ATMOSPHERE
A Bachelor Party For the Win
This is a Bachelor Party like none other. Patrick Burn's best man, Joe, overachieved at throwing his pal the best Bachelor Party, by taking Burn, a Pirates' fan, and the other groomsmen to a week of Pirates' Spring Training in Bradenton, Florida.
Pursuit of A Signed Ball
by Drew Bogs
He's just four years old, but Camden knows what he wants. The Stubenville, Ohio tot has travled the past two years to Bradenton, Florida the spring training home of the Pittsburgh Pirates with one goal in mind, getting Pirates All-Star Andrew McCutchen to sign his baseball.
A Day at McKechnie Field
Pirates fans sing "Take Me Out To The Ball Game" during the seventh inning stretch. Feel the experience of a day in the park during spring training at McKechnie Field. The Mascots are fun, there's entertainment for everyone and the memories will last a lifetime.
CATCH THE ATMOSPHERE FEVER
A bag of peanuts, two hot dogs and an ice-cold beer in hand as the song “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” plays, brings the thought of enjoying a nice day at a baseball game. Bradenton, Fld. starts their baseball season a bit earlier than Muncie, Ind., since they are the home of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Spring Training facilities.
Known as the “Friendly City,” Bradenton brought more than just a $10.5 million renovation to McKechnie Field. The city brought “an entertainment venue just as much as a baseball venue,” said Mayor of Bradenton, Wayne Poston.
The boardwalk, the main attraction of the renovation, stretches along the outfield and has an open atmosphere. According to Mayor Poston, the boardwalk is kid friendly and allows plenty of room for you to walk and move around. It even has space for entertainment to be performed while the game is being played.
“It’s more organized with better access,” said Marian Jardo, a Pirates’ Booster Club worker, on the addition of the boardwalk to the field.
Jardo and the other Pirates’ Booster Club workers play a major role in keeping the “Friendly City” atmosphere alive. The 120 booster club members not only work as ushers, program sellers, security personnel, merchandise sellers and press box attendants, but they also go as far as working at Pirate City. Pirate City is the training and practice facility that is about a 15-minute drive from McKechnie Field. The booster club workers man the parking, bag check station and viewer boundary lines at Pirate City.
The booster club workers at other fields such as Ed Smith Stadium, home of the Baltimore Orioles, are very helpful with a genuine smile, but the Pirates’ booster club differs in one thing, the way they hire their staff. The Pirates’ Boosters Club is unlike any other Grapefruit League Boosters Club, in that individuals are hired as volunteer employees. These employees must have a love for the game and a passion to make the fan experience enjoyable to work on a no pay basis.
The Pirates’ Spring Training Game Day Staff not only have radiating smiles and premium customer service skills, but also have a fondness for community service and raising money for the Boys and Girls Club. These volunteers are really living up to Bradenton’s “Friendly City” reputation. The mayor is even involved in philanthropic progress of the game day staff.
Whether a sports fan or not the experience a person has at a Spring Training facility will be an enjoyable one. The closeness to the field and the relationship with the players is just an extra touch to the welcoming atmosphere. The team, as well as the community, benefit from hosting out of town teams and their fans as well as locals catching a game.