All-Star atmosphere

All-Star week has drawn an eclectic group of people to Pittsburgh's North Shore. Folks from big cities and small towns. True-blue fans clad in team colors and big-money sponsors in coats and ties. Families who plan their vacations around a three-day baseballpalooza. Workaday people who are simply making another stop on the road.

Monday, they converged at PNC Park for the Home Run Derby. They arrived early to party or claim a primo spot in a queue. They cheered hard, had fun and stayed late.

And it all got under way when a conversion van rolled down Lacock Street and made a hard right turn into a parking lot ...

12:45 p.m.

Tucked away in a corner of the VIP lot, in the shade of the I-279 overpass, J.R. Kane fired up his tailgate.

Kane, his sister Lynn and her fiance, Rich Lawler -- all Pirates season-ticket holders -- drove in from Huntingdon, near State College, just as they do every weekend when the Bucs play at home.

"If the Pirates stink, we're here anyway," Lynn Kane said, laughing. "We're diehards. And we're always the early birds."

This is their first All-Star experience. J.R. Kane had a ticket to the 1994 All-Star Game at Three Rivers Stadium, but missed it because he was in the military. Two years later, he was injured in an accident and now is confined to a wheelchair.

Their seats for the All-Star festivities are the same as for Pirates games: Section 1, along the third-base line.

"PNC Park is great because it's so (handicapped) accessible," J.R. Kane said. "And it's easy to spot us in the stands. We always take our Jolly Roger flag into the game."

1:32 p.m.

First, the necessary legal disclaimer: The All-Star blanket Kent Swanson was waving was not free, even though it didn't cost a dime.

"We can't say it's free. We have to say it's complimentary," he said.

There's a hook, of course. To get the blanket (or, if you prefer, a beach towel), you had to show some ID and sign a credit card application.

Swanson, of Erie, will be a junior this fall at Robert Morris University. He figured the blankets-for-bank cards gig would be a good way to earn a few bucks toward tuition.

Job requirements are a booming voice and a quick smile. And his uniform included shorts, shades, sunscreen and comfy shoes.

"The hours are long; I was on my feet all day yesterday," Swanson said. "But it's definitely worth it. Getting a chance to be around the All-Star Game, it's a once-in-a-lifetime thing."

2:24 p.m.

During the school year, T.J. Pegher's parents limit him to one hour a day with his PlayStation 2.

"But it's summertime now!" Pegher said, grinning.

Pegher, 16, of West Mifflin, was walking past the All-Star Sponsor Zone when he saw a row of XBox 360 consoles and baseball video games. As he dug in against an electronic Pedro Martinez, Pegher barely noticed the Green Day tune throbbing from the speakers along General Robinson Street.

"Sometimes, when my dad watches me play at home, he says it's like watching a real game," Pegher said.

That doesn't mean Pegher was willing to trade his Home Run Derby ticket for an extra hour or three with the digital version of the great American pastime.

"No way," he said. "The real thing is better."

2:58 p.m.

It's a dirty job, but Dave Thomas has got to do it.

Driving a golf cart, Thomas, a Budweiser employee from St. Louis, followed one of the brewery's famous Clydesdales back to its temporary stable. The massive horse had just finished making a promotional appearance outside a bar on Federal Street.

Stowed in Thomas' back of the cart was a very large garbage can, a broom and a shovel.

Please don't ask what's in the can.

"When he's got to go, he's got to go," Thomas said, nodding toward the horse. "There's nothing to do but scoop it up."

Thomas and his crew spend about six months a year on the road with the Clydesdales. Over the past year, he's been to the Daytona 500 and the Super Bowl.

Budweiser sent an eight-horse team and a dozen handlers to the All-Star Game. That's a lot of scooper duty.

"Oh yeah," Thomas said with a sigh. "Fortunately, we all take turns."

3:07 p.m.

The gates of PNC Park would be closed for another hour, and there were plenty of diversions around the park. But the Kutilek family, of Oakmont, held firm at the front of the line at a left-field entrance.

"We've been here 45 minutes already," Barbara Kutilek said. "And we'll be back here at the same time tomorrow."

Security was tight at the ballpark. Fans had to pass through a metal detector and have their bags searched.

"It's not that bad," Luke Kutilek said. "It took 5 minutes yesterday. It's easier than going through (security) at the airport."

Michael Kutilek, 12, had begged his parents for an early arrival so he could snag a prime autograph spot. But he wasn't too interested in seeing Pirates outfielder Jason Bay; he favored Boston slugger David Ortiz.

"I'm a big Red Sox fan," said Michael Kutilek, who was wearing a Red Sox cap.

When did he abandon the hometown Bucs for the Beantown Boys?

"Since they won the World Series," he said.

3:27 p.m.

Lisa Whitter kicked off her sandals, hopped up on a berm on the Clemente Bridge and stretched out.

"I think I'm going to chill right here," she said. "This is the best seat in the house."

Whitter, 26, drove eight hours by herself to Pittsburgh from Worcester, Mass. She got a free ticket to tonight's All-Star Game from a friend who works for ESPN, but she was shut out of the Home Run Derby.

No big deal. Whitter was happy just to be sitting in the sun outside PNC Park, watching the crowd saunter past.

"I'm a huge baseball fan," she said. "When I was 13, my favorite player was (Red Sox catcher) Jody Reed. I had a big crush on him. I look back now and say to myself, 'What was I thinking?' He's so ugly!"

3:48 p.m.

The skies began to cloud up. It was time for Tyler Quatrine to slip on his in-line skates and get to work.

Quatrine, 9, of Detroit, whizzed along the streets, surprising slow-poke pedestrians and hawking lightweight ponchos. His friend, 13-year-old Faraj Mohammad, of Chicago, delivered his rain slickers on a skateboard.

Their parents have rented a storefront on Federal Street to run a souvenir shop. The families travel from one major sports event to another throughout the year, spending only a few weeks at their homes.

"My dad's been to 16 Super Bowls," Quatrine said. "We've been to just about every state."

Mohammad said his favorite stop is Indianapolis.

"I'm a big NASCAR fan, and they have racing there," Mohammad said. "Plus, there's more business there. Here, the people are a little cheap."

Sales probably perked up a couple of hours later when raindrops began to fall.

5:35 p.m.

If a Primanti's sandwich were art, it would be a Jackson Pollack painting, a jumble of color and texture. Flavor, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder.

Mathew Ratner, of Boca Raton, Fla., looked over the pileup of steak, french fries, cole slaw and cheese on his plate. He arched an eyebrow and licked his lips.

Ratner grabbed hold of the bread. Opened wide. Munched for a few moments.

And swallowed.

"Mmm ..." he said finally. "I give it an A-plus."

It was Ratner's first taste of a Primanti's sandwich. He heard about the Strip District delicacy from his college buddy, Paul Leistner, of Del Ray Beach, Fla.

"I had one about four years ago, and I told him he had to have one, too, " said Leistner, whose father grew up in the North Hills.

Leistner was gripping a roast beef sandwich. Ratner chose the cheesesteak, and was careful not to drip grease on his Florida Marlins jersey.

"I didn't know what to expect," Ratner said, the bites coming quicker now. "But I'll definitely be back for more."

Needs salt?

"Nope," Rather said.

Pepper?

"Nah. It's perfect."

Then, Ratner reconsidered and quickly added one necessary side item.

"I think a beer is a must with anything," he said.

6:55 p.m.

Deep in the heart of Pittsburgh, Ace Rosenstein proudly wore his Philadelphia Phillies jersey. Although he was in enemy territory, he had no fear.

"This week, it's OK," said Rosenstein, who lives in suburban Philly. "It's not about the Phillies or the Pirates. This week, we're all National League fans."

Rosenstein scored four tickets to each of the All-Star events, so he brought his two sons -- Adam, 10, and Andrew, 7 -- and his sister Stacey.

"His wife doesn't like baseball, and I do," Stacey said. "So, I lucked out."

Adam is a bona fide seamhead, able to rattle off any stat you'd like to know about the game. But why was this knee-high Phillies fan wearing a Pirates hat and a Bay jersey?

"The Pirates were his Little League team this season," his dad said with a shrug.

Adam might have changed his colors, but he has not switched loyalties. He was rooting for Phils first baseman Ryan Howard to win the Home Run Derby.

"He will win," Adam said. "It's going to be him and David Ortiz in the final. It will be close, but Ryan will win."

9:08 p.m.

Cub dust floated down from the tippy-top of the left-field rotunda.

"Magical powers," Tidbit said.

Tidbit's given name is Jeanne Corrino.

"But nobody calls me that. Nobody," she said.

A tad over 4 feet tall, Tidbit was born in St. Louis, but grew up to be a partisan of the arch-rival Chicago Cubs.

"A Cardinal sin," she said, winking at the pun.

This week marks her 34th straight trip to the All-Star Game. She arrived at PNC Park decked out in red, white and blue, from her Cubs visor to her flowery flip-flops.

Perched on the uppermost level of the rotunda, Tidbit sprinkled her homemade Cub dust -- small plastic packs of confetti -- onto the people below. She tossed Tootsie Roll Pops to the kids and traded wisecracks with other fans.

Everyone around her was smiling.

"This is my first All-Star Game, and I've learned a lot from her," said Andy Blattenberger, of Mt. Washington.

Additional Information:

All-Star Game 2006

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