Be Like Tike

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Sorry to post this so late, but I just got back from the Pirate beating/fireworks display/Smash Mouth concert, and I’m trying to find my copy of Astro Lounge as I type this. The show was phenomenal, but the game was not. You knew the fans were waiting for something extra when the score became 11-6 in the 9th and the stadium was still full.

• On our way into the stadium, we ran into a homeless person holding a sign that said, “I’m not gonna lie. I need beer.” That was funny the first time everyone saw it online. Today, it was just pathetic. If you want money, you need to be creative, and if you don’t make more than $7.15 an hour begging, its time to get a job at McDonald’s.
• I don’t know if many people saw it last night, but Jack Wilson was having some serious medical troubles. The team is calling it an asthma attack, but whatever it was, it left Jack unable to finish the game. He was seen looking very drowsy and was then carried to the clubhouse. He did not start, but returned tonight with a pinch-hit double in the ninth.
• I walked into the game with a friend wearing a Styx t-shirt. The ticket taker told him that he was a day late. My friend didn’t get it.
• This has been going on for multiple seasons, but it needs to be exposed. During the video montage played during the national anthem, they show pictures of Niagara Falls. Certainly, its a nice sight, but there is one problem. The picture is from the Canadian falls! Thats pretty un-American if you ask me.
• Did anyone else notice that Rajai Davis is hitting over .300 on the season?
• The Red Sox traded Wily Mo Pena and cash to the Washington Nationals for a player to be named later. Couldn’t the Pirates have offered that? What ever happened to trading Damaso Marte?
• It was interesting to see the Pirates wear red against the Phillies. It certainly confused the man behind us, as he repeatedly cheered for the wrong team. Honestly, I don’t have a problem with the red jerseys, but it doesn’t seem right to wear them against a team whose primary color is red.
• Getting a good usher at the game is really a crapshoot. You’ve got the ushers who remember you from game to game, and then you’ve got the ones who looked like they smoked a bag of weed before the game. Today, we ended up with the latter. He repeatedly told people to sit in the wrong seats and forced an entire section to rearrange themselves, only to tell them to switch back.
• Perhaps the funniest sight of the night was seeing a lady walking around with her family’s garbage, not knowing what to do with it. Its a stadium. You drop it on the ground and people clean up after you. Its one of the biggest perks.
• Jason Bay made a terrible error tonight, breaking right on a ball that came to his left. He looked foolish trying to spin around and completely botched the play.
• Buccaroos is incredible. Its the best kept secret in the stadium. If you want decent portions and low prices, check out this place. Get nachos for $2 and an ice cream for $1.
• The pierogi races are really deteriorating in quality, as are the jukebox selections. I’ve seen the same race sequence multiple times now, and it pains me to see a dancing banana singing “It’s Peanut Butter Jelly Time!” on the field. It was an internet in-joke that found its way onto Family Guy, and now into PNC Park. Not cool.
• Unfortunately, the Roberto Clemente Bridge was closed after the game and was limited to one side before the game so that the fireworks could be set up and removed. This was a major inconvenience and resulted in a ton of traffic leaving the stadium.
• After the game, there was no handshake. Everyone immediately went into the clubhouse to get changed and then watch the concert. I think every Pirate watched, even the ones who like Creed (Freddy) and Nickelback (J-Bay).
• The concert itself was quite a sight. It had significantly higher production values than the Live concert. They mixed it up with some new and some old songs that crossed multiple genres. A bit of power pop, a bit of funk, a bit of ska, and a bit of rock. They also played the most obvious encore ever. When Rob King took over the mic and asked the fans if they wanted another song, everyone knew what was coming next: “All Star”. The band saved their best for last, with their two biggest songs (the other was “Walking on the Sun”), after starting with the cover song that Shrek revitalized: “I’m a Believer.” I’m no music critic, but for a stadium show, this was excellent. The amazing fireworks displays on the field, on the river, and on the bridge only sweetened the concert.
• Lead Singer Steven “Smash Mouth” Harwell really knew how to suck up to the crowd. He talked about being a Steeler fan since he was a kid, even though his best friend was a Cowboy fan. Those comments drew the largest cheers and boos of the night, respectively. He even announced which bar he was heading to after the game (Ugly), and requested the crowd to “Get ugly tonight!” Considering the bar scene in Pittsburgh, they were way ahead of him.
• Speaking of ugly, tonight was a good example of why they should stop serving alcohol after the 7th inning. I guess they thought that they could keep selling it tonight because of the concert, but they made a huge mistake. At either a baseball game or a concert, there is a good chance you will find drunk people. Put them back to back, and you have a lot of drunk people. Guys were taking off their shirts and spinning them around. We saw some lady give a guy a lap dance, which was pretty entertaining until her shirt came untucked and her beer gut spilled out. There are some things you can’t unsee…

In all, it was a pretty crappy game for the Pirates, but the post-game festivities made the $9 ticket well worth it. If you were looking for in-depth analysis, you’ll have to wait until tomorrow.

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