Fan Report: Philly Takes Over PNC Park

For the Fan Report from last weekend's Phillies-Pirates series, we've received a great write-up from reader Amy Ambler, who made the trek out to Pittsburgh's PNC Park. I saw a few games out there last year, and it's definitely worth a quick weekend trip. To submit a Fan Report from either a home or away game, just e-mail Enrico or Matt with your ballpark experiences as well as any pictures or video you may have taken.

When I made the trip out to Pittsburgh to see the Phillies take on the Pirates, I expected to encounter a few Phils fans—after all, it’s a feasible weekend jaunt and PNC Park is touted as one of the best parks in the majors. What I was unprepared for was to feel like I was at a home game.

View of Pittsburgh, originally uploaded by AmyA26.

 

As I walked into the stadium on Friday night, I joked to the two other Phils fans that accompanied me and my friend from college (a Bucs fan) that we might make it onto the telecast at home since they often show Phillies fans at visiting stadiums. However, as we crossed the bridge to the park, I realized that the chances were slim—there would be too many of us to choose from. Everywhere I went within the stadium, for every fan I saw in Pirates black and yellow, I saw another fan sporting Phillies red. It was incredible.

Friday’s night game was definitely the most rowdy. We were sitting in a section where the majority of people, or at least the majority of the vocal spectators, were Phillies fans. Chants of “Let’s go Phillies” alternated with the typical criticizing of the opponents. The Pirates fans eventually began to fight back a little. After Chase Utley failed to reach base for the third straight time, one of them turned the crowd’s “MVP!” chant into “0-for-3!”

Chase Utley, originally uploaded by AmyA26.

 

After some fans in Penguins gear came into the section, the back-and-forth jeering went beyond baseball. There were competing chants of “Let’s go Pens!” and “Let’s go Flyers!”, a jibe at Pittsburgh’s lack of a basketball team, and their retort: “How many rings do you have?” At one point, a cop even came over to the group of Phillies fans and said they could cheer for their team, but asked them to tone it down. They asked what he meant, and he said they couldn’t use profanity (which I hadn’t heard any of up to that point). I suspect that Pirates fans were upset at the vocal support for the visiting team and complained to someone. Who knew the Pittsburgh-Philadelphia rivalry was so intense?

But the Phillies fans went home satisfied as we saw our guys hang on for a 6–5 win, after a surprisingly easy ninth inning for Brad Lidge. And it was a fireworks night, which was the perfect way to cap off the evening.

Saturday’s game was still packed with cheering Phillies fans, but no one in our area got into it with opposing fans as much as the previous night. We saw beleaguered (and now released) Pirates starter Matt Morris spot the Phils a five run lead in the first inning—including a massive center field home run by Ryan Howard—which led to an 8–4 victory for our team. (eds note: This would be Morris's last start. Ever.)

I felt good about the possibility of a sweep, and teased my friend the Pirates’ fan about it on Sunday. But she remained adamant that Pittsburgh starter Paul Maholm was their best pitcher and she wasn’t worried. Maholm was just as good as she said, as he only gave up two hits in a complete game win. It was depressing to see the Phillies’ inability to get anything going offensively. I was disappointed that we didn’t get the sweep, as I felt we were the better team.

However, overall, it was a great trip, as I saw two Phils victories in a beautiful ballpark. They have some nice touches, like the amazing view of the river and downtown Pittsburgh, the pierogi race, and the fact that the right field wall is 21 feet high in a tribute to Roberto Clemente. The food is pretty good—I sampled hot dogs, pierogies, a soft pretzel, chicken strips, and fries—but the cuisine at Citizens Bank Park, especially the hot dogs and pretzels, is better.

I definitely recommend making the trip to see a game (or three) at PNC Park and cheer on the Phillies—you probably won’t be alone.

Comments

[Kulp]

"Who knew the Pittsburgh-Philadelphia rivalry was so intense?"

Only Pittsburgh fans think there is an intense rivalry. Flyers/Penguins makes sense, but I could never figure out why Steelers fans hate the Eagles so much.

I'll probably take some crap for this, but PNC is nicer than Citizens.

[Phils Phan]

@ Kulp:

No crap at all. While Citizens offers more things other than baseball, PNC offers the ambiance that South Philly simply cannot replicate. I like both parks, but Philly from a distance does not equal Pittsburgh up close, with the river, with the steeler yellow bridges, etc.

[johndewar]

I think Big Daddy Graham ran a trip up there last weekend as well, so I'm not surprised to hear about a ton of Phils fans at the games at PNC park.

I guess the Pittsburgh cops needed something to do at the game, because from the looks of that picture, no one from Pittsburgh goes to baseball games.

Yet, one day, when the Pirates are good, we'll hear about all of the diehard Pirate fans.

[Pat]

I go to the University of Pittsburgh and as a Philly kid i thought there wasn't going to be many of us when i first got to college.

Boy was i wrong. There is an army of Philly a great hockey rivalry, and also to catch a cheap Phillies game while 300 miles away from home.

[Bryan]

Nice writeup, I have to look into getting out there next year.

[Austin]

I was there friday and saturday... great wins, nice park, ok fireworks, lowsy food, for the most part uneducated pitt fans, hot girls, cheaper beer than the citi. my friend got tickets behind the phills dugout cause everyone in Pitt was pretending to be interested in the Pens. I mostly harrassed jamie moyer and KK in the dugout all night but in a fun way. they know what phillys about. I don't know why steelers fans hate the eagles so much. rivalry indeed

[Cary]

yo Pat,

I'm probably the most all-around obnoxious phils, flyers, eagles, and sixers fan at pitt. Glad to see someone else goes on this site.

[sean]

i was there friday too, the pirates fans seemed more excited that the Penguins had tied their game than the pirates coming back from a 6-0 hole.

[gootman]

Nice fan report and I agree their ballpark is beautiful. Definitely going to have to get out there to catch a game.

Kulp: Don't you know about the Steagles and the rivalry it created? (I know you and everyone else knows, yet they bring this shit up EVERY time they play each other like its some new story, kinda of like its the tryptophan in turkey that makes you sleepy / parenthetical rant).

My hatred for everything Pittsburgh is bred from going to Penn State... and the pensblog.

[PhillyFanintheBurgh]

I was at all 3 games out here as well. I've made it to this series three years in a row now and it seems like the amount of Philly fans just increases. Out in the left field bleachers it was probably 60-40 Phills fans on Friday night. We were all following the Flyers games on cell phones and cheers went up in the crowd when they and the Sixers won. Friday night we even got a really loud "Let's Go Flyers" chant on the Clemente Bridge after the game.
PNC is a great park and having the Philly fans there made for a great time. By the way - anybody that complained about the food clearly didn't make it to the Primanti Brothers stand behind the third base line. Based on all the readers here that were at the game maybe we could organize a 700 Level trip out to the park next year.

[Jack]

the pittsburgh philadelphia rivalry gets me intense in the middle of the state. I am from south central PA, so have both Pennsylvania teams, and some washington fans thrown it.

[PhillyFanintheBurgh]

Sorry that's the first base line. Next to it is a beer-specific concession with good beer on tap. Much better than the standard IC Lite there.

[Walklett]

Although I've never been to PNC Park, I can't imagine anything better than Ashburn Alley. That is the greatest feature ever in a ballpark. Not only is the food incredible and the beer readily accessible, where else can you pay general admission prices and get a better view of the game than most who've paid for a seat? Ambiance is cool, but who really cares if you can see the city in the background?

[Joe]

There is an intense Pittsburgh/Philly thing, just ask anyone who went to Penn State. That may be the only town where it exists though, and I'm sure drunk college kids has something to do with it.

I went to PNC last year, and its not outrageous to say its a nicer ballpark. They have a cool sprial ramp in left field where you can catch the game, the beautful river background and an Outback Steakhouse. No Ashburn Alley, but the downtown stadium is a definite plus. Restaurant, bars, and a festive walk across a bridge to catch the game. Its a great place.

[PhillyFanintheBurgh]

They have their own Ashburn Alley type areas throughout the stadium. You can stand out there and check out the games and because things are a little more spread out its easier to move around. CBP is great but nothings going to beat this park.The whole walking across the bridge to get to the stadium and the nice walkway around the park along the river is great, too.

[PhilaMegaMan]

No Rollins, No Shane, Myers cant hit 90 on the gun, Howard cant hit unless the pitcher misses. We're above .500 in April.... Twilight Zone

[Kulp]

I lived in State College for a short time, so I understand the rivalry exists in that part of the state, but my experience is that it is largely fueled from the Pittsburgh end.

But even where I live now in Northern Berks County, there is a healthy amount of Steelers fans and they hate the Eagles. I've tried explaining that we could give a crap about their team, but without any real reason at all they insist the Birds suck.

[johndewar]

When I was at PSU, it was during the Pens Cup years and when the Pirates still had a pulse as a franchise. Fortunately, the Steelers sucked then, so I didn't have to deal with that.

Pittsburgh fans fabricating a rivalry with Philly fans is like how Pitt students view PSU as their biggest rival, while PSU students not from the 'Burgh couldn't care less about Pitt.

[Mark D]

I guess you gotta be an old-timer to recall the Pittsburgh-Philly rivalry being "intense" in baseball. It's been there in hockey for a while. My father said the Eagles-Steelers rivarly was big before they Steelers jumped to the AFC. But, I'm definitely old enough to remember when the 2 best teams in the NL East were the Pirates and Phils. That was a big rivalry. It petered out in the 80's on account of both teams sucking. But, when the Pirates got good again under Leyland, we had Bobby Bonilla and Barry Bonds to hate on, so it was kinda/sorta back!

[John]

Yeah, as a Penn Stater I must say the Eagles/Steelers rivalry resides heavy in State College. A Steelers fan tried to take a swing at me once when I said Tommy Maddox wasn't the answer, lo and behold once he went down and Ben took over what happened? Idiot Steelers fans.

[Bill]

It was Pitt's finals week / graduation weekend so a ton of Philly fans were out in Pittsburgh for the weekend (as a ton of Philly-area kids go to Pitt)

Good stuff to see.

[Phils 1st]

The Phils opened up out there a few years back and my friends in State College convinced me to travel there from UD, and pick them up on the way. It couldn't have been more than 40 degrees, we we're all incredibly hung over, and the Phillies lost - but it was a great experience. I think it was the year before CBP opened, so it gave me a lot to look forward too. While I'm not disappointed at all in CPB, PNC's location is unbeatable. It's a beautiful "cathedral" of the game.

[metsfan]

Now you guys know exactly how we mets fans feel in filthadelphia!!!!!!!!!!!

"Who knew the New York-Philadelphia rivalry was so intense?"

Only Philadelphia fans think there is an intense rivalry.

[themajor]

I would have to agree that the Philly/Pitt rivalry is definately more intense in central PA. Thats because people out there can rightfully chose between either a philly or pitt team and mostly it depends what part of the state your parents came from. Out at millersville it was definately big during football season since its the easiest season for fairweather fans to watch.

[sarah]

They actually got rid of the Outback Steakhouse in PNC - I never thought it made much sense to have one there, but to each his own. Now it's a Hall of Fame Club, which is a good addition w/ a great view from left/center field and plenty of TVs. We went there last Saturday to try to catch the Flyers game, but wound up leaving to go across the street for $1 Miller Lites and bigger screens. One way to close the gap between PNC and Citizens Bank Park: Put a row of bars/restaurants on 16th Street. Street accessible, great atmosphere outside the games. People are gonna tailgate regardless, but I think it would be a nice way to add a bit more civilization and semi-regulated culture to the sports complex. Just a thought.

[johndewar]

The absence of bars/restaurants within walking distance of the South Philly stadium complex will be a problem for awhile for various reasons.

One solution will lie in the Spectacor plan to get rid of the Spectrum, but I wonder if what they put there will even be enough.

[El Ricko]

Why are you posting here, metsfan, don't you have some Rick Astley lyrics to learn?

[sbag]

PNC park is an amazing place to watch baseball. It really has a Minor league feel to it. Being that its the smallest park in the majors (capacity) you feel exceptionally close to the action. As far as the Pittsburgh/Philadelphia rivalry...as a recent graduate of Pitt I can say that I've never met a more warm-weathered, ill-informed fan base than what you find in Pittsburgh, it's pretty sickening to be honest. Pens fans were nonexistant 4 years ago before their lottery picks came around (remember when they almost lost their team because NOBODY went to the games?), and I still can't understand the hatred for the Eagles. Steelers games are perhaps the most boring sporting events i've ever witnessed and the fans the blindly follow them (and regularly abandon them during cold streaks). Sure they have 5 rings, but hiding behind them during every argument gets old

[Buckeye70]

Good site, good post. As a transplanted
Pittsburgher who went to college in Philly
area (Villanova), I can tell you the Phils,
when competitive, have always brought their
fans to 3RS and now PNC.

I live in the Chicago area and follow the
Cubs and Pirates (if and when the Pirates
aren't belly-up), and love the various
ambiences at ballparks.

But to the poster MattP: Trust me, Steelers
fans (I am a fanatic here, as well as with
the Pens) are relatively indifferent to
the Iggles. Our rivals are in our division,
particularly the representatives of the
"Mistake on the Lake" (Cleveland) and
Baldymore.

Penguins fans do hate the Flyers big time.
Contrasts in playing style, clash of wills
of the state's two meaningful cities,
and just a genuine familiarity-breeds-
contempt thing.

That said, good luck vs. the team from
the land of my maternal ancesters (Montreal,
I'm 50% French Canadian), but not vs.
the Pens.

Again, good site, lots of interesting stuff
here.

Let's Go Pens!