43
Fifth grade gets a visit from the Pirates
Photo
Neighbors | Grace Wyler .The Pittsburgh Pirates 2010 Caravan visited Frank Ohl Intermediate School for an assembly with the fifth grade on Jan. 28.
Photo
Neighbors | Grace Wyler.The Pirates Parrot pumped up the crowd with an impromptu dance during the Pirates Caravan assembly.
Photo
Neighbors | Grace Wyler .The 2010 Pirates Caravan gave away a slew of prizes at the Frank Ohl assembly, including tickets, jerseys, jackets and autographed baseballs. .Back from left, broadcaster and former pitcher Bob Walk, broadcaster Greg Brown, general manager John Russell, pitcher Evan Meek, pitcher Kevin Hart and outfielder Andrew McCutchen. Bottom from left, fifth-grader Kevin Gutierrez, fifth-grader Sierra Pierce, fifth-grader Zoe Oswald, Stone Russell, John Russell's son, and fifth-grader Brianna Protain.
Photo
Neighbors | Grace Wyler .Pirates broadcaster Bob Walk and the Pirates Parate coach fifth-grader Kevin Gutierrez during a mock game of "Deal or No Deal." Gutierrez won Pirates tickets for the entire fifth-grade class at Frank Ohl.
By GRACE WYLER
gwyler@vindy.com
The fifth-grade class at Frank Ohl Intermediate School is anticipating the arrival of spring just a little bit more after a Jan. 28 visit from the Pittsburgh Pirates 2010 Caravan.
Every fifth-grader will attend a Pirates game at PNC Park this coming season after Kevin Gutierrez won tickets for all of his classmates during a game of “Deal or No Deal” hosted by members of the Pirates Caravan.
“It was phenomenal,” Gutierrez said. “It was one of the greatest days of my life.”
Gutierrez was the final candidate in the mock game show, which was led by Pirates broadcaster and former Pirates pitcher Bob Walk. Gutierrez, who took the final deal offered by Pirates General Manager John Russell, took home a number of other prizes, including a Pirates jacket and a jersey.
The real crowd-pleaser, however, was the tickets for Gutierrez and his classmates — he walked off the stage to chants.
“I wouldn’t say I was a big fan before,” Gutierrez said. “But now I’m a HUGE fan.” The highlight of the caravan event was the visit from three Pirates players — righthanded pitcher Kevin Hart, who was traded to the Pirates in August from the Chicago Cubs, outfielder and Baseball America’s 2009 Rookie of the Year Andrew McCutchen and righthanded pitcher Evan Meeks.
McCutchen and Meeks performed an impromptu dance with the Pirates Parrot to conclude the assembly.
The fifth-grade choir opened the event with a rendition of “Take Me Out To The Ballgame.” The choir will perform the “Star-Spangled Banner” at PNC Park in April. “We haven’t had this much excitement in Austintown since Carmen Sandiego came to Lynn Kirk Elementary,” joked Danual Forsberg , the choir teacher.
The Pirates Caravan made stops throughout W.V., Ohio and Pa., on Jan. 24-28, including a luncheon at the Butler Art Institute on Jan. 28.