Steel City Scare

We abandoned our luxury accommodations in Cincinnati for a 300 mile bus ride and a throwback game in Pittsburgh.

This sign on the OSU Baseball locker room door caught the eye more than one Monarch.

Our one stop was an unsolicited invite from history professor Dr. Hasan Jeffries at The Ohio State University.

Zion Spearman checks out the Buckeye locker room.

The school gave the Monarchs a tour of the baseball facilities and brought some student athletes in to speak to the players.

Dr. Jeffries spoke to the players at lunch about their roles in the community; how the opportunity to be a Monarch required them to pass their knowledge forward.

Nasir Jackson measures up to OSU OL Kyle Dodson

Buckeye football player Kyle Dodson spoke as well, explaining, “Without good grades, there is no sports.” He laid out multiple options for his future, none of which involved playing football.

The balance of the bus ride into Pittsburgh brought us to our Hampton Inn where I experienced my Daily Show “moment of zen.” Riding down on the elevator with Mo’ne Davis, her dad and a few other players, a couple got on with us and asked, “Are you going to a game or playing a game?” “Playing,” the kids answered. The woman then turned to Mo’ne and said “And are you on the team too?” “Yes,” she answered politely, but as the woman turned away, I got the most hysterical wide-eyed head-tilt a fourteen year old can muster. Just a little reminder of the baseball/time warp cocoon we inhabit.

The game, played at Manchester Field, just up the North Shore hill from Heinz Field and PNC Park drew a large crowd. Playing on a rough, inner city field with no pitching mound and temporary bases anchored into a weed-filled infield, the Pittsburgh Grays-clad team gave the Monarchs (dressed in their Philadelphia Stars throwback unis) all they could handle for about four innings.

The pregame ceremony featured Ted Toles, Jr. a chatty, razor sharp 89 year-old former member of the Pittsburgh Crawfords who entertained the media with his anecdotes, and threw out the first pitch.

Back to back triples in the first put the Grays up 3-0, and a laser beam throw from CF cut down Sami at the plate in the third (opening photo).

But the game turned in the fifth, when the Monarchs cobbled together their trademark aggressive base running, three consecutive bunts, and some seeing eye hits for 10 runs.

Zion made room for himself at second during the Monarchs big 5th inning.

Brandon Gibbs, who starred at the plate, laid down one of several crucial consecutive bunts to trigger the 5th inning rally

Jared Sprague-Lott settled in for four solid innings after a rough first, Trevor McGee threw heat for two innings, and the game ended when the lights inexplicably went out at 9:45.

The only downside was the fans didn’t get to see Mo’ne pitch the seventh. There was a buzz in the crowd as she warmed up in the top of the seventh, but it wasn't meant to be; maybe the 'tired-arm gods' stepped in and threw the switch on the lights. The crowd surrounded the bus and the players bantered with the locals in the darkness.

The big highlight tomorrow is no wakeup call. Scheduled only for a visit to the Roberto Clemente museum and a Pirates game, the team, and the crew, is looking forward to sleeping in.