When I was in graduate school at the University of Pittsburgh, I had quite a few classes in the building that we called Forbes Quad (it was renamed to Posvar Hall in 1999). It was built alongside of the former Forbes Field, home of the Pittsburgh Pirates – among other teams – from 1909 to 1971. Parts of the original ballpark are preserved in various spots, either on their original spots, or close by. Home plate is preserved in the floor of Forbes Quad, and I walked by it – or over it – many times over the course of four years.

Another part of Forbes Field that was preserved was a daily ritual of a group of friends who used to enjoy baseball games at the ballpark. Each day around lunchtime, anyone going through Forbes Quad would hear the sound of Italian being spoken from a group of men sitting on some benches near the entrance. Continue reading →