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Is Pittsburgh a Baseball Town Again?

From the days of the first World Series game, played here in 1903, Pittsburgh was considered a baseball town. That is, until the Steel Curtain and the Super Steelers seemed to take over in the 1970s.

But Bob Dvorchak, sportswriter emeritus for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and creator of the website Sports ‘n ‘at, has a different view of Pittsburgh. “Pittsburgh is an event town.”

Right now the city is delirious and caught up in baseball fever. Dvorchak says the excitement is comparable to the 1909 World Series when “Megaphone Man” closed down Fifth Avenue outside the Pittsburgh Press building. He would get the latest results of the away games and run outside with a megaphone to report the updates to fans.

“It was the Twitter of its time," Dvorchak said. "It just took a little bit longer.”

What has held true throughout Dvorchak’s lifetime in the city of Pittsburgh, and is evident today, is the quote made famous by Howard Cosell: “When you play Pittsburgh, you play the entire city.”