Voices: Mazeroski's wall lands in foul territory at new PNC Park spot

Voices is an occasional column in which Post-Gazette reporters share what's on their minds.

Sunday, April 19, 2009
By Robert Dvorchak, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/pirates/


Peter Diana/Post-Gazette

Pirates fan Josh Barnhart stands in front of the Mazeroski wall on the River Walk at PNC Park.

With this year being the 100th anniversary of the opening of Forbes Field, the old ballyard still brings back memories.

It had crossed my mind that only in Pittsburgh would people remember something that's been gone almost four decades. But any baby boomer with an interest in baseball considered Forbes Field a special place, even if the steel beams obstructed the views and cigar smoke was one of the better aromas.

The House of Thrills, as The Gunner called it, had many moments. One of the greatest was Bill Mazeroski's home run sailing over Yogi Berra's head and the red brick wall at the 406-foot mark. If a coal miner's son with a different sounding last name could hit a home run to beat the Yankees in the 1960 World Series, why, all of us could dream.

When Forbes Field gave way to Three Rivers Stadium, the portion of the wall that the home run cleared was preserved and relocated to the Allegheny Club. After Three Rivers gave way to PNC Park, the wall was entangled not in ivy but in a messy bankruptcy. While lawyers dug in, the wall was moved to the SportsWorks of the Carnegie Science Center for display and storage.

Ownership ultimately reverted to the Pirates, and when a team is breaking historic ground with 16 consecutive losing seasons, any victory should be savored. So when the wall reappeared this year along the Riverwalk at PNC Park, it was time for a pilgrimage to this baseball shrine.

It can't be seen from the seating area, so more than one person passed by it without a second glance at the home opener. The Pirates plan to mount a plaque, but, for now, there is no sign explaining the significance of this red-brick wall 29 bricks high -- just over 6 feet.

The Pirates deserve credit for preserving it, but frankly, there are some circumstances best described as off the wall.

For one thing, the left field wall is now in right center. History can't be reversed, but instead of the wall facing home plate, the 406 mark looks out on the Allegheny River. So if you picture an imaginary batter's box, Maz would be sinking in water, which could stand as a metaphor for the past 16 seasons. If the monuments in Yankee Stadium had their backs to home plate, their fans would erupt in a New York minute.

There's more. The wall is adjacent to the All You Can Eat section. And the bricks are flanked by two blue doors -- the men's room on one side, the women's room on the other. Yep, the wall that witnessed the greatest moment in Pittsburgh sports history, as voted by the Dapper Dan, is sandwiched between two restrooms.

Herb Soltman of Green Tree, who coordinates the anniversary of the home run every Oct. 13 at another preserved section of the wall in Oakland, visited the Riverwalk on opening day.

"I'm glad they got it up," he said. "But my first impression? I guess if you need to use the restroom, just look for the 406 mark."

The next thing they put up at PNC Park should be a Wailing Wall.


Robert Dvorchak can be reached at bdvorchak@post-gazette.com.
First published on April 19, 2009 at 12:00 am