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Wednesday, April.25/2012
Game #27 Day # 19 @12:35 PM Pirates vs. Rockies
Probable Pitchers:
PIT-TBD
COL-TBD
Douglas “Chuck” Booth (Baseball Writer)- Quite simply put, I need this game really *-!^#! bad. Every other game up to this point has a secondary date I can use on the depth chart. Pittsburgh is the exception. If there is a suspended game it is ballgame over. Coffee is for closers and I would not have any grinds! I had a similar situation in 2009 with Fenway Park on Game #29. There are a few scenarios I can opt for if I am near perfect coming into this day. The next 3 parks after PNC are Comerica, The Great American Ball Park and Us Cellular Field. The last two parks play a series right after the streak is over. The best thing that could happen is that PNC gets the game in for the Pirates no matter what. I can always move the Tigers game to the 26th and forego the 26th CIN/CWS doubleheader that day. I will know what circumstances I face coming into the day.
Ken Lee will be waiting for me at 10:30 AM as I arrive into the PIT Airport via Southwest Airlines. We are heading right to the game. Ken and I studied our exit strategy for about one hour at his place last week. We are confident about the execution. Just a note here, I had this exact doubleheader in 2009 with PIT and DET. A poorly executed sedan pickup cost me a chance to make my flight to Detroit. It was the 1st day of the streak and I nailed the next 29 games in a row for the World Record. Part of me always wondered what if I would have been picked up at the proper meeting point. I am happy to have a chance to try this DH again.
My flight out of town is at 5:20 PM. I need this game to be over by 4:00 PM if possible. It will take us 40-45 minutes to the airport at the most ideal conditions, Ken will leave the game in the 8th inning and wait across the Roberto Clemente Bridge. I will race out the left field exits and sprint to where he is right after I take a picture of the scoreboard. Ken and I are talking about going to get a Primanti Brothers Sandwich before the game. It is a sandwich that features French Fries and a hot dog all loaded into one sandwich. If we don’t buy a couple of those, we will order a large pizza at the pizzeria in the LF Bleachers. That is the ticket we will buy each too. Should cost us around $12 per ticket. Parking at a garage should cost about the same for a weekday game.
This is where having Ken Lee around is going to benefit me. If I miss my flight, Ken will drive me to Cincinnati for the next day. It is great insurance measure. I am going to be cheering for good weather and a fast game. PNC Park is one of my favorite parks. Most people have it in their top 5. The park staff have some of the longest-serving employees in all of baseball. This team just needs a winner on the field and this will be a great baseball city again. The new park pays great homage to their players of yesteryear. I will have to do all of my sight-seeing before the game starts. A miss on this date would end the streak altogether. The best I could do is 30 games in 28 days. I may decide to come back the following week just to complete all 30 Parks in under a month, however I will not be a happy camper in the Steel City!
- With the Salter’s in 2008
Follow me- @chuckbooth3024 on twitter
