. They even had pool tables if you wanted to play a game. The
main concourse was really big and had a variety of food choices.
The parking situation wasn't to bad and I remember an easy time back
onto the freeway. The outside of the park is made of limestone and
it is kind of nice not to see a stadium made of red brick. The
staff was fairly helpful and friendly and the food service was
quick.
Cons of the ballpark: The cons, a few but must be
mentioned. The first con which is a big one in my opinion, the main
concourse is not at street level. When you walk in the main gate,
you go up an escalator to get to the main concourse, that kind of
annoyed me. The next con, the food prices were sky high! A 20
ounce coke cost $3.25, the highest I think I have seen in a long
time. A baked potato cost $6.50 and nachos were around $5.50 or
so. The other thing that really annoyed me was the service, or lack
there of, that we got with the $55 club seats. The seats were
padded and the concourse nice but that is about it. No in-seat wait
service, no private entrance, no concierge service. We had to walk
up long ramps to get to the seats. We had our hands stamped so we
could not pass tickets to other guests our something, I thought it
was kind of annoying.
Additional Comments: The Pirates did a really good job with
this place. The only thing they need to do is improve is the
amenities in the $55 club seats- no wonder they give season ticket
holders a free game, they can't sell them. If you go, and you
should, don't buy the club seats, two people I talked to had $16
grandstand seats and went I walked up there, the view was well worth
it.
Ballpark Visited: PNC Park Submitted By: Chris Nichter Grade: A
Pros of the ballpark: The positioning/location of the park
offers a perfect view of the Roberto Clemente Bridge and downtown
Pittsburgh. The architecture is reminiscent of older ballpark
construction, yet modern and sleek; it blends in with the
contemporary look of Pittsburgh really well. Game atmosphere is
lively and fun -- fans are fun to be around. Parking is easily
accessed: the best lot is where Three Rivers Stadium used to be --
it is walking distance, cheap, and plentiful. Lots of convenient
concessions and clean bathrooms.
Cons of the ballpark: Depending where you sit, you will have
little to no view of the scoreboard... the best seats for the
average visitor are located along the first and third base lines in
the upper deck; they are truly a bargain in price and offer
unobstructed views of everything. Typical city traffic makes
getting out of downtown difficult after games let out (however
construction is underway to help alleviate this).
Additional Comments: PNC Park is a really fun place to watch
baseball. It's beautiful, enjoyable, and clean. Ticket prices are
very reasonable. The Pirates are lucky to have such a great place
to play!
Ballpark Visited: PNC Park Submitted By:
Ryan McNeil Grade:
A
Pros of the ballpark: What a place! The exterior is
rather cool, with the sandstone making it a rather original
structure. Once inside, the vista of the city skyline over the wall
is second to none, with the bright yellow of Clemente Bridge
providing one of the coolest backdrops in the league. I was
impressed by the sense of history that the building has been
given...you cannot escape the fact that you are watching one of the
game's oldest teams. From the championship flags that line the
river, to the statues of Wagner, Clemente, and Stargell that greet
you, the Bucs show great pride in the past of this great franchise.
The spiral in left field is an interesting structure- it makes
climbing two stories an easy trek, and fills up with on-lookers
watching the action when the game starts. PNC is one of the smallest
parks in the league so just about every seat seems to be right in
the action. The in-game experience is fun, with lots of clips on the
scoreboard to entertain the crowd. And best of all, the team seems
to be working harder to lure fans in, with a lot of promotions for
cheap/free tickets (and a lot of give-a-ways too).
Cons of the ballpark: Food prices are a bit high ($11
for a lukewarm Cheesesteak and large Pepsi), but that seems to be in
every park these days. Other than that I really can't complain about
my evening at the game.
Additional Comments: I'm most intrigued by the fact
that it only holds 38,000 fans. In a day and age where money is the
name of the game, building a new stadium that holds the
fourth-lowest crowd in the league seems like a gamble...but one that
pays off with intimacy. The Pirates management HAVE to do something
soon about the team that plays in this amazing facility. This is
easily one of absolute best parks in the league, and to waste it on
a last place group of rag-tags is a sin.
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