Take Me Out To The Ball Game

My husband and I are huge baseball fans. We both grew up watching the Red Sox and are die-hard fans, so not being able to watch a live game in Boston is one of the bad things about our move. 

When I asked my husband about this dilemma and if I’d be considered a traitor if I chose to cheer for the Pittsburgh Pirates, he found a solution. 

“You’re not considered a traitor cheering for the Pirates because they’re National league," he said. "You can have a favorite team in both the National and American league."

So, we went with that.

One of the great things about Carnegie Mellon University is all of the opportunities to partake in local events at discounted prices. Erik jumped on the opportunity to buy tickets to a Pirates game for both of us. That left me with trying to find a babysitter in a fairly short amount of time. I almost wasn’t able to, but after several phone calls and interviews, I found a very nice undergrad who is great with the girls. 

I still haven’t been quite able to figure out the Pittsburgh temperature swing. I’ll wake up in the morning shivering and grabbing for a sweater and jeans, then by mid-day, I’ll need to put shorts and a T-shirt on. Getting everyone dressed for the day has been challenging. I usually just end up having a pile of various clothes off to the side for the girls, but I’ve learned that layers work well for most days. Layers did not work well for that day. It was a hot one!

Off we went to the game in the sweltering heat and left the girls taking a nap with the sitter. It was nice to get out of our apartment, away from the unpacking and cleaning. As we arrived, we found parking in an event lot. People had their grills and tables stacked with food before the game. This was the first time I’d seen baseball fans tailgate and I was impressed. I can only imagine what the tailgate parties are like for the Steelers!

The lines were quick and efficient. There was a long line to receive our Pirates hat, which was included in the cost of the ticket. Erik went to get beverages while I waited in line for our first baseball caps of the season. We made it just in time to see the starting lineup of the Pirates versus the Cincinnati Reds. The afternoon ended up being muggy and sunny, but it was nice to sit and relax for a couple of hours. I never even received one phone call from my babysitter, which always makes me happy—I’ve had some in the past that call every hour to check in!

Funniest part of the day was when Erik and I tried to take a picture together. I later looked through the pictures to see how they came out and had to ask Erik if he knew the guy in the background who was posing for our picture. Luckily, it was one of Erik’s classmates and not just some creepy guy!

The Pirates ended up beating the Reds making it a great ending to our first game in Pittsburgh. I’ll admit, I’m not psyched about the black and gold colors—they really do nothing for my fair skin—but as long as they keep winning, I’ll be able to deal!