The Washington Post boasts PNC Park as one of professional baseball’s most highly regarded cathedrals, and for good reason.
From inside the 14-year-old chiseled-limestone ballpark, the panoramic view of the Pittsburgh skyline is enough to satisfy any baseball or ballpark aficionado, even an Orioles fan.
Baltimore-based writer Charlie Vascellaro praises Pittsburgh’s commitment to sports culture-from the bronze statues of Clemente, Stargell, Mazeroski and Honus Wagner outside of PNC Park-to the Clemente Museum’s large collection of Clemente photographs and memorabilia housed at the old Enginehouse No. 25 in Lawrenceville.
“Whenever I visit Pittsburgh, I feel jealous that I’m not a native fan of the city’s sports teams,” notes the article.
And don’t forget about the lasting impact of local sports heroes. “… you’d be hard pressed to find another player in baseball history (other than Roberto Clemente) who left such a lasting impression on his team and its city,” writes Vascellaro.
While in town to watch the Pirates play the Orioles, Vascellaro toured the Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum at the Heinz History Center, had drinks at the Rivertowne Brewing Hall of Fame Club, and remembered some of the iconic moments in Pittsburgh sports history.
Read the Washington Post’s “In Pittsburgh, a visiting sports fan can’t fail to hit a home run.”