Brewers vs. Nationals in Washington D.C.

We walked across the Clemente Bridge towards downtown but we didn't jump off. It was only 9 games into the 2010 season at that point and the Brewers still had some hope. Of course we all know that it was a false hope because nothing could fix our horrific pitching staff or our Jeckyl and Hyde offense, but back then we believed. And showed it by saluting the camera. I don't get the connection, but in retrospect the only thing that I can think of is that is has something to do with the baseball team being named after pirates. And you know how much I like pirate activities.

The Monongahela and Alleghany Rivers join to create the Ohio River in Pittsburgh, which have coined the term Three Rivers that is used to describe this location. PNC Park sits on across downtown on the bank of the Alleghany River, which gives it one of the most picturesque backdrops in all of professional sports. The best view of the downtown skyline is from the seats within the stadium, but unfortunately it was 7:00 AM and not 7:00 PM, when the Pirates would be playing against the Reds or else I would have checked it out for myself. There's always next year, but for now I would have to settle for walking around outside of the empty ballpark and imagine what a game there would be like.

I guess that a Pirates game could have been going on right now and I wouldn't know the difference. Who could know? The attendance is the same whether or not a game is being played. Zing! Apparently they close the Clemente Bridge to vehicular traffic before and after games so that pedestrians can easily commute from downtown to the ballpark. Near the end of the April 22nd game when the Brewers beat the Pirates 20-0, Bob Uecker had perhaps his best comment of the year. He said something like what little fans were in attendance today (the Pirates have had 18 consecutive losing seasons and have the 4th lowest paid attendance average) are walking back across the Roberto Clemente Bridge back towards downtown. Some of them even stopped to jump off. Ha ha. Classic Uecker. There really is no one out there as good as Bob Uecker.

There are actually 3 bridges that span the Alleghany in this area and all 3 are identical yellow steel suspension bridges. One of the bridges is named after the artist Andy Warhol and the other is named after Pittsburgh environmentalist Rachel Carson (both bridges are featured in the picture on the right). Although we crossed the river towards downtown, we didn't venture into the bustling workday metropolis. We simply crossed the Andy Warhol bridge back to the other side of the river to head back to our car and continue the journey to Washington D.C.

Roberto Clemente was a fantastic baseball player, but he was an even better human being. He got his 3,000th and final hit in his last at bat on September 30th 1972. Later that year in December, he would tragically die in a plane crash en route to delivering emergency supplies to the victims of a massive earthquake in Nicaragua. He certainly had a hall of fame career but he is honored posthumously for his charitable work. Aside from this statue outside of PNC Park, the 6th street bridge was renamed the Roberto Clemente Bridge. And every year MLB gives out an award (also named after Clemente) to the player recognized for their community service. He will forever remembered for his greatness.