PNC Park is a baseball park located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is the fifth home of the Pittsburgh Pirates, the city's Major League Baseball franchise. It opened during the 2001 Major League Baseball season, after the controlled implosion of the Pirates' previous home, Three Rivers Stadium. The ballpark is named for locally based PNC Financial Services, which purchased the naming rights in 1998. PNC Park features a natural grass playing surface and seats 38,496 people for baseball, which as of 2008, is the second-smallest capacity of any Major League park. Funded in conjunction with Heinz Field, the $216 million park stands along the Allegheny River, on the North Shore of Pittsburgh with a view of Downtown Pittsburgh. Built in the style of "classic" stadiums, such as Boston's Fenway Park, PNC Park also introduced unique features, such as the use of limestone in the building's facade. The park also features a riverside concourse, steel truss work, an extensive out-of-town scoreboard, and many local eateries. Since completion, PNC Park has been hailed as one of the best ballparks in the country. PNC Park hosted the 2006 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, the fifth MLB All-Star Game held in Pittsburgh.
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_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
1099:
The First Crusade concluded with the Battle of Ascalon and Fatimid forces under Al-Afdal Shahanshah retreating to Egypt. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Ascalon
1676:
Praying Indian John Alderman shot and killed King Philip, the Wampanoag war chief, ending King Philip's War. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Philip%27s_War
1877:
American astronomer Asaph Hall discovered Deimos, the smaller of the two moons of Mars. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deimos_%28moon%29
1883:
The last known Quagga, a subspecies of the Plains zebra, died at the Artis Magistra zoo in Amsterdam. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quagga
1981:
The IBM Personal Computer , the original version and progenitor of the IBM PC compatible hardware platform was introduced. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_Personal_Computer
2000:
The Oscar class submarine K-141 Kursk of the Russian Navy exploded and sank in the Barents Sea during a military exercise. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_submarine_Kursk_explosion
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
titubant (adj): Stumbling, staggering; with the movement of one who is tipsy http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/titubant
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
It has always seemed strange to me that in our endless discussions about education so little stress is laid on the pleasure of becoming an educated person, the enormous interest it adds to life. To be able to be caught up into the world of thought — that is to be educated. --Edith Hamilton http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Edith_Hamilton