All-Star week set to begin

Pittsburgh is about to transform into the Mecca of Major League Baseball – if only for a… Pittsburgh is about to transform into the Mecca of Major League Baseball – if only for a week.

The 77th installment of Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game and Home Run Derby comes to Pittsburgh on Tuesday for the first time since 1994. Although the city may be the same, the All-Star Game events will be largely different than they were 12 years ago.

PNC Park, dubbed the finest baseball park in America by many, will host its first All-Star Game since opening in 2002. Three Rivers Stadium, which has since been imploded, last hosted the event.

The All-Star Fan Fest will run from Friday until Tuesday, the day of the game, at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, also new to Pittsburgh since the All-Star Game’s last visit. Fans will have the chance to partake in many activities, from virtual batting cages and pitching ranges to Fox Sports Network’s Fantasy Sports Desk, where fans have the chance to anchor their own sports shows.

FSN has also been working in recent years to bring new and exciting events and fanfare to the All-Star Game, and this year won’t be any exception.

One hour prior to the 8 p.m. start of the All-Star Game, FSN will hold a Hollywood-like red carpet event. The MLB All-Star Game Red Carpet Show will broadcast the procession of the All-Star players and managers down a 1,840-foot red carpet running along the Roberto Clemente Bridge and Federal Street directly adjacent to PNC Park.

Fox Sports’ Chris Rose and former All-Star pitcher Rob Dibble will host the show, while FSN’s Leanne Tweeden and Orioles’ first baseman Kevin Millar will correspond along the red carpet with player and manager interviews.

“FSN is proud to once again partner with Major League Baseball for this exclusive event,” said George Greenberg, FSN’s executive vice president of programming and production. “With total access to the players, this is a unique chance for the fans to see the biggest stars in the game, let their hair down and have some fun just hours before the contest begins.”

Fans will be able to line up on either side of the street as players traverse the red carpet in red, white and blue Chevrolet Avalanches.

The television broadcast will also look back on some of the All-Star Game’s greatest moments and air interviews with former All-Stars and Hall-of-Famers Jonny Bench and Ozzie Smith.

If that isn’t enough, the Pittsburgh Regional History Center is putting forth its own events in the days prior to the Midsummer Classic.

Beginning Friday and running through Tuesday, the History Center’s first floor on Smallman Street in the Strip District will play host to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.

Forbes Field – the Pirates’ home until 1971 – will also be a part of the events, with its dedication as a historical landmark on Friday.

Despite all the activities planned for the city at large during All-Star Week, PNC Park will still host the biggest events.

All-Star Sunday will pit the brightest young stars in the MLB against each other in the MLB Futures Game. For lighter competition, celebrities and retired baseball players will square off in the Celebrity Softball Game earlier on Sunday.

The Home Run Derby will take place at 8 p.m. on Monday to crown baseball’s best slugger, and of course the All-Star Game itself will take place on Tuesday at 8 p.m.