On February 11, 2001 at 8:03 a.m., Three Rivers Stadium was imploded using 4,800 pounds of dynamite in 2,500 spots placed throughout the former home of the Pirates and NFL’s Steelers. Over 20,000 people viewed the implosion from Point State Park, and thousands more watched from various points throughout Pittsburgh. Roberto Clemente’s 3,000th hit and Mike Schmidt’s 500th career home run are part of the historic legacy of the 30-year-old sports venue.
So this gives me the opportunity to relate an unconscionably long anecdote–I attended my first game in Pittsburgh on the last weekend of Forbes Fields’ tenure. My brother and I met a Pirate fan from Chicago who said that his father had given him the option to see a game at Forbes or at Three Rivers; he said he picked Forbes, because he figured he could catch a game at Three Rivers until Doomsday, which always comes at your quicker than you anticipated.
Doomsday does come quickly, especially in the world of sports stadiums, where we’re constantly adjusting to new technologies, new fan perks, new fan seating, and whatever other entertainment demands come into existence from day to day. It’s so interesting that the Pirates switched stadiums mid-season in 1970 — I’m curious how many other teams have done that.