FanFest report

I had to go down to the Convention Center and check out the FanFest today, especially given that it will likely be 25 years before anyone ever gives the Pirates an All-Star Game again and who knows where I'll be then. The whole thing is kind of like PirateFest on crack, minus the Pirate part. There's lots of free stuff, but it's mainly geared towards little kids, the video batting cages, fielding clinics, running the bases, stuff like that. Even if it weren't geared towards little kids, the lines are too long anyways. There's always a couple of baseball greats there signing autgraphs and I think the line goes almost to the USX building. The amusing part was that when I was there today, the massive line was for Manny Sanguillen and Chuck Tanner, two guys that you can find at PNC Park probably three nights a week during the season. There's a travelling Hall of Fame exhibit with some game-worn jerseys and replica plaques and stuff, the centerpiece is of course Clemente part, which even features the bat used to pick up his 3,000th hit. The Negro League exhibit is much the same, also very cool to check out. There's also a section devoted to the Pirates and their "All-Star history" or something like that. There's a life sized 2006 team picture, which for some reason people enjoyed getting their picture taken with. There's a little glass encased stand featuring the '79 World Series Trophy (I think someone just asked about that in the comments), and two walls covered with Pirate greats. The upstairs features the MLB store, where you can buy lots of All-Star stuff for twice the price that the collectible stands are selling it for less than 100 feet away. As you'd expect, there's lots of cool stuff to buy at the stands if you're looking to spend some cash, pins, patches, paintings, shirts, shot glasses, etc. It's not exactly "baseball heaven on earth" since it's geared towards two audiences (the young and the rich), but it's worth checking out if you're in town this weekend and you've got the time.

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