Sunday, January 27, 2008

Pirate Fest 2008

The boys of summer are gearing up for another "great" season.....okay so maybe our beloved Pirates aren't so great but we had a good time today at Piratefest anyway. In case you can't make it out in the back there in all the balloons it says "Let's Go Bucs"


Jordan tried his hand at pitching. 25 miles an hour. Not bad

While Cody and his friend John tried batting and then a quick picture with the pierogy. For those of you who don't know, at the seventh ining stretch of every pirate game they have a pierogy race. It's a 'burgh thing what can I say.
Cody and John pictured here with Sauerkraut Sal!



While Dad waited in line for about 2 hours (Jordan in line for about an hour) to get autographs from some past and present players......


Here's Paul Malholm (pitcher), Tom Gorzelanny (pitcher), and Neil Walker (catcher)



Bill Madlock's on the far end in case some of you "remember" back that far.......


So was it worth it? Well to a 7 year old boy........it sure was. He finally got a baseball signed by Xavier Nady (1st base in the foreground), and Richie Hebner (a blast from the past, last one at the table).






Heart attack moment of the day.......

I was standing talking to Tom and I walked a few steps forward to get some of these pictures. When I got back to Tom I said "where is Jordan" He said "I don't know". Okay I admit panic set in. I started looking everywhere. I went to where Cody and John were waiting in line and they said he was looking for Tom. I went back to Tom and you guessed it NO JORDAN! Now the tears are starting to flow. I can't get to Tom to tell him what is going on because he is in a sea of about 5oo people waiting for autographs. Crying harder now.... Have you ever lost a child? In a big convention center? In downtown Pittsburgh? So by now there are some really bad thoughts going through my head. I finally get Tom's attention and he can then get out of line (where he had already made it about halfway up of a 2 hour wait) . We go back over to where Cody is, I am crying and talking and I turn around and Jordan goes "Hello"! OMGosh, Thank you Lord! People are looking at me like I am crazy, but I was trying to explain to him about staying with us and all the while I am crying and talking in that hysterical voice. We just give God praise that he was safe and sound. That was all the excitement I can handle this week. Please God no more!

2 comments:

John M. Setzler, Jr. said...

This event looks like a lot of fun! I'm a photographer in Hickory, North Carolina, and I cover the "Hickory Crawdads" who are a Low-A farm club of the Pirates. A lot of these guys who play in Pittsburgh now came through Hickory on their way up. Neil Walker is actually playing at 3rd base now. The Pirates sorta moved him from catching to the corner over the last two seasons. Neil was a first round draft pick in 2004. This is one of my favorite photos I made of him while he was in Hickory:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jmsetzler/304369017/

I got one of those autographed for myself. I have been collecting autographed versions of some of my own photos of these guys as they come through... especially the first rounders :)

Anonymous said...

Pierogies, winter coats and baseball what a combination. Looks like fun - except for temporarily misplaced kid part. I do know the feeling - Monroeville mall, age 4 son, relocated in less than 5 min. Me near hysterics and he says calmly 'oh there you are' like I was the one who'd been missing. Now I can laugh about it, since it was 28 year ago.